Chapter 1641 - 62 - 71

Chapter 62: Swift and Decisive

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

Ling Kong currently felt as though he was sitting on pins and needles in his own East Striding Courtyard. The Violent Wind Gang which he had spent six years of blood, sweat, and tears to groom was actually forced to conceal themselves all over the capital after this botched attempt! This was as good as creating a good foundation to hand over to someone else! Ling Kong naturally felt the biting pain from his heart!

Never in his dreams did he realise that when Ling Tian stepped out of his house this time, he would actually be accompanied by the Blood Iron Warriors! To think that even though he was part of the core of this family, he was kept fully in the dark about this! A mob of pugilistic people, how were they supposed to go against the Blood Iron Warriors who had experienced countless battles?

The most frustrating part about this was that over twenty of his gang members were caught. This would mean that everything about his gang would have already been uncovered! This was the reason why Ling Kong had hurriedly tipped off all his aides to escape! If the Ling family were to catch wind of this, they would definitely proceed to round up the gang, and at that time, his own identity would be exposed. When the viper bites your hand, only a brave warrior would cut off their own wrist! Though Ling Kong felt tremendous pain at doing so, he also admired himself — who else would be able to have such decisiveness?

He had merely lost a Violent Wind Gang, in the future his plans would just be lacking in manpower, requiring him to map his plans out in greater detail. Ling Kong thought for a long time before realizing something that made him break out in cold sweat: If he was not informed of Ling Tian going out with the Blood Iron Warriors, was this part of a conspiracy targeted against him?

Up to here, Ling Kong had the intention to pack up his luggage and flee for his life. However, pausing to ponder, he realized that given Ling Zhan's and Ling Xiao's tempers, if they knew that he was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, they would have come for his blood a long time ago. Thus, even if it wasn't him, the Ling family probably suspected the presence of spies in their place. As a result, he had unknowingly pressed the muzzle of the gun at his head.

For all he knew, he might have become a scapegoat for someone else! This annoyed Ling Kong to no end. However, since he now knew that the Ling family suspected the presence of spies, his actions next time would be more discreet.

A chilling ray of light flashed past Ling Kong's eyes as he sat there alone in deep thought.

Old Madam Ling's movements were immensely fast; under her one command, those under her were practically flooded with work.

First was the matter of the Ling Family Courtyard. After Ling Tian took out a blueprint of the place, Madam Ling bluntly told Ling Xiao to exploit his authority and draw out 3000 soldiers to tidy up as well as to accommodate with the restoration of the courtyard. While they said to restore, it was more of actually rebuilding the whole place. They threw away all those original items and structures, rebuilding it based on Ling Tian's requirements. They only had 1 rule: finish the construction within four months, regardless of the amount of silvers they had to use!

The moment this sentence was spoken, the Ling family's butler was totally overworked. With such a huge project, to finish in four months, this could be said to be a fantasy story! They could only helplessly employ more manpower to increase progress in all areas.

Under the instructions of Madam Ling, the site requirement was almost doubled from the previous King Fu's courtyard site!

Ling Tian's original thinking was to roughly patch up the place, such that it was barely fit for human living. So long as the training areas were not delayed, the other places were just only to serve as a base of operations. However, when he brought that up, he was instead lectured harshly by Old Madam Ling. The reason was simple: The Ling Family could not afford to throw their faces this way!

Hearing this, Ling Tian could not help but twitch.

As for the armory of the Xiao Family, Old Madam Ling did not even show half a bit of face to them. Everything was done in full swing, before Ling Zhan was even aware of anything, the entire armory had already changed hands. Except for a few tens of experienced old blacksmiths, they cleared out the excess of over eighty thousand people! All were forced to pitch tents and stay outside the capital!

When Xiao FengHan caught wind of this, he nearly went mad! If the Sky Bearing Empire were to realize that his Xiao Family had hidden over 8000 elite soldiers inside an armory inside the capital, most likely the Xiao Family would end up being incarcerated, before they swallowed the soldiers into the country's military! This sort of tactic went beyond ordinary savageness.

However, this was indeed Ling Tian's intentions. Ling Tian was afraid that Xiao FengHan would have bad intentions the longer he stayed, and in the event that his Grandfather would sooner or later hand over all their family possessions to him, then that would spell big trouble!

Xiao FengHan was left with no choice but to hurriedly bid farewell, and flee to salvage the situation, much like fish that slipped through a hole in the net! Before he left, he personally paid Ling Tian a visit, just that he did not speak throughout the whole session. Ling Tian was the same, remaining mute. Both were intellectually gifted, and there was no need to communicate through words. With just a look, both the old and young foxes had already came to tacit understanding.

Madam Ling's third step was to call for Ling Xiao, and came up with a random excuse to give him a lashing out before commanding him to draw out two more sections of the Blood Iron Warriors.

Being scolded to the point he was dizzy, Ling Xiao — from start till end — did not understand how he had angered his Mother. When the vicious and lengthy lecture had ended and Old Madam Ling requested for the troops. Ling Xiao, who was desperately trying to extricate himself from the situation, did not think much before agreeing. By the time his brain managed to process this, he had already been kicked out of Old Madam Ling's room! To go back inside and attempt to reason with his mother? Ling Xiao did not have such balls! With lingering fear, Ling Xiao wiped his spittle filled head clean of Old Madam Ling's saliva from all her scoldings earlier.

Left without a choice, he could only helplessly sign and return to the barracks, racking his brains to come out with an excuse to explain how his troops were going to 'disappear'. This caused him endless headaches.

Because of Madam Ling's request, these three sections had turned into the Ling Family's guards, with their names struck off the military registry. Ling Xiao was weighed down with anxiety over this. Temporary borrowing them was one thing; but she was actually planning on hogging them for the rest of their lives! If Ling Xiao could not come out with a suitable plan to settle it once and for all, this would leave behind traces that would cause tongues to wag. Continuously groaning and shaking his head due to his frustrations, he hurriedly rushed to fulfill his mother's orders.

The moment Ling Xiao stepped outside, Ling Tian sneakily crept out from behind the curtain separating Madam Ling's chambers. The grandmother and grandson both glanced at each other, grinning over the successful extortion.

A roar sounded from afar, and grandpa Ling came over with curses and condemnations. He was originally having a joyous gathering with his sworn brother. However, who knew that a disaster would strike his backyard — Xiao FengHan secretly packing up and leaving in the dead of the night. A few questions here and there revealed to him that it was a plan carried out by his own wife, which nearly drove him insane.

How could he anticipate that, just as he arrived and had yet to open his mouth, Old Madam Ling had already showered down curses towards Xiao FengHan! Stuff like how he was ungrateful, how he did not live up to his promises, being domineering and bossy, and more… To the point she finally gave Grandpa Ling an ultimatum: unless Xiao FengHan would come back immediately to reinstate the marriage, and turn everything back to normal, else an old man like you can stop bothering me!

The underlying meaning was clear; this was your brother's fault, so this lady here asked for a workshop. This was already considered being at a disadvantage! Merely a small workshop, how could this be placed inside this lady's eyes? Besides, I've already taken it so what else can you do?

Grandpa Ling came here with a belly of fire, who knew that he did not even have a chance to speak before being unceremoniously chased away. Having suffered the same ending as his son, his heart was full of grievances. He could only resentfully walk away with a face full of saliva.

As for Ling Tian who had hidden in one corner upon the arrival of his grandfather, he could only click his tongue at this scene. He gave his grandmother the thumbs up on both of his hands for a long time, filled with nothing but admiration for her.

Chapter 63: Brainwashing

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

Ling Tian excitedly bounced out of his grandmother's room, his mind still reeling in admiration regarding his grandmother's eloquence. This sort of standard was miles above his own!

The only matter which Old Madam Ling did not interfere was the problem of the Violent Wind Gang. After all the Ling Family was a behemoth, and it did not look good for them to deal with such a petty gang. Thus, Old Madam Ling left it entirely to Ling Tian and disallowed him to make a personal appearance.

This sort of decision made Ling Tian downcast. He originally thought that he would not require effort on his part to take care of the Violent Wind Gang. However, all could wait till the Blood Iron Warriors arrived. Ling Tian would put them through a bit of training, before deploying them. One of their objectives would be the taking over of the Violent Wind Gang.

The fourth day. Ling Tian was all smiles as he stood at his doorstep, gazing at the neat and orderly three rows of 36 Blood Iron Warriors.

He had long ago given the order that no one was to even intrude half a step into his courtyard today!

All the Warriors were uniformly well-built, carrying an aura of coldness. Standing there, once could as though feel like they were facing an onslaught in a snow covered forest. All of them were expressionless, with the pupils of their eyes not even moving. Only Feng Mo who was standing at the front revealed a helpless expression, with the corners of his mouth curled up in a bitter smile.

