Governor

Monkey arrived to report for duty on the morning of the fifth day.

Li Jinshui was practicing his saber technique in the open space behind the barracks when he heard Er Gou shouting from outside: "Squad Leader! Squad Leader! A new recruit is here!"

He sheathed his saber and turned around to see Monkey standing at the barracks entrance. He was wearing a brand-new uniform, and although he was still as thin as a bamboo pole, the color in his face was much better than it had been five days ago.

What stood out most were the injuries on his face—the scabs had already fallen off for the most part, revealing the tender, pink skin underneath.

"This medicinal powder is divine." Monkey leaned in, thrusting his face toward Li Jinshui. "Look at this, how many days has it been? Back in the Death Squad Camp, wounds like these wouldn't have healed for ten days or half a month."

Li Jinshui reached out and pinched his cheek, making Monkey wince in pain.

"Alright, you're not going to die." Li Jinshui pulled his hand back. "Get inside."

Monkey's quarters were arranged right next to Li Jinshui's—a private room. It wasn't large, but it was a hundred times better than the communal bunks in the Death Squad Camp where dozens of people were crammed together. Monkey stood in the room, touching this and looking at that, his eyes turning red again.

"Can you stop crying for once?" Li Jinshui leaned against the doorframe.

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

Li Jinshui couldn't be bothered to argue; he turned to leave, only to be called back by Monkey.

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

Li Jinshui paused, not looking back.

"Cut the crap. Once you're settled, get to the drill ground. We start extra training today."

He walked away.

Monkey stood where he was, watching his back, and grinned.

That afternoon, while Li Jinshui was leading Squad Jia in drills on the training ground, a messenger came running over.

"Squad Leader Li! The Governor has ordered all Battalion Commanders and Squad Leaders to proceed to the General's Mansion immediately for a meeting!"

Li Jinshui was stunned for a moment.

The Governor?

The supreme commander of the North-Rejecting City army, a master of the Meridian-Opening Realm, the legendary tough guy who was so protective of his own men that he could kick the Prefect's people out of his sight?

He nodded. "Understood."

He turned and instructed Er Gou to continue the drills, then glanced at Monkey—who was standing in the ranks looking nervous—and gave him a nod.

Li Jinshui straightened his armor and followed the messenger.

The General's Mansion was in the north of the city and occupied a vast area. Two rows of the Personal Guard Battalion stood straight as arrows at the entrance, each one possessing a thick, powerful aura; they were all at least at the ninth level of Body Tempering.

Li Jinshui estimated silently: if even the guards at the gate were at this level, the Governor's Personal Guard Battalion truly lived up to its reputation.

He entered the main gate, passed through two courtyards, and arrived at a spacious hall.

Dozens of people were already standing in the hall, all of them Battalion Commanders and Squad Leaders. Li Jinshui scanned the room and saw Zhou Kui standing in the front row, with Qin Lie and Zhao Tieniu also present.

Qin Lie winked at him; Li Jinshui nodded slightly and stood beside them.

Not long after, the sound of footsteps echoed from the back of the hall.

Everyone immediately stood at attention, falling into dead silence.

A middle-aged man walked out from the back hall.

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 black robe and no armor, yet just standing there, he felt like a mountain pressing down.

Meridian-Opening Realm.

That sense of oppression was on a completely different level from Zhou Kui, who was at the Internal Strengthening Realm.

Governor Zhao Zheng.

He walked to the main seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the people in the hall before finally landing on Li Jinshui.

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

Li Jinshui felt a jolt in his heart, but his expression remained calm. He stepped forward and cupped his fists in a salute. "Third Battalion Squad Leader Li Jinshui, greetings to the Governor."

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

"Eighth level of Body Tempering?" he asked.

"Yes."

"How old?"

"Seventeen."

Low murmurs broke out in the hall.

A glimmer of light flashed in Zhao Zheng's eyes. "Seventeen years old, eighth level of Body Tempering. Where were you promoted from?"

"The Death Squad Camp."

Zhao Zheng's eyes grew even brighter.

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

"Three months."

The murmurs grew even louder this time.

Zhao Zheng stared at him for a long while, then suddenly laughed.

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

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

"Eighth level of Body Tempering, climbed your way up from the Death Squad Camp in three months, and even won the decurion tournament." He spoke as he paced. "I heard from Zhou Kui—you took down nine men at the ninth level of Body Tempering all by yourself?"

Li Jinshui lowered his head: "Just lucky."

"Bullshit," Zhao Zheng laughed and scolded. "Lucky enough to beat nine men? Back when I was at the eighth level of Body Tempering, even beating one ninth-level fighter was a struggle."

He stopped and looked at Li Jinshui:

"Kid, I'll give you a chance."

Li Jinshui looked up.

"Break through to the Internal Strength Realm as soon as possible," Zhao Zheng said. "Once you break through, come to my Personal Guard Battalion."

The Personal Guard Battalion.

