Firmament Sword

Of the fifty thousand soldiers in the Yan Army, more than thirty thousand were lost in this battle!

The remaining twenty thousand or so Yan Army soldiers were mostly wounded. It was estimated that fewer than eight thousand were still combat-ready!

Of the fifty thousand Cangqiong Army soldiers, over fifteen thousand were lost. These fifty thousand were all soldiers personally trained by Instructor Zhou.

They were the elite of the elite!

The twenty thousand soldiers of the Cao Army suffered over three thousand casualties, the smallest loss of the allied forces. Still, the number made Cao Tianyi’s heart ache.

His twenty thousand men were also well-trained elite soldiers!

Though the alliance between the Cangqiong Kingdom and the Cao Kingdom had achieved a great victory, the price paid was still lamentable.

But no matter how you looked at it, this was a great victory!

A morale-boosting, resounding victory!

The morale of the allied soldiers soared, and their confidence multiplied.

The members of the Martial Soul Squad, having endured this trial of life and death, had also grown immensely.

Although Eldest Prince Huangfu Chongzhi had returned to his gentle and refined demeanor after the battle, his eyes now held a heroic air they had lacked before.

The once-timid Xu Lingtian seemed like a completely different person. Although he was still shy and reserved when speaking, he could now talk about killing with casual ease.

Little Fatty Liu Feng was chattering on and on, boasting about how heroic he was and how many enemies he had killed.

Liang Ziyi was arguing with him, claiming he had killed more...

Xiahou Xian, Liu San, and Xiaotian, a few of the originally arrogant and aloof members of the Martial Soul Squad, had truly integrated into the group after this battle.

The killing intent emanating from Sui Yan had grown even stronger.

Xu Jie finally understood what it meant to be a true descendant of a Military Family!

Li Hong had also become more composed. In this battle, he and Huangfu Chongzhi had acted as the rear guard, providing support from the center, which was why the Martial Soul Squad had suffered no losses.

Although everyone had sustained some injuries, to these young men, the wounds were a symbol of manhood!

They were badges of heroism!

As for Xu Luo, who had arrived a little later, his frenzied performance and formidable combat strength had not only won him the respect of the entire Martial Soul Squad but had also established his formidable reputation throughout the Cangqiong and Cao armies!

”That guy is a veritable God of Slaughter! I don’t know where the hell he came from, but damn it, you should have seen him!” a veteran soldier from the Cangqiong Kingdom boasted to a group of men, spittle flying. ”I wasn’t far from him at the time. With one swing of his sword, he lopped off some Yan the Traitor’s dog head, and with his left fist, he shattered another’s sternum. He was completely invincible, unstoppable!”

”That’s nothing! Didn’t you see that Great Sword Master general from the Yan Army? He had a True Essence Aura protecting his body—he had to be a Great Sword Master! Our little hero here charged forward and shattered his True Essence Protection with a single stab, killing him instantly! I saw it with my own eyes! That Great Sword Master general from Yan the Traitor died with his eyes wide open!”

”I was right behind the little hero, hoping to pick off a few half-dead enemies. But damn it, not a single one survived a punch from him! And under his sword... tsk, their heads were completely severed. It didn’t feel right for me to go steal those kills!”

”You guys don’t know who he is?” At that moment, someone said smugly, ”His old man is incredible—he’s the Grand General of National Guardian, Xu Ji!”

”Heavens, no wonder! So he’s a true heir of a Military Family!”

”Heh, more than half a year ago, he even had a nickname: ’Medicine Jar’... Right, His Majesty the Emperor also said he was going to steal the Civil Servants’ Rice Bowl, so a lot of people called him that, too!”

”Bullshit! Are the people who said that blind? A fierce young general like him is a ’Medicine Jar’? Then what does that make us? Invalids?”

”Hahaha, you know, he actually did have ’Invalid’ as a nickname...”

”...”

Listening to the discussions outside, Li Hong sidled up to Xu Luo, plopped down on the ground, and grinned. ”Boss, you’re famous now!”

Ling Luoxi, Liang Ziyi, and the others gathered around. Liang Ziyi laughed heartily and said, ”Boss, you really are the fiercest one in the Martial Soul Squad. From now on, I, Liang Ziyi, will follow you as our leader!”

Xu Luo gave a wry smile and waved his hand. The death of that Yan Kingdom general had nothing to do with him, but everyone was crediting him with the achievement. Miaomiao’s identity couldn’t be exposed, so he had no choice but to awkwardly accept the merit that wasn’t his.

Fortunately, Master Mao was being magnanimous this time and wasn’t chattering in his ear.

”We’re all comrades, brothers who have faced life and death together. We shouldn’t talk about who’s the boss...” Xu Luo was halfway through his sentence.

When Li Hong cut in, ”Boss, just hear me out.”

Just then, Huangfu Chongzhi and the others also came over, and the entire Martial Soul Squad gathered together.

Li Hong glanced at Huangfu Chongzhi and Xu Jie, then said, ”A team needs a core. This core doesn’t necessarily have to be the best fighter, but they must be skilled in both literary and martial arts and be able to command respect. In this battle, Boss, your contribution was the greatest. I believe no one would dare say otherwise!”

The others all nodded in agreement.

Xu Luo shook his head. ”You all put in more effort than I did. In comparison, I was with the Cao Army the whole time. It was far less arduous and dangerous than what you faced.”

”You can’t put it that way. If you hadn’t come up with that insane idea, Boss, I’m sure none of us brothers would have dared to do it.”

