General's Skill Revealed

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The moment Jian Shang charged up beside the barbarian chief wielding the silver scimitar, he ignored the guards around him, flicked his spear, and thrust three times in succession.

A resounding clash of metal rang out. Dazzling silver light flashed, and all three thrusts were swept aside. Even the web between his thumb and forefinger holding the spear was numbed by the shock.

"Pfft..."

"Hiss..."

Rather than retreating, the barbarian cavalry chief advanced. Dazzling silver light swept past, brilliant and blinding, leaving Jian Shang's eyes swimming.

The sound of a sharp weapon slicing flesh rang out. Pain shot through Jian Shang's left arm, and vivid blood sprayed forth.

The searing pain made Jian Shang suck in a cold breath. This was the first time he had been injured, and the first time he had felt pain as intense as anything in reality.

Lowering his head, he saw that the clothes over his left chest had been torn open, exposing the Golden-Silk Inner Armor. A wound more than a foot long ran along his left arm, blood gushing out and dyeing the arm red.

One could only imagine that without the Golden-Silk Inner Armor, he would have been severely injured even if he had not died!

"What a fast blade!"

Jian Shang exclaimed. A fierce air surged within him, hot blood rushing to his head. He neither retreated nor abandoned his spear for a saber. With a sweep of the Pear Blossom Wrought-Iron Spear, he forced back the barbarian chief. Then thrusts, stabs, lifts, jabs, and other spear techniques drilled until they had become instinct poured forth like a swarm, as though he were fighting for his life.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Silver blossoms bloomed. Meteor-like cold gleams were all blocked by the silver scimitar, jolting Jian Shang's arms numb and aching, nearly leaving him unable to keep hold of his spear.

"Ha!"

"Die!"

At that moment, Jiang Yao, Jiang Sheng, and the others arrived. Avoiding the guards on either side of the barbarian cavalry chief, Jiang Yao's Spring and Autumn Broadsword, Jiang Yao's three-pointed double-edged blade, Ma Qiang's long-handled broadsword, and Luo Sheng's spear attacked the chief in pairs from both sides.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Another burst of dense metallic clashes erupted. The barbarian chief circled his silver scimitar, and it swept forth like flowing water and drifting clouds. A ring of bright silver light appeared, knocking back all three blades and two spears.

Such godlike saberplay depended not only on astonishing blade techniques, but more importantly on the experience of a hundred battles and the instincts of the strong. In lightning-fast exchanges of this level, there was simply no time for thought or deliberation.

"Ha!"

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Jian Shang and the other four roared, surrounding the barbarian cavalry chief and launching a frenzied assault. The dense clang of metal striking metal rang out without end, like iron being hammered.

None of Jian Shang's group could match the barbarian cavalry chief alone. Yet with five attacking together, coupled with the advantage of long weapons in mounted combat, they forced the chief into a state where he could neither fight back nor cope with their attacks, finding even escape difficult.

"Whoosh..."

Just as Jian Shang's group and the barbarian cavalry chief were locked in a stalemate, a sharp whistle tore through the air. Le Yun, having surveyed the battlefield, loosed an arrow to assist them.

"Clang..."

Unfortunately, Le Yun's hidden arrow was easily knocked aside by the barbarian cavalry chief. Le Yun clicked his tongue in amazement, then turned toward Yang Ning, who was picking off fleeing barbarian cavalrymen, and called, "Yang Ning!"

Yang Ning turned around. Seeing Le Yun gesture toward the barbarian cavalry chief surrounded by Jian Shang's group, he pondered briefly before taking out two arrows, drawing his bow, nocking them, and taking aim...

"Whoosh..."

The two arrows flew in succession, streaking toward the barbarian cavalry chief as swiftly as meteors. They were so close together that they almost seemed joined as one; even their whistles blended into a single unbroken sound, making it impossible to tell that two arrows had cut through the air.

"Clang, clang, clang... Ding..."

Silver light swirled. Amid the dense clashes of metal, one crisp, clear ring stood out distinctly. Three blades, two spears, and one arrow were all blocked.

"Pfft..."

