Entering the Camp

Back home, Li Yue and Li Xin were astonished by the prey their brother had brought back.

Li Xin immediately followed Li Yi's instructions and ran next door to ask Liu Ru to come over and help.

The family bustled about for more than half a day before they finally finished processing the prey.

Afterward, Li Yi personally went to Li Erniu's place to bring him some meat. He also told him about entering the camp tomorrow and asked him to help look after the family.

Li Erniu naturally agreed without hesitation. He was now counting on Li Yi and Liu Fang to have a child.

After returning home, Li Yi did not rest. He raced against time to practice his skills.

Every bit of experience he accumulated meant another sliver of a chance to survive on the battlefield.

Early the next morning, before dawn had broken, Li Yi left home with prepared rations and his identity token, heading toward the military camp.

The camp lay northeast of Blackstone Town, less than five li from the county seat.

It had been stationed there for over a month and had been expanding its forces all this time.

Those who went in rarely came back alive.

By the time Li Yi reached the entrance to the camp, a long line had already formed outside. These people were clearly like him—men forcibly conscripted into service.

Otherwise, who in their right mind would be willing to go to the battlefield as cannon fodder?

Li Yi waited in line for quite a while, all the while wondering whether the Eight Extremes Spear could be combined with the [Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear].

Before he knew it, his turn had arrived.

"Name."

"Li Yi."

"New recruits receive no monthly pay. Enter the main camp first; assignments will be made after the assessment. Go collect your clothes from the side and wait."

The entire process took less than a quarter of an hour.

Li Yi received a set of blackened, tattered military clothes and a forehead guard.

They had clearly been discarded by veterans.

Just as Li Yi was wondering how to report to the main camp, a voice came from beside him.

"Li Yi, is that you?"

Li Yi turned and saw a broad-backed, burly man staring at him with wide eyes.

"Han Jia?"

Han Jia was from Blackstone Town. He had been a chubby child since he was young and had grown up alongside Li Yi. Later, however, he had left with his father, and there had been no word from him since.

"It really is you! I almost didn't recognize you. You were so skinny when we were kids."

Han Jia strode over, hugged Li Yi fiercely, then punched him in the chest. "Now you're tall and strong. How did you manage that?"

Li Yi smiled. "Boys change eighteen times by nineteen. Eat more, and naturally you'll grow."

The two quickly began chatting. Meeting someone familiar in a place like this was a blessing amid misfortune.

After talking for a while, Li Yi learned about Han Jia's circumstances.

After leaving, Han Jia had gone to a neighboring town to seek refuge with his uncle.

When the authorities began conscripting men everywhere, Han Jia had not escaped it either.

However, because his uncle had once served in the military camp, Han Jia knew far more than most people.

Li Yi immediately began asking him about the military.

There was something else he wanted to know as well: this world's cultivation system.

Li Erniu only knew bits and pieces about it, but with a secret manual like the [Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear], Li Yi knew that martial artists had to exist in this world.

"Han Jia, do you know the realms of martial cultivation?"

"Heh, you've asked the right person."

A smug smile appeared on Han Jia's face as he began telling Li Yi what he knew.

Rumor had it that there were mighty beings in this world capable of moving mountains and filling seas.

But Han Jia had never seen such a person.

All he knew was that the founding emperor of the current Chen Kingdom was said to possess such abilities.

As for what realm he was in, Han Jia had no idea.

He only knew the most basic realm: the Body Tempering Realm.

This realm had nine levels, also known as the Nine Transformations of Body Refinement.

Blood Strengthening, Skin Toughening, Flesh Hardening, Bone Tempering, Meridian Opening, Copper Skin, Iron Bones, Metamorphosis.

The legendary ninth transformation was called the Fleshly Extremity Realm. Those who could reach it were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Most people began drawing qi into their bodies after reaching the eighth transformation, entering the next realm.

At present, most people in the military camp remained in the Body Tempering Realm.

Those who could reach the later realms were figures such as unit commanders and commandants.

Li Yi's heart churned like a river overturning the sea. The waters of this world ran far deeper than he had imagined!

"What about the realms beyond that?"

Han Jia scratched his head. In truth, he did not know much either.

"Above that is the True Qi Realm, but I don't know the details. They say our general is in the True Qi Realm."

Li Yi had wanted to ask more when a voice suddenly rang out.

"All new recruits, listen up! Gather at the training ground immediately!"

"Hurry! If we're late, we'll be punished!"

As Han Jia spoke, he grabbed Li Yi and ran toward the training ground.

By the time they arrived, quite a few people had gathered there already.

Most of them looked listless, and every one of them was gaunt and skinny.

If they went onto the battlefield, they would be nothing but cannon fodder.

At that moment, a burst of gong-beating rang out, followed by a stern shout from the platform.

"Stand properly, all of you!"

As the voice fell, several well-equipped soldiers entered the field and began organizing the ranks.

