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Chapter 407: WanShou Wolf Cavalry! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

The rope drifted and swung in the sky wildly. It was a very tough and flexible and strong rope, as it was crafted from titanium fibres and a mix of other metal strands. Even if a Heavenly Jewel Master wanted to cut it, it would take quite some effort.

Zhou Weiqing had just been extorted by his few masters, as such, as the one highest up and closest to Shangguan Fei'er, he couldn't help but 'accidentally' shake the rope once in awhile. Of course, there was no real danger, but for the Heavenly Unit Bow members who were flying for the first time, it was definitely no small excitement.

When they finally landed, Mu En jumped up, his face pale and ashen, and he gave Zhou Weiqing a thwap as he exclaimed: "Little brat, are you trying to kill your teachers?"

Zhou Weiqing looked at him innocently and said: "Teacher, you can't blame me for that! I'm also afraid of flying! It is not on purpose."

The only one who seemed excited was Shui Cao, who exclaimed: "Litlte Wei, flying is just too fun and exhilarating. Aren't you a Consolidating Equipment Master? Can you make a Wings Consolidating Equipment for me too? Your big sis still has an unused Physical Jewel."

Hearing her words, Zhou Weiqing suddenly stopped, his heart skipping a beat. Indeed! He was a Consolidating Equipment Master, and it would not be too difficult to create a Consolidating Equipment of wings which could fly. Although those would not have any actual fighting power, but if used well, not only could they be used to save lives, but also to move incredibly quickly.

"Consolidating Equipment Wings would require two Physical Jewels. As long as you have the space, the scroll is not a problem. That said… teachers, what do you think if I were to give every one of the Physical Jewel Masters in the Peerless Battalion a pair of Consolidated Wings, and form an airborne archery unit. What do you think?"

Hua Feng furrowed his brow and said: "How many Consolidating Equipment Scrolls would that take?"

Yi Shi thought for a moment and said: "Little Wei, that is not a bad idea. If it really works, then you would have an unbelievably strong army, one unparalleled, almost unbeatable even. As long as they can have a good aim at a five hundred yard distance, even if they meet Heavenly Jewel Masters of higher cultivation, they will not be afraid."

Shangguan Fei'er looked strangely at Zhou Weiqing and said: "Little Fatty, such a troop, we actually have something similar in our ZhongTian Empire Army."

"Ohh?" Zhou Weiqing quickly asked "Tell me more details?" He was not at all surprised that the ZhongTian Empire had such a troop, after all it had the Heavenly Jewel Island behind them, and as the biggest Empire, they certainly had the wealth and manpower to create such a troop. Just seeing how the northern army could abandon a couple hundred Jewel Masters to the Ruffian Battalion was the best example of that. Without question, the ordinary Jewel Masters that the Heavenly Bow Empire treated like priceless gems were just so common in the ZhongTian Empire.

Shangguan Fei'er said: "Our ZhongTian Empire northern central combined army has a specialised airborne troop, used mainly against the airborne troop of the WanShou Empire. It is known as the Heavenly Wing Battalion, and though it numbers only a thousand men, they are all Physical Jewel Masters of at least six-Jeweled cultivation level, each of them having a pair of Consolidating Wings. However, they are mostly focused on airborne combat, and the airborne archery unit like you mentioned does not exist. After all, these Physical Jewel Masters mainly spend their time cultivating their Heavenly Energy, and do not have that much time to spend practicing archery."

Han Mo, normally quiet and reserved, actually spoke out then: "I think this is definitely worth a try. As long as the bows and arrows are powerful enough, it should work. However, such a troop would mean sacrificing their close combat capabilities, and they cannot allow their opponents to get close to them."

Gao Shen, on the other hand, had a vexed look on his face, standing beside Han Mo silently. The reason was simple, both he and Yi Shi were Elemental Jewel Masters, and without Physical Jewels, how could they Consolidate Wings?

Mu En said leisurely: "It is still much too early to discuss all of this. Let's see these subordinates of Little Wei first, and whether or not they have the talent for archery. They must at least have a decent archery skill before we can even think of talking about such things."

Luo Ke Di agreed: "Old Mu En is right. Without the required archery, all the best plans you have here are for naught. Also, Little Wei, you must consider one thing… in order to sustain flight for long periods and long distances, sufficient Heavenly Energy is required. I think that is the reason why that Heavenly Wing Battalion of the ZhongTian Empire Army requires their men to be at least at the six Jeweled cultivation level."

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Alright, let's go. We can discuss further when we return." Indeed, some things definitely sounded amazing and perfect in theory, but actually accomplishing them or putting it into practice in reality was much more difficult. However, he considered himself extremely lucky to be able to reunite with his teachers. With their help, and all their combined minds and experience, it would be much easier to do anything.

However, when Zhou Weiqing brought them all to the Peerless Battalion Camp, his first reaction was shock. The reason was simple. The Peerless Battalion had disappeared…

Indeed. They had disappeared totally.

The rolling hills were totally empty, the original messy rows of tattered tents, flags, campfires, everything was now gone, not even a slightest bit of trash could be found, with only the coniferous forest of the cold north shaking in the bitter wind left alone.

"What's going on?" Shangguan Fei'er was also taken by surprise, looking to Zhou Weiqing with a questioning look.

Luo Ke Di laughed heartily and said: "Little Wei, this Peerless Battalion of yours isn't just something you made up right? Why isn't there anything here?"

Zhou Weiqing thought for a moment, and his expression suddenly changed. Next, he closed his eyes, brow furrowed as he stood there unmoving.

As the others looked at him, they saw a faint dark red symbol appear above his brow, and in moments, a shrill bird cry rang out, and in a silver flash, a little silver bird appeared in Zhou Weiqing's arms before the others could even react. It was the Silver Emperor.

"There must be an enemy attack. Everyone, follow me, quick." Zhou Weiqing exclaimed as he quickly headed towards one of the hills.

"Battalion Commander!" As soon as he reached the hill, Wei Feng popped out from behind a tree. The tree was situated in front of one of their entrances to their tunnels.

"Old Wei, what is going on? Did everyone retreat into the tunnels?" Wei Feng glanced towards the Heavenly Bow Unit members that were following Zhou Weiqing for a moment, before saying solemnly: "Our scouts spotted a troop of enemies heading in this direction, and they will be reaching in a while. As such, I ordered everyone to retreat into the tunnels."

It was exactly as Zhou Weiqing had expected, an enemy attack. Zhou Weiqing knew that those tattered tents and encampment were mainly for the view of the ZhongTian Northern Army eyes, and when the WanShou Empire army attacked, they would retreat totally into the tunnels without leaving a trace. This was how the Peerless Battalion had survived in such conditions and being severely outnumbered all this while.

"How many are there?" Zhou Weiqing asked.

Wei Feng said: "About one company. They should be here as a scouting party, or perhaps just to kill some scouts of the northern army."

Zhou Weiqing started. "Just a single Company? One hundred men? Then what are we afraid of? We outnumber them more than ten to one, how could we possibly lose?"

Wei Feng gave a bitter smile and said: "Battalion Commander, it's not just like that. Firstly, the issue is not whether we can defeat them or not, but whether or not we can afford to! Once we start a fight, it could mean revealing that we have this hideout here. If even one enemy escapes, the WanShou Army might learn of this place, and in the future they may search this area and find us, and we will be doomed. Caution is of utmost importance here, after all, it is a matter of life and death for all our brothers."

