Astral Gods

Chapter 104 Joining the Training Camp

Chapter 104 Joining the Training Camp

After a moment's thought, the yew tree immediately understood what the Green Bamboo Armor King meant. In order to successfully join the Thousand Star Islands, gain territory, and strengthen their tribe, they had no room to retreat at this moment.

If they don't suffer some injustice here, their descendants will suffer the same injustice in the future.

Zishan said in a firm and powerful tone, "Qingzhujia King, please rest assured, we have just demonstrated our strength, and I believe they will not dare to underestimate us again."

If there are still Zerg targeting us, we can always fight another battle. Even if we have to wipe out all the thousands of high-level Zerg warriors on Lotus Island, we will fight for our own rights.

"Well said!" King Qingzhu praised, "Although we are going to join the Thousand Star Islands, it does not mean that we should just give in all the time."

Sometimes being too weak makes us easy targets for their bullying; the stronger we are, the less they dare to bully us.

"King Qingzhu is right, we must show our stance firmly," the Rhinoceros Turtle warriors echoed.

As the yew tree watched the enraged insects, it had some thoughts swirling in its mind, but it didn't voice them at the moment.

"King Qingzhujia, are you still planning to go to Sang Island?"

"Since you all have nothing else to do, I'll continue to Sang Island as planned." The Green Bamboo Armor King and the Insect Kings of the coastal defense team, led by the White-Headed Armor King, discussed the coastal defense of Sang Island and now it was time to go and make arrangements.

"So you're planning to go back in a month?"

"It's still uncertain. My return might be delayed for a while, but it shouldn't be more than two months."

"Oh." In that case, let Zihuai stay in the territory for another month. However, Zishan probably won't have any problems with Zitong and Xuecao assisting the king in the work.

I don’t know if they can take good care of the territory allocated to them, but an extra month won’t hurt.

The Green Bamboo King only stayed there for a while. Seeing that they were all alright, and after giving them a few reminders, it left directly.

With the encouragement of the Green Bamboo Armor King, the many Rhinoceros Tortoise warriors, who were originally worried about causing trouble here, were greatly encouraged and became much bolder.

The insects slept soundly, and the next morning, led by the rhinoceros tortoise warriors who had visited before, they headed to Training Camp A on Lotus Island.

A cool morning breeze rustled through the giant water lily leaves growing on Lotus Island, each leaf carrying a faint scent of grass and trees.

Their home was on the island in the middle of the lake, which was relatively quiet. The training camp on the outer island was completely different. When the insects flew from the island in the middle of the lake to the outer island and arrived at Training Camp A, they found that many insect warriors had already begun training.

On the spacious training ground, insects of different species lined up in rows, some waving their hard forelegs to practice slashing and stabbing, and others slowly moving forward while carrying heavy stones on their backs.

Others were conducting low-altitude raids and evasions, the buzzing of their wing membranes blending together. Each insect exuded a powerful primal force, and each insect warrior was an elite selected from various tribes.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the training camp, two Zerg warriors stood guard outside. They were enormous and imposing, and were actually two advanced-stage Mimicry Warriors.

Seeing the yews approaching, it immediately blocked their way, its front legs crossed in a horizontal blockade, its tone authoritative and unyielding: "Which team of insects are you from? What are you doing here? Without a pass mark, you are not allowed to trespass into Training Camp A."

The Rhinoceros Tortoise warrior who was leading the way stepped forward, the life mark on his forehead glowing slightly, and said in a deep voice, "We are new Rhinoceros Tortoise warriors, here to report for duty and join the team at Training Camp A. The relevant roster and marks have been submitted in advance."

Yew gently folded its half-exposed wings and stood with the other rhinoceros beetles beside it. Although they had been taught by the Flame Spider Merchant since childhood, this was the first time they had seen such a well-organized and strict military camp.

Accustomed to the carefree life in the forest, he felt somewhat unaccustomed to so many insects solemnly gathered together. At this moment, he even held his breath, silently observing the camp that belonged to the soldiers before him.

The two insects guarding the gate trembled rapidly, sensing the official mark on the Rhinoceros Tortoise Warrior and confirming through inherited memories that they indeed possessed the potential for strength-based talents. Only then did they slowly retract their forelegs and step aside to make way.

"As you are new here, you must strictly abide by the camp rules after entering the camp: no making noise, no leaving the team without permission, no fighting or causing trouble, and obey the orders of the captain and instructors in everything."

The guard on the left gave a stern warning, tapping his jaw lightly, "After entering, proceed straight to the assembly point on the east side of the training ground. Instructors will register you, organize you into teams, and distribute basic protective gear. Do not dawdle, and do not wander around."

"Understood." The Rhinoceros Tortoise warrior responded, turning back to signal the Yew and the others to follow: "Stay close to me, don't fall behind."

The insects responded and followed closely behind, filing into the training camp.

