"You're really sure—all of them?"
Fang Qingyun asked again, his brows furrowed slightly.
He'd spoken a few times recently with that Mr. Xu—an interesting man, actually. They got along well enough, and the fellow was indeed talented, though his background had limited his outlook. There were many things he needed to relearn, but given time, he'd definitely become someone great.
Add Tang Ruoshan to that group—though his meridians were crippled, he could still be put to use. As for the rest, Fang didn't know them well.
"I'm sure," Chen Sanshi replied, his tone loud and unwavering.
Not far away, General Zhao Wuji of the Liangzhou Garrison gave him a curious glance and said in a mild but pointed tone, "Kid, my Liangzhou troops might not be as famous as those of the Eight Garrisons, but every single one of them has survived real battle."
"No offense meant, General Zhao," Chen Sanshi said respectfully with a clasped fist. "I'm simply used to working with my old brothers, that's all."
"There's nothing offensive about it."
Zhao Wuji's expression remained calm. "I just don't get it. Everyone else is scrambling to pick the best troops they can, but you're giving yourself a handicap. Even the simplest Four-Gate Encirclement Formation requires 500 men. You have that many?"
"Just enough," Chen Sanshi answered.
Back when they crossed the river, he'd still had a little over 400 men. Including those who'd stayed behind to help the civilians cross, the total came to just above 500. They were now temporarily assigned to the Eight Garrisons as support personnel.
That arrangement followed the rules perfectly.
After all, what general didn't have his own loyal soldiers?
Any candidate in the Elite Selection who already had subordinates could bring them along for the formation drills—it was actually encouraged, since it better demonstrated a commander's real leadership and coordination.
But many of the candidates came from the capital or one of the 36 prefectures across the Great Sheng Dynasty. Quite a few had never even fought in a real war, let alone had their own men. Some had come from too far away to bring any troops at all.
So to keep things fair, those without soldiers of their own were allowed to recruit from Liangzhou's local garrison instead.
"General Fang," Chen Sanshi asked again, "if my old troops perform well in the Selection, will they be allowed to stay in the Eight Garrisons and be promoted to combat soldiers?"
"Of course," Fang Qingyun confirmed with a nod. "They were only assigned as service troops because we didn't know their true quality. If they can make it all the way through this Selection, it'll prove their worth. Naturally, they'll be promoted."
"Brother Chen, are you out of your mind?"
Yan Changqing strode up quickly, trying to stop him. "You can't do that! You're talking about bringing those broken remnants from Poyang into the assessment. If your formation collapses, you'll fail the first round outright! Then you'll be demoted to the deputy selection pool and lose your chance at any commanding position!"
Poyang—just a small rural county.
Everyone knew what that meant, even if they didn't say it aloud.
In those small garrisons, half the soldiers were probably drawing fake pay. Some even sold their weapons and arrows for money.
Only after Sun Xiangzong's transfer to Liangzhou and his reforms in the northern military had that situation begun to improve. But even now, the overall combat strength of many such units remained laughably low.
"Brother Chen!"
Yan Changqing lowered his voice and leaned closer. "I know you're a loyal man, but think about it. Even if you want to take care of your old subordinates, you can only help them if you win first. Once you place high in the Selection and gain a command post in the Eight Garrisons, you'll have every chance to bring them up later."
"Brother Yan, no need to worry about me," Chen Sanshi said calmly. "I'm using my old troops because I don't want to waste time building new coordination. Besides, I trust them."
In truth, Poyang County's soldiers weren't the worst. Under Xiang Tingchun's leadership, they'd been drilling hard for years. Though corruption still lingered, the war by the Hongze River had burned away much of the rot. Those who survived that ordeal were no ordinary soldiers.
"Well, looks like someone's gotten a taste for fame," Yin Hanwen said loudly, clearly trying to provoke him. "He's planning to carry this fake righteousness to the end—even if it ruins his career!"
"Yeah," Wen Qiushi chimed in mockingly. "A hypocrite always wins hearts better than a real man."
Several nearby candidates chuckled, but not all were convinced.
"I don't think it's hypocrisy," a thin young man muttered quietly. "Lord Chen nearly lost his life saving those civilians at the river. No way that's fake."
"Tang Yingke, whose side are you on?" Yin Hanwen barked, glaring at him. "You siding with them now? Have you lost your mind?"
Tang Yingke instantly shut his mouth. He'd been following Cao Fan's group since the banquet at Immortal Crane Pavilion—it was clear he was one of the capital's young nobles.
"If he won't say it, I will!"
Bai Tingzhi suddenly shouted, stepping forward. "You're all hypocrites who can't stand seeing a decent man! And that so-called Young Heir? I heard his soldiers were transferred straight from the capital—what's the point of competing then? Just hand him the damn title!"
A sharp hiss swept through the crowd.
"Oh no, here we go again…" Chen Sanshi rubbed his forehead, half in exasperation, half in resignation.
Still, Bai Tingzhi wasn't entirely wrong.
If Cao Fan's troops really had come from the capital, then fairness was an illusion.
Even so, for men of humble birth to be given Liangzhou's elite soldiers for this test was already a huge privilege.
And besides—formation training was only the first round of the Selection. There would be many more trials to come.
The one with the best overall results would earn the title of chief direct disciple.
"You insolent fool! How dare you offend the Young Heir?!"
Yin Hanwen erupted in anger, hand already reaching for his weapon.
But Young Heir Cao Fan stopped him with a cold wave of his hand. His tone was calm, yet every word carried frost. "Your name is Bai Tingzhi, isn't it?"