Only then did it dawn upon Zhou Weiqing, for the Ruffian Battalion to survive this long in such a place, they truly had their own set of ways of doing things.

"Old Wei, what sort of troop type is here from the WanShou Empire? What kind of power?" Zhou Weiqing asked curiously. After all, he had not met any of the WanShou Empire armies before.

Wei Feng's expression turned ugly as he said: "They are the WanShou Wolf Cavalry troops. These Wolf Cavalry troops may not be the strongest technical arms of the WanShou army, but they still hold quite an important role. After all, they are extremely speedy, much faster than even our light cavalry units. Furthermore, their destructive capabilities are not to be underestimated, with much offensive strength indeed to accompany their speed and agility. The WanShou Empire consists of many tribes, with each tribe having their own totem. Within their bloodlines, they also have some beast genes. For example, the Wolfman tribe, they have a certain amount of wolf bloodlines, and they are able to tame powerful war wolves to be their mounts."

Wei Feng also knew that Zhou Weiqing did not have any understanding about the WanShou Empire, so he continued explaining all that in detail. "No matter which tribe of the WanShou Empire, they are all much stronger physically than any ordinary humans. Just take the wolfman tribe as an example; they have an average height of 1.9 metres, usually taller, and their strength, agility and speed are all far higher than normal. Their arms, legs and hands are larger, also with tipped claws. Their body hair, more fur than hair, is thicker than normal humans, allowing them greater resistance to this climate. In terms of combat, they are well versed in fighting together in unity, and they are also ferocious and bold, unafraid of death. Usually, facing a Company of ordinary Wolfman Tribe soldiers, our ordinary troops require an entire Battalion to deal with them. Even for our cavalry Battalions, they may not be able to take on a Company of Wolfman Cavalry troops."

Zhou Weiqing was taken aback, exclaiming in surprise: "So strong? Doesn't that mean the other more powerful tribes of the WanShou Empire are even more terrifying?"

Wei Feng gave a bitter smile and said: "That is naturally the case! Every time there is a battle, our casualties are at least five times that of the WanShou Empire armies. However, although the WanShou Empire has a massive amount of land, their total population numbers less than a tenth of our ZhongTian Empire. Even so, with just the strength of their single empire alone, they are able to fight with us ZhongTian Empire, Fei Li Empire and Bao Po Empire at once, holding us at bay."

Zhou Weiqing said: "That is to say… even for our entire Peerless Battalion to take on the Company of Wolf Cavalry troops… we will not be able to defeat them?"

Wei Feng nodded without hesitation, saying: "Wolfman Tribe soldiers and their warwolves… the combination of this pair is extremely strong, not just in terms of sheer power but also their teamwork, unity. That is something we cannot match. If we were to clash, we might have some chance of winning, but to be honest that would depend a lot on Battalion Commander and Drillmaster's personal strength to bring us to victory. More so, it is nearly certain that we will not be able to kill them all."

Standing by Zhou Weiqing's side, Luo Ke Di couldn't help but say: "Isn't that rather exagerated? Are they that great? I would like to see for myself how strong these WanShou Wolf Cavalry troops are for myself. Isn't it just a Company? Boss, shall we try our hand?" His last line was naturally directed towards Hua Feng.

Hua Feng looked at Zhou Weiqing and said: "Little Wei, you are the Battalion Commander, you make the decision."

Chapter 408: WanShou Wolf Cavalry! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Zhou Weiqing thought for a moment and said: "Only when we know both our own strength and the enemy's strength, can we be be certain of victory. 1. I definitely want to experience these WanShou Wolf Cavalry Troops for myself, to see how strong they really are. Alright, here is the plan. Wei Feng, bring seven of the best horses here, as well as nine of those personal guard armour sets we had previously. We will disguise ourselves as an ordinary patrol from the Northern Armies and fight with these Wolf Cavalry Units. Even if we lose or aren't able to kill all of them, we will not reveal the existence of our Peerless Battalion or our position."

Wei Feng hesitation for a second, then nodded. Thinking about how Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei'er had faced nine six Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters and greater without losing, he regained some confidence.

Wei Feng had seen all the changes that the Peerless Battalion had undergone since Zhou Weiqing had arrived, and towards this young Battalion Commander, he definitely had respect and approval. He also knew that he had earned that too, of the entire Battalion. At least, Zhou Weiqing was able to let them eat their fill, have warm clothing, and even some unexpected profits. More importantly, Zhou Weiqing had given them something they had never even dreamed for. A hope. A hope that they would one day leave this godforsaken place.

Zhou Weiqing said: "Old Wei, you can bring the others to hide around the trees far off to see how we fight. These few here are my teachers. This time, they are here to be all of your archery instructors. This is a good opportunity to witness the godlike archery of these teachers of mine."

Hearing that these few were actually Zhou Weiqing's teachers, Wei Feng's look at them instantly changed. Zhou Weiqing was already so disgustingly powerful, how could these few be weak?

In a manner of moments, the horses and equipment were sent to them. The Heavenly Bow Unit members, plus Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei'er, all changed into the Sixteenth Regiment Personal Guard armour. Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei'er mounted their Ghost Demon Horses, while the others mounted the ordinary warhorses, before all nine of tehm charged down the hill together, heading towards the plains.

"Master Hua Feng, you direct us." Zhou Weiqing said to Hua Feng.

Hua Feng smiled faintly and said: "Just a hundred wolf cavalry troops, that shouldn't require much direction. You and Lady Fei'er just take care of our defense, and deal with any who might actually succeed in closing in on us. Leave everything else to us."

Just a few simple sentences, but it displayed the Heavenly Bow Unit's absolute confidence. Although they only numbered seven, and their enemies were the powerful Wolf Cavalry Troops that they had not faced before, but do not forget that the Heavenly Bow Empire had once depended on these seven to put fear into the Kalise Empire, even the Bai Da Empire. Previously, Hua Feng had not told Zhou Weiqing about the unit of Heavenly Jewel Masters that had been sent to kill them. The leader of that unit was actually a Heavenly King Jewel Master. From that alone, one could imagine how much importance the Bai Da Empire had placed upon the Heavenly Bow Unit.

Indeed, the Heavenly Bow Unit members might not be strong in terms of cultivation and personal power, but they had already trained their archery to an ultimate maximum. When the seven of them were together as one and with enough distance, they could even have a chance against a nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master.

Shangguan Fei'er remained beside Zhou Weiqing. She was extremely curious as to what sort of abilities or powers these teachers of Zhou Weiqing's had. With her cultivation level, she could easily sense that none of them had Heavenly Energy that even equalled hers, and more so, none of them were Heavenly Jewel Masters, only ordinary Jewel Masters. Yet, she could clearly sense the respect and admiration Zhou Weiqing had for them.

Right at that moment, far in the distance, a cloud of dust could be seen, heading in their direction at an extremely high speed.

"So fast!" A glint of surprise flashed in Zhou Weiqing's eyes. Without question, that was the wolf cavalry unit. Just from observing the formation of the dust cloud and the speed it moved, he could tell that these wolf cavalry were even faster than ordinary Ghost Demon Horses, almost the same speed as his own single-horned Ghost Demon Horse. Furthermore, when these wolves were running, they were extreme silent. Although he could already see the dust cloud ahead, he could not hear anything, unlike the loud hoof stomps for normal cavalry units.

All of their vision were far superior to any ordinary person, and at this point, they could see all hundred of the Company of wolf cavalry soldiers speeding along, about a thousand yards from them.

