The Psychological Barrier That Must Be Crossed

"Whoa…"

"See that dilapidated little village ahead, shrouded in black mist?"

"That is the destination for this practical training exercise!"

Zhang Xianzhong reined in his horse, stopping at the front of the group, and turned to shout at the youths behind him.

His tone was much more serious than yesterday, clearly showing some concern about whether there would be casualties during this practical training.

Because the journey wasn't far, and they didn't have to leave the original official road for most of the way, only turning onto a small dirt road for the final stretch.

The team arrived at their destination in less than half an hour after leaving the city.

The young soldiers, who had just pulled their horses to a stop, quickly focused their gaze in the direction pointed out by the Eight Great Kings, Zhang Xianzhong.

What met their eyes was a small village surrounded by a low wall, completely silent.

There were no signs of people, nor could they hear any sounds.

Yes, not even any livestock or poultry could be seen; it was utterly dead silent.

A faint black mist, visible to the naked eye, permeated the small village, as if covering the entire village with a faint, hazy black veil.

Li Dingguo and the others, who had just arrived, felt an inexplicable sense of desolation well up in their hearts, and couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

"You little rascals, remember this: this faint black mist is a symbol of an area infested by Malevolent Spirits."

Zhang Xianzhong continued to explain, "This black mist is also called Yin Qi. The denser the black mist covering an area, the stronger the Yin Qi."

"The stronger the Yin Qi in a region, the more Malevolent Spirits there are, and the more powerful they are."

"Fortunately, the Yin Qi here wasn't originally in this village. It formed because after the Malevolent Spirits invaded and occupied this place, due to their special nature, they attracted the scattered Yin Qi from within dozens of miles of this area."

"Of course, there is a special type of Yin Spirit Land in this world, known as a forbidden zone for living creatures. It's generally difficult for ordinary people to see."

"From the coverage of this faint Yin Qi, experienced Martial Artists can tell that the ghostly entities residing within are only Level 1 Malevolent Spirits, and at most there will only be one or two Level 1 peak Malevolent Spirits."

"With your current cultivation realm, and since it is daytime, the Malevolent Spirits cannot exert their full strength. With sufficient preparation, you have the strength to completely exterminate all the Malevolent Spirits here."

His expression grew more serious as he looked at the silent young faces before him, and he continued, "Ghostly entities below Level 4 have not awakened their innate skills and do not possess those strange and unpredictable abilities."

"But if you encounter Anomalies with substantial bodies at Level 4 or above in the future, you must be extra careful."

"That type of Anomaly is much more powerful compared to low-level Malevolent Spirits."

"In a one-on-one situation, most human Martial Artists of the same level are not their match."

At this point, Zhang Xianzhong paused, then continued, "I told you yesterday that the best way to deal with Malevolent Spirits, besides the natural suppression of Blood Fiend Qi stimulated by military formations, is for Martial Artists to use their own stimulated Qi and Blood Power to disperse their soul bodies and completely exterminate them."

"Malevolent Spirits that are killed will leave behind a Soul Bead, which is a good thing."

"Soul Beads of different grades, besides being used as the central energy source for various formations, can also be used to concoct Spirit Nourishing Soup of different grades, which has a very good supplementary effect on the increase of a Martial Artist's mental strength."

"The method for concocting Spirit Nourishing Soup is recorded in some miscellaneous books in the small Library Pavilion you usually enter. I'm sure many of you have read them."

"Later, after you exterminate those low-level Malevolent Spirits, remember to collect the Soul Beads they drop to count your achievements."

"In the current Great Ming Dynasty, if official army soldiers fight against ghostly entities, Soul Beads are the only proof used to calculate military merit, and they are worth more than the military merit for killing enemies in ordinary battles."

"Alright, now dismount and prepare for battle."

"After the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, form up and attack immediately!"

As Zhang Xianzhong finished speaking, Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, and the other sixty-four young Martial Artists dismounted one by one.

They first checked their weapons and equipment, then, under the command of the four squad leaders, quickly formed ranks with serious expressions, waiting for orders.

The time it takes for one stick of incense to burn quickly passed. Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, and the other four squad leaders exchanged glances and shouted in unison, "All team members, activate your Qi and Blood Power!"

"Advance in four columns! Do not leave the formation without authorization!"

"Those who disobey orders will be killed!"

Yesterday, Zhang Xianzhong deliberately conducted targeted training for them, so they were not completely clueless about how to exterminate Malevolent Spirits.

Due to the special nature of this type of battle and the fact that it was a group operation, they had to strictly maintain their formation to prevent the Malevolent Spirits from exploiting any openings.

Therefore, strict military discipline was essential.

Zhang Xianzhong had repeatedly emphasized that military orders were like a mountain; once someone violated them, the commanding officer must immediately and decisively execute them on the spot to prevent chaos in morale, which could lead to irreparable consequences.

If this situation occurred in any army during battle, the consequences would be unimaginable.

A moment later, according to the plan discussed by each squad yesterday, Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi acted as the arrowhead, while Liu Wenxiu and Zhang Huier led twelve talented Martial Artists to protect the flanks of the team.

The remaining forty-eight young Martial Artists formed ranks in the center, arranged in four columns.

With everything ready, Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi, at the front, simultaneously waved their empty right hands forward without looking back!

With a series of neat and light footsteps, this fledgling young battle team silently and quietly advanced towards the entrance of the small village ahead.

Zhang Xianzhong himself, along with three of his trusted subordinates and over a dozen soldiers from the Logistics Camp, remained in place to wait.

Even Zhang Xianzhong himself did not follow to observe the battle this time.

He knew very well that practical training, especially this battle against Malevolent Spirits, was crucial for the future growth of these young Martial Artist soldiers.

Naturally, it would be best if they could win, but if they suffered heavy casualties, it would just be a matter of bad luck.

In this regard, not even Zhang Xianzhong could help them.

Without passing this test, this Youth Camp would never truly grow.

Killing the enemy was secondary; the key was for these young Martial Artists to overcome their own inner fear.

If they couldn't conquer the fear in their hearts, they could never become decisive soldiers, and their future help to the Rebel Army would be negligible.

Even if your Martial Path cultivation was good, it wouldn't matter.

Zhang Xianzhong stood in place, watching this group of Youth Camp soldiers head resolutely towards the village entrance about a mile ahead. Although he felt some worry, the look in his eyes was firm.

He could only hope they had good luck and performed well under pressure.

Especially the four he had placed high hopes on: Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, Liu Wenxiu, and Zhang Huier.

After this live-fire training exercise was over, he could let them grow on their own, no longer needing to coddle their development like a wet nurse.

Today, perhaps, would be the most important transformation in the lives of these young Martial Artists.