How Do We Play If This Boss Isn't Nerfed?

Chapter 229 - 139: Taotie Upgrades, Shadow Scale Max Level

Not long after, Lin Ye followed Shi Ruifeng into an extremely plain office.

A gunmetal-gray desk and a few chairs. On the wall hung a massive military map of the fallen territories. There was nothing else.

Wang Lingchuan was already waiting there.

Upon seeing Lin Ye enter, his usual stern and serious demeanor changed, and a genuine smile spread across his face.

Wang Lingchuan looked Lin Ye up and down a few times, his gaze filled with undisguised admiration.

"Impressive. It’s true that heroes are often young."

"I must admit, we really underestimated you."

Wang Lingchuan’s voice was steady and powerful, each word carrying great weight.

"Lin Ye, you have won over me and all my subordinates with your strength and your concrete achievements."

"I don’t know how you were treated back in school."

"But this is the army."

"We are Great Xia’s frontline against the Celestial Abyss. In the military, we don’t have so many unnecessary frills and formalities!"

"As long as you can kill enemies and earn merits, no one will look down on you!"

Lin Ye could feel the sincerity in his words.

He also noticed that the atmosphere here was a world apart from the environment in Dongjiang, where background and pedigree were everything.

Here, everyone was decisive and efficient. Things were straightforward and direct, without all the convoluted nonsense.

Strength was the only currency that mattered.

Lin Ye offered a few humble words, but Wang Lingchuan waved his hand, gestured for him to sit, and got straight to the point.

"I called you here today to talk to you in advance about the Qiming General Star Training Camp you’ll be attending."

Wang Lingchuan’s expression turned serious again.

"Normally, these are things your teachers or family elders would tell you."

"But I’ve looked at your file. Dongjiang City is just a third-tier city, and you don’t come from any renowned martial arts family."

"So, I figured I should tell you myself, just so you can be mentally prepared."

Hearing this, Lin Ye sat up a little straighter and listened attentively.

’This is exactly the information I’ve been wanting to hear.’

"The Qiming General Star Training Camp is a top-tier talent development and selection program, directly organized by the Great Xia High Command, encompassing over twenty provinces nationwide."

"It’s held only once a year."

"And each time, admission is limited to just fifty people."

"The camp aims to provide every new Martial Artist who enters with the best Cultivation Techniques, the most professional martial arts instructors, and cultivation resources far beyond what the outside world can imagine."

"In this selection, you were the undisputed first place."

"After you enter the training camp, if nothing unexpected happens, your initial rank will be forty-first."

"As for how the camp’s rankings are determined or what kind of activities will be held, that’s all classified information I can’t disclose. Besides, the head instructor changes every year, so the training content varies drastically."

"I can only tell you that the entire training camp lasts for thirty days."

"And... the head instructor for your year... is also a bit special."

"Although the strength you displayed during this selection was enough to crush everyone else, once you’re actually in the camp, you’ll be facing the true geniuses—the ones who get in without needing to go through any selection at all!"

"I hope you can endure it and graduate from the camp successfully!"

At this point, Wang Lingchuan paused, his gaze growing intense.

"There’s a saying that’s always been passed around in the military."

"Take any piece of scrap iron, throw it into the Qiming General Star Training Camp, and if it comes out alive, it will be a piece of tempered steel!"

"Looking back over the years, anyone who graduates from the Qiming General Star Training Camp receives the rank of Second Lieutenant on the very first day they walk out!"

Lin Ye’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Second Lieutenant!’

In the military ranking system used by the Great Xia Military to this day, that was the starting point of the officer corps!

Normally, the only way to become a Second Lieutenant was to be admitted to a Military Science Academy, undergo years of study and rigorous assessments, and then be commissioned upon graduation.

Yet here he was, still just a high school graduate.

’And I can be commissioned directly!’

"Second Lieutenant is just the beginning."

"According to the military’s internal tracking statistics, to date, the *least* accomplished genius to have ever attended and successfully graduated from the Qiming General Star Training Camp is now a Lieutenant Colonel."

Wang Lingchuan’s words were forceful and resonant.

"For any Martial Artist who dreams of making a name for themselves in the military, this is a true highway to the heavens!"

"Your worst-case scenario is likely the peak that many Military Science Academy students strive for their entire lives."

A hint of almost imperceptible envy tinged Wang Lingchuan’s tone.

He looked at Lin Ye and said with the utmost solemnity.

"Lin Ye, work hard, persevere, and graduate successfully. I hope to one day hear the news that you’ve become a Martial Saint. When that day comes, I’ll have some serious bragging rights, haha!"

Wang Lingchuan clapped Lin Ye on the shoulder, laughing heartily.

Lin Ye felt the weight of his expectations and understood the significance of his words.

In the Great Xia Military of this world, military rank was virtually synonymous with strength and status.

Without strength, no matter how powerful your background, you couldn’t establish a foothold in the military.

Wang Lingchuan was telling him that the Qiming General Star Training Camp was filled with opportunities for him to grow stronger at an incredible rate.

’I have to seize them!’

"Alright, that’s all I’ll say about the training camp for now. You can explore the specifics yourself when you get there."

"Now, let’s talk about your arrangements for what comes next."