The war wolf mounts had a greyish black fur, much larger than any ordinary wolves, about three metres of body length and almost as tall as an ordinary warhorse. Although they were sitll a distance, they could sense a wildly ferocious aura from them.

The cavalry soldiers mounted upon the war wolves were dressed in simple leather armours, and the most striking part of their appearance was the dual-horned helmet they were wearing. Each of them were rather massive as well, ferocious looking with a wild look in their eyes. In their hands, they held a huge, nearly two metre long, cavalry sabre.

The speeding wolf cavalry troops also seemed to adjust their direction the moment Zhou Weiqing and the others spotted them. Clearly, they had also seen Zhou Weiqing too. At that point, their speed actually increased, charging forth towards them.

"Arrow Tower, Cannon2, you two are in charge of offense. Yi Shi, battlefield support. Rogue, you finish off any leftovers or those trying to escape. Any that reach within two hundred yards, Shui Cao and Mu En you two take care of them. I will swap around as necessary." Hua Feng's voice rang out lazily as he swiftly did a quick arrangement. In truth, with their years of cooperation and fighting together, even if he didn't give the instructions, they would not have any problems.

…

Yamcha was one of the finest warriors of the WanShou Wolfman Tribe, and with the military deeds and contributions on the battlefield, he had risen to the position of Company Leader. At this point, he just needed a few more battlefield merits and he could possibly rank to Vice Battalion Commander.

The WanShou Empire population was far less than the ZhongTian Empire, but their entire population was able to fight in the army. This time, Yamcha had brought his entire Company to sneak into the ZhongTian Empire borders, hoping to kill a few patrols or scouts.

The food that they had plundered last autumn had been almost finished, and their wolfman tribe was struggling a little to make ends meet. Although they were disdainful towards the ZhongTian calvary, those horses were still great as food. Furthermore, if they managed to kill more enemies, perhaps he might even be able to become the Vice Battalion Commander.

This was not the first time Yamcha had done something like this. With the superior speed of their war wolves, they were often able to move in past the border for a swift guerilla strike and gain. In Yamcha's eyes, this time would not be any different.

In the distance, he spotted a small troop of the ZhongTian Empire army, likely a patrol of cavalry units. Thinking to himself, he cackled: Haha, they all have horses! This time is going great! Once we grab all those horses back, it will be enough food for the tribe for several days.

Instantly, Yamcha gave the order and their entire Company veered off and charged towards the little patrol of ZhongTian soldiers.

Their charge had barely started for a while and all of a sudden, Yamcha had a sinking feeling in his heart. As wolfmen with the bloodline of wolves, they all had stronger senses than any ordinary humans, and more so for fine warriors like him.

Right at that moment, an earsplitting sound rang through the air, and an arrow came speeding right at his face.

Yamcha was indeed worthy of being one of the finest of the Company Leaders of the Wolfman Tribe. In such a critical time of danger, he almost subconsciously lifted up the cavalry sabre in his hands; the thick blade just barely blocking the arrow.

*Clang* A loud sound as the arrow hit, and Yamcha's cavalry sabre shook so hard with the shockwave that his upper body was sent reeling back.

Such strength! We've met the human Jewel Masters!

This was Yamcha's first judgement. Next, he saw another arrow, glowing with red light, whiz past him.

Another huge explosion, and a wolfman soldier exploded into flames, thrown off his war wolf's back. His reaction was not as fast as Yamcha, and the front of his leather armour was ripped apart totally, revealing a torn mess of flesh.

However, this moment also displayed the fine warrior spirits of the WanShou Wolf Cavalry. The wolfman soldier who had been thrown off his horse flew towards two other wolfmen cavalry soldiers, but they easily wheeled to the side, avoiding him without causing any clash. The ones behind those had more time to react and were able to catch their companion.

"Damnit, those are ZhongTian Jewel Master archers! TuLuLu!" Yamcha shouted loudly, the cavalry sabre in his hands sweeping up. In that instant, a green light appeared above both him and the war wolf mount below him, and their bodies also grew larger.

"TuLuLu!" A similar shout rang out from all the other wolf cavalry soldiers.

In the WanShou Empire, there were no ordinary Jewel Masters, only Heavenly Jewel Masters. That was to say, they did not have singular Physical Jewel Masters or Elemental Jewel Masters. It was either ordinary soldiers or Heavenly Jewel Masters.

However, that was not to say that they were lacking any way. The various tribes of the WanShou Empire all had their own advantages, the power of their totemic bloodlines. For the wolfman tribe, the incantation to evoke their bloodline powers was 'TuLuLu'.

The wolfman tribe bloodline worked on both them and their war wolf mount, allowing their defense and speed to increase for a time.

…

On the other side, Han Mo and Gao Shen, who had each released one arrow, had looks of surprise on their faces.

The arrow that Yamcha had blocked was shot by Han Mo, and the one that had knocked the other cavalry soldier away was naturally Gao Shen's arrow, imbued with his Fire Attribute.

Although both sides were around seven hundred yards apart, the two were extremely clear and confident about how powerful their arrows were. Yet, their Company Leader had been able to block Han Mo's arrow so easily, and although the ordinary wolfman soldier had been struck by Gao Shen's arrow, he was still not dead, just heavily injured.

Shouts and cries rang out from the hundred wolf cavalry units, and in flashes of green light, their war wolf mounts all sped into a sudden burst of speed, charging ferociously towards them.

"No wonder they are all able to win against ordinary soldiers at a one versus ten disadvantage. These soldiers of the WanShou Empire are indeed strong and valiant indeed." Hua Feng was still with his usual refined, quiet elegance, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Shangguan Fei'er looked on from the side, also extremely shocked inwardly. However, for her, the surprise was not the strength of the wolf cavalry troops, but rather Han Mo's and Gao Shen's archery.

That was a distance of seven hundred yards! For an ordinary person, trying to look from such a distance, they would likely only be able to see a tiny black dot. Furthermore, with the weather in the chill north, the winds were extremely strong. Yet, even at such a distance and conditions, the arrows they shot out seemed like they had eyes on them. This was not just any ordinary master archer. For Zhou Weiqing to describe their archery skills as godlike was truly not an exaggeration indeed.

Chapter 409: WanShou Wolf Cavalry! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Zhou Weiqing was extremely familiar with his teachers' archery skills, and he had been keeping close watch on the wolf cavalry soldiers. Along with the loud 'TuLuLu' shout, the formation of the wolf cavalry soldiers changed. With Yamcha at the head, the hundred wolf cavalry soldiers no longer charged as a group, instead forming a line as they streamed towards Zhou Weiqing and the others. As long as Yamcha in the front could handle the incoming arrows, this would undoubtedly be a great plan to reach the archers' line.

Such powerful wolf cavalry troops indeed! Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, feeling a sense of admiration and envy. If only he had a few tens of thousands of these wolf cavalry soldiers, what difficulty would there be in reviving their empire.

Seeing the wolf cavalry soldiers in the straight line formation, the Heavenly Bow Unit members instead revealed smiles on their faces. In that short moment of time, the wolf cavalry had already charged within the six hundred range.

"Alright, stop playing already. Let's take action." Han Feng said passively. However, he himself did not move yet.

Yi Shi was the first to strike, and a silent arrow wrapped in white light disappeared in front of them like a bolt of lightning. Right behind the white arrow came a beam of red; Gao Shen's arrow.

They did not even need to make a sound to coordinate, and they had already done the best possible movement with tacit understanding. As for Han Mo, he jumped off his horse, standing together with Luo Ke Di, and the two started firing arrows in a strange motion.

