Firmament Sword

Lin Chi stood to the side, watching with cold eyes. He sneered internally: ’Instructor Zhou is a master at training new recruits, but when it comes to managing people, he’s a complete fool! Putting people like Wei Ziting and Xu Luo together... it would be a miracle if nothing went wrong! Perfect. Let them tear each other apart. I’ll just sit back and watch the show!’

Sun Donghai walked over, looked at Xu Luo with an envious expression, and said, ”Instructor Zhou picked you all out separately. He must have an important mission for you. I’m so envious! Military honors are right there for the taking!”

Xu Luo smiled and said, ”Brother Sun, your burden is even heavier. The safety of so many classmates rests on your shoulders. As a captain, you have a great responsibility. If you do well, your future prospects will be limitless!”

Sun Donghai chuckled. ”I wish I could trade places with you. But I believe we brothers will have a chance to fight side-by-side soon! Still... Xu Luo, take care of yourself!” As he spoke, Sun Donghai glanced over at Wei Ziting.

Xu Luo nodded without saying more, bidding farewell one by one to the many classmates who came over.

Even if young men had schemes, they were rarely very deep. They were more often filled with passionate zeal.

During these past days, Xu Luo had led by example, guiding this group in their training, and had truly won their respect and trust.

By now, all the various rumors about Xu Luo had long since vanished into thin air.

Huangfu Chongzhi and the others did the same, saying their goodbyes to their fellow students.

An incense stick’s time later, the two teams went their separate ways.

Although Xu Luo was curious about what mission he was being sent on, like everyone else, he didn’t ask out loud.

Following Instructor Zhou, they used True Essence to power their steps, speeding five hundred li deep into the mountains before finally stopping in a mountain hollow.

Instructor Zhou looked at the youthful faces before him and said in a heavy voice, ”Just a few days ago, eight hundred and seventy li ahead of our position, a border village of more than three thousand people was completely slaughtered overnight! Of all the men, women, and children in the village, not a single one was left alive.”

”What? Is that true?”

”Damn it!”

”How could this happen?”

”Who did this?”

”A massacre... They’re worse than beasts!”

Upon hearing this, the group erupted. Even Wei Ziting’s face was flushed with anger.

”Quiet.” Instructor Zhou waved his hand and said softly, ”I know you are all furious, but remember, you are soldiers first and foremost! Save that anger for when you meet the enemy. Getting angry now is pointless.”

Watching the group gradually quiet down, their eyes still burning with furious flames, Instructor Zhou said quietly, ”After extensive investigation by our people, we finally uncovered a clue. The prime suspect is the Grand General of the neighboring Cao Kingdom... Prince Cao Tianyi!”

”The Cao Kingdom? That tiny little country? The same Cao Kingdom whose Sovereign came to pay tribute and kowtowed to our Emperor in the past?” Little Fatty Liu Feng said through gritted teeth. ”They have some goddamn nerve!”

Instructor Zhou frowned slightly but didn’t reprimand Little Fatty Liu Feng. He knew very well that these young men needed to vent a little of their anger, or they would truly burst.

”The Cao Kingdom may be small, but this Cao Tianyi is a formidable character. He’s cold, brutal, and incredibly cunning! Most importantly, he is an expert at blitzkrieg warfare. He comes and goes without a trace. He’s been plaguing our borders for years; this isn’t the first time,” Xu Luo said from the side.

”Oh?” Instructor Zhou gave Xu Luo a surprised look. ”You actually know about this person?”

Xu Luo said softly, ”Before coming here, I made a point to learn about the various countries on the Southern border and their military generals.”

Huangfu Chongzhi, Xu Jie, and the others looked at Xu Luo with some surprise. They never expected him to do that kind of homework. In their eyes, their third brother seemed to have grown up immensely, almost without them noticing.

Lin Chi was also a bit surprised, but he immediately sneered in his heart: ’Who knows if your father specially compiled all that for you since you were heading to the Southern front? You? A piece of trash just six months ago? You’d pay attention to this kind of thing?’

Wei Ziting, Li Tie, and the others had much the same thought. They simply didn’t believe Xu Luo could have such foresight.

Instructor Zhou nodded. ”Very good. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. This time, I’ve called you out separately because I want you to change back into your student clothes, pose as a training expedition, split into two groups, and take two different routes... into the Cao Kingdom. Then, you will find where Cao Tianyi’s army is garrisoned!”

Instructor Zhou paused, then continued, ”This kind of task should be handled by the army’s Reconnoitres, but the fighting on the Great Yan Empire front has become intense recently, and almost all our elite forces have been transferred there. There’s another thing... Reconnoitres carry too strong of a military aura. No matter how they try to disguise it, their kind can easily spot them. Only you, despite having trained for a while, still look more like students!”

Instructor Zhou took out two maps, looked at Xu Luo and Wei Ziting, and said in a stern tone, ”I know you two have some conflicts, but I want you to remember: at the academy, you can compete, even struggle against each other; but here, you are brothers-in-arms, comrades! If I find out you’re undermining each other behind my back... don’t blame me for being severe!”

Wei Ziting smiled gently. ”Instructor, what are you saying? Xu Luo and I have only ever had some misunderstandings, no real conflict. So please rest assured, Instructor. When the time comes, Xu Luo and I will definitely cooperate in earnest!”

Xu Luo just smiled and said nothing.

Little Fatty rolled his eyes and turned his head away, snorting inwardly: ’Hypocrite!’

