The next day, Liu Bei began assigning positions to the four new arrivals.
Fa Zheng joined Chen Xi and the other civil officials, while Ma Chao volunteered to follow Qi Fei.
Tong Yuan said he wasn't good at leading troops.
Besides, Qi Fei had hinted to Chen Xi that the Secret Arts Zhao Yun used, such as becoming invisible and transmitting his voice, had all been developed by Tong Yuan.
So Chen Xi found Tong Yuan a civil post: developing Secret Arts and teaching orphans with good potential on the side.
The others thought the job was a little odd, but Tong Yuan himself was quite satisfied with it.
His daily life had always consisted of this sort of work. Now he could do the same job and get paid for it.
Wasn't that basically getting money for free?
Cai Yang, on the other hand, had experience commanding troops independently. And given that he was an elder with many years of service, they assigned him two thousand talented Regular Soldiers and three thousand auxiliary troops to lead as he saw fit.
Of course, that was what Qi Fei called them.
In everyone else's eyes, they were three thousand infantrymen and two thousand veteran soldiers of superior quality.
For a new recruit, it was an extremely generous arrangement.
But Cai Yang himself didn't care about that at all. He was only concerned with what Qi Fei had said earlier: that he could completely cure his son, Cai Quan.
"Actually, my method isn't complicated."
As he spoke, Qi Fei pulled Zang Ba into the middle of the group.
"Everyone, take a look at Xuangao."
As he spoke, he bestowed the Internal Qi Separation realm upon Zang Ba.
Then, to everyone's shock, Zang Ba broke through to Internal Qi Separation on the spot.
His aura was a little weaker than Ma Chao's, but it completely overwhelmed Chen Xi.
Qi Fei nodded to himself.
Now that was more like it. They were both at Internal Qi Separation. There was no reason the one he had created should be so much weaker than someone who had broken through on his own.
If Ma Chao had reached the late stage of Internal Qi Separation directly under the threat of death, then Zang Ba should be somewhere around the early or middle stages.
That was the proper level for someone who had broken through with his help.
As for Chen Xi, that guy should be called half a step into Internal Qi Separation. He was only fit to be compared with someone at Qi Solidification.
"This is my Mental Talent. It allows me to share my abilities with others," Qi Fei explained to the dumbfounded group.
"The plan I've made for your son is this: first, cure his lung problem. Then help him reach Qi Solidification and let his body recover. Finally, when we treat his heart, we'll have him break through to Internal Qi Separation. Its restorative power should then be enough to cure him completely."
It was a crude and simple plan, almost like folk medicine, but Cai Yang accepted it without the slightest hesitation.
The two immediately began discussing the specifics of the treatment.
For the most part, Qi Fei did the talking while Cai Yang listened.
As for everyone else, they were all gathered around to watch Zang Ba, the newly minted Internal Qi Separation expert.
Hua Xiong was still marveling at Zang Ba's good luck. He had broken through without having to risk his life on the battlefield.
Tong Yuan, however, turned to look at Chen Xi.
As an older-generation Internal Qi Separation expert, he could naturally tell what had happened to Chen Xi the day before.
At the time, he had wondered whether Chen Xi had obtained a Divine Stone Fragment and was using the power within it to break through.
After all, Chen Xi didn't meet the requirements for advancing to Internal Qi Separation, no matter how one looked at it.
But Tong Yuan had only just arrived, so he hadn't asked about it.
"Is there something you want to ask, Elder?"
The old man's sudden stare made Chen Xi feel a surge of pressure.
"Nothing. I was just thinking that Zihong's abilities are astonishing."
Tong Yuan looked away.
The gesture left Chen Xi feeling a little bewildered.
Of the four newcomers, Fa Zheng was the most shaken by what he had witnessed. He was among the civil officials, and he didn't even possess a Mental Talent, the mark of a wise man. So why did this man among the generals have one?
He had achieved so much in both civil and military affairs. Was he really only twelve?
Ma Chao, meanwhile, was thinking about something else.
So, once Cai Yang and Qi Fei had finished talking, he asked, "Zihong, is Internal Qi Separation the limit of your ability?"
That was right. Ma Chao was wondering whether Qi Fei could help him break through the Boundary.
If he could, wouldn't that make his plan to challenge Qi Fei move forward by leaps and bounds?
"Of course not. Second Master, could you come over for a moment?"
Qi Fei withdrew the realms he had shared with Chen Xi and Zang Ba.
Chen Xi immediately fell back to Qi Solidification, while Zang Ba's aura wavered a few times before he managed to stabilize at Internal Qi Separation.
Everyone couldn't help turning their gaze to Chen Xi.
Chen Xi himself didn't feel a thing.
"I'm still far too weak for Internal Qi Separation, so it's normal that I fell back. That's what Zihong told me."
Chen Xi trusted the judgment of an expert.
"If you have some free time, Zichuan, why not practice martial arts with me? That way, Zihong's kind intentions won't go to waste."
