Ascending to the Clouds Alone

Garrison camp.

With Lu Shaohui's help, Lin Su met the deputy battalion commander of the garrison.

This was a middle-aged man in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, with a full beard and a voice carrying a strong sense of ruggedness from the battlefield:

"Name, place of origin? I heard you participated in the major battle three days ago?"

"Reporting to the deputy commander, this young man is Lin Su, from Junling City in the Qinglan Domain. That day at the clinic, because I had no credentials, I was taken by my subordinates to the side courtyard of the garrison commander's mansion, and then followed the deputy commander of the garrison to the city wall to assist in the defense."

"Hmm! Seems to have some skill. Since you survived, why do you want to join my garrison?"

Lin Su hadn't really thought about how to answer this question. Telling the truth probably wouldn't work, so he turned to look at Lu Shaohui, already having a plan in mind, and said:

"It was only because Lin Su had been wandering in foreign lands for many years that he met Lu Shaohui through this battle. He knew that everyone in the garrison was like brothers, so he longed to have a bond of 'fighting alongside each other'."

Perhaps only this place in the world can truly give him something.

At this point, Lin Su couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow, and Lu Shaohui, who was standing beside him, also looked somewhat moved.

The deputy battalion commander continued to ask:

"I observe that you have not cultivated Qi; may I ask what kind of magic you practice?"

"It's a rudimentary family method. I was obsessed with music when I was young, so I started practicing it a few years late."

"If you want to join my garrison, you need to take an exam. Since you know Shaohui, you will stay in the same room as him and wait for the recruitment exam in three days."

"Is this what you call a simple interview?" Lin Su and Lu Shaohui wondered as they left the tent.

"Shaohui, joining the garrison was that easy?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Shaohui replied:

"Brother Lin, you may not know this, but for outsiders who want to join this garrison, the assessment is secondary; the main thing is to check their family background."

"Oh? So, I'm waiting for inspection?"

"It should be, but Changqu Town has been constantly at war in recent years. As long as there are merits in battle, the requirements for replenishing troops are not very strict."

So that's how it is. Lin Su secretly resolved to pass the test and join the garrison!

The two then went to the clinic, tidied up, and said goodbye to the old man and Ye Qingqing.

Time flies, and these past few days Lin Su has been cultivating and preparing in the army, but the spirit-locking talisman has disappeared without a trace.

The recruitment assessment was just around the corner.

Banners fluttered in the wind on the drill ground, a testament to the glory of the garrison's Eighth Battalion.

Numerous ordinary martial artists and independent cultivators lined up, eager to try their luck, all rubbing their hands together in anticipation of earning a share of the imperial salary.

Lin Su touched the storage bag at his waist, focused his attention, and listened to the assessment rules.

"You are all dragons and birds of prey; this is the first line of defense for our garrison!" The deputy general's voice boomed from the watchtower.

"Regardless of the means, whoever gets closest to the flag within one incense stick's time wins!"

There wasn't a single wasted word; the rules were clear.

With a wave of the command flag atop the city wall, everyone rushed forward with all their might...

During this time, roadblocks and puppets appeared everywhere, but they could not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd.

There are only a thousand openings available this time, so everyone is giving it their all.

This first level is quite simple.

Lin Su couldn't help but think that it was nothing more than a contest of physical strength and how to fight off enemies and break free from obstacles. As long as his body was strong, he could move forward steadily.

However, the next assessment was something he never expected.

Few people passed the first round; fewer than a hundred people passed.

The training ground was cleared out in an instant. The defeated were led away by soldiers with their heads hanging low, while the remaining people were slightly out of breath, but their eyes were burning, waiting for the next command.

The deputy general on the watchtower stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the hundred men below. His tone suddenly turned cold and sharp, all traces of his previous calmness gone:

"You've managed to get through the first checkpoint, which shows you have some strength, but my garrison is not just a bunch of reckless chargeers!"

He raised his hand and pointed to the stone gate hidden in the mist on the west side of the training ground, his voice echoing throughout the entire area:

"The second challenge: Enter the Netherworld Valley. Only those who return within half an hour with a black-armored demon soldier's waist token can advance!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room erupted in uproar.

Valley of the Underworld!

Every cultivator around Changqu Town knows that it is a frontier pass occupied by barbarians and demons. On weekdays, the elite garrison troops have to go out in groups to investigate, because there are not only low-level demon soldiers inside, but also hidden sentries poisoned with Gu poison. If they are not careful, they will die on the spot.

