The assessment was relatively difficult; Chen Yu knew this.
Chen Yu had expected many to fail the assessment, but he hadn't anticipated the pass rate to be so dismal.
"City Lord."
As night fell, Chen Yu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the equipment before him at the scarecrow.
Throughout the entire day,
Innumerable batches of personnel had gone to the assessment points, yet not a single person could pass. Not even the lowest-tier Black Iron grade equipment could be claimed.
This outcome had indeed exceeded Chen Yu's expectations.
He had thought that, no matter what, at least a few hundred people would successfully pass the assessment, considering tens of thousands participated.
Yet—
The results were unsatisfactory.
Many participants, after failing, were unwilling to collect their deserved roasted meat from Chen Yu, leaving the barracks with their heads down.
"City Lord."
A soft call sounded from behind Chen Yu.
Chen Yu, standing with his hands behind his back, remained silent. Ya Bo, frowning, spoke to himself.
"The last batch of assessment personnel has also concluded. Within the allotted time, no one managed to pass the assessment, not even the lowest-grade one."
Ya Bo, standing behind Chen Yu, also sighed heavily.
This outcome was also beyond his expectations.
He knew the trial points he had set up were difficult. Upon learning that Chen Yu intended to seal their cultivation levels for the assessment, he had made adjustments overnight.
He hadn't expected the results to remain the same.
While escorting the last batch of personnel away, he kept wondering if he had made the trial difficulty too high, leading to the complete wipeout.
"Did you give them the roasted meat?"
Chen Yu whispered softly. Ya Bo breathed out and shook his head.
"They didn't want it. They said they had no face to take it."
"Hoo..." Chen Yu, gazing at the equipment on the scarecrow, exhaled deeply. After a long silence, he stared at his faint reflection on the armor, "The Elite Soldier Plan, the road is long and arduous. Let's just hope the people don't lose their confidence due to this trial."
"They shouldn't lose confidence."
The mole-faced man spoke solemnly, "Although no one passed the trial this time, many citizens were actually spurred on by a spirit of defiance. As they left, they asked if we would continue tomorrow. And even though no one met the lowest passing standard, many of those eliminated weren't far from the passing line. Tomorrow might bring better results."
Defiance was good news.
To become an elite, one must possess that unyielding spirit. If one were to approach everything without a fighting chance, caring about nothing and content with being a salted fish.
The entire corps would be as soft as a persimmon that anyone could knead.
Let alone conquering the caves.
They would likely lose their armor and weapons just encountering a few bandits.
While Chen Yu was in thought, Ya Bo had also been contemplating the trial. Chen Yu was so eager to form a corps, yet his meticulously arranged trials yielded such dismal results on the first day. He felt that the difficulty of his setup was indeed an issue.
"City Lord, should we lower the difficulty standard a bit?"
"The standard absolutely cannot be lowered," Chen Yu shook his head without hesitation. "If they can't even meet this standard, how can they be considered elite soldiers? Let's see the future results. In any case, no matter how few qualify, our standards will absolutely not be lowered."
"Understood."
"You've all worked hard. Go back and rest."
With a gentle wave of his hand, Ya Bo and the others left the barracks. Chen Yu's gaze remained fixed on the equipment before him.
If one wanted to forge a group of elite soldiers, the current assessment was merely a stepping stone. If they couldn't even meet this, they would face even more difficult training after joining the corps. How could they endure that?
Compared to Free Town, the citizens of Wind Rise City were indeed less fortunate.
When Chen Yu recruited soldiers in Free Town, he didn't have such stringent standards. However, Free Town and Wind Rise City had fundamental differences.
Geographical location.
Free Town was relatively remote, with no strong competitors around. With the equipment provided by Chen Yu, coupled with future training after joining the corps, it wouldn't be difficult to crush external enemies.
Wind Rise City, however, was located on the border.
Given his relationship with the Batu Federation, when the Batu Federation formally declared war on the Tatu Kingdom, his Wind Rise City would not be affected.
However, Wind Rise City had unresolved internal issues.
The surrounding territories were also occupied by strong cities. The corps here had to be elite.
He had high expectations for Wind Rise City's corps, anticipating them to become a true formidable force in the future, deterring all directions.
Conversely, Chen Yu would naturally provide them with the best resources.
Even for Free Town, Chen Yu had never specifically procured resources for their cultivation, let alone considering the cost. This showed the extent of Chen Yu's expectations.
"Hey, why aren't you returning to the city yet?"
After standing in the barracks for an unknown amount of time, Chen Yu heard a familiar voice. He turned his head slightly, and the figure of the little devil appeared before his eyes.
"Why are you here?" Chen Yu raised an eyebrow.
"Ya Bo and the others have already returned to the city, but you haven't. I came specifically to see if your City Lord had been assassinated by them," the little devil shrugged. "If something really happened to you, I'd have to quickly find the next target to support."
"Disappointed you, haven't I?" Chen Yu smiled and shook his head.
The meteorites that deterred the refugees were not unseen by Ya Bo and the others. In their eyes, Chen Yu was an unadulterated saint. The respectful attitude of Ya Bo was enough to prove this.
With his current strength, although his cultivation level was not high, he could eat.
Countless attribute resources were thrown into his mouth, not only providing sustenance but also offering unlimited attribute enhancement.
