Chapter 16: Merit-based Settlement
Now that he had a weapon, Wei Yuan chose the heavy armor that boasted the highest defense. The helmet came with a visor, and the armor extended all the way to the backs of his hands, and the soles of his feet. It almost covered him from head to toe and rendered the sword most candidates chose for this martial test useless.
In fact, there were several armor-penetrating weapons in the equipment chest such as maces, truncheons, and triangular daggers. However, he couldn’t find a single person wielding such a weapon probably because they weren’t elegant or imposing enough.
The equipment chest disappeared after he had chosen his weapon and armor. The heavy armor materialized directly on Wei Yuan’s body and fitted itself perfectly. It was definitely heavy armor alright. He could only jog after putting it on.
It was at this moment another two candidates ascended the hill. They were both wearing blue. The guy leading the way had a small build—he was the first scout who visited the hill—whereas the other guy following beside him was the opposite. He was only a tad shorter than Wei Yuan and looked pretty brawny.
The scrawny scout was telling his companion, “Look, there’s a clueless big guy hanging out on this hill all on his own, and he doesn’t even know how to use a weapon. We’re going to team up and grab a kill first, o…”
The scrawny scout trailed off when he saw Wei Yuan standing at the top of the hill while clad in heavy armor and wielding an incredibly long spear. Whatever he was going to say was forgotten just like that.
Wei Yuan didn’t waste his breath on them. He simply strode forward and thrust his spear twice in rapid succession, skewering them both. Both candidates were wearing light leather armor that boasted an elegant design and didn’t impede their movements. They might as well be wearing paper before the spear.
In the south zone of the illusory realm, Li Zhi was facing a total of one hundred and twenty candidates with his armor donned and his sword in hand. He had divided them into four divisions—forward, center, left and right—and they were standing in an orderly military formation in front of him.
Li Zhi was deeply satisfied at the state of his forces. Before the exam began, he and a few trusted confidants had painstakingly rehearsed a number of military formations. Just now, they had spent a considerable amount of time organizing his troops as well. As a result, the group of one hundred and twenty now bore the semblance of a well-trained elite force.