Under these circumstances, Star Division's individual units were far stronger than Lan Jue had anticipated.
Their teamwork was perfect, and they were formidable.
When they faced the Bloodiron Khans, Star Division split up into smaller groups. They harassed, divided, attacked, ambushed, and more to chip away at the Bloodiron Khans.
When the Bloodiron Khans tried to split up, Star Division would gather their strength and launch a surprise attack under the leadership of Ace Squad.
After learning from Lan Qing's protogenia, Star Division's overall strength had increased by leaps and bounds. Many had broken through their bottlenecks. There weren't many sixth level Adepts left, and most were seventh or higher. Add to that Star Division's advantage in terms of equipment, and you could imagine the result.
The Bloodiron Khans had strict discipline, but after the drill, they couldn't help but protest. They wanted better mechas.
But Lan Qing couldn't do anything about it.
Where the hell did Star Division get their gear?
It was Skyfire Avenue's own money.
Skyfire Avenue's wealth wasn't enough to rival a country, but they were the wealthiest organization in the Eastern Alliance.
How were they supposed to compete under these circumstances?
Everyone's mechas were custom-made to suit their Discipline. They were also equipped with a variety of high-grade power gems.
The advantage was too great.
It wasn't just his soldiers who were depressed. Lan Qing himself was depressed. He'd been in charge of the second drill.
But they'd still lost.
It couldn't be helped. The disparity in equipment and individual combat ability was too great.
Now, every Skyfire Avenue squad had at least one ninth level Adept in command.
A ninth level Adept with a mecha wasn't necessarily a God-ranked pilot, but they were strong in both offense and defense.
Ordinary mechas couldn't compete with them.
In the end, Lan Qing's command had failed miserably.
They'd only defeated a few more Star Division units.
Lan Qing knew that if his soldiers were as strong as Star Division's, and if their equipment was on par with theirs, he had a good chance of winning.
But now.
The chances were too slim.
He'd once considered joining the fray and relying on his Paragon strength to turn the tide of battle. But was there any point in that?
Star Division didn't have a Paragon?
It was just that he wasn't here right now.
Lan Qing's assessment of Star Division was that they were an Adept force that could not be replicated.
He couldn't help but admire Skyfire Avenue's risky and gambling-like decision.
Forming such an army.
Not only did it require a huge amount of wealth, but it also required a lot of determination!
This was not something that could be done under normal circumstances.
And reality proved that Skyfire Avenue had good foresight. The existence of such an army had already changed the way mecha battles were fought.
Their battle strength.
It definitely couldn't be described as a mecha army.
What's more, with these Espers gathered together, the competition between squads, and the support from Skyfire Avenue at all costs, the speed at which their strength increased was definitely the fastest among all the human army units.
How could an ordinary person have the luxury of experiencing two Paragons' protogenia?
A common soldier facing a Paragon.
It wasn't going to help.
It was extremely rare for an Adept to experience such a thing.
But Skyfire Avenue had done it twice, and many of them had experienced it.
These high-ranking Adepts had benefited the most from it.
So when Lan Jue saw Lan Qing, his competitive spirit swelled.
What he didn't know, however, was that his brother's competitive spirit had risen as well.
What Lan Qing loved the most was to make the impossible possible.
If he didn't have that competitive spirit, how could he have achieved so much at such a young age?
This was not something that could be induced by talent alone. Hard work played a significant role as well.
As the Bartender and Coffee Master spoke, Lan Jue couldn't help but feel a strange expression on his face. But in his heart he was pleasantly surprised.
Things would continue as they were now.
Star Division's strength would continue to grow.
Especially with all the vital crystals they'd brought back. All they had to do was spread the word.
The morale of the Star Division would be boosted.
Now that Adepts were proven to be more effective against the aliens, Star Division's role in the coming war was confirmed.
"How are our brothers on Skyfire doing?" Lan Jue asked.
The Coffee Master answered. "They've all come back to join us.
That fat disciple of yours seems to have benefited the most.
I can actually feel the ripples of protogenia coming from him.
How envious, jealous, and hateful!
Why don't you take me as your disciple too?