The Blood Iron Warriors did not put that elegant young noble standing in front of them in their eyes at all. All of them had already heard from Feng Mo's mouth how it was this child's mischief that had gotten all of them here right now. As soldiers, what they looked forward most was the blood-soaked battlefields, where they could prove themselves. Even recalling such scenes caused their blood to boil with excitement. However, just because of this little fellow, all of them came to this paradise of a place. This caused them to be at a loss and resent Ling Tian for this orders.

"From everyone's eyes, I can see that you do not appreciate your current situation, and resent me for calling you over, cutting off your futures. That's right, you coming here was my idea." Sweeping his gaze through all of them once, Ling Tian then began with this statement.

His bluntness achieved the result he wanted. Upon hearing that it was Ling Tian's idea that got them removed from the military records, all the Blood Iron Warriors simultaneously emitted chilling rays from their eyes as they stared at him.

Ling Tian remained unmoved, quietly standing at the same spot ignoring their cold stares. Behind him stood both Ling Jian and Ling Chen. Ling Jian remained impassive like a statue, but Ling Chen was a little unable to take the stares of the Blood Iron Warriors and turned a little pale.

Ling Tian slowly took a step forward. In the eyes of the Blood Iron Warriors, it suddenly felt as though a towering mountain was pressing down upon them, as though it could blot out the skies and earth. All of them could not help but subconsciously shift backwards, and some even took a step back in response. All the warriors took in a breath of cold air at this situation.

Even a great general would choose to blend into the aura under such a circumstance and not try to fight back forcefully. The 36 of them were elite warriors; how could the killing intent exuded by them be endured by a normal person? However, this little guy in front of them actually used his own aura to overpower all 36 of theirs. For that short moment, everyone felt stifled under that pressure.

Everyone could only stare on in shock! This little kid was akin to a monster! Unknowingly, the Blood Iron Warriors begun to retract their thoughts of disdain.

Ling Tian nodded his head in satisfaction, before saying, "Everyone here is unhappy, this I am aware. However, did you think that the military camp is a place where you can easily earn merits? Let me ask you all, how long have you been in the military?"

The crowd looked at each other. Finally, a stocky and tall youth opened his mouth to speak, "This little one entered the army at age 14, now am 21, I've been inside the military for a whole 7 years."

Ling Tian grunted in acknowledgement, then continued: "Position?"

That youth lowered his head in embarrassment, saying, "I was originally a section leader, now a guard for the Marshal."

With a sneer, Ling Tian said, "With your qualifications, to rise to the position of general, or deputy general, how long more will you need?"

The Youth's face flushed with indignation, shouting, "This little one isn't born with a silver spoon, if I want to rise to general, I'm afraid I will never live to see it!"

Hearing so, Ling Tian nodded in understanding, "Since you can't reach the position of general, then what can you do by staying in the army? What will be your ending?"

The youth was sluggish in his reply, "I don't know."

With a snort, Ling Tian said, "If you don't, then let me tell you. At 21, you can at most stay for another 24 years in the army! Although you cannot rise to the position of general, once there is a war, you need to go out to the battlefield to fight! You tell me, how many times can you maintain this sort of killing lifestyle?"

The youth was stunned silent. After all, no one was a god, so how could they know if they would end up perishing in the next battle? He took a deep breath, before puffing up his chest and saying, "Death is nothing!"

"HAHAHAHA…." Ling Tian let out a bout of crazed laughter. "In this life without a chance of promotion, you sure face death quite happily!"

Ignoring him, he turned to the others, "What about you? Your duration in the army?"

After a precedent, all of them started to speak.

"Six years."

"This little one has been inside for eleven years."

"This little one, nine years."

...

Ling Tian suddenly raised his hands and stopped the deluge of voices. He asked, "Who are you enlisting for? Who are you fighting so hard for?!"

For whom do you enlist! For whom do you go to war?!!!

These two questions were just like two immensely huge cudgels, hammering heavily upon the hearts of all present. For a moment, nobody could come out with an answer.

After a long while, one of the Blood Iron Warriors, stammered, "This little one entered the army to fill his stomach. The army also provides pay… and can be used to help my family… this…"

This reason was simply and yet amusing. Yet when he spoke, most if not all of them nodded in acknowledgement, empathising with him.

Ling Tian laughed in his heart, indeed he did not guess wrongly. This age was far from the time where the soldiers would undergo brainwashing to make them loyal. Thus he said, "Are all of you the same?"

The remaining crowd nodded their heads, looking at each other.

Ling Tian now coldly smile, "Based on what you're saying, I can conclude that your enlistment was for your own survival and to allow your family to lead better lives. Is that right?"

The crowd could hear the sneering and disdain in his words, but how could they disagree? everyone present could only solemnly nod their heads.

"Useless! No resolve!" This sentence of Ling Tian ignited the fury of all present!

Chapter 64: Convincing

Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll

A Blood Iron Warrior then took a step forward and said with a chilly tone, "Young noble Ling, since we are already at your mansion, we will listen to your commands and obey your orders. But young noble Ling should respect yourself and not humiliate us!"

Ling Tian then burst out into laughter as he said with sarcasm, "Humiliate you guys? All of you are just some ruffians without any aspirations. At the very most, you have been on the battlefield a little more than others. If not for me bringing you guys over, it is only a matter of time before you become a corpse on the battlefield! With regards to a future corpse, I really don't have any interest to humiliate you!"

"You!!"

The eyes of the 36 Blood Iron Warriors turned red from anger. They were all heroes who had been in and out of countless battlefields; at least, that's what they thought! In the entire army, who wouldn't hold them in high regard? But today, they were suffering from the humiliation of a young boy! How will they be able to reign in their anger? In that instant, the anger rushed to their heads.

"Young noble Ling, you are only the son of General Ling. The only thing noble about you is your status. What rights do you have to humiliate us like that?"

"What rights?! HAHAHA…" Ling Tian then walked forward to a green stone table, "With this!" As he said that, he raised his feet, kicking the stone table which was over a hundred catties heavy up into the air. Following which, he jumped up and thrust out his right fist, launching a horrifying punch in the air, striking the center of the table!

"BANG!"

With a single fist, the stone table exploded on the spot, breaking into pieces and crashing on the floor!

Ling Tian then landed as he slapped his hands elegantly, without a single trace of injury on his hands. He then said calmly, "I know that you soldiers only respect the strong. I wonder if this display of mine gives me the rights to teach you a lesson?"

As the Blood Iron Warriors saw the stone fragments, their mouths were ajar for a long while. They could not help but rub their eyes, as though they were in a dream. Ling Jian and Ling Chen by the side were also shocked. The both of them then looked towards Ling Tian with a face full of worship and passion!

All of the Blood Iron Warriors also looked towards Ling Tian with deep respects in their eyes. With such strength, they may not even have the rights to be humiliated by Ling Tian.

Ling Tian then giggled, "I originally thought of transferring you guys over to groom you guys into an expert capable of fighting a hundred people in the battle field." As he said that, the eyes of the 36 Blood Iron Warriors was filled with a burning passion. The army is a place where they would worship strength. The strength which Ling Tian displayed had already swept all the arrogance in their hearts away, turning it into respect and worship. As they heard that Ling Tian was willing to teach them, they could not help but grow excited. They all straightened their backs and stared at Ling Tian with a pair of excited eyes.

"However, I never thought that all of you were just characters without ambition." Ling Tian then changed the topic and continued to insult them. But now, they no longer found it to be ear-piercing but felt anxious instead. There is such a great chance in front of them right now. If they are able to grasp this opportunity, it would be only a matter of time before they attained the strength which they could only dream about! But the young noble words seemed to indicate that he was not satisfied with them. They could not help but grow anxious as they stared at Ling Tian, waiting for him to continue.

"Haiz! Forget it, since all of your hearts are not here, it is useless for me to force you guys. I will tell my father tomorrow to return you guys to where ever you came from." Ling Tian then pretended to sigh.

Now that they saw such strength, how would they be willing to go anywhere else? Even though they knew that Ling Tian only said that on purpose, no one present could withstand such an allure. Furthermore, Feng Mo and gang knew that if they did not have any objection, what Ling Tian said would become reality. Ling Tian would chase them out without hesitation at all. After seeing how decisive Ling Tian was, Feng Mo would not doubt this guess of his.

Stepping forward, Feng Mo knelt down and cupped his fists, "Feng Mo is willing to give my all to serve young noble. As long as I am alive, I swear to be loyal to young noble. May young noble retract your command." After he finished, he kowtowed and did not get up.

All of the other Blood Iron Warriors also knelt down, "We are willing to serve the young noble, we swear our loyalty to the young noble. Please accept us all."

