The assembly call sounded.
The new batch of soldiers gradually arrived and lined up in the Martial Arts Arena.
Not long after,
clad in Lock Armor and with a saber at his waist, Xiang Tingchun appeared first, followed by a civil servant dressed in official robes.
Xiang Tingchun's face was expressionless as he directly made his way to the high platform.
He surveyed the crowd and slowly spoke in a deep voice, "Those who have refined their Qi-Blood, step forward!"
Out of thirty-eight men, only Chen Sansi took a step forward.
A hint of surprise flickered across Xiang Tingchun's usually unfathomable face, and he ordered, "Let a small flag spar with him so I can take a look."
"Xu Bin, step out!"
Wang Zhi raised his hand to point and said, "Follow the rules, use only the Blood Cultivation Introduction level, but you are free to unleash any Cultivation Technique, and help Chen Sansi practice!"
At the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, Xu Bin, who was unexpectedly chosen, was momentarily stunned but still stepped out.
He looked at Chen Sansi with a complex expression.
In these past several days, this fellow villager of his had been the center of attention.
First, he was publicly fought over by several Lords Hundred Households.
Then, he refined his Qi-Blood in a mere six days.
Six days!
He himself barely managed to pass the threshold to become a military soldier, and he couldn't even remember how long it took him to refine his Qi-Blood!
In any case, it took him years in the army to finally scrape together the rank of a small flag.
If this youngster performed well today, he'd likely be promoted directly to small flag!
Such limitless prospects.
He...
on the other hand, hadn't shown a good face to the newcomer on his first day of enlistment.
Even more unlucky, somehow he was chosen to be the one to assess the newcomer.
"What are you dawdling for, begin."
Xiang Tingchun urged, "Use the same level of Qi-Blood and go all out. This will also let me see if your martial arts as military officers have made any progress."
"Old Xu."
"They say this man is your fellow villager, make sure you don't go easy on him."
"..."
A few flag officers and Lords Hundred Households chimed in from the side.
They had often heard about a prodigy arriving at the garrison and had been eager to assess his true skills.
Xu Bin, as instructed, summoned a thread of his Qi-Blood.
The amount of Qi-Blood could be controlled.
Blood Cultivation Introduction was one thread, Mastery was two, and small achievement meant it spread throughout the limbs.
Maintaining only one thread of Qi-Blood was the equivalent of suppressing one's level to Introduction.
However, it was difficult to restrain the saber technique that had been accumulated over many years.
In theory, if the two were to fight, he would have an absolute advantage.
Even so, Xu Bin felt somewhat nervous.
Lord Thousand Households was personally watching the bout, having made his expectations clear.
It meant if he lost to a newcomer in front of everyone, his prospects would be essentially ruined.
On the contrary, if he could demonstrate some fierce moves and catch Lord Thousand Households' eye...
His ambition since childhood had been to earn military achievements on the battlefield someday, but being born in Po Yang County, he never even had the chance to face the enemy.
Lacking cultivation resources, stuck in the Blood Refining Realm for so many years, he was almost without hope of advancement.
Today, however, was an opportunity.
Both were fighting for their own futures; he wasn't willing to sacrifice his for the sake of helping another.
So, there was absolutely no chance of him going easy.
He hoped that this younger brother, introduced by his father, would not blame him.
"Sansi, in case I injure you, don't blame me."
Xu Bin drew his saber from its sheath, the three-foot-long blade emitting a chill in the blazing sun.
"Xu Flag Officer, please come at me," said Chen Sansi, bracing himself with his spear raised.
Ever since he started practicing martial arts, he hadn't truly sparred with anyone.
This opportunity was also a good chance to see what level he was at.
"Good, watch the saber!"
Xu Bin suddenly made his move.
His body slightly bent, he dragged his saber as he moved, his gaze fierce like a ravenous wolf finally seeing flesh after days of hunger. In just two breaths, he reached the young man's side and his Yan Ling saber slashed horizontally.
At the same time, a dot of cold light appeared in front.
In the blink of an eye, this cold light became the gun tip, rapidly enlarging in Xu Bin's pupils.
The later man arrives before one who set off earlier,
the saber is short, the spear long, the way of the long weapon!
"What a fast spear!"
Xu Bin dared not advance further, half a step more and he wouldn't strike the opponent, but likely be pierced first!
He swiftly halted his steps, attempting to use his saber to break the spear shaft made of White Wax Wood.
Chen Sansi clearly wouldn't give him this chance, retracting his spear by three inches, uniting waist and horse, mobilizing his Qi-Blood to his right arm and, with a "blocking and catching" move, clashed the spear tip against the saber edge.
"Clang——"
A crisp sound of weapon impact rang out.
