The journey back to camp was much slower than the way out.
The living supported the badly wounded and carried the fallen, inching their way back step by step. Nearly five hundred had set out, but fewer than two hundred returned, and almost half of them needed help just to walk.
Li Jinshui walked in the middle of the column, with Er Gou following behind. Only he and Er Gou remained of Squad Jia—Niu Er had died in the valley, his head smashed by a Di soldier's spiked club.
Er Gou hadn't said a word along the way. He just trudged forward with his head down.
Li Jinshui hadn't said anything either.
By the time night had fully fallen, the column finally saw the lights of North-Rejecting City.
The lights flickered in the darkness, bright and dim, as though they might go out at any moment. But they stayed lit, shining on and on.
Someone began to cry softly.
Someone else fell to their knees and kowtowed toward the city walls.
Li Jinshui stood still, staring at those lights, his face expressionless.
Three hours later, he was back in his cramped barracks.
The door was shut. The lamp was unlit. Darkness filled the room.
He lay with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling without moving.
From next door came Er Gou's faint snores. The kid had been dead on his feet; he'd fallen asleep the moment they got back.
In the distance, wounded soldiers groaned, old veterans coughed, and the night wind snapped the camp banners.
He listened for a while, then closed his eyes.
Tomorrow had its own troubles.
But tonight, he just wanted to lie there.
The next day, at the hour of Chen.
Drums thundered across the training ground as the entire Third Battalion assembled.
Every survivor had come. The badly wounded had been carried in, while the lightly wounded limped over. The dead would never return, but their places remained—empty, like rows of mouths missing their teeth.
Zhou Kui stood on the platform, his body wrapped in bandages. In the sunlight, the scar across his face looked especially savage.
He surveyed the ranks, his gaze passing over every face, then spoke:
"In yesterday's battle, 142 men of the Third Battalion fell."
The training ground was so quiet you could hear the wind brush past your ears.
"They were all good men," Zhou Kui continued. "Their names will be carved on the Loyalty Monument. Their families will receive compensation."
He paused, his voice dropping lower.
"Those who survived should remember this, too—you're alive because someone else died in your place."
No one spoke.
Li Jinshui stood in the ranks, his head bowed as he stared at the dirt beneath his feet.
Among those who had died in their place was Wang Tiezhu.
The man who had wanted to kill him.
He didn't know what he was supposed to feel, so he decided not to think about it at all.
Zhou Kui's voice rang out again.
"Among the brothers who fell was a squad leader, Wang Tiezhu."
Li Jinshui raised his head.
Zhou Kui's gaze happened to sweep over him. It paused on his face for a moment, then moved on.
"The position of squad leader is now vacant."
A low murmur rippled across the training ground.
Squad leader.
In the Third Battalion, that position ranked just below the Camp Commander and the sentry leaders. The monthly stipend doubled, the meat allowance rose to twenty jin, and the holder received three Blood-Qi Pills and a private room in the barracks.
More importantly, he could come and go freely from camp and enjoy himself in the city.
Who wouldn't want that?
"By the old rules." Zhou Kui raised a hand, silencing the murmurs. "The position will be decided by martial combat. Anyone at Body Forging Seventh Layer or above may sign up. Three days from now, the winner will take the title in the training-ground ring."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the ranks.
"This time, only one man will be chosen. Think carefully before signing up. On the ring, blades have no eyes. If you're killed or injured, you'll bear the consequences yourself."
The moment he finished speaking, the training ground fell silent for an instant, then erupted in commotion.
Li Jinshui stood where he was, unmoving.
He could feel several gazes around him.
Some people sized him up, some sneered, and others whispered among themselves.
"Anyone at Body Forging Seventh Layer can sign up? Isn't Li Jinshui at Seventh Layer?"
"Him? Would he dare? Seventh Layer against Ninth Layer? He'd be asking for death."
