Superclass Martial Artist, Bandit Suppression Squad

Chapter 16: Superclass Martial Artist, Bandit Suppression Squad

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.

Name: Zhou Shan

Talent: Nine Breaths Assimilation

Cultivation Technique: Golden Bell Shield (seventy-two years of cultivation)
Traits: Poison Resistance, Rebounding Force, Internal Force Body Protection

Eagle Claw Iron Shirt (sixty years of cultivation / perfected)
Traits: Bronze Skin Iron Bones, Pierce Stone Through Metal

Inside his room, Zhou Shan opened the panel.

The Golden Bell Shield he cultivated had now accumulated seventy-two years of cultivation.

"I've now reached the level of a Superclass Martial Artist."

Zhou Shan felt the incomparably abundant Internal Force within his body.

According to the classifications of the martial world, anyone with over seventy years of cultivation was a Superclass Martial Artist.

Every Superclass Martial Artist possessed such profound Internal Force that they could turn a willow branch from soft to hard, using it to contend with blades and swords. In the hands of a Superclass Martial Artist, every blade of grass and every twig could become a lethal weapon.

With the Golden Bell Shield reaching seventy-two years of cultivation, it had also gained three traits: Poison Resistance, Rebounding Force, and Internal Force Body Protection.

Poison Resistance meant that he possessed a certain resistance to poisons in the world. Some less lethal poisons would be directly neutralized by his body's own functions. Even against certain deadly poisons, the powerful Internal Force of the Golden Bell Shield could temporarily suppress them, preventing immediate death and buying time to seek an antidote.

Rebounding Force, on the other hand, meant that when he was attacked, the Internal Force of the Golden Bell Shield would automatically unleash a force of recoil.

The deeper one's cultivation, the stronger this rebounding force became. It could even snap an opponent's weapon apart by sheer force. With Zhou Shan's cultivation as a Superclass Martial Artist, if an ordinary third-rate martial artist attacked him, the backlash of his Internal Force could directly shake them to death. Even second-rate martial artists would suffer severe injuries.

As for the trait of Internal Force Body Protection, if he circulated the Golden Bell Shield with all his strength, its Internal Force would emerge from his body and cover him from head to toe, forming a golden bell over his skin that blades and spears could not pierce, and water and fire could not invade.

In terms of defense, the golden bell formed from Internal Force naturally surpassed the Bronze Skin Iron Bones of Eagle Claw Iron Shirt.

If Zhou Shan used Internal Force Body Protection and Bronze Skin Iron Bones at the same time, then among Superclass Martial Artists, no one would be able to harm him. Even when facing Aperture-Opening Martial Artists with a Hundred Years of Cultivation, he could still hold his own for a while.

"Centurion Zhou, Commander Wu requests your presence."

Just then, a Black Armored Guard reported from outside.

"Understood. I'll go at once."

After closing the panel, Zhou Shan followed the Black Armored Guard to meet Commander Wu.

He was an old man with graying hair, yet his face did not look especially aged, and his gaze was sharp.

Within the Black Armored Army, a Commander ranked above a Commandant and was second only to the General.

A Black Armored Army Commandant needed to be a Superclass Martial Artist with more than seventy years of cultivation, while Commanders were even stronger. Every Commander was an Aperture-Opening Martial Artist with more than a Hundred Years of Cultivation.

Even within the Guiyuan Sect, Aperture-Opening Martial Artists belonged to the elder rank, considered quasi-high-level figures.

"Your subordinate Zhou Shan greets Commander Wu!"

Zhou Shan cupped his fists and spoke.

"Mhm. The General told me about you. You possess Innate Divine Strength, and two months ago, you defeated Yi Shaofeng, the young master of Heavenly Sword Manor." Commander Wu smiled. "Now that two months have passed, how has your cultivation progressed?"

"Over these two months, my cultivation has improved considerably. I should have more than fifty years of cultivation now."

