Mythical Three Kingdoms

When Liu Ye noticed something unusual happening in Chang’an, he already sensed there was an issue. However, since Xun Shen had been keeping a close eye on him, he didn’t have much recourse. He had to admit that when it came to pure strategizing, those bastards from the Xun Family were no pushovers!

Moreover, Hua Xiong’s sudden awakening of his Legion Talent completely shifted Liu Ye’s focus away from Chang’an. By the time Liu Yu sent a letter informing Liu Ye about the situation in Chang’an, both Liu Ye and Xun Shen had already received intelligence indicating that a major battle on their side was imminent, and their thoughts had long drifted elsewhere.

”Zijian, can you do this or not? Can you even control the effect properly? Other people’s Legion Talents are smooth and effortless to use, but yours? You can’t even manage the basics, and its effects change every couple of days!” Yu Jin asked Hua Xiong, exasperated. He had already seen three different Talent Effects from Hua Xiong, but the problem was that Hua Xiong’s Legion Talent seemed to work inconsistently.

”Activate it for me!” Hua Xiong bellowed, and instantly a layer of illusory Radiance emerged from the bodies of his thousands of soldiers.

The morale of the entire legion did not rise, but all the soldiers present appeared ghost-like, their forms shimmering and disjointed. Though they stood beside others in physical reality, in the eyes of observers, their images seemed displaced, separate from their bodies.

”Not bad, you’ve made progress. At least you can successfully release your Legion Talent now,” Liu Ye said, patting Hua Xiong’s shoulder and praising him.

Liu Ye thought about it extensively and concluded that he couldn’t let Hua Xiong’s enthusiasm be undermined. At the very least, Hua Xiong needed the confidence to keep practicing rather than being hit so hard that he might lose all hope in activating his Legion Talent altogether.

”...” Hua Xiong squatted on the ground with a bitter expression. What he had aimed to activate wasn’t this Legion Talent. He wanted to activate the talent that could enhance the strength of his entire army, causing all soldiers under his command to gain an explosive increase in power—and the horses would count too.

”What’s wrong? Didn’t you successfully activate your Legion Talent?” Liu Ye asked, puzzled.

”This isn’t the Legion Talent I wanted!” Hua Xiong slammed his head into a massive stone, shattering it into dust, before raising his head with a face full of frustration as he looked at Liu Ye. Heaven knows why his Legion Talent had three different effects.

Liu Ye looked up at the sky, unable to think of any way to comfort Hua Xiong. Such a powerful Legion Talent, and Hua Xiong had three? Yet he was still troubled by it. Look at Yu Jin on the side; he was practically dying of envy.

”Actually, Zijian, this probably isn’t three Legion Talents…” Yu Jin, having observed for several days, finally stepped forward after seeing Hua Xiong banging his head against the stone. He had vague suspicions about something else.

”Hmm?” Both Hua Xiong and Liu Ye turned their heads to look at Yu Jin.

”I suspect,” Yu Jin began, ”that there’s only one thing akin to Zijian’s Legion Talent. As for this current phenomenon, it seems more like a special effect stemming from a particular Military Formation. After all, I’ve heard that top-tier Formations often have unique attached effects.” He turned his head to Hua Xiong and asked, ”Zijian, have you learned any special Military Formations?”

Yu Jin was merely asking out of curiosity, as he didn’t hold high expectations for Hua Xiong mastering top-tier formations. After all, without a teacher for these complex structures—and considering his estimation of Hua Xiong’s intelligence—Yu Jin figured it wasn’t likely Hua Xiong would manage it.

”Well…” Hua Xiong’s gaze wavered, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, ”I have actually learned a special Formation. Now that you mention it, it really does resemble one of its effects.”

Yu Jin was utterly stunned. What kind of monumental luck must one have to encounter someone willing to teach this kind of dullard a top-tier Formation? No wonder Chen Xi said Hua Xiong was extraordinarily fortunate.

”Oh, so you’ve learned a top-tier Formation. What’s it called?” Liu Ye asked curiously. Even he didn’t know such things—not because he was incapable, but because he’d never had the opportunity to learn.

”Xuanxiang Ultimate, Eight Gates Heavenly Lock,” Hua Xiong said with a bitter smile, adding that out of its sixty-four transformations, he had only mastered three. He felt like an embarrassment to his ancestors.

”...” Yu Jin’s face twitched twice, finally understanding what it meant to have sheer luck. This was pure heaven-sent fortune—it couldn’t get any better!

”Wen Ze’s observation made me realize this actually might resemble an illusionary effect associated with a Changing Formation. All observed entities and their actual bodies seem to have a certain phase displacement,” Hua Xiong said while running a considerable distance away. The entire army remained unchanged, indicating that his suspicion was likely correct. ”It seems it truly is…”

Hua Xiong slammed his head against another stone. He no longer knew how to face his comrades. He couldn’t even distinguish whether this was truly his Legion Talent, yet he continued training. It was embarrassment at its peak.

”Ahem, ahem, let’s set that aside for now. Zijian, I suspect that the effect enhancing all-around strength, resistance to death, and amplifying force across your troops might not be a Legion Talent either,” Yu Jin said, twitching his mouth slightly, ”I’ve watched closely for some time, and based on what I’ve seen from the Vanguard Camp and Vanguard Death Squad, such an ability might actually be… Military Spirit!”

Hua Xiong was dumbfounded. Liu Ye was dumbfounded too. This seemed entirely impossible!

”The difference between Military Spirit and other abilities, from what I understand at this point, lies largely in the realm of willpower. That is to say, in addition to its unique singular or multi-faceted effects, Military Spirit adds a condensation of willpower to its utmost extent, enabling resistance to death,” Yu Jin explained with a conflicted expression.

Suddenly, Hua Xiong recalled situations where his soldiers had sustained fatal injuries yet continued to fight on the battlefield. It did seem somewhat similar to the Vanguard Death Squad and Vanguard Camp’s ability to resist death through sheer willpower, though his troops’ ability wasn’t as potent in terms of Undying Nature.

”Military Spirit…” Hua Xiong initially felt surprised but quickly found himself less astonished. Instead, he felt it made sense.

These soldiers had endured hardships alongside Hua Xiong, and in times of peril, they had fought to the death with him. Moreover, the soldiers who had gradually perished out of fear and admiration for their commander had left behind only those who genuinely revered him—those who had truly fought alongside him. Each of these soldiers embodied his will; the possibility of Military Spirit could not be entirely ruled out.

”You don’t seem that surprised?” Liu Ye asked curiously.

”Because once Wen Ze suggested it, I realized this was indeed very plausible and quite reasonable. My troops sincerely admire me, and together we’ve endured battles, including successfully withdrawing after confronting the Vanguard Death Squad. They are worthy of it!” Hua Xiong said quietly, exuding an ambiguous blend of confidence and inevitability.

”You should say that you are worthy of it,” Liu Ye said, patting Hua Xiong’s shoulder with a smile. ”So that means your true Legion Talent is probably just the one that I couldn’t make sense of. Keep at it, Zijian—I have high hopes for you!”

”Thud!” Hua Xiong knelt and slammed his head into the ground, shattering yet another massive stone. ”Move aside. I need to train my Legion Talent!”

”Sigh, what a tragedy,” Liu Ye smacked his lips twice before walking away. Meanwhile, Yu Jin continued drilling his troops. With 120,000 Qingzhou Army soldiers under his command, Yu Jin’s collective Military Formation effect was his greatest source of pride. A mere Legion Talent with its limited area of effect was nothing compared to the fervor of his 120,000-strong army. This was Yu Jin’s brilliance! (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)