The End

While Qi Fei was commanding the Crimson Blood Guard to kill and kill and kill, what was Sun Wu doing?

Answer: Using a military formation to snatch the spoils seized by Slaughter Absorption.

In reality, Sun Wu did not actually want to do this.

Going head-to-head against an opponent in a direction they had long prepared for is, most of the time, equivalent to seeking death.

But after numerous attempts yielded no results, he had no choice but to start from this angle to reduce the absorption efficiency of that legion.

Sure enough, this point was also within the opponent's expectations.

After Sun Wu began using his military formation to compete with the Crimson Blood Guard, similar formations were also applied by Qi Fei to his own men.

The kill-to-seizure ratio for the Crimson Blood Guard versus Sun Wu was 6:4, while the ratio for the rest of the soldiers was 5:5.

As for the portion killed by Sun Wu's army, the ratio between Qi Fei and Sun Wu was 3:7.

In terms of efficiency, Qi Fei was completely blown out of the water by the other side.

This was precisely why the Crimson Blood Guard had killed twice their own number yet were only just starting to smoke.

However, the kill efficiency of Sun Wu's army was extremely low, so despite the ratio looking frightening, Qi Fei still held the upper hand.

"Given the current situation, I imagine a counterattack should be coming soon; it is time to call upon the reserves."

While pouring all the seized spoils into the Crimson Blood Guard, Qi Fei issued orders to the rear.

On the opposite side, in order to reverse the unfavorable situation of his own side's kill rate, Sun Wu was modifying his Elite Talent on the spot.

Initially, to hold off Qi Fei's massive army, he had applied Muscle Defense, a defensive talent, to his legion.

But now, defense had no meaning.

Since that was the case, he would change it.

With the will of the entire army channeled out, he instantly dissociated the legion's talent and rapidly reconstructed it.

Isn't it just Heavenly Demon Disintegration? I can do that too.

At the same time, Cloud Qi swirled in the sky as several layers of military formations nested within one another, not only strengthening the soldiers but also imbuing them with effects targeting heavy armor, such as Piercing and Penetration Strike.

Whether my soldiers die or not is hard to say, but before they die, they must at least take one of the enemy down with them.

As the adjustments to the military formations and talents were completed, the results of Sun Wu's plundering surged.

However, the negative consciousness on the soldiers infused with this power also surged, gradually causing them to lose control.

But that didn't matter; I might be lacking in other areas, but integrating soldiers who have lost control is an instinct for an old man like me.

Sun Wu skillfully manipulated the rampaging soldiers to dismantle Qi Fei's legion.

Furthermore, in the process, he casually cobbled together a targeted talent to utilize this negative consciousness.

He ignited a spiritual fire of rage within the soldiers, then used the negative consciousness as fuel.

The more negative consciousness there was, the more vigorous the rage became.

In this way, he not only resolved the negative emotions but also converted them into buffs for himself through the rage, while simultaneously using the rage to handle the morale issues that were beginning to manifest.

Three birds with one stone.

Amidst the slaughter, as the negative consciousness increased, the rage began to transcend the realm of spiritual will and manifest in reality.

Real, tangible flames even ignited on the bodies of Sun Wu's berserk vanguard, making them appear like gods and devils of fire with every movement.

Even the super shields of the Huangfu Personal Guards could only withstand a single blow when facing them.

After one strike, the composite shields made of stacked steel and wood plates turned to charcoal on the spot, becoming completely useless.

"Now, let this old man see whether you break my center and rear armies first, or I dismantle your vanguard first."

Sun Wu looked at the current situation and let out a slight sigh of relief.

Even he hadn't expected that he would still have this kind of potential.

Back in the day, even when cleaning up after that living ancestor Wu Zixu, he had never been forced to the point of modifying talents on the battlefield.

The younger generation today is truly remarkable.

"Will-based attacks, and at a level that can completely twist reality—it really is terrifying."

Qi Fei watched Sun Wu's vanguard from afar.

The terrifying flames on those men left traces of burning even on him from such a distance; the power was truly astonishing.

I suppose the Saint-Fallen Cavalry, the Miracle Legion that specializes in will-based attacks, would be nothing more than this, right?

"However, it is still within my range of tolerance."

The twenty thousand reserve troops Qi Fei had prepared in advance had arrived on the battlefield.

In essence, they were merely armed laborers who had undergone some training; to ordinary generals, they could only be used for logistics.

They were indeed Qi Fei's logistics team originally.

But for Qi Fei at this moment, they were one of the crucial components in deciding the victory.

The Shared Talent was activated, and Qi Fei's mental power connected these twenty-thousand-plus men together.

Subsequently, their chaotic wills were channeled out, integrated, and, following Qi Fei's will, pierced through every soldier engaged in battle.

"Now, I will share the greatest privilege of the God Boundary Breaker with you all."

As Qi Fei's voice fell, the situation on the battlefield shifted once again.

Sun Wu's vanguard discovered that the flames, which had previously been invincible, no longer produced the same instant-kill effects when they landed on their opponents.

