"Lord Chen, this is the place."
Thousand-Household Li stopped in front of a grand residence and said, "General Fang already had the estate cleaned up in advance. He also prepared two maids for you. If that's not enough, you can buy two more yourself.
"Best to buy from the brokers who deal in poor families' children—it's still better than them ending up in brothels, right?
"One more thing I must say clearly: no one from the Grand Commander's office is allowed to abuse or kill servants for fun.
"Of course, that's as long as they don't make mistakes. If they do, they should still be punished properly.
"All right, I've explained everything that needed explaining. Lord Chen can now settle in here and wait for notice regarding the Elite Selection.
"Oh, and you might have visitors. After all, everyone qualified to join the Selection is a talented young man from across the realm—future generals, most likely. Handle it as you see fit."
"Many thanks, Thousand-Household Li. I'll treat you to a drink another day."
Chen Sanshi cupped his fists in gratitude.
Thousand-Household Li really had handled everything down to the smallest detail—he'd done his job well.
"We're home," Chen Sanshi said finally, turning to take in the sight before him.
It was an impressive three-courtyard estate—three entrances and three exits.
In Poyang County, only the county magistrate or a handful of wealthy families could afford such a mansion.
Truthfully, he didn't even need something this large. Luckily, they'd included two maids, or poor Lan jie'er would've collapsed just from the cleaning.
"Greetings, Master. Greetings, Madam."
Two girls barely into their teens came out to greet them and bowed respectfully.
Chen Sanshi waved a hand. "Mm, you may go for now. I'll call if I need you."
"Master…"
The two exchanged nervous looks before one whispered, "You haven't given us names yet."
"Names?"
Only then did Chen Sanshi realize—slaves sold into service didn't have their own names.
He wasn't great at naming people. "Lan jie'er, I'll leave it to you."
"All right, I'll handle it."
Gu Xinlan smiled gently, taking each girl by the hand and asking about their families, age, and skills. In the end, she named one Siqin (Player of Strings) and the other Mohua (Ink Painting).
Both girls had been sold off by their parents at a young age, raised specifically to serve noble households. Their training—and their price—had not come cheap.
"I just realized…" Chen Sanshi frowned. "I don't actually have any money!"
He'd spent two months at war—how could he possibly have any silver left?
Thankfully, his positions as Sixth-Rank Chengxin Captain and Fifth-Rank Flying Cavalry Officer both came with stipends. He'd have to find out where to collect them later.
"Master!"
Mohua came running in a panic. "There's a eunuch outside—he says you must come out to receive an imperial decree! There are so many people gathered out there!"
"An imperial decree?"
Chen Sanshi's stomach sank.
Bad memories resurfaced—but he quickly shook them off. He had no grudge with the emperor, so there was nothing to fear. It was probably a reward anyway.
And even if it wasn't, he had no choice but to accept it. His strength wasn't enough yet to defy an order from above.
"Let's go."
Chen Sanshi stepped outside.
Before his gate stood a line of over ten carriages, an extravagant procession that drew hundreds, maybe even thousands, of curious onlookers.
At the head of the group stood a high-ranking eunuch in a dark embroidered python robe, a jade belt hanging at his waist. His face was pale as paper, his expression cold, but his bearing revealed that he too was trained in martial arts.
His sharp, nasal voice cut through the air: "By order of His Majesty! Chengxin Captain Chen Sanshi, kneel and receive the imperial decree!"
"Your servant hears and obeys!"
Chen Sanshi dropped to one knee, his household following suit.
There was no room for pride here. Powerless men had to bow their heads—or die early.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, His Majesty decrees:
Chengxin Captain Chen Sanshi, for leading the people across the Hongze River and moving even Heaven itself—your courage and compassion have reached Our ears and brought tears to Our eyes. To have such a righteous and brave general is the fortune of Us and the Great Sheng Dynasty alike.
Therefore, you are hereby promoted to Fifth-Rank General of Martial Virtue, and exceptionally conferred the title of Upper Third-Rank Light Chariot Commandant.
You are awarded 1,000 taels of gold, 50,000 taels of silver, 1,000 bolts of silk, 30 organ-tempering treasure pills, and 1 jug of imperial wine. Thus decreed!"
"Your servant accepts the decree with gratitude! Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten-thousand years!"
