Rebirth of the Prime Dragon Master
Chapter 695 A Brilliant Plan

"Now, all of you go to the basket over there and get a piece of black cloth. Then return to your position and cover your eyes with the cloth. If I catch anyone cheating, he shall be punished severely!" Rocky shouted as he pointed at the two baskets on a corner. Both were filled with black cloths.

At once, the soldiers raced to the baskets. Each of them took a piece of black cloth and followed Rocky's instructions, they returned to their positions and quietly covered their eyes with black cloth. After making sure everyone's eyes were covered, Rocky signaled with a nod. Soon, dozens of soldiers appeared from outside the training field, and each one carried a basket filled with wooden knives in their hands. They then handed out the wooden knives to the soldiers, and they also checked if their eyes were covered properly.

When they finished, they nodded at Rocky and then positioned themselves behind him. They accomplished the task in silence.

"Listen up! By now, each of you is holding a very sharp knife in your hands. Trust me when I said the knife is sharp enough to cut through an iron. The knife has no master and will not spare you if it touched your body. We are about to start the test. I want you to attack anyone close to you. The moment you hit and wound anyone, it means you pass the test and are now an official member of the Crimson Dragon Army. You will each have a chance to become a commander and I promise a bright future ahead of you. You have thirty minutes. If none of you succeed, it will be a pity. You will go home because of your incompetence. Let me remind you that this is not a game. You are all under attack. Make others bleed and avoid getting hit at the same time. You don't have eyes, and the knives do not have mercy. This test may kill you if you are not careful. Don't worry, I have prepared enough financial support and benefits for your family members. They will never suffer from a shortage of food and clothing for the rest of their lives. So if you wish to see your family later, focus and do your best to pass the test. War is not for the weak and faint-hearted. You have to be skilled in killing people, and protecting yourself at the same time. This is all I have to say. Please get ready," Rocky said in a calm voice. His message echoed in their ears like a wave of deadly warning.

Rocky then stopped talking and examined the faces of the soldiers one by one. Each face showed a different emotion. Some looked anxious and afraid, while some soldiers had started to cry. The soldiers were terrified. After all, most of them had never touched a knife, let alone killing people. The thought itself was killing them.

It was exactly what Rocky planned. He wanted to condition their minds and spirit. He needed to teach these soldiers how to use their weapons to attack the enemy and to defend themselves. If they failed the test, they could never survive the battlefield. The weapon of the enemy was relentless and would never show them mercy. If they passed the test, it meant they had the heart and courage to go to the battlefield.

"Your thirty minutes start now!" Rocky shouted the order.

At first, everyone was motionless. They held on to the wooden knives and no one dared to make a move. Not a single one lifted a knife and made a move to attack anyone. Some of them broke out in a cold sweat, while others stood with their legs trembling in fear.

After a lengthy silence, a strong, muscular man shouted, "Fuck! I don't care! I will attack. Get ready! This is just a test, and I will pass this test!" He then waved the wooden knife fiercely around him. Rocky raised his hand and made a gesture. The soldiers behind him knew it was a signal and began shouting.

"Ah! You hit me, my hand is bleeding!"

“I'm wounded!"

"I will kill you!"

The soldiers behind Rocky screamed and shouted as if they turned mad. The entire place sounded like a combat zone all of a sudden.

Meanwhile, the soldiers behind the black cloths became more and more nervous. Because they could see nothing, they had to focus and use their ears to attack and defend themselves. As the screams got louder, they too became excited, and the shouts provoked them to move. Most of them swung their wooden knives and attacked aimlessly. The remaining few who hesitated had also made a move and swung their knives frantically after they were cut by others. By now, everyone was on their feet and was moving fiercely.

However, a couple of soldiers remained too afraid to move. They were sweating all over, and their faces had turned pale. They were too shaken to even hold the knife properly.

The entire scene looked crazy, and the soldiers looked ridiculous as they swung the knives aimlessly around them. Over three thousand soldiers were up in arms, battling each other blindly with wooden knives.

"That's it. Remove the ones who did not move and did not dare attack,” Rocky whispered to the soldiers behind him.

The soldiers immediately removed those who failed from the training ground one by one.

In half an hour, four soldiers were eliminated and taken outside.

"Stop!" Rocky shouted to the group.

Relieved, all the remaining soldiers stopped fighting. They put down the wooden knives, and slumped down on the ground, exhausted. It felt like they fought fiercely for an entire day instead of thirty minutes.

"Take off your blindfold,” Rocky instructed.

The soldiers did what they were told. They were dumbfounded as they removed the black cloth and found that they were holding a piece of wooden knife and not a sharp, steel knife. The soldiers looked at each other, confused.

"All of you here have passed the test. They have taken away those who failed. The purpose of this test is to encourage you to do your best to win on a battlefield. Fear is your greatest enemy. It will weaken, and soon cripple you until you are unable to move and fight. If you don't know how to attack your enemy with your knife, then your enemy will chop your heads off with their own weapon. Therefore, no matter what happens in the battlefield, you must fight. Whatever weapon you have, fight and do not give up. Do it for yourselves and for your family. This is rule No.1," Rocky shouted sternly.

"If anyone among you does not agree, you have my permission to leave. The battlefield is a dangerous place. It's not a place for the weak and half-hearted soldiers. If you don't believe me, then now is the time to go. Because you will only die out there. This is no joke. Death is real the moment you're on the battleground.” Rocky's words were terrifying, the soldiers dared not to make a sound.

"Those who failed the test should quit now. Those who want to leave are allowed to go home, I will give you your freedom. Isis, they are all yours.” Rocky gave his final words, then turned to Isis before he left the training ground.

Rocky bumped into Fleming, who was waiting for him in front of the tent.

"Commander in Chief, we have news from Mont City," Fleming reported.

"Holy Sea Empire is dispatching more troops?" Rocky asked right away. It was something that he was expecting to happen.

"That's right. Holy Sea Empire will send more troops by sunset, and they will attack Yu City the day after tomorrow,” Fleming reported everything in details.

"Did you find out how many?" Rocky asked, crossing his hands behind his back.

"We did not get the exact number, but at least 20 thousand,” Fleming estimated.

"Then we need to prepare and set out as soon as possible,” Rocky decided. The Crimson Dragon Army would have about eight thousand forces, including the newly recruited troops and the remaining forces from the Mont City. If the Holy Sea Empire would have about 20 thousand troops, there was still a chance for them to win this battle. But if Fleming was wrong, and the arriving troops were over 25 thousand, it would be extremely hard for them to defend the city. Also, defending Yu City was just the first obstacle. Even if they triumphed in defending the city, then the next battle was for the Heaven Unicorn City, where there were lesser troops to help them. Therefore, he must come up with a brilliant plan. They had to weigh everything and plan carefully. One false move could ruin their plan and mean death for all of them.