Even if they struck the enemy's vital points, the opponents could ignore their injuries and continue to strike back.

Some soldiers who had already been burned to charcoal even crawled back up, wielding their weapons to crack open the skulls of their enemies from behind.

The momentum of Sun Wu's vanguard was severed on the spot.

"To think that the will of mere common laborers could sustain an effect that resists death; it seems the importance of internal energy cultivation for a commander has increased significantly."

While sighing in admiration, Sun Wu prepared to take action to adjust his own military formation.

Resisting death looked intimidating, but ultimately, it had to be borne by the soldiers themselves; as long as one was well-prepared, it wasn't impossible to force a kill...

However, just at this moment, the Crimson Blood Guard, which had been accumulating power all along, finally reached its limit.

Qi Fei immediately severed all the negative consciousness suppressed by his Legion Talent.

Once the negative consciousness was severed, it instantly transformed into Shadow Soldiers that looked just like real people, and the main bodies of the Crimson Blood Guard were able to promote to a Three-Talent level on the spot.

This was the most shameless application of Slaughter Absorption developed by the Great General Dou Xian.

Slaughter Absorption plundered life essence to allow soldiers to grow rapidly, while the severed negative consciousness became Shadow Soldiers only a fraction weaker than the main bodies.

Moreover, after the Shadow Soldiers were killed in battle, they could continue to be summoned by accumulating negative consciousness through killing enemies.

Back when Dou Xian slaughtered his way through the Xiongnu, the Dou Xian Personal Guards, whose main bodies were of Miracle rank, each came with seven Shadow Soldiers as tall as the heavens.

In this form, the Dou Xian Personal Guards were capable of forcing a kill against any Miracle Legion.

However, Qi Fei's Crimson Blood Guard was significantly weaker than the Dou Xian Personal Guards.

The negative consciousness was being suppressed by the Legion Talent, so the Crimson Blood Guard themselves had not been able to temper their own wills by resisting that negative consciousness.

Furthermore, an unformed Legion Talent could suppress far fewer negative consciousnesses than a Miracle Legion.

Therefore, the Crimson Blood Guard were only as tall as the heavens, not Miracle-ranked, and each had only four Shadow Soldiers by their side.

Nevertheless, with the Qi Solidification army and the Three-Talent Crimson Blood Guard, their potential strength already surpassed the limits of the world.

Thus, under the intensity correction overflowing from the main bodies, the Shadow Soldiers could also exert strength as tall as the heavens.

This meant that suddenly, over ten thousand elite troops with strength far exceeding typical Three-Talent soldiers had appeared in Sun Wu's formation.

Even for the God of War, this blow was enough to be fatal.

"I've lost."

Sun Wu sighed.

It wasn't just this battle; he had lost the entire sparring match.

Qi Fei's command ability was not enough to completely surround and annihilate him; he could probably still lead six thousand soldiers of the same caliber as the Crimson Blood Guard to break out of the encirclement.

But it would be to no avail.

Sun Wu had already seen the future trajectory of the conflict.

Qi Fei would use chariots and cavalry to continue pursuing him, taking the opportunity to capture at least three cities and continue pushing forward until the second major battle began.

The result of the second battle would likely be a draw.

He would repel Qi Fei's army at the cost of at least twenty thousand young, able-bodied men.

After that, Qi Fei would shift to a defensive posture.

Relying on city walls and vast supplies, he would hold the cities, occasionally engaging in small-scale battles that would not affect the overall situation.

This "not affecting the overall situation" applied to Qi Fei.

For him, however, it would mean real, tangible population losses.

In the end, he would be worn down until he had no one left to use, with no strength for a counterattack remaining.

"Did you plan this from the very beginning? Truly remarkable."

Sun Wu sighed with a smile, then continued to command his army in an orderly fashion.

The soldiers, their anger ignited, attacked the Crimson Blood Guard without fear, only to be easily slaughtered by them.

In the end, the Crimson Blood Guard and the Shadow Soldiers completely surrounded the remaining four thousand of Sun Wu's army.

Sun Wu conceded defeat.

"...Would you like to try breaking out?"

Qi Fei felt a bit of regret.

Had he been too conservative before? Could he have actually called for more cities to join in?

"No need; you had already made all the preparations, hadn't you?"

Just by looking at the remaining chariots and cavalry that had yet to move, Sun Wu knew exactly how thorough Qi Fei's preparations were.

"Not everything is guaranteed to work, though."

Qi Fei said casually.

After all, this was the God of War; it wouldn't be strange if he pulled off something completely unprecedented.

"I can't deny that."

Sun Wu had a feeling that Qi Fei's preparations were likely even beyond his own expectations.

"The highest form of warfare is to attack the enemy's strategy—heh, I never thought that one day I would be defeated by a successor using my own theory."

When he wrote those words back then, he never imagined they would be fulfilled upon himself.

But now...

Sun Wu observed Qi Fei, who was still at a tender age, with great seriousness.

