Four Great Military Merits!

Outside Duan Yun Pass, within the Death Row Camp, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Because he had claimed the merit of being first to scale the walls, Ding Hao had not only earned the respect and awe of the death row prisoners over these three days, but Ding Yishan had also bestowed a great deal of wine and meat upon them!

Life was far better than before, when they went hungry one meal and full the next!

Of course, compared to food and drink, what excited Ding Hao the most was this!

Under his tenfold comprehension, in just three short days, he had already cultivated the high-grade martial art Tyrant Blade Slash to the realm of major mastery!

No one knew of it, of course. Otherwise, their eyes would surely have burst from shock!

After all, even True Martial Realm experts required years of bitter cultivation to bring a high-grade martial art to major mastery. For Ding Hao to achieve it in three days was simply heaven-defying.

Early that morning, while the death row prisoners were still sound asleep,

Ding Hao came alone to the training ground outside the camp. He took a long blade from the weapon rack, and the moment it was in his hand, he unleashed Tyrant Blade Slash!

The long blade danced in broad, sweeping arcs. A heavy, tyrannical force surged across it at once, carrying the momentum to sweep away a thousand armies!

Finally,

he slashed out with his blade. Amid a dull chopping sound, the icy ground was cleaved open by a deep ravine.

The ravine stretched several yards, stopping right at the feet of an armored soldier!

Gasp!!

At the sight, the armored soldier involuntarily swallowed hard!

He was one of Zhang Dahu's trusted men, and also the Deputy Camp Commander of the Death Row Camp.

Today, he had come under orders to summon Ding Hao for Ding Yishan. He had originally intended to use this chance to put Ding Hao in his place.

Yet Ding Hao's Tyrant Blade Slash had frightened the wits out of him!

Dear mother of mine!

How could a fifth-rank martial artist like him possibly withstand that slash!

"Deputy Camp Commander, are you... looking for me?"

At that moment, Ding Hao sheathed his blade and asked the Deputy Camp Commander with a smiling expression.

Clearly, he had spotted the Deputy Camp Commander's ill-intentioned look from far away. That slash just now had been deliberately struck at the man's feet!

Sure enough, the effect was not bad.

After coming back to his senses, the Deputy Camp Commander hurried forward. Not only did he no longer dare make things difficult for Ding Hao, he even showed a trace of respect. "Brother Ding Hao, I came to deliver a message. General Ding wants you in the command tent!"

"Oh?"

"Looks like the imperial court's pardon order has arrived!"

Ding Hao raised a brow and directly tossed the long blade in his hand to the Deputy Camp Commander. "Please return the blade for me, Deputy Camp Commander. I'm going to see General Ding!"

With that said,

he ignored the Deputy Camp Commander's stifled resentment and left the training ground.

Since Ding Hao had been the first to scale the walls as a death row prisoner, his name had already spread throughout the military camp.

He encountered no obstruction along the way and smoothly arrived at Ding Yishan's command tent.

After announcing himself, Ding Hao entered the tent with barely concealed excitement.

Ding Yishan had removed his silver armor and was seated behind the desk in the tent. In his hand was the battle report memorial returned with the imperial court's approval!

"General Ding!"

Ding Hao stepped forward and saluted. Ding Yishan looked up. "You're here!"

Ding Hao nodded and asked impatiently, "General Ding, did you summon me because the imperial edict pardoning me has arrived?"

Unexpectedly, Ding Yishan did not answer directly. Instead, he apologized, "Ding Hao, I'm sorry. There has been a change regarding what I promised you!"

Ding Hao's face darkened as he hurriedly asked, "What do you mean, General Ding? Has the imperial court not pardoned my status as a death row prisoner?"

"That is correct!"

Ding Yishan nodded, then said, "There have been many precedents throughout the history of Great Zhou. Of the Four Great Military Merits—being first to scale the walls, breaking into enemy formations, capturing the flag, and slaying the general—claiming any one of them is an immense achievement. A death row prisoner can be spared the death penalty, while a soldier can be promoted three ranks in succession!"

"But in your case alone, the imperial court has not pardoned your status as a death row prisoner. Her Majesty the Empress even personally added an annotation—any death row prisoner named Ding Hao has insufficient merit for being first to scale the walls. He must gather all Four Great Military Merits upon himself before he may be granted a special pardon!"

What!!

Ding Hao's eyes widened, and ten thousand grass-mud horses immediately stampeded through his heart.

Did that not mean he had to obtain the other three great military merits—breaking into enemy formations, capturing the flag, and slaying the general—before he could shed his identity as a death row prisoner!