"I heard he saved Old Zhou and Xiao Sun, but so what? This isn't a patrol. It's a real fight, blade against blade. How does he expect to win?"
"Enough. He did kill more than thirty Di people, at least. Could you do that?"
"He killed more than thirty? That was on the city wall, with people holding them off for him. In a one-on-one fight on the ring, how many moves could he last?"
Li Jinshui said nothing. He glanced at them.
Then he turned and headed back to the barracks.
"Squad Leader!" Er Gou caught up with him. "Where are you going?"
"Back to sleep."
Li Jinshui didn't look back.
Registration began that afternoon.
Li Jinshui didn't go.
The next day, he still didn't go.
On the morning of the third day, Er Gou came running back from outside. "Squad Leader! Registration's about to close! Nine people have signed up already, and they're all at Body Forging Ninth Layer!"
Li Jinshui was practicing his saber.
He stood in an open patch behind the barracks, repeating the simplest movements over and over—chop, slash, sweep, cleave.
Wolf Killing Seven Forms had already reached mastery, but he kept practicing, honing his skill stroke by stroke like a beginner learning the saber.
The blade sliced through the air with a low, mournful whine, like a wolf growling.
Er Gou stood beside him, watching and fretting, but he didn't dare say another word.
Li Jinshui finished his final stroke, sheathed his saber, and turned around.
"Let's go."
Er Gou blinked. "Where?"
"To sign up."
The registration table had been set up outside the Camp Commander's tent: a long table, a register, and an old veteran with a brush in hand.
By the time Li Jinshui arrived, a crowd had already gathered to watch.
The old veteran looked up at him and opened the register. "Name and cultivation level."
"Li Jinshui. Body Forging Eighth Layer."
The moment he spoke, the crowd fell silent.
Body Forging Eighth Layer?
Wasn't he Seventh Layer?
Li Jinshui waited for the old veteran to write it down, his expression unchanged.
The old veteran hesitated, then wrote, "Li Jinshui, Body Forging Eighth Layer."
"All right. Tomorrow morning, at the hour of Chen, at the training-ground ring. No latecomers."
Li Jinshui nodded and turned to leave.
After he'd walked a dozen or so steps, a mocking laugh suddenly sounded behind him.
"Body Forging Eighth Layer? He dares show up? I thought he was something special."
Li Jinshui didn't stop.
Another voice rang out. "Kid, this isn't a patrol. There'll be no one behind you to take a blade for you. Think it over before you step into the ring—losing an arm or a leg can be worse than dying."
Li Jinshui still didn't stop.
Er Gou followed behind him, face flushed with anger, but he didn't dare speak up.
Only after they had walked far away did Er Gou manage to get the words out. "Squad Leader, those people..."
Li Jinshui raised a hand to stop him.
"Let them talk."
He kept walking, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.
Body Forging Ninth Layer?
Nine people at Body Forging Ninth Layer?
Perfect.
He needed a whetstone.
And the harder the whetstone, the sharper the blade it would hone.
The next day, at the hour of Chen.
The training ground was packed with people.
Nearly the entire Third Battalion had come. Even the badly wounded were carried in to watch the spectacle, squeezing into the crowd.
A three-foot-high ring had been erected in front of the platform. Thick wooden planks covered its surface, and colorful flags stood at each corner.
On the ring, a dark-faced burly man was loosening up. He released the blood-and-qi pressure of Body Forging Ninth Layer without restraint, leaving the spectators below struggling to breathe.
"That's Zhao Tieniu! A veteran at Ninth Layer in the Third Battalion. He's just one step away from Inner Strength!"
"I heard he killed two Di Centurions last year. He's vicious!"
"Who's going to fight him?"
The contestants went up one after another.
The first was at Body Forging Ninth Layer and wielded a pair of iron hammers, their heads bigger than his own. Once on the ring, he cupped his fists toward the crowd. "Who's next?"
Zhao Tieniu stepped forward. "I am."
