A small distance outside of Yongtein, the Xingyuu Empire's capital city, was the central training grounds for the military. It was also the location for the capital's garrison and reserve armies, in the unlikely case of a foreign invasion. And at the center of the military complex was a massive wide-open field where large-scale military practices and drills were held. Currently, almost four thousand soldiers were assembled and stood perfectly at attention. Their discipline and form were impeccable! Wearing illustrious armor, holding stoic gazes, and harboring an intense bloodlust, they were the famous Phoenix Division! Famed as one of the empire's elite trump cards, they were the absolute best of the best, the perfect killers. During Lord Korogin's final battle, the Phoenix Division made their untimely appearance and slaughtered their way across the battlefield. Under Perception Realm, they reigned!
But now… their bodies radiated a strange power. It was subtle, but the difference was night and day. They had clearly improved an unimaginable amount! They were already Fundamental Realm Masters, but now their strength actually pushed into Half-Perception Realm! One person breaking through was not that crazy and it was almost expected for people of their calibre to make that final step forward given enough time. However, for all four thousand to manage the same, it was inconceivable! And worst yet, a significant portion of them had power equivalent to full-fledged Perception Realms! For the Phoenix Division to grow so much so quickly, the name 'phoenix' was aptly chosen. They became monsters!
Prime Minister Pon-Wai was seated at a table which overlooked the field. He picked up a cup and inhaled the fragrant tea, before sipping it slowly. His gaze carried a faint satisfaction as he glossed over the Phoenix Division. Two individuals, Cardinal Loujin and Yongyu, stood behind him as his Protectors. They were the former Emperor's personal guard, the Four Cardinals! Although both stood at the peak of Perception Realm and were compared to the likes of the Alzar Kingdom's three strongest knights, they could not help but express their surprise. An entire division of soldiers with strength equivalent to Half-Perception or stronger… It was mind-numbing to imagine how terrifying they would be on the battlefield. If before, they could already sweep through unhindered, then what about now? They would absolutely massacre everyone! It was a shame that the two Cardinals could not learn Martial Energy themselves as they used their latent potential long ago.
The Phoenix Division General bowed in front of the Prime Minister, not daring to sit down at the same table. His voice shook with excitement, "Your Excellency, the training… was a huge success. Out of the three thousand seven hundred, three thousand four hundred are at the Half-Perception standard, and three hundred are true Perception Realms! All of them managed to grasp Martial Energy!"
As it turned out, the reason behind their mysterious explosion in strength was related to Martial Energy! In the first place, Martial Energy was the internal equivalent of Magic Energy, both originating from World Energy. It allowed one to perform superhuman feats and transcend limits. The difference between those that understood and those that did not was enormous! However, the concept of Martial Energy remained untouched in the human world for reasons unknown. Only through the likes of the Sword King Sin Quelldown and his three students did this secret finally be revealed. So, for the Phoenix Division to both know and grasp Martial Energy, the only explanation was the Featherwind Sect!
Sat next to the Prime Minister was the acting Sect Master of the Featherwind Sect, Argo. He was a falcon that was much taller than a normal human being, a full two or three heads taller than Cardinal Loujin, who was a beast among men himself. With a wingspan capable of covering more than a dozen men in his grasp, Argo was huge, to say the least. And that size was not for show either. Prior to the Luminous Central Origin's extermination, Argo was one of the very few Half-Rank 3 Kings in the sect, strong enough to stand as the acting Sect Master in the Rank 3 civilization! Rank 3 civilizations… Compared to humanity, they had the power to trivially destroy humanity. To become the acting Sect Master reflected his incredible ability!
Unfortunately, with the battle against Commander Infernal Witch King and the subsequent backlash involving the Featherwind Pearl, the survivors received various injuries and fell. Argo was one of the luckier ones since he was the closest to becoming a Rank 3 King. Consequently, he dropped to Peak Rank 2. But while his strength appeared similar to Cardinal Hui or Sir Winstin, there was a qualitative difference. As a former candidate for Rank 3 King, he had completely mastered Martial Energy to a near-perfect degree and begun constructing his own Core for Arcania. Combined with his exposure to the 'true' world beyond humanity and his vast plethora of knowledge and techniques, he could defeat Cardinal Hui and Sir Winstin easily! Under ideal conditions, he could even pose a serious threat to Sword King Sin!