Go back? Where can they go back to? They were already removed from the army, how would they be able to return? As long as they step out from this place, they would probably end up becoming street hooligans.

They all understood that after being sent to the Ling family with their ranks stripped, it would mean that they are now the henchman of the Ling family. While it sounds better to call them henchman, they were no different from slaves. If they were to pledge their loyalty to this young noble in front of them, not only will they be able to learn the martial arts which they dreamed of, this young noble will be the future family head of the Ling family. Being the personal guards of the young noble, their status will also rise greatly in the future for sure. If they were not going to follow such a master, who else will they follow?

Ling Tian then said coldly, "Very good, since you guys are willing to stay, let me make some things clear first! The Ling family, especially being under me, is not a place where you can stay just because you want to. I will first administer a test to all of you. Only after going through the test would you have the rights to stay by my side. If you fail it, I will ask my father to send you guys elsewhere. Remember, I only want real men here! I don't need trash!"

Everyone felt their blood boil in excitement as they agreed in unison. They all thought to themselves, "If we are not even able to pass young noble's test of your physical fitness, we will not even have the face to stay behind."

Ling Tian then continued, "Besides that, there are two conditions for being under me. First, you cannot reveal to anyone any information about me! Second, you have to obey my commands no matter what! If you can't do that, you may leave."

Everyone then stared at each other as they thought, "These are considered conditions? Since we are here as your subordinates, of course we will not reveal any of your information. Of course we would follow your orders. Are these things which must be said?"

A Blood Iron Warrior then asked, "Young noble, what is master or madam asks…"

Ling Tian then looked towards him with praise in his heart as he nodded his head. However, his face was filled with anger, "Are you deaf? I said ANYONE! ANYTHING! Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Everyone's voice thundered in unison.

"Mmm." Ling Tian nodded his head, "I will give all of you a day to rest. The test will start tomorrow at the break of dawn. I can tell you something, as long as you pass the test, you will become a killing machine on the battlefield. A real Blood Iron Warrior, a real expert capable of fighting a hundred people. Things like smashing bricks and killing the general in a battle will be nothing but child's play. Before the sun rises tomorrow, gather in front of the mansion. Ling Jian, that includes you."

All of the Blood Iron Warriors could not conceal the excitement in their hearts as they acknowledged heartily.

Chapter 65: Such Rewards

Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll

The 36 Blood Iron Warriors completely understood what Ling Tian meant by a test; it was just so torturous! At this moment, they all no longer had the energy to even complain already.

As they gathered in front of the mansion before the sun rose, Ling Jian and Ling Tian were already standing there waiting for them. The first thing Ling Tian did was to scold them all ferociously. As they saw that Ling Tian had arrived before them, they were full of guilt and shame. A bunch of fully grown men actually had a poorer sense of time than a child.

Following which, it was the first day of Ling Tian's test. Ling Tian commanded them to run from the gates of the Ling mansion to the newly developing Ling Family Courtyard, pluck a branch from the willow forest, before returning.

Ling Tian did not give them a specific time to meet. He only pushed Ling Jian into their crowd and instructed that the one who reached there last will have to carry Ling Jian back. As for Ling Jian's training, it was half of the Blood Iron Warriors. He was only required to run to the willow forest.

Furthermore, those who came in the last ten places will have to wash the clothes of the first ten who came back and have their meals reduced and given to those from the first ten places. For a day, those from the first ten places can instruct those from the last ten places to do anything. Ling Tian then reminded them — while there is no time limit, he will have a final time limit in his heart. If they were to exceed it, they would all have to scram!

As everyone heard that, they all sucked in a breath of cold air. Without knowing the time limit which their young noble set for them, how would they be able to pace themselves? Furthermore, it was at least 40 miles from the Ling mansion to the Ling Family Courtyard. The to and fro journey would be a total of 80 miles for them. By the time they were to finish the run, they would definitely be completely exhausted! [1]

After Ling Tian finished giving out instructions, he turned back into the mansion. He only said that they were not allowed to resort to any tricks. If they felt that it was unreasonable, they can leave at anytime. If they were still going to be in a daze, they should go back home to be in a daze.

The moment Ling Tian said that, they all sprinted towards the streets.

As Ling Tian looked at their backs, he could not help but shake his head as he thought, "A bunch of unruly mob. I can't believe they do not know how to run in step even though they are from the army. If they were to adjust their footsteps to be in unison, it would make all of their lives much easier. It is obvious that the army did not train them in such an area. This is also good, they will now have to endure it with their own body fitness."

With regards to the time given for them to return, Ling Tian had set it to four hours. This was something that Ling Tian felt was a relaxed timing for the special forces from his previous life. While Ling Tian had never been a soldier or been in an army camp in his previous life, he was not a stranger to military training. Being born in an aristocratic family, even if he was not a main descendant, he had to have a certain understanding of the army as well.

Surprisingly, the physical fitness of these men were extraordinarily good. They were all able to return within Ling Tian's stipulated timing. The fastest person who came back was actually an hour earlier than his stipulated timing. As the last person returned, the sun was already up high in the sky. As they all returned to where Ling Tian stayed, they all sat down and panted heavily with perspiration all over their bodies. As for the last person who returned, who was also the person who carried Ling Jian, his tongue was already sticking out from his mouth.

Ling Tian then walked out from his room calmly. As he saw how pathetic they looked, he frowned and roared, "This is also called elites? Mmm? Elites who look like dead dogs? Stand up and line up properly!"

"The first ten, take a step forward." Then, 10 people including Feng Mo took a step forward emotionlessly. These 10 people were all standing up straight with their breaths smoother than the rest. They all formed a row in front of Ling Tian, with delight on their faces. Ling Tian carefully studied all of them before nodding slowly.

"The last ten, take a step forward." then, 10 people stepped out with their heads lowered in embarrassment panting heavily. Especially the last man who returned, he stood up with great difficulty, almost falling back down to the ground before standing up with great difficulty.

If they had ran at a uniformed pace, they would definitely not be in such a poor condition. They were only afraid that they would be eliminated by Ling Tian if they were late. Thus, they were running at full speed even up to the end. With an enormous pressure and the exhaustion of their bodies, they were reduced to such a state.

Ling Tian then nodded and revealed for a warm smile, "You guys, good! Very good. Cool down your bodies for a while. Before you guys recover, your are not allowed to drink anything." This was from Ling Tian's experience in the previous world, He knew that if they were to drink water when they were so exhausted, it would greatly reduce the effects of training. Drinking water after their bodies recovered from the exhaustion would be the best way to maximize their training.

He then turned to look at the first ten with a chilly gaze, "As for the ten of you, you guys are really fast…"

Hearing the unfriendly tone in Ling Tian's voice, these 10 Blood Iron Warriors felt that something was wrong. They were all extremely puzzled — we all came back with the fastest speed, exceeding the rest by a great margin. Why does it seem that young noble is extremely displeased?

Ling Tian then looked at them coldly and said, "From today on, the clothes of the last ten people will be washed by all of you. All of their jobs apart from training will also be done by the ten of you. Your lunch will be reduced by half."

As Ling Tian said that, everyone was dumbfounded! Many of them were tempted to shout out, "What kind of a logic is this? Not only did they have no rewards for coming back early, they were even punished?" Everyone was completely at a loss.

The first ten who came back were also in shock, with even a trace of anger. Finally, a burly man walked out and shouted, "Young noble, I'm unresigned!"

"Oh?" Ling Tian turned and looked at him with strictness in his eyes, "What are you unresigned about?"

The man then replied, "We are faster than the rest of them by an hour. Such a result far exceeds those from the last 10 places. Why are we the ones getting punished instead of them? Don't tell me it is wrong for us to listen to young noble's orders to run back as fast as we can?" As he said that, all 10 of them revealed a face of being wronged.

Ling Tian then slowly nodded as he asked the rest, "Do the rest of you feel this way also?"

The other nine of them looked at him and nodded.

Ling Tian then laughed coldly, "Good! I will let you guys understand! But after I explain it to all of you, all of your punishments must be doubled!"

The ten of them then replied in unison, "As long as young noble is able to tell us where we went wrong. If we are really in the wrong, we are willing to be punished!"

Ling Tian then snorted, "Do you know why I want you guys? I want a team! I do not want individuals! While you guys are fast and managed to meet my required timing, you guys abandoned your comrades! Abandoned your brothers! You guys know that they are exhausted already but did not help them out. Can I ask, if such a thing were to happen on the battlefield, what will your crimes be? You dare to say that you are wronged in front of me? Are you guys really wronged?"

[1]: Note that the Chinese miles is only 500 meters.

Chapter 66: Strict Training

Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll

After hearing what Ling Tian said, they were all stunned. The 10 of them then could not help but lower their heads in guilt. The burly man then knelt down and shouted, "Reporting to young noble, we are wrong. We are willing to accept the punishment! We will not have any complains!"

