Rock Body

As Zhao Zheng's voice fell, the hall went so quiet that one could hear the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window.

The Northern Di are making a major move.

These six words felt like six heavy stones pressing against everyone's chest.

Zhao Zheng walked back to the main seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the people in the hall as he spoke slowly:

"Scouts have reported that the Di Kingdom is currently massing its forces. The banners of every tribe on the grasslands are converging toward the royal court; there are no fewer than two hundred thousand of them."

Two hundred thousand.

Li Jinshui quickly did the math in his head—the garrison at North-Rejecting City, even counting everyone, was less than fifty thousand. Even adding the forces from the surrounding cities, it barely exceeded one hundred thousand.

Two hundred thousand against one hundred thousand, and against the Northern Di cavalry, who were renowned for their ferocity.

This battle would not be easy to fight.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Commander, are the Di people planning to attack North-Rejecting City?"

Zhao Zheng shook his head: "Not for the time being. Their main force is targeting the east."

He stood up and walked to the map hanging on the wall, pointing his finger at a location three hundred miles east of North-Rejecting City.

"Yanmen Pass."

The crowd gasped.

Yanmen Pass was the Great Zhou's primary fortress in the north, guarding the vital route to the capital. Once Yanmen Pass fell, the Di iron cavalry could reach the gates of the capital in three days.

"The imperial court has already received the news," Zhao Zheng said. "His Majesty has issued a decree ordering the Great General of the North to lead one hundred and fifty thousand troops to Yanmen Pass to meet the enemy. At the same time, the royal family will also send experts to support various regions."

He paused, turning to look at everyone:

"Although our North-Rejecting City is not on the main battlefield, we are the closest to the Di border. Just because their main force is attacking Yanmen Pass does not mean they will spare us."

His finger moved across the map, pointing to several locations around North-Rejecting City.

"Here, here, and here—these are the routes the Di cavalry habitually use to infiltrate. Once they send a detachment to bypass Yanmen Pass and attack our flanks, North-Rejecting City will be the first to bear the brunt."

The hall fell into silence.

Li Jinshui stared at the map, calculating rapidly in his mind.

A detachment meant they wouldn't be in large numbers. A few thousand, ten thousand at most.

But even a few thousand Di soldiers would be enough to spell disaster for North-Rejecting City. Last time, three hundred Di soldiers slaughtered hundreds of villagers, and the Third Battalion lost over a hundred men. If several thousand came—

He clenched his fists tightly.

Zhao Zheng's voice continued:

"Therefore, the reason I called you here today is simple: prepare for war."

His gaze swept over everyone, sharp as a blade:

"From today on, all battalion commanders and squad leaders must seize every moment to improve their strength. Practice your techniques, kill the enemy. Every level you advance gives you a better chance of surviving the great war."

He walked to the center of the hall, standing with his hands behind his back, his voice sounding as if it were being hammered out from his chest:

"Only those in the Channel Opening Realm can sit securely on the fishing platform."

"The Inner Strength Realm is merely the ability to protect oneself."

"Body Forging—"

He paused, his gaze landing on Li Jinshui before sweeping over the others:

"Body Forging is nothing but cannon fodder."

Cannon fodder.

Li Jinshui was all too familiar with those two words.

Three months ago, he was cannon fodder.

Now he was a squad leader at the eighth level of Body Forging, yet in the eyes of this commander, he was still cannon fodder.

Zhao Zheng continued: "I know some of you think that the eighth or ninth level of Body Forging is already quite impressive. But let me tell you, in a real war, the Body Forging Realm is just there to fill the gaps. The elite of the Di start at the seventh level of Body Forging at a minimum; their squad leaders are at least at the ninth level, and their centurions are all in the Inner Strength Realm."

His voice grew heavier:

"How many of you could return alive if you encountered a centurion?"

No one answered.

Because everyone knew the answer—hardly any.

"Therefore," Zhao Zheng said, enunciating every word, "if you want to live, you must fight with your life to climb higher. If the ninth level of Body Forging isn't enough, push for Inner Strength. If mid-stage Inner Strength isn't enough, push for late-stage. If late-stage isn't enough, push for the Channel Opening Realm."

He walked back to the main seat and sat down again:

"For the coming period, rewards for military merit will be doubled. Blood-Qi Pills, cultivation manuals, weapons—as long as it can improve your strength, the General's Mansion will provide it without limit. All you need to do is kill the enemy, train, and stay alive."

He waved his hand:

"Dismissed."

The group saluted and exited the hall one by one.

Li Jinshui walked among the crowd, his hands tucked into his robes, feeling the weight of the Rock Body manual and the pouch of silver.

Inner Strength Realm.

He had to break through as soon as possible.

As he stepped out of the General's Mansion, Qin Lie leaned in, lowering his voice to ask, "Squad Leader Li, did the Governor give you a secret technique?"

Li Jinshui nodded.

Qin Lie's eyes lit up. "What technique?"

"Rock Body."

Qin Lie froze for a moment, then sucked in a sharp breath. "Damn, that's the Governor's private collection! I heard that once you master it, you can stand there and let people hack at you without taking a scratch! You lucky bastard, you've hit the jackpot!"

Li Jinshui smiled but said nothing.

Hit the jackpot?

That would only happen if he could actually master it.

By the time he returned to the camp, it was already dark.

Li Jinshui first went to the Squad Jia barracks and briefly summarized the contents of the meeting. Er Gou and the others turned pale, but only Monkey sat in the corner, silent, his eyes shining with a frightening intensity.

After the meeting, Li Jinshui called Monkey outside.

"Scared?"

Monkey shook his head. "Scared of what? Back in the Death Squad Camp, we were waiting for death every single day. Now that there's at least a path to survival, what's there to be afraid of?"

He looked at Li Jinshui and suddenly asked, "Jinshui, you said earlier that Body Forging is just cannon fodder?"

Li Jinshui nodded.

Monkey grinned. "Then I need to level up faster. I can't keep dragging you down."

Li Jinshui looked at him without a word, simply patting his shoulder.

Back in his own quarters, Li Jinshui lit a lamp and took out the Rock Body manual, flipping it open.

The technique was far more complex than Iron Shirt; even the entry-level stage required coordinating internal energy cultivation to guide qi into the body and temper the internal organs. Once mastered, the skin would take on a faint, slate-blue hue, and ordinary blades would leave nothing but a white mark.

As he read, he pulled up his interface:

[High-level Body Forging technique detected... Recording...]
[Recording successful: Rock Body]
[Cultivation requirement: Inner Strength Realm]
[Currently unable to cultivate]

Li Jinshui stared at the text, silent for a while.

Inner Strength Realm.

He had to break through to the Inner Strength Realm first.

And to break through, he needed an internal cultivation method.

He looked down at the Scripture Pavilion token in his robes.

Tomorrow.

He would go tomorrow.

The night wind blew in through the window, causing the candlelight to flicker.

Li Jinshui looked up at the window—the night sky over North-Rejecting City was pitch black, devoid of a moon, with only a few sparse stars.

He suddenly recalled the face of Li Houde, remembered him saying, "We are family, after all," and recalled the way his hand had trembled slightly when he handed over that pouch of silver.

He also remembered Li Jinbao lying on the ground, his face covered in blood.

He withdrew his gaze and continued reading the manual in his hands.

Those matters were not urgent.

What mattered most now was surviving and becoming stronger.

The great war was coming.

He had to break through to the Inner Strength Realm before then.

And then—

He touched the pouch of silver, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile.

Then, he would go and settle the accounts that needed settling.

The night deepened.

In a barrack of the Third Battalion in North-Rejecting City, the candlelight burned until the early hours of the morning.