Shangguan Fei'er was startled to see that both Han Mo and Luo Ke Di's arrows were actually arcing in a large path in mid air before striking directly towards the wolf cavalry formation. Furthermore, they were shooting out streams of arrows in such an arc without stopping. No wonder they had smiled like that as soon as they saw such a straight line formation.

Yamcha once again sensed danger. This time, he was ready, and he quickly held his cavalry sabre in front of himself instantly again.

*Clang* a thick cold enveloped Yamcha's body, spreading throughout, and just like that, his entire body became an ice statue, all the way down to his war wolf mount. The next instant, a violent explosion, and the Company Leader Yamcha had been blown back by the following arrow.

Yi Shi laughed and said: "That is called the Twin Blows of Ice and Fire."

At this moment, the Heavenly Bow Unit members finally displayed their true power. After the first few arrows mainly for testing purposes, they had a grasp on the powers of the wolf cavalry troops.

In the end, only four of them took action. Drunken Rogue Luo Ke Di, Snake Lady Tranvestite Yi Shi, Cannon Gao Shen, and Arrow Tower Han Mo.

Han Mo's firing speed was the greatest, while Luo Ke Di had the strangest angles. Yi Shi's arrows always found the one in front, straightforward and true, but with the power of her Ice Attribute and its freezing effect, it was able to greatly slow the speed of the enemy's charge. As for the Cannon Gao Shen's arrows, each of them was like a bomb, striking out. Strangely, he and Yi Shi always seemed to be able to supplement each other, the fire arrows exploding towards the slowed front cavalry soldiers.

The true killing blow was from Han Mo and Luo Ke Di. The two's godlike archery causing their arrows to constantly change direction in mid air.

The defense and strength of the wolfmen cavalry soldiers were indeed extremely powerful, especially after activating their totemic bloodline, their defense was pretty astonishing. Even as Physical Jewel Masters, if they were to shoot their muscled areas or meaty areas, a few arrows wouldn't be able to kill them off like that.

However, no matter what, the wolfmen were still mortal, with vital points to strike. Luo Ke Di and Han Mo's arrows always seemed to strike down at their eyes. No matter how strong their defense was, they were not able to defend their eyes. From the distance, the observers could see puffs of blood constantly bursting out, each cloud of blood meant a wolf cavalry getting thrown off his war wolf mount.

The most inconceivable was that although Luo Ke Di and Han Mo were both shooting their enemies' eyes, up until the point they struck their target, the target was not able to see their attacks from the front.

Shangguan Fei'er felt a cold chill down her spine. Such archers were indeed too terrifying… no wonder Zhou Weiqing was so respectful to them. If she herself were at several hundred yards from them, with these few working together… could she actually reach them? Their archery was just too crafty.

Right at that moment, Hua Feng suddenly burst into action. A green bow appeared in his hands, and when Shangguan Fei'er looked at him, all she saw was a shimmering blur of his hands.

Just like that, Hua Feng sat calmly on his horse, his actions graceful and elegant, as if he were playing a zither. Green arrows flew out one after the other, clearly Consolidated Equipment, flying out in a seemingly messy formation. However, the war wolves whose owners had been killed and were fleeing the scene were all found by these green lights. Similarly struck through the eyes, they fell lifelessly to the ground.

Hua Feng said with a chiding tone: "Don't let those war wolves go either, who knows if those things will be able to send news back."

Luo Ke Di said exasperatedly: "Alright, I got it, I got it." As soon as he said that, the rhythm of his firing changed. He no longer fired one arrow at a time, but three at a time. The most important thing was that though he shot three at once, it was actually all at different targets.

Four hundred yards. By this time, the wolf cavalry troops had reached four hundred yards of the party, but of the hundred of them, only one third remained on their war wolves.

The members of the Heavenly Bow Unit not only had godlike archery accuracy, their shooting speed was unbelievably quick. Even with the activation of their bloodline totem powers and with the increased speed, they were only able to reach within four hundred yards at this time. Of course, that was also in part thanks to Yi Shi and Gao Shen's powerful blocks and slows.

Shangguan Fei'er at this side was undoubtedly surprised, but for the Peerless Battalion soldiers hidden on the forests of the hills to the side, they were all so shocked that their eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

As experienced soldiers, this was not the first time they had clashed with some of the WanShou Empire troops, and they were extremely clear about how powerful these wolf cavalry units were. Even three-Jeweled Physical Jewel Masters and below facing these wolf cavalry soldiers would not be certain of victory, especially since their teamwork was so very strong.

With the Peerless Battalion's current strength, if they were to clash headlong with this Company of wolf cavalry soldiers, even if they could win, they would definitely have to pay a hefty price.

However, these few people that their Battalion Commander had brought with him were just so calmly and coolly shooting their arrows, and these powerful wolf cavalry soldiers were falling like wheat in a field, only a cloud of blood marking each fallen soldier. From the looks of things, the entire company would not even be able to reach their group… Since when had Wolf Cavalry Soldiers become so weak?!

Mu En was the calmest, standing there unperturbed, without even bothering to take out his bow. From the looks of things, he did not even expect to need to take action.

However, the viciousness and savage nature of the wolfmen tribe were indeed not to be underestimated, as they were savage even towards themselves. Carrying themselves through with sheer fortitude, tenacity and rage, along with some relaxation on the part of the Heavenly Bow Unit members who thought the battle was pretty much ended, in the end around a dozen wolf cavalry soldiers managed to charge to about two hundred yards from them, without any sign of stopping or retreating. They stubbornly strove to continue, as they believed as long as they could reach these human foes, with the frail nature of humans they would still be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Alas for them, they did not have any chance to close in on them. At that moment, Shui Cao burst into action as she joined in. Arrow after arrow streaked out towards the battlefield, each glowing with the yellow of the Earth Attribute. The arrows did not fly towards the wolf cavalry soldiers, instead onto the paths that they were heading. Each arrow was imbued with a small stone wall Skill, but these stone walls appeared just too suddenly, and even with the agility of the war wolves, they still lost their balance. With her help, it was barely moments before the remaining wolf cavalry soldiers had their heads blown up by Luo Ke Di and Han Mo.

The fight had ended. All their foes had been vanquished, and not a single wolf cavalry soldier had even reached a hundred yards of them.

Luo Ke Di looked towards the others and said: "Four in One Attack?"

Yi Shi, Han Mo and Gao Shen all nodded at him. Shangguan Fei'er was still trying to puzzle out what they meant when the four suddenly shot an arrow each into the sky.

"What… what are they doing?" Shangguan Fei'er couldn't help but turn to Zhou Weiqing and ask.

Zhou Weiqing grinned as he replied: "Heh, there is still one fish trying to escape from the net. That Company Leader of theirs is acting dead. Alas for him, these teachers of mine may not be great at anything else, but counting is their forte indeed. If they did not finish off anyone, how could they not know?"

Indeed, Yamcha was not dead yet. For him to be raised to the rank of Company Leader, and one of the top ones, it was not just by courage alone. When he was shot by the 'Twin Blows of Ice and Fire', he had been thrown off his war wolf mount. However, he had rolled with the blow but did not get up. The two arrows, while powerful, were still not enough to take his life. Compared to his subordinates, he was undoubtedly much stronger and tougher. Seeing his subordinates and comrades shot to death, he decided to play dead, thinking angrily to himself: As long as they dare try to loot the battlefield, they will get a nasty surprise from me indeed!