"Born Bai Tingzhi, die Bai Tingzhi—I never change my name!"
Bai Tingzhi stood straight, eyes blazing with defiance.
"Well said—'never change your name,'" Cao Fan sneered and turned toward Chen Sanshi and Yan Changqing, his expression darkening. "Bai Tingzhi, you really are a fine dog, loyal enough to bite for your master. Shame your master isn't me—you chose the wrong one. Tell me, do you think they can protect you?"
"You don't need to threaten me," Bai Tingzhi shot back, his tone fierce. "If Your Highness wants to fight, do it now!"
"Enough," Fang Qingyun's calm voice cut cleanly through the tension. Though he spoke softly, an undeniable authority filled the air. "If you have a grudge, settle it during the assessment. Anyone who dares to fight privately will be disqualified from the Selection."
The two men finally fell silent.
Soon, the candidates dispersed.
Chen Sanshi returned to the drill ground that had been temporarily assigned to him, where his old subordinates were already gathered.
It had been several days since they'd last met, and each man had clearly made progress in cultivation.
Zhu Tong and Wang Li had both just broken through to tempering bone. The others, too, showed signs of improvement.
"Don't worry, my lord!"
The men spoke with firm confidence. "Maybe our cultivation can't compare to theirs, but when it comes to formations, who can match us? Every one of us here has crawled out of a pile of corpses!"
"That's right! Whatever formation they throw at us, we'll learn it faster than anyone!"
Wang Zhi grinned broadly. "Shi ge'er, relax. Leave it to me and Xu Wencai. We don't even need nine days—give us five, and we'll have the Four-Gate Encirclement Formation drilled to perfection, ready for battle."
Though he sounded cocky, Chen Sanshi stayed to oversee the drills personally. He didn't leave until late afternoon, satisfied that everything was running smoothly. Only then did he take his long spear and bow to head for the mountains.
Along the way, he learned more about Bai Tingzhi's past.
He came from Guangling County in Youzhou. His father was a scholar, but Bai had preferred martial arts over books. After enlisting, he was discovered to possess a Diamond Body—a rare innate physique. Someone tried to steal his spot in the Selection, and he killed the man on the spot, offending many powerful people in the process.
Fortunately, when the Selection officials arrived in Guangling, they took him into custody and escorted him away before local reprisals could fall.
Now, Bai Tingzhi had reached the beginner level of Tempering organs.
A true prodigy.
His cultivation speed wasn't much slower than Chen Sanshi's own. The problem was that he was too straightforward—reckless with his words and actions. Even if Chen Sanshi hadn't wanted to take him as a follower, others had already assumed he would.
This time, both Sun Buqi and Bai Tingzhi accompanied him into the mountains.
Sun Buqi carried a bow and had a large wooden case strapped to his back, its contents unknown.
It was the perfect opportunity for Chen Sanshi to focus on advancing his [Tracking and Hiding] skill to Major Achievement and see what effects it would bring. Who would've thought that a hunting technique could be just as useful on the battlefield?
"Qianxun, you're coming too?"
He looked at his white swan horse following behind and patted its head. "You just want to run wild again, don't you? Fine, go ahead. Meet me at the foot of the Luotian Mountains before dark."
Qianxun neighed softly and galloped off, vanishing like the wind.
"Sanshi," Sun Buqi said, watching the horse disappear. "That horse of yours isn't normal—it's practically a spirit beast."
Chen Sanshi's eyes lit up. "There are spirit-beast horses?"
"Of course there are," Sun Buqi said, nodding. "But they're incredibly rare. And they look very different from normal horses. Take my senior brother's Flame Steed, for example—when it runs, its eyes turn blood-red, its whole body steams with heat, and its fur glows like fire. That's why it's called what it is.
"Your white horse doesn't look strange on the surface, so how can it run that fast? Maybe it's a mutation, and you just got lucky."
Chen Sanshi had often wondered the same thing.
Even the best warhorse could only run about 1,000 li a day before exhaustion killed it. But Qianxun had galloped all the way from Poyang to Youzhou without stopping, only needing a bit of feed to recover completely.
And as his [Horsemanship] skill improved, Qianxun's speed just kept increasing.
If it continued like this, wouldn't it eventually… fly?
Back then, Xiang Tingchun had given him another fine steed as a gift, but in hindsight, that one couldn't compare.
The white swan horse had been considered "wild and untrainable," unwanted by others—and now it was obvious why. Its bloodline was simply extraordinary. No ordinary training could ever have tamed it. Chen Sanshi had spent ages breaking it in, more time than he'd spent mastering martial arts.
"We're here."
Sun Buqi pointed ahead. "Through that patch of forest is the first layer of the Luotian Range.
"The range stretches for tens of thousands of li, divided into 36 layers of mountains. To find real spirit beasts, we'll need to reach at least the seventh layer. Even for us, that's more than a day's journey—we'll have to camp in the mountains tonight."
His eyes shone with excitement. "When I left home, my father knew I was coming here with you to hunt spirit beasts. Not only did he not scold me, he told me to bring this for you. I was so happy I nearly forgot about it!"
He unstrapped the wooden case and set it down, opening it slowly. Inside lay an unassembled great bow—old, but crafted from rare materials unlike anything one could buy in any market.
Even at a glance, Chen Sanshi could tell it was extraordinary. The bow's potential draw weight must be monstrous.
"This was my father's bow from his younger years," Sun Buqi said with pride. "A fifty-stone draw. Go on—string it up and try it for yourself."