Chapter 123: The Ancient Desert Selection Tournament and Intelligence on Ancient Desert City

“The Ancient Desert Selection Battle? For us evolved beings in the wilderness, this is practically the only chance to join Ancient Desert City!”

“Every year, Ancient Desert City holds the Ancient Desert Selection Battle, inviting level 5 or 6 evolved beings from the wilds to participate, putting them through a series of comprehensive tests.”

“During these trials, Ancient Desert City selects the most outstanding evolved beings, allowing them to join the city as provisional citizens and benefit from extensive training and cultivation!”

“Generally speaking, those who pass the Ancient Desert Selection Battle and enter Ancient Desert City rarely fail to transcend the scavenger tier and become hunters, true powerhouses of the wilderness!”

At the mention of the Ancient Desert Selection Battle, a deep longing shone in Sadan’s eyes. He then responded, “Yes, very well! Now, tell me everything else you know about Ancient Desert City!”

Nodding slightly, Zhang Ran continued to question him, and to avoid torture, Sadan truthfully recounted every detail he knew about Ancient Desert City.

...

“So that’s what kind of force Ancient Desert City is—truly formidable!”

After hearing Sadan’s description, a look of yearning appeared in Zhang Ran’s eyes as he couldn’t help but marvel.

Although Sadan was only a level 5 evolved being who had never been to Ancient Desert City, he had roamed the wilderness for over ten years, so naturally, his experiences far surpassed those of Zhang Ran.

Moreover, as an evolved being with two C-level abilities and having already condensed one evolution point, Sadan was likely to advance to level 6 within a few years. He had also collected detailed information about Ancient Desert City, making his understanding far clearer than Zhang Ran’s.

Ancient Desert City lies six hundred kilometers north of Black Hawk City. It serves as the superior force over Black Hawk Corporation, the Pano family, the Gene Mercenary Alliance, and many other factions, wielding immense power.

According to Sadan, Ancient Desert City governs a region spanning thousands of kilometers in all directions—meaning its territory covers millions of square kilometers!

If placed on Earth, Ancient Desert City’s area would rank among the top ten countries. Yet in the Wasteland World, even this vast domain is but a drop in the ocean.

The continent where Ancient Desert City is located alone spans over a hundred million square kilometers, and the Wasteland World contains many such continents. Adding the vast, boundless oceans that cover seventy percent of the Wasteland’s surface, the total area of the Wasteland World is at least hundreds of times larger than Earth.

Despite controlling such an expansive region, Ancient Desert City’s direct population numbers only in the millions, confined mostly to the vicinity of the city. The rest of the territory is managed by hundreds of subordinate factions under Black Hawk Corporation, tasked with scavenging materials and resources from the wilderness.

Although the city’s population is just a few million, tens of thousands among them are hunters-level evolved beings, with some even surpassing the hunter tier.

Such a high ratio of hunters is no accident. On one hand, families that fail to produce a high-level evolved being for generations are expelled from the city. On the other hand, the city holds an annual Ancient Desert Selection Battle, recruiting promising evolved beings from subordinate factions like Black Hawk Corporation for cultivation.

The last Ancient Desert Selection Battle was held nine months ago, and the next one will take place in three months. Evolved beings hoping to participate must arrive at Ancient Desert City and register within three days of the event’s start.

In fact, the registration process itself is part of the examination! Generally, only level 6 evolved beings can traverse the wilderness to reach Ancient Desert City. This registration requirement immediately filters out those with insufficient level, power, or strength, serving as the first layer of assessment.

“Three months until the Ancient Desert Selection Battle... I must hurry! After reaching level 4 evolved being, to quickly accumulate evolutionary energy, I need to slay level 4 or higher mutated creatures, which are not easy to find!”

Upon hearing the timing of the selection battle, a sense of urgency welled up within Zhang Ran, along with a burning desire for strength and hope for the future.

Compared to the local power Black Hawk Corporation, the Ancient Desert City—with its tens of thousands of hunters—is where Zhang Ran truly belongs. Only there can he obtain more, faster, and better opportunities for evolution.

“Very well, you’ve been obedient. Then I shall fulfill my promise!”

Thinking this, Zhang Ran coldly addressed Sadan beside him, then raised his right hand and pointed at Sadan’s head.

At Zhang Ran’s motion, the rune of “Blood Plunder” in his mind suddenly flared brightly. A sharp blood spear shot forth instantly, hurtling toward Sadan’s skull!

“Bang!”

The blood spear pierced straight through Sadan’s head. The tremendous kinetic force shattered his brain in an instant. Sadan didn’t even have time to feel pain before his vision darkened, and he sank into eternal sleep.

A mixture of blood and brain matter oozed from the wound in Sadan’s head. His body twitched slightly before going utterly still, completely lifeless.

With Sadan’s death, a surge of evolutionary energy erupted from his corpse, crossing the air and entering Zhang Ran’s body through his pores.

This energy merged into Zhang Ran’s cells, which greedily absorbed it, undergoing continuous transformation and evolution. After circulating halfway through Zhang Ran’s bloodstream, the energy finally settled into his spinal vertebrae, integrating into the nascent form of his second evolution point.

“Slain level 5 evolved being Sadan, absorbed evolutionary energy. Evolution point condensation increased by 13.34%. Current condensation: 14.48% (1/3).”

“Slain level 5 evolved being Sadan, body strengthened by evolutionary energy: Strength +0.021, Constitution +0.018, Agility +0.017, Spirit +0.018.”

As the evolutionary energy was fully absorbed, a prompt sounded in Zhang Ran’s ear, reporting the gains from this battle.

“Excellent, I’ve grown stronger, and my strength has reached 12 points! Well then, since we’re both human, I’ll show mercy and grant you a cremation, so you won’t become food for mutated beasts.”

Listening to the chip’s prompt, Zhang Ran nodded with satisfaction. Then, turning to Sadan’s corpse beside him, he spoke calmly.