With a 'hmph', Ling Tian said, "You guys have to remember that you are a whole body, life and death brothers! In the cruel battlefield, these brothers will be the ones to watch your back. Without them, there will be no purpose for your existence as well! Such an action of yours today is no different from the despicable actions of abandoning your brothers in the battlefield for your survival! Furthermore, he is already the last one and have to carry a child! You guys actually ignore him like that?! Where are all of your consciences? Where is the brotherhood? If he were to really die from exhaustion today, how would you guys feel? Will you guys feel guilt?!"

"What I want is not individuals. I want a team! Being born in chaotic times, it is inevitable for men to go into the battlefield. If you guys were to roam the pugilistic world, it is sufficient for your individual bravery. But in a battlefield, if all of you do not know how to work together, if all of you do not know how to take care of each other, there will only be a single outcome! A cold corpse! When you are with me, no matter if it is a test or training, everything must be treated as a real battle. You guys must recognize that it is a battlefield deep in your hearts! At any time, you guys may die! No slip ups can be tolerated. Although what I saw may be a little exaggerated, I hope that you guys will understand."

The strict voice resounded in the small yard. While it is in the bitter winter, everyone was filled with perspiration all over. They were scolded by Ling Tian to the point they did not dare to lift up their heads. The moment Ling Tian scolded them, it made them all feel that their actions were improper and unacceptable.

Ling Tian then turned and looked at the last ten people. With a chilly tone, he scolded, "As for you guys, you guys did not live up to expectations and dragged your brothers down to be punished. If this were a battlefield, you will have caused the lives of your brothers! Now, the ten of you will be punished as well. Are you guys convinced?"

All 10 of them knelt down and replied, "We are totally convinced!"

Only then did Ling Tian's voice become warmer, "All of you must remember, 'My brother's life is my life'. A team will only be able to display its full strength if it is complete! If everyone only thinks about running for their lives, it will be inevitable for all of you to perish even if you were all top notch experts."

At this moment, Ling Tian had already brought Ling Jian and Ling Chen back into the room. All of the Blood Iron Warriors were still seated on the floor in a daze, thinking about what Ling Tian said. They then began to feel that Ling Tian made more and more sense. This was the golden principle in the battlefield! They all could not help but think, "If a large army were to follow such a principle, then will there be anyone who will be able to stop such an army? For such an army to face the various troops of the different empires, wouldn't it be just child's play?" At that moment, the ambitions in their heart began to grow! They all thought, "With young noble's intellect, can it be that he only trained us for fun? He definitely has a great ambition!"

In a day, Ling Tian commanded the 36 of them to do the horse stand, frog jumps, duck walk, sit ups and planking. In any case, Ling Tian had used all the methods of training from his previous life.

Ling Tian frowned with a whip in his hand, mimicking a strict military instructor from his previous life. However, he was far stricter than them. From time to time, he would walk around to monitor all of them. The moment he realize that someone's actions were wrong, he would lightly whip them. While there was no pain, it would definitely result in the others laughing. As for the Blood Iron Warrior who was whipped, he would then plunge back into training with his face reddened.

While the postures which Ling Tian commanded them to do looked extremely strange in the eyes of the Blood Iron Warriors, every action would cause them unbearable pain.

As the Blood Iron Warriors first started the training, they were initially extremely unwilling and even complained frequently. They thought that this young noble of theirs was just coming up with ways to torture them. What use will these weird actions have? Why not we all just lift up rocks in order to train our strength? But as they trained gradually, they were all shocked to realize that these actions were capable of training every muscles on their bodies. Such a training was something which they had never even heard before! They all could not help but think that their combat prowess would definitely be increased to a higher level if they were to continue with this training! In that moment, they all felt that this young noble of theirs was becoming increasingly mysterious.

The moment they had such a discovery, they trained voluntarily instead of needing Ling Tian to monitor them. As Ling Tian saw the surprising fitness of the Blood Iron Warriors, he nodded his head in secret. If they were to continue training as such, it would complete their physical fitness training in half a month, being able to endure his training regime. At that time, the real training would begin!

In a day, the 36 Blood Iron Warriors felt that they had a great reward. But at the same time, they were all extremely exhausted. After dinner, Ling Tian instructed them to repeat the whole process of training again before announcing that it was the end of training.

Everyone then heave a sigh of relief as they collapsed on the floor. Even Feng Mo, who was the fittest, also had his fours on the ground, panting heavily. He only felt that every part of his body was incomparably painful. As he was panting, he began to joke, "After a day of young noble's training, I feel like I have just went to seen Hades and taken a tour around the 18 levels of hell."

As everyone heard that, they all nodded their heads weakly! They all agreed.

Now, the way they looked at Ling Tian was no longer the disdain they once had. It had already transformed into respect from the depths of their hearts! Not only was Ling Tian able to shatter rocks, his training method was extremely effective as well. Furthermore, it was also because of Ling Tian's theory of brotherhood on the battlefield! Such a saying was completely unheard of in their generation. As they thought about it carefully, this was definitely a golden principle! Something which was irrefutable!

As Ling Tian looked at their pitiful appearances, he could not help but say coldly, "You guys already think that this is the 18 levels of hell? Let me tell all of you something. If you want to become strong, this is only the beginning. It is just the most basic exercises only. From now on, you guys will understand what is called the real hell! Hehehe…"

Everyone all took in a breath of cold air. This is only called the beginning?! They all could not help but feel a sense of helplessness. They were all already completely breathless with their muscles aching all over and it was merely the beginning!

Ling Tian then laughed out loud and walked out. Before he left, he left a single phrase, "We will continue tomorrow. Everything will be like today."

In the room, a bunch of men who saw blood in the battlefield and would not blink in the face of a blade all began to sigh and complain. But, that action of theirs strained their muscles as they all let out voices of agony.

Chapter 67: Ling Chen's Request

Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll

Half a month quickly passed, and the 36 Blood Iron Warriors were obviously much fitter than before. Even Ling Jian who ran along with them was also obviously much fitter.

Furthermore, Ling Jian's performance in these few days had also made the Blood Iron Warriors changed their perspective of him. With Ling Jian's original fitness, much less 80 miles, even 40 miles was extremely difficult to achieve. In the first day of training, Ling Jian had already fainted from exhaustion before running halfway. A Blood Iron Warrior then carried him on his shoulder to run a distance. But after Ling Jian woke up, he insisted on running on his own. In the end, he kicked and bite just so he can run on his own. But after running for a short while, he had fainted again.

In this half a month, the Blood Iron Warriors had seen Ling Jian faint many times. However, the nerves of this young man was like steel. He would faint silently. After waking up, he would then silently continue to run.

The Blood Iron Warriors were all trained by the long years of battle. As long as their stamina could keep up, their legs would definitely keep up. But Ling Jian was different, he was only a eight year old child after all. The muscles on his body were still extremely tender. On the first day, his feel had a large amount of blisters from running with some of them being ruptured and bloody already. Even the Blood Iron Warriors who tended to those injuries could not help but frown as they saw it. This unyielding young man still appeared in the second day's training. He still fainted, had new blisters, ruptured them...

At the start, all the Blood Iron Warriors were extremely displeased with Ling Tian for throwing a child in their midst as it was an obvious burden. But in the end, this contempt had transformed into admiration from their hearts!

From the start to the end, even if Ling Jian were to faint or have his feet bloodied from ruptured blisters, he did not even groan once! He did not cry once! He would only slowly chase after the footsteps of the rest, never admitting defeat.

Until the end, an amazing thing happened. When some of the Blood Iron Warriors wanted to skive off because of fatigue, they would feel guilt when they see Ling Jian's frail body. This ended up in increasing the speed of training greatly!

In the morning, the sun had just rose. Ling Tian was seated in front of the stone table in his own yard. His hands supported his head as though he was thinking about something.

Even the youngest Blood Iron Warrior was already over the age of 20. They were far past the age most suitable for practicing martial arts. It would be an extremely arduous task to get them to cultivate inner strength. Only after eliminating many martial arts did Ling Tian finally find a external martial arts to strengthen their bodies from his memory. He was then prepared to impart it to the Blood Iron Warriors. Since they are going to fight with him in the future, then their strengths must definitely be increased as well.

With regards to the martial skills to be taught to the Blood Iron Warriors, Ling Tian felt a great headache. These fellows basically do not have any basics at all. Everything they know are the moves which they learn from instinct. Ling Tian taught carefully about this matter; if he were to teach them a martial skill suitable for killing large amount of enemies in the battlefield, they would definitely suffer a loss if they were to fight in the pugilistic world. If he were to teach them two different martial skills, these fools would probably not be able to learn it well!

