Encamping Formed a Yang Array

"The barracks gather energy, embodying the utmost yang and strength."

Qiu Yan, mounted on his horse, was quite far away. From a distance, he could see the endless military camps, silent and solemn. The surging Qi and Blood emanated like clouds and mist, not dissipating but intertwining and enveloping the camp like a giant blanket.

This Qi and Blood was thick and turbulent, capable of repelling ghosts and Divine Ability and dispelling supernatural powers. It was subtly in harmony with the Human Path Order. Even Qiu Yan could sense the changes and discover that his True Qi, True Essence, and Golden Core were all being drawn in, somewhat out of control, yet also subtly suppressed. As for his Divine Soul and Heart Fire, it was even more bizarre, instinctively emitting a hint of fear.

This wasn't Qiu Yan being afraid; rather, his Divine Soul, the very essence of his Soul Dao, had encountered its natural enemy!

The soul fears the sun.

The barracks were indeed inhabited by ordinary soldiers. These men were physically strong, but even with daily training, their martial arts cultivation was not outstanding. Most of them were only at the Foundation Establishment Realm stage, at the Bright Force level. In the Lin Zhong, they could only be considered ordinary figures. However, they possessed the art of killing. As they walked on the Sand Battlefield, their Qi Manifestation and gathered together. Their thoughts and blood converged into one, creating a remarkable Qi Manifestation.

This Qi Manifestation, through the layout of the barracks, flows and changes, connecting with each other, causing its momentum to surge!

"No wonder military treatises often emphasize the importance of setting up camp and selecting locations. In terms of length and emphasis, they are no less important than the descriptions of tactics, strategies, and battle formations. Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I realize that there are indeed important considerations when setting up camp. If it's not done well, and there are too many loopholes, and the extraordinary power cannot be suppressed, it could be attacked by cultivators!"

Looking at the barracks, Qiu Yan sat on his horse, but his hands were not idle. He took out paper and pen and wrote in the air, recording everything he saw and sensed.

Through his senses, he noticed that the location of this continuous military camp was not random. The placement of the tents and wooden fences was not disorderly, but rather orderly, subtly forming a pattern that influenced the Earth Veins and celestial phenomena, and further brought people together and amplified their presence.

The masculine Qi and Blood in the barracks was amplified more than tenfold by this formation!

The Qi and Blood of soldiers are inherently rich; an ordinary person can immobilize weak ghosts and gather them together. Even cultivators in the early stages of the Second Realm or Third Realm will be affected. After being linked with the Human Path Order, even cultivators at the peak of the Third Realm will find it difficult to face their sharp edge. Furthermore, after being amplified and radiated by the camp's formation, even cultivators in the Fourth Realm will be suppressed!

Moreover, a Dragon Qi Manifestation in the sky, hovering above and occasionally showing signs of descending. It seems that when Military School take action, they may also have methods to be favored by Dragon Qi.

This is why, no matter how high Divine Ability are cultivated, unless they exceed a certain limit, it's ultimately difficult to act at will on the battlefield. Besides, if a few experts could decide the fate of a nation, what would be the point of an army or a court?

If there exists something beyond all else, how can there be justice in the world? There is only human selfishness.

"Human Path in the Zhou Rao Continent is distorted. The lives of ordinary people cannot be protected by the imperial court and the army; instead, they have to rely on the Daoist Sect cultivators. The reason for this is probably that after the change of Order, the soil for unity and unwavering resolve has disappeared. Might makes right, and weakness makes it difficult to rise up. But ultimately, there are more ordinary people than people in this world..."

As Qiu Yan pondered, he clearly sensed that the closer they got to the barracks, the less heroic and imposing Pang Qianru's aura and presence diminished. However, she was clearly aware of the suppression from the camp formation and showed no surprise. Instead, she looked at Qiu Yan and nodded gently.

In comparison, Qiu Yan's Fleshly Body's cultivation of the Fate Dao Life was still good, but his Divine Soul was greatly affected, shrinking slightly. Fortunately, his soul had already undergone three transformations and contained Yang Qi, which allowed him to resist this Yang energy.

If a cultivator without Yang Qi comes here, their cultivation will be temporarily destroyed by the suppression of their Qi and Blood, leaving them like an ordinary person. At that time, several soldiers working together might be able to kill them.

The affairs of the world are inherently interdependent, with each Yin-Yang having its own strength and weakness.

Grandmaster of learning does not cultivate one's nature or life, but can mobilize the Human Path Order to suppress the extraordinary. It is equivalent to gathering the power of all living beings to suppress one person. However, if someone gets close, it is difficult to resist.

Cultivators, on the other hand, focus on self-cultivation. When they reach a high level of cultivation, they can overturn rivers and seas with a mere thought. However, they are ultimately limited to one person. They can kill Sage at close range, but even two fists cannot defeat four hands. When they encounter the thoughts of all living beings, they will fall into a disadvantageous position.

Setting up camp is a method of gathering people, which uses the methods of Military School strategists. The methods of Military School strategists may seem similar to those of cultivators of the Fate Dao, as they also cultivate martial arts, but in the end, they are different. They are not about Transcendence, but about killing and fighting, and protecting the territory and its people.

In fact, it is precisely because of these characteristics that a learned strategist can understand the military situation by observing the atmosphere, and can know the general trend of the world without leaving the mountain, and strategize within the tent.

Qiu Yan had been familiar with this concept for a long time, and with what he had seen and heard over the years, he gradually gained a clearer understanding of it.

