Chapter 271: Tiger of the Empire

People have a herd mentality. As more individuals raised their hands, the remaining waverers quickly joined in, even swaying a few Silver 2s.

Su Mu began his selection. By picking four people—including Lin Nanxing, Wen Xuan, and Zhou Hui—he instantly brought his squad to eight members.

Seeing only two spots left, some grew visibly anxious. They hurriedly volunteered, raising their hands high.

In the crowd, Su Qing also panicked. 'That damn jerk! Didn't he say he would let me join his squad? Why hasn't he picked me? Just because I didn't raise my hand?'

Su Mu's gaze locked onto a man in the crowd who hadn't raised his hand.

The man's expression was gloomy, his eyes fixed like a venomous snake on Su Mu, who was currently basking in the limelight on the stage.

"Lan He, come on up."

Lan He immediately gritted his teeth, his expression twisting slightly. He glared up at Su Mu unflinchingly. "Fine!"

He walked slowly up to the high platform and stood behind Su Mu.

Seeing that only the last spot remained, Su Qing hesitated again and again before finally raising her pale little hand. However, she kept her head ducked low, too embarrassed to look up.

"Little sister Su Qing, so you were here. Sorry, you're too short, so I didn't see you at first. Come on up."

Su Mu's gentle voice drifted precisely into Su Qing's ears, making her grind her teeth in hatred. She stomped onto the stage in a fit of pique and stopped in front of him.

"I didn't want to join your squad. I'm just fulfilling our bet! Hmph!"

With Su Mu's squad fully assembled, strange looks flashed in the eyes of many onlookers. The other captains even harbored a faint disdain. After all, Su Mu's team consisted entirely of nobodies. They didn't even have a single Silver 3; the group hovered around the Silver 2 level, with quite a few Silver 1s mixed in.

Yet, alongside their disdain, they also breathed a sigh of relief. If Su Mu had snapped up all the Silver 3 Nightmare Apostles, their own squads' strength would have plummeted.

Soon, it was the second-place Lin Lingling's turn. This eccentric girl's selection method proved utterly bizarre. She covered her eyes with one small hand and began playing eeny-meeny-miny-moe, picking whoever her finger landed on.

In no time, she assembled a completely disjointed team. It had Silver 3s and Silver 1s, making its overall strength slightly higher than Su Mu's First Squad, but only just.

This thrilled the third-place Pan Ma. In one breath, he selected many long-established experts among the Nightmare Apostles. Though a few rejected his invitation, the overall strength of his squad remained extremely high.

By the time the sixth squad began recruiting, the true experts had mostly been picked clean. They could only settle for the best among a mediocre bunch. The further down the line it went, the less there was to see.

Once the selection concluded, Sikong Zhen stepped forward.

"We will now distribute supplies and equipment to each squad. Captain of the First Squad, step forward."

Su Mu slowly walked up to Sikong Zhen. Without Sikong Zhen making any visible movement, a silver briefcase appeared out of thin air in his hand.

Clearly, Sikong Zhen possessed a storage Artifact. The crowd did not find this strange. While storage Artifacts were rare, they were practically standard issue for Gold experts.

Sikong Zhen opened the briefcase right in front of Su Mu, revealing a dazzling array of treasures. The first thing to catch the eye were rows of different-colored glass vials, each bearing a distinct label: Divine Healing Potion, Spirit Summoning Potion, Godspeed Potion, Steel Bone Potion...

Every single vial was a top-tier concoction virtually impossible to buy on the open market. It was no exaggeration to say that the value of these potions alone was enough to tempt a Gold powerhouse, yet they were now being handed out to Silver Grade Nightmare Apostles. It clearly showed just how heavily the Chiyan Empire was backing the Dragon Seeking Plan.

Aside from the Transcendent Potions, there were also small stones engraved with bizarre, intricate patterns.

Sikong Zhen picked up a small stone stamped with a lightning symbol and explained, "These are Totem Stones. They originated in the Firmament Empire, so they aren't very common in the Chiyan Empire. Some of you might have seen them, while others haven't. The purpose of a Totem Stone is to inscribe Laws; you can treat them as one-time Artifacts for storing a Law."

"For example, this Totem Stone holds the Gold Law, Thunder Marsh. I infused my own power into it, allowing it to unleash a single strike equivalent to my own strength."

Hearing this, everyone gasped, their eyes burning with intense desire. A strike from a Gold powerhouse!? This was an absolute killing weapon. In the Silver Tier, who would dare claim they could withstand a blow from a Gold expert?

