It had not been beyond Yu Ke's expectations.
The Lu Family Army had won!
After all, the disparity in numbers had not been stretched too wide.
Eight thousand against thirty thousand Iron Pagoda Cavalry, plus ten thousand infantry supporting the flanks—the enemy outnumbered them by only a little over five to one.
It was a battle with their backs to the river; only then did true heroes reveal themselves.
At the brink of smashing the cauldrons and sinking the boats, amid life and death, earth-shaking feats were often born.
Yu Ke smiled faintly, feeling honored by the victory as well.
The simulation continued!
``` [The battle at Hulao Pass ended in a resounding victory. North Wind's army retreated in defeat.]
[Yet as the two armies gave chase, an unexpected incident occurred. Four monks dressed in white appeared on the battlefield at some unknown time.]
[By chance, during a gap in the army's deployment, only a handful of personal guards remained beside Lu Jiaxuan and his two sons.]
[The four men came with ill intent. One gaunt old monk, skin and bones, used only his hands to stop a galloping warhorse dead in its tracks, leaving everyone utterly shocked.]
[Ouyang Jingyu's expression changed drastically at the sight. "Not good! They are Esoteric Sect Chan masters from Great Snow Mountain!" He knew well that these Esoteric Sect monks from the Western Regions possessed unfathomable strength and were no ordinary opponents.]
[He immediately ordered Lu Jiaxuan and his two sons to retreat while he himself stayed behind to hold the four men off.]
[The old monk uttered an Amitabha, his face full of compassion, then suddenly flung out the Buddhist beads in his hand, injuring the horses of all three men.]
[At this sight, Ouyang Jingyu faced the old monk as though confronting a great enemy.]
[Lu Yu merely curled his lip in disdain.]
[Though the old monk looked ancient, his blood and vitality were as abundant as a middle-aged man's. Ouyang Jingyu could not help worrying that this might be Chan Master Longshu, abbot of Great Snow Mountain.]
[He was an expert at the Half-Step Great Grandmaster Realm.]
[Looking at the four monks before you, doubt appeared on your face.]
[You had cultivated on Zhongnan, spending most of your time in bitter training and rarely asking after other sects.]
[Yet Lu Yu knew the other sects like the back of his hand. He explained, "Great Snow Mountain of North Wind is one branch of the Buddhist School's Esoteric Sect. They cultivate body-tempering Chan, worship the Joyful Buddha, and believe in the so-called 'Heaven of Desire' and 'God of Love,' holding that the union of yin and yang is the origin of all life."]
[The sect's disciples often kept several female pets, treating them like pigs and dogs, frequently binding them with ropes. Great Snow Mountain held an exalted position in North Wind; several of North Wind's khans had once cultivated there.]
[Countless women within Great Qing had been captured by North Wind and sent to Great Snow Mountain, where they were used by these Chan masters to cultivate their arts and harvest women's primordial yin.]
[Once a woman had been harvested, she had only a few years left to live. It was an evil art.]
[Lu Yu snorted at this in contempt and said indifferently, "They are merely an evil cult that could no longer survive in the Western Regions. Those so-called cultivation methods are paltry tricks, beneath mention."]
[Ouyang Jingyu could not help shaking his head upon hearing that. The boy truly did not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth. Great Snow Mountain had been North Wind's martial authority for centuries, holding the bull's ear of its martial world.]
[You suddenly understood. Were they not licentious monks, using women as tools for cultivation? Their wicked deeds were simply too atrocious for words.]
[Who knew how many women the old monk before you had bedded, how many he had harmed, to possess his current strength?]
[Ouyang Jingyu sensed their auras. Apart from the old monk, whose aura was unclear, the other three had all revealed the oppressive presence of the Grandmaster Realm.]
[The Lu father and sons' horses had been injured. They were destined not to get far; once caught, death was their only road.]
[Ouyang Jingyu was anxious beyond measure.]
[Ordinary people had no power whatsoever to fight back against experts of the Grandmaster Realm. Of course, he knew Lu Yu's strength was exceptional, but he was still too young. Given time, he might not fail to become a Grandmaster in the future.]
[Ouyang Jingyu gritted his teeth and hardened his heart, blocking the four monks. No matter what, he could not let the commander of the Lu Family Army die here. How could he answer to Wang Yang otherwise?]
[If Lu Jiaxuan died, North Wind would likely return in force at once.]
[The old monk stayed behind to deal with Ouyang Jingyu and sent the other three toward you.]
[Ouyang Jingyu was famed for the broadsword in his hand, which weighed seventy-two jin. His moves were broad and forceful, like a general leading troops into battle, earning him the title of General Sword.]
[But the old monk blocked it head-on with his bare palms, beating Ouyang Jingyu back step by step. In fewer than a dozen exchanges, the rebounding force made the web between his thumb and forefinger ache, while his arms went numb and weak.]
