Renowned in the Northern Frontier

The death of a Meridian Condensing Realm centurion was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The Northern Mang vanguard had already suffered a severe blow to morale due to Chen Qing's relentless assaults. With their main general dead, they completely lost command and fighting spirit. The surviving soldiers scattered like headless flies, and under the increasingly fierce suppression by the Vanguard Camp, they began to break and surrender in organized units.

This ambush, which should have been a battle of vastly unequal strengths, was single-handedly turned into a rout by Chen Qing!

When the Northern Mang follow-up main forces arrived, they saw only a devastated battlefield, littered with corpses, and the fleeing remnants of the defeated soldiers, lost and terrified like birds startled by a bow.

"Trash! All of you are trash!" Inside the Northern Mang central army tent, a burly man clad in golden wolf fur, exuding an aura like a primordial beast, roared in fury, smashing the solid wood table before him with a single palm! This man was the commander of this Northern Mang army, a trusted general of the Blood Wolf King Wuzhuchi, the Left Virtuous King Wuwei!

Eighty thousand vanguards, routed by a mere twenty thousand Great Yan irregulars, with their vanguard general even slain in battle! This was an utter disgrace!

"Commander, it's not that the men didn't try their best, it's just... it's just that a Fiend Star appeared among the Great Yan army!" A centurion who had narrowly escaped knelt on the ground, trembling as he described Chen Qing's terror. "That person's malevolent aura was sky-high, he was impervious to blades and spears, his recovery was astonishing, and he even broke through to the Meridian Condensing Realm during the battle, slaying several of our centurions, even... even Centurion Tuoba died by his blade!"

"Fiend Star? Meridian Condensing Realm?" Wuwei's eyes turned sinister. "What's his name?"

"It seems... it seems to be Chen Qing! Those Great Yan soldiers all call him 'Fierce Tiger'!"

"Chen Qing... Fierce Tiger..." Wuwei savored the name, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Issue an order! A reward of ten thousand taels of gold and the title of Centurion for whoever brings me Chen Qing's head! Their rank will be promoted by three levels!"

"Yes!"

* * *

Unlike the fury in the Northern Mang army camp, the Great Yan defense line was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

Defeating the Northern Mang vanguard of eighty thousand men with inferior numbers was like a powerful stimulant, instantly injected into the hearts of every defender.

And the greatest contributor to all of this was undoubtedly Chen Qing, who had slain the enemy general amidst the chaos and stabilized the front line like an anchor!

"Fierce Tiger! Fierce Tiger! Fierce Tiger!"

When Chen Qing, still covered in drying blood and exuding an even more potent malevolent aura, retreated from the front line, soldiers from both the Vanguard Camp and other camps spontaneously parted to make way for him. They watched him with awe and fervent eyes, erupting in thunderous cheers.

His fearsome reputation, his malevolent aura, were no longer symbols of terror, but symbols of victory and guarantees of confidence!

Captain Zhou Han personally greeted him at the camp gate. Looking at Chen Qing, whose aura was now even more unfathomable, he felt a surge of emotion. This young man had truly come into his own, no longer someone he could easily control.

"Squad Leader Chen... no, General Chen!" Zhou Han corrected himself, his tone carrying an unprecedented solemnity. "You have made an immense contribution in this battle! I have already sent a battle report via express courier to the commander's tent to request a commendation for you! I propose you be promoted to Camp Commander and lead a camp of your own, within the Vanguard Camp's ranks. What do you say?"

Camp Commander! To lead a camp alone, commanding five hundred to a thousand men! This was already the threshold for high-ranking military officers!

Chen Qing's expression was calm. He didn't place much importance on official titles, but a higher position meant more resources and autonomy, which would benefit him in acquiring more "proficiency."

"Thank you for the promotion, Captain."

"You've earned it," Zhou Han said, patting his shoulder. He lowered his voice, "However, a tall tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. You've garnered too much attention now. The Northern Mang have placed a heavy bounty on your head, and not everyone in the army is necessarily a friend. You need to be careful."

Chen Qing nodded. He naturally understood this principle. After this battle, he had truly entered the sights of various powers, and trouble would only increase.

"I understand, sir."

Returning to the more spacious Camp Commander's tent newly assigned to him, Old Niu, Sun Quezi, and the others were already waiting, their faces beaming with excitement and pride. They too had risen in status; Old Niu and Sun Quezi had been promoted by Chen Qing to new Squad Leaders.

"General!" they all saluted in unison, their eyes fervent.

Chen Qing waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over these brothers who had faced life and death with him. He said gravely, "Although we won this battle, the Northern Mang main forces are still present, and the war is far from over. Seize this time to rest and recuperate, replenish our troops, and drill our formations. We have tough battles ahead."

"Yes! General!"

They took their leave.

Chen Qing remained alone in the tent, tallying the gains from this battle.

His cultivation was stable at the early stage of the Meridian Condensing Realm, the range of his Fierce Tiger Domain had expanded to one zhang, both his Black Tiger Fist and sword techniques had reached the Proficient level, and the proficiency of Fierce Tiger Iron Body had also surged.

He could feel that he seemed to have touched upon a bottleneck. Cultivation beyond the Meridian Condensing Realm seemed to require not just the accumulation of energy, but also a deeper understanding of "intent" and "domain." And his foundation seemed to point towards the ancestral Black Tiger martial arts.

"Shattering Void..." he muttered to himself, a flicker of confusion and exploration in his eyes.

Just then, a personal guard reported, "General, someone is requesting an audience outside the camp. They claim to be from the Imperial Capital and their surname is Han."

Imperial Capital? Surname Han?

Chen Qing's gaze flickered. What was bound to come, would eventually come.

"Please invite him in."