Just when he was in deep thought, footsteps sounded from behind him. Then, a thick sweater was placed on his body. Following which, a gentle tone of concern sounded, "Young noble, be careful not to catch a cold."

Ling Tian then smiled gently and turned behind. A beautiful lady appeared in front of him with thin lips, a sharp nose and two large eyes. From the depths of the eyes, a human figure could be seen with no stain or dirt within it. This girl was Ling Chen. Ever since Ling Tian brought her back and fed her well, her cheeks grew rosy and her body much fitter.

Ling Tian smiled and could not help but hold Ling Chen's hands, "Chen'er, why are you up so early? You have not recover fully yet and should rest more."

Ling Chen looked down in bashfully as she looked at the hands holding on to hers. With respect in her tone, she said, "Chen'er can't be at ease if young noble is here alone. It's cold!"

Ling Tian then brushed away her messy fringe and said gently, "My body is strong, it won't matter. Quickly go back and catch some more sleep, it is still early."

In truth, Ling Tian was actually one to two years younger than Ling Chen. But every time Ling Tian saw this pitiful young lady, he would always want to dote on her and comfort her like a senior.

Ling Chen then bit her lips and hesitated for a moment. After a while, she finally mustered her courage and said, "Young noble, can you let Ling Chen train with Ling Jian and the rest as well in future?"

Ling Tian could not help but be taken aback as he asked, "Why do you have such a thought?"

Ling Chen lowered her head and mumbled, "I know that young noble is training them to do things for you. Chen'er also wants to help young noble. Can young noble agree, please?"

Ling Tian then laughed and said, "Chen'er, practicing martial arts is extremely exhausting. I'm afraid you won't be able to endure it."

Ling Chen then lifted up her head stubbornly. With resolution in her eyes, she said, "Since Ling Jian is able to endure, Chen'er will also be able to do so. Chen'er isn't afraid of bitterness. As long as Chen'er can help young noble, Chen'er will be willing to do anything."

Ling Tian laughed and pinched her cheek, "Good, good, good. Then I will make an exception for Chen'er. Hmm, let me think. What kind of martial arts should I teach Chen'er?"

With elation, Chen'er said, "Young noble must teach Chen'er the most powerful martial arts. Chen'er wants to beat Ling Jian!"

Ling Tian lost himself in laughter for a moment before saying, "Good, I will make you stronger than Ling Jian. But, Chen'er, the moment you start, there will be no turning back. I do not like people to give up halfway."

Ling Chen then said resolutely, "Rest assured, young noble. Chen'er will be even more hardworking than Ling Jian."

Ling Tian laughed for a moment as he quickly thought about what he should teach Ling Chen. My own Divine Shocking Dragon Formula isn't suitable for girls, that definitely isn't viable. As for the Golden Iron Jacket, that's even more impossible. Which martial arts is suitable for a lady? Then… the only one which is suitable for a lady would be the Divine Ice Formula which Ling Xue'er cultivates. Thinking about Ling Xue'er, Ling Tian became lost in a daze for a moment as he felt a wave of heartache.

Only after a while did he say, "Chen'er, come over. Let me feel your bones."

Ling Chen responded with a 'Mmm' before moving in front of Ling Tian.

What is meant by 'bone feeling' is an important procedure of the ancient sects before accepting a new disciple. It was to test the talent of a person to see if one was suitable for the sect's martial arts.

As an example, some would be born with a lack of coordination in their bodies. The actions which others could easily accomplished would be extremely difficult for them to achieve in perfection. This is not something which could be made up for by hard work. This was a problem with one's innate talent.

Just like how in the present day sports scene in China, gymnastics would be a sport which would require a person to be extremely flexible and nimble. Most of the athletes which are able to get the gold medal would be those who come from the south. As for those from the north, it was rare to see any of them who will be able to compete at the international level. This does not mean that those from the north aren't hard working or lesser than those from the south. This was something which has got to do with talent and is largely affected by the environment which one grows up on. The south was extremely humid while the north was much more dry. Those from the north and south would be easily distinguished just based on looks alone. The adaptability of those from the south was much stronger than those from the north with their skins being much softer. Those from the north would be much fitter and well built than those from the south. Geography, weather, diet and many other things are contributing factors to these. Thus, for the sports with a great demand towards physical strength, those from the north would excel much better in. Haha, the topic strayed too far away, back to the point.

Ling Tian shut his eyes as his hands roamed around Ling Chen's body. In his palms, his Inner Qi would observe every part of Ling Chen's bones as his hands move past that portion.

As he slowly observed her body, Ling Tian was surprised that this young lady's talent was much higher than what he expected. In fact, it was no less than Ling Jian's. If Ling Tian were to guide her carefully, she will definitely be a frightening existence in the future.

As he thought about these things, Ling Tian could not help but enter into a daze, not hearing the footsteps by the entrance of his yard.

"AHHH~" A sharp scream could be heard from the entrance! The scream was filled with disbelief and shock!

Ling Tian was startled! As he turned to take a look, he saw a few people by the entrance to his yard.

Ling Xiao, Chu Ting'er, Ling Kong and son, with Ling Ran by the side as well. Ling Ran had her hands over her mouth as she stared at Ling Tian with an incredulous expression. All of the others had their mouths opened up wide as they stared at Ling Tian and Ling Chen.

At this moment, Ling Tian and Ling Chen's actions just looks too loving from the view of an outsider. Ling Tian was holding Ling Chen tightly in his embrace as his hands were exploring Ling Chen's body. His eyes were shut as though he was enjoying himself. As for Ling Chen, her face was red with her body leaning in Ling Tian's embrace...

Chapter 68: Bone Touching Incident

Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll

"Vile beast! What are you doing?!" A loud roar resounded. Ling Xiao's face was ashen as his eyes were wide as saucers, looking as though he wanted to eat Ling Tian up alive.

If such a scene were to happen on a 15 or 16 year old teen, while it would be shocking, it wouldn't be strange. After all, that was the time where puberty was taking place and it was understandable if there were uncontrollable urges. But now that this happened on a 6 year old child, it was far too strange.

Chu Ting'er was also filled with shock as she just could not believe what she saw. She stared at her son for a long while without blinking.

Although Ling Ran was the one who let out the shriek, she was the first to recover from the shock as well. She then looked at Ling Tian with an expression filled with both laughter and anger, almost unable to control her laughter from bursting out.

Ling Kong and son had their mouths opened up wide as though their jaws were dislocated. The two palace maid behind Ling Ran was filled with laughter in their eyes. They had long heard about the reputation of this young master of the Ling family. They also heard that he caught the fragrance bag during the 'one year old catch' event. Everyone had guessed that he would definitely grow up to become a playboy in future. But, they never imagined that when he was merely five, he would begin his playboy journeys! Their eyes then drifted to Ling Xiao and Chu Ting'er, 'praising' them for the wonderful son they brought up.

Ling Ran finally burst out into laughter as she looked towards her brother and brother-in-law teasingly while sizing them up. Her meaning was obvious — if not for the fact that the both of you were always seen by him when he was young, would he have done something like this at such a young age?

Everyone else had the same thoughts in their hearts as they all turned to look at Ling Xiao and Chu Ting'er with a teasing look.

In shock, Chu Ting'er felt that her brain was completely malfunctioning. By the time she reacted, she saw everyone looking at her with those teasing looks and immediately understood what everyone meant. Her pale face then turned red as her neck gradually turned red as well. She then stomped her feet in embarrassment, frustration and anger. Following which, she wanted to raise her hand out to punch Ling Xiao's waist.

However, she never expected that she only managed to pinch the air. When she looked up at Ling Xiao, he had already turned into a gust of wind. Without a second word, he had already grabbed Ling Tian's legs and hoisted him up into the air, slapping his little butt.

*Pak pak pak pak!* The sounds of slapping sounded as Ling Xiao scolded, "Let me beat this little animal to death! You vile creature who ruined the name of the family!"

Only then did Ling Chen snap out from shock as she knelt down and pleaded, "Old master, young noble was only helping me touch my bone. Old master, please don't beat him." Ling Chen was still young, and did not know why Ling Xiao grabbed Ling Tian to beat him the moment he entered. Just what mistake did the young noble make?

"Bone...bone touching?!" As everyone heard that, his eyes and mouth were as wide as saucers. Bone touching? Why is there a need to touch bones? This is something that had never happened in history before! The reason this young noble use to harass his own maid is really unexpected! Ling Xiao was angered to the point his voice turned hoarse as he began to beat Ling Tian even harder.

Ling Tian then shouted out, "Father, listen to my explanation!"

Ling Xiao grit his teeth as he shouted, "Explanation my ass!" His hands did not stop as he continued to slap Ling Tian.