Naturally, Zhou Shan did not tell the truth and concealed part of his strength.

No matter who it was, he could not reveal all his trump cards.

"Not bad." Commander Wu nodded, then said with a light laugh, "With your strength, this task is perfectly suited to you."

"What task?"

Zhou Shan asked.

"The General intends to establish a Bandit Suppression Squad specifically responsible for clearing out the bandits of Qingyang Commandery." Commander Wu said solemnly. "The General personally named you for this task."

"Forming a Bandit Suppression Squad!"

Zhou Shan was not surprised by this.

Although the Black Armored Army had taken control of every county seat in Qingyang Commandery, apart from the commandery city, the other twenty-five counties had not become peaceful as a result. Bandits still ran rampant, utterly unchecked.

The village Zhou Shan had once lived in had been destroyed by bandits.

Moreover, many bandits were roving outlaws with no fixed base. The moment they received word, they would flee at once.

These bandits were not foolish enough to attack county seats. Instead, they specifically targeted villages and towns, killing, burning, looting, and plundering, committing every evil imaginable. Stronger bands of bandits would rob merchant caravans traveling to and from the county seats.

After plundering one county, they would immediately flee far away to another, sometimes even running to a different commandery, drifting from place to place. Thus, eliminating these bandits was extremely difficult. The first priority was to pinpoint their locations.

"When do we act?"

Zhou Shan asked.

"Don't be hasty. You are currently a Centurion and can only mobilize forty Black Armored Army soldiers." After thinking for a moment, Commander Wu said, "But with your strength, you should have no great problem competing for the position of Battalion Commander. If you can be promoted to Battalion Commander, you'll be able to mobilize two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers to form the Bandit Suppression Squad. That will be more advantageous for completing the bandit suppression task."

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander Wu." Zhou Shan cupped his fists, then asked, "How can I become a Battalion Commander?"

"I still lack five Battalion Commanders under my command," Commander Wu said. "Tomorrow, I will hold a selection for Battalion Commanders. Quite a few First-class Martial Artists will participate. If you also wish to be promoted to Battalion Commander, come and take part in the selection then."

"A Battalion Commander selection. Understood."

Zhou Shan nodded, indicating that he would definitely take part in the selection the next day.

Early in the morning, the rising sun cast its light over the training grounds of the First Battalion.

The highest-ranking officer of Qingyang Commandery's Black Armored Army was General Fang Yuan.

Below the General were the three great Commanders.

Each Commander had two thousand Black Armored Guards under his command, divided into the First, Second, and Third Battalions.

Zhou Shan had been assigned to the First Battalion, which was overseen by Commander Wu.

Today was the day of the Battalion Commander selection.

The Black Armored Guards of the First Battalion had all gathered on the training grounds to watch the selection.

Before long, Zhou Shan and the martial artists participating in the selection walked along the broad bluestone-paved road and entered the training grounds.

The eyes of the two thousand Black Armored Guards on the grounds all turned toward Zhou Shan and the others.

Although these Black Armored Guards each possessed only over ten years of cultivation and were merely entry-level martial artists, when two thousand of them gathered together, the aura they emitted was no trifling matter. Not to mention First-class Martial Artists—even Superclass Martial Artists would be suppressed.

If two thousand Black Armored Guards attacked together, they would be enough to surround and kill a Superclass Martial Artist.

Only Aperture-Opening Martial Artists with more than a Hundred Years of Cultivation possessed the strength to carve a path through the encirclement.

"Commander Wu has arrived!"

Not long after Zhou Shan and the martial artists participating in the Battalion Commander selection arrived, five people approached from the far end of the training grounds.

The one at the front was Commander Wu, who commanded the First Battalion's troops. The four following behind him were the First Battalion's four Commandants, all Superclass Martial Artists with more than seventy years of cultivation, dressed in long black robes.

Commander Wu and the four Commandants ascended the viewing platform above the training grounds together.

(End of Chapter)