The Army Enters the Camp

In the Western Desert, there were said to be eight million li of yellow sand. Rainfall was scarce, and the boundless sands seemed determined to snuff out all life.

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Most of the people living in the Western Desert survived by relying on desert oases. Over a thousand years, countless towns and cities of varying sizes had risen from the earth.

That day, in White Light City, a frail youth wrapped head to toe in white cloth staggered into the city. The only thing exposed was a pair of eyes, brimming with resolve and unfathomable depth!

White Light City was divided into an inner and outer city. The inner city was chiefly controlled by two sects and three clans; without status, it was difficult to set foot inside.

Thus, the outer city was where most people made their living!

After entering an inn, the youth waved a hand.

"A private room. Bring me three jin of beef and two jin of blood sausage noodles!" He stripped off his white robes, revealing a sturdy body. Every strand of muscle fiber stood distinct, brimming with surging vitality and blood.

At the same time, he tossed a tael of broken silver onto the table.

"Ah—right away, right away, honored guest!!"

This youth was Wang Xuance, who had escaped with his life that day.

Thanks to the old monk's help, a mouthful of vigorous true qi had been passed into him, temporarily locking down his life force. Buried beneath the yellow earth, he had evaded that calamity.

Then, after awakening, he had stumbled and staggered his way to White Light City!

Clack!

He placed two items on the table.

One was a palm-sized purple-gold bronze token, inscribed with the two characters "Emptiness" in wildly soaring strokes, its brushwork fierce and forceful!

The other was a black silk booklet, thin as three layers of cloth. Its contents were precisely the [Eightfold Heavenly Gang] taken from Tower Stele Martial Hall!

Wang Xuance had obtained this martial art entirely through a twist of fate. The one who had taught him the basics of martial arts was the hall master's illegitimate son.

After the hall master's head had been smashed apart with a single punch, this martial art, which should have belonged to the hall master's personally taught disciple, had through a series of coincidences fallen into the illegitimate son's hands.

But that illegitimate son had unfortunately died while breaking through a crisis. Wang Xuance had seized the opportunity to take the martial art and flee for his life.

"Ha... wealth and honor are sought amid danger. The ancients did not deceive me!"

"Though it's a pity about those ten taels of silver I'd saved up for years..."

With a thought, a translucent panel slowly surfaced in his mind.

Gilded lettering flickered within it with a unique sheen.

[Name: Wang Xuance]

[Aptitude: Low-Grade Bone Structure]

[Martial Arts: Dragon Elephant Grand Stance (Beginner 20/3000)]

[Vajra Fist (Beginner 200/2000)]

[Eightfold Heavenly Gang, Volume One (Beginner 2/10000)]

[True Martial Qi: 260 (Can be added to martial arts progress)]

Several green plus signs immediately appeared behind Dragon Elephant Grand Stance and Vajra Fist.

"After integrating this Eightfold Heavenly Gang, the Tortoise-Snake Great Stance seems to have directly transformed into the Dragon Elephant Grand Stance. This stance art is far more complex than the former!"

"And..."

He extended his right arm forward. A crisp crack rang out from within his body.

A single sound was worth a thousand pieces of gold!

After integrating the martial arts, he had unknowingly stepped into the martial path—the First Knock of the Blood Gate.

As he drove his strength, his blood and qi coursed through his entire body. The great dragon of his spine twisted without cease; when blood shook the bones into a single resounding crack, that was one knock upon the Blood Gate.

Reaching three knocks upon the Blood Gate meant officially entering the realm of martial artists.

"The most urgent matter now is to take a martial hall as my master. Otherwise, how am I supposed to survive in these troubled times?"

At the thought of that hulking, god-and-demon-like presence, Wang Xuance could not help but shudder.

These were far from peaceful times. The dynasty ruling the entire land was Great Zhou, but because the current sovereign neglected state affairs and devoted himself wholeheartedly to affairs of the inner court, uprisings had erupted throughout the realm.

The largest rebel force opposing the court had already breached several provincial prefectures.

"Strength. I must possess strength if I'm to survive in this chaotic age of martial arts!"

He picked up the bronze token on the table and shook his head.

The old monk had told him to go to Great Vajra Mountain. The implication could not have been clearer.

Take Great Vajra Sect as his master!

Buddhist martial arts flourished in the Western Desert, and the fame of Great Vajra Sect resounded across the world. Yet the location of its mountain gate was simply too far from him.

With his current strength, he would die on the road before ever reaching it.

In an instant, he dismissed the thought of going to Great Vajra Sect.

