The assembly horn blared.
The new batch of soldiers hurried over one after another, lining up neatly across the training field.
A few moments later, Thousand-Household Xiang Tingchun arrived, clad in chain armor and carrying a saber at his waist. Behind him followed a civil officer in official robes.
Expressionless, Xiang Tingchun strode straight to the raised platform.
His sharp gaze swept over the assembled ranks as he spoke in a calm but commanding tone. "Those who have cultivated qi and blood—step forward."
Out of thirty-eight, only Chen Sanshi took a step forward.
A flicker of surprise crossed Xiang Tingchun's otherwise stone-cold face. He gave a short command. "Send out a Flag Officer to spar with him. I want to see for myself."
"Xu Bin, step forward!"
Hundred-Household Wang raised his hand and pointed. "As per the rules—you'll both stay at the tempering blood, beginner stage. But you can use whatever technique you want. Spar with Chen Sanshi properly."
At the edge of the field, Xu Bin froze for a moment when he heard his name. Then, with a resigned breath, he stepped forward.
His expression was complicated as he looked at Chen Sanshi.
This fellow townsman of his had been the talk of the entire garrison lately.
First, several Hundred-Households had openly competed to recruit him.
Then, in just six days, he had successfully cultivated his qi and blood.
Six days!
Xu Bin couldn't even remember exactly how long it had taken him to reach that stage back then—but it had been nowhere near that fast.
He'd spent years in the army, grinding his way up to become a small Flag Officer, barely scraping by through persistence and luck.
But now, this kid was about to surpass him after only a few weeks.
If Chen Sanshi performed well today, he might get promoted straight to Flag Officer on the spot—a future far brighter than Xu Bin's ever had been.
And yet… Xu Bin had given him attitude on the very first day he enlisted.
Now, of all people, he'd been chosen to fight him in front of everyone.
"Why are you standing there like an idiot? Start."
Xiang Tingchun's tone turned cold. "Keep your qi and blood at the same level—beginner. Fight with everything you've got. I want to see if you officers have improved at all."
"Old Xu," one of the other officers called from the side, grinning. "I hear he's from your village—don't go easy on him."
"..."
Several Flag Officers and Hundred-Households nearby chuckled.
Everyone had been hearing about this "genius recruit" for days now, and they were eager to see what the hype was about.
Xu Bin exhaled slowly and drew out a thin thread of qi and blood.
The amount of qi and blood could be controlled precisely.
At the beginner level, it was a single thread. At mastery, two threads. At minor achievement, qi and blood flowed freely through the limbs and bones.
By maintaining only one thread, Xu Bin effectively suppressed his realm down to the beginner stage.
However, his years of experience with the blade couldn't simply be held back.
In theory, his combat skill alone gave him a clear advantage.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
The Thousand-Household himself was watching, and his words made it clear—if Xu Bin lost in front of everyone, his career was finished.
But if he displayed his strength impressively and caught Xiang Tingchun's attention…
He might finally get a real chance to rise.
He'd dreamed since childhood of earning military merit and glory on the battlefield, but being stuck in backwater Poyang County had crushed that dream.
No resources, no opportunities. He'd been stuck at tempering blood for years.
But today—that might change.
Everyone fought for their own future, and he had no intention of sacrificing his for someone else's.
He tightened his grip on his blade. 'Forgive me, Brother Sanshi.'
"Sanshi, if you get hurt, don't blame me."
Xu Bin drew his saber with a sharp shing. The three-foot-long blade gleamed coldly under the scorching sun.
"Flag Officer Xu, please—come at me."
Chen Sanshi raised his plum-blossom spear, settling into a focused stance.
Ever since he'd started training, he'd never had a real fight before. This was the perfect chance to test his strength.
"Good! Watch my blade!"
Xu Bin suddenly moved.
His body lowered, back slightly hunched as he dragged his saber along the ground, eyes flashing with feral light—like a starving wolf catching scent of prey.
In just two breaths, he closed the distance, his swallow-feather blade slicing horizontally through the air toward Chen Sanshi's side.
At the same instant, a glint of cold light flared in front of him.
In that instant, the flash of cold light became the tip of a spear—rapidly enlarging within Xu Bin's pupils.
The one who strikes second arrives first.
A knife may be swift, but the spear is longer—the path of long weapons!
"So fast!"
Xu Bin's face changed. He didn't even dare press forward. One more step and before his blade could reach the boy, he'd already be skewered!
He slammed his foot down to halt his charge, swinging his saber to try and cleave the spear shaft in two.
But Chen Sanshi gave him no chance.
He retracted the spear three inches, his waist and legs moving as one. Qi and blood surged into his right arm, and with a maneuver called "Block and Seize," he met the blade's edge head-on.
Clang!
