News that the General of the North-Suppressing had encountered the Di Army's main force arrived the day after the Seventh Prince was released from house arrest.
Early that morning, Li Jinshui was practicing his punches in the barracks when he was summoned to Governor Zhao Zheng's residence.
The governor said to Li Jinshui, "The General of the North-Suppressing... has run into the Di Army's main force! I hear it happened three hundred li to the east. There are more than two hundred thousand men between them, and they're fighting so fiercely the heavens and earth have gone dark! No probing attacks—they went straight into a fight to the death!"
Li Jinshui furrowed his brow.
More than two hundred thousand men.
How many would die?
The governor continued, "There's news from the Seventh Prince, too. The people who want him dead aren't in North-Rejecting City; they're in the Capital City. So the governor and the Personal Guard Battalion are no longer under house arrest. We can come and go freely."
Li Jinshui nodded, his face expressionless.
The house arrest was over.
That woman called Yun Ruoxi wouldn't keep an eye on him anymore.
But he knew this was only temporary.
The real storm was still to come.
Sure enough, worse news arrived that afternoon.
People began fleeing North-Rejecting City.
At first, it was the merchants. They loaded their belongings onto carts and headed south. Then ordinary citizens, carrying bundles and bringing their families, streamed toward the southern city gate.
The gate stood open, and no one stopped them.
But the more people fled, the more panicked those who remained became.
By evening, the city had descended into chaos. People filled the streets, their wails, curses, and cries of urgency blending into one. Some were looting, some were fighting, and some knelt on the ground, praying to the gods.
Li Jinshui stood at the barracks gate, silently watching the crowds of refugees.
Er Gou stood beside him and muttered, "Centurion, are... are we not running?"
Li Jinshui turned to look at him.
Under that gaze, Er Gou shrank back and quickly lowered his head. "I... I was just asking..."
Li Jinshui looked away and continued watching the fleeing crowds.
Run?
Where could he run to?
He was a soldier. Running away meant desertion, and if he was caught, he would die.
Besides—
He touched the panel tucked against his chest, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
The opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
That night, even more astonishing news came.
The Di Army's main force had sent someone over.
An Origin-Opening Realm expert.
They said he was the Di Kingdom's Third Prince, Huyan Lie's elder brother—Huyan Zhuo.
He was at the late stage of the Origin-Opening Realm, a cut above even Huyan Lie.
He had come to North-Rejecting City to avenge his younger brother and, while he was at it, take the city.
The news spread, and all of North-Rejecting City erupted.
Early the next morning, the southern city gate was shut.
The governor issued an order: During wartime, no one was permitted to leave the city. Anyone who disobeyed would be executed.
Those who hadn't managed to flee were trapped inside, wailing to the heavens and crying to the earth.
But no one paid them any heed.
Because outside the city, the Di Army had arrived.
Thirty thousand soldiers of the Di Army once again stood at the gates.
This time, their commander was no longer the badly wounded Huyan Lie, but a middle-aged man riding a massive black wolf and clad in a blood-red cape.
Huyan Zhuo.
Late stage of the Origin-Opening Realm.
He stood at the head of the formation, staring at North-Rejecting City's walls with a cold smile.
The Seventh Prince was already standing on the wall.
His injuries had yet to heal completely, and his face was still pale, but his imposing aura remained enough to make people afraid to look directly at him.
Behind him stood five guest retainers, including Yun Ruoxi, along with Zhao Zheng and a group of experts from the Personal Guard Battalion.
Li Jinshui stood midway along the wall, watching that distant, blood-red figure as his hand slowly clenched.
Late stage of the Origin-Opening Realm.
Stronger than the Seventh Prince.
This battle would probably be more brutal than any of the previous ones.
But he felt no fear.
Only excitement.
Because he knew that today, he would break through, too.
Night fell. Inside the barracks.
Li Jinshui sat cross-legged on his bed and brought up the panel:
[Name: Li Jinshui] [Realm: Inner Strength Realm (Middle Stage)] [Arts: Evergreen Art (Minor Mastery 12/500), Rock Body (Minor Mastery 0/200), White Tiger Blade Technique (Beginner 45/80), Iron Thread Fist (Beginner 38/60), Inch Step (Beginner 29/50), Marching Step (Beginner 0/40), Iron Shirt (Perfection), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Perfection), Tiger Walk (Perfection)] [Points: 428]
He looked at the 428 points and took a deep breath.
Tomorrow, the Di Army would attack the city.
Tomorrow, countless people would die.
Tomorrow, he might die, too.
But today—
Today, he would become stronger.
He looked first at Rock Body. Reaching Greater Mastery from Minor Mastery was still a long way off, but he could push it further.
