Ciwen said confidently, "Both of them are at the First Rate level!"
Hong Zhanming's heart sank.
Mount Liang only sent two messengers, yet both were First Rate martial arts masters?
Just how many experts are there over there? And what is their current strength?
Ciwen sneered, "Sending two First Rate experts to deliver a message is clearly a show of force against me. Is that Commander Song someone to be trifled with? Only when my Mist Hidden Temple is strong and well-equipped will we have the right to choose!"
Hong Zhanming bowed respectfully. "Zhanming; only now do I understand the abbot's painstaking efforts."
Ciwen sighed, "It's a pity that Wu Shuangren has suddenly appeared out of nowhere... This boy has become a major threat. It would be good if we could use the power of Mount Liang to eliminate him. Next, we should prepare ourselves and not clash with them for the time being. Let him be smug for a while."
"Yes."
Hong Zhanming accepted the order and left.
Inside the main hall, Ciwen knelt facing the Buddha statue, his hands clasped together in prayer.
"Amitabha Buddha, if war breaks out again in this world, I will have no choice but to act..."
August 13th, the ninth year of the Yuanxing era of the Wu Dynasty.
In Jiannan Circuit, Rong Province, tens of thousands of people from Mount Liang gathered and rose in rebellion under the banner of acting on behalf of Heaven!
Thirty thousand soldiers stormed out of Mount Liang, swept through several surrounding counties, and arrived at the Rong Province City, their momentum unstoppable!
Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion last year, this is the second uprising in the Wu Dynasty with a scale exceeding tens of thousands of people, and it also has the potential to sweep across several prefectures!
119 Martial Arts Breakthrough, Powerful Enemy Approaching
It was the twenty-eighth day since Liaoming was killed.
West River Market Town, drill ground.
Before dawn, the new recruits were awakened by the whistle and quickly got out of bed.
The first thing everyone does after getting up is to put on their uniforms, and the second thing is to fold the sheets on their beds and tidy up their belongings.
The new recruits slept on a large communal bed, with all the sheets and pillows arranged in a straight line, looking neat and tidy.
After all the chores in the room were tidied up, the new recruits ran out of the room and went to assemble at the drill ground.
More than 900 new recruits were divided into ten square formations.
"Stand at attention!"
"Right face—"
On the drill ground, commands echoed one after another.
The new recruits quickly adjusted their formation; many of them couldn't even tell left from right when they first joined the army, but now they're much better at it.
During this period of training, more than seventy new recruits were discharged for various reasons, including disobeying orders, not training seriously, and violating regulations. Almost all of them were beaten with sticks, crying and screaming for their parents!
So now the new recruits are much more obedient, no one dares to be a troublemaker anymore, and they all listen to their captains.
"Right turn, run!"
"One two one!"
"..."
The battalion commanders of each recruit battalion led their recruits in a running exercise on the drill ground.
One lap around the training ground is about 800 meters. During morning training, everyone runs five laps first, which is a training program that must be completed every day.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Four!"
Loud slogans rang out on the drill ground, marking the start of a lively day.
After the run, we were taken to have breakfast, and then we proceeded to the next training session.
They lined up, marched in formation, and practiced spear and shield formations with spears and shields...
On the east side of the drill ground, there were several wooden platforms, each over eight feet high. The new recruits lined up and climbed onto the platforms, standing on the edge with their backs to the ground. Below them were a group of comrades looking up, their arms crossed to form a net.
"Fall!"
At the captain's command, the recruits above closed their eyes, gritted their teeth, and fell backward stiffly, only to be caught steadily by those below.
Then came the second, the third...
Compared to the initial period when someone had to force them to fall, the recruits have become much braver and trust their teammates more and more.
At the other end of the drill ground, the veterans of the First Battalion were also training, each carrying a heavy pack on their back and holding a weapon in their hand, running laps around the drill ground.
After the weighted run, before the veterans could even catch their breath, they were immediately divided into two teams for sparring practice...
Outside of West River Market, on the grassy area along the canal.
Wu Shuangren led his personal guards on horseback across the grassland, each holding a bow. As they rode, they aimed at the targets set up along the way and fired their arrows.
