“Not bad.”
This time, Commandant Nie finally gave a clear word of praise, his gaze toward Chen Sheng carrying undisguised appreciation.
At the early stage of Foundation Establishment, to be able to lift a black-gold stone lock weighing over seven hundred jin—such strength was already enough to look down upon his peers.
Ordinary martial masters at the early stage of Foundation Establishment usually possessed strength ranging from two hundred to five hundred jin. Generally, only martial masters who had stepped into the middle stage of Foundation Establishment—the Bone Tempering realm—could possess arm strength of five hundred to one thousand jin.
From this alone, one could see how solid this boy’s foundation was, and how deep his reserves ran.
Chen Sheng’s expression remained steady. He respectfully gave a salute, then slowly withdrew to Wu Kuang’s side.
Although Wu Kuang had long known that Chen Sheng’s strength was extraordinary, a trace of astonishment still flashed through his eyes at this moment. More than that, however, was satisfaction—Chen Sheng’s performance had undoubtedly won him ample face.
“Is there anyone else who wishes to step forward?”
Commandant Nie’s gaze swept over the entire tent once more. The remaining deputy commanders all lowered their heads and avoided his eyes; no one dared answer.
Those with strength had already tried just now. The rest knew their own limits. To step forward now would only be inviting humiliation, especially with Chen Sheng’s result of three breaths as a comparison—it would only make them look all the more unbearable.
For several breaths in succession, the tent was utterly silent.
Nie Yuanliu knew the outcome was settled. His gaze lingered on Chen Sheng for a moment. After a brief pause in thought, he raised his hand and waved. An invisible force surged out, silently lifting away a piece of black cloth covering something behind him.
In an instant, three weapons appeared before everyone’s eyes, resting quietly upon a refined-steel rack:
A long spear, entirely dark and adorned with gilded patterns; a pair of silver hammers, bright white as snow, huge and heavy; and a long, narrow war blade whose body was dusky, faintly gleaming with ink-black light.
“I said beforehand that the victor would receive a prize.”
Nie Yuanliu’s voice was calm, yet it fell like a boulder into a lake. “These three weapons are all treasured weapons, spoils Nie obtained on the battlefield. You may choose any one of them.”
Hua—
The moment these words were spoken, the breathing within the vast military tent abruptly stilled!
Several commanders’ eyes instantly blazed with scorching light, while the deputy commanders could hardly suppress the extreme envy and jealousy on their faces. Even their breathing grew heavy.
The burly man who had first attempted the contest and had only lasted two breaths now turned deathly pale, his guts nearly green with regret—had he known the prize was a treasured weapon, he would have endured damage to his internal organs just to hold on for one more breath!
A treasured weapon!
This far exceeded what ordinary Foundation Establishment martial masters could even hope for. It was not only because such weapons were priceless, but also because only Xiantian experts capable of projecting true qi outward could truly unleash the power contained within them.
In the hands of a Foundation Establishment martial master, a treasured weapon, though sharp, could not fully display its edge.
Even so, it remained the weapon that ordinary Foundation Establishment martial masters dreamed of possessing. With a treasured weapon in hand, a Foundation Establishment martial master’s strength could even increase by several tenths.
“This subordinate thanks the Commandant for the generous reward!”
Chen Sheng suppressed the excitement in his heart and bowed once more.
“Choose.”
Nie Yuanliu said indifferently.
To him, treasured weapons were indeed good, but they were not things he could not part with. In fact, if there had not been only three treasured weapons among his spoils, while there were six commanders in the tent, his farewell gifts earlier would have been one treasured weapon for each person.
Of course, the medicinal pills he had given out were by no means of low value either.
“This subordinate is accustomed to using long blades.” Chen Sheng did not hesitate.
Nie Yuanliu waved his hand again. The long blade, dark as ink from hilt to tip, was wrapped in an invisible current of force and floated steadily before Chen Sheng.
Chen Sheng reached out and gripped the hilt. The moment it entered his hand, it felt cold and heavy, and an incomparably sharp aura rushed toward him. He knew that, at present, he had absolutely no way to unleash the full might of this blade. Even so, with this treasured blade in hand, his strength would certainly surge by a large margin!
“Thank you, my lord, for bestowing this blade!”
Nie Yuanliu nodded slightly. Without saying more, he raised his cup and said:
“The trivial matters are done. Everyone, drink with me.”
“To the Commandant!”
The atmosphere in the tent was once again pushed to a climax.
