Green Flood Dragon Army!

Jade Dragon City spans nearly a hundred miles, divided into an Outer City and an Inner City.

The Inner City is only ten miles in length and width, housing the City Lord's Mansion, the headquarters of the Green Flood Dragon Army, and the military barracks.

The Inner City was originally constructed by the Great Xia Dynasty during its era of frenzied expansion, when it built countless Vassal Cities across the endless territories. The Outer City, by contrast, was formed through gradual expansion over the long passage of time.

Compared to the Outer City, the Inner City is guarded far more strictly. A squad of sturdy soldiers clad in black armor stands watch at the gate, led by a Xiantian being wearing the same green armor as Cao Rong and his companions.

"Commander Cao, just back? Why not go relax before heading to headquarters?" The Xiantian being greeted them with a smile, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Zhou Hao, who was trailing the four men.

"Just met a new brother and brought him to join our Xiantian Battalion. Old Hu, want to head to the Emerald Cloud Pavilion tonight for some fun? We've been stuck on that island for a month; I'm about to go stir-crazy," Cao Rong replied with a laugh.

"Haha, I'm on duty today, so I'll pass," the Xiantian being said, waving a hand. "Since he's Commander Cao's brother, go on in."

"That man was Hu Yong, one of the top figures in our Xiantian Battalion. Even Boss Cao says Hu Yong's strength is no less than his own."

As the four entered the Inner City, Yang Qiong introduced him to Zhou Hao.

Along the way, Zhou Hao had grown familiar with the four of them.

Although Cao Rong is a commander of the Xiantian Battalion, he is a man of heroic spirit who treats his subordinates with closeness. When there are no military duties, there is no sense of hierarchy between them.

Yang Qiong appears the most gentle and is certainly the most talkative.

Miao Ying rarely speaks and seems somewhat dull, but according to Yang Qiong, he is the most devious and calculating of them all.

Zhao Hu, having been handled by Zhou Hao earlier, keeps his distance; it seems the psychological shadow runs deep.

With Cao Rong and the others leading the way, Zhou Hao faced no obstacles. They soon arrived at the highest point in the center of the Inner City, where the Green Flood Dragon Army headquarters is located.

The entire headquarters building is a deep green, constructed entirely from twenty-foot-square stones.

A lifelike flood dragon is carved into the structure, winding from the base all the way to the summit. The two massive dragon eyes on its head, resembling red crystals, look as if a real flood dragon is overlooking the entirety of Jade Dragon City, eternally guarding this ancient city.

Zhou Hao stood before the headquarters and looked out at the surroundings.

To the east lies a vast, shimmering sea; to the west, a flat and expansive grassland; to the south, the City Lord's Mansion, which occupies nearly half of the Inner City; and to the north, the interconnected barracks of the Green Flood Dragon Army, along with a massive drill ground.

"Let's go, Brother Zhou Hao. There isn't much to see in the Inner City—just the City Lord's Mansion and the barracks. All the fun places are in the Outer City," Cao Rong said. "We'll register you at headquarters first, then take you to the Xiantian Battalion. Today, no matter how big the matter, we must get Brother Zhou Hao's affairs settled."

"Right. Leave it to us."

Yang Qiong patted his chest in agreement.

"I'm in your debt." Zhou Hao nodded, his impression of Cao Rong and the others greatly improved.

At the very least, they are all warm-hearted and worth befriending.

Yet, this good impression lasted less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

Zhou Hao, now wearing the standard-issue green armor and holding the token representing his status in the Xiantian Battalion, looked at Zhao Hu—who had also just received a new set of armor—and remained silent.

So this is what they meant by "no matter how big the matter, we must get you settled"?

Did a few female soldiers in charge of registration make them forget everything they just said?

"B-Brother Zhou Hao, don't take offense. We just returned from guarding the overseas islands, and suddenly seeing... well, you understand." Zhao Hu rubbed his nose, trying his best to cover for Cao Rong and the others.

Seeing Zhou Hao remain silent, Zhao Hu's heart hammered against his ribs.

"Both deputy commanders are away from headquarters today. How about I take you to the barracks to learn the Qi-refining techniques first?"

Even though the man who had split his staff in two with a single blow now looked quite calm, Zhao Hu still felt a sense of dread being left alone with him.

"Let's go." Zhou Hao sighed softly and headed toward the barracks in the north.

In truth, he understood that without Cao Rong and the others, it would have been impossible for him to register, complete his identity verification, and obtain the Tribe Decree so quickly.

Moreover, the most critical tasks were already finished; there was no real need for all of them to stay.

It was just that the sudden shift in their behavior left Zhou Hao speechless.

As the garrison force of Jade Dragon City, the Green Flood Dragon Army consists of fifty thousand soldiers, plus the Xiantian Battalion—composed of five hundred Xiantian beings—which serves as the strongest combat force within the city's ten-thousand-mile sphere of influence.

The soldiers of the Green Flood Dragon Army, who are at the peak of the Houtian realm, are not permitted to leave the barracks without orders, except when guarding the city or strategic locations within their territory.

The Xiantian beings of the Xiantian Battalion, however, are relatively free. When not on assignment, they can arrange their time as they please; after all, for a Xiantian being, a single session of closed-door cultivation lasting several months is commonplace.

