"This is no child's play. It is a test of the fruits of your five years of bitter cultivation, and the very foundation on which your survival in the Southern Borderlands will depend!"
Chan Master Wuxiang's voice abruptly sank. "The generals and I will judge only the results! The victors shall be rewarded!"
"Those whose valor crowns the three armies shall receive lavish rewards! Those who win the army competition, whether commanders or their subordinates, shall likewise receive lavish rewards!
"Fortune Talismans, spirit stones, Treasure Pills, Magic Treasures, superior cultivation techniques, spells, furnaces... even promotion through military merit and honors bestowed by the Immortal Dynasty-we shall stint on none of them!
"Everyone, make sure you seize this opportunity!"
He paused, a trace of vajra wrath appearing on his compassionate face, and said gravely:
"And those who suffer crushing defeat? What face do the indolent have to continue enjoying the Immortal Dynasty's support?"
"For lighter offenses, three years of Immortal Stipend shall be confiscated, and your fortune allotment stripped away as well! Your subordinates shall undergo twice the drills, with all expenses borne by you, and you must sign a debt note as punishment!"
"For graver offenses..."
Chan Master Wuxiang's gaze swept over them like a vajra pestle, carrying a judgment both merciful and cold, as he slowly spoke:
"You shall be stripped of military office and expelled from our Gou Wu Whale Army! Return whence you came! Or...
"Become an Unaffiliated Cultivator, rootless and without support, with tribulations impossible to foresee! The Immortal Dynasty's laws are strict. It has never fed the mediocre or admitted the useless!"
Once the words "Unaffiliated Cultivator" were spoken, the cruelty of the consequences needed no explanation.
Without the Immortal Dynasty as a solid backing, without the support and protection of a sect or lineage,