The outcome of this battle surprised everyone. Although some cultivators had sensed that Zhang Fan was hiding his strength and was not as simple as he appeared, they never expected him to win so decisively.
After Tie Hou Zhen Xian conceded, Zhang Fan did not make another move, instead smiling at him.
Tie Hou, in his human form, looked utterly pathetic. His once dark skin was now stained red with blood. These injuries might not be significant for a cultivator at the Spirit Refining realm, but... it was far too humiliating.
"You got me," Tie Hou Zhen Xian realized now that he had been tricked by Zhang Fan. But a loss was a loss. No matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to take out his immortal treasure and throw it at Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan casually pocketed it and then stared at Tie Hou, smiling, "Tie Hou Zhen Xian's physical body is indeed formidable. It made my fist go numb."
"Hmph, don't get cocky. Even if you have the strength of a five-star general, what does that matter? You're nothing in this war base," Tie Hou said coldly.
"Tie Hou Zhen Xian speaks the truth. If we have a chance in the future, we can spar more. But as you know, there are usually stakes for sparring in this war base. When Tie Hou Zhen Xian obtains his immortal treasures, you can seek me out for a match anytime," Zhang Fan said very seriously.
Hearing this, Tie Hou Zhen Xian's heart faltered as he glanced at Chi Huo Zhen Xian outside the arena. Not only had he lost his own five immortal treasures, but he had also lost the five immortal treasures lent to him by Chi Huo Zhen Xian.
Furthermore, he had to compensate six immortal treasures when he only borrowed five.
Thinking about this, his anger flared. Tie Hou flew out of the arena, transforming into a streak of light and quickly fleeing the scene, too embarrassed to stay any longer.
"Tie Hou, you'd better not die too soon," Chi Huo Zhen Xian, with fiery red hair, shouted as he saw this.
As Zhang Fan flew off the stage, a group of cultivators immediately surrounded him.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Shi Jue. To have such gains upon first entering the war base, you'll likely accumulate enough military merits soon."
"Fellow Daoist Shi Jue, I am Lie Feng Zhen Xian. If you have time, please visit my cave dwelling. We can discuss matters and spar."
Many cultivators congratulated Zhang Fan while also inviting him to their residences, appearing very enthusiastic.
This was also quite normal. After all, based on the strength Zhang Fan had just displayed, he was at least a five-star general. To possess such strength upon entering the Starry Sky Battlefield meant that, as long as he didn't fall midway, reaching the level of a six-star general after some tempering was only a matter of time.
Although there were tens of thousands of cultivators at the Soul Transformation realm in the war base, not many could reach the level of a six-star general. Each one of them was worth befriending.
On the battlefield, forming a connection with such an individual could even save one's life at a critical moment.
"Fellow Daoists, I am new to the war base and still have many places to familiarize myself with. I will surely visit you when I have time," Zhang Fan replied politely, before quickly leaving the scene with Mu Shan and others.
Watching Zhang Fan's retreating back, many cultivators were filled with envy. Twenty immortal treasures – few in the Spirit Refining realm could be this wealthy. How many immortal medicines and immortal-grade elixirs could these be exchanged for?
"This matter isn't over yet. Tie Hou suffered too great a loss this time; he likely won't let it go so easily," Chi Huo Zhen Xian sighed, shaking his head. He was very familiar with Tie Hou and understood his personality.
Upon hearing Chi Huo Zhen Xian's words, someone nearby nodded and said, "Tie Hou Zhen Xian hails from the Heavenly Demon Star Domain. There are quite a few strong cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Star Domain in this war base, so he won't let it go so easily."
The Heavenly Demon Star Domain was one of the nine intermediate star domains under the Zi Xiao Star Domain. It was primarily populated by demon cultivators with strong physiques, and it held considerable fame in this Starry Sky Battlefield.
...
"Fellow Daoist Shi Jue, you've hidden your strength too deeply," Mu Shan looked at Zhang Fan with amazement.
"I originally wanted to keep a low profile, but that Tie Hou Zhen Xian was too enthusiastic. There was nothing I could do," Zhang Fan said with a smile.
"That Tie Hou was indeed arrogant. Fortunately, he met Fellow Daoist Shi Jue this time. Having lost ten immortal treasures, I think he'll have to risk his life in the star rivers again soon," Zhen Xian Mu Shan's eyes also held a hint of satisfaction. If his strength were sufficient, he would have liked to teach Tie Hou a lesson himself.
"While it's satisfying, I still need to remind you," Zhen Xian Mu Shan said with a slightly solemn expression. "Tie Hou Zhen Xian comes from the Heavenly Demon Star Domain, one of the nine star domains under the Zi Xiao Star Domain. In this Starry Sky Battlefield, there is more than one Marquis-level expert from the Heavenly Demon Star Domain. You must be careful."
"Are they going to attack me directly?" Zhang Fan asked.
"That won't happen," Zhen Xian Mu Shan shook his head. "No matter how strong the Heavenly Demon Star Domain is, they still have to abide by the rules of the war base. They wouldn't dare to openly deal with you. However, on the battlefield, things change in an instant. At critical moments, they might resort to underhanded tactics, which some armies can't even investigate."
Zhang Fan nodded. If that were the case, there was even less to fear. Suddenly remembering something, Zhang Fan asked, "Earlier, someone said I could quickly accumulate enough merits. What does that mean?"
Zhen Xian Mu Shan looked at Zhang Fan with some surprise and then said, "All cultivators who join the Starry Sky Battlefield must complete corresponding military merits before they can apply for discharge. Otherwise, it's a violation of military discipline and will be dealt with by military law."
"Corresponding military merits?" Zhang Fan understood.
Although he had participated in the Starry Sky Battlefield in his past life, different star domains had slightly different regulations for their Starry Sky Battlefields.
For instance, some Starry Sky Battlefields stipulated a certain service term, after which one could choose whether to retire.
However, this Starry Sky Battlefield in the Zi Xiao Star Domain stipulated that one must accumulate corresponding military merits to regain their freedom.
Although the regulations differed, the purpose was the same: to facilitate the management of the war base. Otherwise, if one joined the Starry Sky Battlefield today and applied for discharge tomorrow, it would not only lead to management chaos for the war base but could also cause instability in morale and a loss of fighting spirit.
Zhen Xian Mu Shan nodded and said, "Military merits are calculated based on the strength detected during the initial assessment of new recruits, at a ratio of one to ten. For example, a one-star soldier needs to accumulate one hundred thousand military merits to apply for discharge."
"Your detected strength was that of a four-star general, so you need to accumulate four hundred thousand military merits to apply for discharge."
"And a seven-star Marquis would need to accumulate one million military merits to apply for discharge."
Xue Mo Jiao was greatly surprised upon hearing this and said, "Then wouldn't a ten-star King need to accumulate one hundred million military merits to apply for discharge? To accumulate one hundred million military merits, how many enemies would one have to kill?"
"According to the ratio, that's the case. However, the war base has no restrictions on ten-star Kings. They can come and go as they please," Zhen Xian Mu Shan said.