The only restriction is that they cannot leave the ten-thousand-mile radius of Jade Dragon City and must return to the barracks immediately upon receiving orders.

This is because their identity tokens are also communication and tracking artifacts. The maximum range for communication is ten thousand miles; if one wanders beyond this range, they will fail to receive orders from headquarters and will be punished according to military law.

However, Zhou Hao has yet to refine Qi and possesses no True Essence, so even though the identity token is only a low-grade artifact, he cannot refine it.

Consequently, he can only passively receive orders from headquarters and cannot initiate contact, a fact that left the female soldiers registering him in utter shock.

After all, it is rare for someone to reach the Xiantian realm through body refinement without simultaneously refining Qi.

Fortunately, the identity tokens are not exclusive to the Xiantian Battalion; the Houtian soldiers use them as well. Thus, even without refining, a drop of blood is enough to activate it.

"The military techniques are all in the Martial Repository. I'll take you there." Zhao Hu led the way, not saying a word unless necessary.

Zhou Hao was happy for the quiet and followed him into the barracks.

The moment they entered, Zhao Hu's demeanor changed.

The soldiers they passed, whether marching in formation or walking in small groups, all exuded a heavy, oppressive Sha Qi. One look was enough to tell they were battle-hardened veterans.

In particular, although the barracks should have housed ten thousand soldiers, Zhou Hao felt only a profound silence as he walked through, without a single sound of disorder.

Even the air inside the barracks seemed significantly heavier than it was outside.

The two men walked along the smooth bluestone path until they reached a secluded corner of the camp.

A small, two-story wooden building appeared before Zhou Hao.

The silent, murderous atmosphere that permeated the rest of the barracks seemed not to have touched this place at all; Zhao Hu, who had been standing ramrod straight, finally relaxed his posture.

"Master Jingzhi! Master Jingzhi!" Zhao Hu's voice was boisterous, causing the entire two-story building to hum and tremble.

"I hear you, I hear you. I'm not deaf," a clear, bright voice drifted over from a patch of open ground beside the building, where a wicker lounge chair sat.

From where Zhou Hao stood, he could only see a figure reclining on the chair.

"Master Jingzhi, this is Brother Zhou Hao. He just joined our Xiantian Battalion today," Zhao Hu said, lowering his voice slightly to introduce him to the man on the chair. "Brother Zhou Hao hasn't practiced Qi refinement before, so I brought him here to choose a cultivation method."

"Never practiced Qi refinement?" The man known as Master Jingzhi seemed intrigued; he sat up from the lounge chair and turned to look over.

He was a middle-aged man with graying hair. Unlike the other soldiers of the Green Flood Dragon Army who wore armor, he was dressed in a simple, faded gray cloth robe that looked quite plain.

"This Master Jingzhi has been guarding the Martial Repository ever since I joined the Green Flood Dragon Army. No one knows his origins, but even the deputy generals of the army address him as 'Master' and never show him the slightest disrespect. Brother Zhou Hao, you should be respectful as well," Zhao Hu warned via secret voice transmission, fearing Zhou Hao might inadvertently offend him.

Unable to transmit his voice with True Essence, Zhou Hao could only give a slight nod.

On the way here, he had already learned from Yang Qiong.

The highest-ranking official in the entire Green Flood Dragon Army was the General, who was also the Lord of Jade Dragon City. He was a powerhouse at the Wanxiang True Person realm, usually residing in the City Lord's Mansion or occasionally at military headquarters, rarely visiting the barracks unless there was a major crisis.

Below the General were two deputy generals at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm, who handled the daily military affairs of the Green Flood Dragon Army.

Below the deputy generals were the four commanders, such as Cao Rong, who were at the peak of the Xiantian realm.

As for why the Green Flood Dragon Army consisted only of Xiantian beings and peak Purple Mansion deputy generals—with no experts at the early or middle stages of the Purple Mansion realm—it was because those in the army who broke through from the Xiantian realm to the Purple Mansion realm were sent to the East Sea Sect, and would no longer remain in Jade Dragon City.

It was precisely for this reason that a large number of Xiantian beings from the tribes surrounding Jade Dragon City came here every year to join the Green Flood Dragon Army, viewing it as a stepping stone to eventually joining an immortal sect.

Furthermore, Zhou Hao had learned from Yang Qiong that the so-called East Sea Sect was not actually a single sect, but a collective term for several immortal cultivation powers across the vast East Sea.

Their Jade Dragon City was merely home to one of these immortal sects, known as the 'Jade Dragon Sect'.

"Hmm, it seems your body-refining technique is quite good. Your transformed Xiantian divine body has vigorous blood and energy, with its divine light contained within," Master Jingzhi said, eyeing Zhou Hao as he walked over slowly. "What body-refining method do you practice? I will find you a suitable Qi refinement technique."

"Chiming Nine Heavens Map," Zhou Hao replied.

"The premier method for God and Devil body-refining?" Master Jingzhi looked at Zhou Hao in surprise. "And you've already reached the Xiantian realm?"

Zhao Hu, standing to the side, was also startled.

No wonder he was so fierce; it turned out he was another monster who practiced the Chiming Nine Heavens Map.