Soldiers' Harassment, Facing Difficulties Head-On

Pushing open the door, he saw a burly man standing at the entrance, clutching a gift box.

"You are?"

"Are you Brother Wang? I'm Song Damao. I enlisted a few days before you did, Brother Wang. You can call me Brother Song!"

Without standing on ceremony, Song Damao walked into the residence under Wang Xuance's doubtful gaze.

He moved with easy familiarity, as though this were his own home.

Holding to the notion that he had just arrived and should not offend others lightly, Wang Xuance could only invite him into the main hall.

"May I ask what advice Brother Song has come to offer today?"

Wang Xuance asked without giving anything away, shooting him a sidelong glance as he secretly wondered: he had never had any dealings with this man, so how had someone learned where he lived on the very day he enlisted?

"Ha! Brother Wang and I hit it off at first sight—we're practically blood brothers born of different fathers and mothers!"

"Mm... here's the thing!"

"Brother Wang will be entering the military in three days, and there are a few matters I need to explain to you..."

Half an incense stick later, Wang Xuance saw Song Damao out, his expression shifting between light and dark.

Outside White Light City, in the military camp of the Mountain Sea Guard.

"Boss, I told that kid everything that needed saying. As long as he has any sense, the tribute he offers will only be more, never less!"

Song Damao looked up at the young man seated above him with a fawning smile.

"Not bad. You handled this well. Don't worry—I'll fulfill what I promised you. Go on!"

Watching Song Damao leave with empty courtesies and hollow airs, the young man on the seat sneered. "Since you're so obedient, I'd truly be letting down that devotion of yours if I didn't sacrifice you..."

Inside Wang Xuance's residence, the youth had assumed a fighting stance, steadily building up his blood and qi.

The past few days of nonstop travel had left his condition rather unstable.

On the path of martial arts, if one did not advance, one retreated. Time could not be wasted.

That damn Song Damao had come this morning simply to tell him that when he entered the military in three days, he needed to bring some tribute money for his immediate superior—the so-called squad captain.

That way, when assignments came in the future, he would not have to patrol the dangerous areas.

Guarding the frontier did not require them to face the rebels defying the imperial court head-on, but the barbarians of the northwest were born worshipping martial strength. At times, the danger they posed was far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

It might look dangerous to outsiders, but for him, was it not also an opportunity?

"I was just worrying that I have too little True Martial Qi and nowhere to use it!"

"If I can't beat them, I'll add more; if I can beat them, I'll add more. Either way, I won't lose!"

With that thought, Wang Xuance prepared to draw upon his True Martial Qi.

The familiar transparent interface appeared, and gilded words surfaced in his mind.

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

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

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

[True Martial Qi: 260]

Based on his previous experience, one unit of True Martial Qi could advance the progress bar by ten points. With 260, he could at the very least deduce one stance technique to the pinnacle of the Beginner stage!

Three faint plus signs appeared behind the three stance techniques as Wang Xuance considered the method that would yield the greatest benefit.

"I wonder whether directly deducing the Dragon Elephant Grand Stance can maintain that one-to-ten ratio. After all, this stance technique originates from Eight Evolutions Heavenly Gang!"

"Its profundity and mystery are far beyond the two basic stance techniques I obtained!"

"Forget it. I'll know once I try!"

He immediately poured True Martial Qi into the Dragon Elephant Grand Stance.

"Buzzz~~~"

Wang Xuance only felt his mind being dragged, in an instant, atop a mountain ravine.

Clad in a loose black robe, he spread into the stance and slowly advanced.

[Dragon Elephant Grand Stance] was a foundational stance technique derived from Eight Evolutions Heavenly Gang, Volume One, the foundation for strengthening the blood and driving the qi.

It drew upon the elephant, greatest in strength upon land, and the dragon, greatest in strength within water!

First Form: [Lift the Sea, Move the Mountain]

Second Form: [Twin Hammers Strike Like Cannons]

Third Form: [Sweeping Strike Through a Thousand Layers]

Fourth Form: [Churn the Sea, Overturn the River]

"Clang—"

The clash of golden spears and iron steeds rang beside Wang Xuance's ears. His blood and qi boiled within him, the bones throughout his body lengthened, and the great dragon of his spine surged in rolling waves.