They exchanged fewer than ten blows before Zhao Tieniu punched the hammer-wielder in the chest. He flew off the ring, coughing up blood.
The second contestant stepped up, also at Body Forging Ninth Layer, wielding a long spear. His spearwork was fierce, a venomous dragon bursting from its cave, forcing Zhao Tieniu back again and again.
But after twenty moves, Zhao Tieniu took a spear thrust head-on, charged inside his opponent's guard, and punched through the shaft. His second punch landed in the man's face. Blood covered it, and he passed out on the spot.
The third, the fourth, the fifth...
Zhao Tieniu fought five men in a row, winning four bouts and losing one—to a dual-saber wielder whose blades were too fast for him to dodge. He took a cut and lost the bout.
But the dual-saber wielder didn't get off easy either. In the next bout, another man wielding a staff beat him.
The fighters on the ring changed one after another. The spectators watched with their blood racing, their shouts thundering across the grounds.
Li Jinshui stood in the crowd, motionless, watching every bout.
He was memorizing.
Each man's moves, his openings, his habits.
Beside him, Er Gou was so anxious he kept rubbing his hands together. "Squad Leader, when are you going up? They'll have fought everyone soon!"
Li Jinshui said nothing.
On the ring, a burly saber-wielder had just won a bout. He stood there catching his breath, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before landing on Li Jinshui.
He grinned and called out, loud enough for the whole training ground to hear:
"You, the one at Body Forging Eighth Layer—why aren't you coming up? Scared?"
The entire crowd burst into laughter.
Countless eyes turned toward Li Jinshui.
Er Gou's face went pale.
Li Jinshui showed no emotion as he walked toward the ring, one step at a time.
The crowd parted to make way for him.
He reached the edge of the ring and leaped lightly onto it.
The burly man looked him up and down, grinning even wider. "Body Forging Eighth Layer? You sure you didn't come here to get yourself killed?"
Li Jinshui looked at him and spoke.
"You've fought three bouts. You won two and lost one. You lost because you got greedy and rushed in, trying to finish your opponent with one slash. He caught your opening."
The grin froze on the burly man's face.
Li Jinshui continued. "When you're standing still, your left leg bears three tenths more of your weight than your right. That means you've got an old injury in your right leg. Your last slash was with your right hand, but it's trembling now. You're exhausted."
The burly man's expression changed completely.
The crowd fell silent.
Li Jinshui slowly drew his military saber.
"You're done," he said. "Send someone who can still fight."
The burly man's face turned the color of pig liver. With a furious roar, he charged, saber swinging!
Li Jinshui didn't move.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the blade to come within three feet of his head—
Then he moved.
Tiger Walk—Tiger Pounce!
He shot forward like a bolt of lightning, closing in on the burly man in an instant! His left hand lifted to block the incoming saber, and a flash of steel flickered from his right—
Wolf Killing Seven Forms—Wolf Fang Bite!
One slash, two slashes, three slashes!
All three strikes landed on the burly man's blade, each one faster and heavier than the last! When the third came down, his sword flew from his hand. He staggered backward and dropped onto his backside!
The entire arena fell silent.
Li Jinshui sheathed his blade and looked down at the burly man sitting on the ground.
"Next."
The burly man scrambled to his feet and slunk off the platform.
Below, a deafening roar of cheers suddenly erupted!
"Good!!!"
"Too fast! I couldn't even see what happened!"
"Body Forging, eighth level? What the hell is this supposed to be, eighth level?"
Li Jinshui's expression didn't change. He stood on the platform, his gaze sweeping over the remaining Body Forging ninth-level fighters below.
"Who's next?"
The first to step up was the man with the twin blades.
He was small and wiry, but incredibly quick. His blades blurred into two bands of white light, attacking from every direction.
Li Jinshui didn't meet him head-on.
He unleashed Tiger Walk to its full potential, moving through the flashing blades like a nimble leopard. Every strike missed him by a hair, yet he seemed to dance along the edge of each blade.
