Xiao Niao Star was one of the eight major logistics bases within the human territory, and also a fixed supply station for the cosmic army. A vast number of cosmic soldiers were continuously transported from here to the “Outer Battlefield,” highlighting its immense strategic importance.
“We’ve arrived.”
“That’s Xiao Niao Star.” Inside the control room of the crimson triangular spaceship, Luo Feng gazed into the distance at the massive planet floating in the starry void. That was Xiao Niao Star, with a diameter of 1,028,000 kilometers. It was an artificial planet, essentially a fortress in space.
“Beep.”
“Luo Feng, we’ve received the guidance signal from Xiao Niao Star,” called Babata from the control panel screen. “The signal has been connected. We’ll follow their instructions to enter.”
“Alright,” Luo Feng nodded.
Whoosh!
The Yimo Star spaceship swiftly flew into Xiao Niao Star.
…
The spaceship docking platform of Xiao Niao Star.
“Wow, an F-class cosmic ship, entirely made of Chi Hun Tong Mu. A ship like this must cost at least several million Hun Yuan units,” exclaimed a man wearing a silver, standardized battle armor. At this moment, Luo Feng flew out from the Yimo Star spaceship’s hatch and casually retracted the ship into his world ring.
“Hello, I’m a staff member here,” the armored man quickly smiled, secretly astonished, “Judging by the mark on his forehead, he’s a Monarch acknowledged by the Laws. A Monarch who can afford such an expensive spaceship must have an impressive background.”
Luo Feng glanced at him. The armored man’s head looked like a jellyfish, somewhat translucent.
“I’ve applied to enter the Outer Battlefield. Do you know which way I should go?” Luo Feng asked.
“The cosmic army always arrives in groups, while solo travelers like you follow this passage to the gathering point,” the armored man pointed toward a wide, transparent glass passage in the distance. “This passage is over 3,000 kilometers long. Once you reach the end, you’ll be at the gathering point.”
“Thanks,” Luo Feng nodded.
He immediately proceeded down the passage. Each step he took covered more than ten kilometers. Soon, he reached the end. There was a beautifully scenic plaza, already gathering over ten thousand people. Due to the plaza’s vast size, with a diameter of over a hundred kilometers, the crowd appeared sparse.
“Hello, please rest here for a while,” said a charming female receptionist with a furry tail.
“When can we go to the Outer Battlefield?” Luo Feng asked.
“It requires gathering a certain number of people, otherwise the logistics cost would be too high,” the receptionist smiled. “Monarch, you’re quite fortunate. Some of you have already been waiting here for twelve days. Since solo travelers don’t gather as easily as soldiers from various cosmic nations. When the cosmic nations’ armies arrive, they come in great numbers. But solo travelers have to wait patiently until enough have gathered.”
Luo Feng nodded.
He walked to one side of the plaza. There were many alloy benches scattered around, and numerous warriors preparing for battle were sitting here and there. Luo Feng casually chose a spot to sit.
…
“Hey, hello there.”
“Here alone?”
Two wolf warrior Monarchs with similar appearances and manes approached.
Luo Feng looked up with interest, instantly identifying them as peak Monarchs, both acknowledged by the fundamental laws. While the plaza was crowded with over ten thousand people, most were Domain Lords, with fewer Monarchs and Cosmic Lords.
Cosmic Lords were even rarer than Domain Lords. Due to their relatively weak strength, very few Cosmic Lords ventured to participate in the Outer Battlefield. The travel expenses for such a long journey alone would be too costly for many Cosmic Lords to afford.
Luo Feng nodded. “Alone.”
“Coming all the way to Xiao Niao Star alone must have been tough. My brother and I took a cosmic ship here, and the journey took us twelve years,” said the slightly stockier wolf Monarch, laughing as he and his brother sat on the alloy bench opposite Luo Feng. With a wave of his hand, he produced a bottle of wine and three cups.
Manipulation of world force.
Then he poured the wine, three cups set before the three of them.
“Thanks,” Luo Feng raised his cup. “I was fine. My interstellar journey didn’t take twelve years.”
“Oh,” the stockier wolf Monarch laughed heartily. “I’m Kralish. This is my younger brother, Bardi.” The leaner wolf Monarch beside him was more reserved, simply nodding at Luo Feng and saying “Hello.”
“I’m called…” Luo Feng hesitated slightly. “Madman.”
“Madman?”
Upon hearing this, the two wolf Monarchs understood it was just a nickname. Such a moniker was extremely common, especially among the cosmic armies where real names were rarely used, and everyone usually went by nicknames. Among a hundred cosmic soldiers, there was likely at least one called “Madman.”
They sensed that Luo Feng didn’t want to reveal his real name, so they naturally didn’t press for it.
“Hey, look, another Monarch has arrived,” said the stockier wolf Monarch, looking into the distance.
Luo Feng glanced over. Indeed, another Monarch had arrived.
“The number of gathered Monarchs has now reached ninety-six,” said the leaner wolf Monarch, Bardi, in a low voice. “We’re close to departure.”