Ling Tian did not dare to use his Inner Qi to protect his butt, afraid that it would injure his father from the recoil. His butt was already filled with pain at this moment. The moment he heard what Ling Xiao said, he scolded in anger, "Old man, can you be more reasonable?"

"Old...man?!" Ling Xiao's voice trembled in anger, "Unfilial son! Vile beast! Animal! $&%*$%..." In rage, he began to curse with fluent profanities.

Chu Ting'er and Ling Ran came forward to persuade Ling Xiao, but were shoved aside by him. As Chu Ting'er saw her son's butt have traces of blood, her heart ached as tears rolled down her face uncontrollably.

Just when things were getting heated, the sounds of footsteps sounded from afar as a few burly men ran in. Their bodies were filled with sweat with steam rising from their heads and a face full of fatigue.

As Chu Ting'er saw that the one leading the pack was Feng Mo, she seemed to have saw her savior as she shouted, "Feng Mo, quickly separate the both of them."

As Feng Mo and gang ran all the way back, they were extremely exhausted. However, they never imagined such an exciting event to unfold right when they stepped into Ling Tian's yard. At that moment, they could not be bothered with their heavy breaths as they watched the show by the side. All of the Blood Iron Warriors had the same idea, folding their arms by the side as they watched Ling Tian get his ass beaten. They all pretended that they could not hear the pleas of young madam.

In the past half a month, Ling Tian had been increasing the difficulty of their training everyday, tiring the bunch of them to death. During the peak of exhaustion, they were not even able to climb onto their beds to sleep at night. Everyone had already cried bitterly in the hearts for these few days. But now that they saw this little devil being carried by his father and beaten up looking extremely pathetic, they all felt extremely ecstatic. The fatigue which they suffered from the past half a month was swept away as they thought to themselves, "Young noble can even crush a large rock into pieces. How is it possible for the General's frail beating to affect him? Just hit him a few more times, it wouldn't matter. In any case, this is a rare sight to be seen and we should take the opportunity to enjoy it while we can!"

As the time passed, more and more people returned, until over 20 of them were back. They laughed at Ling Tian's misery with some of them even cheering, "General, use more strength! Wahahaha…"

Ling Tian was furious, and could not be bothered with the fact that he is still in his father's hands as he shouted, "Tomorrow morning, 160 miles…"

All of the Blood Iron Warriors trembled for a moment. Before Ling Tian finished what he had to say, they all charged forward, fighting to separate the father and son pair.

Before the Blood Iron Warriors came to the Ling family, they were subordinates of Ling Xiao. They all knew that this General of theirs was extremely strict during military training. But when it was their free time, he would be like brothers with his troops, getting along extremely well. Thus, they were not afraid of him as they quickly saved Ling Tian from his hands.

However, who knows whether it was an accident or not, but the person who saved Ling Tian accidentally slipped. Ling Tian was dropped right to the floor, with his butt accurately landing on the floor!

"AHHH!!! MY *%&%*$&" A roar resounded in the yard, filling it with profanities.

Chapter 69: Just Deserts

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

Ling Xiao huffed and panted; as he lowered his head by chance, he saw that his palms had a faint sheen of red that was actually blood! He could not help but receive a shock, inwardly scolding himself for dealing out such a heavy hand towards his son.

Both Chu Ting'er and Ling Ran had their eyes filled with unshed tears, and pounced forward at this time, cradling Ling Tian in their bosoms. This darling of theirs was screaming out, and seeing how Ling Tian's buttocks were intermingled with blood, both women could not help but start tearing. They simultaneously focused their glares at Ling Xiao.

Ling Ran did not even bother with manners, and immediately started berating, "Brother, you are unreasonable! Tian'er is just a little child, is there a need to hit him so hard? What can a child of his age know? The top beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked.[1] Even if he did anything wrong, why should you vent your frustrations on him?" When she thought of how she finally got a chance to visit her parents, she hurriedly ran over to play with her long missed nephew. Who would have known that this would result in Ling Tian getting a severe beating!

Hearing such words, Chu Ting'er seemed to have turned red with embarrassment. She immediately carried her child and ran inside the room, ordering the servants to bring ointment as well as clean bandages over.

Ling Xiao turned around in embarrassment. Although his heart was full of regrets, he still did not wish to put himself down to admit his wrongdoings. Furthermore, what Ling Xiao was angry about in actuality was not about the fiasco created by Ling Tian. For such a small kid, even if he clowned around, what about it? What could actually happen? What really blew Ling Xiao's top was that with so many people seeing his son acting so wretchedly, it was impossible for him to hide it.

Ling Xiao could imagine that this matter would travel through the entire capital and provinces in the next few days, and he would most likely end up as a laughingstock in the entire imperial court. The Ling's Young Noble who was a silkpants was most assuredly going to resound throughout!

Ling Kong and son, rejoicing in the misfortune, only offered a few conciliatory phrases to Ling Xiao before leaving in a joyful mood. Right now, it was no longer suitable for them to continue staying any longer.

Ling Xiao turned around, carrying a black face, and came face to face with a bunch of giggling Blood Iron Warriors. Because of frequently mixing around with them, they had Long become brothers in arms. Seeing their bedraggled looks, he could not help but lift up a brow and ask, "What are you all doing? Why do you all look so worn out?"

The crowd in question turned silent, no one had forgotten those steely words that Ling Tian had spoken that day: "No one should even think about revealing my matters to others!"

After a while, Ling Xiao's face was growing all the more black, and his eyes looked akin to a storm brewing. "To think even his subordinates were not bothering to answer his question?"

Seeing that the situation was not going well, Feng Mo scratched his head and said: "Ooh… this… errr…. this…"

Ling Xiao blew up once again. "What this and what that! Quickly spit it out!"

Feng Mo could only recite prayers in his heart as he spoke: "The Young Noble made us go running." Inside himself, he thought: "This should not be considered as revealing his secret, right?"

"Running?" Ling Xiao revealed some suspicion, "Run for what?"

"This…" Feng Mo scratched his scalp in embarrassment. "...the Young Noble said that running was very fun…" After mulling about it for half a day, Feng Mo this sort of upright and honest man finally came out with his first lie, making him red with embarrassment.

"FUN?!" Ling Xiao jumped out of his skin once again, furiously hopping on his feet and snarling, "This daddy here worked so hard to train up the Blood Iron Warriors, to create warriors of the country that would win a hundred battles and more, to create heroes on the battlefield! This bastard actually dare to ask you go to run for fun??! What… what a d**che bag!"

Looking at the group of Blood Iron Warriors, Ling Xiao spoke in shame, "Fellow brothers, I was the one who caused this to you. Because of me, you have to suffer the torture of this little bastard and his antics. Please rest assured, brothers, I will think of a method to return you guys back to the military!"

The crowd looked at each other in dismay, all wisely choosing to remain silent.

While they were touched by Ling Xiao's sense of brotherhood, the crowd could not help but be worried — if Ling Xiao were to really get his way, they would all be recalled back to camp! In this half a month, the thirty six of them could clearly feel that be it in energy or physique, all of them were experiencing growth once again, and even to a point where it was unbelievable. This was just in half a month! The Young Noble even said, that this feeling was only the beginning, and was just a test. The real method to strength increase was far from this!

With such a golden opportunity and good master in front of them, who would choose to return to that dark and hopeless future of an army camp? Unless, that person's head had been kicked by a mule! Immediately, everyone's heads turned towards Feng Mo; if his simple two sentences would make everyone else lose this chance, then they would definitely want to peel off his skin alive!

Being the target of the piercing stares, Feng Mo's head started to sweat profusely and he forced a smile to say, "General does not need to worry, we little ones are also quite happy to stay here right now."

Ling Xiao let out a Long sigh, the rims of his eyes wet with tears. He patted Feng Mo's shoulder, lowly saying, "Brothers, I know you all desire to keep me out of trouble. You all need not say more, all of you brothers can wait for my good news." As he finished, Ling Xiao turned and left, his expression solemn and his steps heavy.

All those behind him were stunned silly! As they looked on the disappearing back of Ling Xiao, all of them walked towards Feng Mo with gritted teeth. Everyone started to clench their fists, the 'Kaka' sounds sounding unceasingly.

Seeing that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, Feng Mo hurriedly retreated while drying laughing, "Brothers, let's sit down and talk it out, hahaha, I was also forced to a corner…"

"Beat him up!" No one knew who first shouted, but immediately, a deluge of black clothed people covered Feng Mo in an instant. Feng Mo turned to run, but it was already too late. The sound of anguished wailing sounded, even worse than what Ling Tian had given out previously.

Inside the room, Ling Tian who was regulating his inner Qi while listening to the conversation of the crowd, let out an expression of satisfaction. He now knew that this group of Blood Iron Warriors was really beginning to lean towards his side.

