Promotion to Captain

Promotion to Captain

"Excuse me!"

On the arena, Lin Chong let out a thunderous roar, then immediately shot forward, charging toward Zhou Shan.

The instant Lin Chong sprang out, he pushed his cultivation to its limit, his aura rising steadily.

Facing Zhou Shan, who had defeated Liu Chi in a single move, Lin Chong did not dare be careless. He used his full strength from the very first exchange.

The two martial arts Zhou Shan cultivated, whether the Eagle Claw Iron Shirt he had practiced first or the Golden Bell Shield, both focused on tempering the body. Naturally, he did not fear this kind of head-on clash of flesh and blood.

"Come!"

Zhou Shan also bellowed, driving the Eagle Claw Iron Shirt to its utmost limit.

Bang bang bang bang—

The two collided in an instant, fists and kicks crashing incessantly. The terrifying force immediately tore apart the clothing on their upper bodies, exposing their exceptionally muscular physiques.

Lin Chong cultivated the Bronze Statue Skill. His bronzed skin gleamed with a metallic luster beneath the sun.

This Lin Chong has at least sixty years of cultivation!

The moment they exchanged blows, Zhou Shan roughly gauged Lin Chong's level of strength.

If he had not cultivated the Golden Bell Shield and relied solely on the Eagle Claw Iron Shirt, deciding a victor between them would likely not have been easy.

However, besides the Eagle Claw Iron Shirt, Zhou Shan had also cultivated the Golden Bell Shield and possessed seventy-three years of cultivation. Although the cultivation of the two martial arts could not be added together, his physical strength and defense were still far greater than those of someone who cultivated only one martial art.

At the same time, every collision of their bodies triggered a force of recoil within Zhou Shan.

"Eagle Claw Iron Shirt, and also... the Golden Bell Shield?"

On the other side, Lin Chong also discerned the martial arts Zhou Shan cultivated through their exchange.

The Eagle Claw Iron Shirt was one thing. It was on the same level as his Bronze Statue Skill, both being first-class martial arts. But the Golden Bell Shield was the Vajra Sect's sect-defending Cultivation Technique.

Throughout Qingyang Commandery, the only martial art capable of producing recoil force was the Golden Bell Shield.

Every collision left his blood and qi churning, forcing him to draw upon part of his cultivation to neutralize that recoil force. Once or twice was not a serious issue, but as the exchanges mounted, his offensive momentum was greatly affected.

More importantly, this was merely the recoil force inherent to the Golden Bell Shield.

"Golden Bell Shield!"

After fighting several dozen moves and probing Lin Chong's strength, Zhou Shan felt that it was about time. He immediately activated the Golden Bell Shield's Internal Force and thrust out a palm.

This palm strike appeared simple, but both its power and speed, as well as the recoil force unleashed after the collision, were twice as strong as before.

Boom!

As their palms collided, Lin Chong immediately felt a mountain-toppling, sea-sweeping force surge toward him.

His body involuntarily staggered backward.

Thud thud thud...

He retreated more than a dozen steps before finally steadying himself.

But by then, Zhou Shan had already darted before him, his five fingers descending onto Lin Chong's throat like eagle claws.

If Zhou Shan wished it, he could have torn open his windpipe and crushed his throat the very next second. A breath of death surged into Lin Chong's heart, and he immediately said, "I concede!"

"Thank you for letting me win!"

Zhou Shan withdrew the hand resting on Lin Chong's throat and cupped his fists.

"Young heroes truly emerge in their youth. Young Hero Zhou possesses such strength at such a young age. I am ashamed to compare."

Lin Chong returned the salute, then shook his head with a sigh and leaped down from the arena.

"Defeated... Lin Chong was actually defeated."

"Too formidable! Even Lin Chong, who has reached the peak of First-class Martial Artist, was no match for Zhou Shan."

"A genius. This is a true genius."

"Heroes emerge from troubled times. That saying truly is right."

"..."

Lin Chong's defeat at Zhou Shan's hands sparked another wave of discussion.

Since ancient times, heroes had emerged from troubled times. The more years of war and chaos there were, the more heroes and outstanding figures arose.

For instance, the founding emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty had risen from humble beginnings. He had not possessed any great background, merely coming from a small family in a county town. He had even suffered a broken engagement.

There were also the founding patriarchs of certain super sects, all of whom had risen amid chaotic times.

There was no need to look far. The Guiyuan Sect had risen when the Great Jin Dynasty's preceding dynasty, the Great Chu Dynasty, had fallen.

When the Great Chu Dynasty fell, a struggle among rival warlords that lasted nearly eighty years had followed. In the end, the Great Jin founding emperor had unified the realm.

"Heroes do emerge from troubled times, that is true. But the realm has only so much territory. When new powers rise, old powers must fall. The Vajra Sect is only the beginning."

Someone sighed.

As soon as those words were spoken, the martial artists all fell silent.

If this had been a time of peace, First-class Martial Artists like them could have lived very comfortably.

In a small county town, a First-class Martial Artist could basically lord over the place. Even Second-class Martial Artists held extremely high status, surrounded by swarms of underlings, beauties in their arms, and never lacking wealth.

Even in Qingyang City, a First-class Martial Artist counted as an expert.

But in these troubled times, let alone First-class Martial Artists, even Superclass Martial Artists and still stronger Aperture-Opening Martial Artists could only drift with the current, unable to control their own fates. Only by becoming a Martial Dao Grandmaster could one gain the freedom to choose.

Even the Vajra Sect, Qingyang Commandery's top power, had been destroyed, let alone other forces.

"Hahaha, Zhou Shan won! Commandant Wang, Commandant Zhao, you two had better treat us to drinks." The square-faced commandant laughed. "With the Commander as our witness, you are not allowed to welch on the bet."

"A bet is a bet."

"Isn't it just treating everyone to drinks? No problem."

Commandant Wang and Commandant Zhao said.

At this time, the selection for captains was still ongoing.

Before long, the second round of selection ended, with ten martial artists advancing in total.

These ten would determine the final five. The winners could become captains of the Black Armored Army, while the defeated could only serve as centurions first and compete again once vacancies opened up.

Very soon, the draw began for the third round of matches.

"I concede."

In the third round, once a martial artist learned that his opponent was Zhou Shan, he immediately conceded.

He believed himself inferior to Lin Chong. Since even Lin Chong had lost, there was no need for him to go up and humiliate himself.

Not long afterward, the third round ended, and Commander Wu began announcing the results.

"Zhou Shan!" Commander Wu looked at Zhou Shan and said in a deep voice, "From today onward, you are a captain under the First Commandant of the Black Armored Army's First Battalion, commanding two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers."

"Yes!"

Zhou Shan answered loudly.

"Luo Mingqing." Commander Wu continued, "From today onward, you are a captain under the Second Commandant of the Black Armored Army's First Battalion, commanding two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers."

"Yes!"

Luo Mingqing answered.

Commander Wu bestowed appointments upon Zhou Shan and the other four victorious martial artists.

As for the other thirty-five martial artists, aside from those who were already centurions in the Black Armored Army, any who were willing to join the Black Armored Army were also appointed as centurions.