The moment Qi Fei mentioned the twenty cities, he had already made preparations for the subsequent war.

And at the time, he had still been harboring the mindset of educating a child.

He didn't lose unjustly.

"I have a certain level of self-awareness regarding my own command ability; if I want to win, I naturally have to be well-prepared."

Qi Fei felt no embarrassment about outmaneuvering an elder.

Before his own aptitude had stacked to a certain level, this was the only way he could hope to defeat the God of War.

In reality, if Sun Wu hadn't miscalculated the scale of the war, Qi Fei felt the probability of him capsizing would have been extremely high.

In large-scale army command, the more troops one has, the stronger the force.

Furthermore, an increase in soldiers would cause the Cloud Qi in the sky to thicken further, increasing the suppression on internal Qi cultivation.

If Sun Wu had brought thirty thousand regular troops, Qi Fei estimated that even if his entire army had achieved Qi Solidification, they might still have been crushed by the opponent.

Han Xin, in his first appearance, used thirty thousand troops to wipe out two hundred thousand.

Although two hundred thousand troops are actually much easier to dismantle than thirty thousand soldiers at the Qi Solidification stage, such a difference in intensity is nothing to a God of War.

And this wasn't even the limit for a God of War.

Creatures like the God of War could easily command a million troops on a single battlefield. Han Xin, who had maxed out his skills in troop quantity, could even handle over two million.

As for Qi Fei himself, in terms of pure command ability.

Well, previously, once he exceeded fifty thousand, his bonuses would drop; once he passed seventy thousand, the soldiers' movements wouldn't be as fluid; and once he passed one hundred thousand, they would start to interfere with one another.

The gap was so vast it was sigh-inducing.

"Exploit your own strengths and attack the enemy's weaknesses; it should indeed be so."

Sun Wu said approvingly.

While the two were speaking, the dreamscape had mostly dissipated, allowing the three of them to return to reality.

Liu Bei adjusted his breathing before he could adapt to and digest the dream he had just experienced.

"Are you perhaps..."

He asked with some excitement.

As the referee, he had naturally been able to hear the exchange between Sun Wu and Qi Fei.

"The highest form of warfare is to attack the enemy's strategy"—that was a quote from the classic work of the Sage of War.

"Don't say it out loud; the form I take after reclaiming my memories is not permitted by the Heavens."

Sun Wu stopped Liu Bei.

Although the Heavens weren't being too strict at the moment, they would still crack down on such blatant violations.

"However, your reaction speed is much slower than his."

Sun Wu looked at Qi Fei.

The preparations Qi Fei had made from start to finish were clearly not intended for an average commander.

A weaker commander would have seen their entire army collapse the moment they engaged in close-quarters combat with Qi Fei.

"I just happened to know some historical secrets, so I made some guesses."

Qi Fei said, mixing truth with falsehood.

"To prepare so much just based on a guess... Zihong, you really are... cautious."

As the referee, Liu Bei had been able to see the remaining trump cards in Qi Fei's hand.

"The Military School is no ordinary path; it is always good to be careful and cautious."

The more Sun Wu looked at Qi Fei, the more satisfied he felt.

"However, your command ability is only average among commanders of large armies, and I believe you have noticed this yourself."

Qi Fei had been fighting a rigid battle from start to finish, dragging things out so much that Sun Wu had fewer opportunities to showcase his own capabilities.

"You are still young; there is no need to deliberately avoid your weaknesses. Trying more often is the right path."

Even if you fail, you can still tangibly increase your command ability.

"I know."

Qi Fei nodded.

It was just that he was facing the God of War, wasn't it? If he didn't play a defensive, rigid game against the God of War, was he supposed to just wait for the opponent to show off their skills?

And even so, Sun Wu still managed to show off quite a bit against him.

Creating an Elite Talent on the spot based on the battlefield environment—even the Marquis of Huaiyin couldn't do that.

He was truly worthy of being a big shot who put all his skill points into his soldiers.

"As for your method of training troops, even I had never imagined it. It is truly remarkable."

Sun Wu praised.

Although the intensity of a talent would decrease when Internal Qi cultivation reached the later stages, at the same talent level, Qi Solidification was simply stronger than Internal Qi Condensation.

"Work hard. Perhaps you might actually realize that seemingly absurd idea of forming a legion out of Internal Qi Separation experts."

By then, even if Qi Fei wasn't good at commanding, he could rely on raw strength to crush his opponents.

"That is likely very difficult."

Qi Fei thought it sounded ridiculous just considering it.

He could only attempt to promote his troops to Qi Solidification after they had already formed a legion, but forming a legion out of beings whose self-will had reached the pinnacle of Internal Qi Separation...

"You have already defeated me; what else is there to worry about?"

Sun Wu said with a smile.

"That is different."

Qi Fei knew better than anyone how his victory had come about.

"It is the same."

Sun Wu denied Qi Fei's claim.

"For us of the Military School, the result is everything."

So, do not disappoint me, junior.