Unfortunately for him, the Heavenly Bow Unit members were experienced fighters, that could even have some strength even in a place like the ZhongTian Empire. If they could not see through such a simple ruse, they would not be worthy of their name indeed.

Four arrows flew into the sky, arcing differently but falling right at the same time.

By the time Yamcha could react, the four arrows had already reached him.

Dodge? The wolf cavalry archers' speed was mainly from their war wolf mounts, and though they had a decent physique of their own, speed was not their top. Furthermore, these four arrows were shot by the godlike archers of the Heavenly Bow Unit, each arcing from an angle that he could not spot until it was too late. How could he possibly succeed in dodging.

Once again, he got to enjoy the 'Twin Blows of Ice and Fire' once more. This time, it was joined by two powerful piercing arrows, each thudding deep into one of his eyes.

What was tacit understanding and teamwork? This was a true display of it indeed. Luo Ke Di and Han Mo's targets were both Yamcha's eyes, but both of them had shot one respectively, without even discussing it beforehand.

Hua Feng kept his green longbow, smiling faintly as he said: "None of them have escaped. We can loot the battlefield now."

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Haha, teachers, you all are becoming more vigorous and energetic with age!"

Shui Cao glared at him angrily, saying: "Little Wei, who are you calling old?"

"Ehhh, forget I said anything. Brothers, time to loot the battlefield!" Zhou Weiqing's last shout was towards the members of the Peerless Battalion.

With that shout, only then did the ruffian soldiers of the Peerless Battalion break free of their stunned reverie and react. Led by Wei Feng, the entire Peerless Battalion charged down in a mad rush. They still remembered Zhou Weiqing's words previously, that any equipment they looted would belong to them!

In terms of robbing and snatching, no one was more professional than these Peerless Battalion soldiers. Under the astonished gazes of the seven godlike archers of the Heavenly Bow Unit, the corpses of the wolf cavalry soldiers were soon stripped totally naked.

Chapter 410: Peerless Training! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

"Little Wei, these bunch of brothers of yours are all part locusts?" Mu En couldn't help but ask as he stared with his jaw agape at the scene before him.

The ruffians of the Peerless Battalion were just too skilled at robbing. Without any hesitation, it was as if a crowd of humans crashed down like a wave down upon the field before spreading away again, leaving nothing in the wake; even the war wolf corpses were carted away. After all, that was food, and the ruffian soldiers of the Peerless Battalion, used to and afraid of hunger, would definitely not waste any food. Furthermore, the leather of these wolves would be great against the biting cold weather, how could they waste any of it?

As the Vice Battalion Commander, Wei Feng naturally wouldn't join the others in looting. Instead, he quickly headed towards Zhou Weiqing and the others, saying: "Battalion Commander, Trainers. It will take a while for the camp to be set up again. Trainers, all your archery is godlike indeed, this is indeed an eye opener for Wei Feng."

Looking at Wei Feng clearly, the seven members of the Heavenly Bow Unit were also secretly surprised. They could sense that this Wei Feng's cultivation level was above theirs. This Ruffian Battalion was indeed interesting.

Zhou Weiqing said: "Vice Commander Wei, why don't we just retreat directly into the tunnels? It is rather cold outside anyway."

Wei Feng smiled bitterly and said: "Battalion Commander, don't you think we are afraid of the cold as well? Alas, as you know, these tunnels were only created to hide out to save our lives, and it is small, constricted and without much airflow. We haven't had time to expand the tunnels yet, how can we stay there."

Zhou Weiqing said: "Right, no wonder you would rather sleep in those lousy broken tents outside. Alright, get everyone to bury those wolf cavalry soldiers corpses properly, bring back their equipment and war wolves, those are our spoils of war. Tonight, I will be coming up with a proper reward and punishment system. From tomorrow onwards, our Peerless Battalion will start a proper system of training."

Wei Feng smiled faintly and nodded towards Zhou Weiqing. Although the Ruffian Battalion was not easily controlled, he was still confident that under the benefits that Zhou Weiqing was providing, it would be much easier. Furthermore, this young Battalion Commander already had some prestige and respect amongst the Peerless Battalion.

…

For the next few days, Zhou Weiqing planned a series of trainings for the Peerless Battalion. All one thousand two hundred of the men were split into twelve groups, each a Company of hundred men. He selected two more Company Leaders, to make a total of twelve Company Leaders, each leading one group.

Everyday, the twelve groups would split into three to undergo training. Shangguan Fei'er would take four to undergo close combat training, the seven god archers of the Heavenly Bow Unit would take another four groups to undergo archery training, while the last four groups would be under the charge of Wei Feng, digging tunnels. Zhou Weiqing and his teachers, along with the other officers of the Peerless Battalion, had come up with a planned architecture to expend their underground tunnel system.

Naturally, to undergo the archery and close combat training, they had to pay fees, totally 5 gold coins per person per month. As for digging the tunnels, the monthly pay was also 5 gold coins. That was to say, every month's pay and payout was neutralized in a cycle of working and training, but they would still be able to get their normal monthly pay.

Of course, to the ruffian soldiers of the Peerless Battalion, this was not stimulating enough, but Zhou Weiqing had another system of rewards and punishment set in place.

He got Wei Feng to have the entire Peerless Battalion soldiers register with him, including everyone's current physique and Heavenly Energy cultivation level; everything in detail. Once anyone's Heavenly Energy cultivation raised, they would be richly rewarded with a hundred gold coins.

Every month, there would also be a grand battalion competition between the Companies. Whichever Company won, that Company would be rewarded with the most delicious food for that day. The entire Company would also be rewarded with a thousand gold coins. As for the Company who got the last place, for the next month their tunnel digging would be increased for two hours per day. The last four Companies of the entire Battalion would also lose their pay for that month.

Besides the Company level competition, there was also a personal competition. Amongst the entire one thousand and two hundred men, those at the officer level were not allowed to join the competition. The final champion of the personal competition would be awarded with a free set of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls. Furthermore, this competition was held every month.

At the same time, previously, the method that Zhou Weiqing had said about being able to challenge officers at any time was still in place. As long as anyone could defeat their Company Leader, they could take his or her place.

Ten days had passed, and the training of the entire Peerless Battalion was starting to be set in proper order. Zhou Weiqing had brought back a hundred longbows this time, along with the hundred that they had robbed from the Sixteenth Regiment previously, it was enough for their training purposes. In any case, there were only four hundred men training at a single time.

The seven masters of the Heavenly Bow Unit were pretty good at teaching, and the basics of archery was rather simple. Besides the basic training, their targets were not simply ordinary targets, but shooting against each other.

Two men would face off, soldier A would shoot at soldier B, then vice versa. Of course, the arrow tips were all removed, but this still encouraged a competitive spirit between them all. At the same time, they wouldn't get into actual fights. The reason for that was simple, as Hua Feng had sent an order down. If you wanted revenge, sure, use your archery to fight back. If you wanted to fight with your fists, no problem! You can fight against the close combat trainer, Shangguan Fei'er!

There were other, more fun, training methods as well. For example, the seven members of the Heavenly Bow Unit would run ahead three hundred yards, and then the four hundred trainees would chase them, both sides shooting at each other. Anyone who got shot by an arrow would be sent out of the game.

