"Whoa..."
"Do you see that ruined little village ahead, shrouded in black mist?"
"That is the destination of this live combat training!"
Zhang Xianzhong reined in his horse with one hand. Riding at the very front, he came to a stop and turned to shout at the youths behind him.
His tone was far more solemn than it had been yesterday. Clearly, he too was worried that casualties might occur during this live combat training.
The journey had not been far, and they had not needed to leave the official road along the way. Only during the final stretch had the main road turned into a narrow dirt path after a bend.
From the moment this party left the city, it had taken less than half an hour to reach their destination.
The young soldiers who had just reined in their mounts hurriedly focused their eyes in the direction indicated by Zhang Xianzhong, one of the Eight Great Kings.
Before them lay a small village enclosed by low walls, utterly silent.
There was not a trace of human life within, nor could they hear any sound.
Yes, not even livestock or poultry could be seen. It was dead silent.
A faint black mist, visible to the naked eye, filled the village, as though a shadowy black veil had been draped over the entire place.
As soon as Li Dingguo and the others arrived, an inexplicable desolation welled up in their hearts, and they could not help shuddering with goosebumps.
"You little ones must remember this: this faint black mist is the sign of an area occupied by Malevolent Spirits."
Zhang Xianzhong continued his explanation. "This black mist is also called Yin Qi. The denser the black mist covering an area, the denser its Yin Qi."
"The denser the Yin Qi in a place, the more Malevolent Spirits there are, and the stronger they become."
"Fortunately, the Yin Qi here did not originally exist in this village. After the Malevolent Spirits invaded and settled here, their unique nature drew in the scattered Yin Qi from dozens of li around this area, eventually forming this."
"Of course, there is also a special kind of Yin Spirit Land in this world, known as a forbidden zone for creatures of flesh and blood. Ordinary people rarely get to see one."
"From the thin layer of Yin Qi here, an experienced Martial Artist can tell that the ghosts lurking within are only Grade One Malevolent Spirits. At most, there may be one or two Grade One peak Malevolent Spirits among them."
"With your current cultivation, and with it being daytime, when Malevolent Spirits cannot exert their full strength, you have the ability to wipe out all the Malevolent Spirits here as long as you make sufficient preparations."
His expression grew increasingly grave. Looking at the silent young faces before him, he continued, "Ghosts below Grade Four have not awakened their innate skills, nor do they possess those unfathomable and bizarre methods."
"But if you encounter those strange beings of Grade Four or above in the future, whose bodies are as solid as flesh, you must be especially careful."
"Those kinds of strange beings are far more formidable than low-grade Malevolent Spirits."
"Against such existences, human Martial Artists of the same rank would usually be no match for them in a one-on-one fight."
At this point, Zhang Xianzhong paused before adding, "I told you yesterday that the best ways to deal with Malevolent Spirits, aside from the Blood Fiend Qi generated by military formations, which naturally restrains them, are for Martial Artists to use the Qi and Blood Power they awaken within themselves to scatter their soul bodies and destroy them completely."
"Every Malevolent Spirit killed will leave behind a Soul Bead. Those are good things."
"Soul Beads of different grades can not only serve as the core energy source for all kinds of formations, but can also be used to prepare Spirit Nourishing Soup of different grades. They have an excellent supportive effect on improving a Martial Artist's Mental Energy."
"The methods for preparing Spirit Nourishing Soup are recorded in some miscellaneous books in the small Library Pavilion you usually visit. I imagine quite a few of you have read them."
"After you kill those low-grade Malevolent Spirits later, remember to collect the Soul Beads they drop, so your battle achievements can be counted."
"In the current Great Ming Dynasty, when government soldiers fight ghosts, Soul Beads are the sole proof used to calculate military merit. Their value is somewhat higher than the merit awarded for killing enemies in ordinary battles."
"Alright. Dismount now and make your preparations for battle."
"In the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, form up and launch your attack immediately!"
As Zhang Xianzhong's voice fell, Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, and the other sixty-four young Martial Artists swung down from their horses one after another.
They first inspected their weapons and equipment, then swiftly formed ranks under the command of the four squad leaders, their faces solemn as they awaited orders.
The time it took for one incense stick to burn quickly passed. Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, and the other two squad leaders exchanged glances, then shouted in unison, "All members, awaken your Qi and Blood Power!"
"Advance in four columns! No one is to leave formation without authorization!"
"Those who disobey orders will be killed!"
Yesterday, Zhang Xianzhong had deliberately given them targeted training, so they were not entirely clueless about how to destroy Malevolent Spirits.
Because of the special nature of this kind of battle, and because they were fighting as a group, they had to maintain their formation strictly, lest the Malevolent Spirits find an opening to exploit.
Therefore, strict military discipline was indispensable.
Zhang Xianzhong had emphasized many times that military orders were as immovable as mountains. Once someone violated them, the commanding general had to execute that person on the spot without hesitation, lest it throw the army's morale into disorder and bring consequences that could not be cleaned up.
If such a situation arose during battle in any army, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Shortly afterward, following the plan each squad had discussed together yesterday, Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi took the lead as the arrowhead, while Liu Wenxiu and Zhang Huier led twelve Genius Martial Artists in protecting the two flanks.
The remaining forty-eight young Martial Artists formed up in the center, arranged into four columns.
Once everything was ready, Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi, at the head of the formation, simultaneously swung their empty right hands forward without looking back!
Amid a burst of neat yet soft footsteps, this fledgling youth battle squad silently made its way toward the entrance of the small village ahead.
Zhang Xianzhong himself remained where he was with three trusted subordinates and more than a dozen soldiers from the Logistics Camp.
Even Zhang Xianzhong did not follow behind to observe the battle this time.
He knew very well that this practical trial, especially this battle against Malevolent Spirits, would be of crucial help to the future growth of these young Martial Artist soldiers.
Naturally, it would be best if they passed through it victoriously. If severe casualties resulted, then it would only mean their luck had run out.
In this regard, even Zhang Xianzhong could not help them.
Without passing this trial, this Youth Camp would never truly grow.
Killing enemies was secondary. The key was to make these young Martial Artists overcome the fear in their own hearts.
If they could not conquer the fear in their hearts, they could never become soldiers capable of killing decisively. In the future, their help to the Rebel Army would be neither here nor there.
Even if your martial cultivation was impressive, it would still be useless as an egg.
Zhang Xianzhong stood where he was, watching the soldiers of this Youth Camp march with firm steps toward the village entrance about a li ahead. Though he was somewhat worried, his gaze remained unwavering.
He could only hope that their luck would be a little better and that they would perform a little better when the moment came.
Especially Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, Liu Wenxiu, and Zhang Huier, the four in whom he had placed great hopes.
Once this live combat training was over, he could let them grow on their own, without continuing to nurture them like a wet nurse.
Today might be the most important transformation of these young Martial Artists' lives.
Before you continue