[Consumed 60 points. Rock Body proficiency +60] [Rock Body: Minor Mastery (0/150) → Minor Mastery (60/200)]
The heavy qi inside his body grew denser, and the stone-blue hue on the surface of his skin deepened another shade.
He pressed a hand against his chest. The hardness beneath his palm felt like real stone.
Now he could withstand a full-power strike from someone in the middle stage of the Inner Strength Realm.
That was enough.
He turned his attention to White Tiger Blade Technique.
This was the technique he had practiced the hardest and used to kill the most enemies. It was also the one closest to Greater Mastery.
It was the key to his survival on the battlefield.
Going from Beginner 45/80 to Greater Mastery would take 235 points.
He had enough.
He thought it over, then decided to advance it to the threshold of Greater Mastery. He would earn the rest by killing on the battlefield tomorrow.
[Consumed 235 points. White Tiger Blade Technique proficiency +235] [White Tiger Blade Technique: Beginner (45/80) → Greater Mastery (0/300)]
Boom—
Countless memories flooded his mind!
They weren't scattered fragments like before, but a complete set of memories of combat!
A gigantic white tiger ranged through the mountains and forests. Every pounce carried the force of thunder, every bite was lethal, and every sweep of its tail could snap trees thick enough for a man to wrap his arms around!
Those memories merged with his own blade techniques. The viciousness of Wolf Killing Seven Forms and the ferocity of White Tiger Blade Technique fused perfectly!
He extended his hand, held it as if gripping a blade, and gave a light swing.
A streak of blade qi shot from his fingertips, leaving a shallow mark on the wall.
At Greater Mastery, blade qi became solid as a real object.
He nodded in satisfaction and continued spending points.
Raising Iron Thread Fist from Beginner 38/60 to Minor Mastery would take 22 points.
[Consumed 22 points. Iron Thread Fist proficiency +22] [Iron Thread Fist: Beginner (38/60) → Minor Mastery (0/100)]
The memories of the fist technique flowed into him, deepening his understanding of Iron Thread Fist. It combined hardness with softness. When a fist shot out, it was like an iron thread, its force penetrating muscle and bone. The punch seemed light on the surface, but its inner force drilled into the enemy like an iron thread, wrecking their organs.
Raising Inch Step from Beginner 29/50 to Minor Mastery would take 21 points.
[Consumed 21 points. Inch Step proficiency +21] [Inch Step: Beginner (29/50) → Minor Mastery (0/100)]
That strange sensation beneath his feet grew clearer. Within the space of a square inch, he could not only move in an instant, but also change direction while moving, advancing and retreating in ways that were hard to predict.
Raising Marching Step from Beginner 0/40 to Minor Mastery would take 40 points.
[Consumed 40 points. Marching Step proficiency +40] [Marching Step: Beginner (0/40) → Minor Mastery (0/80)]
Li Jinshui looked at the glaring [0] on the panel, but the corner of his mouth slowly lifted.
[Name: Li Jinshui] [Realm: Inner Strength Realm (Middle Stage)] [Arts: Evergreen Art (Minor Mastery 12/500), Rock Body (Minor Mastery 60/200), White Tiger Blade Technique (Greater Mastery 0/300), Iron Thread Fist (Minor Mastery 0/100), Inch Step (Minor Mastery 0/100), Marching Step (Minor Mastery 0/80), Iron Shirt (Perfection), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Perfection), Tiger Walk (Perfection)] [Points: 0]
Enough.
This was more than enough.
He stood and walked to the window, then pushed it open.
The night wind blew in, carrying a hint of chill.
He clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within him.
Middle stage of the Inner Strength Realm.
Evergreen Art at Minor Mastery, his inner force as vast and boundless as rivers and seas, flowing without end.
Rock Body past the halfway point of Minor Mastery, with astonishing defenses.
White Tiger Blade Technique at Greater Mastery, his blade qi solidified, one slash enough to cut down someone in the middle stage of the Inner Strength Realm.
Iron Thread Fist at Minor Mastery. Inch Step at Minor Mastery.
And the arts he had mastered to perfection—Iron Shirt, Wolf Killing Seven Forms, and Tiger Walk.
He was more than twice as strong as he had been three days ago.
Tomorrow—
He stared at the Di encampment in the distance, where countless points of fire gleamed.
Tomorrow, he would show those people what true slaughter meant.
He closed the windows, returned to his bed, and lay down.
He closed his eyes.
Monkey's snores reached his ears, along with the footsteps of patrols in the distance and the faint sound of the wind.
He listened to those sounds and slowly drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, he saw a gigantic white tiger standing atop a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, roaring up at the sky.
And he stood beside the white tiger.
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