According to reason, the seven god archers of the Heavenly Bow Unit would definitely win. However, the result was surprising, as the seven of them were nearly beaten into pigs' heads. The reason was simple, how could those ruffians possibly listen to rules, and all those struck by arrows did not back out of the game. In the end, only Hua Feng with his speed, and Mu En with his cunning, managed to escape. Shui Cao and Yi Shi were still relatively okay, with their savage attacks they managed to hold off most of the ruffians. The worst were Luo Ke Di, Han Mo and Gao Shen who were eventually caught up. The three were beaten up so thoroughly, and they were so surrounded that they couldn't even make out who beat them.

As such, that was the only time that training 'game' was played before it was switched to the ruffians against each other, a larger group against the other. Of course, the seven members of the Heavenly Bow Unit would take the role of judge and supervisor, and any ruffians who broke the rules would be taken care of by them.

In theory, Shangguan Fei'er's training should be extremely tough for her. After all, she was one person alone training four hundred men.

However, in truth, she had it the easiest. Every lesson, she only taught one move, before separating the men into groups to practice. She would then go by all around one by one to correct them. Just like that, they would continue fighting against each other, but only with the move that she had just taught. The ones who won would be okay, but the half that lost would continue fighting again. This would continue all the way until there were only twenty five 'losers' left. These twenty five were definitely on a bad patch, as it would mean that Shangguan Fei'er would personally train them for the last hour under the watch of the other three hundred and seventy five.

After this had happened once, for the next lessons, when they ruffian soldiers fought against each other, it was as if they were in savage frenzies, treating their opponents like hated enemies that had killed their families. The reason for that was naturally because Shangguan Fei'er was just too savage.

Just like that, all of them started training. One day close combat, one day archery and one day tunnel digging. Also, every month, there would be three days where there would be a general battalion training, where they would be trained in working together. For this, Zhou Weiqing was not experienced in it, and he left it to Hua Feng.

All of that might seem like Zhou Weiqing had nothing to do, but in truth, he was one of the busiest. First of all, he had to arrange all the resources and split it up, arranging everything while trying to get more resources. Planning all the tunnels, furnishing them, changing gold coins, and generally harmonizing everything.

For ten whole days, Zhou Weiqing was immersed in all the work. He passed the heavy duty of handling money to Wei Feng, and not the Heavenly Bow Unit members. Towards this, Hua Feng saw it and nodded inwardly.

The reason Zhou Weiqing did this was not because he was afraid of being accused of nepotism, but an action to try to win him over. After all, he was still very new as a Battalion Commander, having only been here for a short time. Although his actions had earned him to respect of the Peerless Battalion, giving them much gain, his status was still not fully stable yet.

Wei Feng was after all one of the original officers, and the original bunch of officers might still have some wary feelings towards them. In such a circumstance, the trust and respect Zhou Weiqing showed towards Wei Feng would definitely help ease any uneasiness on both sides and remove any gaps.

More so, Zhou Weiqing always felt that as a leader, he would not want to be busy to death, but to be free and easy. As the main leader, what he needed to do was to guide them all, to be in charge of the overall direction. As for the exacts of things doing, it should be left to his subordinates. As the saying goes, if you suspect someone, don't use them, if you use them, don't suspect them. If he did everything by himself, he would be busied to death, with no time to even cultivate.

After the ten days of training, everything was settling into place as they were all heading down on the path together. After all the time and gold investment, the Peerless Battalion was starting to change, even the aura about them was different; at least, the originally lazy, bored ruffians who were just waiting to die were now energized and enthusiastic. Zhou Weiqing had promised them that within a few years he would bring them away from this place.

Just as Zhou Weiqing finally freed himself from all the nitty gritty and was about to enter his personal training, the Sixteenth Regiment came once more.

This time, their Regiment Commander Shen Bu had come once more. However, she only brought a Company of cavalry with her, without the enmity that she held the previous time.

Knowing that Shen Bu was here, Zhou Weiqing came out to receive her welcomingly, as if the two had never clashed before. Secretly, he sent the order to stop all training and digging. He did not want anyone to know what he was doing down here.

"Regiment commander Shen Bu, such an honoured guest. Come, come to my tent to have a seat." Zhou Weiqing came up to her with a warm smile on his face.

Shen Bu's expression was still not good, but she dismounted and said politely: "There is no need, Battalion Commander Zhou. I am here just to pay for our heavy cavalry equipment. As you know, in the army, every regiment has a limited supply of heavy cavalry equipment, and in a few days we have a live training exercise. As such, we would need the hundred sets of heavy cavalry armour back please."

Chapter 411: Peerless Training! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Zhou Weiqing readily agreed and said: "No problem, we'll hand everything over as soon as we are paid. However, the horses, bows and shields we will be keeping. Apologies, Regiment Commander Shen Bu, as you know, we are severely lacking food here, and my brothers have already eaten those horses. They have also taken the shields and bows to play, so I can't return those. As you know, these ruffians don't listen much to orders… but at least the heavy armour should be no problem."

Shen Bu's eye muscles twitched noticeably. Facing that innocent smile of Zhou Weiqing's, she truly felt like giving him one tight slap and beat him to death. However, could she really do something like that? Of course not!

That day, after they all left, Shen Ji had not told the others what happened, but he would not hide it from his junior little sister. That Shangguan Fei'er was from the Heaven's Expanse Palace was definitely a shock to them. Although Shen Ji had some status and power in the army, he was nothing compared to the Heaven's Expanse Palace. As such, they naturally thought that both Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei'er were from the same place, otherwise with their age, how could their cultivation level be so high and power so great?

As soon as they thought about the Heaven's Expanse Palace, they naturally thought that the two were here on secret missions, and they would have to endure and tolerate them no matter what. Shen Ji had warned her severely not to disturb the Ruffian Battalion any longer, and if Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Fei'er had any requests, to aid them without hesitation.

For the Heaven's Expanse Palace members to appear here, it was definitely a major issue. Shen Ji had reported it to their godfather / master, and had gotten the order to blackout the news, and let no one else learn of this.

After all, the five Great Saint Lands… or more accurately, the four Great Saint Lands with the exception of the Heavenly Demon Sect, had previously had an agreement that none of them would interfere in ordinary wars, as that would bring the entire continent into a major war that could destroy everyone's lives. At this point, since the Heaven's Expanse Palace members had come here secretly, if the Heavenly Snow Mountain learned about this and took action, it could escalate into a major problem! As such, no matter what, they had to hide this secret as best they could, otherwise this might not end well.

"Alright, how much do you want." Shen Bu said solemnly.

Zhou Weiqing said with an embarrassed look on his face: "So sorry that Regiment Commander Shen Bu has to go through all this expense. You have already come all the way here personally, I would be embarrassed to ask for too much. Thirty thousand gold pieces, three hundred gold coins per set of heavy cavalry armour is cheap right? That is definitely a reasonable price."

Three hundred gold coins per set of heavy cavalry armour was indeed cheap, but the problem was, that was originally her Regiment's armour! Having to pay for it again, Shen Bu's feelings were indeed extremely vexed.

However, she could only endure it, taking out thirty thousand gold coins, handing it to Zhou Weiqing, who immediately gave the order and had his men bring out the hundred heavy cavalry armour. They had already prepared the armour, as he had expected that Shen Bu was here to send them the gold.

As for the thirty thousand gold coins, as he had promised, he did not keep any, dividing it to the Peerless Battalion soldiers who had snatched the armour originally.

Shen Bu did not want to spend anymore time here, and now that her business was over, she quickly said: "Battalion Commander Zhou, I'll take my leave then. Legion Commander Shen Ji asked me to pass the message to you that if you have any requirements, you can look for me directly."