The sound of a weapon piercing flesh rang out. A Wrought-Iron Arrow viciously buried itself in the barbarian cavalry chief's left chest. Its arrowhead pierced through his body as glaring crimson blood gradually spread and blossomed...

The barbarian cavalry chief stiffened, lowering his head in disbelief to stare at his left chest...

"I'll take him!"

Jiang Yao, Jiang Sheng, and the others were overjoyed and pressed their attack. Yet Jian Shang shouted, causing their movements to slow in unison. His spear, carrying a swift and frigid gleam, struck after them yet arrived first, brutally piercing the barbarian cavalry chief's right chest. Its two-foot spearhead punched through his body...

A boss-level figure this powerful naturally had to be killed by Jian Shang himself. Who knew what he would gain if one of his subordinates killed him instead? Would that godlike saber technique drop?

"Ding! Congratulations, player Jian Shang, for killing a Junior Commandant of the barbarians invading the Divine Land. You have obtained the General's Skill *Silver Light Blur* that he cultivated, one point of Martial Strength, and have additionally been awarded 10 Merit points and 10 Prestige points!"

At the same time, the loud and pleasant notification sounded in Jian Shang's mind, just as he had expected.

However, the reward was not as generous as Jian Shang had imagined, and did not match the barbarian cavalry chief's status or strength. There was also no system announcement like the one from when he had killed the minor barbarian leader days ago. Clearly, during Jian Shang's group's journey, someone else had already killed barbarians at the Junior Commandant level.

Still, he had obtained a General's Skill. This was the first time Jian Shang had possessed one, the first time he had even heard of their existence, and the first time he had encountered a leader-level figure capable of using one.

The Black Wolf Cavalry would naturally search the corpse. Jian Shang withdrew his spear and looked around. By now, the battle had essentially ended. Only a little over a hundred barbarian cavalrymen remained, still resisting and trying to break out. Their defeat was merely a matter of time.

Watching the ownerless warhorses scattered across the ground whinnying and pacing, as though calling for their masters, Jian Shang felt deeply moved.

Fortunately, the main objective of this raid had been achieved. With no fewer than four hundred ownerless Northern Plains Biao before them, there were enough not only for every Black Wolf Cavalryman to have one mount, but even for each man to have two.

"End the battle quickly, clean up the battlefield, and leave this place. We must not draw any other barbarians here!"

With the rest amounting to little more than cleanup, Jian Shang had no interest in joining the slaughter. He held his spear across his horse and gave Jiang Sheng an order, then examined the thrilling General's Skill.

Silver Light Blur, General's Skill. Condenses inner force to greatly increase attack speed, while manifesting silver afterimages to strike and kill enemy forces in all directions. Divided into nine realms. Each realm increases attack speed by 30%. Each realm can respectively condense 2, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, or 81 silver afterimages. Corresponding inner force must be expended to maintain its use. Cultivation requirement: 50 Martial Strength.

As Jian Shang examined the General's Skill, his expression shifted as swiftly as wind and clouds. First he was shocked, then delighted, and finally his face looked as unpleasant as if he had swallowed a fly.

Just as he had expected, General's Skills had no distinction of rank or grade. They were merely skills; their power chiefly depended on their owner's strength and cultivation realm. And they truly were powerful and miraculous.

The problem was that they actually had Martial Strength requirements. Worse still, one had to cultivate an internal cultivation method and possess a certain amount of inner force.

As the name implied, General's Skills were exclusive skills for generals. Naturally, ordinary soldiers could not cultivate them. And to become a general, Martial Strength was the most basic standard. Thus, Jian Shang was merely surprised and frustrated, not unable to accept it.

As expected, other abilities such as Art of War Techniques, Strategist's Skills, livelihood skills, and the like would likewise require a certain level of Command, Intelligence, Political Ability, and perhaps other factors similar to inner force.

Unfortunately, Jian Shang's Martial Strength was only 46, leaving him four points short. Though it was only four points, things were no longer as they had once been. Jian Shang's Martial Strength was already not low, and raising it further was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Other than painstakingly cultivating the Cloud Dragon Nine Transformations, Jian Shang truly could not think of what kind of person he would have to kill with his own hands to increase his Martial Strength.