The Third Grandmaster

Seeing the more than three thousand fine warhorses, Yang Ye's thoughts stirred.

With so many warhorses, they could outfit a thousand-man Heavy Armored Cavalry force.

It was just that he could not afford to maintain Heavy Armor Cavalry.

After entering the city, the other officers and soldiers were all sent off to rest.

After hearing Sheng Huai'an's report of their experiences over the past few days, Yang Ye and the others were deeply shaken.

A thousand cavalrymen had slain eight thousand enemy riders. Such a record was enough to shock quite a few people.

That did not even include the other Xiongnu soldiers and Xiongnu people they had killed.

The healing pills Sheng Huai'an and his men had brought back were all handed over. As for the cultivation pills, Sheng Huai'an had distributed them to his subordinate soldiers in advance. They had fought for them with their lives.

As for the Breakthrough Pills, he kept three Fourth-grade Breakthrough Pills for himself and distributed the rest among his subordinates. They had not brought back much of the other supplies.

The most valuable things were those three thousand fine warhorses.

After Sheng Huai'an left, Sun Hao slowly spoke. "That kid has earned tremendous merit this time. With such great military achievements, he is more than qualified to be promoted to a sixth-rank Brigade General."

Unfortunately, a sixth-rank Brigade General needed to be officially appointed by the imperial court. Yang Ye did not have the authority to appoint Sheng Huai'an as a sixth-rank Brigade General.

"To be able to lead troops across the grasslands as freely as he pleases, he was born to command armies and wage war."

"A bona fide fierce general. His future is likely beyond measure," Li Daoru commented.

"After one trip out, that kid seems to have grown much stronger again," Zhao Yong'an said.

Everyone held Sheng Huai'an in high regard.

"Promote him to Colonel for now," Yang Ye finally said.

The court was currently unstable, with the imperial princes fighting for the throne. There was no way to report his achievements and have the court appoint Sheng Huai'an to the post of Brigade General.

After returning from General Yang's command tent, Sheng Huai'an went to visit Old Soldier.

Old Soldier was still a Platoon Leader. Among the soldiers under his command, Zhang Da Niu was the only familiar face. The few people Sheng Huai'an had seen last time had already been replaced by unfamiliar faces.

Such was the cruelty of the battlefield. Batch after batch of soldiers came and went.

"Uncle, Brother Da Niu, I came to see you."

"It's good that you're back." Old Soldier nodded as he looked at Sheng Huai'an's return.

"Huai'an, I heard that you killed more than eight thousand enemy cavalrymen on this trip. That was far too valiant." Zhang Da Niu could not help raising a thumbs-up.

"That was over several days. The brothers fought for it with their lives. What's so valiant about that?" Sheng Huai'an waved his hand.

"It's a pity I'm not under your command. Otherwise, I could have ridden across the grasslands with you too." Zhang Da Niu spoke longingly.

"How about I send you under Huai'an's command?" Old Soldier shot Zhang Da Niu a glare.

"Ahem, well, I'd still rather follow you." Zhang Da Niu hurriedly declared his stance.

Old Soldier nodded. At least you know what's good for you, unlike that fellow Wang Wu, who ran off under Sheng Huai'an's command and still did not dare come back.

"Uncle, I did it. Hehe!"

Old Soldier looked at Sheng Huai'an in surprise.

"Come inside with me."

Sheng Huai'an followed Old Soldier into the inner room.

"You really cultivated it?" Old Soldier looked at Sheng Huai'an excitedly.

"Really!"

Sheng Huai'an nodded, then circulated the Great Sun Heart Sutra. Golden light began to spread across his entire body.

"This..."

Old Soldier was dumbstruck. He had not expected Sheng Huai'an to truly cultivate a fake manual successfully!

Then he really had not been cheated. He had bought a genuine secret manual.

But why had he studied it for so long without managing to cultivate it successfully?!

"That's not right!" Old Soldier muttered softly.

"What's not right?" Sheng Huai'an withdrew his cultivation and asked.

"N-Nothing. I mean, you cultivated it successfully. Uncle is truly happy for you." Old Soldier spoke with a trace of sourness.

"I can teach you how to cultivate it, Uncle!" Sheng Huai'an said.

Now that he had cultivated it successfully, he naturally wanted to teach Old Soldier. After all, Old Soldier had given him the Great Sun Heart Sutra.

"Good. Uncle did not misjudge you." This was exactly what Old Soldier had been waiting to hear.

Then Sheng Huai'an taught Old Soldier the method for getting started. After a while—

Old Soldier looked despondent. "I can't cultivate it. I can't even get started. Looks like not everyone can cultivate it. Sigh..."

Sheng Huai'an scratched his head. Was this cultivation method really that strange?

"Kid, whatever you do, don't spread word of this technique. A common man is innocent, but possessing jade becomes his crime." Old Soldier warned him with a solemn expression.

"Yes, Uncle!" Sheng Huai'an naturally understood that principle.

"And... unless you become a Martial Saint, you must not break your pure yang. Otherwise, you will never reach the Martial Saint realm," Old Soldier continued.

"Martial Saint?!"

Old Soldier slowly said, "The path of martial cultivation goes: Martial Apprentice, Martial Artist, Martial Master, Houtian, Xiantian, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster.

"Above Great Grandmasters are Martial Saints. Once martial arts achieve sainthood, a single Martial Saint can suppress an entire nation and live for five hundred years."