[He had already determined that this man was Chan Master Longshu, abbot of Great Snow Mountain, whose Arhat Skill of subduing dragons and tigers had shaken North Wind's martial world.]
[The old monk smiled lightly, forcing a trace of a smile onto his withered face. "Amitabha. Little benefactor, since you have guessed my identity, why continue to resist?"]
["Your abilities are not weak. If you are willing to join this old monk's school, you may become my fourth disciple. I shall spare your life and bring you to experience mortal Bliss. Would that not be wonderful?"]
[Experts of the Grandmaster Realm were already rare beneath heaven, and Great Snow Mountain had only six.]
[Ouyang Jingyu roared in fury, "Go fuck yourself, bald donkey!"]
[The old monk did not mind. He smiled, but the force in his hands increased by several degrees.]
[Ouyang Jingyu's broadsword could no longer hold on and was nearly knocked from his grasp.]
[The gap between a Grandmaster and a Half-Step Great Grandmaster was simply too vast. The latter had already touched upon the Innate Realm; both strength and speed had multiplied severalfold, making him utterly impossible for Ouyang Jingyu to match.]
[The Innate Realm was the realm pursued by martial artists throughout the world.]
[At that moment, a voice rang out.]
["Old monk, you should let him become your eldest disciple instead. It seems you have no disciples left."]
[A voice rang out.]
[Lu Yu had appeared before the two men at some unknown time.]
[The old monk turned back in confusion, and the sight before him made his eyes split wide with rage.]
[His three disciples were all lying in pools of blood, devoid of life.]
[The old monk could not believe it, his eyes filled with fury. Great Snow Mountain had lost three Grandmasters; it was enough to tear muscle and fracture bone.]
[Even Ouyang Jingyu, who had finally gained a chance to catch his breath, wore a face full of shock.]
[He looked once more at the youth before him. Innate Qi flowed around Lu Yu's body; though he had not assumed a fist stance, an intent of the fist naturally clung to him.]
["This is the Three Truths Sect's... Empty Clarity Fist!"]
[Fist intent roamed through his body—the Grandmaster Realm.]
[Ouyang Jingyu was inexplicably startled.]
[Lu Yu had actually stepped into the Grandmaster Realm, yet it should have been impossible for him to instantly kill three Grandmasters of the same realm.]
[His heart tightened as several guesses arose, only for him to reject them at once.]
[The old monk had already roared in anger, "You killed my disciples. I want your life in payment!"]
[There was no surprise in the outcome. Longshu lasted only a dozen or so moves in Lu Yu's hands. Lu Yu formed a fist seal and smashed the old monk's shoulder apart, then struck his head with another punch. Blood flowed from his seven orifices as he died.]
[Before dying, the old monk's eyes were wide open.]
[His eyes remained open even in death as he muttered, "The Great Grandmaster Realm... how is that possible?!"]
[Ouyang Jingyu's eyes were equally wide. Hearing Longshu's final words, he was already stunned stiff.]
[A twenty-year-old Great Grandmaster? How could that be possible? Yet the truth stood before his eyes, leaving him no choice but to believe.]
[Hulao Pass had won a great victory. The Lu Family Army's eight thousand had crushed forty thousand, beheading more than thirty thousand enemies.]
[As soon as the news emerged, it shook the world.]
[This was Great Qing's first great victory in twenty years.]
[In the south, countless households ran about spreading the news. For a time, the name Lu Family Army echoed throughout the land.]
[As North Wind's army vanished beyond the Yellow River, Wang Yang stood atop the city walls, his heart shaking as tears and snot streamed down his face.]
[They had won. They had truly won.]
[That day, your father returned in triumph. A man who had rarely drunk for many years, he broke precedent and brought out his treasured fine wine.]
[Hulao Pass was filled with song and dance. Your father and Wang Yang drank themselves senseless.]
[For the first time, Wang Yang truly took notice of you, praising you by saying, "You hold armies of thousands upon thousands within your breast."]
[He praised Lu Yu as "a match for ten thousand men."]
[You merely smiled faintly.]
[Clearly, Lu Yu did not like that title. Doesn't that just mean a reckless brute?]
[Your father had already drunk too much and was clearly intoxicated. You hurriedly supported him and said, "Father, you are drunk."]
[Your father smiled. "Shenzhou, I am not drunk. My heart is simply full of exhilaration."]
[He raised his cup and cried aloud.]
["Twenty years of humiliation and ruin, twenty years of scrambling flight, with home and country both lost—Lu Jiaxuan's heart was filled with despair."]
["Few soldiers and scant generals, defeated time and again, muddling through in mediocrity as the days and months slipped away."]
["Old age is drawing near—how can I speak of reclaiming our mountains and rivers?!"]
["But today, I have seen hope."]
["Ten years of drinking ice cannot cool hot blood."]
Before you continue