Among the four soldiers in white, one put away their firearm and stepped forward slowly.
After searching thoroughly to ensure no prohibited weapons were carried, the soldier finally took off the helmet.
"Recommendation letters," the soldier said in a deep voice.
Arthur immediately took a stack of recommendation letters from his storage device—there looked to be over a dozen—and handed them over in his arms.
Those who could enter this place were all top elites from various factions, almost all hailing from Shrek Academy, the Tang Sect, the War God Hall, the Spirit Conduction Tower, and a few ancient Legacy clans.
The soldier before him was no exception.
She was naturally knowledgeable, but seeing Arthur's stack of recommendation letters, she still froze.
After checking the recommendation letters one by one, she was a bit dazed.
Among these letters, some were from Shrek Academy, some from the Spirit Conduction Tower, the Body Sect, and the Blacksmith Association.
There were also many personally recommended by Titled Douluo powerhouses.
The soldier's head suddenly began to buzz.
Where did this young master come from?
It was essentially a case of accidentally stumbling into the imperial household.
After a moment, she regained her senses. The soldier waved her hand, signaling Arthur to follow.
Turning to walk toward the barracks, the other three soldiers vanished back into the snow; the surface snow smoothed over quickly, as if no one had ever been there.
Walking all the way to the barracks area, the snow on the ground had been cleared, and they could finally step on solid pavement.
Shaking the remaining snow off her body, the soldier walked straight into the barracks.
The camp was in perfect order; aside from the surrounding white snow, its appearance wasn't much different from an ordinary military camp.
The soldier led Arthur to a building and pressed her palm against the sensor area. A light pattern swept across, and the metal door slowly opened.
"Enter!"
Stepping inside the building, a warm current of air instantly enveloped his body. The thin air became rich again, and he felt comfortable all over.
The guiding soldier suddenly turned around and took off her helmet.
It was Long Yuxue.
She looked at Arthur. "You're quite something, aren't you? Which family's young master are you, to have so many Titled Douluo jointly recommending you?"
"Wow, it really is you!" Arthur first feigned surprise.
Then he said modestly, "I'm no young master. Everyone is just giving me Face."
Hearing this, Long Yuxue's brows rose even higher. Her gaze swept over Arthur several times, her eyes filled with scrutiny and disbelief.
Over a dozen letters from various top powers and personally signed by several Titled Douluo—let alone a recruit, even her father might not have such prestige. Yet this person before her casually said they were just "giving Face"?
"Giving Face?" Long Yuxue sneered, closing the metal door behind her to shut out the wind and snow. "Shrek, the Spirit Conduction Tower, the Body Sect, the Blacksmith Association, the Sacred Angel Clan, and so many Private recommendations from Titled Douluo—you call that 'giving Face'?"
By now, the cold wariness she had shown initially had vanished, replaced mostly by curiosity.
Along the way, she had treated him like an ordinary young master out for experience. As it turned out, he wasn't just some young master; he was clearly a formidable character with a background so strong he could walk sideways, yet he pretended to be a carefree, boastful fellow.
The ahoge on top of Arthur's head swayed as he looked innocent. "Maybe it's because I'm handsome. Once they heard I was coming here, they all wrote recommendation letters and stuffed them into my hands. I said one was enough, but they insisted."
"If you don't want to say, then forget it. I'll find out sooner or later," Long Yuxue snorted.
He followed Long Yuxue further into the building.
Passing through a long, narrow metal corridor, they entered an office.
Inside was a female soldier around forty years old. Her shoulder straps bore the single bar and two stars of a Lieutenant, and she had a steady, restrained temperament.
"Lieutenant, this is a new recruit. I will personally conduct his induction assessment." Long Yuxue's expression remained unchanged, her tone devoid of emotion.
"Yes, Captain... Eh?" The middle-aged female Lieutenant immediately stood up, clenched her right fist, and struck her chest heavily in the exclusive military salute of the Blood God Legion.
Then she froze.
She glanced at Arthur and then at Long Yuxue, a look of interest appearing in her eyes.
Captain?
Arthur pondered silently.
It seemed Long Yuxue hadn't been promoted to Major yet.
Long Yuxue nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
The female Lieutenant sized up Arthur with a smile, then turned and left the room.
Arthur watched her back.
This should be Long Yuxue's mother.
Then Long Yuxue raised her hand. "Follow me."
She led Arthur out of the office to a vast weapon warehouse. "You can choose any weapon. Remember, in the assessment grounds, you cannot use any Soul Power at all. You can only rely on your Physical Body's strength and the weapon in your hand. Just pick what you're best at."
Arthur understood.
The warehouse was filled with a dazzling array of weapons, ranging from portable soul-guided ray guns and small soul guidance cannons to various cold weapons.
Arthur scanned the room and finally stepped forward to pick up a standard-issue longsword.
"Oh? I didn't take you for a swordsman." Long Yuxue's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Hehe, I know a little, just a little," Arthur chuckled sheepishly.
"I wasn't complimenting you! Why are you acting all bashful?!"
Long Yuxue rolled her eyes at him and led him out of the warehouse toward the most prominent gabled building in the center of the camp.
This building was about fifty meters high, the highest point of the entire camp, exuding a stern atmosphere of command.
Stepping inside, there were many soldiers, all dressed in crisp white uniforms with the Snow God Eagle legion insignia embroidered on their chests. The lowest rank on their shoulder straps was Second Lieutenant, and there wasn't a single Private in sight; clearly, this was the core command area of the Blood God Legion.
No one paid attention to Arthur, the new recruit. Everyone was busy, and the atmosphere was solemn.
Long Yuxue led him toward a military elevator nearby.
The elevator doors slowly closed, leaving only Arthur and Long Yuxue in the small space.
Arthur could clearly feel the elevator descending rapidly. He gave a light cough. "Xiao Xue, we're so familiar with each other now. How about you go easy on me later? Just for show."
"Call me Sir," Long Yuxue said in a cold, hard tone.
"Yes, Sir!" Arthur immediately stood up straight.
"Go easy on you? I certainly will," Long Yuxue said with a smile again.
A moment later, with a soft "ding," the elevator reached its destination.
The doors opened, and they stepped into a control room filled with instruments.
The layout here looked exactly like the entrance to the Spirit Conduction Tower's Spirit Ascension Platform.
Long Yuxue walked to the main console, her fingers flying across the keyboard. The crisp sound of keys clicking was continuous as various instruments instantly lit up with blue light.
Two glass pods slowly unfolded, revealing the internal restraint devices.
"I won't say much; this place is similar to the Spirit Ascension Platform." Long Yuxue turned to Arthur.
"Your assessment follows rules similar to the Spirit Ascension Platform. The mission is simple: after entering the simulation, protect me the whole time until the assessment ends."
"Understood." Arthur stepped toward one of the glass pods.
Long Yuxue watched his back, her eyes narrowing slightly. She stepped forward quickly and reminded him in a deep voice, "One last reminder: Soul Power is completely banned in the simulation. You can only use the weapon in your hand and your Physical Body to fight. Is that clear?"
"No problem, Xiao Xue."
"Call me Sir!"
But Arthur could no longer hear her.
He had already stepped into the glass pod. The pod slowly closed, and metal patches instantly adhered to his body. The restraints on his back locked him firmly in place as the surrounding light grew brighter.
It had been a long time since Arthur had used a device like the Spirit Ascension Platform.
He felt a bit nostalgic.
After a brief moment of dizziness, he opened his eyes again and found himself in the middle of a vast, snowy landscape.
The scenery in the distance was the outline of the Blood God Legion's camp, identical to reality.
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