Military Merit

"Kill!"

The recruits, who had still been somewhat timid, saw that Lin Jin, who was even younger than them, was fighting so valiantly, and they all summoned their courage as well.

Unwilling to show weakness, they formed ranks and advanced, dividing, surrounding, and annihilating the disorganized bandits.

Elsewhere, Lei Ke's battle with the Bandit Leader had also reached its climax.

The Bandit Leader actually possessed the strength of an early-stage Soul Elder, and his Ghost Head Great Saber Martial Soul swept through the air with tremendous force.

Relying on his ferocity, he was actually able to fight Lei Ke to a standstill for the time being.

However, when the Bandit Leader saw that most of his men had been slaughtered, he began to consider retreating.

"Third Soul Skill, Ghost Wolf Whirlwind Slash!" The Bandit Leader launched a powerful attack that forced Lei Ke back, then retreated toward the depths of the mountains behind him.

"Trying to run?" Lei Ke snorted coldly and was just about to pursue him.

But then he saw a figure moving even faster than him!

Lin Jin blocked the Bandit Leader's escape route and swung the Fine Iron Saber in his hand at him.

"You little bastard, you've ruined my plans. You're courting death!" Seeing that the one blocking him was only a half-grown child, the Bandit Leader let out a feral grin and turned around, bringing his saber down with all his strength.

"Lin Jin, watch out!" Lei Ke was startled.

"Crack!"

The Fine Iron Saber in Lin Jin's hand was ordinary iron after all, and it could not withstand the Bandit Leader's Ghost Head Saber. Under this strike, the blade shattered.

"Bang!"

At the same time, the force of the Bandit Leader's blow surged through Both Arms, sending Lin Jin crashing into a Wooden House.

"Consider yourself lucky to die so cheaply." Seeing this, the Bandit Leader continued retreating.

"Third Soul Skill, Ground Splitting Slash!" Taking advantage of the time Lin Jin had bought him, Lei Ke caught up with the Bandit Leader.

Without another word, he activated his Third Soul Skill and slashed at the Bandit Leader.

"Damn little bastard!" The Bandit Leader cursed Lin Jin for ruining his plans, then could only raise his saber horizontally to block Lei Ke's attack.

"Bang!"

The Bandit Leader vomited a mouthful of blood, but borrowing the force of Lei Ke's attack, he retreated at top speed.

An ancient, violent Aura suddenly erupted from the Wooden House.

"Martial Soul, activate!"

Lin Jin leaped out of the Wooden House, and his entire right arm was completely covered by a sinister Dark Greenish-Black Arm Armor.

Dark Red energy Veins flashed violently, as though lava were flowing beneath the Armor! He casually discarded the shattered Fine Iron Saber.

A more solid and even more sinister Dark Red energy Demon Blade instantly condensed in his Armor-covered right hand.

"What?!" The Bandit Leader's pupils contracted.

"Trying to escape? Did you ask me first?"

"First Soul Skill, Demon Blade Assault."

A Dark Greenish-Black Light Blade shot toward the Bandit Leader like a bolt of lightning.

The fairly high-quality Ghost Head Great Saber was easily severed like rotten wood the instant it came into contact with the Dark Greenish-Black Light Blade.

The blade passed unhindered through the Bandit Leader's chest.

The Bandit Leader's forward motion suddenly froze. He lowered his head and stared at the smooth cut across his chest, his face filled with disbelieving terror.

"Im... pos..."

Before he could finish the word "sible," his upper body slowly slid down along the cut. Blood and organs spilled across the ground, and the thick stench of blood instantly spread through the air.

Silence!

A deathly silence!

This time, it was not only the bandits—even the Border Guards' recruits stood frozen in place as if they had been immobilized.

They stared in utter horror at the youth whose right arm was covered in strange Dark Greenish-Black Armor and who held a Demon Blade, looking like a Demon God returned from hell.

"This... what kind of Martial Soul is this?! It actually... severed the Soul Elder-level Bandit Leader, man and saber alike, in a single strike?!"