Furthermore...

"Eightfold Heavenly Gang has already been absorbed by me. Whether I go to the Great Vajra Sect or not is no longer of much use!"

Having completed the fusion and gradually grasped a mere smattering of this martial art, he increasingly felt just how exquisitely profound and difficult to comprehend it was.

Even with the old monk's token, if he became a disciple of the Great Vajra Sect, he felt he would be unable to obtain any true resources.

At his age, he had long since passed the best time to practice martial arts, and his aptitude was poor as well.

The good resources would not be inclined toward him. He had heard that the Buddhist sects had many precepts and restrictions; it would be far more carefree to join a martial arts school instead.

Just as his thoughts were running wild, a burst of fierce hoofbeats suddenly came from outside.

"Whoa~~~"

"By order of Tong'an Prefecture of White Light City: any who are under eighteen and have passed the First Blood Barrier may enlist in the army and be granted a soldier's rank!"

"Ten taels of silver, one introductory stance manual, and one courtyard residence in the outer city!"

The man delivering the order was clearly a soldier who had entered the martial warrior realm. His blood and qi surged as his voice echoed throughout the entire street!

Upstairs, Wang Xuance's eyes stirred, his thoughts swiftly coming alive.

"I have already entered the First Blood Barrier realm. Most ordinary martial arts schools would likely not dare take in an outer-city person like me, while the better ones might not even think highly of me!"

"Why not enlist? It's a little risky, but the Western Desert lies along the border, where the elite troops are stationed. The rebel army will most likely not attack there!"

"On the contrary, it's the safest place!"

Outer Street of White Light City, Garrison Hall.

Two young soldiers chatted idly with each other.

"Brother Liu! Why hasn't a single person come? The promises made for enlistment are already generous enough—countless people would smash their heads trying to squeeze in!"

"Ah, the border garrisons are mostly bitterly hot and desolate places. And you have to face the northwestern barbarians head-on, with no chance to bathe for months."

"Hehe, the worst part is the repression! Go months without seeing a woman, and even a sow will look like she's got double eyelids!"

As they spoke, a white-robed youth slowly approached, revealing a row of snow-white teeth.

"Is this where one enlists?"

The older young soldier, called Brother Liu, instantly shed his previous frivolous manner and said seriously.

"Little brother, are you here to enlist? Have you reached the strength of passing the barrier once?"

The youth said nothing more and merely extended an arm.

The young man surnamed Liu was taken aback. He had never seen anyone so direct.

He reached out with a large hand, exerted force, and tested his strength.

"Huh! What solid foundations. Not bad, not bad—you meet the requirements!"

"You're a little old, though. Still, no matter!"

"May I know your surname, little brother?"

"Wang Xuance!"

The next day, the golden sun hung high in a cloudless sky.

At White Light Parade Ground, the military encampment in White Light City's outer district.

Wang Xuance, dressed in dark blue-black padded armor, stood before a middle-aged man built like a brown bear.

"Brother Wang, my name is Iron Dragon. From now on, you're a soldier under my command. Because of this recruitment order, too few people enlisted."

"So you're the only one assigned to my Mountain Sea Guard!"

"This is your enlistment supply. You have three days to rest and bathe. Return to this parade ground in three days!" With that, he turned and left.

A black booklet, a purse containing ten taels of silver, and two bronze keys each three inches long!

"So this is the enlistment supply. There really is quite a lot!"

He flipped through the black booklet, and a foundational martial art called the Crane Form Stance came into view.

Within the transparent interface, a line of gleaming golden characters appeared out of thin air.

[Detected that the host is cultivating two foundational stance arts. Upon reaching mastery, they can greatly amplify the Dragon Elephant Grand Stance!]

[Crane Walking Grand Stance (Beginner): 0/1000]

[Tortoise-Snake Great Stance (Beginner): 0/1000]

[Practicing two foundational stance arts can increase the Dragon Elephant Grand Stance!]

"Damn, this cheat really is pretty considerate!"

After casually toying with the two bronze keys for a moment, he strode toward his own residence.

With a click, Wang Xuance stepped through the door.

A Jiangnan water-town manor atmosphere washed over him as far as the eye could see.

A thirty-foot peach tree stood there, its gnarled roots twisting together, white blossoms filling the entire courtyard and their fragrance flooding his nostrils.

One large house and two smaller ones formed an enclosure around the peach tree. In a shallow pool beneath it swam three thumb-thick koi.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Is Brother Wang at home? Your colleague Song Damao has come to pay a visit!"

The sounds from outside shattered the peace.