Thousands of elemental affinity, nearly ten thousand defense.
Kill him?
Chen Yu didn't know the extent of what a true saint could achieve. At least, it was impossible for Ya Bo and the others to harm him.
The little devil was definitely aware of this. She was the person who understood Chen Yu the most in the entire cave, besides Chen Yu himself.
She cared about Chen Yu, but her words were just tough.
"I'm not disappointed," the little devil flicked her pigtail and snorted haughtily. "I just find it a pity. I thought you'd at least get beaten up. It seems that Nine-Colored Ya Bo isn't much of a capable person; he was truly scared into submission by you. You weren't bullied, so why are you staying in this dark, gloomy place by yourself? Is the recruitment plan stalled?"
"As expected."
Chen Yu stretched lazily, grinning.
"I just want to stay here for a while. There have been too many things going on recently, and my mind is a bit jumbled. I need some time to myself to settle down."
"How's the settling down going? Can we return to the city now?"
"You've come at the perfect time."
"Since that's the case, let's hurry back." The little devil stretched, transforming into a miniature porcelain doll and sitting on Chen Yu's shoulder, swinging her little legs. "This King is tired. Hurry and take me back to rest."
"Alright."
A smile also appeared in Chen Yu's eyes. He glanced at the little devil on his shoulder and then slowly walked away.
"Hey, Chen Yu, what do you think Black Donkey and the others are up to?" the little devil muttered on the way back to the city. "It's been over half a month, and they still haven't arrived at Wind Rise City. Is their efficiency a bit too slow? Look at what I said, I knew that lazy donkey wouldn't arrive on time within seven days."
"You said it yourself."
Walking through the forest, Chen Yu couldn't help but slap his thigh.
What are they doing?!
According to his plan, Black Donkey should have arrived at Wind Rise City within seven days. This would have helped resolve the city's safety issues, and Chen Yu's other plans could have proceeded smoothly.
No one was more anxious than Chen Yu for Black Donkey to arrive quickly.
Yet, that lazy donkey took over half a month to travel what should have taken seven days. He hadn't replied to Chen Yu's messages as if he were dead.
If he didn't arrive soon, Chen Yu would truly have to form a ragtag army in Wind Rise City.
"When that lazy donkey arrives, we'll give him a good scare," the little devil said with an evil smile. "Then, you'll welcome him, and I'll drug him. When he wakes up, we'll tie him to the bed and castrate him."
"I support that!"
Indeed, they had to give that lazy donkey a scare. Otherwise, with his lazy nature, who knew how much trouble it would cause in the future.
"While I wasn't in the city, nothing happened, right?"
"With me here, who would dare to mess around?" the porcelain doll on his shoulder, the little devil, smiled. Then, her brows lowered again. "Speaking of which, there was one strange thing that caught my attention. Let me tell you..."
The little devil recounted what she had encountered, and Chen Yu's brow furrowed slightly.
"Is that so?"
"If that's really the case, we can have some fun with them. We were just wondering how to cause trouble for those people, and they're walking right into my crosshairs."
"What do you think of us doing this?"
Under the night sky, in the deep forest, one person and one devil whispered in conspiracy. Accompanied by faint mischievous laughter, their figures completely disappeared into the forest without a trace.
At this moment—
In a brightly lit mansion.
"Everyone, you must have heard about what happened in Hurricane City, right?" In front of a long table, a one-eyed man with bare shoulders rested his leg on the table. "I heard that the internal strife in Wind Rise City has been resolved. The previous manager, Klein, has stepped down, and a young man has taken over. Under his management, Hurricane City has been run in an orderly fashion."
"What Hurricane City? That new city lord has already renamed it Wind Rise City."
"What does it matter to me what city it is, Hurricane City or Wind Rise City? The important thing is that he has brought the city back from chaos to the right track. This is not good news for us."
"You want to attack the city?"
"Attack the city? Are you dreaming?" the one-eyed man sneered. "Hurricane City is surrounded by monsters. If we rashly attack, breaking through the monster-infested areas will likely cripple us."
"You know that, so why are you saying these things?"
A slightly disharmonious scoff came from somewhere. The one-eyed man glanced sideways at the source of the sound.
"Buddy, we're all in the same boat. Why are you saying such sarcastic words? If Wind Rise City truly regains its footing in this region, will the one behind you let you off? We need to think of a solution, find something for him to do, don't we?"
The one-eyed man leaned on the table with one hand, looking at the people before him.
"Everyone, we must satisfy the adults behind us!"
"Easier said than done. The problem is, how do you deal with Wind Rise City now?" someone at the table interjected. "The surroundings are all occupied by monsters. To pass through, only small targets are feasible. The only people moving around Wind Rise City recently have been some merchant teams. If we were to deploy a large army, we would have to encounter those monsters. I even suspect that those monsters were deliberately placed there by that city lord to guard against us."
"So, that city lord isn't simple."
The one-eyed man grinned and suddenly lowered his voice.
"Although we can't deploy a large army, I assume you all have people planted in Wind Rise City, right? Don't you think it's time for them to make a move?"
"What kind of waves can those few people stir up?"
"Don't speak too soon. Sometimes, fewer people... are better for getting things done."