Within the Phoenix Spirit Guard, advancement in military rank looked easy, but in truth, it was anything but.
The Phoenix Spirit Guard's military ranks were rather simply divided. A captain counted as a junior officer, while a Millennial Commander was already a mid-ranking officer.
A Guard General commanding five thousand men was a senior officer. At the very top were the positions of Phoenix Spirit Guard Commander and Deputy Commander.
Among these ranks, captains changed most frequently and were the easiest to promote. Basically, after every small military exercise, some captains were dismissed while new captains were promoted. The turnover was enormous.
But Millennial Commanders, who commanded a thousand men, were different.
Because the Phoenix Spirit Realm had a small population, many military operations were carried out in units of a thousand.
Thus, the position of Millennial Commander was a key post fiercely contested by the major noble clans.
When selecting Millennial Commanders, the Phoenix Spirit Guard's upper ranks could only be described as exceedingly cautious.
Military merit earned during exercises might qualify one to become a squad captain, but relying on military exercise merit to become a Millennial Commander was extremely difficult.
According to Old Master Lu, the selection of a Millennial Commander involved countless factors. It was not a position one could obtain merely by wanting it.
As for the position of Guard General, it was basically monopolized by the noble clans that controlled political affairs. Even if one was a descendant of a noble clan, without real authority within the Phoenix Spirit Clan, becoming a Guard General was nothing but wishful thinking!
Take Old Master Lu, for example. He too held the rank of Duke within the Phoenix Spirit Clan, but with the Lu Family's decline in recent years, even his son, who had marched to the