Unlike Wizards in the Wizard World who preferred to hide behind the scenes and manipulate everything, in the Lava World, the powerful were far more willing to step to the forefront and seize control of forces directly.
In fact, the rulers of several large kingdoms were themselves Star-level powerhouses, so it was perfectly understandable that the upper echelons of the Atalan Empire's military would contain a large number of extraordinary individuals.
Moreover, within the military—especially during wartime—promotion was the fastest path. As long as one had the ability, the battle merits, and no one blocking the way, rapid advancement was practically guaranteed. It far surpassed other methods, and it was precisely the approach Leilin favored most.
"Still… being a common grunt is too miserable. I'm not keen on being trampled on by others…" Leilin's eyes darted, and an idea took shape.
Several days later, inside a peculiar building in the city.
"You here to enlist in the special task force? Follow me!" A female Fire Feather in military uniform, her face expressionless yet radiating a sharp, gallant bearing, turned and walked off with a stack of documents and forms in hand, leaving Leilin and the others with nothing but her retreating silhouette.
"That girl, honestly…" A burly man standing beside Leilin was the first to grumble.
"Cold enough for my taste… love it…" Another young man, pale-faced, had already eyes practically glowing with interest, which left Leilin somewhat speechless.
The others gathered with Leilin were all Fire Feather tribesmen, but unlike ordinary members of their race, each of them carried a distinct fluctuation of energy around their bodies.
Since this world possessed extraordinary power, it naturally called for special treatment and duties assigned to those with such abilities. The special task force and units like it had been created for precisely that purpose.
Any Fire Feather whose strength met the threshold could be selected into the special task force—not only was the status considerably higher, but the benefits and conditions were the best among all military branches.
Leilin, wishing to lie low, had of course forged a false identity and successfully enrolled without a hitch.
What he valued even more was that the special task force frequently ventured out to handle incidents involving extraordinary individuals—riots, unrest, and the like. As long as he stayed here, an encounter with the Three Serpent Cult was only a matter of time.
So he was in no rush at all. He casually drifted into the special task force, preparing to settle in quietly and gather more intelligence.
After all, he still didn't have a thorough understanding of the Three Serpent Cult's true nature, and he had to remain cautious and vigilant.
What if this was a trap to begin with? Rushing in blindly would be nothing short of suicide.
Like the other Fire Feather youths around him, Leilin wore a face full of nervous excitement as he followed the female soldier out onto a broad plaza.
There, a middle-aged officer clad in gleaming silver armor, his expression cold and stern, had already been waiting for quite some time.
"The test begins now! Who's first?" The drill instructor's voice boomed so loudly it nearly set their eardrums ringing.
"I'll go first!" The pale-faced young man from earlier, perhaps eager to prove himself, rushed to the very front.
"Good! Use your full strength to strike the black obelisk in front of you!"
The instructor stepped aside, revealing a massive black crystal stone before the assembled youths.
"Hah!" The young man took a deep breath, and a layer of fiery red light surfaced across his body. A torrent of air currents surged outward, kicking up clouds of dust across the plaza.
Boom! He threw his punch with all his might, slamming it into the black crystal. The entire stone didn't tremble in the slightest, but a faint red glow began to surface from within.
The red light struggled to fill the entire obelisk from base to tip, and intricate ring patterns began to flicker into existence across its surface.
A total of five red rings appeared before the light finally dissipated completely. Seeing this, a flash of smug satisfaction crossed the young man's face.
"Good! Breathing Technique of the Fire Feather, fifth layer! Transcendent rank! You pass!" The officer nodded, though his expression held no particular look of surprise or delight.
"Next!" His voice came out cold and flat, instantly wiping away every trace of the young man's pride.
"I'll go!" This time, a heavyset boy stepped up. He also practiced the Breathing Technique of the Fire Feather, but his effort only produced three ring-shaped runes on the surface of the obelisk.
"Breathing Technique of the Fire Feather, third layer! You fail!"
The officer's voice was merciless, and two soldiers immediately stepped forward to drag the heavyset boy away.
"Ah... wait! Give me one more chance, I can do it, I really can..." From the distance, the boy's wailing and pleading could still be heard drifting back, sending chills down the spines of everyone remaining on the plaza.
"Next!" the officer said, his expression still cold and unyielding.
One young man after another stepped forward. The majority passed the examination, but occasionally a failure would appear, and each time the officer ruthlessly ordered the soldiers to escort them away.
Leilin watched the scene unfold from below with an icy gaze.
The Breathing Technique of the Fire Feather! He had heard of it before — it was the cultivation method of the Fire Feather Clan, so common it was practically given away for free. Nearly everyone knew it.
The first through third layers of the Breathing Technique of the Fire Feather held no remarkable abilities. They were somewhat similar to the Breathing Techniques of the Wizard world — they could marginally boost stamina and endurance, and granted additional resistance to fire-elemental energy.
But once one reached the fourth layer, a meditation-like method would emerge, allowing Fire Feather Clan members to begin rapidly increasing their strength.