Star Martial Era: The Way of Star Light Cultivation

42: Chapter 38: Promotion to Squad Leader (Please Follow)

42: Chapter 38: Promotion to Squad Leader (Please Follow)

“Split into two groups, those willing to fight in the first batch can step forward,” the Star Patrol Guard flag master Luo Kexing bellowed, and while he did so, he didn’t forget to throw a meaningful glance at his nephew Luo Geng.

In theory, the second batch of fighters would have an advantage after watching the first bout.

But when it comes to combat, courage is of the utmost importance.

Especially since Governor Tian Zhang was observing and assessing everyone.

You should know, a squad leader from the Star Patrol Guard could easily become the team leader of a county guard, but a county guard team leader sent to the Star Patrol Guard wouldn’t be able to serve as a squad leader.

(In the military system of Dachen, ten men form a squad with a squad leader, five squads make up a team with a team leader, five teams form a flag with a flag master, five flags compose a division with a Governor, and five divisions form a guard with a Guard General.)

As soon as Luo Kexing finished speaking, Xu Jin was the first to stride out, followed closely by Luo Geng.

Then, three or four others stepped out of line, Luo Geng, Lu Xianbing likewise stepped forward, Qiao Ruonan, Qian Xiaohu immediately following Xu Jin, stepping out.

Gradually, more than twenty people came forward, but it still didn’t reach half the quota.

Clearly, many rational thinkers preferred to first observe one battle.

Luo Kexing looked towards Governor Tian Zhang with an inquiring look, wondering if they should wait.

“Allocate the fighters by ratio,” Tian Zhang said.

“You, you, you, you…” Luo Kexing kicked and pushed, dividing the twenty-four death row prisoners into two groups, eleven in one and thirteen in the other.

“Everyone must fight within the confines of the Martial Arts Hall.

Any death row prisoners who leave are to be executed immediately, and any participating disciples who leave will be dealt with as deserters!”

Soon, Luo Kexing had organized the first batch for combat and clearly laid out the rules.

At this moment, the eleven death row prisoners huddled together, eying the twenty-eight young fighters with wolf-like gazes.

Killing one would mean a death sentence commuted to exile.

Killing at least one was their primary goal, and many were choosing their targets, picking weaker ones as their first.

The female Qiao Ruonan became the target of many.

Even some death row prisoners had already formed short-lived alliances.

But the reliability of such cooperation was unknown.

“Ready!”

“Fight!”

As the command was issued, the eleven death row prisoners stared at the twenty-eight youths like wolves, slowly advancing.

Xu Jin stood somewhat lax, while the other youths, except for Luo Geng and Lu Xianbing, were all extremely tense; some had even started to sweat and pant.

Twenty meters.

Ten meters.

Eight meters.

“Kill!”

Suddenly, the eleven death row prisoners roared in unison, swinging their long knives and rushing forward at a swift pace.

In an instant, Qiao Ruonan, who was just a meter away from Xu Jin, panicked.

She had the feeling that at least two were charging at her.

Many of the disciples were also panicking, constantly looking around, some even yielding, thinking about letting others face the deadly blades of the prisoners first.

The next moment, Xu Jin, Lu Xianbing, and Luo Geng also burst from the formation, charging at the death row prisoners.

In that instant of rushing forward, Xu Jin drew Star Power directly into his waist and arms, slashing towards the fastest and fiercest death row prisoner, Li Qi, with his knife.

The blade moved fast as lightning.

Li Qi instinctively raised his knife to block, but the overwhelming force sent his knife flying from his grip, and Xu Jin’s blade sliced into his shoulder.

Another prisoner, seeing Xu Jin distracted by Li Qi, swung his knife towards him, aiming to take the opportunity to kill Xu Jin.

Xu Jin, however, was not at all panicked.

He kicked the knife-wielding Li Qi away and, with a whirlwind turn, wildly slashed three times; the third cut opened the prisoner’s abdomen, killing him on the spot.