For a time, his physique crackled with crisp pops like frying beans.

His blood and qi circulated ever faster, only gradually calming after the time it took an incense stick to burn. With a thought, he summoned the interface.

[Dragon Elephant Grand Stance: (100/3000) Beginner]

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

[Crane Form Grand Stance: (0/1000)]

[True Martial Qi: 100]

"Is the deduction ratio 1:2? If so, I might as well deduce the two basic stance arts first!"

In an instant, he poured all his remaining True Martial Qi into the Tortoise-Snake Great Stance.

"Boom!!"

Wang Xuance felt the blood and qi within him circulate with even greater violence. At the first Blood Gate, the blood and qi throughout his body flowed without obstruction.

At the second Blood Gate, he needed to open three acupoints in his chest.

The Shanzhong, Zhongting, and Jiuwei acupoints—this was the most difficult stage among the Three Blood Gates.

"Bang—bang—bang!"

The savage tearing of the muscles and fascia in his chest made him feel as though ten thousand tides were crashing over him, waves battering flesh and blood. Countless bead-sized drops of sweat burst from his body.

If anyone looked at Wang Xuance now, they would see that his entire body resembled a red-hot branding iron. His flesh was crimson, and layers of white vapor steamed from the heat of his skin!

All that remained in his ears was the fierce sound of blood and qi crashing against his acupoints. He hurriedly assumed the stance of the Dragon Elephant Grand Stance.

[Lift the Sea, Move the Mountain]

[Twin Hammers Strike Like Cannons]

[Sweeping Strike Through a Thousand Layers]

[Churn the Sea, Overturn the River]

Who knew how much time passed before two crisp sounds suddenly rang out from within Wang Xuance's body.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

His fists thundered forth, their fierce force shooting straight ahead like a flood dragon bursting from the sea to slaughter living things. In an instant, violent gusts swept through the entire courtyard.

Countless fluttering petals were caught by the gale and instantly smashed into fragments like drifting clouds and scattered snow.

The harder Wang Xuance fought, the fiercer he became, his mind immersed in the mysteries of this stance art.

About the time it took an incense stick to burn later.

"Ha!"

Feeling the three acupoints in his chest break open, his mind became clear and his vision bright. It was as though endless strength awaited his command.

Once a martial artist opened these three acupoints, the muscles and fascia of the chest would be reshaped, no longer a weak point.

Now, he only needed to break through the four major acupoints on his back—the Dazhui, Zhiyang, Mingmen, and Yaoguan—to charge into the first realm of martial cultivation—the Fetal Breathing Realm—and open his first martial aperture. That was what people commonly called a martial artist!

"Strength. Only with formidable strength can one avoid having one's life plucked at will amid a chaotic age!"

The youth clenched his fists tightly, his resolute gaze revealing his yearning for the martial path...

Three days later, beneath a rocky cliff at the White Light Grand Drill Ground, the Mountain Sea Guard had gathered.

Iron Dragon wore a solemn expression as his gaze swept over the crowd below. When he saw Wang Xuance, he paused slightly before calmly shifting his gaze to the others.

"Today, the Mountain Sea Guard welcomes another new member. Wang Xuance, step forward!"

A handsome youth standing six chi tall slowly stepped out from the ranks. In an instant, the crowd's eyes gathered upon him.

"Chen Feng, Wang Xuance is assigned to your squad from now on. Tell him all the army's rules exactly as they are. Training begins now!"

Wang Xuance's unit was a ten-man squad led by a squad leader and a deputy squad leader.

Song Damao, who had come knocking at his door three days ago, was also conspicuously among the squad.

"Tsk, tsk. Just as expected—wherever there are people, there must be worldly dealings!"

He looked at the youth named Chen Fan. Short and sturdy as a mountain, with tiny eyes, Chen Fan watched him with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"Wang Xuance, stay behind. Everyone else, dismissed!"

Upon hearing this, the others shot him looks of schadenfreude before dispersing, leaving only him and Chen Feng standing beneath the blazing sun!

"Kid, newcomers need to understand the rules. Hurry up, we still have training this afternoon!"

Chen Feng asked impatiently in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Oh! Squad Leader, what are you talking about?"

"How come I can't understand?"