Jiang Xiaoyu was gifted and exceptionally intelligent. The Five Absolute Divine Arts suited him perfectly. He had been sensible from a young age and knew that everything else was empty; only martial arts could serve as his support. Thus, he trained extraordinarily hard, and in the end, Heaven rewarded his efforts. His martial skills incorporated the strengths of countless schools.
"Careful!" Jiang Xiaoyu called softly before pouncing at Huai Mie.
Huai Mie spun around and raised both palms, slashing back.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Xiaoyu had anticipated this. His fingers curled slightly as true qi poured into all ten of them, gathering into sharp rays at his fingertips that sliced toward Huai Mie's wrists like blades.
Huai Mie attacked with Empty Origin Hand and Broken Origin Hand in tandem, attacking while defending. Not only did he block Jiang Xiaoyu's move, but he also faintly assumed an offensive stance.
However, Jiang Xiaoyu's pounce concealed three follow-up variations, each one unexpected. The strangeness of his moves was truly unmatched beneath heaven.
With no other choice, Huai Mie rolled across the ground like an ape and tumbled two zhang away. This method of breaking the attack was not orthodox martial arts, but something he had improvised on the spot in response to the situation.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Xiaoyu spun around and suddenly began circling Huai Mie.
In an instant, Huai Mie felt that Jiang Xiaoyu's figure filled every direction around him. It was even three parts more formidable than the renowned Eight Trigrams Wandering Body Palm.
This was none other than two of the Five Absolute Divine Arts' core absolutes: Absolute Offense and Absolute Illusion, among "offense, defense, illusion, metal, and heart"!
Absolute Offense consisted of offensive moves that could overcome any defense, while Absolute Illusion was a lightness skill and movement technique that made one's form resemble a ghost.
Huai Mie faced the enemy as if confronting a great threat and did not dare relax for even a moment. He pushed Empty Origin Hand and Broken Origin Hand to their limits, devoting seven parts to defense and three to offense, barely maintaining a draw.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged more than thirty moves inside the cramped Armory Tower. They kept their inner force contained and suppressed the commotion as much as possible, yet they were still discovered.
The newcomer was no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. He had a tall, sturdy build, ink-black hair, eyebrows like flying swords, and a nose seemingly carved by a blade. His eyes, blessed with the spiritual beauty of heaven and earth, contained not a trace of impurity. They were clear yet unfathomably deep, and his skin shone like jade, utterly at odds with his smithing clothes.
"Big Brother!" the newcomer shouted. Strange metallic radiance spread across his right hand as he slammed his palm downward. A fierce, scorching force swept over Jiang Xiaoyu in an instant, enveloping him beneath the palm strike.
It was none other than one of the Ten Great Hard-to-Master Extraordinary Arts of the martial world: Iron Refining Hand!
Iron Refining Hand was divided into five moves: Earth Shattering Mad Thunder, Fire Controlling Sky Devourer, Water Extinguishing Void Flame, Wood Severing Dry Gang, and Metal Transforming Yuan Art. Each represented a progressively higher realm. The move the newcomer used was precisely the first, Earth Shattering Mad Thunder.
Jiang Xiaoyu remained calm in the face of danger. His left hand used Absolute Defense to block the entire attack. Then, in the space of an instant, he switched offense and defense between his left and right hands. Attacking and defending at once, with neither attack nor defense, he forcibly knocked the newcomer back.
"Stop, Little Brother! We're only sparring!"
"That's enough, Little Fish!"
Huai Mie and Qin Shuang both called out to stop them, and the battle between Huai Mie and Jiang Xiaoyu could not continue.
Qin Shuang looked at the newcomer and asked Huai Mie, "Is he your younger brother?"
Huai Mie nodded but did not speak. A trace of regret showed on his face. He had combined Broken Origin Hand and Empty Origin Hand into one art, then added his own insights to create the entirely new ultimate technique Primordial Seven Strikes. Because of the conditions inside the Armory Tower, he had not dared use it. Having fallen slightly behind in this battle, he was somewhat unwilling to accept it.
