Undercurrents

Days after the battle at Black Snow Gorge, at the Iron Blood Pass barracks.

With the help of the military doctor, Lin Jin's injuries had healed, and both his body and Soul Power had returned to their original state.

Moreover, after replenishing the Soul Power he had expended in that battle, he had unexpectedly broken through to Level 33 Soul Power.

Lin Jin was meditating in his barracks, consolidating the Soul Power he had just advanced to Level 33.

Just then, Colonel Lei Ke walked into the barracks with a chuckle. "Lin Jin, how's your body recovering?"

Lin Jin rose to greet him. "Colonel, I'm fine now. I can return to the battlefield at any time."

"You brat, you're even crazier than I am." Lei Ke sighed helplessly. "Star Luo has been quiet lately. I came here on the General's orders to take you to meet him."

The General! Lin Jin's heart stirred.

He had come to the Northern Border five years ago. Although he had repeatedly distinguished himself in battle, at most he had seen General Qin Yue from afar during large military councils. He had never been summoned alone.

Lei Ke had introduced General Qin Yue to him before. He was the foremost of the four great generals under Grand Marshal Ge Long of the Heaven Dou Empire, with an illustrious record of military merit.

Because the Northern Border directly faced the border of the Star Luo Empire, Grand Marshal Ge Long had appointed General Qin Yue, the foremost of the four great generals, as the supreme commander of the entire Northern Territory Legion.

Lin Jin tidied his appearance and followed Lei Ke to the Commander's Mansion.

The Commander's Mansion was not as luxurious as one might imagine. Instead, it was filled with the simplicity and grimness of military life. A Military Map of the Northern Border hung on the wall, densely marked with the positions of both enemy and friendly forces.

A fierce general sat in the Main Seat. He looked to be around fifty years old, with a resolute face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's. Although he was merely sitting there casually, he gave off a steady, weighty pressure like a mountain.

This man was the Commander of Iron Blood Pass, the Soul Douluo Qin Yue.

The Deputy Generals standing on either side below him were clearly no ordinary men either.

"This subordinate Lin Jin (Lei Ke) pays respects to General Qin!" Lin Jin and Lei Ke bowed simultaneously.

Qin Yue said nothing. He merely sized Lin Jin up and down with his sharp eyes, his gaze seeming capable of piercing through flesh and seeing his true nature.

An invisible pressure descended upon Lin Jin. It was the might of a Soul Douluo powerhouse.

Lin Jin felt his breathing tighten slightly, but the Immortal Demon Armor within him seemed to be stirred by the pressure. It instinctively generated a faint resistance, causing him to stand even straighter as he calmly met Qin Yue's gaze.

After a long while, Qin Yue slowly spoke, his voice rumbling through the hall like muffled thunder:

"The battle at Black Snow Gorge was brutal, but it was also fought beautifully."

He rose and walked over to Lin Jin. The pressure brought by his towering figure grew even stronger.

"Using yourself as bait, then turning the tables. Clashing head-on with a Soul King, trading injury for life, killing an enemy Soul King, and forcing back a powerful foe... Lin Jin, you're quite something. You were crazier and more ruthless than I was in my youth!"

It was impossible to tell from his tone whether he was praising or criticizing him, but the admiration in his eyes was undisguised.

"This subordinate merely did his duty," Lin Jin said solemnly.

"His duty?" Qin Yue scoffed. "If every commander guarding the border had your kind of 'duty,' the Star Luo Empire would have been driven back home to suckle milk long ago!"

He patted Lin Jin on the shoulder. "Brat, do you know why I never sought you out before?"

Lin Jin shook his head.

He truly did not know. With his military merit, he should have been promoted to Colonel long ago, just like Lei Ke.

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind." Qin Yue's gaze grew profound. "You enlisted at Six Years Old, and by Nine Years Old, you were already a Legion Commander. You rose too quickly, and you also possess a powerful Martial Soul."

"If I had shown how much I valued you too early, it might not have been good for you. The Evil Wind in the Imperial Court can sometimes hurt more than Star Luo's swords."