The insects entered the training camp. The rhinoceros beetle warriors who had been there before were already used to the atmosphere and environment, while those who had not been there before looked around curiously.

Inside the training camp, Zerg warriors were training all around, some running and others chopping at wooden stakes.

Others were engaged in combat, the dull thuds of their shells colliding echoing throughout the battlefield. The warlike rhinoceros beetle warriors were filled with excitement, wishing they could join the fray immediately.

The rhinoceros tortoise warriors led them straight ahead, across the wide training ground, and onto an open area on the east side.

Dozens of newly arrived Zerg warriors, just like them, were already standing here, waiting and occasionally communicating quietly through telepathy.

Not long after, a heavy, rhythmic flapping sound of wings came from afar.

The insects instinctively looked up and saw a particularly robust, brown-brown serrated longhorn beetle warrior spreading its wings and flying towards them.

This is a Lord-level Sawtooth Longhorn Beetle Warrior. One of its two slender antennae on its head is broken off, and there are several old marks of varying depths on its carapace. It is clear that this is a Zerg warrior that has experienced real battles.

Its aura was cold and stern, and wherever its gaze swept, the Zerg warriors, who had been making some noise, were instantly silenced.

After confirming there was no further movement in the arena, it released its spiritual power and solemnly declared, "I am Dragon Horn, instructor of Training Camp A. Some of you insects recognize me, and some don't, but regardless of whether you recognize me or not, let's get to know each other again today!"

The serrated longhorn beetle warrior, Dragon Horn Lord, possessed a profound spiritual will: "The insects that have come here should know that there are no rewards or compensations for training here; it all depends on your own perseverance."

I won't tell you anything about persevering or anything like that. I only have one requirement for you: follow the instructors' orders. If you're unwilling to follow them, that's fine too; you can simply withdraw from the coastal defense training camp!

"Of course, if you are truly outstanding, I will recommend you to the coastal defense force, giving you priority in joining the coastal defense force."

There was no response from the insects, and they didn't know what to respond to.

The Sawtooth Longhorn Beetle Lord continued, "In the training camp, one out of every 20 Zerg warriors can be selected as the captain."

One soldier can be selected from every 100 Zerg warriors to serve as the battalion commander. The battalion commander is responsible for assigning tasks to the squad leaders and reports directly to the instructor, awaiting the instructor's orders.

"You are free to choose your own captain and squad leader. If you are dissatisfied with the chosen Zerg warrior, you can challenge it and take its place."

As it spoke, its mental energy swept over the Zerg warriors: "There are currently 89 Zerg warriors here. We can temporarily form 4 squads. Later, I will add some more Zerg warriors to bring the number of Zerg to 100 and form a large squad."

"We'll train you for a while first, and once you're more familiar with each other, we'll select captains from among the insects."

Upon hearing the Serrated Beetle Lord's words, the Zerg unanimously responded, "Yes!"

"Next, roll call."

The Sawtooth Longhorn Beetle Lord took out a list and began calling out names: "Yew—"

"arrive!"

"Arisaema—"

Numerous Zerg warriors reported one by one.

Seeing that no insects had arrived in time, the Sawtooth Longhorn Beetle Lord was quite satisfied: "From now on, you will be members of the sixth squadron of Training Camp A. Training will begin today. First, run ten laps around the training camp and let me see your physical fitness."

"Run ten laps?" Upon hearing the Dragonhorn Lord's words, the newly arrived Zerg warriors were dumbfounded, and even the Rhinoceros Tortoise warriors were somewhat surprised.

They are Zerg warriors, whose most common mode of transportation is flight. They don't have much time to run on their six legs. Short runs are fine, but with such a large training camp, running ten laps is indeed a bit difficult for the Zerg.

Unexpectedly, the Dragonhorn Lord said sternly, "Hurry up and run around the training camp! Those who haven't finished in three hours will keep running until dark!"

Upon hearing the Dragonhorn Lord's reprimand, some insects immediately took the lead and started running, with the others following closely behind. A large swarm of beetles ran around the training camp.

The many Zerg warriors in the training camp were already used to this situation, and some were even gloating. Their training camp was very large, with an outer circumference of about fifteen kilometers. Running ten circumferences would leave them exhausted, if not half-dead.

The first to rush out were several nimble tiger beetles and ground beetles. Their elytra were taut, and their six legs moved like the wind. They thought they could easily take the lead, but after running two laps, their bellies began to heave violently, and the ease in their compound eyes was gradually replaced by exhaustion.

The Rhinoceros Tortoise warriors who fell to the middle and rear were in the most difficult situation. Their thick, black iron-like outer armor, which was their defensive reliance in external battles, had now become their heaviest burden.

Each step they took seemed to drag a small mountain along, their limbs scraping against the ground with a harsh sound, their heavy breathing blending together to make the ground tremble slightly.