"Brother Huai Mie, there's no need to feel regret. We'll have plenty of chances to spar in the future. My squad still has openings. If your younger brother is willing, he can come along too!" Qin Shuang naturally understood Huai Mie's feelings, and those words eased his mind.
Huai Mie was overjoyed upon hearing this. Not only had he found a path forward for himself and gained the chance to make a name for himself in the Yu Unit (Camp)'s Divine Division, but he could also bring his brother along. "Thank you, Squad Leader. My younger brother is named Huai Kong, and he is also a member of the Iron Department."
"Good, I'll remember that. When the transfer order arrives, bring my saber along with you."
"Understood."
Jiang Xiaoyu stepped forward and patted Huai Mie on the shoulder. "Brother Huai, fighting you has helped me understand many questions I had about martial arts. I've benefited greatly. Let's spar more often in the future and improve together."
"Haha, good! Brother Jiang, next time we'll go to the martial arts arena. I'll let you have a taste of my Primordial Seven Strikes." Huai Mie was in high spirits and responded with a hearty laugh.
Huai Kong stood to one side, faintly guessing what had happened. He knew that after mastering his martial arts, his elder brother had always wanted to venture into the other departments of the Dragon Guard. Now that his wish had come true, Huai Kong was happy for him as well.
After leaving the Flood Unit (Camp)'s Iron Department, Qin Shuang felt completely at ease despite not having managed to claim his saber as he had hoped. Jiang Xiaoyu, Ding Ning, Gao Jian Fei, Cheng Lingsu, Guo Jing, Yang Kang, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Heng Feijing, Huai Mie, and Huai Kong made exactly eleven people. His squad had been successfully assembled. This was his own personal force, the core strength he would rely on in future missions and battles.
The Section Leader had to be someone who was already at least a Squad Leader. Of the eleven, only Ding Ning met this requirement. Qin Shuang had originally planned to appoint Jiang Xiaoyu and Cheng Lingsu as the two Squad Leaders, but Cheng Lingsu had clearly refused. Among the remaining candidates, Gao Jian Fei was closest to Qin Shuang, but Little Gao was hot-tempered and put pride before reason, making him unsuitable to lead a team alone. That left the wise and courageous Yang Kang as the undisputed best choice.
The roster of the First Squad was settled: Section Leader Ding Ning; Squad Leader Jiang Xiaoyu; members Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Huai Mie, and Huai Kong; Squad Leader Yang Kang; members Guo Jing, Cheng Lingsu, Gao Jian Fei, and Heng Feijing.
The Fire Division of the Mysterious Unit (Camp) worked even more efficiently than expected. Early on the third day, Yang Yuncong sent someone to summon Qin Shuang from home to the Dragon Guard Yamen.
"This is your appointment document as a Dragon Guard Squad Leader, along with your new token. You can collect your equipment from the Flood Unit (Camp) later." As Yang Yuncong spoke, he handed Qin Shuang four stacks of xuan paper in succession. "These are the rosters and information for the other four squads. Take a look. If you have any questions, raise them now."
Qin Shuang picked up the first stack of xuan paper. Section Leader Mu Wan Qing; Squad Leader Li Wenxiu; members Zhong Ling, Mei Jiangxue, Chen Xuanshuang, and Fang Zhaonan; Squad Leader Mo Wen; members Jing Lei, Cheng Feng, Beitang Zilong, and Situ Shuiling.
Of the eleven members in one squad, eight were women!
It was not that Qin Shuang held any prejudice against women. After all, he had personally invited Cheng Lingsu to join. But when he saw that the Section Leader was his senior sister, Mu Wan Qing, he knew that every member of this squad had been arranged by his mother, Qin Hongmian.
Mo Wen was twenty years old; Li Wenxiu and Beitang Zilong were nineteen; Mu Wan Qing and Situ Shuiling were eighteen; Mei Jiangxue and Chen Xuanshuang were seventeen; and Zhong Ling was sixteen. Qin Shuang really wanted to ask what his mother intended by arranging so many young women. Had she assigned every young woman in the Star Department of the Dragon Guard's Cosmos Unit (Camp)?
Of course, Qin Shuang did not dare object to his own mother's arrangements. He would go home and ask her about it face-to-face.
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