Li Hong said with a sincere expression, ”To be honest, at first, I didn’t really think much of you, Boss. We’re all students from the True Martial Academy, and you enrolled later than all of us. We’ve all read the books on military strategy and the classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought. But why were you the only one who could come up with an idea like that? Allying with General Cao... That’s definitely not something just anyone could have thought of.”

”Indeed. To be able to analyze the political situation in the Cao Kingdom from just a few clues, and then use the limited resources at your disposal to persuade General Cao to cooperate with us... Xu Luo, you handled that beautifully!” said Huangfu Chongzhi. ”Even now, I still find it hard to believe that we actually succeeded!”

”Yeah, in that regard, you’ve truly inherited Uncle Xu’s talent and taken it to a new level!” Xu Jie said with a smile from the side. ”I doubt even Uncle Xu was this outstanding when he was your age.”

”Mhm. We’re completely convinced. You should be the boss,” Xiaotian said coolly.

The others all nodded in agreement.

Li Hong continued, ”And for the second reason: not only are you highly intelligent and skilled at using all kinds of resources, but your martial strength is also immense. This is what I find most inscrutable about you, Boss. You haven’t even reached the Great Sword Master Realm, so how on earth did you kill an enemy general at that level with a single stab?”

Hearing this, Xu Luo could only give a wry smile. He took out Lan and pressed a button on its hilt. Instantly, the tent was flooded with a brilliant blue light!

HISS!

”What kind of sword is that?”

”Damn, that’s a treasured sword!”

”Could it be... Water Blue Refined Gold...” Li Hong grimaced, staring intently at the sword in Xu Luo’s hand. He said with difficulty, ”Boss, you’d better put that away. I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from trying to snatch it.”

”And we wouldn’t even be able to snatch it... sniffle,” Ling Luoxi added with a pained expression.

”No wonder. With such a sharp weapon, combined with your incredible footwork, Boss, it’s like giving a tiger wings. Slaying a Great Sword Master isn’t so surprising after all,” Li Hong said.

”Third, although Brother Huangfu and Brother Xu Jie are older, Brother Huangfu’s status... means he can’t be the core of our Martial Soul Squad. You don’t blame me for saying that, do you, Brother Huangfu?” Li Hong said, looking at Huangfu Chongzhi.

Huangfu Chongzhi nodded with a wry smile. ”My position is indeed awkward, but I can’t escape my identity as a Prince. If a Prince were to become the core of our team, I’m sure many people would want me dead.”

Before Li Hong could speak, Xu Jie shook his head and said, ”I know I don’t have that kind of ability. I love forging iron and sharpening swords, but making me the core of a team? That’s definitely not going to work!”

Li Hong smiled and pointed at Liang Ziyi. ”Ziyi is hot-headed, daring to fight and risk it all...”

”Yep, yep! I’m suited for charging into the fray. I hate all that management stuff!” Liang Ziyi chuckled. ”I’m really looking forward to the next battle! The feeling of cutting down enemies is so satisfying!”

Everyone rolled their eyes in unison. He was probably the only one in the entire Martial Soul Squad so eager to go to war.

”Xiahou, Liu San, Xiaotian, and Sui Yan are all a bit cold and don’t talk much, so they aren’t suited to be the core either,” Li Hong continued his analysis.

Xiahou and the others didn’t get angry. They all smiled and nodded, knowing Li Hong’s assessment was already quite polite. In fact, in many people’s eyes, Liu San and Xiaotian especially weren’t just cold—they were downright arrogant!

”Xu Lingtian’s performance was great this time. Congratulations, you finally dare to kill people now.” Li Hong couldn’t help but tease the still-bashful Xu Lingtian.

”But it doesn’t feel good to kill someone. I’ve been having nightmares these past two days...” Xu Lingtian said weakly.

”You’ll get used to it after you kill a few more,” Ling Luoxi said with a grin from the side.

”Ling Luoxi, you’re the most cunning of the lot. But on the battlefield, you didn’t disgrace the title of Martial Soul Squad member. You were the first to jump in to save a brother. Well done!” Li Hong said.

Ling Luoxi scratched his head and grinned. ”I only use my cunning on enemies, okay? Besides, what’s this about cunning? It’s wisdom! Wisdom, got it?”

”Alright, fine, you’re very wise,” Li Hong said with a smile. Then he pointed to himself. ”As for me...”

Everyone’s gaze fell on Li Hong, eager to hear how this guy, who was so good at analyzing others, would evaluate himself.

Li Hong grinned. ”At first, I thought that if I had the Boss’s background, I might have... fought for this core position! But now I understand that even with the same background, I still couldn’t compete with the Boss! So, I can only serve as the team’s strategist, helping the Boss handle all sorts of matters. In the future, when the Boss rises to prominence, he’ll naturally bring his brother along with him.”

As he spoke, Li Hong stared intently at Xu Luo. ”Boss, when that day comes, you won’t abandon your brothers, will you?”

With Li Hong having put it like that, Xu Luo could only agree.

Even Xu Luo himself didn’t know where Li Hong’s confidence in him came from. It was even greater than his own confidence in himself.

Many years later, during a drunken night, Li Hong answered this very question from Xu Luo with a sentence that nearly made Xu Luo die of anger. He called his brothers over to give Li Hong a sound beating.

”Boss, you knocked the damn Big Dipper out of the sky! If you’re not the boss, who dares to be?”

Finally, after being beaten to a pulp, Li Hong told the truth. ”My Li Family ancestors passed down a very powerful Divination Skill...”