"Since cultivators, Sage, and Grandmaster each have their own advantages under certain circumstances, will the path of Divine Path and the Heart Demon Path also encounter similar situations, making it difficult to determine who is stronger?"

With this in mind, the three men and three horses arrived at the military camp, where they could already hear shouts of battle.

However, the scene that accompanied the sound was not soldiers training on the Sand Battlefield, but rather several men working in the fields outside the barracks.

They were dressed simply, and their skin was dark, clearly tanned from the sun.

"These people are what are commonly known as Local Militia," Pang Qianru said with a smile, noticing Qiu Yan's gaze.

As soon as she spoke, Xiao Jian's expression grew even more unpleasant. This young marquis was already worried and his complexion had been poor. He had been somewhat absent-minded while leading the way, but now he was secretly giving Pang Qianru meaningful glances.

"Let's not discuss these trivial matters with the top scholar. Let's go straight to the camp."

"You can't say that," Pang Qianru laughed, revealing her white teeth, completely disregarding ladylike etiquette. "Qiu Yan came here to join the army, not to watch the spectacle. He's writing a military treatise, and he needs to understand many things clearly. Otherwise, what he writes will be detached from reality, making him a laughingstock and misleading others."

Xiao Jian frowned and shook his head, saying, "These Local Militia have existed in every dynasty. They're not respectable. The things recorded in military books are mostly tactics and key points, some trivial details. How could they be considered respectable?"

Qiu Yan asked, "These Local Militia, aren't they the so-called soldiers that the imperial court doesn't support?"

His words surprised both Xiao Jian and Pang Qianru.

"Local Militia" is a term for informal local armed forces. In reality, they were farmers who did not leave production, did not need to be supported by the imperial court, and had no specific military establishment. As a result, many high-ranking officials in the imperial court were unaware that such a local armed force existed.

The emperor was confined to the Imperial Palace, and his knowledge came from the words of people in the palace and the court. Among those officials, there were those who had never experienced the grassroots level. They rose to official positions through the imperial Imperial Examinations, connections, and recommendations, and remained high above others. Their knowledge came from reports from their subordinates. Based on this information, they constructed a picture of the country in their minds.

The emperor's vision of the country, and the officials' vision of the country, are merely reflections formed through their "knowledge," and are different from the actual state of the country.

In Xiao Jian and Pang Qianru's view, Qiu Yan should also belong to the kind of person who builds his own empire based on what he knows from books and what others say.

This is not meant to be derogatory, but Qiu Yan has now arrived at the frontier. Before long, he will be able to gather enough information to visualize the true reward in his mind. All he lacks is time.

"I didn't expect you to know about the lack of funds to support local militias." After her initial surprise, Pang Qianru's smile remained unchanged. "Then you should also know that the imperial court will not allocate funds and provisions to support Local Militia; ultimately, the local garrisons have to raise the necessary funds themselves."

"I know a little about it."

Qiu Yan nodded in response. He had seen a similar scene in Wuxin City, but Wuxin City used the captured Marshfolk as slaves, making them work and cultivate the land, which left a deep impression on him. After returning and investigating, he quickly learned the reason. Later, when Qiu Yan took charge of the Military Pavilion, he read through the classics and understood more and more, but this was the first time he had observed it up close.

After glancing at them for a few moments, Qiu Yan added, "I've heard that most of these Local Militia are guards, protecting their homes and homeland, and their fighting strength is certainly not inferior."

"Indeed, sir, please come inside." Xiao Jian said a few words and led Qiu Yan and Pang Qianru into the barracks. Although privately raising Local Militia was an unspoken rule in various places, the biggest fear was encountering newly promoted officials. Sometimes, in a moment of impulsiveness, they would go to the imperial court, inevitably causing chaos and ruin.

Seeing through his thoughts, Qiu Yan did not refuse and entered the camp with Pang Qianru.

As Qiu Yan entered the camp, he suddenly felt a jolt throughout his body, all his supernatural Divine Ability were suppressed. As his extraordinary abilities faded, his mysterious perception became even more acute, drawing on the Order and making him aware of something. He turned his head and looked at a hill in the distance.

He glanced at it once, then looked away, dismounted, and entered the camp.

The camp was in a state of depression when a beautiful woman suddenly visited, causing quite a commotion. However, the officers managed to quell the Order and prevent it from breaking down.

Soon, the general in charge of the military camp arrived. He was a young man who was familiar with Xiao Jian. His name was Yang Zhong, and he was very brave and capable. When he saw Qiu Yan and Pang Qianru, he showed dissatisfaction. However, after Xiao Jian whispered a few words in his ear and he saw Xiao Lan's token, he looked surprised and looked at Qiu Yan.

"Since there is an order from the military governor, there will be no room in the camp, but this is only for the top scholar. Miss Pang, please wait here. Military discipline must not be violated."

Xiao Jian shook his head, thinking to himself that he and Yang Zhong had known each other since childhood and he knew Yang Zhong's thoughts. He had brought Pang Qianru over for this reason, but he couldn't resist Yang Zhong's rigidity. He simply said, "In that case, I will bring the top scholar into the camp. General Yang, please entertain Miss Pang here. She is a young lady all alone here. She can't be left without someone to keep her company."

Yang Zhong frowned, about to speak, but was interrupted by shouts coming from the camp.

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan asked curiously, his hearing clearly catching the shouts.

"There seems to be a fight going on in the military camp!"

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