Several days later, in the training grounds, Nan Feihuang was fiercely sparring with Dian Wei.
While mastering cultivation techniques was essential, accumulating actual combat experience was just as important.
Dian Wei wielded his dual halberds. Though he didn't use the One-Handed Eighteen Thrusts like Nan Feihuang, he had his own combat methods. Despite Nan Feihuang having the upper hand in martial spirit quality, physical strength, and spirit power, he still couldn't beat Dian Wei in a fight.
After all, Dian Wei was once a legendary warrior, battle-hardened on countless battlefields.
His combat experience had been honed through life-and-death struggles, forged in the fires of war.
Whenever Nan Feihuang crossed blades with him, his previously refined One-Handed Eighteen Thrusts became completely restricted, leaving him unable to fully execute the moves.
Dian Wei knew the technique inside out. During the Battle of Puyang, he had already faced Lü Bu, who initially used this very technique.
After Dian Wei dismantled the move, Lü Bu was forced to reveal his true ultimate skill—the Ghost God Halberd Technique.
If even Lü Bu's One-Handed Eighteen Thrusts couldn't overcome Dian Wei, how could Nan Feihuang?
One of Nan Feihuang's thrusts was effortlessly locked by Dian Wei's left halberd, and no matter how hard Nan Feihuang tried, he couldn't pull it free.
The only option left was to retract his martial spirit and re-summon it, but that would take at least a second.
And in that brief second, Dian Wei's right halberd was already at Nan Feihuang's throat.
"Erlai, you're incredible. I concede," Nan Feihuang admitted freely. He had never expected to defeat Dian Wei at this stage—after all, Dian Wei was a superhuman warrior on par with Lü Bu and the Five Tiger Generals from the Three Kingdoms era.
He was merely using these bouts to refine his halberd technique, and with Dian Wei's guidance, his progress was swift.
"Ahhh!" Lü Lingqi suddenly yelled from the sidelines, leaping onto the arena. She pointed at Dian Wei, then at the ground, signaling that it was her turn to spar with Nan Feihuang.
However, Dian Wei wasn't about to listen to her. Instead, he looked to Nan Feihuang, who gave him a nod, and only then did Dian Wei obediently step off the platform.
Readying himself again, Nan Feihuang turned to face his new opponent—Lü Lingqi.
Although she lacked Dian Wei's extensive battlefield experience, she had been trained in her family's martial arts since childhood. Lü Bu's self-created Ghost God Halberd Technique had also been passed down to her.
Once Nan Feihuang perfected the foundation of his One-Handed Eighteen Thrusts, she would teach him the Ghost God Halberd Technique as well.
Her father had always said that the Lü family's martial arts should never be taught to outsiders—but a son-in-law didn't count as an outsider.
Lü Lingqi was as decisive and straightforward as her father, and like Lü Bu, she lived by the belief that "what I like is mine." Since she had taken a liking to Nan Feihuang, that meant Nan Feihuang was destined to be her future husband.
As the Fang Tian Halberd clashed with the Feilian Halberd, the rhythm of the fight was completely different from the earlier bout. If his match with Dian Wei was a clash of brute strength, then this sparring session with Lü Lingqi was a test of speed.
The halberds in their hands danced, creating a web of afterimages, each attack coming fast and fierce.
Watching from the shadows, Lan Xue couldn't help but feel satisfied. Her son, Nan Feihuang, along with Dian Wei and Lü Lingqi, weren't just talented in cultivation.
The three of them were born warriors. Any technique they learned, they could master in no time. With more time spent honing their skills, reaching the pinnacle of perfection wasn't out of reach.
Then there was Xun Yu. His martial spirit was unique, so he didn't need to develop combat skills. Apart from basic body training, he never participated in any sparring.
Instead, he spent his days reading military tactics, strategies, political theory, and scheming.
His sharp memory and ability to analyze and apply concepts made him a genius the likes of which hadn't been seen in a century.
These four together—once they reached their full potential, it would be almost impossible for the Gulei Kingdom not to rise to greatness.
Beneath the sunlight, Xun Yu closed the military book he was reading and muttered, "Several days have passed. Master Jia should have reached Star Luo by now."
As Xun Yu had predicted, Jia Chong had arrived at Kassna Village earlier that day.
The village was indeed a humble one. Who would have thought that the once-mighty Min Clan, which had once boasted the best intelligence network on the continent under the Clear Sky Clan, had fallen to such a state?
Jia Chong hadn't used any tricks. Instead, he openly presented his calling card and requested an audience with Bai He.
When Bai He received the card, he was momentarily stunned. Ever since the Min Clan had offended the Spirit Hall, most major powers had kept their distance from the Four Single-Attribute Clans. It had been years since anyone had visited them.
As the continent's foremost scout, Bai He was naturally familiar with Jia Chong and the Barbaric Strength Sect. The Barbaric Strength Sect was one of the potential candidates to replace the Lower Four Sects, only slightly weaker than the Hornet Sect. Their sect's martial spirit, the Giant Strength Stag Beetle, was a rare power-type spirit. As for Jia Chong himself, Bai He estimated his spirit power to be around level 83 or 84.
A visit from a Spirit Douluo was no small matter anywhere.
Bai He immediately tidied himself up and went out to greet his guest.
No matter how far the Min Clan had fallen, he couldn't afford to lose face.
"Sect Master Jia, you've come a long way to visit our humble Min Clan. I, Bai He, am truly honored!" Bai He welcomed Jia Chong warmly. "Please, come inside for some tea."
Jia Chong followed Bai He into the hall and got straight to the point. "Apologies for the intrusion, Clan Leader Bai He. I wouldn't have come unless it was for an important matter. I'm here on behalf of my Crown Prince and His Majesty, the King of Gulei."
"Oh? The King and Crown Prince of Gulei? Forgive me, but I can't imagine what assistance our Min Clan could possibly offer to your esteemed nation." Bai He asked, puzzled.
"It's rather difficult to say," Jia Chong admitted awkwardly. He couldn't exactly tell Bai He that his king had ruined his health by overindulging in whale glue—it would be a great disgrace to their kingdom.
"If it's inconvenient, you don't have to explain," Bai He said kindly. As someone well-versed in intelligence work, he knew that certain matters simply couldn't be disclosed. "Please, just tell me how our Min Clan can be of service."
"We've received intelligence that your clan possesses a rare celestial herb called the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng. We've come in good faith, hoping to purchase it. Our nation is offering four million gold soul coins. What do you think?" Jia Chong asked directly.
In truth, Nan Feihuang had given Jia Chong eight million, but Jia Chong wasn't going to offer the full amount right away. It was basic negotiation strategy—start high and bargain down. As the leader of a sect, Bai He would surely understand.
If he offered too much initially, Bai He might try to push for even more.
Bai He gasped. Four million gold soul coins—he had never seen such an amount, not even when the Min Clan was at its peak.
After all, the Clear Sky Clan wasn't as wealthy as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Though they weren't poor, they weren't swimming in gold either.
Currently, there were only a handful of forces capable of offering four million gold soul coins in one go—Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and certain nations.
Clearly, the Gulei Kingdom had come with genuine sincerity.
But Bai He was confused. The fact that he possessed the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was a secret, one even his closest friend Yang Wudi didn't know. How could the Gulei Kingdom possibly have found out?
Could it be that their intelligence network was just as formidable as the Min Clan's?
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