Several tiger beetle warriors couldn't help but flap their wings several times, but as soon as they raised their elytra, they met the Dragon Horn Lord's indifferent compound eyes that were staring at them. Those eyes were sharper than a blade, as if they would tear their wings apart in the next second.

They were so frightened that they immediately retracted their wings and continued running, stumbling and falling, their legs so weak they almost lay flat on the ground.

"No insect is allowed to fly. Anyone who dares to try and cheat by flying will be chained the first time I catch them, their membranous wings will be ripped off the second time, and they will be kicked out of the training camp the third time!"

The Zerg warriors, who were running along, muttered to themselves upon hearing the Dragonhorn Lord's words, "You've torn off their membranous wings, how are they supposed to fly now?"

But none of them dared to speak loudly or contradict the Dragon Horn Lord; they silently conserved their energy, using every bit of strength to run.

Normally, the heavy bodies and thick shells of rhinoceros beetle warriors are their source of pride.

However, today, these things have undoubtedly become a burden for them. With a size larger than an elephant and a body heavier than an elephant, they can feel the heavy burden that their carapace places on their joints with every step.

The one bearing the heaviest burden is precisely the yew tree. The reason is simple: when the yew tree awakened its metal-type talent, it consumed too much metal to enhance its steel armor ability. As a result, the metal did not disappear but was integrated into its limbs.

This made its body much heavier than other Zerg warriors. If it hadn't eaten a lot of divinely bestowed Force food that increased its stamina, it probably wouldn't have been able to finish the first lap.

The wind swept through the training camp, stirring up clouds of dust, and the dense swarm of insects was gradually pulled apart, forming a long, twisted black line.

By the fourth lap, one of the bugs finally couldn't hold on any longer.

A small, spotted ground beetle stumbled and fell to the ground, its six legs buckling. Its shell scraped against the ground with a screeching sound. It struggled to get up, but its limbs trembled uncontrollably, and it didn't even have the strength to lift its forelimbs.

The Dragon Horn Lord appeared in front of it in an instant, its thick limbs slamming into the ground, causing the spotted armored warrior to tremble.

The Dragon Horn Lord's mental will was utterly ruthless: "Get up and keep running! If you can't finish ten laps today, you'll keep running until you become nourishment for the training camp!"

The spotted ground beetle was terrified. It gritted its teeth and used all its strength to prop itself up, limping back into the insect stream.

This scene was witnessed by all the insects. Those who had been hoping for a lucky break immediately dared not relax their guard in the slightest. They could only grit their teeth and desperately move forward with the ferocity inherent in the insect race.

Several mountain lord-level instructors stood beside the Dragon Horn Lord, their compound eyes calmly scanning the running swarm of insects, their mental intent silently covering the entire field, recording the speed, endurance, and resilience of each insect.

Making them run is not only a test, but more importantly, it is a way to check their physical fitness in all aspects, so as to choose a direction for training.

"These insects are not very good. They have poor endurance, rely too much on flying, and lack the resilience for ground combat."

"To grow in a balanced way, they need to eat more stamina-enhancing food. Their strength is also insufficient, so they need to eat more strength-enhancing food. Remember to mark them." They are not responsible for supplying the stamina food, but you can suggest it and let them buy it themselves. They can't afford the divinely bestowed stamina food, but they can certainly afford ordinary stamina food, right?

By the sixth lap, most of the Zerg warriors had fallen, with only a few still persisting.

"Some of the Zerg warriors are still pretty good." In the distance, there were about a dozen Zerg warriors still running.

Upon seeing this, the Dragonhorn Lord was unconcerned and immediately saw the root cause: "These Zerg warriors must have wealthy elders who fed them divinely bestowed primal force food during the early and intermediate stages, which is why their physical condition is stronger than that of other Zerg warriors."

However, the amount of divinely bestowed food required in the early and intermediate stages is small and not enough to prove anything. The real difference lies in the stages from the advanced to the mountain lord level.

Several Zerg warriors of the Mountain Lord level silently tapped their antennae, deeply agreeing with these words.

Early and intermediate evolution is simple; even eating only one or two types of Force food is enough to evolve smoothly in the early stages.

In the intermediate stage, you need to eat a variety of Force foods in combination, at least a dozen kinds of Force foods are needed to continue to evolve upwards.

The advanced stage requires doubling that amount, consuming forty to fifty different types of suitable Force foods to increase the probability of evolution.

These tribes all possess divinely bestowed seeds to varying degrees, but the number of divinely bestowed seeds suitable for them is scarce, let alone the divinely bestowed primal force food combinations produced by forty or fifty different divinely bestowed seeds.

Even if some tribes had the ability to find so much divinely bestowed food, they wouldn't be willing to invest it all in a single Zerg warrior.

Most of them use a few types of God-given Force foods, and then combine them with other types of Force foods to form a God-given Force food set meal.