Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
âAhhhhhh!â
Chen Xiaobei jumped down the cave and into the waterfall. The 100 meters drop sent a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Splash!
He plunged into the water but was unharmed.
When he popped his head out of the water, he saw that his environment was once again a whole new level of bizarre.
It was a primeval forest but one very different from the ones on earth.
The plants were humongous! The grass was waist high, the trees were at least a few hundred meters tall, and the leaves were nearly half the size of a human!
It was not quiet and peaceful as the secret space.
Every now and then, there would animal noises like the sound of beasts roaring and giant footprints would appear in the ground. The thing that was most unnerving was the stale metallic smell of blood in the air.
This prehistoric forest, surrounded by danger and drenched in blood, was created with the principle of survival of the fittest in mind.
âXiaoâer, hurry up and tell me where the three-star Spiritual Medicine is!â Chen Xiaobei said with an undeniable urgency in his voice.
âItâs in front! I can smell it! Ooh, it smells really good!â
âWhat? Really, we came all the way here and youâre only now telling me that you merely smelt it but you didnât actually find it?â
âEr⦠Yes⦠Yesâ¦â Xiaoâer replied embarrassedly.
âYou really are terrible! I knew it! Youâre so selfish! You ate it all yourself then simply made up an excuse to try to trick me!â
âNo, I didnât! Iâm telling you the truth! There really is a three-star Spiritual Medicine! I promise! I swear if you donât find a three-star Spiritual Medicine, you can abandon me!â
Chen Xiaobei wanted to smile but he maintained his frown.
âAlright, Iâll give you one last chance!â
So, they went ahead, based on Xiaoâer directions, and ventured deeper into the forest.
âBro Bei! Thereâs someone in front!â Xiaobei suddenly said.
âI know! There are five of them!â
Since he broke through Celestial Cultivation, Chen Xiaobeiâs sensory abilities have greatly improved. It was easy for him to be able to tell somethingâs position just by sound alone. He could also detect a personâs breath within thirty meters.
âI was just wondering how we were going to explore this world. With people to help guide us, our work would be halved!â Chen Xiaobei whispered.
âBut we donât know if they are friends or foe!â
âIf they are friends, then we can celebrate but if they foes, I would just gain one or two more dogs!â Chen Xiaobei shrugged.
âThereâs someone there!â
The five men were also aware of Chen Xiaobeiâs presence and hurried over.
They were five very dissimilar young people.
The first one was dress in a technological combat uniform, average built and not-bad looking. The outfit he wore was equipped with bronze pads with a greenish layer at the joint areas to prevent injuries.
There were two more directly behind him.
One was a burly, two-and-a-half-meter-tall man who was definitely not from Earth!
The other was a petite girl in her twenties with delicate features and velvety skin.
Though she was not as pretty as Chen Xiaobeiâs girlfriends, in the eyes of most people, she was considered a sweet beauty. Her eyes were what stood out the most, they were orange in color, indicating that she, too, was not from Earth.
These two were also in combat uniforms but the paddings at their joints were made of Black Steel.
The distinction of color and material must be an indication of rank.
âBrother! Which regiment are you from?â The young man with the patinated bronze padding was the first to speak.
âHuh?â
Chen Xiaobei was taken aback for a minute. He was worried about how he was supposed to converse with them if they spoke a different language. But, lo and behold, they actually spoke Mandarin!
When he thought back to Atlantis, he realized that even though they were all of different skin color, they all spoke Mandarin!
That was really strange. He must ask about this later on.
âWhy arenât you talking?â The young man was impatient. âEven if you donât have to tell me, I know you must be from the 3rd Regiment!â
âEr⦠Yesâ¦â Chen Xiaobei nodded even though he did not know what the young man was talking about. But if they were on the same side, it would easier for him to pick up information.
âWhereâs your combat uniform?â The burly man-mountain asked.
âHuh?â
Chen Xiaobei did not know how to answer him.
âAre you seriously asking that question?â The patinated bronze combat uniform guy shot the man-mountain a look and said, âThe 3rd Regiment was attacked by the enemy during the holidays. Nearly all of their troops were destroyed. This brother was lucky enough to have escaped! He wouldnât even have time to put on his battle suit!â
âOh, I didnât know that.â The man-mountain shook his head and smiled warmly.
Chen Xiaobei merely nodded and said, âMm, I didnât have time to wear itâ¦â
âThen how did you get here? Your camp is a few hundred kilometers away!â The girl blinked.
âHow did I get here?â Erâ¦â How could Chen Xiaobei have known? This was his first time here.
âLiu Chen, have you also lost your mind?â The patinated bronze combat uniform young man said, âThe 3rd Regiment is a new regiment. They are all fresh-faced recruits who probably canât differentiate north from east here in Silver Plume Forest. This brother here must have run blindly through the forest and got here!â
âYes. I didnât know which direction I was running toward and ended up hereâ¦â
Chen Xiaobei nodded his head again and took the opportunity to secretly study the young man in the patinated bronze combat uniform.
This young man kept speaking for Chen Xiaobei, insisting that he was the new recruit from 3rd Regiment as if he was a spy that Chen Xiaobei had planted.
But of course, Chen Xiaobei knew that this was just a coincidence.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âAlright, then weâll take it that you came here blindly.â The girl blinked and then asked again, âSo, what rank are you?â
âTo tell you the truth, Iâm new here. Iâm still very confused with the rankingâ¦â
Now that Chen Xiaobei had the cover of a new recruit, he just ran with it.
âSigh⦠Thatâs sad⦠You just came and the 3rd Regiment goes up in smokeâ¦â The guy in patinated bronze uniform said, âNever mind, let me give you a quick lesson! Here on Silver Plume Planet, every Northern Wilderness Soldier has their own rank! All those titles like corporal, commanding officer, and others are too difficult to remember.â
âLet me teach you a simpler way to differentiate. Look at the material of the uniform of those two. Their paddings are metal and black. So, they are called Black Steel Newbies!â The young man with the patinated bronze padding said.
The man-mountain was not exactly happy to hear this.
âBoss⦠Black Steel is Black Steel. Must you add the word newbie?â
âHey, itâs better than calling you Black Steel Clown!â
âYou are the clown!â
The girl pulled a face.
âUrghâ¦â The young man in the patinated uniform did not argue with her. Instead, he turned to Chen Xiaobei and asked, âLook at my combat uniform. Can you guess my rank?â
Chen Xiaobei scratched his head and said, âStubborn Patinated Bronze?â
âSigh⦠you are the one whoâs stubborn! Itâs Patinated Bronze. Donât go adding your own adjectives!â
âEr⦠Then is the leader of this planet a king?â Chen Xiaobei asked.