Blood sprayed, extremely gory.

This was the second person Xu Jin had killed.

But this time, Xu Jin felt not the slightest bit of fear or nervousness.

The smell of blood stimulated his nostrils, creating an inexplicable thrill, tingling his fingertips like an electric shock.

“Kill!”

Like a release, Xu Jin roared like a tiger and, with his blood-dripping long knife, charged at another death row prisoner.

It turned out that death row prisoners were also afraid of death.

The third death row prisoner, seeing the blood-covered ferocious Xu Jin charging at him, actually turned and fled in fear.

The prisoners had only had a full meal today, but how could their speed compare with Xu Jin, who was at the Second Layer of the Dining Dawn?

Within three steps, Xu Jin plunged his knife into the prisoner’s back, and the prisoner’s screams were incredibly shrill.

Pulling out the blade, turning around, Xu Jin wanted to go back and kill more prisoners, but a figure flashed past, blocking him.

Without thinking, Xu Jin channeled Star Power and slashed.

“It’s me!”

Niu Gui, who had just blocked Xu Jin’s blow, grunted and stepped back three paces.

Xu Jin looked puzzled, not understanding why Niu Gui would stop him.

“You’re letting them taste blood.

If you kill them all, how will the others practice?” Niu Gui said helplessly.

“Uh…”

Xu Jin sheathed his knife and realized he had gotten a little carried away.

At that moment, Xu Jin noticed the scene was more chaotic than he imagined.

Lu Xianbing stood with his spear, panting heavily.

Luo Geng, who had just killed a prisoner, was pale, looking like he was on the verge of vomiting.

Qian Xiaohu was hunched over and throwing up.

Since Xu Jin had seriously injured Li Qi and then chased other prisoners, Qian Xiaohu, with the intention of protecting Xu Jin, seized the opportunity to step forward.

It took him several slashes to finally kill Li Qi, covered in blood from head to toe, which made him vomit on the spot.

There were also quite a few disciples who, without seeing blood but witnessing the scene of viscera spilling, blood spurting, and screams filling the air, were already in the midst of vomiting.

Several couldn’t even move their legs.

The battle ended in a very short time.

As Luo Kexing had said, with cultivation levels and armor on, as long as one had a bit of courage, these death row prisoners were nothing at all.

But there were still casualties.

Two minor injuries, one with a cut on the arm, and another with a gash on the butt.

Eight of the death row prisoners were executed on the spot, and three others were seriously injured but immobilized, wailing there.

“Go, those who haven’t bled yet, each person needs to chop once, breaking legs, breaking arms, disemboweling or decapitating counts as a pass.

Those who can’t complete this will be expelled from the Taoist Institute.”

Tian Zhang’s order once again caused many disciples who hadn’t bled but had thrown up to wail.

Disciples who couldn’t even stand the sight of blood were no cultivators at all.

What followed was an extremely brutal scene.

Those who were quick severed limbs, while those who were slower could only behead.

But when cutting halfway through the neck, the fierce convulsions of the death row prisoners just before dying made blood spurt everywhere, and some people wet their pants right there.

This made many disciples who had not yet stepped forward feel uneasy.

It also made the death row prisoners even more terrified and more desperate!

Their only chance of survival was to kill a Taoist Institute disciple.

Very soon, the second round began.

Forty-five against thirteen.

Yue Daqi, Ren Xiaoxiang, Zhou Du, and Yu Guan were among the first to step forward.

In theory, the strongest disciples were all in the second batch, but the performance of the second batch of disciples fell far short of the first batch.

Among the first batch of disciples, Xu Jin showed extraordinary valor; Lu Xianbing and Luo Geng charged ahead, inspiring the courage in the majority of disciples.

However, in the second batch of disciples, after Yu Guan, Yue Daqi, and Ren Xiaoxiang each killed a death row prisoner, they all showed severe stress reactions.