The clear ring of metal on metal echoed through the training ground.
The swallow-feather blade quivered, and the plum-blossom spear shuddered wildly in response.
Both men were forced back several steps.
But for a long-weapon user, distance was an advantage.
Just as Xu Bin steadied his stance, the spear's iron head came thrusting toward him once more. He had no choice but to raise his saber in defense. Fortunately, after years of training, he could handle the impact with ease.
Even so, something felt wrong.
Everyone had practiced Basic Spearsmanship for Infantry.
So why was Chen Sanshi's spearwork so fast, so fierce, so utterly different from ordinary soldiers?
And his qi and blood—
They were both at the beginner level, yet Xu Bin's had been tempered for years. He should have had the advantage in raw strength.
But in that first clash, he hadn't overpowered the boy at all. If anything, he'd only barely held his ground through experience.
Impossible.
Xu Bin's expression darkened. He couldn't afford to lose face before the Thousand-Household.
His attacks grew sharper, faster, more vicious. Each stroke aimed for a vital point, hoping to wear down Chen Sanshi's qi and blood through sheer ferocity.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal clashed again and again, dust flying across the field.
Chen Sanshi kept retreating, using the reach of his long weapon to maintain distance.
"Son of a—"
Hundred-Household Wang couldn't help but curse aloud.
He'd only called Xu Bin up because he'd been the one to introduce Chen Sanshi to the barracks—he hadn't expected the fool to actually go all out!
'Let's see how I deal with him later,' Wang thought grimly.
Meanwhile, Thousand-Household Xiang Tingchun narrowed his eyes, watching with keen interest.
"Good strike!"
The soldiers watching around the arena began shouting their approval.
Clang!
Another sharp clash.
Chen Sanshi nearly got hit, but at the last instant, he twisted his body and spun the spear into a blooming flower, forcing the charging "wolf" back seven full steps.
Xu Bin, after years of service, wasn't one to falter easily.
After several exchanges, his arms were numb, his shoulders sore, and sweat drenched his face and back.
Yet his qi and blood still held out—he could keep going.
For Chen Sanshi, this was a rare chance to test his limits. Every strike he parried and countered refined his control, his Basic Spearsmanship for Infantry improving at a startling pace.
"Come again!"
Xu Bin roared, slashing down again and again, his eyes bloodshot.
Eight rounds had passed, and he still couldn't bring the boy down!
'To hell with it,' he thought. 'If I'm already offending him, I might as well go all the way!'
He couldn't let himself look like a useless man before the Thousand-Household.
No more holding back.
The swallow-feather saber screamed through the air, cutting with raw power and rage, like a frenzied wolf trying to rip its prey apart.
He wanted to crush Chen Sanshi head-on, force an opening, and end it in one decisive strike.
But as time dragged on, things began to shift.
Though the boy seemed to be purely on the defensive, his qi and blood showed no signs of waning.
Instead, Xu Bin's own energy was draining fast—his breathing turning ragged, his vision blurring.
"How… how can this be?!"
Shock and disbelief flashed across his face.
Impossible.
The kid had just started cultivating qi and blood! Ten more exchanges, and he should've been completely drained!
Yet the more Xu Bin attacked, the less it made sense.
Ten more rounds passed, and over half of his qi and blood was gone—while Chen Sanshi still stood firm!
The boy looked exhausted, panting hard, but he never faltered. Every time Xu Bin thought he'd break, Chen Sanshi held steady, his endurance monstrous.
Clang!
Xu Bin's strikes slowed. His strength weakened.
And at that exact moment, the tide turned.
Chen Sanshi's plum-blossom spear switched from defense to offense in an instant—one block, one seize, one thrust.
Each movement was precise, powerful, and relentless.
His qi and blood surged with every attack, the spear sweeping like a violent storm, pressing Xu Bin back again and again.
One misstep, and his head would've been split open.
Sweat poured down Xu Bin's face.
His qi and blood were nearly spent. His hand cramped around the hilt, and his breath came in ragged bursts.
He could no longer attack—he could barely defend.
All he could see were flashes of silver spearheads and the flicker of a red tassel dancing before his eyes.
This can't be happening.
Chen Sanshi had just broken through days ago—how could his stamina be this terrifying?
For a few desperate moments, Xu Bin almost called upon his full qi and blood, using his mastery-level tempering blood to fight back.
But he knew it was pointless.
He'd already lost.
Five years.
He had practiced for five long years, only to be bested by someone who had trained for barely half a month.
Clang!
Lost in thought, he failed to react. His swallow-feather saber was flicked from his hand, spinning across the field.
The sharp, triangular tip of the plum-blossom spear stopped right at his throat.
"Flag Officer Xu," Chen Sanshi said calmly, lowering the weapon. "Thank you for the guidance."