The Commander-in-Chief

Monkey reported for duty five days later, in the morning.

Li Jinshui was practicing his saber in the clearing behind the barracks when he heard Er Gou calling from outside. "Squad Leader! Squad Leader! We've got a new recruit!"

He lowered his saber and turned around. Monkey stood at the barracks entrance, dressed in a brand-new uniform. He was still as thin as a bamboo pole, but his complexion was already much better than it had been five days ago.

The most noticeable change was the wounds on his face. The scabs had already fallen off most of them, exposing tender new skin underneath.

"This wound medicine is incredible." Monkey came over and leaned his face toward Li Jinshui. "Look at this. It's only been a few days! Back at Death Squad Camp, wounds like these would take ten days to half a month to heal."

Li Jinshui reached out and pinched his cheek. Monkey grimaced in pain.

"Come on, you're not going to die." Li Jinshui withdrew his hand. "Get inside."

Monkey had been assigned a room next to Li Jinshui's—a room of his own. It was small, but a hundred times better than the bunkhouse where dozens of men had crammed together at Death Squad Camp. Monkey stood inside, touching this and looking at that, his eyes reddening again.

"Can you stop crying all the time?" Li Jinshui leaned against the doorframe.

Monkey wiped his eyes and grinned. "I'm happy, damn it! What's it to you?"

Li Jinshui couldn't be bothered to answer. He turned to leave, but Monkey called after him.

"Jinshui." Monkey's voice suddenly turned serious. "Thank you."

Li Jinshui paused, but didn't look back.

"Enough with the nonsense. Get settled, then head to the drill grounds. Starting today, we're adding extra training."

He left.

Monkey stood where he was, watching him go, grinning from ear to ear.

That afternoon, Li Jinshui was leading Squad Jia through drills on the training grounds when a messenger ran over.

"Squad Leader Li! The Commander-in-Chief has ordered all camp commanders and squad leaders to report to the General's Mansion immediately for a meeting!"

Li Jinshui froze for a moment.

The Commander-in-Chief?

The highest-ranking commander of North-Rejecting City's forces, a Pulse-Opening Realm expert, and the ruthless man rumored to have thrown the prefect's people out just to protect his own men?

He nodded. "Understood."

He turned and told Er Gou to continue leading the drills, then glanced at Monkey. Monkey stood nervously in formation and nodded at him.

Li Jinshui straightened his armor and followed the messenger.

The General's Mansion stood in the north of the city and occupied a vast area. Two rows of personal guards stood ramrod straight by the entrance, each one's aura deep and powerful. They were at least at the ninth level of Body Forging.

Li Jinshui silently assessed them. Even the guards at the gate were this strong. The Commander-in-Chief's Personal Guard Battalion truly lived up to its reputation.

They entered through the main gate, crossed two courtyards, and arrived at a spacious hall.

Dozens of people were already inside, all camp commanders and squad leaders. Li Jinshui glanced around and saw Zhou Kui standing near the front. Qin Lie and Zhao Tieniu were there too.

Qin Lie winked at him. Li Jinshui gave a slight nod and stood beside them.

Before long, footsteps sounded from the back of the hall.

Everyone immediately stood at attention. Not a sound could be heard.

A middle-aged man walked out from the rear chamber.

He was in his early forties, with a burly build, a square face, thick eyebrows, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's. He wore a dark robe without armor, yet just standing there, he seemed like a mountain bearing down on them.

Pulse-Opening Realm.

That oppressive presence was on a completely different level from Zhou Kui's Inner Strength Realm.

Commander-in-Chief Zhao Zheng.

He walked to the seat of honor and sat down. His gaze swept over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Li Jinshui.

"A new face," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but every word landed in their ears with perfect clarity. "Come here."

Li Jinshui's heart tightened, but his expression remained composed. He stepped forward and cupped his fists in salute. "Li Jinshui, squad leader of the Third Battalion. Greetings, Commander-in-Chief."

Zhao Zheng looked him up and down, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Eighth level of Body Forging?" he asked.

"Yes."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

Low murmurs rose through the hall.

A gleam flashed in Zhao Zheng's eyes. "Seventeen, and already at the eighth level of Body Forging. What unit did you come up through?"

"Death Squad Camp."

Zhao Zheng's eyes gleamed brighter.

"Death Squad Camp?" He leaned forward slightly. "For how long?"

"Three months."

The murmuring grew louder this time.

Zhao Zheng studied him for a long while, then suddenly smiled.

"Good," he said. "A fine prospect."

He stood and walked up to Li Jinshui, circling him once.

"Eighth level of Body Forging, climbed up from Death Squad Camp in three months, and won the squad leader competition." He spoke as he walked. "Zhou Kui told me about you. You took down nine men at the ninth level of Body Forging by yourself?"

Li Jinshui lowered his head. "I was lucky."

"Bullshit." Zhao Zheng laughed. "You think luck could beat nine men? When I was at the eighth level of Body Forging, I had a hard time beating even one at the ninth."

He stopped and looked at Li Jinshui.

"Kid, I'm giving you a chance."

Li Jinshui raised his head.

"Break through to the Inner Strength Realm as soon as possible," Zhao Zheng said. "Once you do, join my Personal Guard Battalion."

