Military Advisor Ji

Li Yan moved forward with the team, pondering, "Looking at Marshal Hong's attentive gaze from the stands, this tent might be more than just registration. Could there be other considerations? But the tent doesn't seem very big; it's a bit small for flexing one's muscles. Could the military also be testing literary talent?"

As he walked with his head down, lost in thought, Li Yan suddenly felt a brightening before his eyes. It turned out the last person ahead of him had already entered the tent, and the space in front of him was much more open. But when he looked up, the person had already entered, and the curtain had fallen, so he couldn't see what was inside. Li Yan stopped overthinking and quietly waited where he was.

After only a few dozen breaths, someone lifted the curtain and came out. It was the person who had just entered. He was pulling down the sleeve on his wrist, but his face was full of confusion, as if he were greatly puzzled. Then, urged by a soldier beside the door, he walked to the end of the line of troops in the middle of the training ground. At this moment, one of the soldiers pointed at Li Yan and said, "You, go in." Hearing this, Li Yan walked towards the tent door as instructed.

Lifting the curtain and entering the tent, Li Yan felt a dimness before his eyes. He blinked a few times to adjust to the light, then opened his eyes again. He saw that there was only a low table inside the tent. Behind the table, a man was sitting cross-legged on a small rug. This man was about forty years old, wearing a scholar's cap and loose black robes. The hem of the black robe was spread out on the ground, covering his lower body. Even sitting down, he was only slightly shorter than Li Yan, so he must be very tall.

His face was thin and long, with a grayish-green complexion. A wisp of long beard hung down in front of his chest. His hands were clasped in his sleeves, embracing his chest and abdomen, half-hidden by the low table. A pair of narrow eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp light as they opened and closed, and he was currently sizing up Li Yan. Seeing Li Yan looking at him, he extended a slender, fair finger from his sleeve and pointed to another small rug in front of the table. "Sit," he said, and then said no more.

Li Yan walked to the table as instructed. Only then did he notice that there was an open cloth bag on the table. A row of small pouches was sewn vertically onto the surface of the bag, with the mouths of the pouches facing upwards. Each small pouch contained a varying number of thin needles, with the silver tips of the needles gleaming at the mouths of the pouches.

Looking at the rows of cold, gleaming silver needles on the table, Li Yan couldn't help but feel uneasy. "There's no writing brush, ink, paper, or inkstone here, so how are they going to register me? Instead, they've put out this thing. What's it for?" He felt confused and didn't know what to do.

The Black-Robed Man saw Li Yan standing at the table, staring at the silver needles with hesitation, and not sitting down. He spoke again, "Don't worry, it's just to test your meridians. If your meridians are very good, there might be a great opportunity waiting for you."

Hearing this, Li Yan thought for a moment and then sat cross-legged like the Black-Robed Man behind the table. He had already come here, and he had to pass this test no matter what. Otherwise, he would not be able to enter the next stage of the training ground assessment. Thinking too much was useless.

Seeing Li Yan being so straightforward, the Black-Robed Man smiled slightly and said, "Expose the meridians on your left wrist and place it on the table. It should only take a few breaths." Li Yan didn't think further. He reached out with his right hand and rolled up the coarse cloth sleeve of his left wrist a few times, then placed his hand palm up on the side of the cloth bag on the table.

Seeing Li Yan put his left hand in place, the Black-Robed Man reached out with two fair, slender fingers and, with lightning speed, plucked a silver needle from the open cloth bag. Before Li Yan could see clearly, he felt a numbness in his wrist. When he looked closely, most of the silver needle had already disappeared into his meridians. After doing this, the Black-Robed Man withdrew his hand into his sleeve, again clasping his hands in his sleeves and lowering them to

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his abdomen, then glancing at Li Yan's face.

Li Yan felt a numbness in his wrist, but there was no other unusual sensation. Just as he was wondering, only two breaths later, he suddenly felt a cool air rising from his abdomen straight to his head. His head felt cool, and his whole body had a refreshing sensation.

The Black-Robed Man had been squinting his eyes, and when he saw that Li Yan looked unharmed, he felt a slight pity in his heart. He didn't know how many times he had seen this situation in recent years, but every time after inserting the needle, he always had a glimmer of hope in his heart. In the past few years, only the time at the beginning of last year had made him ecstatic, but unfortunately, the final result had made him very angry.

Just as he was about to remove the silver needle from Li Yan's pulse point, he saw a layer of black gas slowly emerging from Li Yan's face. The Black-Robed Man was stunned, and then overjoyed, but his face remained calm. Immediately, his hands moved like the wind, flying like butterflies through flowers, and four more silver needles disappeared into Li Yan's pulse points. This time, only one breath later, Li Yan suddenly felt four more streams of hot, dry, heavy, and warm air rising from his abdomen, straight to the top of his head.