Zhou Du, who could have beheaded one, dodged blood sprayed by a death row prisoner and was pounced on; the desperate prisoner bit his thigh, scaring him so much that he dropped his weapon, nearly crushing his own testicles in fear.

In the end, it cost them one seriously wounded and five minor injuries to kill thirteen death row prisoners.

The scene was chaotic at one point.

“Those who haven’t bled, finish the job!” Tian Zhang once again issued the order with utmost cruelty.

Xu Jin understood that Tian Zhang was actually trying to save their lives.

It was only because they had all successfully performed Star Pointing and were considered cultivators that Tian Zhang was willing to use time, livestock, and the blood of death row prisoners to help them transition from new soldiers to veteran ones.

But in a regular army, the transition from new to old soldiers was a process of elimination, a process paid for with lives.

“Xu Jin, Lu Xianbing, Luo Geng, Yue Daqi, Ren Xiaoxiang, and Yu Guan, the six of you performed exceptionally well and are promoted to squad leaders of the Star Patrol Guard, and from now on, you’ll receive a salary of ten taels of silver per month.

Song Ye, Zhou Du, Qiao Ruonan, Fang Zixing, Qian Xiaohu, Sha Youtian, and another fifteen people are promoted from reserve members of the Star Patrol Guard to active duty members, and from now on, you can receive a salary of five taels of silver per month.”

Governor Tian Zhang announced the promotion orders on the spot, making Xu Jin overjoyed; this meant he was officially enlisted, and from now on, he would earn an extra ten taels per month.

Beautiful!

The reward of twenty taels of silver for killing two death row prisoners was also given to Xu Jin on the spot.

Beautiful!

Everyone who actively killed a death row prisoner received a promotion.

A promise fulfilled; this was a good Governor.

“Receive your pills, dismiss, and continue tomorrow.”

******

Perhaps as a reward, or maybe because there was excess from yesterday’s slaughtered pigs and sheep, during dinner, the canteen added a feast for all disciples, with various meats, including blood sausage.

But only a few could eat, and a portion ended up throwing up again at the sight of it.

Only Xu Jin was there enjoying his meal, greasily chomping, and many disciples looked at him like he was a monster.

Liu Ji, who previously harbored some hostility towards Xu Jin, now dared not make eye contact with him.

His legs had turned to jelly when he stabbed a death row prisoner, and blood sprayed out.

But what was this fierce man Xu Jin doing?

He killed three in a row and seemed still unsatisfied.

“Better eat up well!”

Xu Jin didn’t say much else.

As he left, he patted the shoulders of Qian Xiaohu, Qiao Ruonan, and others who couldn’t eat, issuing a meaningful statement.

It was coming soon.

Xu Jin had a premonition that the mission for them, recruits rushed to the frontlines, was about to arrive.

At night, Xu Jin continued his cultivation.

After three cycles of the Drinking Radiance Style, he drew a strand of starlight from the Candou Platform into his body and practiced the Five Battles Killing Fist eighteen times in a row, depleting all the Star Power in his body.

Then, Xu Jin took a normal Star Refilling Pill.

Upon entering his stomach, the pill immediately turned into a surging heat flow which, under the guidance of his intentions, rushed into his Small Star Gathering Pattern and then he started practicing Five Battles Killing Fist again.

Three minutes later, the test results were out.

A normal Star Refilling Pill’s replenished Star Power allowed Xu Jin to perform the Five Battles Killing Fist five times before being completely exhausted.

A single Star Refilling Pill could activate ten basic Star Skills or practice the Five Battles Killing Fist five times.

Equivalent to half a strand of starlight from the battlefield Candou Platform for Xu Jin.

At twenty taels of silver per pill, it was worth it.

The next instant, Xu Jin pulled out the Star Refilling Pill that had been nourished on the Candou Platform and was now encircled by a Halo of Starlight.

How much more effective could this one Halo Star Refilling Pill, cultivated to have a single layer of Star Halo, be compared to a regular Star Refilling Pill?

The next instant, Xu Jin swallowed the One Halo Star Refilling Pill.