The Curtain Falls!

As soon as the martial competition concluded, True Person Muxuan summoned the two deputy commanders, Ji Kang and Ren Baili, and departed from the drill ground together.

Watching Ren Baili cast a resentful glance his way before leaving, Zhou Hao felt a twinge of regret.

It wasn't that he enjoyed being beaten; rather, as Ren Baili had pointed out, his Gang Step footwork was indeed lacking in refinement.

"Commander." Hu Yong, who had also donned the Jade Dragon Armor—though his was a deep cyan—approached and saluted Zhou Hao. "The Fifth Squad of the Jade Dragon Army has assembled and formed up. Please, Commander, give us your instructions."

Although Hu Yong had lost to Zhou Hao in the contest for commander, his strength was plain for all to see. True Person Muxuan had appointed him as the deputy commander of the newly formed Fifth Squad to assist Zhou Hao.

"First, select the squad leaders for each unit, then have each unit practice the new Dao soldier formation," Zhou Hao ordered.

"Understood!" Hu Yong shouted in acknowledgment before heading toward the Fifth Squad's formation.

In the Green Flood Dragon Army, rising through the ranks was simple: strength was all that mattered.

Having served as a guild leader in the Xiantian Battalion for many years, Hu Yong was well-versed in military tactics, and his method for selecting squad leaders was straightforward.

The soldiers of each unit took turns challenging the five guild leaders, and the strongest among them would become the squad leader.

Since everyone present was a Xiantian Lifeform, it was easy to tell who was strong and who was weak.

If anyone remained unconvinced... they were simply beaten until they were.

Soon, the area occupied by the Fifth Squad's Xiantian Lifeforms became a scene of lively activity.

The booming voice of Shangguan Yun, in particular, drew side-glances from the Xiantian Lifeforms of other squads.

Zhou Hao smiled faintly, watching from the sidelines.

With the entire Xiantian Battalion being re-equipped as the Jade Dragon Army today, he didn't believe for a second that there wasn't a major event on the horizon.

He decided to take this opportunity to gauge the caliber of the experts under his command so he would know what he was working with.

He had already observed the five newly appointed guild leaders during the earlier commander trials against the Vine Wood Puppet.

The Shangguan siblings were a pair—the brother simple-minded and the sister sharp-witted. The brother practiced body refinement and possessed astonishing strength with his giant axe, while the sister practiced qi refinement and excelled in water-based arts, wielding a Flowing Cloud Ribbon that was adept at binding foes.

Nan Ming wielded a long spear, his attacks as fierce as a raging fire; he was a late-stage Xiantian body refiner who excelled at breaking through defenses.

Di Fan, a late-stage Xiantian qi refiner, controlled six flying spear Dharma Treasures, capable of handling both long-range and group combat.

Gu Ran and Bu Yu were both late-stage Xiantian body refiners who used swords.

However, Gu Ran used a heavy black sword, hacking with it as if it were a blade, while Bu Yu used a slender sword in his left hand. His swordplay was bizarre and vicious; compared to head-on combat, he was better suited for assassinations and surprise attacks.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As soldier after soldier fell, the battle for squad leader positions quickly drew to a close.

Looking at the five guild leaders, twenty-five squad leaders, and eighty-seven ordinary Xiantian Lifeform soldiers of the Jade Dragon Army before him, a surge of heroic spirit welled up in Zhou Hao.

"Brothers, practice the formation well! Tonight, the drinks are on me—we don't stop until we're drunk!"

"The Commander is generous!"

"Long live Boss Zhou!"

"Go on then." With a wave of Zhou Hao's hand, the guild leaders led their men to find an open space to practice the Dao soldier formation, which had been sent directly to everyone's Communication Spirit Talisman by the military department.

"Commander, shall we arrange tonight at the Emerald Cloud Pavilion?" Hu Yong sidled up to him and asked. "I'm quite familiar with the place."

You're familiar with it?

That Emerald Cloud Pavilion—the name alone told him it wasn't a respectable establishment!