The Personal Guard Battalion.

It was the finest force in North-Rejecting City's army. Every member was at least at the Inner Strength Realm, and their treatment was ten times better than an ordinary squad leader's.

Li Jinshui's heart stirred, but his expression remained calm. "Thank you for your favor, Commander-in-Chief."

Zhao Zheng waved a hand. "Don't thank me yet. Breaking through to the Inner Strength Realm isn't easy. Body Forging trains the skin, flesh, sinews, and bones; Inner Strength trains the internal organs. What you need isn't more hard training—it's a cultivation method."

He turned and walked back to the seat of honor. Picking up a token from the table, he tossed it to Li Jinshui.

Li Jinshui caught it and looked down. The character for "Scripture" was carved into it.

"You can use that to enter the General's Mansion's Scripture Pavilion and choose an internal cultivation method," Zhao Zheng said. "Consider it an investment from me."

Li Jinshui gripped the token, quickly calculating in his mind.

An internal cultivation method was essential for breaking through to the Inner Strength Realm. Without one, no amount of hard training would let him reach the threshold, even in a lifetime. Out in the world, this sort of thing was worth at least several hundred taels of silver, and even then, you couldn't just buy one.

He cupped his fists and said solemnly, "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief."

Zhao Zheng nodded, then seemed to remember something. "By the way, what Body Forging method do you practice?"

"Iron Shirt."

"Iron Shirt?" Zhao Zheng raised an eyebrow. "What level?"

"Eighth."

Zhao Zheng froze for a moment, then smiled.

"Good lad. You've got grit," he said. "Most people change methods once they reach the fifth or sixth level of Body Forging. Iron Shirt only gets harder to practice as you progress, and it takes a lot of resources. You must have suffered plenty to reach the eighth level."

Li Jinshui said nothing.

The suffering he'd endured hadn't come from training. It had come from killing.

Zhao Zheng continued, "Once you reach the Inner Strength Realm, you can stop practicing your Body Forging method. Most people do just that. After reaching Inner Strength, they focus on cultivating their inner power. Body Forging methods consume too many resources, and progress is slow. They're simply not worth it."

He paused and looked at Li Jinshui. "Of course, there's nothing wrong with cultivating both inner and outer strength. You really are stronger in a fight than someone who only cultivates inner power. But that path is too difficult. It takes a lot of resources, progress is slow, and you can easily hit a wall. Think it over carefully."

By the time Zhao Zheng finished, Li Jinshui already knew his answer.

A heavy drain on resources? He had the system. He could just spend points—no resources needed.

Slow progress? Killing earned him points, and points could be used to improve his abilities. He'd progress quickly.

For him, cultivating both inner and outer strength had no drawbacks at all.

He raised his head and looked at Zhao Zheng. "Commander-in-Chief, I want to cultivate both."

Zhao Zheng looked at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"You've thought it through?"

"I have."

Zhao Zheng stared at him for a long while, then burst into laughter.

"Good! You've got guts!" He clapped Li Jinshui on the shoulder, hard enough to knock a man flat. "When I was young, I wanted to cultivate both inner and outer strength too. Unfortunately, I didn't have the talent or the resources, so I had to focus on inner power. Since you've got the ambition, I'll support you!"

He turned and pulled a thin booklet from inside his robe, then handed it to Li Jinshui.

"Take this."

Li Jinshui accepted it and opened it. The title read Rock Body.

"This is a Body Forging method for the Inner Strength Realm," Zhao Zheng said. "It's much stronger than Iron Shirt, but much harder to master too. It isn't even in the Scripture Pavilion. It's one of my personal treasures."

Li Jinshui looked up at him.

For once, Zhao Zheng's face showed a trace of emotion.

"I brought this method back from a sect years ago," he said. "Once you master it, your body will be like bedrock, and ordinary blades and swords won't be able to hurt you. And..."

He paused and lowered his voice.

"This method is a prerequisite for an even more powerful technique. If you can master it, I can recommend you to join that sect."

A sect.

Li Jinshui's heart jolted.

In this world, the army was only the lowest rung of martial cultivation. The truly powerful people were all in sects. Only by joining a sect would he have a chance to reach even higher realms—Pulse-Opening, Origin-Opening, and even Profound Opening.

He gripped the thin booklet and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief."

Zhao Zheng waved a hand and looked across the hall.

"All right, everyone's here. Let's begin."

Li Jinshui returned to the ranks and tucked the Rock Body booklet close to his chest, beside his bag of fifty taels of silver.

He looked up at Zhao Zheng in the seat of honor, a tangle of emotions churning inside him.

This Commander-in-Chief was different from everyone else he had met.

The others had either wanted to harm him, use him, or look down on him from the sidelines.

But this Commander-in-Chief had given him a chance the very first time they met.

He was investing in him, supporting him, giving him a cultivation method, and even willing to recommend him to a sect.

Li Jinshui lowered his head, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

It wasn't a calculating smile. It was something else.

There were still people in this world worth remembering.

Zhao Zheng cleared his throat, and the hall immediately fell silent.

His gaze swept over each person, his expression growing serious.

"I called you here today because something big has happened."

He paused, then said each word deliberately:

"The Northern Di have been making major moves lately."