The man on the platform was tall and broad, dressed in expensive armor. His gaze swept over the crowd below as he said coldly, "My name is Cao Li. I am the Sima here. Starting today, I will train you."

"You have only one task: obey orders! Otherwise, I'll show you what it means for military law to show no mercy!

"Now, I'll tell you about the realms of martial artists. This is something you must understand!"

Cao Li briefly introduced the first three transformations of the first realm. What he said was more or less the same as what Han Jia had told him.

But what he said next was something even Han Jia did not know.

"To become a martial artist, mindlessly training is useless. You must have a corresponding breathing method to work with it. Otherwise, you can train for a lifetime and still be nothing but a clumsy performer!

"Next, I'll show you the difference between training with and without a breathing method."

As soon as he finished speaking, two soldiers carried up a stone slab.

Cao Li stepped forward and slapped his palm against it.

"Bang!"

He did not appear to exert much force, yet the stone slab shattered all over the ground.

The sight left everyone dumbfounded. None of them had expected a true martial artist to possess such strength.

"That strike just now contained twenty years of my cultivation."

Cao Li straightened up and stood proudly, looking down at everyone.

This was the moment he enjoyed most. Every time he put on such a display, everyone looked at him with eyes full of worship and yearning.

Breaking a stone slab was not difficult, but reducing one to rubble as effortlessly as he had was as difficult as ascending to the heavens for ordinary people.

"Sima, may I ask how we can learn a breathing method?"

Someone gathered his courage and asked.

Cao Li was not angry at being interrupted, because this was precisely what he wanted.

"Good question. Do all of you want to learn?"

"We do!"

The voices in the field were deafening.

"Very good. I like people eager to learn."

Cao Li nodded in satisfaction.

"Those who want to learn can come find me. The tuition fee is ten taels of silver per person. If you have no money, don't come bother me."

The crowd instantly exploded into uproar. Those who had just believed they could use a breathing method to defy fate and change their lives immediately wilted.

Ten taels of silver—farmers would need several years of going without food or drink to earn that, and that was only with a good harvest.

With that kind of money, who would become a soldier? They would have long since used it to grease the right palms.

Li Yi found it utterly absurd. One had to pay to practice martial arts in a military camp—no wonder the Chen Kingdom was being beaten back step by step.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before disaster reached Blackstone Town.

"Quiet!" Cao Li's face darkened. "These rules have existed from the start. Do you understand what it means when the Dharma cannot be lightly imparted? Whether you learn or not, go back and think it over slowly. Now I'll explain the rules here!"

"Our Chen Kingdom follows a military merit system. Kill one enemy on the battlefield, and you may receive one tael of monthly pay that month. Kill five enemies, and you may be promoted to squad leader, with a monthly salary of five taels. Kill twenty, and you become a ten-man leader, with ten taels a month. Kill fifty, and you become a unit commander, with twenty taels a month.

"Or, if you make a breakthrough in cultivation, you may also advance.

"However, if you want a noble title through military positions, you must obtain enemy heads!"

At that moment, Han Jia beside Li Yi suddenly asked, "What about becoming a Sima like you?"

Li Yi looked at him in a new light. He had not expected this childhood companion of his to possess such ambition.

But Cao Li merely cast him a disdainful glance and said irritably, "You? Survive first before you start talking. You don't even know a breathing method, yet you're already dreaming of promotion and advancement.

"Also, the military gives you three days to bid farewell to your families. Gather here again in three days. After that, you may not leave camp unless on assignment. Dismissed!"

After saying that, Cao Li hurried away. From the look of him, training new recruits was merely a task he was going through the motions for.

Li Yi saw through it completely. First, Cao Li displayed his strength and gave these people hope. Then he told them ten taels could buy them a path to survival—anyone would be tempted to try.

Even Li Yi himself was eager to give it a shot. On the battlefield, the stronger one's combat ability, the greater one's chances of surviving.

And the three days of preparation were meant to let the recruits gather money.

Li Yi had already begun considering whether he could sell the extra bear pelt after returning home.

Added to the silver he had left from before, it might be enough.

He definitely had to learn the breathing method. The things he currently knew were enough against ordinary people, but if he encountered a martial artist, he might be killed in an instant.

"Xiao Yi, I'm going back to gather money first. See you in three days."

After saying this to Li Yi, Han Jia hurried off.

Li Yi did not linger either. After leaving the military camp, he headed straight home.

By the time he arrived, it was nearly dark.

Li Yi pushed open the door and entered, only to see Liu Ru and Liu Fang, the two sisters, clearing the bowls and chopsticks.

Both women looked up at the person standing in the doorway.

"Yi... Brother Yi?"

Liu Fang rubbed her eyes, then, after confirming she was not mistaken, looked at Li Yi in delighted surprise. "Brother Yi, why are you back?"

As she spoke, she trotted toward the door to greet him.