Chen Sanshi bowed deeply, performing the full ceremony.
"Who's that?" someone in the crowd asked.
"The new neighbor, just moved in."
"Did they say he led civilians across the river?"
"I've heard of that! During the Yunzhou ten-day battle, a commander from a small county led tens of thousands of civilians to safety. He and his soldiers nearly died crossing the river."
"And there's actually an official willing to risk his life for common folk?"
"His Majesty truly is a benevolent ruler!"
"Yes, yes! Look at those rewards—gold by the thousands, silver by the tens of thousands, silk by the thousands! That's more than most people could spend in a lifetime!"
"He's still so young and already holds a Third-Rank honorary title. He can attend court and meet the emperor directly now!"
"This man will be a major figure one day, mark my words!"
"…!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
'That damned old emperor sure knows how to use me,' Chen Sanshi cursed silently.
The emperor—the same man who'd colluded with the enemy and slaughtered nearly a million civilians in Yunzhou—was now using his heroic act as propaganda to polish his reputation.
Shameless. Absolutely shameless.
'If you're going to buy fame with my back, at least pay up properly!' he thought bitterly.
"Lord Chen," the eunuch said smoothly, looking down on him. "Won't you invite me in for a seat?"
Chen Sanshi straightened. "Of course, Father Hou, please come in. Mohua, bring tea."
"Master, we don't have any tea…"
Mohua's voice trembled—this was her first day serving, and already there were imperial decrees, rewards of gold and silver—it was terrifying.
"Father Hou," Chen Sanshi said with an apologetic smile, "I just moved in. The place is still empty, I'm afraid. I might have to trouble you with plain water."
"Master, there's… not even water," Siqin said timidly. "We haven't bought firewood or utensils yet…"
"Forget it."
The eunuch waved a hand and stopped at the entranceway. "We'll speak here."
He sighed softly. "I am Hou, imperial inspector of the armies for the Three Northwestern Provinces. I oversee all military operations. You may address me as Father Hou."
Chen Sanshi inclined his head. "Father Hou, what orders do you have for me?"
Inspector…
The one supervising everything was naturally Sun Xiangzong. That alone proved how highly this eunuch was placed in the palace.
"You were just promoted to Fifth-Rank Flying Cavalry Officer," Father Hou drawled, "and yet now you've been granted an additional title of Upper Third-Rank Light Chariot Commandant. That far exceeds the rank normally granted to someone only at the Tempering organs stage."
He tilted his head, his sharp tone deliberate. "Lord Chen, do you understand what that means?"
"The Heavenly Grace of His Majesty—this humble servant will remember it always, never forgetting for even a moment!"
Chen Sanshi enunciated each word clearly: "Never. Forget. For. Even. A. Moment."
"Good, you're a clever one!"
Father Hou waved a hand, signaling the eunuchs behind him to bring forth a tray with an ornate jug upon it. "Lord Chen, don't disappoint His Majesty's intentions."
[Item: Jade-Blood Poison Dew Antidote]
Chen Sanshi lifted the jug of imperial wine and drained it in one go.
After all, continually poisoning someone wasn't a sustainable plan. The longer the poison sat in his system, the greater the risk of exposure. One couldn't keep administering slow poison forever—it would be too obvious if the emperor had to send food or wine every few weeks. Sooner or later, even a fool would notice. That would only breed suspicion between ruler and subject.
Better to cleanse the poison entirely, follow it up with lavish rewards, and win loyalty through grace.
If Chen Sanshi hadn't already known through [Recognize Formulas Upon Sight] that the wine contained poison—and if fate hadn't revealed the truth about the Yunzhou massacre—he might really have believed this was the act of a benevolent sovereign, one worthy of heartfelt gratitude.
Such were the methods of emperors—controlling men through both fear and favor.
"Good."
Father Hou's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he watched Chen Sanshi drink. "Lord Chen, you'll be staying in the Grand Commander's estate for the Elite Selection, so…"
"Please rest assured, Father Hou."
Chen Sanshi spoke quickly, "No matter where I am, I will always remember that I serve the Great Sheng Dynasty—and I serve His Majesty."
Father Hou broke into laughter. "Now that's what I like to hear! A smart young man—very good! Well, since there's no tea or wine here, I won't overstay my welcome."