As soon as he returned to his seat, Wu Kuang lowered his voice and said, “This blade is named ‘Shehan.’ Its edge is unmatched. It was obtained two months ago when Commandant Nie slew the rebel bandit leader ‘Hunjiang Long’ in battle. You must not let down the reputation of this blade.”
“My lord,” Chen Sheng said. He had noticed the flash of heat in Wu Kuang’s eyes just now. Though he knew Wu Kuang most likely would not demand it from him, he still had to make his stance clear. “In this subordinate’s hands, this blade may be like a bright pearl cast into darkness. Only with a cultivation like my lord’s could its power truly be brought forth…”
Hearing this, Wu Kuang’s lips curved into a smile that was not quite a smile.
“Enough. Don’t play such little tricks in front of this official. This treasured blade was personally bestowed by Commandant Nie—who in the camp would dare covet it? Besides, this official is not skilled with blades. Just keep it properly.”
“Yes!”
Only then did Chen Sheng completely set his heart at ease. He stroked the cold blade with great care.
To the side, Huang Ren watched this scene, his heart filled with mixed emotions—envy, jealousy, and unwillingness tangled together beyond words.
The next day, just as Commandant Nie had said, orders from above arrived on schedule. Within the military camp, men shouted and horses neighed. The troops of each division began to mobilize in an orderly fashion, marching out of the encampment in unit after unit to rendezvous with the forces from the other nearby camps.
Chen Sheng noticed that when Wu Kuang and Commandant Nie were seeing each other off, they still seemed to be discussing something in low voices. The two of them slowly walked toward the drill ground. When they drew near him, Chen Sheng immediately ceased his stance training and saluted respectfully.
Commandant Nie had clearly been left with a deep impression of him. Smiling, he asked:
“Chen Sheng, this stance technique you cultivate—does it originate from the Buddhist lineage?”
“My lord’s insight is keen.” Chen Sheng’s heart tightened slightly.
“Buddhist cultivation methods do indeed have their unique strengths when it comes to body tempering, and their characteristics are obvious. However, they are not entirely without drawbacks.”
Nie Yuanliu’s tone was casual, yet carried the intention of giving guidance. “After you reach the great perfection of Foundation Establishment, unless it is necessary, try not to delve any deeper into Buddhist cultivation methods.”
“May I ask why, my lord?”
Chen Sheng asked curiously.
“Buddhist cultivation methods can easily confuse one’s mind. In the jianghu, there is no shortage of people who bitterly cultivated Buddhist supreme arts, only to undergo a drastic change in temperament in the end—even to the point of converting to Buddhism.” Nie Yuanliu briefly mentioned a few points, then continued walking forward with Wu Kuang.
Chen Sheng was left standing there, his face thoughtful.
…
Three days later.
The main force of the Shanzi Battalion had all set out, rushing toward the border.
Commandant Nie had also departed yesterday. Wu Kuang’s transfer order had finally been fully confirmed. He immediately issued an order for Chen Sheng to assemble the sixty personal retainers and be ready to march out of camp at any time.
Outside the camp gate, sixty carefully selected fierce soldiers stood in solemn formation, fully armored.
Chen Sheng had finally mounted a tall, fine horse as well, completely unlike an ordinary soldier.
Yet at this moment, all his attention was not on the troops under his command, but fixed tightly on the Heavenly Book of 【Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity】 that had once again appeared on its own before his eyes.
This time, the two characters 【Avoiding Calamity】 shone with a幽 dark light, crimson as blood!
【My name is Chen Sheng. When you see this sentence, I am already dead… On the day of the transfer, knowing that Wu Kuang would surely be promoted after taking office as county commandant of Changshan County, I took the initiative to volunteer as the vanguard to clear the way in order to distinguish myself.
However, not long after we left camp, we encountered a surprise attack by elite rebel bandits. Only then did I learn that Commandant Nie had not left ahead of time at all. Instead, he had obtained intelligence long ago and had secretly hidden inside Wu Kuang’s carriage to set an ambush!
Unfortunately, as the vanguard clearing the road, I wore conspicuous armor and thus became a key target of the rebel bandits. An arrow wrapped in Xiantian true qi tore through the air toward me. It was too fast—I had no time to dodge at all… and it pierced straight through my chest!
Even Commandant Nie was unable to rescue me in time. In the end, I died… No one knows which will come first, tomorrow or an accident. Had I known this beforehand, I absolutely would not have volunteered to clear the road…】