Mist Lord

The release of the novice trial rankings caused an uproar not only among Song Jing but throughout the entire Yanxia Alliance.

"S+ rating, hell mode, how many years has it been since we've seen one like that?"

Tang Ce, who was processing official documents, finally lost his composure when he received the notification from Gray Fog. Back then, without any help, he only dared to choose the hard mode.

How did Xia Yuan, this demon pill, suddenly appear?

As the most senior lord of the Yanxia Alliance, Tang Ce knew all too well the difficulty of Hell Mode, and to achieve the highest S+ rating, it would undoubtedly be a crushing battle. That third-tier elven archer alone could never accomplish it.

"A newly recruited hero?"

Considering that Xia Yuan had already reached the level 2 lord before the trial, the only explanation is that Xia Yuan was lucky enough to recruit a powerful fourth-tier hero in the Hall of Heroes.

As for the fifth rank, that belongs to the realm of legends; the entire Yanxia Alliance doesn't have one yet.

"I'm afraid it's not just that..."

A Tier 4 hero plus a Tier 3 Elf Archer might be able to barely handle Hell difficulty, but they definitely wouldn't be able to crush everything, unless Xia Yuan's initial units are also extraordinary, at least Tier 2 or even Tier 3.

Unlike Song Jing and the others, Xia Yuan has not received any external support so far and has relied entirely on his own efforts.

"They hid it quite well..."

Even with just a combination of a second-tier unit and a fourth-tier hero, he would be far ahead of the newcomers this year. In terms of future potential, he is second only to Song Jing, the Holy Son of the sect, yet he has managed to remain patient until now.

Of course, this is not Xia Yuan's fault; it's just that Li Mingyu pushed him too far.

"This is getting interesting..."

As Xia Yuan begins to distinguish himself, it's certain that some powerful lords will risk offending Li Mingyu to bring him under their wing. Even Tang Ce would be tempted if the quota for subordinate territories hadn't already been used up.

Xia Yuan's strength lies not only in his potential, but also in his remarkable character. He was ruthless and decisive when he annihilated Li Aoyu, yet he knew how to be low-key and patient upon returning to his territory. His astonishing performance in the novice trials truly proves him to be a former entrepreneurial talent and a remarkable individual.

They seem to be born to be on the grand stage of the Misty Continent.

.........

"Damn it!!!"

If we were to rank who in the league least wanted Xia Yuan to stand out, it would undoubtedly be Li Mingyu. He had been quietly watching this rookie trial since noon.

Originally, they wanted Xiao Xiong to surpass Xia Yuan, but unexpectedly, Xia Yuan took the lead.

He received another hard slap in the face.

Rationally speaking, Xiao Xiong did quite well; if it weren't for Xia Yuan's unexpected role, he would have been the runner-up.

"Tier 2 units + Tier 4 hero?"

As a newly emerging core member of the alliance, Li Mingyu was certainly not stupid. He quickly analyzed a lot of information and came to a similar conclusion as the alliance leader, Tang Ce.

Newcomers may not know, but Li Mingyu was a top rookie back in the day.

The initial unit is Tier 3. With the support of Vice Alliance Leader Zhu Xiaotian, the player bravely challenges the Hell difficulty and achieves an S-rank rating, thus starting the path of rapid advancement in the alliance.

Because of his similar experience, Li Mingyu's predictions were more accurate.

If Xia Yuan had drawn a Tier 3 unit, its limited numbers would have made it impossible to quickly eliminate the beast tide. Only Tier 2 units, which combine individual strength with sheer numbers, could potentially create a miracle.

"But that's where it ends!"

After calming down, Li Mingyu regained his composure.

If Xia Yuan really drew a Tier 3 unit, then there's really no way to continue suppressing him; even the alliance leader would probably step in to protect him.

Tier 2 units are different. Although they are also excellent, they are far from being untouchable.

There will definitely be level 6 or even level 7 lords who want to take Xia Yuan under their wing, but so what? Li Mingyu has never been fighting alone.

When he suddenly appeared, he did not choose the leader of the alliance, but instead chose Zhu Xiaotian, the vice leader who also came from a noble family, which destined him to have a unique position in the faction.

In terms of true influence within the faction, it even surpasses some level 7 lords.

Why fear a fight?

.........

"Pfft!"