The bird Argo faced the division general with a dull expression. This was their 'agreement' with the Xingyuu Empire. Unless he wanted to face the dire consequences of violating the pact, then playing nicely was the only thing he could do.
Prime Minister observed everyone's reactions calmly and gently lowered his teacup. With his ever-present smile, which made it seem as if he had everything in his grasp, he said, "You said that there are three thousand, seven hundred men present, correct? Your division is supposed to have five hundred men in total. Where are the rest?"
"Your Excellency is very wise," the division general shivered. "As Your Excellency said, in the beginning, there were five thousand. However… eight hundred became incapacitated from the harsh training, another three hundred quit or fled, while the remaining two hundred… died."
Drumming his fingers in a rhythmic manner, the Prime Minister replied, "A success rate of three-quarters is too low. Find a way to increase the training program's success rate to nine-tenths."
The poor division general nearly cursed. The Prime Minister made it sound easy, but the training was already ridiculous to the extreme! It was practically torture! For example, one of their exercises was to chain several weights to everyone's limbs, weighing around three adults in total. The problem was that they were not trekking up mountains or through the forests or anything like that. Instead, they were thrown into the middle of a lake. A lake! No matter how one cut it, carrying that much weight on one's back would instantly sink anyone. It was a death sentence! Only by breaking through in their last desperate attempts and harnessing the power of Martial Energy would they survive. Furthermore, this was one of dozens of exercises with the same sadistic tendencies. It was the only way to explosively increase everyone's strength so quickly.
"Your Excellency… this cannot be done. Please remember that my Phoenix Division is filled with hand-picked men, chosen from hundreds of thousands of individuals, for their monstrous talent, skill, resolve, and potential, but even then, only three-quarters managed to survive. I'm afraid that if this training regimen were passed to the rest of the army that this success rate would be much lower."
"How low would you estimate it to be?" the Prime Minister said, stopping his fingers.
The man pondered for a full minute before gritting his teeth. "Pardon my bluntness, Your Excellency, but I believe the success rate would not exceed one-in-twenty, or even one-in-thirty. The regular soldiers aren't suited for this type of extreme training."
"Your points are valid… and it is unfavorable to gain a few Perception Realms in exchange for the loss in lives, morale, and reputation." Nodding his head, he continued, "How long until your division is combat-ready?"
"One month, Your Excellency."
"Very well. You will connect with Unit Commander Haea at that time and advance north. The Alzar Kingdom is already making their move, so we'll need to be quick. You're dismissed."
Once the division general left, the Prime Minister began to think. After his encounter and subsequent alliance with the Featherwind Sect, he learned a great deal. He had to laugh at how shallow and meager humanity's conflicts were. At the level of the Featherwind Sect or the Luminous Central Origin, their entire armies would be composed of Rank 2 Lords. Anything lower were too weak to participate! And even then, there were thousands upon thousands of Grand Rank 2 Lords to fill the ranks, which showed the overwhelming disparity between them and humanity. The Prime Minister wanted to emulate their training strategies and it did yield some success. Through this insane program, they were able to produce three hundred Perception Realms!
Three hundred… Keep in mind that the estimated number of Perception Realms in the Alzar Kingdom was one thousand, and only three hundred were employed by the kingdom directly. For the Phoenix Division to produce the same result in just three months, how absurd was that? It was almost like Perception Realms were cabbages found on the streets! And they were not the only division experiencing a metamorphosis. The Prime Minister also instructed two other divisions to undergo the same nightmarish training and forcibly nurture Perception Realms. Although their results were less impressive, altogether, there were close to five hundred Perception Realms!
It was a shame though. The realization of an army like the ones used by the Featherwind Sect or the Luminous Central Origin could not be done. Their armies consisted of Grand Rank 2 Lords, Half-Rank 3 Kings, and even a full-fledged Rank 3 King commander. By contrast, the Phoenix Division consisted of fledging Early Rank 2 Lords with a scant understanding of Martial Energy. It would take them more time to acclimate to their newfound powers and techniques, and much more time to push from Early Rank 2 into Grand Rank 2. Except… would the Alzar Kingdom wait that long? The walls have ears, it would not take long before the kingdom figures out the 'secret' behind Martial Energy. Therefore, the Prime Minister had no choice but to force this trump card to the frontlines to maximize their advantage.
Of course, the true secret trump card was… Prime Minister Pon-Wai looked at Argo and smiled.