One hundred guards were divided into three groups, taking turns charging on horseback. The sound of horses' hooves clattered and arrows pierced the air.
A moment later, all the guards rode through the target in a volley, leaving only a handful of arrows stuck in the target; most of the arrows were scattered on the grass around the target.
Some people lost their balance on horseback while shooting arrows and fell off. Fortunately, the horses were not going fast, and no one was injured.
After this period of training, the newly recruited soldiers of the Royal Guard have all learned to ride horses to a basic level. However, mounted archery is too difficult and cannot be mastered in a short time.
Even after years of practice, some people may not be able to master the skill because it requires talent.
Wu Shuangren planned to give these guards two months; if anyone couldn't improve, he would replace them.
Because he required his personal guards to be skilled in archery and horsemanship!
An hour later, the horse was tired, and so were the riders.
Wu Shuangren told everyone to dismount, let the horses rest for a while, and then slowly drink water and feed them at the river.
After feeding the horses and resting for a while, Wu Shuangren had ten of his personal guards put on infantry armor, and he himself put on a set as well.
After donning his armor, Wu Shuangren picked up an iron rod, about the thickness of a wrist, with both ends wrapped in layers of cotton cloth, making it look like an elongated spindle. Ten guards also picked up iron rods of different lengths, one end of which was also wrapped in cotton cloth. The ten men spread out on the grass, forming a semi-circle around Wu Shuangren.
"Same rule as always, the team that hits me the most times wins, and the winning team gets extra meat tonight!"
Wu Shuangren waved to his guards as he prepared to marry Wu Shuangren.
He felt bad about the armor during training, so he replaced all the weapons with iron bars and wrapped the ends with layers of cotton cloth. After all, the blacksmiths under his command didn't have the skills to forge infantry armor, and every broken pair was one less pair available.
Two guards rushed forward first. One swung his club down from the front, while the other swept it from the left, aiming straight for Wu Shuangren's waist and ribs. Wu Shuangren twisted his wrist, and his iron club, though delayed, struck the weakest point on the opponent's club, deflecting the attack. At the same time, he took a step back to dodge the sweeping 'blade'.
He took a step back, then immediately stepped forward, striking left and right with his iron rod. The first strike hit his opponent's chest guard, the force penetrating the armor, causing the opponent to stagger back two steps and fall backward. The second strike swept across his opponent's left knee, causing his leg to buckle and him to kneel on one knee. Immediately afterward, Wu Shuangren's iron rod lightly touched his neck guard.
According to the rules, one person has already been 'defeated'.
The eight men had surrounded them and were attacking from all directions.
Wu Shuangren swayed, unleashing the Cloud Tide Returning Wave Steps, and passed through the gap between the four people in front of him. His iron rod swept across one of them's ankles, causing the man to fall backward. Wu Shuangren then circled behind another person and thrust his iron rod forward, piercing the man's back and causing him to fall to the ground.
Two iron rods came down simultaneously. Wu Shuangren raised his rod to block, and the three iron rods collided in mid-air with a dull thud. Wu Shuangren exerted force with both arms, shaking the two iron rods away, then spun around and swept them horizontally, forcing the four men back.
"Great, let's do it again!"
Wu Shuangren shouted.
The ensuing battle was even more intense. Wu Shuangren weaved back and forth among the nine men. Thanks to the protection of his iron armor, he didn't have to be too careful when dodging. His iron rods were sometimes like slashing knives and sometimes like thrusting spears. With each strike, one man fell to the ground.
The dull thuds of iron bars colliding and bodies hitting the grass echoed continuously.
According to the rules set by Wu Shuangren, being hit in vital areas such as the neck and head counts as "death in action," and falling to the ground more than twice counts as "death in action."
After a fierce fight, all ten guards were 'killed'!
After the competition, Wu Shuangren would give a critique, telling everyone what they hadn't done well and how to improve next time.
"Switch to the next group."
Wu Shuangren shook the dirt off the iron bar.
The next group of ten guards, already in their armor, surrounded them...
One group after another went up, and Wu Shuangren fought ten against one, winning every time.
The reason for setting up such a training program was firstly to allow the guards to familiarize themselves with combat while wearing infantry armor in advance. After all, a set of armor weighs more than fifty pounds, and not everyone can fight while wearing such iron armor.