"The materials and techniques required to craft a Gold Grade Totem Stone are extremely complex, so this is the only one. Aside from the First Squad, the other squads will only receive Silver Grade Totem Stones."

As his words fell, Su Mu immediately felt countless jealous glares piercing his back. If Sikong Zhen hadn't been standing right there, he didn't doubt for a second that someone would have lunged forward to rob him.

Next, Sikong Zhen picked up the sole Artifact in the briefcase. It was a rustic key cast from bronze. "The Gold Artifact, Void Key. This treasure can be used to open the Gate of the Void for spatial travel."

After finishing his introductions, he shut the briefcase and handed it to Su Mu.

Ignoring the envious stares of the crowd, Su Mu calmly accepted it. With a flip of his palm, the briefcase was instantly tucked away into his Sheepskin Bag.

Sikong Zhen continued handing out treasures to the other squads, introducing each item one by one. His goal was simple: to show these Nightmare Apostles that risking their lives for the Empire came with boundless benefits.

Nightmare Apostles were people who lived on the razor's edge. To handle such a crowd, he could only lure them with profit. As long as the incentives were high enough, Nightmare Apostles would be the most fearless beings in existence.

Although the treasures received by the other squads were also generous, they couldn't compare to Su Mu's First Squad. It was obvious that the distribution of treasures was based on their rankings.

This was perfectly normal. The most precious treasures naturally had to be placed in the hands of the strongest to maximize their value.

"The treasures have all been distributed. Now, you know exactly what each squad holds. Do not even think about robbing the other teams. The moment I find a treasure in your squad that does not belong to you, you will be executed without mercy!" Sikong Zhen's tone was flat, yet it sent a chilling shiver through everyone's hearts.

No one dared to ignore the words of a Gold powerhouse, especially one who had survived an encirclement by the Seven Deadly Sins.

By now, the Seven Deadly Sins had long been classified as the most heinous organization in the entire Chiyan Empire, and even the world. Every time they struck, a Gold powerhouse fell. Such terrifying strength only served to highlight Sikong Zhen's own formidable power.

Indeed, before the name of the Seven Deadly Sins echoed across the globe, Sikong Zhen had been branded a deserter. He had led a team to encircle and annihilate them, only to have over a hundred elites slaughtered, along with the fall of a Gold powerhouse. He alone had fled in utter disgrace. Many had deemed him the shame of the Empire. But as the infamy of the Seven Deadly Sins grew, this shame of the Empire was reframed as the courage of the Empire!

People's perspectives began to shift. Every Gold powerhouse who faced the Seven Deadly Sins died, yet Sikong Zhen survived. What did that prove? It proved that Sikong Zhen was truly powerful!

"Now, everyone, return and rest. The Law Enforcement Bureau has arranged professional medical personnel and prepared the best healing potions for your treatment. We gather and move out in one day!"

...

...

A day later, the ten fully rested squads gathered in the underground training grounds of the General Law Enforcement Bureau.

Aside from the one hundred Nightmare Apostles, the entire training ground was empty save for a hunched old man with gray hair. All staff and soldiers had been cleared out.

The massive training ground felt rather vacant.

The crowd observed the unfamiliar old man with mild curiosity, unaware of his identity.

Only Su Mu and Su Qing knew that this old man was the old geezer King Chi hated most—Dongfang Yuan.

"Everyone, I am Dongfang Yuan."

The moment the name Dongfang Yuan rang out, some of the older Nightmare Apostles immediately showed expressions of shock. They remembered the legend they had grown up hearing about!

The Chiyan Empire's First Grand General, the God of War known as the Tiger of the Empire, Dongfang Yuan!

He had spent his entire life dominating the battlefield, establishing illustrious military merits for the Empire without a single defeat. He was also known as the only living legend.

Rumors even circulated outside that the only reason the Chiyan Empire still stood tall despite its current internal strife and external threats was simply because Dongfang Yuan was still alive.

Of course, rumors had been unreliable since ancient times. What you heard was only what someone wanted you to hear.

Those who truly understood the inside truth knew that the real reason the Chiyan Empire remained unshakable was the Supreme Heaven.

Dongfang Yuan ignored the crowd's shock. Minding his own business, he pulled a rustic scroll from his robes and slowly unrolled it.

"This mission to explore the Nightmare World involves the Empire's core secrets. Therefore, before you depart, everyone must sign a secrecy contract. This Contract Scroll was left behind by His Majesty, the First Red King. The power of the contract upon it is incredibly potent. Even a Gold powerhouse would undoubtedly die if they broke it."

"Please sign the contract, everyone. Once you have signed, I will inform you of the details of this mission."