The Campaign

A purple-haired man with a resolute face and an unmistakably iron-fisted manner sat quietly in his seat.

Watching several people fiercely denounce one another at the meeting, Slod would have run long ago if he hadn't known that a Saint Realm powerhouse stood behind them.

A genius, Slod had joined the military at sixteen. By twenty-one, he had reached the level of a Level 6 Warrior. After receiving extensive training from the army, he officially advanced to Level 7 at twenty-seven, reached Level 8 at thirty-eight, and became a Level 9 Warrior at sixty-four.

Slod had always believed himself to be a true genius. That was, until he became a Level 9 Warrior at sixty-four. Now, at two hundred and sixty-eight, a full two hundred and two years later, his strength remained in the late stages of Level 9. Even a former comrade who had once seemed unremarkable had steadily, painstakingly closed the gap with him, starting from Level 4, and eventually surpassed him.

Slod had been jealous, but the feeling hadn't clouded his judgment. After all, he too had humble roots. He had risen from the common folk, step by step, to become the Violet Thorn Duke of the Anlan Kingdom.

His life was already the stuff of legend. But the further one progressed in cultivation, the harder it became. He had been stuck in the late stages of Level 9 for nearly a century. Without some unexpected turn of events, he would most likely never reach the peak of Level 9.

Until a few years ago, Slod had still held that belief. Perhaps because his talent had once allowed him to surpass countless others, he could now understand the people he had left behind when someone surpassed him.

Perhaps his talent had reached its limit at the late stages of Level 9. This was probably as far as he would get in this life.

But when an opportunity presented itself, Slod had seized it without hesitation.

A peak Level 9 powerhouse from the Fenlai Kingdom.

Within the Anlan Kingdom, many Level 9 powerhouses were in much the same situation as Slod. They had seemed to advance smoothly into the ranks of Level 9 Warriors, but every bit of progress beyond that was agonizingly difficult.

That was what happened when one's talent ran dry.

So when someone offered them a helping hand, none of the seventeen present had hesitated.

Why did peak Level 9 powerhouses enjoy a far more exalted status than those in the late stages of Level 9, despite the relatively small gap in strength?

The truth was, peak Level 9 Warriors had cultivated their Battle Qi to the very limit of their potential. That meant they could step into the Saint Realm at any moment.

That was what made their status so extraordinary.

"If you ask me, we should choose someone to make an example of. Otherwise, by the time it matters, these people won't just refuse to support us—they may even turn around and drag us down."

Everyone at this meeting was a Level 9 powerhouse. Among the seventeen of them, Kevin was one of the more impulsive. He had been a genius from childhood and had enjoyed plenty of advantages because of his talent. But when he hit a bottleneck and could no longer make progress, he had joined the Resistance Army without a second thought.

Kevin's talent wasn't particularly impressive compared to the others. After more than a century of cultivation, he had only reached the early stages of Level 9. That made him neither strong nor weak among those present. After all, if he were truly weak, he wouldn't have been invited to this meeting.

Most of the people here had once been dukes, though a few still bore the title of Earl. With his relatively low strength and bottom-rung status, Kevin wanted to prove his worth. Ideally, he would gather a few people and kill a disobedient Level 9 Warrior, establishing his position in the process.

"Who do you want to kill? Tell us first. Maybe I'm thinking the same thing."

The speaker was also among the weaker members of the group, with strength in the early stages of Level 9. That was why he had joined forces with the other early-stage Level 9 Warriors among the seventeen.

"If you ask me, we should kill that old fellow who's become so famous in recent years. They say he rules over seven or eight million people, and his territory is rich in iron ore. We could equip the army with better gear afterward."

Slod, who had been distracted, suddenly heard them mention a territory that sounded familiar. He gathered his thoughts and looked at the men with a mocking smile. "You aren't thinking of targeting Starfire City, are you?"

"Well, well, well. Looks like the Violet Thorn Duke has the same idea as us." An old man with a hooked nose raised his narrow eyes, surprise plain in his gaze.

"I have no such intention. If you go, I won't stop you. I might just have to help you find a nice spot to bury you, so your descendants can benefit from your remains." Slod smiled faintly as he spoke.

"Violet Thorn Duke, do you think they could still be killed even if they attacked together?" asked the man seated at the head of the table.

"Your Excellency, Golden Grand Duke, don't underestimate that man. My territory is closest to his, so I know exactly how powerful he is. I once thought nothing of his strength, but that changed thirty years ago. By then, he had already surpassed me. Now, he has most likely reached the peak of Level 9. A few ordinary Level 9 Warriors working together probably wouldn't be a match for him."

At Slod's explanation, the man seated at the head of the table, known as the Golden Grand Duke, put aside his initial disdain.

No one except a Saint Realm powerhouse would dare look down on a peak Level 9 powerhouse.

Such a person could go from pawn to player at any moment. The reason he himself could be called the Golden Grand Duke was that his strength had reached the peak of Level 9, making him a seed of the Saint Realm with the potential to advance at any time.

If he could avoid making enemies, he would.

After all, if this man broke through to the Saint Realm, so long as they hadn't offended him, they probably wouldn't lose their lives.

If a Saint Realm powerhouse were willing to step forward and establish a kingdom, none of them would choose to oppose him. At worst, their plans for this operation would fail.

As for the possibility that a Saint Realm powerhouse might suddenly appear in the Anlan Kingdom to support the Anlan Royal Family, they could simply ask the Saint Realm powerhouse behind them to mediate.

At worst, the mission would fail. But it wouldn't be their fault for losing a battle, so their standing wouldn't change. In fact, with more than ten Level 9 Warriors at their disposal, their status might even improve.

Though compared to the prospect of breaking through to the Saint Realm, such an increase in status was nothing.

"If he might be a peak Level 9 powerhouse, then we should avoid him if possible."

Carl, far away, had no idea that she had nearly become the sacrificial chicken meant to scare the others. But the Resistance Army needed to consolidate the provinces, so someone else would inevitably end up as that chicken.