Now he felt like he was being fried in a boiling oil pot. His brain felt like it had been struck hard. He couldn't help but groan, and his face showed a look of pain, twisting under the shroud of various colors of gas.

After inserting the four silver needles, the Black-Robed Man stared at Li Yan's face without blinking, as if afraid of missing something. When a second stream of green gas rose on Li Yan's face, he became a little nervous. Then, as a third stream of red gas surged up, he clenched his fists even tighter. But as yellow and white gases rose later, he loosened his clenched fists with some disappointment, and his face became uncertain, frowning and pondering something.

Li Yan was currently suffering in agony inside his body. Several streams of gas in his abdomen were constantly colliding everywhere, causing him great pain. He had already changed from a cross-legged posture to lying on his side, his body curled up like a shrimp. Fortunately, he didn't touch the five silver needles in his wrist at this time, or he didn't know what the result would be.

If someone could see his face at this moment, they would find that the five colors of gas on his face were changing alternately. The black gas was the strongest, followed by green, red, yellow, and white in descending order. The white gas was already a lighter color. The black, green, red, yellow, and white colors flashed alternately in that order each time. The pain became increasingly unbearable, and Li Yan groaned a few more times in a low voice.

These groans awakened the Black-Robed Man from his contemplation. He looked at Li Yan, hesitated for a moment, and finally made a decision. He stood up, and without any visible movement, he had floated to the table, standing in front of Li Yan, silently and unpredictably, like a ghost. He waved his right sleeve, and five cold lights flashed from Li Yan's left hand. There were a few soft "thud" sounds, and a row of inch-long silver needles, their tails still trembling, was neatly nailed into the table. Although the table was not made of the best wood, the items used in the military were all about quality rather than appearance. This table was also made of jujube wood, which was extremely strong. Only a first-rate or top-level expert in the martial world could accomplish such a feat.

The Black-Robed Man looked at the silver needles on the table, then looked at Li Yan's rapidly recovering complexion, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. "Alas, my level is still not high enough. I don't dare to enter those places, so I can only use this most inferior and primitive method to test. The consequence is that it brings considerable pain to the person being tested. Fortunately, in the end, there is no harm to the body and mind, only temporary pain. If only I had a 'Spirit Testing Stone' or a 'Spirit Testing Pillar'..." Thinking of this, he sighed again. These were all things he couldn't access at the moment. But, maybe after this time, he could. Thinking of this, his heart couldn't help but burn. But when he saw Li Yan on the ground, he muttered to himself, "Last time, that person was actually a Mystic Spirit Root, with even better aptitude than me. But the most unfortunate thing was that he was illiterate and understood even the most basic formulas only vaguely. What a waste of such heaven-defying aptitude given to him by God. In the end, he only ended up like that."

Thinking of this in his heart, he sighed again. "Alas, this person is a Mixed Spirit Root, but it's still better than nothing. Time is running out. These two people appeared in succession within two years. This is just a coincidence. I've tested about nearly 100,000 people in these years, thinking of using this method to come to the military to test the existing soldiers and the newly recruited soldiers. In so many years, there have only been these two people. This is already the greatest opportunity, right? And my time is estimated to be only one or two years. Even if I encounter heaven-defying luck again in the future and find a suitable person, there won't be any time left."

"If a Mixed Spirit Root is used well, it can still be worth a try." Thinking of this, he took a long breath and looked at Li Yan, who was slowly recovering to normal on the ground.

Li Yan felt as if he had experienced a severe torture, but this torture was inflicted on the depths of his soul. It was so painful that he couldn't control himself, but he couldn't shout loudly. He could only emit low, heavy groans. As if he had experienced a long and unbearable time, Li Yan finally felt a numbness in the meridians of his hand, and the pain disappeared like a tide, as if it had never happened. It was as if it was just an illusion. Li Yan supported himself on the edge of the table and stood up from the ground. He looked at the row of silver needles gleaming with a cold light on the table, and then looked at the Black-Robed Man in front of him with some fear, as if he were a fierce ghost standing here. He didn't believe that it was just an illusion. It was a real pain that penetrated into his internal organs and bones. Otherwise, how would he explain this row of silver needles on the table? He was not a stupid person. Seeing Li Yan's fearful expression, the Black-Robed Man smiled at him gently and said, "Don't be afraid. My surname is Ji, and my name is Ji Wenhe. People call me Military Advisor Ji or Lord Ji."