Thirty exchanges passed, and sweat appeared on the twin-blade fighter's brow.
His blades were fast, but Li Jinshui was faster.
And after every dodge, Li Jinshui countered with a slash. It wasn't a heavy blow, but it always landed right on his opponent's opening, forcing him to pull back and defend.
"Are you gonna fight or not, damn it?" The twin-blade fighter lost his patience and launched both blades at once in a full-power strike!
That was exactly what Li Jinshui had been waiting for.
Both blades struck at once, leaving his center wide open!
Tiger Walk: Tiger Pounce!
Li Jinshui slammed into his opponent's chest, seized his right wrist with his left hand, and raised the blade in his right—
Wolf Killing Seven Forms: Wolf Charge!
The tip stopped half an inch from the man's throat.
The twin-blade fighter froze.
The entire arena froze with him.
Li Jinshui lowered his blade and took a step back.
"You lost."
The man with the twin blades stared at him blankly, then gave a bitter smile, clasped his fists, and left the platform.
An even louder cheer erupted from below!
But Li Jinshui didn't smile.
He turned to face the last person below.
The man hadn't moved once. He had stood in the farthest corner below the platform, watching everything with a cold gaze.
Peak Body Forging, ninth level.
His blood and qi were far stronger than anyone else's.
His name was Qin Lie, a veteran of the Third Battalion. He had served in the army for ten years and slain countless enemies. Word was, he should have been promoted to Squad Leader long ago, but every time, Wang Tiezhu had outperformed him. He had been waiting for his chance.
Now that Wang Tiezhu was dead, his chance had come.
Qin Lie slowly walked onto the platform, each step making it tremble beneath him.
He stopped three paces in front of Li Jinshui.
"You can fight," he said, his voice low, like a stone grinding across the ground. "But you've fought three matches. You're tired."
Li Jinshui looked at him and said nothing.
Qin Lie continued, "I haven't fought once. I'm fresh. What are you going to use to beat me?"
Li Jinshui finally spoke.
"My blade."
Qin Lie paused, then laughed.
The kind of laugh that made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.
He slowly drew the blade at his waist. It was a thick-backed saber, more than twice as heavy as an ordinary military saber.
"Good," he said. "Let's find out."
The two faced each other.
The air on the platform seemed to freeze.
Below, everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Li Jinshui's hand tightened slightly around his hilt.
The panel glimmered in the corner of his vision:
[Techniques: Iron Shirt (Eighth Layer 3/45), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Mastered), Tiger Walk (Minor Mastery 24/30)] [Realm: Body Forging, Eighth Level]
He was only six points away from mastering the footwork.
But he had no points left.
All he had was the blade in his hand.
Qin Lie moved.
The instant he did, he was like a collapsing mountain!
His saber came crashing down with the roar of wind and thunder, cleaving even the air apart!
Li Jinshui didn't block it head-on.
Tiger Walk! Sidestep! Dodge!
The blade skimmed past his ear, its gust of wind stinging his cheek!
Qin Lie's first strike missed, and his second came sweeping in right after it!
Li Jinshui ducked! Dodged!
The third strike came down in a chop!
The fourth was an upward slash!
The fifth was a thrust!
Strike after strike came like lightning, each one as heavy as a collapsing mountain!
Qin Lie's saber techniques had no flourishes, just the simplest moves, but every one had been honed a thousand times over, and every one aimed for a vital point!
Li Jinshui was driven backward again and again. He could only dodge and evade; he couldn't find a chance to counter at all!
Below the platform, some people began to sigh.
"It's over. Li Jinshui can't hold on."
"Qin Lie's too strong. He's no match for him."
"He's done pretty well just to make it this far."
Er Gou was so anxious that his eyes reddened. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Squad Leader! Keep it up, Squad Leader!"
Li Jinshui couldn't hear him.
All his focus was on the blade before him.
Dodge!
Dodge again!
Dodge once more!