The Yanling Saber buzzed incessantly.
The Mei Hua Iron Spear was even more incessantly trembling.
Both men simultaneously retreated several steps.
But for a long weapon, distance opened up means advantage!
Xu Bin had barely steadied himself when the Mei Hua Iron Spear stabbed at him again, forcing him to block with his saber. Fortunately, after many years of martial arts training, he had no problem with such intensity, able to parry it.
But the basic spear technique of a military soldier is something everyone has practiced.
Why were Chen Sansi's spear techniques so unusually fast and fierce, unlike ordinary people?
And then there was Qi-Blood.
Although it was just a thread of Qi-Blood, he had concentrated on refining it for years, and it should be somewhat stronger by all account.
Yet, facing that direct strike, he actually had no advantage in terms of power, barely gaining a slight upper hand by relying solely on his experience with saber techniques.
How odd and baffling!
Xu Bin felt shame, worried about ruining the impression he made in the eyes of Lord Thousand Households.
He wielded the saber in his hand with increasing aggression, aiming each blow at vital points, trying to exhaust his opponent's Qi-Blood this way.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang!"
The sound of metal clashing continuously rose, dust billowed in the Martial Arts Arena.
Chen Sansi kept retreating to maintain the distance advantage of the long weapon.
"Damn it."
Wang Zhi couldn't help but curse.
He had thought that it was Xu Bin who had introduced Chen Sansi to the military camp, so he had deliberately called him out. Was this guy actually playing for real?
He'd wait and see how this blind fool would be dealt with later.
Meanwhile, Xiang Tingchun's eyes narrowed slightly, watching with great interest.
"Well done!"
The soldiers watching also began to cheer.
"Clang—"
Another clash of metal on metal.
Chen Sansi narrowly avoided being hit. At a critical moment, he held his breath, twirled a spear flower, and pushed the metaphorical fierce wolf, which had come close to him, back to a distance of seven steps.
Xu Bin was indeed a veteran.
After several bouts, his arms grew numb, his shoulders ached, and his body and face were covered in sweat.
Yet his Qi-Blood was still plentiful.
He could go on.
Rarer were such sparring opportunities, and his skill with the spear was improving rapidly. He treasured this chance.
"Come on!"
Xu Bin swung his saber, one stroke after another, his eyes reddening.
This was already the eighth round, and he still couldn't defeat his opponent!
Since he had already offended him, he might as well do it thoroughly.
No matter what, he could not become a worthless person in the eyes of Thousand Households!
He spared no effort, the Yanling Saber tearing through the air as if he were a raging wolf, using every possible means to rip into his prey.
He planned to fight hard and fast to speed up the wear on his opponent, looking for a weakness.
However, as time went on.
Xu Bin gradually noticed something was wrong.
On the surface, the young spearman seemed to be on the defense all the time.
But his Qi-Blood never waned!
Instead, it was his own Qi-Blood that kept being expended, close to bottoming out.
"How can this be?!"
A look of astonishment spread across Xu Bin's face.
Impossible!
This kid had just begun cultivating Qi-Blood; he must run out after another ten rounds!
With that thought, he became even more violent in his saber techniques.
But the reality was entirely different from what he had imagined.
After another ten rounds, he had used up most of his Qi-Blood, yet Chen Sansi still hadn't lost!
This young man, looking out of breath and nearly done for, always managed to persist at critical moments, displaying terrifying endurance.
"Clang!"
Xu Bin, due to his depleted Qi-Blood, slowed in speed and weakened in strength.
It was then that the tide turned, and the Mei Hua Iron Spear shifted completely from defense to offense!
A parry, a grab, a stab—every key point in the spear technique was executed by Chen Sansi with precision and ferocity, combined with Qi-Blood, like a sudden downpour of a violent storm, instantly upon him. A moment's inattention could lead to a catastrophic injury.
Now it was Xu Bin's turn to be drenched in sweat.
His Qi-Blood gradually dried up in the fierce fight, his hand holding the saber even began to cramp. He forgot about attacking, or to put it more accurately, he no longer had the opportunity. All he could see was the constant flickering of cold light and fluttering red tassels.
This was impossible.
Chen Sansi had only recently cultivated Qi-Blood; how could his endurance be so extraordinary?
There were several moments when Xu Bin almost tapped into his other Qi-Blood reserves, revealing the strength of Blood Refining Mastery, but he knew he had lost.
Five years!
Five years of martial arts practice, and he couldn't compete with someone who had half a month's of training!
"Clang—"
In a daze, his Yanling Saber was picked off, and the sharp triangular gun tip followed close behind, pressing against his throat.
"Xu Flag Officer, I yield!"