Sheng Huai'an's blood boiled as he listened. A Martial Saint could suppress a nation alone—what kind of strength was that?

Before, he had only known of Great Grandmasters. Now, he knew of the realm above Great Grandmasters: Martial Saints.

"What about Martial Emperors?" Sheng Huai'an asked curiously.

Wasn't the Great Sun Heart Sutra he cultivated created by a Martial Emperor?

"Martial Emperors?"

Old Soldier glanced at Sheng Huai'an. "That is a legend."

"Enough. Remember my words. Before becoming a Martial Saint, you cannot break your pure yang. Otherwise, you will have no fate with Martial Sainthood."

"Uh..."

Sheng Huai'an was depressed. Did that not mean he could not touch women until he reached the Martial Saint realm?!

Then what was he cultivating so hard for?!

To hell with this martial path. He might as well not cultivate at all.

"Uncle, then why can other martial cultivators do it?"

"Have you never studied what kind of traits your own cultivation technique has?" Old Soldier rolled his eyes.

Sheng Huai'an threw back his head and let out a long sigh. Uncle, you have led me astray...

After returning from Old Soldier's place, General Yang held a victory banquet that evening for the three hundred soldiers under Sheng Huai'an's command. He let them drink their fill, fulfilling the promise he had made when they first set out.

Some soldiers began crying as they drank. Their former brothers-in-arms would never return.

After returning from the victory banquet, Sheng Huai'an began cultivating.

Ever since Old Soldier told him that he could not break his pure yang without becoming a Martial Saint, Sheng Huai'an had cultivated even more diligently.

To become a true man sooner, he had to cultivate hard and become a Martial Saint as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, when he went to Yichun Tower, he could only stare at that thing and weep empty tears.

Early the next morning, Sheng Huai'an finished absorbing the first wisp of golden sunlight at dawn.

After breakfast, the Xiongnu army outside the pass began battering the gates again.

Without hesitation, Sheng Huai'an picked up his saber and climbed the city wall.

Kill the enemy—still kill the enemy!

Only by killing enemies could he continuously gain Slaughter Value and become a Martial Saint sooner.

Right from the start, the Xiongnu dispatched twenty thousand troops to assault the city, immediately putting Anning Pass's defenders under intense pressure.

The ground below the city wall was packed with Xiongnu troops. The Xiongnu Cavalry used volleys of arrows to suppress the defenders while Xiongnu soldiers climbed the walls.

Stones, boiling golden liquid, tetanus arrows—everything was hurled down from the city walls.

One hit, one silent corpse!

After suffering considerable casualties, the Xiongnu soldiers began scaling the city walls.

The Houtian and Xiantian Martial Artists within the Xiongnu army also charged up one after another.

The defending Colonels and Brigade Generals joined the battle one after another, holding back the Xiongnu's high-level combatants.

The Xiongnu army's offensive was even fiercer than before.

Two oppressive auras rose from the Xiongnu army. Then, two Xiongnu Grandmaster-level experts in black robes leaped through the air.

"Yang Ye, come out and die!"

One Xiongnu Grandmaster spoke, his voice like rolling heavenly thunder that spread throughout Anning Pass.

"Presumptuous!"

"Arrogant!"

Seeing those two Xiongnu Grandmasters act with such wild abandon, many defenders and residents of Anning Pass burned with anger.

Yang Ye stepped forward and faced the two Xiongnu Grandmasters directly.

"Heh, two defeated curs, and you dare boast of courage?" Yang Ye sneered.

"Today, you will die!" the somewhat thin Xiongnu Grandmaster said coldly.

"Just you two? Take my spear!"

"Rampaging Dragon!"

Yang Ye swung the Overlord Spear. The long spear became a dragon, surging true energy transforming into a golden dragon as it charged at the Xiongnu Grandmaster.

Watching the spear transform into a rampaging dragon, its might overbearing and razor-sharp, the Xiongnu Grandmaster's expression turned grave. His black robe billowed as torrents of black true energy writhed like serpents. He gathered all his true essence in his palm and struck out, like dark clouds pressing down from above as its aura burst forth, terrifying beyond measure.

The other Xiongnu Grandmaster also attacked. His blade light was dazzling beyond compare as he slashed at Yang Ye.

True energy surged through the sky, its pressure like a prison. Terrifying killing intent boiled over, making people tremble.

Every movement of Grandmaster-level experts carried terrifying might, far beyond that of ordinary people.

"Boom!"

The three clashed again and again in fierce battle. High in the air, the explosions rang like thunder. Their power surpassed that of Xiantian Martial Artists by an unknown amount.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, another figure emerged from within the Xiongnu army and charged at Yang Ye.

That aura undoubtedly belonged to a Grandmaster-level expert.

A third Grandmaster-level expert had appeared in the Xiongnu army.

The terrifying aura made the defenders' hearts skip half a beat.

"Not good! There's another Grandmaster-level expert in the Xiongnu army." Sun Hao was greatly alarmed.

"Damn it! These Xiongnu are truly despicable. They actually sent three Grandmasters to surround and kill General Yang."

"This is bad!"

"General Yang is in danger! What do we do?"

When the five defending Brigade Generals saw that Grandmaster emerge from the Xiongnu army, their hearts were filled with anxiety.

Once something happened to Yang Ye, none of them would survive, and Anning Pass would not be able to hold.