Castle of Black Iron

According to the ranking rules, if two people had the same points, the one with the lower level would have a prior rank; if they had the same level, the one who gained the military exploits first would have a prior rank.

Although more than 100 people had joined this match, only top 100 were qualified to appear on the Military Exploits Rankings as the most attractive ones among the younger generation of Jinyun Country.

The points on the Military Exploits Rankings made many people’s blood boiled. This was indeed inspiring and hopeful. However, Zhang Tie knew that very few countries and battle fortresses were qualified to have such a Military Exploits Rankings across the Selnes Theater of Operations.

Even if the top elites of the younger generation of the 6 big clans of Jinyun Country whose fighting strength were the best in the Waii Sub-Continent could only have such military exploits, those troops of other countries and those alleged elites could hardly achieve such military exploits.

Additionally, it was impossible to gain such military exploits at no cost.

When Zhang Tie watched the Military Exploits Rankings, two soldiers walked towards him. They climbed on the steel frame and drew out of an iron plate on the 67th place. After that, they raised one place for all the iron plates below it by rocking the chains on the steel frame.

"What’s happening?" Zhang Tie asked the two soldiers.

The two soldiers glanced at Zhang Tie gloomily before replying, "This man has died. He was sent here last night with heavy wounds and in the end, he passed away!"

When the two soldiers climbed off the steel frame, one of them took out an iron plate with a wholly-new name and put it in the vacancy on the 100th place at the bottom of the Military Exploits Rankings.

That major who took Zhang Tie in also sighed silently, "Let’s go, I will take you to the Lan elder!"

...

In the room on the highest floor of the Lan’s battle fortress, Zhang Tie met the Lan elder.

The room was filled with a very comfortable sandalwood flavor. Zhang Tie looked at the furnishings in the room and found that the flavor was coming from the Lan elder. He then became slightly shocked. Zhang Tie could identify that the flavor was not from the perfumed satchel or the spice that Lan elder carried but from his body. Zhang Tie didn’t know what this flavor indicated; however, he knew it was special.

As an elder of the 6 big clans, this Lan elder was at least a knight. However, Zhang Tie didn’t feel being overwhelmed like how he felt in front of the elders of Huaiyuan Palace; instead, he felt being relaxed.

Zhang Tie knew that it was a special feeling; however, he could not control it. He could not even be alert in front of the elder, not to mention to fight him.

Zhang Tie was shocked inside...

"Is this the power of a knight? It’s so weird. It could influence one’s mentality unconsciously."

"Lan elder, I’m Zhang Tie from Huaiyuan Palace!" Zhang Tie showed his courtesy to this terrifying man in the Crystal Battle Fortress.

"You’re Zhang Tie?" the Lan elder, who had a grizzled mustache and fine, smooth face like that of a baby, glanced at Zhang Tie as he asked faintly. Zhang Tie could not identify his real age.

Zhang Tie nodded. It seemed that this elder had already heard about him.

"It’s so weird. Given your qi, you’ve already entered LV 9 for a few days, why don’t you make any progress?" Lan elder slightly frowned.

Having not expected that his current situation was identified by the elder at once, Zhang Tie slightly swallowed his saliva as he looked a bit embarrassed, "Hmm, when I promoted to LV 9, I was cultivating outside Jinyun Country. Therefore, I had no time to learn how to cultivate after LV 9. After returning to Huaiyuan Prefecture, I exited Hidden Dragon Palace due to some reason. Therefore, I’ve not learned how to cultivate after LV 9. That’s why I could only join the battle here in the status of a volunteer..."

"Aww!" Lan elder glanced at Zhang Tie; however, he didn’t ask Zhang Tie why he exited Hidden Dragon Palace; instead, he asked after a few seconds, "Do you also want to enter the Military Exploits Rankings?"

"It’s caused by me. As my senior brother apprentices are fighting demons bravely in the theater of operations, how could I hide behind the back!"

Lan elder nodded. He seemed being satisfied with Zhang Tie’s reply. After that, he waved his hand towards a person and have him bring an agreement of vow on soul and bloodline.

This was Zhang Tie’s first time to see the agreement of vow on soul and bloodline. It was made of a special leather with complex grains and dun oath on the vow of soul and bloodline written by fresh blood.