Lin Jin understood. The Commander had been protecting him in a roundabout way.

"Normally, given that you're only Eleven Years Old, I shouldn't have met you so early. But things are different now."

"The battle at Black Snow Gorge made you famous in one stroke. You proved your value to everyone, and you also proved your resilience! A Soul King couldn't kill you; he could only make you stronger."

"At the same time, it allowed me to see that the Empire now has a General Star rising steadily, unstoppable in its ascent."

Faced with Qin Yue's lavish praise, Lin Jin could only clasp his fists and respectfully return the courtesy. "General, you flatter me. I still have much to learn from all of you Generals."

"However..." Qin Yue returned to the Main Seat, his expression turning solemn. "I've fought Dugu Xiong for more than twenty years. I understand his pride and his vengeful nature."

"When I learned what had happened at Black Snow Gorge, I immediately sensed that something was wrong. I sent people to investigate, and it was exactly as I expected."

"During the few days you were recuperating, that old bastard Dugu Xiong went mad, frantically gathering information about you."

"At the same time, he has been mobilizing his forces like crazy. In just a few days, the Iron Rock Fortress has already assembled no fewer than Fifty Thousand People in its Main Force, and its numbers are still growing."

Qin Yue's words caused the atmosphere in the Commander's Mansion to turn heavy.

Dugu Xiong, the supreme commander of the Star Luo Empire's Northern Territory Legion, had been Qin Yue's old adversary for more than twenty years. He was an Aggressive Attack Type Soul Douluo with a cultivation of Eighty-Four Ranks.

Such an abnormal action could only mean one thing: Star Luo had been thoroughly enraged and had made Lin Jin its number-one target for elimination.

"Fifty thousand troops? And they're still increasing?" Lei Ke sucked in a cold breath. "General, are they planning to launch a full-scale war in the Northern Border?"

"A full-scale war?" Qin Yue snorted coldly. He walked back to the Sand Table and pressed his finger heavily onto the location of the Iron Rock Fortress. "That old dog Dugu Xiong is shrewd! He knows that if he launches a full-scale war, then even if he wins, Star Luo will suffer tremendous losses."

"By putting on such a show, he has two goals. The first is to intimidate us. The second is..."

His sharp gaze swept over Lin Jin. "The second is you, Lin Jin!"

"Me?" Lin Jin's brow furrowed slightly.

"That's right!" Qin Yue said solemnly. "You joined the army at Six Years Old. At Nine Years Old, you formed the Blood Blade Army, which has never lost a battle and defeats its enemies by striking at their weaknesses. You even killed a Soul King while at the Soul Elder realm. Your potential and military talent are rare even in the hundred-year history of our army."

"A military genius like you has already made the Star Luo Empire afraid. They absolutely cannot allow an enemy like you to grow up successfully and become another Grand Marshal Ge Long."

"So Dugu Xiong is making such a grand display for two reasons. On the one hand, he wants to force us to hand you over, or at the very least transfer you away from the front line and hide you away. On the other hand, he is using it to cover up his true 'decapitation' operation!"

"The true decapitation operation?" Lei Ke cried out in alarm.

"On the surface, they are gathering a large army to draw our attention. In secret, they have probably already sent an even more elite Assassination Squad, perhaps even led personally by a Soul Sage, to infiltrate us. Their target is none other than Lin Jin!" Qin Yue's voice carried a cold killing intent.

"This is an Open Conspiracy! Either we cut off our own arm under pressure, or we must constantly guard against their omnipresent assassinations!"

The expressions of all the generals became extremely ugly.

Lin Jin's brow furrowed even more deeply.

If he remembered correctly, the Star Luo Empire's military strength was at least one and a half times that of the Heaven Dou Empire.

If the Spirit Hall had not interfered, the Star Luo Empire would have broken through the Northern Border's Defense Line long ago.

Therefore, if Dugu Xiong truly brought his troops to pressure Iron Blood Pass, even if Qin Yue would not hand Lin Jin over, there was no guarantee that the other nobles would not think otherwise.