Lei Ke also stopped in his tracks. He looked at Lin Jin's Demon Armor-transformed right arm and sensed the ferocious Aura that made even him, a Soul Elder, feel a chill in his heart. The scar on his face twitched violently.

He finally understood why His Highness the Crown Prince valued this child so highly and had allowed him to act freely.

This was no ordinary Martial Soul. It was practically a weapon of slaughter born for war.

Lin Jin slowly dispelled the Demon Armor and Demon Blade covering his right arm, and the suffocating pressure vanished with them.

He bent down and picked up the Fine Iron Saber, now reduced to a hilt, as if the Bandit Leader's death had nothing to do with him.

With the Bandit Leader dead, the remaining bandits completely collapsed. They scattered in all directions, crying for their fathers and mothers, and were soon eliminated one by one by the Border Guards' Soldiers.

The battle ended.

A thick stench of blood permeated Wild Wolf Ravine.

Lei Ke walked over to Lin Jin. His gaze first fell on Lin Jin's right arm, which had already returned to normal, then on the Bandit Leader's corpse on the ground, and finally settled deeply on Lin Jin.

"This time, you've earned the greatest Military Merit." Lei Ke's voice carried a trace of complicated emotion.

This kid is ruthless not only toward his enemies but toward himself as well. That Killing Intent of his doesn't seem like something a child should possess. It's no weaker than the Killing Intent I developed after fighting on the battlefield for half my life.

Lin Jin slowly exhaled a breath of foul air, suppressing the murderous intent surging within his heart.

He looked at the rescued women, and his gaze softened for an instant before returning to its usual calm.

"It was my duty." Lin Jin's reply remained simple.

"Ba Shan, tally the casualties. Everyone else, clear the battlefield." Lei Ke took a deep breath and spoke to one of the Captains beside him.

The small mountain hollow was cleared out quickly.

To Lei Ke's relief, although there had been injuries during this bandit suppression, not a single person had died.

What Lei Ke did not know was that Lin Jin was suffering badly at that moment.

The Battle Intent of the Demon Armor in his heart seemed unsatisfied, as if it wanted to break through his flesh. The blood in his body churned violently.

After drinking blood, the Immortal Demon Armor seemed to have been completely activated. An even more violent and ferocious will than before roared and crashed around in his mind.

It craved more slaughter and more thorough destruction!

Cold Killing Intent surged against his reason like a tide, trying to drag him into an endless abyss of slaughter.

Lin Jin's face turned slightly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

I absolutely cannot lose control here!

His mind flashed with the innocent smile of his Younger Sister, Lin Xue. Then he saw Qian Renxue's deep golden Eyes, filled with scrutiny.

Protection and promises were like two most unyielding Shackles, firmly restraining the savage beast on the verge of rampaging.

"Lin Jin, are you all right?" A voice carrying a hint of concern sounded beside him.

It was the recruit he had saved from the Twin Sabers, named A Tu.

Lin Jin abruptly turned to look at him. In that instant, A Tu seemed to see a pair of cold Vertical Pupils belonging to a savage beast, and he stumbled backward.

But the next moment, Lin Jin's gaze quickly cleared, though it still held a trace of exhaustion that was difficult to conceal.

"I'm fine." Lin Jin's voice was somewhat hoarse. "I've just used up quite a bit of Soul Power."

After returning to the New Recruit Camp, no one dared to underestimate this child who was only six years old.

Once the Military Merit was tallied, Lin Jin had indisputably earned the most credit and received a substantial reward.

That night, Lin Jin sat alone in the open ground outside the Barracks, gazing at the cold stars in the desolate night sky of the Northern Border.

The Wild Chrysanthemum Bracelet in his hand glimmered faintly in the moonlight, bringing a trace of peace to his heart.

The Demon Armor within his body seemed to have temporarily calmed as well.

However, Lin Jin knew clearly that although the Demon Armor was powerful, the Demonic Nature within it was highly unusual.

As the host of Honor of Kings Kai, the Immortal Demon Armor on his body possessed the ability to erode his mind, ultimately causing him to completely lose himself and become an ability that knew only destruction.

Therefore, he had to improve his physique and state of mind before he could possess the power to take revenge and protect those he cared about.