That was the absolute elite of the North-Rejecting City army. Every member was at least in the Internal Strength Realm, and their treatment was ten times better than that of an ordinary decurion.

Li Jinshui's heart stirred, but his face remained calm: "Thank you for your favor, Commander."

Zhao Zheng waved his hand: "Don't thank me yet. The Internal Strength Realm isn't easy to break through. Body Tempering trains the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, but Internal Strength trains the internal organs. It doesn't require hard labor; it requires a cultivation manual."

He turned and walked back to his main seat, picked up a token from the table, and tossed it to Li Jinshui.

Li Jinshui caught it and looked down—the word "Scripture" was carved into the token.

"You can go into the General's Mansion's Scripture Pavilion and choose an internal cultivation method," Zhao Zheng said. "Consider it an investment from this commander."

Li Jinshui gripped the token, his mind calculating rapidly.

An internal cultivation method was essential for breaking through to the Internal Strength Realm. Without a manual, relying solely on hard work, one would never even touch the threshold of Internal Strength in a lifetime. Outside, such a thing was worth at least several hundred taels of silver, and even then, it was priceless and rarely available.

He cupped his fists and said in a deep voice: "Thank you, Commander."

Zhao Zheng nodded, then as if remembering something, asked: "By the way, what body tempering technique are you practicing?"

"Iron Shirt."

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

"The eighth level."

Zhao Zheng was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Good lad, you've got grit," he said. "Most people switch techniques once they reach the fifth or sixth level of Body Tempering. Iron Shirt is the kind of thing that gets harder to train the further you go, and it consumes a lot of resources. You must have suffered quite a bit to reach the eighth level, right?"

Li Jinshui didn't speak.

The suffering he endured wasn't from training; it was from killing.

Zhao Zheng continued: "Once you enter the Internal Strength Realm, you can stop the body tempering technique. Most people do that—after reaching Internal Strength, they focus solely on internal cultivation. Body tempering techniques consume too many resources and advance too slowly; the cost-effectiveness is too low."

He paused and looked at Li Jinshui: "Of course, it's not impossible to cultivate both internally and externally. Your combat power would indeed be stronger than those who only practice internal arts. But that path is too difficult to walk—it consumes massive resources, advancement is slow, and it's easy to get stuck. Think it over carefully."

After hearing this, Li Jinshui already had his answer.

Massive resource consumption? He had the system; he just needed to add points, no resources required.

Slow advancement? He got points from killing, and points meant he could level up—it was plenty fast.

To him, dual cultivation had no drawbacks at all.

He looked up at Zhao Zheng: "Commander, I want to cultivate both internally and externally."

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

"Have you thought it through?"

"I have."

Zhao Zheng stared at him for a long time, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Good! You've got guts!" He patted Li Jinshui on the shoulder with enough force to nearly knock a man over. "When I was young, I wanted to cultivate both too, but unfortunately, my talent wasn't enough, and neither were my resources, so I could only focus on internal cultivation. Since you have the heart for it, I support you!"

He turned around, fished a thin booklet from his robes, and handed it to Li Jinshui.

"Take it."

Li Jinshui took it and flipped it open—Rock Body.

"This is a body tempering technique for the Internal Strength Realm," Zhao Zheng said. "It's much stronger than Iron Shirt, but also much harder to train. This technique isn't even cataloged in the Scripture Pavilion; it's my own private collection."

Li Jinshui looked up at him.

A rare look of nostalgia appeared on Zhao Zheng's face.

"I brought this technique back from a sect years ago," he said. "Once mastered, your body will be as solid as a rock, and ordinary blades will struggle to harm you. And..."

He paused, lowering his voice:

"This cultivation technique is the prerequisite for an even more formidable one. If you can master it to the Great Completion, I can recommend you for entry into that sect."

A sect.

Li Jinshui felt a jolt in his heart.

In the martial path of this world, the military barracks were merely the bottom rung; the true powerhouses were all within the sects. Only by entering a sect could one have the opportunity to break through to higher realms—Pulse-Opening, Origin-Opening, or even Profound-Connection.

He gripped the thin booklet tightly and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Commander."

Zhao Zheng waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across the people in the hall.

"Alright, everyone is here. Let the meeting begin."

Li Jinshui retreated into the ranks, tucking the Rock Body manual close to his body, placing it alongside the pouch containing fifty taels of silver.

He raised his head to look at Zhao Zheng in the seat of honor, complex emotions surging within him.

This commander was unlike anyone he had ever met.

Those others either wanted to harm him, use him, or watch him with cold indifference.

Only this commander had given him a chance the very first time they met.

Investing in him, supporting him, giving him a cultivation technique, and even being willing to recommend him to a sect.

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

It was not a smile of calculation, but something else entirely.

In this world, there were still people worth remembering.

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

His gaze swept over everyone present, his expression turning grave.

"I have summoned you here today because of a major matter."

He paused, then said, enunciating every word:

"The Northern Di have been making significant moves recently."