A tiny shadow dashed out from Ling Tian's residence, this was precisely Ling Jian. The moment Ling Jian returned to the residence and heard that Ling Tian had gotten punished, he had panicked and rushed in without even cleaning his face.

Seeing Ling Jian coming out, all of the Blood Iron Warriors gathered around him to listen to the latest news, leaving behind a Feng Mo on the brink of death….

"Hey hey, Ling Jian ah, how is the Young Noble right now?"

"Ya ya, Jianjian, what did the Young Noble say?"

"Ya ya, it has already been half a month, has the Young Noble said that we passed yet?"

"..."

Ling Jian looked towards all of them with a trace of pity in his eyes which was gone in a flash. He wore a strange look on his face, half laughing and crying. For a long while, he looked at them without talking which caused them to panic and have the sudden urge to rush forward to grab that slender neck to force every word out of him.

"Cough… Cough…" Ling Jian cleared his throat as though he was about to talk. The audience suddenly held their breaths as they pricked up their ears.

However, no one expected that after he finished coughing, he shook his shoulder and frowned, saying: "My shoulder is sore!"

"Hey hey, is it sore? Let me massage it for you!" A Blood Iron Warrior which seemed to have flames spitting out of his eyes rushed forward.

"Cough cough… thigh hurts."

"I'll massage for you!"

"Cough cough cough… whole arm feels sore too, actually both arms feel sore."

"I'll massage for you!"

"I'll massage for you!"

Finally, Ling Jian rolled his neck once in satisfaction before saying: "The Young Noble took the chance, while the Madam and the Consort Ling Ran was not around, to give me a few instructions for you guys!"

All of them tensed up, eyes focused without blinking onto Ling Jian's mouth, as though they were afraid to even miss one word.

Ling Jian further coughed once, before saying: "Young Noble's original words were…" Then he smiled at them and actually stopped talking.

The group's anger shot up towards the sky, all starting to rub their fists as if they wanted to teach him a lesson.

Seeing that the situation was taking a turn for the worse, Ling Jian contracted his neck and mimicked Ling Tian's voice to say, "Mmm, actually you all should have passed. But seeing as how you guys watched this young noble get beaten up today, with none of you even attempting to intervene, and even gloating in my misfortune! Thus this young noble has decided that you are not yet ready to pass!" Ling Jian winked and smiled.

The group let out a long sigh, seeming as though they drained out all the air in them.

Ling Jian suddenly continued: "Relax, I've not finished."

Suddenly, everyone was on full alert once more.

"However, I've thought about it, and decided to give all of you one more chance!"

"Wahahaha…. Long live the Young Noble!" Came a series of joyous chorus.

Ling Jian coldly eyed the group of idiots as he thought, "Did you think that the Young Noble is so nice? How can you expect to reap any benefits without first suffering? That would be ridiculous!" Then unhurriedly spoke, "Thus, for tomorrow's test, only those who passed may stay."

"Hahaha, tomorrow is the last test, easy, this is gonna be easy!" The group was ecstatic.

Ling Jian coldly announced, "Tomorrow's test consists of each person carrying an azurite stone, to walk two rounds from the entrance of the Ling mansion to the Ling Family Courtyard. The journey is around 160 miles and you have to finish the 2 rounds before lunch to pass!" The azurite stones in this era weighed at least 10 catties each, and were thick and broad.

"AAHH?!" A cry of despair sounded. At the same time, the thirty six of them seemed to have collapsed totally. The bitterness on their faces seemed as though it could be squeezed to form juice….

One of them saw the look of smugness on Ling Jian's face, and could not help but counter him, saying: "We can't maintain this sort of thing, don't tell me you Little Jian can? Hehehe, hurry and go plead for leniency from our young noble!"

Everyone thought the same way, and started to clamor.

Ling Jian however sniggered, saying: "Sorry to tell you but I've already tried to plead leniency, and the Young Noble was kind enough to exempt me for tomorrow's exam! Hahaha…"

The crowd felt like they had just suffered a crushing defeat!

[1] If a leader sets a bad example, subordinates are likely to follow suit.

Chapter 70: I Will Rule the Heavens

Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll

This was the first meeting Ling Tian held after coming to this world. The ones who participated in this meeting were all the people under him: 36 Blood Iron Warriors, Ling Jian and Ling Chen. The location — the largest room in his own courtyard. The time — deep in the night. With regards to the contents of this meeting, Ling Tian would not allow it to be leaked at all.

With regards to how he was able to wield such a power now, Ling Tian felt that it was about sufficient. While it was not impossible for him to expand his power, it would be at the expense of alerting others. If that's the case, then the gains would not make up for the losses.

In Ling Tian's eyes, the people in front of him now will become the core members of his own team. In other words, the leaders. Ling Tian felt that it was necessary to understand the background of every single one present and every single information about all these people.

While Ling Xiao's beating was almost ineffective towards Ling Tian, Ling Tian had still rested on bed for two days. This was because his mother, Chu Ting'er, had accompanied him by his bedside for a whole two days. Only after a few ineffective attempts of sending people to persuade Chu Ting'er did Ling Xiao personally come over to fetch Chu Ting'er back. For the first time, Ling Tian witnessed just how strong his mother was. She was angered like a lioness protecting her cub, looking as though she wanted to tear Ling Xiao into pieces.

After Old Madam Ling heard about this matter, she summoned Ling Xiao in front of her and gave him a good scolding. As for Ling Xiao wanting to transfer the Blood Iron Warriors back, he was only able to suggest it before being mercilessly rejected by Old Madam Ling. This also created an extremely convenient effect for Ling Tian — Ling Xiao felt that he did no longer had the face to see his brothers and distanced himself from Ling Tian's courtyard.

As Ling Tian looked at the 38 of them, his face was stern and grave, with a seriousness which he had never displayed before. Everyone could not help but feel anxious with their faces were filled with seriousness.

"Today, is the 11th day, 12th month and 3169 year of the Heavenly Star Continent. It is also the 11th day, 12th month and 45th year of the Sky Bearing Empire. I want all of you to remember this date forever. From now on, everyone present will be a large family, a whole body. From now on, all of you present will be officially my men!"

Everyone all felt their breaths become heavy.

"From today on, we will take steps to perfecting our own strength, strengthening our power and increasing our capabilities. However, all of these must be carried out in secret. The enemies we are going to face will be the whole world, including all of the powerhouses."

"There are still three more months before the Ling Family Courtyard is completed. When it is completed, your road to strength will begin from there! While I am only five years old and seem to have a lot of time, this is not the truth. The storm between the different empires is brewing and war will break out at any time. The moment war breaks out, it will definitely spread across the whole continent. Thus, after I accept all of your officially, you must rely on yourselves for everything! If you want to survive to enjoy luxury with me, you must increase your own strength with everything you have. You must make sure that you do not die in battle!"

Everyone's breaths were heavy as their eyes were like bells with perspiration flowing down their foreheads. After Ling Tian said all of these, they would be idiots if they did not understand what Ling Tian meant. Ling Tian had already explained his ambition to everyone, only short of saying that he wanted to become the emperor. Ever since they came into the Ling mansion, they felt that Ling Tian had been hiding something. It is just that they did not understand — with the Ling family behind him as a powerful backing, why did he have to be so careful? Now, they finally understood that the ambitions which were hiding in the heart of this child was actually so shocking!

Hiding so patiently with ambitions so huge!

Then, a trace of haughtiness appeared on Ling Tian's face as he growled, "I am called Ling Tian, and I will rule the heavens! Gentleman, who will be willing to accompany me to rule the heavens?!"

All 38 of them knelt down in unison, "We are willing to support the young noble to rule to heavens!"

Ling Tian then smiled and waved his hands, "This is only a small wish of mine, all of you do not need to be so serious. It is enough that you keep it in your hearts. If this matter were to spread out and others think that this good for nothing silk pants young noble has such aspirations, they will probably laugh their teeth off."

Everyone felt the mood loosen up as they began to laugh as well. The incident of Ling Tian 'harassing' his maid had already spread across the whole capital! Knowing how to harass his maid even at the age of five! Ling Tian had already been firmly awarded with a title of 'super silkpants' already. Ling Tian's reputation in the whole capital was unrivaled, becoming the biggest joke in the Sky Bearing City.

After the serious matters had been settled, Ling Tian asked a few questions which had been in his heart, "All of you are from the military. Have you ever heard of people who can leap over walls or smash rocks into powder with their bare hands?"

This doubt had been in Ling Tian's heart for a very long time already. Ling Tian had always been trying to fish out this information from the various people he met, but no one was able to give him an answer. Most of them would immediately deny such a thing! This made Ling Tian feel that such martial arts did not exist in this world. As for magic, that was completely impossible. This had greatly changed Ling Tian's idea of crossing through worlds.