I haven't even touched the edge of protogenia. "
Lan Jue's voice was irritated. "Don't give me that. You're too used to it, you don't want to work hard.
You think your talent is worse than everyone else's?
You're the best in the universe. "
The Bartender sighed. "You're wrong. Talent isn't the only thing that matters.
If you don't work hard, you'll be eliminated.
You haven't seen it yet, but all the squads are working hard at their training.
They're even sparring with each other internally, not to mention against the outside world.
We also listen to your advice and encourage such behavior.
Oh, right, we're going to have an internal Star Division competition.
The champion team will get a chance to use the exuvium process. What do you think? "
Lan Jue looked surprised. "What are you guys planning?"
The Coffee Master chortled. "Our brothers have too much energy, and they don't know where to put it.
We're going to give them something to do.
We're going to break up the four brigades, just like the Adept tournament you participated in. We're going to have an internal Star Division competition.
It'll all take place in DreamNet, ten versus ten in sim pods.
Team Ace would also participate, but each team would be divided into two teams.
It'll be fair.
The champion team will get a chance to use the exuvium process. "
Lan Jue laughed. "That's a good thing!
But the Ace Squad is too strong. Even with five of them, I'm afraid ordinary squads would have a hard time fighting them.
We might as well split up the Ace Squad and have them compete individually.
The members of Party Ace would engage in individual battles instead of team battles.
At the same time, each squad can choose one person to participate in the individual battles.
We'll split the competition into two parts.
One will be the team battles, the other will be the Ace Squad's individual battles.
The captains of each brigade can also participate in the individual battles.
But the Paragons won't participate. The Pharmacist and I won't participate either. "
The Bartender gave her a thumbs-up. "You've thought it through. Let's do it.
It'll be training in disguise. The competition will last at least half a month.
It'll give them something to do. "
Lan Jue nodded. "And I think we can make it normal.
It'll give them a sense of competition, motivate them to train harder.
We can give them different prizes each time.
Skyfire Avenue has plenty of money and resources. "
The three of them discussed the matter, and it was settled.
One could totally imagine how strong the competitive spirit of each team would be under this kind of stimulation.
Of course, they couldn't guarantee individual battles. The Bloodiron Khans still had to be fought.
There was no need for actual combat, just DreamNet's simulation would suffice.
The functions of the current simulation pod were already very close to actual combat.
With that in mind, Lan Jue decided to seek out his brother and suggest they continue their confrontation.
Star Division would have to stay here for a while.
The information they'd brought back would be enough for the Eastern Alliance to digest for a while.
Communication with the Northern Alliance and Western Alliance was a problem.
Lan Qing was busy, but Lan Jue's arrival meant he made time to see his brother.
"What is it?
I have a meeting in a bit. "Lan Qing addressed Lan Jue.
Lan Jue went on. "I'm planning on having Star Division stay on An Lun for a while longer. They can continue training with the Bloodiron Khans. I think it'll be good for everyone.
We'll use DreamNet to train them.
Through different terrains, environments, and conditions, it'll be good for both sides. "
Lan Qing gave him a strange look. "You're having fun winning, aren't you?
The difference in equipment and individual strength makes this kind of training pointless.
It's a blow to our confidence. "
Lan Jue chuckled. "When have you ever lacked confidence?
How about this.
We can reduce the number of soldiers.
Equipment won't be easy to replace.
I'll need actual combat to get them used to their equipment.
If they train with normal equipment, it'll be less effective. "
Lan Qing's eyes narrowed. "Am I to take that as a sign of disdain?"
Ever since he'd joined the An Lun Army, he'd never been in a situation where he'd been forced to reduce the number of soldiers.
Lan Jue shrugged. "The facts are in front of you.
Besides, you don't need to be so lacking in confidence!
You're up against the strongest Adept organization in the world. Star Division is the epitome of Skyfire Avenue. Whether it's individual combat power or financial backing, you have a big advantage.
Under these circumstances, there's no shame in reducing the number of soldiers.
After all, our goal is to increase the strength of our soldiers so they'll have a better chance of surviving the aliens in the future.
What's the point of being so concerned about face? "
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Monthly votes, recommendation votes.
(To be continued)