Harvest from the Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous

"Zihong, I heard someone else has come to challenge the sword-pulling. Are you going to go take a look?"

A voice drifted in from the courtyard.

Needless to say, this person had to be Chen Xi.

Within the Liu Bei faction, the only two people who could finish their work early and slack off were Qi Fei and Chen Xi.

"Let them pull my sword out first before we talk about that."

Qi Fei said without turning his head.

What the two of them were discussing was the selection of military generals.

After the Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous was issued, Chen Xi had ordered craftsmen to begin building a place to demonstrate their sincerity.

In the past, King Zhao of Yan had built a platform fifty-nine feet high for his own Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous, a feat sung about by later generations.

Currently, the Liu Bei faction lacked the excess financial resources to pull off such a grand display, so they only planned to build two Library Pavilions.

The one facing south was the Art of War Pavilion, which was slightly smaller; the building facing north was larger, housing all books other than those on military strategy.

Between the two Library Pavilions stood an Altar, used for the selection of military generals.

Chen Xi felt that simply having people stand there to defend the ring was a bit boring, so after confirming that Qi Fei rarely used his sword, he borrowed the Nine Phoenix Sword and stuck it into the Altar.

He then released the news: whoever could pull out this sword would be able to witness the demeanor of the world's number one.

Chen Xi's claim wasn't actually wrong.

Because Qi Fei was continuously infusing it with power, the Nine Phoenix Sword could easily unleash combat power far exceeding that of an average Boundary Breaker on its own.

Excluding Qi Fei, it could indeed be considered the world's number one.

"I heard a master comparable to Second Master has arrived this time. Maybe there's a real chance they'll pull it out."

Chen Xi replied as he entered the courtyard.

Then, he witnessed a truly bizarre scene.

A large number of poultry were arranged in neat formations in front of Qi Fei, practicing various battle arrays just like elite soldiers.

At the same time, above the heads of these poultry, the gray Cloud Qi was even thicker than that of ordinary miscellaneous troops.

"How did you do that?"

Chen Xi was stunned.

Controlling small animals to form a thin layer of Cloud Qi was something anyone with sufficient Mental Talent cultivation could basically do.

But this scale was entirely different.

"Their foundation is just high, there's no difficulty to it."

Qi Fei said casually.

These chickens had high levels of Internal Qi cultivation, and once integrated through the sliver of mental energy he shared with them, this layer of Cloud Qi formed naturally.

Only after hearing him say this did Chen Xi notice that the group of chickens before him all possessed Internal Qi at the level of Internal Qi Condensation.

"What kind of rare treasures did you feed them to get them like this?"

Chen Xi asked, his face full of shock.

One-on-one, these things could probably peck an adult to death with ease.

And if they formed a military array like they were now, even a regular army with a single talent wearing Leather Armor might not be able to win.

"I didn't use anything; this is the effect of my Mental Talent."

Qi Fei withdrew the power he was sharing with the chickens and then shared the realm of Internal Qi Separation with Chen Xi.

The next moment, Heaven and Earth Essence surged into Chen Xi's body, helping him undergo a rapid transformation.

"You actually have a Mental Talent? And its effect is to improve others' Internal Qi realm?"

Chen Xi looked at the transformation happening to his own body in surprise.

Previously, when Qi Fei was discussing things with them, they had chatted about this ability that would emerge once mental energy cultivation reached a certain level.

Anyone who could possess this ability was at least considered a capable minister of their generation.

But wasn't Qi Fei's Mental Talent a bit ridiculously strong?

"It just took shape. The effect is that I can share my own abilities, and theoretically, I can also have your abilities shared with me."

Qi Fei estimated.

In the original work, the Regent Princess Liu Tong's Mental Talent was Puppet Strings.

In her own hands, she was the one being pulled, acting as a puppet controlled by the puppeteer to gain a portion of the puppeteer's power.

But in the hands of Zhuge Liang, this talent became him pulling the strings to control others.

This also led Zhuge Liang to once believe that Liu Tong only looked weak on the surface, while deep down she was actually a strong-willed queen.

Therefore, Qi Fei estimated that his own ability could likely be developed in reverse as well.

"Then what is the effective range? Can you turn the entire army into Internal Qi Separation?"

Chen Xi said with a whimsical idea.

Before he transmigrated, he had heard the topic of seventy thousand Guan Yu fighting Cao Cao; could it really be done now?

"The effective range is uncertain, but your idea is definitely impossible to realize."

Qi Fei rejected Chen Xi's whimsical notion.

"First of all, with my meager amount of internal qi, even if you drained me dry, I wouldn't have that ability; secondly, after internal qi cultivation passes Qi Solidification, it sublimates one's essence, qi, and spirit. If everyone were Internal Qi Separation, it would be impossible to unify their wills into an army."

He was a God Boundary Breaker, not a Qi Boundary Breaker known for the scale of his internal qi.

Moreover, even a Qi Boundary Breaker could not provide that much internal qi.