Secondly, it was to train the guards' ability to cooperate in combat, and to teach them how to work together to deal with fierce generals and experts.
Thirdly, it is to train one's ability to fight against multiple opponents.
As the fight progressed, his stamina was depleted, but with the assistance of [Match for One Person], Wu Shuangren's breathing rhythm remained perfectly steady, and his Internal Skill exertion approached perfection, maintaining him at his peak!
After ten rounds, he won all ten!
He took off his helmet, his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and his breathing became rapid.
In a way, this can be considered one against a hundred!
Although there was some exaggeration involved, it still made all the guards look at Wu Shuangren with admiration.
"Xu Yu."
Wu Shuangren, panting, waved to Xu Yu.
Xu Yu, already dressed in his infantry armor and carrying a long iron rod, walked to the center of the arena. His personal guards automatically retreated to the outer perimeter, forming a circle to watch the duel.
Wu Shuangren put on his helmet. "Come on."
Xu Yu strode forward, swinging his iron rod from behind his shoulder in a wide arc, executing the "Wind Rises and Clouds Surge" move from the "Cloud Tiger Seven Kills".
The iron rods pierced the air, Wu Shuangren blocked them with a sidestep. The loud crash of the two iron rods colliding made the eardrums of the onlookers go numb!
Wu Shuangren lowered his wrist, dissipating Xu Yu's momentum, and slid the end of the stick forward, aiming to slice towards Xu Yu's fingers. Xu Yu Xu Yu released his grip, the iron stick spun in his palm, and he grabbed the end of the stick with his other hand, sweeping it across Wu Shuangren's knee.
This is a variation of ' Tiger Baleful Intent Startling Waves '.
A hint of approval flashed in Wu Shuangren's eyes. He raised his leg to dodge the sweeping attack, and the iron rod came crashing down from above, aiming straight for Xu Yu's helmet. Xu Yu raised his rod to block, and with another loud crash, the ground beneath his feet was churned up.
The two continued their fight, each collision producing a deafening roar!
Xu Yu has already entered the basics of cultivating "Metal and Stone Qi," and his progress in this period of time has been rapid, with his power growing stronger and stronger.
In Wu Shuangren's view, at least in terms of strength, Xu Yu was already close to the First Rate level!
In addition, Xu Yu also mastered the "Cloud Tiger Seven Kills" technique taught by Wu Shuangren quite well.
The two exchanged eleven moves when Wu Shuangren seized Xu Yu's change of tactics. He thrust his iron rod into the opening, the tip striking Xu Yu's chest. The force was transmitted through the armor, Xu Yu groaned, taking two steps back.
Wu Shuangren stepped forward and swept his iron rod horizontally, forcing Xu Yu to retreat continuously until he lost his balance and fell backward to the ground.
The guards who were watching immediately erupted in deafening cheers.
Xu Yu lay on the grass, not discouraged by his loss. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and stood up again.
Wu Shuangren stepped forward and pointed out the shortcomings in Xu Yu's previous moves.
Xu Yu listened attentively, nodding repeatedly.
"Big brother, I can never last more than twenty moves against you. Am I too stupid?"
After listening to Wu Shuangren's instructions, Xu Yu suddenly asked a question.
He had made rapid progress during this period, which he could feel himself, but he could never last more than twenty moves against Wu Shuangren, which made him doubt himself.
Wu Shuangren smiled and ruffled Xu Yu's hair, "You're improving, and your older brother is improving too."
The bloody battle in the forest was certainly thrilling, but after that battle, his "Method of One Person" improved even further.
Each encounter with First Rate top-tier master allows one to experience that First Rate of skill beforehand, which is extremely beneficial for Internal Skill cultivation!
Wu Shuangren's injuries have almost healed. Although he hasn't been tested, he feels that his Internal Skill cultivation has reached the level of Sixth Rank martial artist.
The imperial court's military examinations, for ranks Ninth Rank, Eighth Rank, and Seventh Rank, required the strength to lift a stone weight twice one's own body weight.
Starting from the Subordinate Sixth Rank, one is required to lift a stone weight three times their own body weight.