Dragon Elephant Power

The Battle of Hundred Beasts Slope saw the Tiger and Wolf Army, with only a hundred men, annihilate the Xiongnu Royal Guard's three thousand elite cavalry and personally slay their commander, the "Eagle of the Steppe," Vulture.

This news, like a magnitude twelve earthquake, completely detonated the entire Northern Frontier of Great Qin within a single day.

From Liaoxi Commandery in the east to Lintao Commandery in the west, along the Great Wall defenses stretching for thousands of miles, countless Qin soldiers' first reaction upon hearing this news was disbelief.

"It's fake, right? A hundred against three thousand? And a complete annihilation? Are they telling fairy tales?"

"The Tiger and Wolf Army? Wei Zhe? Never heard of him. What kind of monster came out of which camp?"

"I heard about it! It's that young man who was promoted to Centurion less than a month after enlisting! My god, he actually did it!"

As more and more details were confirmed as true through official military reports and the word-of-mouth of scouts, the entire Northern Frontier fell into a frenzy of worship.

Wei Zhe's name was no longer just a legend; it had become a living myth, a young war god protecting the Northern Frontier!

Inside the main tent of Eagle Beak Cliff Fortress.

The atmosphere was far from the fervor outside.

Meng Wu sat behind the command desk, with two items placed before him.

One was the unseeing head of Vulture, the "Eagle of the Steppe."

The other was the Eagle Bone Horn, representing the supreme glory of the Royal Guard.

He gazed at these two items, silent for a long time, his eyes filled with shock and... a hint of unease.

He knew that Wei Zhe's battle had been too brilliant, so brilliant that it surpassed common sense, even surpassing the control of him, the commander of the Northern Frontier.

A general who could defeat three thousand with a hundred, and suffer no casualties himself, had reached an inconceivable level of military command and personal bravery.

Such a person was a national treasure, but could also be a double-edged sword.

"General." Shi Meng stood to the side, his voice a little dry, "Wei Zhe... he and the Tiger and Wolf Army have been waiting outside the tent for a long time."

Meng Wu slowly raised his head and looked at Shi Meng, "How do you think I should reward him?"

Shi Meng's heart tightened. He knew this was the General testing him.

He pondered for a moment and said solemnly, "General, Wei Zhe's achievement is earth-shattering. According to Great Qin's military merit and nobility system, enfeoffing him as a Marquis or appointing him as a General would not be excessive. However... he has only been enlisted for a short time, and his foundation is unstable. Promoting him too quickly might invite criticism within the army, which may not be a good thing for him."

"Continue."

"Your subordinate believes we can first solidify his position, reward him generously, and expand his army. Promote him to Chieftain, solidifying his actual authority as Centurion; reward him with ten thousand gold and a famous horse to honor his achievements; allow him to select the best from the Vanguard Camp to expand his army to five hundred men. This way, he will have stronger combat power without being too shocking or attracting unnecessary trouble."

Shi Meng's suggestion was prudent and seasoned.

Meng Wu nodded noncommittally after listening, only saying indifferently, "Let him in."

When Wei Zhe entered the main tent, all eyes focused on him.

He had changed out of his blood-stained clothes and was wearing a clean black military uniform. However, the iron-blooded aura that had settled within him after experiencing mountains of corpses and seas of blood was ten times more intense than before, making even some veteran officers in the tent feel a sense of oppression.

"Your subordinate Wei Zhe pays his respects to the High General!"

"Rise." Meng Wu pointed to the head, "Do you know that the person you killed was not only a Xiongnu Commander but also the most beloved adopted son of the Xiongnu Chanyu, Modu?"

Wei Zhe's heart stirred, but his expression remained calm, "On the battlefield, all who are not of my kind are enemies. Your subordinate only knows to kill enemies, not their names."

"Well said, 'only knows to kill enemies, not their names'!" Meng Wu nodded in approval, "You burned the Xiongnu's grain, killed the Chanyu's beloved son, and annihilated his most elite Royal Guard. This 'grand gift' is enough to make Chanyu Modu spit blood in anger. But at the same time, you have also become the number one thorn in his eye, someone he must eliminate."

"From now on, your name, among the Xiongnu, will likely be more famous than mine, Meng Wu."

Wei Zhe remained silent, simply standing there.

"The merit of this battle has been reported to Xianyang by this General, and I have requested the King's decision. Until then, I will follow Shi Meng's suggestion and promote you to acting Chieftain of the 'Tiger and Wolf Army,' bestow upon you a thousand taels of gold, and allow you to expand your army to five hundred men!"

"Thank you, High General!"

Wei Zhe was not surprised by this outcome. He knew very well that what he needed now was time and strength, not a falsely inflated position.

After the rewards were distributed, Wei Zhe returned to his camp.

He dismissed his attendants and immediately immersed his consciousness into the System.

"Check rewards!"

"Ding! Received Earth-tier incomplete scroll Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill First Layer! This skill is a supreme body-tempering method, divided into thirteen layers. Each layer mastered increases strength by one dragon and one elephant! Do you wish to learn?"

"Earth-tier skill!" Wei Zhe was overjoyed. This excited him more than any military reward.

"Learn!"

Instantly, an immensely grand, vast, and ancient torrent of information flooded his mind.

Countless profound diagrams and incantations flowed, as if an ancient dragon-elephant was roaring in his sea of consciousness.

Unlike the "techniques" he had learned before, Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was more like a "Dao," a fundamental method for developing human potential to its extreme.

When he emerged from that profound state, he felt his body undergo a qualitative transformation, from the inside out.

He tried to circulate the skill. The internal energy in his dantian began to circulate along a peculiar trajectory. With each cycle, he felt his bones become harder and his muscles more solid.

He stood up and threw a punch into the empty air.

Without using any technique, just pure strength.

"Whoosh--!"

The air compressed as the punch passed, letting out a muffled explosion!

Wei Zhe stared at his fist, his eyes filled with shock.

He felt that his current strength had increased several times over!

"What a domineering technique! Even at the first layer, it has such power!"

He suppressed his excitement and opened his status panel again.

Character: Wei Zhe
Realm: Third-Order Martial Master (Proficient)
Strength: 200
Agility: 225
Constitution: 202
Technique: Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill (First Layer 0/10000)
Available Tempering Points: 3650

"My realm has also broken through..." Wei Zhe happily discovered that after cultivating the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, his realm had directly advanced from Second-Order Warrior to Third-Order Martial Master.

And the Tempering Points he had accumulated in the Battle of Hundred Beasts Slope had reached an astonishing number.

"Continue adding points!"

With the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill as his foundation, all he needed to do now was to push his basic attributes to a terrifying level.

"Strength, Agility, Constitution, add 1000 points each!"

He made a crazy decision!

"Boom!"

A more powerful surge of heat than ever before surged and washed through his body like a bursting dam! He could even hear the joints in his body cracking and popping!

This reinforcement lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

When everything subsided, Wei Zhe slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. The breath, like a sharp arrow, blew a shallow gully in the ground several feet ahead!

He looked at the panel again.

Character: Wei Zhe
Realm: Fourth-Order Grandmaster (Novice)
Strength: 1200
Agility: 1225
Constitution: 1202
Technique: Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill (First Layer 100/10000)
Available Tempering Points: 650

Fourth-Order Grandmaster!

His strength had undergone a world-shattering transformation overnight!

Just then, an urgent report came from a guard outside the tent.

"Reporting--! Centurion! An envoy from Xianyang has arrived overnight! Delivering... delivering the King's decree!"