The Tianyuan Territory's region briefly calmed down, seemingly the quiet before a storm.
Only a large tribe under the dominion of the Jackal Man overlord, the 'Kobold Tribe', had Kobolds rush out in a flurry, as if searching for something, yet they confined themselves to their own small area.
Some wise Kobolds tentatively stepped onto the scorched earth that had been burned down to ruin, pretending to look around for a while, then swiftly departed.
The Legendary Jackal Man did not appear again.
Even though Mu Yuan had used the Eye of Heaven twice, once over the area of the Jackal Man tribe burned to the ground and once above the Kobold Tribe, he detected no high-energy reactions from the Legendary Realm.
He still planted Scouting Falcons at various points and also had some Evil Spirits and Elite Ghost Generals lurking in the dense forests.
Meanwhile, Shiling Town was experiencing storms and heavy rain.
No, this place is no longer Shiling Town, but a city-level territory, Shiling City.
Recently, Mayor Cui Long led his generals and elites to initiate the 'Territory Advancement Trial.' Upgrading from a level 4 to a level 5 territory is a challenge all Miracle Lords must face.
Upon entering the city level, the Lord's 'Lord's Power' will see an enhancement.
Lords with personal talents will mostly undergo a transformation at this time.
Those without talents also have the chance to awaken their own during the trial's baptism.
There's a significant gap between city-level Lords and town-level Lords.
The former are the main force in the Eternal World's battle against the Monster Tide, the backbone. The latter are at most agricultural areas, breeding zones, or outsourcing factories.
But for a territory to advance from level 4 to level 5 is extremely difficult, requiring not only many stringent conditions but also for the Lord to initiate and pass the trial.
This advancement trial is much harder than the Hero Trial.
Without sufficient strength, courage, and wisdom, even if one has managed a territory for a long time, they can only remain a town-level Lord for life.
Mayor Cui Long had wanted to prepare further before attempting the trial, but reality did not grant him that condition. Pressured, he had to undergo the trial sooner and luckily managed to pass without mishap, allowing Shiling Town to be promoted.
"It's also fortunate that Shiling Town was promoted, or else, under such a fierce offensive from the monster power, we might not have been able to hold out."
"Yes, after Shiling Town advanced, many defensive structures could also be upgraded. Otherwise, just with us, it would indeed be impossible to withstand those terrible Flesh Aggregated Monsters."
In the war meeting room, recalling the battles of the past few days, the expressions of the strong men were somewhat gloomy.
It was only when they really fought that they realized this war was completely different from the usual dumb and silly waves of monsters.
During the Calamity Moon, the pressure of defending the city mainly lay in endurance, as protracted battles would exhaust them both physically and mentally. The monster power's offensive seemed less fierce and terrifying than the Monster Tide on the surface, but in just a few days, several sections of the walls of Shiling City had collapsed, almost leading to a breach.
"The toughest to deal with are those Flesh Monsters!"
These Flesh Monsters weren't strong per se; in a one-on-one situation, a Third-order Warlord level strongman might have a chance to slay an Aggregated Flesh Monster.
However, these Aggregated Flesh Monsters were enormous, measuring twenty to thirty meters, and the energy within their bodies far exceeded that of a Third-order strongman.
On the battlefield, a single Aggregated Flesh Monster's impact could be more terrifying than ten or twenty Third-order Monsters.
Not even Third-order, or even Fourth-order Strongmen, could withstand the charge of a massive Flesh Monster.
Unless they possessed existences like the Mountain Giant, which in no way fell short in physique.
In Shiling City, there indeed was a Mountain Giant, but there were dozens or even more Flesh Giants.
Several times the city walls of Shiling City were toppled because they couldn't stop the Flesh Giants.
"Thankfully, our city defense weapons in Shiling City are powerful enough, and we have 'Thousand Stars Arrow God' holding the fort."
"Indeed, the high-order intelligent monsters killed by the Arrow God alone probably outnumber all of us here combined. Such strength is undoubtedly in the top ten, or even the top five of the Dragon Gate Rankings."
"No, in the defense battle, the deterrence of the Arrow God is definitely stronger than the first place on the Dragon Gate Rankings."
"Speaking of which, why hasn't the Arrow God showed up at the meetings these past few times?"
"Forget the meetings, even during the war, we've never seen the Arrow God in person."
But even though the Arrow God never showed up, his/her arrows could always arrive timely and accurately at any corner of the battlefield.
It's as if he/she wasn't there, and yet seemed to be everywhere.
He/she is the spiritual pillar of the people, the guardian deity of Shiling City, the mysterious Arrow God whose identity and appearance remain a mystery.
"A meeting? I won't go."
"A victory feast? I won't go."
"The strongmen from the Pioneer Group are coming soon; they asked if I want to make an appearance? No, no, I won't go to any."
In the residential loft, Seventeen shook her head repeatedly.
As the leader of the Guard Squadron stationed in Shiling City from Tianyuan, Seventeen only moved between her residence and the training facility, strictly avoiding public appearances.
She disliked socializing with strangers.
She had no idea what to say at gatherings or meetings, and even just sitting there without speaking made her feel incredibly awkward, her unease growing just by simulating it in her mind.