Satisfied, the eunuch turned and left. His attendants followed, hauling the countless rewards into the Chen residence before finally departing.
Once the gates closed, Chen Sanshi immediately took out the treasure pills and began cultivating.
Gold and silver worth millions, and a thousand bolts of silk—these were fine rewards, but what truly mattered were the thirty organ-tempering treasure pills.
Once one reached the Tempering organs stage, such treasures could no longer be measured in money.
Truly valuable medicinal herbs were priceless—dependent on the age and the environment of their growth, both exceedingly rare. That was why even in prosperous Poyang County, cultivation usually stopped at the Tempering organs stage—resources simply ran dry.
Even in the Eight Northern Garrisons, not everyone had access to such pills. The garrisons were constantly on the move, without fixed assets. Their military supplies all depended on imperial funding and local support to keep running.
"Luckily, I won't be short on resources for a while."
After checking that the treasure pills were authentic, Chen Sanshi swallowed one. Under the surge of potent energy, he began practicing his spear techniques.
Thirty pills—enough to sustain his cultivation until Transforming Strength!
The total value? Far beyond mere thousands of gold.
[Technique: Unified Spear Technique (Mastery)]
[Progress: 288/1000]
With the aid of spiritual grain, his progress shot up rapidly.
Normally, once a cultivator entered the Tempering organs stage, progress slowed dramatically. But Chen Sanshi had confidence—he could reach Minor Achievement within one month.
He'd originally planned to shut himself in for training.
But by the very next day, his residence was already bustling with visitors.
Invitation after invitation poured in—from nobles, sect representatives, officials of all ranks. Dozens, then hundreds of letters arrived in a single day, until the Chen residence was so crowded that it felt like a marketplace.
After all, anyone receiving an imperial decree of that scale—even one not from the capital—was someone destined for greatness. It was only natural that others wanted to build connections early.
Chen Sanshi didn't refuse them. In the future, as his cultivation advanced, he'd need more and more resources. Who knew which connections might prove useful later?
Still, there were far too many to meet all at once.
"Sanshi!"
That afternoon, while Chen Sanshi was practicing spear drills in the courtyard after lunch, Sun Buqi burst through the gate. "Come on! I'm here to drag you to the banquet. The Elite Selection feast—it's mandatory!"
"The Elite Selection feast?" Chen Sanshi raised an eyebrow. "Perfect timing. Tell me, what exactly is the process for this Selection?"
As Sun Buqi explained in his usual animated way, Chen Sanshi quickly pieced it together.
The Elite Selection was divided into two categories—one for prospective officers, and the other for prospective generals.
All participants had to meet strict age limits.
Those within the limit who had reached the Tempering organs stage or higher could compete in the general-level selection.
Each round of the Selection accepted eight inner disciples, but only one would become the chief true disciple.
The assessment consisted of five trials:
1. Formation Deployment.
2. Formation Breach.
3. Battle Simulation—actual combat.
4. Martial Duel.
5. Bone Appraisal—to evaluate innate potential and determine how many resources to invest.
These layered trials were essentially another form of the imperial martial examination.
The difference was that passing the tests meant direct recruitment into the Eight Northern Garrisons, where one would receive personal instruction from Sun Xiangzong himself.
"Sanshi, this year's competition is the toughest ever," Sun Buqi groaned. "You've met Yin Hanwen and Cao Fan already—but even Grand Secretary Yan Liang's grandson is here! Plus, the young sect master of the Tiantong Sword Sect, disciples from Splitting Moon Manor, and a dozen other prodigies.
"Most of them have already reached Perfection in Tempering organs!
"And since everyone arrived early this year, the Selection will officially begin in just ten days!
"Sanshi, haven't you just reached Mastery in your Tempering organs cultivation?
"These guys aren't like the ones you've fought before. Each one of them has a special body—born geniuses, unmatched within their realms. You might not be able to leap across realms to beat them this time."
Chen Sanshi didn't answer right away.
The details about his opponents didn't matter—what caught his attention was that there would only be one chief true disciple.
Not only the final batch of disciples chosen, but also the last chief true disciple under Sun Xiangzong himself. That position spoke for itself.
Immortal Techniques.
Only by becoming the one and only true disciple could he possibly gain access to the method that transcended the Martial Saint realm!