Chapter Eleven: The Twentieth Battalion

That deep-seated resentment in Xu Yan's heart was beyond words. She simply could not understand what that portly middle-aged man was thinking—his words seemed to place her beneath this wild man, as if she was somehow inferior.

Chu Feng, upon hearing the words, was slightly taken aback. He shook his head with a wry smile and replied, “I’m also a newcomer reporting in.”

A student’s age was a crucial factor for the Spirit War Pavilion when assessing aptitude, as it influenced one's future prospects. This was not something that could be falsified, so the Spirit War Pavilion had, many years before, developed a spiritual device to determine the exact age of its recruits.

Such a device was installed in this very hall. From the moment the two entered, the portly middle-aged man had already accurately determined their ages.

A seventeen-year-old newcomer was truly rare. Coupled with the sharp aura Chu Feng exuded, the middle-aged man suspected that this youth had long since awakened his spiritual attributes, which matched the practices of some prominent families. With a smile, he asked, “You’ve already awakened your spiritual attribute, haven’t you?”

Chu Feng shook his head again, still smiling bitterly. “No, to be honest, I’m not yet able to undergo spiritual transformation.”

Chu Feng understood that the truth about his inability to transform spiritually would come out sooner or later, so he did not hide it.

Xu Yan stared at Chu Feng in astonishment. Last night, she had thought the wild man was lying to her, but now, here in this place, he still gave the same answer.

The middle-aged man’s smile froze at Chu Feng’s words. He felt not only that this young man had no intention of making friends, but that he was making a mockery of him. Everyone knew that spiritual transformation was the sole prerequisite for entry into the Spirit War Pavilion. How could someone be a recruit without it? With a tone of displeasure, he asked, “Are you sure you’re a newcomer?”

“I suppose so,” Chu Feng nodded.

“You suppose? Are you toying with me?” The man’s voice grew cold, his mood worsening. After all, he was in charge of assigning new recruits, and even the scions of great families would show him some respect. Yet this youth seemed completely ignorant of propriety.

Chu Feng sighed inwardly. “I wouldn’t dare. But what I said is the truth.”

The man regarded Chu Feng’s sincerity with suspicion and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Chu Feng.”

“Where are you from?”

“Gulin City.”

The man started slightly, then fetched a book. It was gray, ancient-looking, with the words “Rookie Register” on its cover.

Upon closer inspection, Chu Feng realized the book was not made of paper but of some kind of stone, with no pages to turn.

The man extended his forefinger, tracing several strokes upon the stone. Chu Feng watched as he wrote, “Chu Feng, seventeen, Gulin City.”

The stone book emitted a gentle blue light, projecting a screen into the air that displayed the name “Chu Feng.”

“Young man, this joke isn’t amusing. You claim not to have awakened your spiritual attribute, I could almost believe that. But if you truly cannot transform, then how does your name appear in the Rookie Register?” The man finished, and, with a gesture like a sword, pointed in the air. Chu Feng’s portrait appeared on the screen, confirming that the Chu Feng in the register was indeed him.

At this moment, both the middle-aged man and Xu Yan were stunned, their eyes fixed in disbelief upon the luminous screen.

Next to the portrait, some words appeared: “Chu Feng, male, seventeen, native of Gulin City, one of the few survivors of the Gulin disaster, has not yet undergone spiritual transformation, granted special permission to enter the rookie camp for training.”

“So he really can’t transform...” Xu Yan murmured, momentarily dazed.

“So you’re one of the two survivors!” the middle-aged man exclaimed, the brief statement having clarified everything.

The disaster at Gulin City had shaken all of humanity. Everyone knew about it. The so-called survivors could not include the thousands who had fled beforehand. To have survived a city razed by beasts was truly extraordinary.

The man understood that, ultimately, the higher-ups in humanity bore responsibility for the tragedy at Gulin. The Spirit War Pavilion’s special treatment was a form of atonement, hoping to provide the boy with the best opportunities as solace.

Yet his expression reverted to the previous coldness, with a look of disappointment and even disdain. He realized he had misjudged the youth. Seventeen and still not transformed—such a futureless prospect would offer him little benefit, even if admitted to the Pavilion.

Bitterly disappointed at having wasted so much time on someone who could not bring him any advantage, he fished out an iron token inscribed with “Camp Twenty” and tossed it to Chu Feng. “Go to Camp Twenty,” he said, indifferently.

He then casually asked Xu Yan her name, confirmed it, and handed her an identical token. “You too, to Camp Twenty.”

Typically, new recruits to the Pavilion ranged from twelve to fourteen at most. He didn’t bother asking further, simply assuming Xu Yan had only managed her transformation at fourteen—among the rookies, the lowest tier of aptitude, making Camp Twenty a perfectly reasonable assignment.