"Then what if you take turns sharing your power with others? I mean, after you share it, you recover, and then share it again."

Chen Xi immediately thought of another way.

"I can't recover it. Once internal qi is shared, it's just not stored with me; it hasn't been consumed."

Qi Fei spread his hands.

"Unless I let them completely refine this portion of my internal qi, but the loss to me would be too great."

Internal qi that can improve another person's cultivation is different from the internal qi consumed during battle.

Internal qi that improves cultivation contains the crucial power of life energy.

Consuming a large amount of life energy will not only drag down one's own progress but could even lead to a regression in realm.

In the original work, Huang Zhong consumed a large amount of life energy to prolong his son's life, which made his own breakthrough to the boundary breaker realm appear somewhat difficult.

One must know that Huang Zhong was originally a fierce general on the same level as Lu Bu.

Therefore, unless one is truly at the end of their rope during battle, no one would ever use this portion of their power.

Qi Fei estimated that only after he had made achievements in the laws of life would he be able to consume and recover it at will.

Unfortunately, the life attribute of the Qi Feis came from the power of the Chief God.

Even with the aptitudes of the four of them combined, the speed at which they comprehended the laws was quite moving.

If no other Qi Fei with an aptitude for the life attribute joined, in the future, he might only be able to borrow the Heavenly Flame held by Elder Shennong: the Flame of Life, to comprehend the laws.

"I see."

Hearing Qi Fei's explanation of the two types of internal qi, Chen Xi felt a bit regretful.

"In short, in my opinion, my Mental Talent is best suited for sharing realms."

Qi Fei spoke of the optimal solution as he understood it.

If shared with a large army, the internal qi would be divided into too many parts, unable to support an Internal Qi Separation state.

But if it were a realm being shared, it would be different.

No matter how weak this realm might be, its essence would still be Internal Qi Separation, which meant it could still refine the Heaven and Earth Essence of the outside world for one's own use.

As long as one spent a little more time, one could easily cultivate internal qi from scratch.

And one wouldn't need to consume as much food as normal cultivation required.

It was a huge profit.

At the same time, sharing realms meant there was no need to worry about the pollution of essence, qi, and spirit, and it was also suitable for martial generals to use to sense the next realm and assist in their breakthroughs.

"But why don't I feel much of a breakthrough?"

Chen Xi, who was still absorbing the Heaven and Earth Essence, asked.

"You aren't even at Qi Solidification; your foundation is far too lacking."

Qi Fei looked at Chen Xi's physique and couldn't help but shake his head.

Chen Xi's current level was at the bottom of Internal Qi Condensation; how could he be qualified to talk about breaking through to Internal Qi Separation?

"Then, if I hang on for a bit longer, will I be able to become an Internal Qi Separation?"

Chen Xi asked with curiosity mixed with a hint of excitement.

"If you actively cultivate yourself and thoroughly master this realm, then you should be able to succeed. Otherwise, even if you become an Internal Qi Separation, I estimate that as soon as I turn off the sharing, you will fall right back to Qi Solidification on the spot."

Qi Fei estimated.

In the original work, there were those who fell back after breaking through.

That person was Li Tiao, a subordinate of Zhao Yun.

Brother Tiao was most famous for three labels: the strongest Qi Solidification, the individual who broke through to Internal Qi Separation the most times, and having cultivation talent so poor it was recorded in history.

Because his affinity with the Heaven and Earth Essence was too poor, Brother Tiao could break through to Internal Qi Separation countless times and still fall back.

Chen Xi was likely about the same.

The difference was that Brother Tiao was repelled by the Heaven and Earth Essence, while Chen Xi was unable to control the Heaven and Earth Essence entering his body.

Of course, Chen Xi's conditions were still better than Brother Tiao's.

After falling back and forth a dozen times or so, he should be able to stabilize at Internal Qi Separation.

However, Chen Xi did have an opportunity later on that could allow him to leap directly to the Boundary Breaker realm in one go, though his combat prowess would still be quite lackluster even after the breakthrough...

Just as Qi Fei was pondering these miscellaneous matters, he suddenly sensed a disturbance coming from the Nine Phoenix.

"It seems the rumors you heard earlier were not wrong."

Qi Fei revealed a faint smile.

"What?"

Chen Xi was left somewhat bewildered by Qi Fei's abrupt and contextless remark.

"Someone at the pinnacle of Internal Qi Separation has arrived; they almost pulled out the Nine Phoenix."

Qi Fei contemplated the identity of this Internal Qi Separation expert.

At this point in time, aside from the well-known generals under the various warlords, only the older generation of Internal Qi Separation experts possessed such a level of skill.

So, who exactly was it?

Tong Yuan? Huang Zhong? Or perhaps someone else entirely?

"Then, shall we go take a look?"

Chen Xi asked a redundant question.

Following that, the two immediately took a carriage and rushed to the scene.