If you're so familiar with it, why don't you pay?

"Come, spar with me and help me refine my footwork," Zhou Hao laughed. "If you beat me, we'll go to the Emerald Cloud Pavilion tonight."

"Commander, now that I think about it, the Emerald Cloud Pavilion isn't really—ah!"

At night, a crescent moon hung high in the sky.

In the open space beside Zhu Da Tavern, thirteen tables were lined up, already a scene of utter chaos.

"Old Zhu, sorry for the trouble." Zhou Hao waved off Zhu Da's attempt to steady him.

Even though Hu Yong, Shangguan Yun, and the others had tried their best to force drinks on him, it was only Zhu Da's homemade rice wine—how much kick could it really have?

Even without intentionally refining it with his true essence, his body, which was akin to that of a Xiantian God or Devil, was not something that could be easily intoxicated by mere rice wine.

"What are you saying, Commander? You're supporting my humble shop; I should be the one thanking you," Zhu Da said with a fawning smile.

For the celebration of the newly formed Fifth Squad, Zhou Hao had ultimately decided against the Emerald Cloud Pavilion, choosing the familiar Zhu Da Tavern instead.

After all, for a celebration, eating meat and drinking wine was what mattered most.

If they had gone to that Emerald Cloud Pavilion, who would have had the heart to actually drink?

Leaving a piece of Dog-Head Gold for Zhu Da to cover the tab, Zhou Hao smiled with satisfaction.

His current net worth, aside from his personal weapons, consisted of only two pieces of Dog-Head Gold and a bit of Thunder Gold; everything else had been converted into High-Grade Origin Stones for his bets.

Although he had sixty High-Grade Origin Stones from his winnings in his storage space, he still had to pay his tribute to the Blue Flower Boss.

After I return from this mission, I'll have to find a chance to see what that Emerald Cloud Pavilion is all about, Zhou Hao mused as he walked toward his quarters.

He wondered just what kind of pleasure den and money-pit the Emerald Cloud Pavilion really was, to have Cao Rong, Hu Yong, and the rest of those Xiantian Lifeforms so obsessed with it.

"Hmm, just pure curiosity."

The moonlight tonight was perfect, and even away from the tavern's firelight, the surroundings were not the least bit dim.

Zhou Hao walked straight along the quiet street, soon returning to the residence in the northwest corner.

Stepping through the gate, he found Xiangcao sitting on a stone stool under the grape trellis in the corner of the courtyard, her right hand propping up her chin as she gazed at the bright moon in the sky.

Seeing her lost in a daze, Zhou Hao noticed her left hand unconsciously stroking the jade pendant hanging at her neck.

Bathed in the pale moonlight, Xiangcao's cheeks seemed to glow with a translucent, jade-like luster; one could not tell if the jade was adorning the person, or if the person was nourishing the jade.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Zhou Hao walked over and sat on the stone stool beside her.

"Waiting for you." Xiangcao rolled her eyes at him. "You reek of alcohol."

"Waiting for me?" A warmth spread through Zhou Hao's heart. With a surge of azure light, he circulated his true essence to dissolve all the alcohol in his body, then asked with a smile, "Is it still there?"

"Show-off." She gave him another big eye-roll.

"What were you thinking about just now? You were so absorbed." Zhou Hao asked.

"The moonlight is so beautiful. If only it could be like this every day." Xiangcao turned her head to look at the sky again. "It would be best if it were a full moon, like a round jade plate hanging in the night sky—that would be the most beautiful thing."

Hearing this, Zhou Hao smiled and looked up as well.

"There's a saying in my hometown: people have their ups and downs, just as the moon has its phases of waxing and waning. How could it be a full moon every day? A crescent moon is beautiful, too."

Hmm?

After waiting a moment with no response, Zhou Hao turned to look at Xiangcao, only to find her glaring at him.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Blockhead!"

Inside the black palace.

"The Xiantian Battalion is being renamed the Jade Dragon Army, and the entire force is to be equipped with Dao Soldier Armor meant for Xiantian Lifeforms?"