Instructor Zhou nodded, then spread open a map and pointed to several highlighted locations on it. ”These are the most likely places where Cao Tianyi could be hiding. Whichever one of you finds the enemy first, you are not to alert them. You absolutely must not rely on your own martial strength...”

Instructor Zhou said gravely, ”With your meager level of power, you wouldn’t even be able to make a ripple against an army of thousands!”

”Therefore, your only mission is to ascertain the enemy army’s true situation without being discovered, and then... rendezvous with me at this location!” As he spoke, Instructor Zhou gave one map each to Xu Luo and Wei Ziting, and at the same time, assigned the members for the two squads.

Instructor Zhou, who seemed oblivious to the grudges between them, was surprisingly precise when dividing the teams. Anyone who was close to Wei Ziting was assigned to his group, including Lin Chi.

Lin Chi was somewhat dissatisfied. He hated Xu Luo, but that didn’t mean he liked Wei Ziting! He just knew that ’the Instructor isn’t going to put me in a squad by myself. As conceited as I am, I know I’m not on the level of those elite military Reconnoitres.’

”Alright, I’ve explained everything clearly. If there’s anything you still don’t understand, ask now. If not, then move out immediately!” Instructor Zhou was decisive and efficient. It was clear this matter was too important to be delayed any longer.

...

”Third Brother, I can’t shake this feeling of unease. This mission is too sudden. Do you think it’ll be dangerous?” Little Fatty Liu Feng sidled up to Xu Luo and asked in a low voice.

Xu Luo’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He shook his head and said, ”We’re just going to gather intelligence. Besides, when is going to the front lines ever not dangerous?”

Liu Feng said softly, ”I hope so. Anyway, I just have a bad feeling about this.”

”That’s just because you’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s fine, you’ll get used to it,” Xu Jie said from the side, patting Liu Feng’s shoulder with a smile.

The students assigned to Xu Luo’s squad this time, besides his brothers Huangfu Chongzhi and Xu Jie, included seven other people.

The strongest among these seven was a Tier Two Sword Master named Li Hong. His nickname was Mu Zi. He was tall, handsome, and had the cheerful disposition of a sunny youth.

Li Hong’s family was from the Central Plains of the Cangqiong Kingdom and was a well-known and respected clan in the region. Li Hong’s father was the current Patriarch, and he had two older brothers.

Gifted from a young age, Li Hong was obsessed with the Martial Dao and had no interest in family affairs. After coming to True Martial Academy, he had always been cheerful. Although he had his own private dormitory, he was able to get along with all of his classmates.

The other six students from True Martial Academy were all at the level of a Tier One Sword Master.

After assigning the tasks, Instructor Zhou led his people away and left directly.

Wei Ziting’s group was slightly larger. After Instructor Zhou left, Wei Ziting looked up, gave Xu Luo a smirk, and said, ”We’ll be on our way, then. Farewell!”

”Pah! What’s he so smug about? In a rush to get reincarnated?” Little Fatty Liu Feng, who couldn’t stand the sight of Wei Ziting, muttered with a cold laugh as he watched Wei Ziting’s departing figure.

”Alright, let’s set off too.” Xu Luo glanced at Wei Ziting’s proudly departing back but didn’t say anything more.

As they walked, Xu Luo said to Li Hong and the others, ”Time is tight, so let’s not waste it on pleasantries. We’ll introduce ourselves, starting with me.”

With that, Xu Luo first introduced Huangfu Chongzhi. ”This is Huangfu Chongzhi, this is Xu Jie... Liu Feng, Sui Yan, and I’m Xu Luo.”

Huangfu Chongzhi smiled and said, ”Everyone can call me Pharmacist.”

”My friends call me Blacksmith,” said Xu Jie.

”Sui Yan. You can call me Mechanical Master.”

”...” Liu Feng’s mouth twitched speechlessly. He said, ”Just call me Fatty...”

Several of the people present knew of his famous moniker ”Flower Fool,” and couldn’t help but laugh when they heard this.

Next, Li Hong was the first to speak. ”My name is Li Hong, but you all can call me Mu Zi. It is my honor to join Captain Xu Luo’s team today. I hope we can cooperate in earnest from now on!”

”Xiahou Xian, Tier One Sword Master.” A tall, handsome youth who spoke very little introduced himself concisely.

”Hello everyone, my name is Liang Ziyi. My family are merchants. To be honest with you all, merchants have no status, so I came to True Martial Academy to strive for a better standing and change my family’s position. It’s my honor to be able to join this team. I hope we can all become brothers in the future!”

Liang Ziyi was tall and sturdy, with a hearty smile on his slightly dark face, making him look more like a young man in his twenties.

”My name is Xu Lingtian, a Tier One Sword Master. I hope to get along well with everyone.” The youth who spoke had delicate features, a somewhat childish voice, and seemed very shy and timid.

”My name is Liu San, also a Tier One Sword Master. I look forward to your guidance in the future!” a very thin youth said faintly, his expression holding a hint of cold arrogance.

”Hi everyone, my name is Ling Luoxi! I’m a powerful Tier One Sword Master, hehe. I hope we can all become good friends!” a mischievous-looking youth said with a grin.

”Xiaotian, Tier One Sword Master.” The last youth to introduce himself was also a man of few words. His face was very serious, giving off a ”keep your distance” vibe.

”Alright, now that we all know each other, from this moment on, we are a single unit,” Xu Luo said softly. ”The mission ahead may seem simple, but it won’t be easy. I don’t have many requirements, just a few points...”