Never mind where he was supposed to obtain those three military merits. Searching through the memories of both his past and present lives, he had never heard of any fierce warrior or valiant general gathering all Four Great Military Merits upon one person!

Wasn't this just bullying an honest man?!

At that moment, Ding Yishan said with a bitter smile, "Sigh, Her Majesty personally wrote 'anyone named Ding Hao' on the returned battle report... Clearly, perhaps another Ding Hao offended Her Majesty and caused you to be implicated as well. You have truly suffered a disaster out of the blue!"

"Uh..."

Upon hearing that, Ding Hao, who had been feeling indignant, instead calmed down!

Because this truly was not a disaster out of the blue. That bitch Xia Weiyang was obviously targeting him.

But judging by the annotation, Xia Weiyang apparently did not believe that the Ding Hao who had claimed the merit of being first to scale the walls was the same Ding Hao who had once been her stud!

Ding Hao understood that if she knew, it would not simply be a matter of making things difficult for him. She might completely block his path to escaping his status as a death row prisoner!

Thinking about it, that made sense.

Before this, he had merely been a frail scholar without the strength to truss a chicken. He had even nearly been drained to death. How could he possibly have claimed the merit of being first to scale the walls!

Even he himself would not have believed it before his cheat ability appeared!

"Still, perhaps this is my real chance to regain my freedom!" At that thought, Ding Hao's eyes suddenly lit up.

One had to know that Xia Weiyang currently did not know that the person who had been first to scale the walls was him, Ding Hao. As long as he could truly gather all Four Great Military Merits, then no matter how displeased she was with the name Ding Hao, she would have to restore his freedom!

After all, for an emperor to go back on an edict was a very serious matter. It would damage imperial authority and face. Moreover, if even someone who had gathered all Four Great Military Merits could be toyed with, how could Great Zhou still govern its army?

The only difficulty was how to claim the other three great military merits!

Seeing Ding Hao fall silent, Ding Yishan immediately felt ashamed.

After all,

he had confidently promised Ding Hao before that being first to scale the walls would spare him from death. Now that there had been a change, he could not save face either!

Thus, he said, "Ding Hao, don't be upset. I have wronged you in this matter, but it was personally approved by Her Majesty the Empress. I have no power to change it."

"How about this? Name some other conditions, and I will do my utmost to compensate you!"

"Oh?"

Ding Hao, who had been contemplating the three great military merits, immediately raised a brow.

No!

I'm not upset at all!

On the contrary, he was actually very fortunate—fortunate that Xia Weiyang had not realized the person who had been first to scale the walls was him. If she had, then he would truly have been finished.

But since Ding Yishan had offered, anyone who turned down a free advantage was a fool!

Thus, Ding Hao put on a helpless look and said, "All right, I accept!"

"I would like to ask General Ding for some cultivation methods and martial arts to strengthen my own combat power!"

"Gathering all Four Great Military Merits upon one person may be an impossible feat!"

"But I am still willing to gamble on it. This is my goal in staying alive!"

Ding Yishan pondered. "Cultivation methods and martial arts? There is indeed a military cultivation method widely circulated in the Divine Phoenix Army, called Raging Bull Strength. But the Divine Phoenix Army has rules: only officers at the rank of Squad Leader and above may cultivate it. I cannot pass it on to you!"

"Mm, I have it!"

Suddenly, Ding Yishan's eyes lit up. He continued, "Before I joined the army, I once acquired a cultivation method by chance. It is severely incomplete, but it is my private possession, so there is no issue in passing it on to you!"

An incomplete method?

Ding Hao frowned. The next moment, Ding Yishan copied out the cultivation method. Across the cover was a line of large characters: Heavenly Tyrant Body Art!

In addition, he casually copied out two martial arts manuals, one called Wind Treading Steps and the other Golden Bell Shield!

"Though these two intermediate martial arts are also circulated in the army, any ordinary soldier who has earned merit may cultivate them. You may be a death row prisoner, but you have earned the merit of being first to scale the walls, so passing them to you is still within the rules!"

As Ding Yishan spoke, he handed Ding Hao the incomplete method and the two martial arts manuals!

"Many thanks, General Ding!"

Ding Hao knew to stop while he was ahead. It would not do to be greedy without end!

General Ding nodded. "Go, Ding Hao. I think highly of you. Though the Four Great Military Merits are difficult to gather, there is not absolutely no chance!"

"Understood!"

"Farewell, General Ding!"

Ding Hao nodded. At last, carrying the incomplete method and martial arts manuals, he withdrew from the command tent!