Chapter 100: Third Challenge
The next morning.
Xu Qianghua had just finished cultivating and was about to leave the room, but someone opened the door and came in before he could.
It was none other than Su Lian, who was wearing a close-fitting Hanfu.
"Good morning, master," she said as soon as she entered.
"Morning, sister Lian, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I came here because Grandma Su contacted me and told me that she and a few other Shadow Captains are doing the City Lord challenges in the nearby city," she said with a smile.
"Is that so? That's good because I was going to ask her to do this after I had set up the Xu family and stabilized this city, but now that they are also challenging the nearby cities, it could help us control all of this area before other players come in," he said as he started to think about what to do after Huang Xinyi finished the challenges and became the new City Lord.
In his original plan, he did not consider asking Grandma Su or the Shadow Captains to take down the nearby cities, as he wanted to keep a low profile.
At the same time, he made sure this city, which he would make the capital city of his family's empire, was stable and that the citizens were happy with them.
He also created different industries from which they could profit before moving to other cities.
Still, he did not mind if Grandma Su helped him out and took over these cities as these cities would become bases for wild forces if players' forces did not take them over.
Wild Forces are similar to NPC forces in many games. They take over a place and build up their forces.
However, they do not have much control over the people living there and have no means to feed the population, so it is common for them to be seen as part of the robber forces.
"I am glad you came," he continued. "This gives me another idea."
"Oh, what is that?" she asked curiously.
He smiled. "It will be easier if I just show you."
Su Lian nodded and followed Xu Qianghua out of the room, looking at him with a smile on her face.
They walked through the hallways to the mansion's main door. As they exited the mansion, Su Lian looked around, admiring the landscape around the city as they passed by.
Soon, they were in front of a door. Xu Qianghua then knocked on the door.
After a few seconds, the door was opened, and Huang Xinyi poked out to see who it was.
When she saw it was Xu Qianghua, she smiled and was about to say something, but then she noticed Su Lian behind him and stopped.
"Good morning," she said to both of them, motioning for them to enter.
Su Lian smiled back and entered the room first while Xu Qianghua followed right behind her.
"Morning, Huang Xinyi," he said.
"How are you feeling right now?" he asked. "Are you ready for the third challenge?"
Huang Xinyi nodded as she replied. "Yes, Master, I am fine. And I am not worried about the challenge, as I have confidence in myself."
Xu Qianghua smiled at her response as he was glad to see her regain her confidence after yesterday's walk.
"That's good to hear. You do not need to worry much about the challenges," he said. "And we can start preparing for your challenge after a while, but first, let me explain something to you."
She nodded and motioned for him to sit down. He then sat down on one of the sofas before her, and she did the same.
He then told her about Grandma Su and the Shadow Captains, who will also participate in the City Lord challenges in neighboring cities.
Doing this will make things easier because if they are successful, and there will be no uncertain factors nearby that will disturb them as they settle down.
"It seems like you thought of everything, Master," she said, nodding slightly. "So what would you like me to do?"
Xu Qianghua shook his head and said, "You do not need to do anything right now other than focus on the last challenge," she just nodded and did not say anything else.
"Okay, let's go eat and then leave for the last challenge," he said as he exited the room and walked toward the dining room.
When he arrived, all the ladies were already there waiting for him.
"Morning everyone," he said as he sat down.
"Morning," everyone said.
Then, as everyone was eating, Bai Lingyun came next to him with a mischievous smile and asked.
"My little son-in-law, it has only been two days, and it seems that you have already bewitched one of the ladies you have summoned."
"What are you talking about, sister Lingyun? Nothing happened between us," he said without a second thought.
"Really?" she said with a sly smile on her face.
"Yes," he said, and Bai Lingyun, seeing this, smiled but said nothing else and left the conversation.
This is because she knew that this was not the time to discuss it, as both he and Huang Xinyi still had to finish the last trial before they could do anything.
So, after breakfast, Xu Qianghua and Huang Xinyi prepared for the third challenge, which was held at the city barracks.
The barracks had been closed due to the absence of soldiers, but today, it would be the site for the Trial of Dominion.
As they approached, the old, sturdy gates of the barracks loomed ahead, silent and imposing.
"Are you ready for this, Xinyi?" Xu Qianghua asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.
Huang Xinyi nodded. "Yes, Master. I'm ready."
Xu Qianghua nodded and stepped back. He let her open the door and enter, as only the challenger was allowed to enter the barracks.
Huang Xinyi took a deep breath as she climbed the stairs toward the barracks doors and opened them with full force.
And as the door opened, she stepped through the gates, and immediately, Huang Xinyi felt a strange sensation.
Her vision blurred, and when it cleared, she found herself in a vast, open field.
It was the same barracks, but she was in a simulated space with everything similar to the outside world.
"Welcome, Huang Xinyi," the World Will's voice resonated in the air.
"This is the Trial of Dominion. Your task is to create an army, expand your territory, and demonstrate your leadership and strategic skills. I wish you good luck."
After a few seconds of silence, the World's Will spoke again.
"And begin."
Huang Xinyi took a deep breath and then looked around to see what she could do.
But then she saw a table in the middle of the field with some items on it.
As she checked it out, she discovered they were Soldier cards used to summon soldiers.
These cards are used to summon conscripted soldiers with basic fighting knowledge and nothing else.
'I need to start recruiting soldiers. These cards will do for now,' she thought as she injected her Spiritual Qi to activate them.
WHOOSH
Soon, soldiers with basic equipment appeared in front of her in a simple formation.
Seeing this, she could not help but reminisce about her past life when she saw off soldiers who were going to the border to protect the country.
However, the difference is that these soldiers do not have the same bloodlust coming out of them and the sophisticated equipment as they did from the soldiers in her last life.
This is because these soldiers had never seen blood, which is something that most conscripted soldiers have in common, as these people used to be ordinary citizens before they were brought together.
And to help her with this, the World's Will has prepared a basic Army Manual for the challenger to train their ragtag group.
Although this will not let them gain bloodlust, it will help the soldiers function as one and have much better and coordinated precision, which will make them better soldiers.
"Let's begin training," she announced, leading them to an open field where they could practice.
She then taught them the Army Manual, which has all the manuals needed for an army; this included the cultivation manual and combat techniques.
However, these cultivation and combat manuals are special because they differ from other cultivation manuals in one way: their main function is harmony.
Harmony is something that all qualified army personnel need to defeat their enemies better, and these manuals help with that.
Days passed in the simulated space, and the ragtag group slowly transformed into a disciplined group of soldiers.
Similar to the second challenge, the time scale differs from the outside world.
Huang Xinyi worked tirelessly, ensuring that each recruit was adequately trained. She also identified potential leaders among them and appointed them as commanders.
Next, she needs to learn about the general situation, determine who is a threat, and identify potential allies.
.....
Hey everyone.
If you are reading this, you have been reading this book for 100 chapters.
And thank you for that; it means a lot to me.
I did not think I would reach this far when I started writing this novel.
So thank you very much for all the support and I hope I will see you in the future chapters.
Thank you
Author.