Li Yi said nothing. He scooped Liu Fang into his arms, held her fiercely against his chest, and greedily breathed in her fragrance.

After a while, Liu Fang finally lowered her head shyly. "My sister is still here."

"Oh? You still remember I'm here? I thought the two of you couldn't see me at all!"

With willow-leaf brows and almond eyes, Liu Ru was a standard beauty. Even when she spoke with sarcasm, she had a special charm.

Before long, Li Yue and Li Xin came out after hearing the commotion.

Only then did Li Yi explain why he had returned.

"For these three days, all of you will practice martial arts with me. If there's anything you don't understand, ask. While I'm still here, I can give you some pointers. Once I enter the camp, I won't know when I'll be able to come out again."

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

Other than Li Xin, whose body was unwell, the three women all learned martial arts from Li Yi.

They did not seek to become masters. At the very least, if danger came, they would not be completely unable to fight back.

After eating a simple meal, everyone went into the courtyard to practice martial arts together.

Before they knew it, the entire night had passed.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Li Yi was already practicing archery in the courtyard.

But this skill seemed to have reached a bottleneck. Even after practicing continuously, it gave him very little experience.

[Archery (Proficient): 152/500]

[Effect: Can draw the Three-Stone Horn Bow; arrows carry armor-piercing force!]

After practicing until he was tired, Li Yi picked up a roasted bear leg and bit into it. He chewed for a moment before swallowing, and his empty stomach was greatly satisfied.

Then he picked up the Plum Blossom Spear and began practicing every move and stance from the Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear.

He committed every move and stance to heart, gathered his qi in his dantian, and circulated it again and again. The long spear in his hands moved faster and faster, until one could almost see its afterimages.

At that moment, a surge of blood qi rose within him and spread toward every part of his body, only to quickly dissipate.

"No. It always feels like there's some force I can't bring out."

Chen Sanshi repeated the moves and stances over and over, madly draining his strength and pushing himself to the limit. At last, he let out a furious roar and drove his spear into the ground.

He sat weakly on a stool, recalling the feeling from moments ago.

At that moment, the panel lit up.

[Eight Extremes Fist (Mastery): 30/800]

[Effect: Physique increased; blood and qi like mercury.]

Practicing the spear had actually increased his Eight Extremes Fist experience as well.

But that strange feeling from before made Li Yi feel that he was missing something crucial.

If he could not solve this problem, then no matter how he trained, the improvements he gained would likely remain limited.

What was missing was, nine times out of ten, a breathing method.

Eight Extremes Fist could strengthen his qi and blood, but it offered no way to put them to use.

He still had to spend money to learn a breathing method.

After resting for a while, Li Yi picked up his bow and arrows, preparing to head into the mountains to hunt and sell some game.

Over the next three days, Li Yi kept hunting. He caught quite a few pheasants, wild ducks, and rabbits, yet he still only scraped together five taels.

The bear pelt and meat could not be sold. His family needed to save them for the winter.

After thinking it over, Li Yi decided to leave the five taels of silver at home.

Otherwise, once he left, he had no idea when he would return. If there was no money at home, they would not even know whom to turn to in an emergency.

Li Erniu did not have any spare silver either.

That day, before dawn had fully broken, Li Yi was already up.

He pushed open the door, and morning mist poured into the room.

He looked back at Liu Fang, Li Yue, and Li Xin, still lost in sleep, then gently shut the door. With his bow and arrows on his back, he turned and left, setting out for the military camp.

By the time he reached the camp, it was already the hour of the Snake. The blazing sun hung overhead, and a wave of heat struck him head-on. Li Yi's back was drenched in sweat, slick and clammy.

"Li Yi, you finally made it. Hurry over here and line up." Han Jia spotted Li Yi and greeted him warmly.

The two stood to one side chatting, their relaxed atmosphere forming a stark contrast to everyone else's tension.

Ooo! Ooo!

A burst of urgent horn calls rang out.

Then an armored cavalryman rode back and forth through the camp.

"Emergency assembly! Everyone, form ranks!"

The veteran soldiers reacted at once.

But the newcomers had yet to process what was happening.

"Move it, move it! Get in line now! Do you have a death wish?"

The veteran soldiers assigned to the recruits kept urging the newcomers on.

Ten breaths passed, and some still had not found their units.

A soldier ran up beside one man and lashed out with his long whip. The air erupted with a piercing crack.

The man's back split open in bloody welts. He collapsed to the ground, howling in agony.

As though he had not vented enough, the soldier continued whipping him viciously.

Only when the man stopped responding did he spit on the ground.

"Here, those who react slowly and refuse to obey end up like this."

The sight turned the faces of everyone nearby deathly pale.

Military orders were as immovable as mountains. Even newcomers who had just arrived and understood nothing were not given a single chance to make a mistake.

In troubled times, human lives were worth less than grass.

Li Yi found it repulsive, but he was not stupid enough to stand up for someone he did not know.