"Is it over?"
Tang Yingke had just cut down a venomous beast with his sword when he saw the old ape leader collapse from the trees, its body pierced by several arrows. The rest of the soldier apes had all been wiped out, not a single one escaped.
'Consider yourselves lucky.'
Chen Sanshi stared coldly in the direction where the young nobles had retreated.
Ever since arriving in Liangzhou, he had done everything possible to avoid trouble—showing respect where it was due, offering drinks when needed, behaving as properly as one could.
But the tree may wish for stillness, while the wind refuses to cease.
He only wanted to quietly complete the assessment and secure a decent ranking in the Elite Selection. Yet this group insisted on finding trouble with him.
Some even intended to take his life.
He could endure no longer.
It wasn't only because of Bai Tingzhi—there was also Yan Changqing's factor.
In court, politics was all about taking sides. Even if he didn't want to, people would inevitably associate him with the Yan faction, making him a target for the opposing side.
And the higher the official rank, the more one was forced to offer tokens of allegiance.
This whole official life—it really was a pointless game.
That last arrow he'd loosed had been shot in haste, but judging from the sound, it hit its mark. Unfortunately, it hadn't struck a vital point, leaving that dog a chance to live.
At this point, there was no reason to hold back any longer.
He was bound to offend them sooner or later in the selection anyway. He couldn't possibly give up the chance to earn the Chief Direct Disciple spot just because he feared making enemies.
Besides, this time they had made the first move.
With the rules of the Grand Commander's Office in place, they could only pretend nothing had happened.
That arrow—no matter how you saw it—was one he was justified in firing. To not shoot would've been a waste.
"Brother Tang?"
Sun Buqi stabbed a fallen soldier ape through the chest, then looked at the young noble who had joined the battle. "Why are you here?"
"It's nothing…"
Tang Yingke sheathed his sword. "I came up the mountain to hunt. I heard some noise and came to check. I saw you surrounded by poisonous beasts, so I thought I'd lend a hand. Seems like you didn't need me after all."
He looked regretful.
This young Lord Chen's archery was honestly terrifying.
So many soldier apes—yet they were all dealt with in just a few moves.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have come to meddle at all.
"You came alone to hunt?"
Even Bai Tingzhi sensed something off. "That damned princeling—he's not with you, is he? Was it him who planted those monkeys to frame us?!"
As he spoke, he lifted his blade and looked around the nearby woods, but found no trace of anyone.
"No, no!"
Tang Yingke hurried to explain. "This has nothing to do with the princeling! I truly came alone!"
"Brother Tang, what are you so afraid of?"
Sun Buqi gritted his teeth. "I'll tell my father about this and have their Elite Selection qualification revoked!"
"Buqi, don't slander people," Tang Yingke's tone grew sharp. "The princeling truly isn't here. I was just passing by! Since you're safe, I'll take my leave."
He cupped his hands, turned on his heel, and walked away. As he passed by Chen Sanshi, he stopped, gave a formal salute, and then disappeared into the forest.
"He's the son of the Minister of Personnel," Sun Buqi explained. "Brother Tang isn't like the others. He's not a bad person—it's just that being from the capital, he's forced to go along with them. Otherwise, even his father would suffer."
Chen Sanshi didn't care much about that.
At least the man had stepped in to help when things went south.
Not every official's son was rotten to the core.
That matter was just a small episode.
The main thing was—their hunt had succeeded.
The Luotian Mountain Range truly was rich in resources. They'd only been in the mountains for one day, yet had already hunted down a venomous beast with little effort. This was nothing like the resource-scarce Tiger Head Mountain, where the whole city had been stirred up over a single white deer and hundreds of people nearly failed to find it.
It seemed he would need to come here often.
He might as well treat it as archery training.
[Skill: Archery (Major Achievement)]
[Progress: (750/2000)]
After mastering [Tracking and Hiding], the Qi Observation Technique he gained was something beyond mortal arts.
Now that [Archery] had reached Major Achievement, he wondered—what effect would the next breakthrough bring?
Standing atop a cliff, Chen Sanshi studied the terrain carefully, observing which peak might be most likely to harbor other exotic beasts. That way, he could narrow his search area for the next trip.
Suddenly, he froze.
Deep in the heart of the mountain range, he saw a thick surge of black qi roiling violently, like a black ocean hidden beneath the mountains.
Before he could look more closely, the black qi vanished—uncertain whether it truly dissipated or if it was just too far away to perceive.
After all, his Qi Observation range was only about 200 steps. The direction where the black qi had emerged must be near the deepest, most central part of the Luotian Range.
"Sanshi, you mustn't go there," Sun Buqi warned firmly. "Beyond the thirtieth ridge lies the most dangerous region in the entire Luotian Mountain Range. It's crawling with poisonous beasts now—some are even stronger than martial artists at the Profound Manifestation realm, nearly as terrifying as legendary monsters!"
Chen Sanshi recalled the hundred-zhang giant python Sun Buqi had mentioned before.
Could that black qi have come from it?
Unlikely.
That aura had clearly risen from the earth itself.
The black qi resembled the blood qi found in poisonous beasts, but it was far stronger—almost as if blood qi was a weaker derivative of it.
For the past 20 years, the Luotian Mountains had birthed countless venomous beasts.
Could it be because of that black qi's influence?
"There are beasts that strong?" Bai Tingzhi was stunned.
To think—Profound Manifestation was just one step away from Martial Saint. That was already top-tier power in the mortal world.