Hearing this, Li Yan was shocked. "He is Military Advisor Ji, who is as famous as Grand Marshal Hong and jointly manages this Green Mountain Pass? He is also a well-known figure. Why did such a great man use those methods just now?"

Seeing that Li Yan didn't speak, Military Advisor Ji smiled and continued, "Although I caused you some pain just now, it was worth it. So many people in these years haven't gotten such a good result. I was originally a wandering martial artist. Because I suffered an incurable injury some years ago, I came to this military camp to find something to do and to look for a destined person. I have no sons or daughters, and I have always wanted to find a successor to pass on all my knowledge. Otherwise, if my sect's inheritance is cut off after my death, I will have no face to face the founding master of my sect even in the afterlife. The method I used on you earlier is the method my sect uses to select disciples. Because my sect's martial arts require a strong physique, wide meridians, and abundant internal organs to enter the door. Otherwise, even if you learn it, it will be useless, and you may even die from qi deviation. So, are you willing to join my sect and inherit all my knowledge?" As he spoke, Military Advisor Ji's voice became serious, and his eyes stared at Li Yan without blinking.

Li Yan thought, "This method of entering the sect is so vicious, making people suffer so much that they want to die. It seems that those cultivation methods are also not easy to learn. And how can I believe what he said?" Thinking of this, he was thinking about how to refuse, but then he suddenly thought of today

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entering the city gate, the squad leader named Liu Chengyong, whom he met at the city gate, seemed to have said something.

"The Meng Kingdom's bandits attacked three times with a large army but couldn't advance, but Military Advisor Ji still took the head of the enemy's deputy commander." That's what he said. So, according to this, this military advisor is an enemy of ten thousand people. According to what he said just now, he entered the military camp after being injured. If he was not injured before, what kind of peerless hero would he be?

Looking at the row of silver needles on the table again, after his pain disappeared just now, his whole body was soft and weak. When he stood up, his hand supported the table. Although his weight was not very strong, if it were made of ordinary wood, most of his weight would be pressed on it, and there would be some sound. But this small table didn't make a sound for even a breath, which shows its sturdiness.

He looked at the row of silver needles again, and his heart was even more horrified. The village's quack doctor also had silver needles, and he had seen them. They could be easily bent with a flick of a finger. How could these needles be inserted into this sturdy wooden table? He was not a stupid person.

Young men always admire heroes, and every young man has a dream of becoming a hero, fantasizing about saving the world and saving their loved ones from danger. Li Yan was no exception. Although he was more meticulous, it was only relative to people of the same age. In general, he still had the heart of a young man. In just a few thoughts, he had already changed his mind in various ways.

Thinking of this, Li Yan felt an impulse in his heart. He had long forgotten the unbearable pain just now, and he only felt that by following the person in front of him, he could learn the dreamlike ability to reach the heavens and the earth. He raised his head, looked at Military Advisor Ji, and said solemnly, "Since you, sir, favor me, how dare I refuse?"

Hearing this, Military Advisor Ji didn't show any surprise on his face. This was already within his expectations. If he didn't agree, it would surprise him instead. Military Advisor Ji opened his mouth and asked him, "What is your name?"

"My name is Li Yan, and I belong to the Great Green Mountains." Li Yan replied.

"Then, can you read and write?" Military Advisor Ji asked again.

"I have studied in a private school for a few years. Although I don't have the talent to pass the imperial examinations, I can be considered to have read the classics thoroughly." Li Yan replied again. This was not Li Yan bragging. When he was studying in the village's private school, the Old Scholar valued him the most, hoping that he could take the imperial examinations. But according to Li Yan's family situation, if he continued to study, it seemed that he would not be able to support it. This made the Old Scholar very sorry. Even so, the nearly one hundred books that the Old Scholar had collected were all read by Li Yan, and he studied diligently in areas he didn't understand.

"Then, have you learned any martial arts or internal energy cultivation methods?" Military Advisor Ji asked, his hopes rising a bit when he heard that he was also a person who was well-versed in the classics.

"I have only learned a few crude fighting techniques in the village. I have not learned any profound martial arts, let alone come into contact with any internal energy cultivation methods." Li Yan continued to answer.

Hearing this, Military Advisor Ji smiled lightly. "That's good. Your body and meridians are very suitable for the requirements of my sect's cultivation methods. I will tell you the rules of my sect after we go back. As for your family background and identity, I will send someone to investigate. I hope you will not hide anything. You are also the last person to apply today. Since that's the case, then come with me." With that, he waved his sleeve, and the silver needles and cloth bag disappeared.

Seeing this, Li Yan was even more surprised. Then he bowed and replied, "Yes, sir." Then a hesitant look appeared on his face, and he didn't follow immediately.