“They always wait until a hundred Monarchs are gathered before transporting the soldiers all at once. It’s really… waited twelve years on the interstellar journey, and now we still have to wait here. So long without any battle, my war blade is already aching for blood,” the stockier wolf Monarch grumbled. Luo Feng casually exchanged words with the two, though he revealed nothing about himself.
Luo Feng was well aware that, as a direct disciple of Chaos City Lord, there were many alien warriors who wanted him dead. For safety’s sake, it was better not to reveal his identity.
The Outer Battlefield was filled with powerful experts. If he revealed his identity too early, the danger he faced would increase tenfold, even a hundredfold.
…
Luo Feng waited for a day, and the number of gathered Monarchs aiming to join the battle soon reached one hundred.
“Cosmic Lords, gather here.”
“Domain Lords, gather here.”
“Monarchs, gather over here.”
The passage gates opened, and the more than ten thousand solo soldiers quickly sorted themselves. Luo Feng also stood up and joined the other Monarchs. At the moment of gathering, another Monarch arrived, bringing the total to one hundred and one, prompting the other Monarchs to murmur about the good fortune of the newly arrived female Monarch—she wouldn’t have to wait.
“Warriors of the Monarch rank, you are about to head to the most glorious yet brutal Outer Battlefield,” a deathless immortal, exuding an aura of killing intent and resembling a being forged from metal, spoke solemnly. “But you must understand that the army has its own rules and cannot allow the same freedom you had as lone wanderers!”
Luo Feng and over a hundred other Monarchs listened.
“Before departure!”
“We must conduct the traditional authority-granting ceremony,” the deathless immortal declared solemnly.
“Authority-granting ceremony?”
“What does that mean?”
“What is it for?”
Many of the gathered Monarchs whispered among themselves, clearly most of these lone warriors knew little about the detailed procedures of participating in the ‘Outer Battlefield.’
The deathless immortal, aware of their confusion, continued, “The authority granting determines your exact status within the army. The army is a place of strict hierarchy, and subordinates must obey their superiors… Therefore, your status and authority within the army must be clearly defined, and this is determined by your strength.”
“Are we supposed to fight each other?”
“A test?”
A Monarch shouted.
“No,” the deathless immortal shook his head. “Each of you Monarchs has certainly undergone countless training sessions in the virtual universe network. Based on your performance, the virtual universe network assigns you a rating. This rating is crucial for determining your status within the army.”
“The ratings are divided into three levels: the first is ‘Ordinary Monarch Warrior,’ the second is ‘Elite Monarch Warrior,’ and the third is ‘Monarch General.'”
“Most Monarchs are ‘Ordinary Monarch Warriors.'”
“Those acknowledged by the fundamental laws are considered ‘Elite Monarch Warriors.'”
“Among hundreds of ‘Elite Monarch Warriors,’ generally only one becomes a ‘Monarch General!'” the deathless immortal explained. “I’m sure each of you has displayed your strongest abilities in the virtual universe. If any of you haven’t yet demonstrated your full strength in the virtual universe and are worried about an unfair authority-granting ceremony, you can now enter the virtual universe network and showcase your might. Then, the authority granting will commence.”
…
The deathless immortal remained silent for ten seconds before speaking again, “I assume everyone is ready. One by one, step forward and receive your authority granting.”
The 101 Monarchs approached the deathless immortal in turn. A blue light projected from the deathless immortal’s arm screen, enveloping each approaching Monarch.
“Elite Monarch Warrior!”
“Ordinary Monarch Warrior!”
“Elite Monarch Warrior!”
“Elite Monarch Warrior!”
The deathless immortal’s arm screen automatically announced each result. Simultaneously, each Monarch receiving the authority grant also received a message from the virtual universe system. The higher the authority, the higher their status within the army.
Luo Feng observed in astonishment, “There are so many Elite Monarch Warriors. Normally, ‘Ordinary Monarch Warriors’ should be the majority among Monarchs. Oh, right, those daring enough to come alone to the Outer Battlefield must be confident in themselves. Indeed, most of them have been acknowledged by the fundamental laws.”
The Monarchs lined up, each receiving the authority granting in turn. Soon, it was Luo Feng’s turn.
The blue light enveloped Luo Feng, and a voice announced,
“Monarch General!”
Gasps erupted, drawing the attention of many Monarchs around. Even the personnel on Xiao Niao Star, who were currently granting authority to Domain Lords and Cosmic Lords, looked over in surprise. Among the 101 Monarchs, there was actually one ‘Monarch General.’
“Not bad,” the deathless immortal looked at Luo Feng in astonishment and nodded in admiration.
Luo Feng calmly walked aside.
The remaining Monarchs continued to receive their authority grants.
“Elite Monarch Warrior.”
“Ordinary Monarch Warrior.”
…
“Monarch General!”
Another uproar arose from the crowd. Among these mere 101 Monarchs, there were now two ‘Monarch Generals.’ Luo Feng looked over… It was a young Monarch, standing at three meters tall, with an extremely muscular build. Occasionally, the gaze from his eyes was like two battle blades, making it hard for anyone to meet his stare directly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage