A Single Spark
On the other hand, after leaving the Heaven Dou Great Soul Fighting Arena, Ku Fan did not linger in Heaven Dou City, but headed straight for the Royal Hunting Ground in the southwest of the city.
The distance of a hundred miles took only an hour for Ku Fan, who was a Soul Elder.
Of course, Ku Fan didn't run on his own two legs, but rode his own personal "Heavenly Soul Horse" on his journey.
As the commander of the "Divine Crossbow Battalion Royal Knights", a "Heavenly Soul Horse" with the bloodline of a Soul Beast is a standard accessory.
"Divine Crossbow Battalion".
"The commander is back!"
"Commander!" "Commander!" "Commander!"...
Amidst a series of greetings, Ku Fan nodded in response, occasionally humming in agreement. He was approachable and down-to-earth, making every soldier along the way smile.
Back in his tent, Ku Fan dismissed his attendants and sat alone in a chair, closing his eyes in deep thought.
She meticulously reviewed her words and actions of the day, pondering whether there was anything amiss in her conversation with the Third Prince on Xue Ye.
"Brother Yi said, 'I examine myself three times a day. No one is born wise; only through continuous learning and self-reflection can one become wise...'"
"Is your commander present?"
Just then, a strong and clear voice came from outside the tent.
"Is this Commander Wu? Come in—" Ku Fan opened his eyes and called out loudly to the outside.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he flipped his hand and took out a palm-sized bat statue from his Storage Soul Tool, placing it on the table beside him.
"Whoosh—!"
The heavy curtain of the tent was lifted, and a tall figure stepped in.
This is a dark-skinned young man. His face is not handsome, but it has distinct features and a masculine air about him.
Wu Jinyuan, Martial Soul "Mace", Level 37 Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder, Commander of a Thousand Royal Knights ".
"Why are you here at this time?" Ku Fan asked, frowning as he looked at Wu Jinyuan approaching. "If the Marquis finds out, there will inevitably be a series of troubles to come."
"Don't worry~" Wu Jinyuan glanced at the Ku Fan, shrugged, and said, "As everyone knows, I was transferred from the border army, just like you. So we have a basis for being close. As long as we don't visit each other too often, there shouldn't be any problems."
"If you keep your distance all the time, it's easy to make things worse, since that would be too deliberate."
Upon hearing Wu Jinyuan's words, Ku Fan remained silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's true."
"Right~" Wu Jinyuan grinned, his bright white teeth contrasting sharply with his dark face. "After all, we took classes together under Brother Yi. My grades were much better than yours back then."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have been transferred to the Royal Knights first. I got here entirely through my own efforts—"
"Alright, alright!" Ku Fan rolled his eyes and said irritably, "With your mediocre grades, you didn't even make the top ten, and you still dare to say you have good grades?"
"Anyway, I'm one rank higher than you," Wu Jinyuan muttered stubbornly to himself.
Ku Fan's lips twitched, pretending not to hear, and he said instead, "Alright, tell me, what are you here for? If you have nothing to do, go back and train your soldiers, or meditate and cultivate your Soul Power..."
Upon hearing this, Wu Jinyuan's joking expression vanished, replaced by a serious one. He asked, "How are things going with the Third Prince? Have you secured your position?"
Ku Fan recalled their meeting not long ago, subconsciously frowned, shook his head, and said, "It's hard to say."
"Hard to say?" Wu Jinyuan was taken aback and looked at Ku Fan with a puzzled expression.
"If you ask me whether I've secured a foothold in the Third Prince's camp now,"
Ku Fan said solemnly, "I can tell you that we have a firm foothold. The entire ' Divine Crossbow Battalion ' is under my control, and Marquis Fei Bai above has already accepted me as one of his own..."
Wu Jinyuan blinked. "That works then~"
"No!" Ku Fan said solemnly.
"Why?" Wu Jinyuan's expression also turned solemn.
Ku Fan recalled his interactions with the Third Prince Xue Ye over this period, images of Ling Yi teaching them flashed before his eyes:
In a remote camp of the Heaven Dou Border Army, Ling Yi sat on a rock and said to the dozens of soldiers sitting on smaller rocks below him, "To judge whether a person is sincere or hypocritical, don't look at what they say or do..."
"Brother Yi, what do you want to see?" someone asked, raising their hand.
Ling Yi smiled, his bright eyes scanning the room and meeting everyone's gaze. He replied, "It depends on his identity, his status, his position, and the environment he's in..."
"Then, put yourselves in the other person's shoes and think about what you would say and do if you were in their shoes. Why would you say or do those things? Why did they say or do those things?"
After putting himself in the perspective of the Third Prince Xue Ye and Simulation his thought process, Ku Fan suddenly had a refreshing feeling and seemed to have a new perspective on the world before him.
Coming to his senses, and facing Wu Jinyuan's probing gaze, Ku Fan took a deep breath and said, "In Brother Yi's words, the Third Prince has the temperament of an emperor, a sense of self-importance as if he were the only one worthy of the throne. Simply put, he doesn't trust anyone!"
"I see~"
Wu Jinyuan stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. As a student who had also taken Brother Yi's tutoring class, he was far superior to those Soul Master who overly believed in the power of Martial Soul in terms of thinking and perspective. Therefore, he was able to easily understand and accept what Ku Fan said.
In other words, Wu Jinyuan rose step by step from the Heaven Dou Border Army and then entered the "Royal Knights" through selection. Although the general under him Fei Bai, a supporter of the Third Prince, he could not get along with the Third Prince. Therefore, he could not see the Third Prince's personality and character clearly.
Ku Fan, on the other hand, was promoted by Xue Ye himself, and was born with the label of being from the Third Prince's faction. He had more contact with Xue Ye, which allowed him to observe closely and make relevant judgments.
"In any case, you are now considered a figure of considerable influence within the Third Prince's faction."
Wu Jinyuan said, "Next, it's about time we gave our old brothers back in our 'hometown' a hand."
Faced with Wu Jinyuan's remarks about "abusing power for personal gain," Ku Fan did not refute or object, but silently nodded.
Wu Jinyuan continued, "Over the past two years, I and several others have recruited twelve people from our respective 'hometowns'. Currently, there are three centurions, seven squad leaders, and two platoon leaders."
"It's mainly those few. After all, this is the Royal Knights,' and the screening process is extremely strict. Only two of them managed to get in based on their own abilities, and I've assigned them to the position of corporal."
"According to what Brother Yi said, even in other military departments, unless someone is capable enough to climb up, the people we arrange should not exceed a hundred men commander at most. Any higher, there are either requirements for strength or relatively strict screening."
Ku Fan nodded and said, "I understand. People from 'the old home' don't need high positions; they just need to control small-scale combat units at the grassroots level of the military."
This kind of grassroots personnel arrangement is relatively easier to operate and is also safer!
After exchanging some information, the two men bumped fists together.
Wu Jinyuan: "A single spark can start a prairie fire."
Ku Fan: "A withered tree sprouts new leaves, Endless Life."
A deep yet firm voice echoed in the empty tent, and a dazzling divine light shone from his two pairs of eyes.
The wires that were buried earlier are now showing a tiny bit here; those with experience should understand what's going on.
That's all for now, see you tomorrow. Goodnight everyone!