But he knew he couldn't keep this up.
Qin Lie's saber strikes grew fiercer, while his footwork grew slower. If he dodged ten more strikes, twenty more, eventually one would catch him.
He had to—then, from the corner of his eye, he caught the instant Qin Lie's left foot touched the ground.
For that instant, Qin Lie's center of gravity shifted slightly to the right.
An opening!
It wasn't a major flaw, just a shift lasting a thousandth of a breath, but for him—
It was enough!
Tiger Walk: Tiger Pounce!
Instead of dodging, he threw himself straight at Qin Lie!
A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Lie's eyes, but he had no time to think. His saber came crashing down!
The two figures slammed into each other!
"Clang—!!!"
Metal rang against metal, deafeningly loud!
Everyone below the platform stared wide-eyed!
As the dust settled, the two stood face-to-face, their blades locked together, neither moving.
Li Jinshui's blade had caught Qin Lie's.
But Qin Lie's blade was only three inches from his neck.
Qin Lie looked at him, complicated emotions flashing through his eyes.
"Just now... why didn't you dodge?"
Li Jinshui said nothing.
He merely looked at Qin Lie as the corner of his mouth slowly curled up.
That smile made Qin Lie's blood run cold.
Then it dawned on him. He looked down—
Li Jinshui's blade was holding back his saber, but its tip pointed straight at his heart.
If he pushed forward another inch, Li Jinshui's blade would pierce his heart first.
"I dodged twenty strikes," Li Jinshui said softly. Only the two of them could hear him. "All to wait for this one."
Qin Lie was silent for a long time.
Then he laughed.
It wasn't a cold laugh or a bitter one, but a laugh of relief.
"Good," he said. "You win."
He lowered his blade, stepped back, and clasped his fists.
"I, Qin, concede."
The entire arena fell silent.
Then a tsunami of cheers erupted!
"Li Jinshui!!!"
"Li Jinshui!!!"
"Li Jinshui!!!"
Countless people shouted the same name until their voices went hoarse!
Below the platform, Er Gou was laughing and crying at once. He grabbed the person beside him and shook him wildly. "He won! The Squad Leader won! He did it!"
Li Jinshui stood on the platform and listened to the deafening cheers, his face utterly expressionless.
He lowered his head and looked at the blade in his hand.
A fine crack ran along its edge.
It had been left there when he took Qin Lie's strike head-on.
He sheathed the blade, turned, and walked off the platform.
Behind him, the cheering continued.
But he walked quickly, never looking back.
Back in the barracks, he shut the door, sat on his bed, and brought up the panel:
[Techniques: Iron Shirt (Eighth Layer 3/45), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Mastered), Tiger Walk (Minor Mastery 29/30)] [Realm: Body Forging, Eighth Level] [Points: 0]
He was just one point away from mastering the footwork.
He stared at "29/30" for a long time.
Then he stood, opened the door, and went to the open ground behind the barracks.
Under the moonlight, he began practicing his footwork.
One step, two steps, three steps.
One round, two rounds, three rounds.
Sweat soaked through his clothes, but he didn't notice.
The moonlight grew brighter, his steps grew faster, and gradually he became a blur—
Suddenly, he stopped.
Something inside him loosened.
[Tiger Walk proficiency +1] [Proficiency maxed] [Tiger Walk: Minor Mastery → Mastery]
A surge of warmth flooded into his legs. It felt as though the sandbags tied around them had suddenly come undone, leaving his whole body as light as a feather.
He leaped lightly and soared more than a zhang into the air!
When he landed, he made no sound, like a true tiger.
Li Jinshui stood beneath the moonlight, his fists clenched.
Body Forging, eighth level; blade mastery, perfected; footwork, perfected.
He raised his head and looked toward North-Rejecting City.
The lights there were still shining.
Those people were still asleep.
He didn't know whether they would have nightmares.
But he knew—
Soon, they would face a true nightmare.
Before you continue