"Who knows," Sun Buqi muttered, his expression grim. "There might be even stronger ones."
"Before reaching the Profound Manifestation realm, it's best not to go too deep," Sun Buqi said solemnly. "There aren't many exotic beasts inside anyway—most of them are poisonous beasts. You won't gain anything good from them."
It was all too strange.
Chen Sanshi fell into thought.
It seemed that Emperor Longqing's decree to cultivate spiritual grain across the entire Great Sheng Dynasty had been issued about 20 years ago.
Could there be some connection?
Otherwise, why hadn't anyone heard of these so-called "tributes" before?
Together with the increasing number of Martial Saints—and even beings above that realm—it sounded as though the entire world itself was undergoing change. But for people like them, whose cultivation was too weak, such changes couldn't be felt.
'In the end,' he thought bitterly, 'I'm still too weak.'
If he were already beyond Martial Saint, he'd have the right to seek those traces of the immortal path. For now, all he could do was focus on training—finish the Elite Selection first, and not get distracted by distant dreams.
"Let's head down."
Chen Sanshi descended from the mountain, carrying the saber-toothed tiger over his shoulder as he led the two others through the night back toward camp.
He asked if they wanted to take some meat, but both refused immediately.
"General, how could I have the face to accept it?" Bai Tingzhi said guiltily. "Even though I guided the way, it was you who found the cave, you who shot the beast. I didn't help at all. And worse, the soldier apes were my fault—they almost got you killed. If you really force me to take tiger meat, I'd rather bash my head against a rock and die!"
"I've got even less reason to take any," Sun Buqi added. "Saber-toothed tiger meat is a tonic for those tempering their organs. I've only mastered tempering bones—it'd be useless for me."
"Alright then," Chen Sanshi said simply. He didn't insist.
He truly needed the tiger meat to improve his cultivation.
They sped up their pace, and by dawn, they had exited the Luotian Mountains.
Qianxun had been waiting patiently for hours.
Chen Sanshi hefted the saber-toothed tiger onto his horse and rode straight back to his residence.
Siqin and Mohua were already up working early. When they came to open the gate and saw the huge, blood-soaked creature with saber-like fangs, they shrieked and stumbled back in fright, trembling like flower petals in the wind.
In the courtyard, Chen Sanshi drew the Mountain-Suppressing Sword and dissected the beast. The tiger's heart alone was enough for two to three meals. The rest of its body was packed with nutrients—more than enough for the next half month.
He boiled the heart until it was half-cooked in clear water and ate it directly. A wave of fierce killing intent surged through him. Combined with the effects of the Tempering Organ medicine and the spiritual grain, three powerful forces intertwined within his body, making him feel as if he would burst apart.
Only after he picked up his reed-leaf spear and began practicing did the violent energy start to settle.
Once he started training, he lost track of time—day and night blurred together, exhaustion meant nothing.
Eight straight days passed.
Every morning, Chen Sanshi trained battle formations at the military camp. Every afternoon until deep into the night, he practiced martial arts. He slept no more than two hours a day and ate just a few bites of tiger meat each meal—training until he was on the edge of collapse.
After mastering the Qi Observation Technique, he could see himself absorbing the chaotic energies of heaven and earth while cultivating. All sorts of mixed qi entered him—everything except that pure sky-blue qi that existed in exotic beasts.
He couldn't choose what to absorb—it was all taken in indiscriminately.
[Skill: Unified Spear Technique (Mastery)]
[Progress: (910/1000)]
"Still just a little more!" he muttered.
"Once morning comes, the Elite Selection will officially begin."
"Luckily, the first day doesn't require combat. By the next day or two, I'll definitely break through to Minor Achievement."
[...]
[Skill: Commanding Troops (Minor Achievement)]
[Progress: (0/2000)]
[Effect: Backbone of the Army, Skilled in Drilling Troops, How Can One Say There Are No Clothes]
[How Can One Say There Are No Clothes: On the battlefield, your soldiers and subordinates fight with hearts united as one—morale surges, formation control reaches its peak, and total combat strength increases by more than 30%.]
United in life and death!
A 30% boost in combat strength might not sound like much, but in real battle, it could offset entire gaps between realms.
That kind of effect would be terrifying when unleashed—especially with troops trained never to break formation, even in death.
For the first formation-assessment test, Chen Sanshi was full of confidence.
No matter what, he couldn't possibly be eliminated. Even if he didn't take first place, he was certain to place among the top tier.
"Old Xu has improved again!" Chen Sanshi sighed with admiration.
Even when he left training on auto-mode, his proficiency still rose quickly.
He really had Xu Wencai to thank for that.
Word had it that the old scholar had been working tirelessly day and night to prepare for the assessment.
Chen Sanshi still found it hard to believe he had dug up such a talent all the way from Poyang County.
Even without counting anything else, just having Xu's assistance was enough to keep his Commanding Troops skill leveling steadily—something no one else could match.
"Shi ge'er."
Gu Xinlan personally helped him dress, then, together with Siqin and Mohua, escorted him out of the house—it felt almost like family members sending a student off for the imperial martial exams.
In truth, the Elite Selection was exactly that—the martial equivalent of the imperial examination.
After five days of assessment, the results would decide how many resources each person would receive in the future, how fast they could advance, and most importantly—who would take the chief position and become Sun Xiangzong's final direct disciple.
Outside the Chen residence, Chen Sanshi gave a sharp whistle.
Qianxun neighed in response, galloping forward.
Chen Sanshi mounted in one smooth motion and rode straight toward the Eight Great Camps.