Tong Yuan invited Chen Xi to join his training group.
He had at least experienced breaking through to Internal Qi Separation once. It would be a shame not to train until he could reach it himself.
"Maybe next time. Next time."
The slacker let out a cuckoo's call.
"Then it's settled."
Tong Yuan spoke without realizing that Chen Xi was planning to keep putting him off.
"Don't worry, Elder. If he has free time, I'll send you a message."
Qi Fei had already seen through Chen Xi's intentions.
He could even guess how Chen Xi would try to fool Tong Yuan.
Practice martial arts?
Sigh, I'm swamped with government work. I really don't have the time.
Then why are you wandering around the streets when you're swamped with work?
Ah, this isn't wandering. I'm investigating the town's population and working conditions, and so on...
Why are you investigating every day?
Because conditions are changing every moment, and every day brings something different.
Can't you leave it to someone else?
Of course we have other people's reports, but some things need to be compared in person, or it's easy to get the wrong idea.
In short, every single thing he said sounded perfectly reasonable.
He could fool an old man like Tong Yuan with ease. Even Man Chong, who was in charge of the law and hadn't arrived yet, wouldn't be able to find fault with this line of reasoning.
But this excuse wouldn't work on Qi Fei.
Having read the original novel, Qi Fei had a simple rule of thumb: anyone who wasn't at their post was slacking off, and even those at their post spent half their time slacking off.
That was enough to catch about seventy percent of Chen Xi's daily slacking.
"Zihong..."
Chen Xi glared at Qi Fei with a sour look.
"Actually, you have a talent for martial arts. Don't let it go to waste."
Qi Fei looked as though he had Chen Xi's best interests at heart.
Chen Xi's son had inherited his talent for martial arts. In the future, he would be unbeatable among children his own age, an absolute powerhouse.
So once your Mental Talent takes shape, I'm making you practice martial arts too.
Ideally, you'll train to Essence Boundary Breaker. Then, once we've unified the country, you can work twenty-four hours a day like Kongming.
"Is that so?"
Chen Xi thought back. Before he had transmigrated, his original body had indeed achieved something in martial arts.
But he hadn't been so impressive that someone like Qi Fei, a cheater, should be praising him, had he?
"Zichuan, raise your leg."
Tong Yuan came over to Chen Xi with great interest.
Not knowing what was going on, Chen Xi raised his right leg.
"Thunk."
Tong Yuan gave it a casual tap, and Chen Xi clutched his leg and hopped three full circles in place.
"That must have hurt."
Watching Chen Xi, Ma Chao felt a phantom ache for some reason.
Little did he know that he himself had received the same treatment in the original novel.
"You're not quite Zilong's equal, but you're not far behind. You really are well suited to martial arts."
That single tap had given Tong Yuan a complete understanding of Chen Xi's physical condition, including his aptitude.
"Master Tong, I suggest Zichuan pursue Essence Cultivation," Qi Fei continued, never one to miss a chance to watch the fun.
"Zichuan's talent for spiritual power is just as extraordinary. His Mental Talent is all but certain to manifest, and that means he probably won't have an easy time advancing along the Internal Qi path."
Aside from being a little entertained by the situation, Qi Fei really was looking out for Chen Xi.
Chen Xi's Mental Talent gathered the scattered spiritual power of the people under his rule and passively changed the weather over his territory to make it more suitable for farming.
It could turn a poor harvest into a good one, and a good harvest into a bumper crop that filled the granaries to bursting.
Because of this Mental Talent, Chen Xi would eventually even shape the beginnings of the Imperial Will.
He could be said to have reached the limit of spiritual power cultivators.
Although spiritual power was different from the divinity of a Boundary Breaker, there were actually similarities in what came next.
In other words, to a certain extent, Chen Xi could be considered a God Boundary Breaker—or even something beyond that.
And in the future, an opportunity would allow Chen Xi to become a Qi Boundary Breaker.
If he also cultivated his way to Essence Boundary Breaker, he would become a Triple Boundary Breaker.
As long as Qi Fei didn't interfere, Chen Xi would definitely be able to compete for the title of the strongest in the world as a Triple Boundary Breaker. Just thinking about it was exciting.
"Essence Cultivation requires a great deal of nourishment," Tong Yuan said thoughtfully.
Essence Cultivation required intense physical training: lifting cauldrons to build strength on the outside, and using Internal Qi to temper the body on the inside.
It consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
Although an Internal Qi Separation expert could refine the Heaven and Earth Essence around them for their own use, they were still better off preparing some extra nourishing foods.
"That's just a matter of nourishment. I'll take care of it," Qi Fei said, thumping his chest.
With all the chickens you could eat at Qi Solidification and even Internal Qi Separation, how could anyone possibly lack nourishment?
Once you got tired of chicken, you could switch to pork; when you got tired of pork, switch to mutton. There was also venison, beef, donkey meat...
As long as the corresponding animal existed, Qi Fei could easily make someone into an Internal Qi Separation expert.