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "That would be so embarrassing! However, since Legion Commander Shen Ji has already said that, if I am too courteous, that will not be giving him face. Could I get two hundred thousand arrows and two thousand longbows as well as some food supplies? As you know, my brothers often go hungry."

Shen Bu had just mounted her warhorse, and she almost fell down when she heard that. Whipping her head around angrily, she glared at Zhou Weiqing as she exclaimed: "Why don't you say you want a thousand two hundred heavy cavalry armour instead?! You only have that many people, why do you want two thousand longbows?!"

Zhou Weiqing said with an aggrieved look: "I'm just afraid of any wear and tear. As for heavy cavalry armour, I do not need any, those are just too heavy, not suitable for us. If you really want to give me that, I'll rather have that in gold coins."

Shen Bu quickly left. Facing such a shameless person, she felt if she stayed any longer, she would be enraged until she vomited blood.

However, to Zhou Weiqing's immense surprise, within two days, the two thousand longbows and two hundred thousand arrows really arrived along with a round of supplies, including new tents, blankets, army uniforms, food etc. Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but marvel to himself about how much face the Heaven's Expanse Palace had. Hmm, with this 'tiger skin'1, could he possibly command a Regiment without any complaints from them?

Of course, he was just daydreaming about that, he would not try such a thing. Firstly, he had to get by Shangguan Fei'er about that first, and secondly, the Northern Army command were not fools, such a massive movement of troops was not something that could be done so easily.

…

It seemed like the blink of an eye, and almost half a month passed since they had arrived at the Peerless Battalion. After these days of training and working, the emotions of these Peerless Battalion soldiers had been roused, no longer the bored and torpid semblance they had been last time. As for how much they had actually learned from the training, Zhou Weiqing was not too worried. After all, training was a process, a progressive thing. However, he had a very important question to ask Shangguan Fei'er, but these few days she had been hiding from him, causing him to be rather vexed.

With all those new tents and bedding, it was much more comfortable to live in now, and Zhou Weiqing sat on his chair comfortably, his eyes closed. All of a sudden, the tent flap lifted and Shangguan Fei'er entered from outside.

With a quick step in, Shangguan Fei'er stopped right there and said: "Why are you looking for me?"

Ever since they had come back from the previous round, she had been in a fluster. After calming down from the high of emotions, when she thought back about it, no matter how she thought about it, her being together with Zhou Weiqing was definitely not proper. Just going past the rest of her family alone would be a huge problem, and more so, she did not want to become enemies with her sister. That was why she had been so focused on the close combat fight with the ruffian soldiers these few days, as the Heaven's Expanse Palace Little Demon Girl, she was used to shifting her flustered emotions into violence, alas for the poor trainees.

Zhou Weiqing stood up and walked towards Shangguan Fei'er, with an expression on his face that made him look like an aggrieved little kid.

"What are you doing?" A hint of worried flurry appeared in Shangguan Fei'er's eyes.

Zhou Weiqing stopped about two yards from him, saying: "You've been avoiding me this past few days, right?"

"No!" Shangguan Fei'er turned her head, refusing to look at him.

Zhou Weiqing took a deep breath and said: "Alright, let's get down to proper business."

Shangguan Fei���er looked at him subconsciously. Originally, she thought he would stick to her and insist, but he did not do so. She was surprised to see that Zhou Weiqing's expression was calm, expressionless, but yet such an expression caused her heart to feel a flavorless ache.

Zhou Weiqing said: "Fei'er, these few days you have seen for yourself. Amongst our Peerless Battalion soldiers, besides the over three hundred Physical and Elemental Jewel Masters, the rest of them might have some Heavenly Energy cultivation level, but mostly only at the second stage. However, their age is already past that of sixteen. My question is… does the Heaven's Expanse Palace have any secret arts that can allow them to Awaken their Personal Power Jewels as well?"

Shangguan Fei'er started, forcefully stabilizing her previously uneasy feeling, and she nodded, saying: "Yes, there is."

"Really?" It was Zhou Weiqing's turn to be surprised.

Shangguan Fei'er said: "After the age of sixteen, the reason why people are unable to Awaken their Personal Power Jewels is because it has passed the time of their greatest growth and time for their bloodlines. If they want to Awaken it beyond that time, it will require the assistance of some treasured medicines, as well as the external assistance of Heavenly Energy to push through their meridians. As long as they break through the Third or Fourth stage of Heavenly Energy with that aid, they have the chance to become a Physical, Elemental or maybe even Heavenly Jewel Master."

Zhou Weiqing said: "Can we use that secret arts on our people? I believe the key would be some training technique?"

Shangguan Fei'er shook her head and said: "No, the key is actually the treasured medicines. En… in order to Awaken their Personal Power Jewels, the medicines are the most important. It requires several precious treasured materials together, but the important thing is it will not have any side effects, and more so has a good effect on future cultivation. Telling you this is not a problem, all our Heaven's Expanse Palace disciples use this at a young age when we first start cultivating. Otherwise, how can our cultivation level raise so quickly? This sort of secret arts is not uncommon amongst the five Great Saint Lands, just that we do not spread it outside easily. Furthermore, such precious treasures are not so easily found."

"Would the Heavenly Jewel Island have those for sale?"

Shangguan Fei'er nodded her head and said: "Hmph, yes, but the price would be too expensive, you won't be able to afford it."

"You have at least eight hundred men who need this medicine to Awaken their Personal Jewels. If you spend money to buy that, not just you, even an Empire like the Fei Li Empire would not be able to afford it."

Sometimes, when there was hope, and that hope was dashed, that was the most painful thing. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Seeing Zhou Weiqing furrow his brow, Shangguan Fei'er said: "Actually, it's not totally impossible. These materials might not be easily found elsewhere, but it is definitely available in the WanShou Empire. That is because only the WanShou Empire has that many Heavenly Beasts. The materials I mentioned are all various Heavenly Cores of different Heavenly Beasts."

"Ohh?"

Shangguan Fei'er continued: "A total of Five Heavenly Cores from different type of Heavenly Beasts, ground into dust and mixed together in a proper alchemical procedure. After which, it is mixed with a type of Heavenly Beast blood, then it will be complete."

Zhou Weiqing's interest was greatly sparked, and he said: "Which five Heavenly Beasts? Oh right, and which Heavenly Beast blood?"

Shangguan Fei'er said: "Amongst the five Heavenly Beasts, there are three which are relatively easier to find, all Zong Stage Heavenly Beasts, not too powerful, and can be found even the northern borders. However, the other two are extremely rare, and they are also very powerful. When fully grown, they are at least at the Heavenly King Stage. If we meet an adult one, we will not be able to deal with them. Especially one of them, a Life Attribute Heavenly Beast, the totem of one of the three great tribes of the WanShou Empire, the Heavenly Life Tree Tribe. The Heavenly Beast blood that is required to mix the materials belongs to it as well."

Chapter 412: Peerless Training! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

As Zhou Weiqing listened to her, he furrowed his brow several times. According to what she said, the difficulty was just too great. In the first place, entering the WanShou Empire was already especially dangerous, and if they had to face a Heavenly King Stage Heavenly Beast, the chance of returning was pretty much zero. Furthermore, there was no guarantee they could even find those particular Heavenly Beasts even if they tried. Yet, if his plan would be to put to the fullest use, it would be best to pull this off as soon as possible.

Shangguan Fei'er continued: "It's not totally impossible… but it would depend a lot on luck. If our luck is good, for example like how we met Little Red Dot previously, a Heavenly Beast that isn't fully grown, then both of us together should be able to barely deal with the such. If we have few others to aid us, our chance of success would be higher. Still, no matter what, it will be a very dangerous attempt."