Ever since Ling Tian saw Xiao FengHan's palm of rage, breaking the table into smithereens, Ling Tian realized that martial arts and Inner Qi was actually present in this world. It is just that the number of people who had a grasp of such a power was extremely scarce for some reason. Even if they had such a power, they would not reveal it easily either.

The mysterious expert behind Xiao FengHan had also made Ling Tian alert and cautious. That person was obviously one who cultivated both inner and external martial arts and specialized in concealment and tracing. Ling Tian felt that it was extremely strange that while these people obvious existed, no one knew about them. Furthermore, just how many of these people actually existed in this world. How were the martial arts in this world categorized? Just how powerful will the real experts be? Where would these people be hiding?

Countless of doubts filled Ling Tian's heart. Now, Ling Tian had already grasped a vague idea of what was going on. The existence of these people were definitely a secret! There will definitely be a small crowd of people who understood these matters. The Ling family who was born from peasant lineage obviously did not know about this secret and did not have the rights to know about them!

The Ling family was originally just a wealthy family. After Ling Zhan had conquered the lands with the late emperor, the Ling family grew to such glory from nothing. While the Ling family may seem glorious, the foundations of the Ling family were extremely weak! The large aristocratic families which had decades or even centuries of foundation would not place the Ling family in their sights. No matter how much authority the Ling family commanded, it was still lacking a legacy which was being passed down in those deep-rooted large families! Just like the phase, wealthy in the third generation! As for the Ling family, they only had three generations, including Ling Tian!

Everyone stared at each other with puzzled looks on their faces. It was obvious that apart from seeing Ling Tian's display of might, they had never seen it before.

Ling Tian then sighed to himself, "It seems that I will have to slowly uncover this matter myself." Ling Tian deeply believed that as long as these people existed, there would definitely be traces left behind. Following the increase in his strength, Ling Tian believed that he would definitely appear in their sights eventually.

Furthermore, Ling Tian felt that for those aristocratic families which had almost a thousand years of lineage, they would have definitely came into contact to these people! In fact, the people in their families may be these existences. At the very least, there will be a few of such people in the aristocratic families. Especially the largest family in the Heavenly Star Continent which had a heritage of a thousand years, the Yu family. Even in his death, Ling Tian would not believe that they did not have such characters within their ranks! If not for some special reasons, how was it possible for a family to have a lineage of a thousand years? The hardships of a thousand years, the political changes in a thousand years, how was that something which could be handled by an ordinary family?

Chapter 71: Martial Arts Lesson

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll

After dispelling the frustrating thoughts with difficulty, Ling Tian looked at the group, and asked them another question, "When does the recruitment of troops for our country start?"

The crowd was stunned for a moment, before Feng Mo replied, "Recruitment? What recruitment?"

It was now Ling Tian's turn to stare in shock. "There's no recruitment for new soldiers?"

Everyone shook their heads as Feng Mo replied again, "The world is so peaceful at the moment, what use have we to recruit soldiers?"

Wah!

Ling Tian was stunned speechless, "Just because it is peaceful, there's no need for recruitment?"

The group replied as though it was only natural, "The usual recruitment takes place once every five years and there was a recruitment held just last year. Since we are not warring currently and the military is not facing a shortage of manpower, there is no need for recruitment! Unless we are in an imminent state of war, or there are too many old and sick soldiers, will the recruitment begin once again to replenish the old with new."

Feng Mo also added, "In my ten odd years in the army, I've only seen recruitment being held twice!"

No war means no recruitment? Recruiting soldiers once every five years?! Ling Tian face-palmed at this and had totally no words to describe it! No wonder the dynasties changed so frequently and no wonder why this continent had seven empires living on it! The reason was because of this! Managing their military as such, if the empire did not die, then that would be weird!

There is no misfortune in being readily prepared! What are those Kings and Officials doing everyday? Did they think they could live happily ever after once they had set up a kingdom? Having no worries at all? Not a single awareness of hardship? Ling Tian felt as though his thoughts were unable to keep up with the times.

Ling Tian's original thought was to borrow the country's recruitment, keeping a few batches of new recruits secretly with their family's influence. Then, he would give them his own training turn them into his private army. However, this plan had now completely fallen through! Five years per recruitment! How could Ling Tian afford to wait? It went without saying that his plans had to be changed.

Looking at Feng Mo and company, he said, "The Ling Family Courtyard will be done in about three months. Based on my own plans and estimates, we can at least have ten thousand men inside practicing at the same time. Since the Empire does not recruit soldiers, I'll leave this part for you guys to perform. My requirements are those who are above 15 years of age but below 25, take as many as you can. This will be your first mission. Feng Mo, you're in charge of handling this, whatever methods you would like to use, I'll leave it up to you. However, when you have gotten those people, you need to bring them inside the Ling Family Courtyard without any news spreading out." Ling Tian thought a while longer before he continued, "One recruitment might be too large and attract too much attention, so you can break it into a few batches. As for how many batches to split them up to, that's for you to decide to."

Feng Mo stood upright and cupped his fists, saying, "Yes! I will comply with Young Noble's order!"

Ling Tian considered the scenario once again before letting out a sigh, "Feng Mo, I'll need you to pick another couple of guys to take over the Violent Wind Gang. In three years, I want all the underground powers in the capital to be under our control! The rest of the brothers, you may assist at any time! Any matters can be decided at your own volition, there's no need to go through me. Oh, by the way, do not touch the Blood Rose Hall, it's reserved for Ling Jian!"

Ling Jian shot up in gratitude, "Many thanks, Young Noble!"

Nodding his head, Ling Tian stood up before saying, "I've been staying too long in the house, let's go out for some exercise."

Everyone's faces lit up in delight, knowing that Ling Tian was about to start lecturing on martial arts. All of them rushed out like a swarm of bees.

The piled up snow was a pure white, with the moonlight resembling water flowing.

Ling Tian stood leisurely in the courtyard, holding on to a blade, saying, "All of your so called martial arts actually has no style to speak of. It was only created after countless processes of grinding on the battlefield. However, it will never be enough for all of you to roam unhindered, and to protect your lives if you rely merely on it. Watch and learn."

Drawing out the blade, Ling Tian stood with it slanted towards the sky. His very person seemed to exude a fearsome aura, making it such that it was difficult to even breathe for those people surrounding him.

Slowly tilting the blade down, he immediately followed up with the entire set of blade works. In that instant, the snow unrestrainedly blew up, and blade energy flew up into the sky. Although they were only facing a single person with a single blade, in the hearts of the 36 Blood Iron Warriors, they seemed to have been teleported back to the battlefield, witnessing the momentum and killing intent of a thousand cavalry and ten thousand foot soldiers as they fought for supremacy!

One blade moved, and the souls of all present were reaped!

Very quickly, Ling Tian finished and kept the blade while straightening himself. Staring at the enraptured expressions of all present, he laughed, "This set of blade works is named 'Slaughter of a Thousand Soldiers!' Other than using it for close quarters combat, it is most suitable for a confrontation between two camps, where one is surrounded by a multitude of enemies. In time to come, I'll impart to all of you here this set of blade works, for its complementary internal arts, I'll also pass them down to you."

The faces of those present simultaneously emerged expressions of ecstasy! All of them hurriedly bowed in gratitude. For such a ferocious and powerful blade work, if successfully passed down to them, the overall strength of everyone here would definitely be greatly improved! Furthermore, from what their Young Noble had said, there was also a set of internal arts which could complement it. Everyone present knew that any form of internal arts was a secret among secrets. To think that they had a chance to learn it and become one of those supremely strong individuals in the fables. All of their hearts could not help but race as their bloods boiled in excitement!

After dismissing the crowd, Ling Tian looked at both Ling Jian and Ling Chen who were staring with wide eyes at him, and burst into laughter. "Why are you looking at me like that? No need to worry, I definitely have something good for the both of you. Follow me!"

After Ling Tian had finished passing the mnemonics of the Divine Shocking Dragon Formula and Divine Ice Formula to Ling Jian and Ling Chen respectively, he then used his internal strength to guide them both on how to cycle the energy within their bodies. By the time he was done, it was already bright outside. Looking at each other, the three of them could not help but laugh, even though they did not sleep for one night, the trio was unexpectedly brimming with energy, without the least bit of fatigue.

Leisurely stretching his waist, Ling Tian slowly walked out of his door and squinted his eyes, staring at the rising sun in the far east. His face loosened into a carefree smile.

The rising sun seemed to be accommodating Ling Tian's tiny body, bathing him in the countless rays of golden sunlight.

Behind him, both Ling Jian and Ling Chen looked at Ling Tian as he immersed himself in the sunlight, with admiration and worship in their eyes.