As for the Boundary, the main problem was that the current environment wasn't suitable for nurturing Boundary Breakers.
Besides, he could only split off two Boundary Breakers right now: one with a Boundary realm and one with Divine Will. It simply wasn't enough.
If he managed to break through in other areas in the future, he could see whether there was anything he could do.
"Everyone, you're welcome to join us in guiding Zichuan's training. Afterward, you can drink to your heart's content with me and get thoroughly drunk."
Qi Fei extended the invitation to the others as well.
Inviting Chen Xi alone would have been a little awkward, so Qi Fei simply called everyone over too. That way, they could help keep Chen Xi on track with his martial arts training.
Hearing this, Chen Xi began to feel that something was wrong.
Didn't this mean he'd become the meal ticket for everyone else to eat at Qi Fei's expense?
This was not looking good.
"Ha ha ha, Zihong, just don't complain that we have hearty appetites," Liu Bei said first.
After he spoke, the others chimed in as well.
Xu Chu in particular.
As an Essence Cultivator and a glutton, this assignment was right up his alley.
He was already imagining a future where he trained his muscles alongside Chen Xi.
Chen Xi shivered involuntarily.
From the moment Liu Bei spoke, Chen Xi had felt that his prospects were dim.
He didn't want to spend the time he'd worked so hard to earn for slacking off in a gym, comparing muscles with a bunch of muscleheads.
No, he couldn't just accept his fate.
"Everyone, weren't we discussing whether Zihong's ability could help someone break through the Boundary?"
Chen Xi spoke up.
Surely this was more important to these Internal Qi Separation experts at their limit?
"It's fine. We've already settled that. There's nothing wrong with turning back to it now."
Qi Fei said with a smile.
At the same time, he shared the God Boundary Breaker realm with Second Master.
Divine Light surged in Second Master's eyes, and the might radiating from him rapidly increased, nearly catching up to Qi Fei.
At the same time, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade Qi Fei had brought for Second Master let out a clear ring.
A green dragon wound its way out of the blade, growing larger and larger until it completely covered the long saber.
What had originally been merely an excellent weapon transformed into a lifelike Azure Dragon, coiling in midair.
At a thought from Guan Yu, the Azure Dragon dropped into his hand and turned back into a crescent-bladed saber.
But the lifelike Azure Dragon on the blade continued to remind everyone that what they had just seen wasn't a dream.
"Congratulations, Second Master, on successfully nurturing a Blade Spirit."
Qi Fei's tone made it sound as if a game system were congratulating player Guan Yu on upgrading his weapon to top quality.
The others also offered their congratulations.
"Much of this is thanks to Zihong's help. Otherwise, I'd still be far from achieving it."
Second Master said, his face flushed red.
"I only helped speed things up a little."
Qi Fei replied casually.
"Your Azure Dragon Spirit was already close to taking shape. You were simply held back by the conditions around you, and fell just short."
The fact that the weapon had transformed right after Guan Yu reached God Boundary Breaker, without needing any extra power poured into it, proved as much.
"Zihong is modest and refuses to take credit, but we mustn't overlook what he's done. Otherwise, people throughout The World will laugh at us for slighting a hero."
Second Master said.
"Exactly."
Third Master chimed in.
"..."
Qi Fei looked at the two men, somewhat helplessly.
How come no one believed the truth anymore?
"Fine. Second Master, do you need more time to comprehend it? It looks like the others are getting a little impatient."
Little Ma in particular. If he had a tail, he'd probably turn into a helicopter and take off.
"No, thank you. Please withdraw it, Zihong."
After taking a deep breath, Guan Yu said.
Qi Fei withdrew the shared realm, and Guan Yu's aura plummeted along with it.
But a brilliant Divine Light suddenly burst from his eyes, while the Azure Dragon on his saber let out a roar.
Second Master had forced himself to remain on the threshold of Boundary Breaker.
The others watched in amazement.
"I only have some ability along the Divine Path, so this realm is best suited to Spirit Cultivation. Just try to comprehend it, and don't get too absorbed."
Qi Fei gave them a warning in advance.
Then he had everyone go home and fetch their weapons.
Ma Chao was the first to return.
After receiving Qi Fei's Sharing, he roared again and again as he poured his power into the long spear in his hand.
But the spear didn't move at all, showing no sign of giving birth to a spirit.
When Qi Fei withdrew Sharing, Ma Chao fell back to Internal Qi Separation and looked as listless as an eggplant battered by frost.
Next came Zhang Fei.
He didn't insist on making a Weapon Spirit appear in his Snake Spear. He focused on comprehending the power, then left once he was done.
Zhao Yun and Hua Xiong were the same.
Cai Yang's treasured saber, which he'd used for a long time, nearly gave birth to a Weapon Spirit.
But perhaps because he'd long been troubled by his son's illness, worrying himself sick, he still fell one step short.
Last came Tong Yuan, a master of the Martial Dao and an expert in Secret Arts.
Before you continue