Upon arriving, Qi Fei discovered that it wasn't just the two of them watching; Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Hua Xiong were also present.

However, the person currently on the stage did not seem to be the one Qi Fei had sensed earlier.

The one drawing the sword at this moment was a youth, high-spirited and imposing, with a level of handsomeness almost on par with Yunmei.

It was no wonder Liu Bei and the others were all gathered around to watch.

"Lord Xuande, who is this young man?"

Chen Xi asked, pulling on Liu Bei's shoulder.

"I do not know either, but judging by his accent, he seems to be from Fufeng."

Liu Bei replied.

He, too, had only rushed over after hearing that someone had nearly pulled out the Nine Phoenix.

If he hadn't been nearby, he likely would have arrived even later than Qi Fei.

"Oh? A native of Fufeng, and so handsome to boot—could it be the descendant of General Fubo Ma Yuan, the son of the Xiliang Governor Ma Teng, Ma Chao, Ma Mengqi?"

Chen Xi and Qi Fei thought of this person simultaneously.

Coming from Xiliang and possessing such looks, one could basically only think of Ma Chao.

And a voice that suddenly rang out confirmed their suspicions.

"Mengqi, are you actually capable of doing this or not?"

A youth dressed only slightly better than a beggar lay on the ground below the stage, shouting lazily.

"Xiaozhi, shut your mouth."

Ma Chao's cheeks on the stage were flushed red, though it was unclear if it was from exerting force or from being angered.

"Even if I shut my mouth, you still won't be able to pull it out."

Fa Zheng, Fa Xiaozhi, rolled over and changed positions to continue watching Ma Chao.

"Ahhh—Xiaozhi, you just wait, I'm going to beat you up sooner or later."

Ma Chao let out a roar.

However, no matter how enraged he became, the Nine Phoenix remained unmoved, showing absolutely no sign of being drawn.

After struggling repeatedly to no avail, Ma Chao finally chose to give up in frustration.

"I provoked you like that, yet you still couldn't do it; it seems your raw strength is indeed quite far off."

Fa Zheng stood up from the ground and said to Ma Chao, who was coming down, with a serious expression.

"So, you mean to say that what you were just saying was for my own good?"

Ma Chao asked with a friendly look on his face.

"What else could it be? We've been traveling together this whole way, don't you know my personality by now?"

Fa Zheng casually brushed the dust off his clothes.

Ma Chao was silent for a moment, realizing that aside from this, Fa Zheng really had no other reason to act this way.

But he was still so angry.

And when he thought about how Fa Zheng had even laid on the ground in public just to help him, Ma Chao didn't even have the heart to get mad at him.

That made it even more infuriating.

Just as Ma Chao was sulking to himself, that man appeared.

"I wonder, might I have the honor of learning the names of these two young heroes?"

That's right, the person who had arrived was none other than Liu Bei.

With Liu Bei stepping in, these two youngsters were essentially safe, so Qi Fei stopped paying them any further attention.

Qi Fei found Zang Ba off to the side; since he was guarding the arena today, he would certainly know who the person was that had nearly pulled out the Nine Phoenix.

"That man calls himself Tong Yuan, courtesy name Xiongfu. He should be the master of General Zhao. He even gave me a few pointers just a moment ago."

As Zang Ba replied, he led Qi Fei to a spot a bit further away from the crowd.

There was a carriage here, and lying on it was a young child, surrounded by two old men. One of them was carefully examining the child's body.

"Regarding your son's illness, I fear I am powerless to help."

The old man said after finishing his examination.

"It is no matter. We only came here to take a gamble; Xiongfu, do not take it to heart."

The other old man forced a difficult smile.

"Do not worry yourself too much. Perhaps the one who has broken through beyond Internal Qi Separation might have a way."

Tong Yuan comforted the old man.

Seeing these two, Qi Fei was suddenly overjoyed.

Good heavens, he had thought only one had come, but to have both Tong Yuan and Huang Zhong arrive in one go was truly delightful.

"Master Tong, I am here."

Zang Ba greeted Tong Yuan.

He then introduced Tong Yuan to Qi Fei, and subsequently introduced Qi Fei to Tong Yuan:

"This is Qi Fei, Zihong, the number one martial artist in the world today and a master of troop training."

"I did not expect the rumored Qi Zihong to be so young. We are truly getting old."

Tong Yuan stroked his beard and sighed with emotion.

"I have merely taken a step ahead in the martial path; you are being too modest, Senior."

Qi Fei knew full well that this man could regain his prime combat strength at any time through secret arts.

And once Tong Yuan reached the Boundary Breaker realm, only his skin would be that of an old man; his inner core would be no different from that of a young man.

"And who might this be?"

After getting acquainted with Tong Yuan, Qi Fei turned his gaze toward the other old man.

"I am Cai Yang. Greetings, General Qi."

The old man said very humbly.

"?"

Qi Fei's mind was almost completely filled with question marks.

Cai Yang?

Who?

Where is my Huang Zhong?