Before arriving here, Zhang Tie had been told how to use it. Therefore, after taking over the agreement, he instantly opened a wound on his finger with a dagger and wrote down his name with his fresh blood. After that, he pressed the agreement by his hand and started to vow.

"I, Zhang Tie, swear with my soul and bloodline. From now on, I will honestly report my military exploits in Selnes Theater of Operations. I will never fabricate my military exploits. If I hid something or told a lie, I would like to accept the punishment of the vow of soul and bloodline!"

After reading the oath, Zhang Tie felt an exotic spiritual energy entering in his body from the agreement in his hand, slightly shocking the swirl of spiritual energy in his mind.

Before the Catastrophe, humans had already mastered very hi-tech lie-detecting means. Although Zhang Tie didn’t know about the principle of the agreement of vow on soul and bloodline, he felt it was very marvelous.

"Is that okay?"

"Okay!" Lan elder nodded.

"May I know the result of telling a lie?"

"Of course you will be weakened by the force of agreement of vow on soul and bloodline. Although you would not lose your life, you would feel worse than losing your life. Your face would turn pitch dark. Meanwhile, you would smell stinky. This phenomenon would last for many years. Therefore, young man, you’d better not try it. Unless you’re already above LV 14, you’re affected by the power of this agreement."

"Thanks, Lan elder!"

"You’re welcome. Work hard. Selnes Theater of Operations is a furnace. Young men who could show his value in this furnace will have a bright future. Each of the 6 big clans in Jinyun Country has presented some nice items. Those young men in top 18 of the Military Exploits Rankings might gain one or several of them. Try your best for that!" Lan elder waved his hand, allowing Zhang Tie to leave...

...

After walking out of the Lan elder’s room, Zhang Tie was still a bit thrilled. He had not imagined that those with good performance could be rewarded with some items from the 6 big clans. Needless to say, the items gifted by the 6 big clans were good items for sure.

"No matter what, I have to push in at least top 18. I will get one gift at least!" Zhang Tie became spirited.

There was a registration desk about military exploits below the Lan’s battle fortress. Those young men who had signed the agreement of the vow on soul and bloodline could report their military exploits here at any time. After that, the personnel in the military exploits registration center would adjust the rankings according to the performance of those young fighters.

When Zhang Tie came out of the Lan’s battle fortress, he saw some guys registering there.

...

"Wang Sheng, two LV 9 iron-armored demons, 2 points..."

"Lan Yunguang, one LV 9 iron-armored demon, 1 point..."

"Dantai Qingqing, one LV 9 wing demon, one LV 10 iron-armored demon, four LV 9 iron-armored demons, 15 points..."

After hearing that a woman killed a wing demon, Zhang Tie turned around and watched those people, one of them felt being gazed. When she turned around and saw Zhang Tie at the same time.

That woman was over 20 years old. She was tall with long legs, raised butts and bloody hair. She might have used disguising medicament on her hair. Feeling a bit rebellious, she wore a brilliant black armor and carried two wheel-shaped weapons. She had plump and smooth lips. There was even a beauty mark [1] below her lower lip. What a beautiful, sexy woman! However, her eyes corners looked a bit terrifying as it looked like a thorny rose.

That woman started to glance at Zhang Tie’s militiaman’s uniform from his head to toe. After that, she turned back.

"Zhang Tie?" one guy glanced at Zhang Tie as he instantly frowned.

"Senior brother Ou, what a coincidence! I met you again!" Zhang Tie greeted with a smile.

"Haha, what a coincidence!" Ou Hongyu frowned and then relieved at once as he walked towards Zhang Tie, "Junior brother apprentice Zhang Tie, since you left the Crystal Battle Fortress that day, I thought you’d not dare to come back after you returned to Huaiyuan Prefecture!"

Seeing Ou Hongyu greeting Zhang Tie, the other people also walked towards here.

Of course, Zhang Tie could identify that Ou Hongyu was satirizing him. As he was screwed up by Zhang Tie in the command module of Lan Yunxi’s airship, Zhang Tie didn’t believe that Ou Hongyu didn’t hate him...