Xu Yan’s face flushed as she clutched the token. She knew all too well the significance of Camp Twenty and almost blurted out, “Me too?”

The man glared at her coldly. “What, do you object to my arrangement?”

Xu Yan seethed with resentment. This man was disgustingly snobbish. She wanted to shout, “Fat fool, you judge people by appearances!”

Suppressing her anger, Xu Yan took a deep breath and replied, “No objections!” With that, she pulled Chu Feng away without looking back.

The man snorted but wasn’t bothered—he had seen this sort of thing many times.

Once outside, Xu Yan stormed off, dragging Chu Feng behind her and muttering furiously, “Blind fool, not only did he assign me to the lowest camp, but he put me with that wretched wild man—infuriating, absolutely infuriating…”

Chu Feng could only smile wryly. The girl was clearly dragging him along, yet scolding him all the while.

“You’re going the wrong way. Our horses are over there,” Chu Feng reminded her.

Xu Yan, exasperated, shook off his hand and snapped, “Stupid wild man, it’s all your fault!” With that, her small fist landed on Chu Feng.

Chu Feng dodged and backed away, speechless. “How is this my fault?” he wondered.

In truth, Xu Yan was simply venting her anger at the snobbish, blind fool. It was easier to take it out on Chu Feng.

But Xu Yan’s temper was quick to flare and quick to fade. After her outburst, she soon calmed down.

“Forget it. A beauty like me won’t stoop to the fat fool’s level. The wild man should count himself lucky to be assigned to the same camp as me!” she muttered, glancing at Chu Feng with a challenging, triumphant look.

Chu Feng was left utterly speechless, pretending not to have seen or heard her. He gazed elsewhere until Xu Yan spoke again. “Wild man, can you really not transform?”

Chu Feng turned to her, meeting her gaze calmly. “Would I have any reason to lie?”

“I see,” Xu Yan nodded. She had already begun to believe him when he had told the fat man, and the roster’s record had erased any doubt.

“You really have guts, coming to the Spirit War Pavilion without being able to transform,” she said suddenly.

“I’m prepared for anything,” Chu Feng replied gravely, his expression resolute. He understood her meaning: to enter the Pavilion unable to transform would invite ridicule and immense pressure. But none of that mattered to him—he simply wanted to grow stronger.

He lapsed into brief silence, as if pondering something, then smiled mysteriously at Xu Yan. “Actually, if you had transformed just now, you wouldn’t have been sent to Camp Twenty. But you didn’t. So despite what you say, you must secretly want to be in the same camp as me!”

He said it half in jest, but it was also a genuine curiosity. If Xu Yan had revealed her awakened spiritual attribute, at fourteen she’d easily have made it into Camp Seven or Eight. Why hadn’t she?

Xu Yan rolled her eyes at him, but her cheeks flushed with color. She punched him lightly, chiding, “Don’t flatter yourself. For me, it doesn’t matter which camp I’m in now. I’ve already awakened my spiritual attribute—so, in a sense, I’ve completed rookie training. All that’s left is to complete a few missions and earn enough points to choose my place in the Pavilion’s higher camps.”

Long ago, Xu Hong had realized that while Xu Yan was gifted, she was not quite a genius, and with the Xu family’s lack of influence, breaking into the top five camps was unlikely. It seemed better to train her personally than send her off early. Now, her prior progress made her rookie status almost irrelevant.

Chu Feng’s doubts were dispelled. So that was the reason.

What he did not realize was that, despite her anger at the fat fool, Xu Yan had already made up her mind: with such a golden opportunity to bully the wild man regularly, how could she let it slip away?

Moreover, while Chu Feng could not transform, his physical strength far surpassed the ordinary—surely, there must be a secret worth uncovering. If she stayed in Camp Twenty, wouldn’t it be easier to discover it?

“Hmph, you see? But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to take extra care of you from now on!” Xu Yan declared, emphasizing the words “take care” with a dangerous glint.

“Thank you for your care, then!” Chu Feng replied, finding her words strangely ominous—he had a feeling it wouldn’t bode well for him.

After that, the two of them mounted their horses and left.

Though it was Xu Yan’s first time at the Spirit War Pavilion, she was thoroughly familiar with rookie camp procedures. With two days to go before training began, there was nothing urgent to do—just daily matters to settle, as their food, lodging, and training would all take place in Camp Twenty.

Thanks to Xu Yan’s explanations, Chu Feng learned that the iron token had two rows of numbers on the back, indicating their housing assignment—and that it also served as the key to their dormitory.