A voice as youthful as a child's emanated from above the palace.

"Meiji, I had you contact those fellows at Niehai Gorge—have they agreed to take action?"

An old man wearing a black robe embroidered with lotus flames sat upon the throne, looking down at the enchanting figure standing respectfully below.

She was a woman with a perfect face and a perfect figure; in particular, the allure that seeped from her very bones would make anyone who saw her feel their blood surge, unable to control themselves.

What a peerless beauty!

Yet, if one looked closely, the very fact that she was so perfect, so deliberate, gave her an air of unreality.

"Altar Master, the Ao Brothers are willing to strike," Meiji began, her lazy voice carrying a potent charm. "However, they hope that in addition to the two top-grade Human-Rank Magical Treasures already agreed upon, you will provide an extra hundred taels of Origin Liquid."

"A hundred taels of Origin Liquid? Why don't they just go rob someone!" the black-robed old man roared. "Even if we seized all three Origin Stone mines that Jade Dragon City holds in the East Sea, it would take at least a year or two to dig out enough stones to be worth a hundred taels of Origin Liquid."

"They are pirates, after all..." Meiji covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Hmph!" The black-robed old man snorted, though he did not reprimand her.

He paced back and forth, pondering for a long time before finally making up his mind.

"I can agree to their terms, but there is a condition."

"What condition?" Meiji asked curiously.

"You will accompany them throughout the entire operation to seize the three mines of Jade Dragon City to monitor them. All the Jade Dragon Armor obtained after wiping out the Jade Dragon Army must be handed over to my Fire Worship Sect; they are not to keep any for themselves," the black-robed old man said sternly. "If not, I will destroy their Niehai Gorge first, then deal with Jade Dragon City."

"Very well." Meiji nodded with a charming smile. "They will agree."

"Also," the black-robed old man thought for a moment and added, "once you reach Niehai Gorge, secretly record the location of their lair and the layout of their formations."

"Does the Altar Master intend to...?" Meiji's eyes lit up.

"That Undersea Ancient Cave Abode is in a secluded location; it is a waste in the hands of those monsters," the black-robed old man sneered. "Our branch altar should also have a stronghold in the East Sea. Once it is done, that place will be yours to manage."

"Yes, Meiji understands."

"Right. What about Motai Xiao?" the black-robed old man asked.

"Motai Xiao has remained in Motai City and has not shown himself," Meiji replied. "However, his disciples and great demon spirit beasts have bloodied several tribes, collecting the souls of everyone there."

"Trying to use others to do his dirty work to avoid karmic sin? Naive!" The black-robed old man sneered. "Doing good deeds brings merit, and doing evil brings sin; this is the Heavenly Dao. If one could avoid sin simply by using the hands of others to commit evil, the world would have fallen into chaos long ago—would we even need to stir things up?"

"Altar Master, Motai Xiao is merely a small fry, and after using the Purple Mansion Opening Pill, his cultivation is destined to stop at the Purple Mansion stage forever. Why is the headquarters so focused on his information?" Seeing the black-robed old man's expression soften slightly after mentioning Motai Xiao, Meiji took the opportunity to ask.

"A mere ant, yet he wants to rely on offering beauties to climb the ladder." The black-robed old man's sneer deepened at these words. "If Motai Xiao doesn't die, and if the woman he offers is truly favored by that person, are we of the Fire Worship Sect expected to look at his face in the future?

"Just watch. Even if Motai Xiao isn't executed by the Great Xia Dynasty, once the beauty selection is finalized, that will be the end of him."

Meiji's eyes flickered.

That person... who could it be?

First update.

Thanks to Suifeng Luoye xj for the 666-point tip.

Thanks to Root Seeking Tree Heart Asking Grass for the 100-point tip.

Thanks to Huiming Jingren for the 1500-point tip.

Thanks to Eggshell for the 100-point tip.

Thanks to Boss Add Some Spice for the 2000-point tip.

Many thanks to you all!!