The giant worm, at the peak of the third tier, ultimately died beneath the black-armored, white-bone greatsword. The aftershocks of the battle between the man and the worm turned the southern suburbs upside down, fortunately, there hadn't been any plans to begin with.

Congratulations on passing the Hell Mode Beginner Trial! Final rating: S+

"S+?"

Looking down at the corpses strewn across the ground, Xia Yuan smiled broadly. His best-case scenario was to get an S- rating, but Satir's arrangement had unexpectedly produced a miraculous effect, turning the rotten into the miraculous.

They really struck gold.

[Congratulations on receiving the highest rating and topping the Newcomer Ranking of the Summer Alliance! You will receive +300 Merit Points, +1 Silver Treasure Chest, +1 Beginner Sweep Scroll, and +1 chance to win a 2-out-of-4 lottery prize.]

[Rank promoted to Second-Class Baron]

"...A silver treasure chest?"

This is something even great lords covet, with a certain chance of obtaining legendary items. Similar rewards are only available in a few scenarios, such as the beginner's trial.

Inside, there was a stone statue about one foot tall.

The sculpture doesn't depict any war hero, but rather a stone mountain with an iron fist holding a torch of war extending upwards, giving it a very powerful look.

[War Statue]: After placement, the daily troop recruitment limit of the territory's barracks increases by 50%. It is bound, untradeable, and cannot be destroyed.

A single, simple attribute is enough to drive any lord mad.

This means that the Blade & Shield Dog Training Camp can recruit 15 Blade & Shield Dogs per day, and the longer it's in place, the more powerful the effect. Meanwhile, Tier 3 Barracks can recruit an additional Tier 3 unit every two days, a truly remarkable effect.

The key war statue affects all barracks. Territories at levels 1, 3, 5, and 7 will each receive a chance to draw a barracks. The higher the level, the stronger the amplification effect of the war statue becomes; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the number one war artifact.

Unexpectedly, Xia Yuan was incredibly lucky and managed to open the silver treasure chest and get it.

This is a huge profit.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Yuan placed the war statue outside the wooden city wall, on the outer part of the south-facing central axis. Accompanied by a burst of white light, it transformed into a giant sculpture that was 36 feet tall.

The torch of war, held tightly in an iron fist, also blazes fiercely, as if to dispel the darkness.

In the future, as the territory continues to expand and cities are built, the statue will become the city's war square, which is something to look forward to.

[Choose two from four awards]

1. Corner of Harvest (Increases crop yield in the territory)

2. Blood Blade (Defeating enemies allows you to absorb their life force and use it for your own benefit)

3. First Aid Tent (allows soldiers to receive emergency treatment)

4. Healing Scroll (Casts a group healing spell every three days)

Besides the silver treasure chest, the four-choose-two reward also did not disappoint Xia Yuan, and even made it difficult for him to make a decision.

I want them all!!!

After weighing the options, they ultimately chose Bloodblade and Healing Scroll.

Needless to say, Bloodblade's blood-sucking properties are a perfect match for the Fire Beetle. With Bloodblade feeding it, the Fire Beetle can evolve across a rank without worrying about burdening its host, Xia Yuan.

The Corner of Harvest is certainly a good thing, but it's not something we urgently need right now.

Mingguang Village was already extremely poor, so it had no resources to produce, let alone any rare resources; it was all just wishful thinking.

Of course, in the long run, the value of Harvest Corner is definitely greater than that of Blood Blade.

To save his life, Xia Yuan decisively chose Blood Blade.

Both the Healing Scroll and the First Aid Tent are healing items, and considering the reckless nature of the Blade & Shield Dog and its extremely high casualty rate, they are indeed things that the territory urgently needs.

In comparison, the Healing Scroll is more flexible and can be used directly in battle. The First Aid Tent is more suitable for large-scale battles in the later stages of the game, providing emergency medical support for prolonged warfare.

Right now, choosing books on treatment is clearly more practical.

Especially considering the monthly Civilization Trial, having the Healing Scroll means that if one chooses to be on the offensive, it's like having an extra layer of protection out of thin air.

This will surely give the enemy a big surprise.

Having made their choices, the biggest victory of this novice trial was secured. All that remained was to treat the wounded, clean up the battlefield, and deal with any potential setbacks that might follow.

Xia Yuan's thoughts drifted to Yunyang City.

After two consecutive debates, will any high lord within the alliance step forward to uphold justice for him?