Chapter 103 – Trial Hall

Liu Hao was still clueless about the dungeon portal, stubbornly battling the hordes of demonized beasts. When Cheng Yang suddenly appeared beside him, Liu Hao was filled with curiosity.

However, after Cheng Yang explained the dungeon portal, Liu Hao couldn’t help but complain, “Lord, how could you be so biased? You should’ve told me about such a treasure earlier! Gaining access to the dungeon a day earlier would’ve given us a huge advantage. Now, you’ve wasted that opportunity.”

Cheng Yang rolled his eyes. “Even if I told you, could you have cleared the dungeon? Besides, the dungeon isn’t going anywhere. The first clear is still up for grabs.”

Liu Hao chuckled. “True enough. So, shall we go for the first clear today?”

“Let’s find it first. Who knows where it’s hiding?” Cheng Yang sighed. “We’ll split up. You take one direction, and I’ll take the other.”

Liu Hao agreed and headed towards Xianghe Village, while Cheng Yang and Liu Xiyue set off in the opposite direction.

Whether it was Liu Hao’s bad luck or Xianghe Village’s poor feng shui, after hours of searching within a five to six-kilometer radius, they still couldn’t locate the dungeon portal. It reminded Cheng Yang of his earlier search for the village’s territory altar, though that had been far more conspicuous.

By nightfall, Cheng Yang returned to Luofeng Village empty-handed, having only gained four to five thousand spirit energy points. The day felt wasted.

Back in Luofeng Village, Cheng Yang noticed that the territory’s wood reserves had increased by thirteen hundred cubic meters, thanks to the diligent efforts of the combatants. Upon inquiry, he learned that Niu Bing had completed the enlistment of all combatants into the army the previous night. Now, every combatant in Luofeng Village held the rank of Private First Class.

In the Mission Hall, Privates could only take on a limited number of tasks. The tasks were divided into two categories: territory tasks and personal tasks. Territory tasks were issued based on the territory’s needs, either by the lord or automatically by the system. Personal tasks, on the other hand, were issued by individuals and only existed if someone posted them.

Currently, the Mission Hall only offered territory tasks, automatically generated by the system. Given Luofeng Village’s urgent need for raw materials, most tasks involved resource gathering.

Rewards for these tasks included military points and a certain amount of spirit energy. Since these were territory tasks, the spirit energy was automatically paid by the territory. While the spirit energy reward wasn’t as substantial as direct purchases, it did contribute to military points, which were crucial for rank advancement.

Military rank not only determined a soldier’s pay but also the level of tasks they could undertake. Thus, as soon as the territory tasks were posted, many soldiers rushed to accept them, leading to the significant increase in raw materials.

With the materials now abundant, Cheng Yang proceeded to construct the remaining buildings: the tavern and the mercenary camp. The wood reserves dwindled rapidly, leaving only five hundred cubic meters, which Cheng Yang used to build civilian houses. Even though they were only Level 1 houses, the cumulative consumption was staggering.

After depleting the materials, Cheng Yang checked the territory’s spirit energy reserves. Over the past two days, the reserves had grown impressively, reaching over twelve thousand points after deducting the cost of territory upgrades. However, this was still far from the amount needed to establish a bank, so Cheng Yang decided to postpone that plan.

Thinking of the bank reminded Cheng Yang of Zhou Jie, one of the people he had brought back from Xiangcheng City along with Liu Xiyue and Wang Lu. While Liu Xiyue and Wang Lu had already been assigned roles, Zhou Jie had been overlooked. Cheng Yang assumed Zhou Jie had also been assigned a role, as he had delegated the matter to Li Wanshan.

Opening the territory’s attribute panel, Cheng Yang found Zhou Jie’s name among the residents and checked his attributes:

**Name:** Zhou Jie
**Affiliation:** Luofeng Village
**Rank:** Private First Class
**Class:** Archer
**Level:** Novice Archer Apprentice (21%)
**Age:** 19
**Lifespan:** 110
**Health:** 30
**Mana:** 28
**Physical Attack:** 6
**Magic Attack:** 1
**Physical Defense:** 1
**Magic Defense:** 1
**Attack Speed:** 1
**Movement Speed:** 1.2
**Talents:**
1. Increases the range of all archers in the team by 3% per minor level advancement.
2. Increases ranged attack distance by 2% per minor level advancement.
**Skills:**
– **Origin Reversal (Level 1):** Basic archer skill. Improves strength through cultivation. Skill level increases with class advancement.
– **Magic Arrow (Level 1):** Infuses arrows with mana to attack distant targets, dealing 100% physical and magic damage. Range: 30 meters. No special effects. Mana cost: 4 points. Proficiency: 0%.
**Equipment:**
– **Birch Bow:** Common one-handed weapon. Increases physical attack by 1. Can be equipped by apprentices or higher-level archers. Durability: 50/50.
– **Quiver:** A magical bag that automatically replenishes one arrow per minute. No additional attributes.
**Spirit Energy:** 21

Zhou Jie’s talents were indeed extraordinary. While neither talent was particularly unique, their combination made him an exceptional sniper. In the future, a team of archers with increased range under Zhou Jie’s leadership could strike fear into enemy mage units.

Even now, Zhou Jie’s attack range was over a meter longer than others’, allowing him to attack enemies who couldn’t reach him. As his strength grew, his range could potentially double, a prospect Cheng Yang eagerly anticipated.

Zhou Jie’s talents were strategic assets, and currently, only he and Zhao Chuan possessed such abilities in Luofeng Village. Zhou Jie’s presence was a result of Cheng Yang’s foresight in recruiting him from Xiangcheng City. Otherwise, among thousands of combatants, only Zhao Chuan would have such a talent, highlighting Zhou Jie’s rarity.

Though Zhou Jie hadn’t been assigned to any of the five major camps, his training hadn’t been neglected, and he enjoyed quadruple cultivation speed, likely due to Li Wanshan’s arrangements.

With all functional buildings in the territory now constructed, Cheng Yang proceeded to inspect them.

First, he visited the Mission Hall. The hall was simple, with a main area of about two hundred square meters and a few smaller rooms. On the east and west walls were two magical screens displaying available tasks. The east screen showed territory tasks, while the west displayed personal tasks. Currently, only a few tasks were listed on the east screen:

**”Collect Wood:** Cut 10 cubic meters of wood for the territory. Time limit: None. Reward: 30 spirit energy points, 1 military point (mercenary point). Requirement: Private First Class (F-rank mercenary).”**

Below the screens stood task distributors. Since Cheng Yang wasn’t a mercenary, he couldn’t accept tasks and soon left.

Next, Cheng Yang entered the Trial Hall. According to his memory, the Level 1 Trial Hall only had two Level 1 trial dungeons for apprentice-level combatants, accessible once daily. However, he was surprised to find not only a trial manager but also a portal-like screen on the other side of the hall.

Trial dungeons didn’t require portals; combatants could enter directly through the trial manager’s interface. The presence of this screen indicated an anomaly, likely caused by Cheng Yang’s actions.

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**PS:** Seeking recommendations and collections. Special thanks to Ju Bu Xia Xue, Liang Pang, and Bing Lan Huo Wu for their support.