This is not a recruitment assessment; it's clearly making them risk their lives to scout ahead and eliminate stragglers for the military!

"This...isn't this sending us to our deaths?"

Immediately, a rogue cultivator in the crowd cried out in alarm, his face turning deathly pale.

The soldiers guarding both sides of the stone gate instantly drew their swords, their cold gleam intimidating light. The captain leading the group gave a cold shout:

"The garrison is protecting the lives of thousands of people in Changqu Town. Going to the battlefield is a matter of life and death! Those who are afraid of death can leave now. There are no cowards in the army!"

These words struck like a hammer blow, silencing the previously agitated crowd.

Some people gritted their teeth and hesitated, ultimately valuing their lives, and turned away from the assessment; the remaining seventy or eighty people were all ordinary martial artists who had nowhere else to turn and wanted to fight for their future, or were rogue cultivators with low cultivation and nowhere to settle down. Even if they were scared, they could only bite the bullet and step forward.

Lin Su's heart sank. He had thought the garrison's assessment would only test his cultivation and martial arts skills, but he hadn't expected it to be such a dangerous real battle. He hadn't formally begun cultivating his Qi yet, and his spiritual energy was meager. He had only managed to cultivate a trace of spiritual awareness through his family's musical techniques. If he were to confront the demon soldiers head-on, he would have no chance of winning.

He subconsciously circulated the meager spiritual energy within his body, his gaze calm and composed.

Having chosen this path, there is no turning back.

Lu Shaohui stood beside him and said in a low voice:

"Brother Lin, most of the demon soldiers in the Netherworld Valley are only at the first or second level of Qi Refining. They are swift in action and carry Gu poison. I'll stay by your side, and if we travel together, our chances of victory will be much greater!"

Lin Su nodded slightly, but he knew in his heart that he could only rely on his own ingenuity to win this time.

Before long, the soldiers removed the stone gate's protective barrier, and a cold, fishy smell wafted out of the valley, mixed with a faint aura of evil.

"Set off!"

At the order, everyone plunged into the mist, and Lin Su followed Lu Shaohui into the Netherworld Valley.

The valley was densely wooded and shrouded in yin energy, completely obscuring the view and making it impossible to see anything around us.

The other participants quickly dispersed, each searching for their own targets, with the occasional clang of weapons clashing and piercing screams echoing through the air.

Lin Su did not rush forward rashly. Instead, he closed his eyes, focused his spiritual sense on the music, and listened to the subtle sounds around him.

The frequency of the swaying grass and trees, the heavy breathing of the monsters, and the rustling of clothes all sketched out in his mind.

"Three zhang to the left, demon soldiers are lying in ambush!" Lin Su suddenly pulled Lu Shaohui aside, and his body suddenly dodged to the side.

The next second, a jet-black claw burst from the ground, grazing Lu Shaohui's arm and bringing with it a gust of bloody wind.

A demon soldier clad in black armor, with a ferocious face, roared and charged forward, his fangs bared and his eyes bloodshot. He wielded a bone knife and slashed straight at the faces of the two men with incredible speed!

Lu Shaohui immediately drew his sword to meet the attack. He had already reached the first level of Qi Refining and his cultivation was not weak. However, the demon soldiers were thick-skinned and tough, and when his sword struck their armor, it only sparked. For a while, he was unable to subdue them.

Seeing this, Lin Su gathered the last of his spiritual energy at his fingertips, tapped lightly in the air, and uttered a faint sound wave.

The demon soldier's movements suddenly froze, as if disturbed by the piercing sound. The force with which he swung his bone knife diminished, revealing a vulnerability in his chest.

"Let's do it!"

Lin Su gave a low shout, and Lu Shaohui reacted extremely quickly, striking his vital point with his long sword.

The black-armored demon soldier crashed to the ground. Lu Shaohui quickly removed the black iron waist token from the soldier's waist, his eyes filled with shock as he looked at Lin Su.

"Brother Lin, your musical techniques actually have the effect of disrupting the enemy?!"

Lin Su took the waist token and put it away without saying a word. He simply listened intently to the sounds around him, his brows slightly furrowed.

"We cannot linger here. The fight just now has attracted other demon soldiers. We must finish this quickly."

He knew that his limited spiritual energy was insufficient to sustain repeated sonic attacks, and he needed to find the lone demon soldier as soon as possible to complete the assessment.

In the distance, the roars of demons grew louder and louder, shadows shifted in the forest, and more black-armored demon soldiers were closing in. A fierce battle had only just begun...