Zhou Weiqing thought for a moment, then said slowly: "Perhaps it is worth a try… after all, we still have Little Red Dot. Its power is no weaker than yours, and more importantly, its speed is almost incomparable, and the key would be it scouting out danger for us. I'm actually more worried about the other dangers we face after entering the WanShou Empire. After all, the WanShou Empire is an enemy to our human Empires, we might not be able to get far into the borders…"

Shangguan Fei'er giggled and said: "You little fool, I see you have not tried to inquire clearly about the WanShou Empire at all. Who told you that humans would definitely be in danger in the WanShou Empire?"

Zhou Weiqing started in surprise. "Isn't that so?"

Shangguan Fei'er said: "Of course not. In fact, you have it in reverse, it is the WanShou Empire tribesmen who are in danger when they enter our human Empires. Do not forget that it is always them who are invading us, trying to rob us. Yet, towards human traders and merchants, they are extremely welcoming. Of course, the premise would be that you are able to cross the borders and actually enter the WanShou Empire. Ordinarily, as long as you show your merchant status and enter via proper routes, and register for a trading plaque with the WanShou Empire, then we will be safe in there."

Zhou Weiqing stared at her, jaw agape. "That's even possible?! So… how do we procure that trading plaque?"

Shangguan Fei'er giggled once more and said: "That would be even simpler. Didn't that Legion Commander Shen Ji say that you could look for him for anything? He should be able to help you with that. As a matter of fact, although the WanShou Empire always starts the war with us every year, in truth they lose far more than us."

"After all, every time our merchants and traders enter, the profits they bring back are far beyond whatever they loot and plunder. Most of the tribes in the WanShou Empire, with the exception of a few unique tribes, are all plain and simple. As such, it is rather easy to trade with them. Towards merchants and traders, our Empire naturally taxes them… so… there are naturally some that attempt to smuggle things secretly for massive profit."

Zhou Weiqing's gaze turned strange as he said: "Indeed, there is no real right or wrong in the world after all. It is all a matter of perspective. In a way, the invisible plunder you all indulge in is even more savage than the WanShou Empire's!"

Shangguan Fei'er gave a humph and said: "It's not just us ZhongTian Empire. Do you think the Fei Li Empire and Bao Po Empire wouldn't do the same? Besides the severe lack of food, the WanShou Empire could be said to be an amazing treasure trove. They are filled with various rare, precious treasures, minerals and ores. In fact, more than ninety percent of the rare Heavenly Beasts live there. If not for the fact that most of them are simple in mind, and they do not know how to make full use of their resources, plus the constant suppressing from the various human Empires, perhaps the WanShou Empire would have conquered the whole world by now."

What sort of intelligence did Zhou Weiqing have? With Shangguan Fei'er's words, he quickly understood some of these secrets of the land. It was obvious that these so-called trades were the humans using frilly but useless things to exchange for the treasured resources of the WanShou Empire. Naturally, in the trades, they would not sell food or weapons to the WanShou Empire.

"If that is the case, it might be worth a try…" Zhou Weiqing muttered to himself.

Shangguan Fei'er continued: "It will be best to wait two to three months. When the weather is warmest, and the WanShou Empire does not lack food, that is the time they have the best attitudes to humans. Furthermore, that is also the most prosperous time of that land."

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: "Indeed, it would be best to wait. Anyway, we have quite a lot of things to prepare before we set out on such a venture. Fei'er, what do you think about my power? Or perhaps more accurately, what do you think I am lacking in?"

Without hesitation, Shangguan Fei'er said: "Your combat experience is decent, but your flaws are also clear. You are too reliant on your many Attribute Skills. When you are fighting, you often do not hesitate to use your Demonic Change and just throw a whole bunch of Skills to beat down your foe. However, have you thought about it. If when you fight an enemy and do not succeed in Devouring Heavenly Energy to replenish yourself, at your current cultivation level, how long do you think you can last?"

"Let me give a simple example. If you do not have such a disgusting Skill like that Dragon Silencing Seal, then against that Legion Commander Shen Ji, you would not have any chance at all. He would not give you any chance to Devour any of his Heavenly Energy, and even if he didn't destroy you outright, he would be able to slowly wear you down just with the sheer advantage of Heavenly Energy. Even if you use the Dragon Silencing Seal, his Heavenly Energy is just too far above yours, you might not even be able to break through his plain Heavenly Energy protective shield. You have so many Skills, but are you really able to use all of them well? To most Heavenly Jewel Masters, we only have a few Skills, and each and every one of them are extremely precious, and we refine their usage over and over like a beaten metal in a forge. In this, you are still lacking much, especially the art of maximising your offensive power with the least possible usage of Energy. Conserving Heavenly Energy in battle, finding an opponent's weak points, those are not your strong points at the moment."

Hearing Shangguan Fei'er point out so many problems without hesitation, Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but stare in a daze, exclaiming sadly: "Do I have that many problems?!"

Shangguan Fei'er gave a humph and said: "Good medicine usually tastes bitter, and helpful words often grate upon the ear. All I have said is the truth. From my perspective, you have just too many problems at this moment, a lot to grow. With the power of your Skills currently, if you use them well, in theory I should not be a match for you. Yet, if you actually fight with me now, i have a seventy percent confidence of beating you, ninety percent confidence of killing you."

The chance of killing being higher than the chance of beating him was naturally due to the difference when one can fight without holding back.

Zhou Weiqing said in a dissatisfied tone: "Don't I have any good points at all…"

Shangguan Fei'er giggled and said: "Well, that's not true, your archery is not too bad. However, you still aren't up to your masters' standards, but with all your many powerful Skills, perhaps you are slightly stronger than them."

Zhou Weiqing lowered his head, silent.

Shangguan Fei'er looked at him from the side for a while before saying quietly: "Have you suffered a major blow?"

Zhou Weiqing glance at her and grinned, saying: "Your husband, I, have a very thick skin, how could I be taken down just like that? I was just thinking, in the next three months, how am I going to improve on all those problems you mentioned. I need to come up with a concrete and complete cultivation and training plan. In any case, before we enter the WanShou Empire, I need to grow much stronger."

Shangguan Fei'er gave him a roll of eyes, and before she turned to go, she said: "That's it then, I'm heading off first."

Zhou Weiqing watched her leave with a faint smile on his lips. He could tell that she truly cared for him, though she still could not pass that barrier in her heart. Zhou Weiqing did not think of himself as an indiscriminate rake, just one who had more love in his heart. Since she was not ready to accept it, then he would not press her and let her think things through on her own. However, no matter what, he would not give up on her. Ever since that day she had given up her life for him, Zhou Weiqing had resolved that he would not do so.

At this point, to Zhou Weiqing, the most important thing was still to increase his own power.

Now that he had completed and delegated most of the work, he could concentrate fully on cultivating and training. His own power was perhaps even more important than the Peerless Battalion. Simply put, if he was a Heavenly King Stage Heavenly Jewel Master now, he could just walk into the Heavenly Bow Empire now and free his father and godfather without any problems. In such a case, would he need to wait ten years? Need an army? Furthermore, the deterrence and threat that an absolute powerhouse brought was far beyond that of any army. If the Peerless Battalion wanted to have a name in the mainland, and they wanted to revive the Heavenly Bow Empire, they would need such an absolute powerhouse to lead them. In this case, Zhou Weiqing had no choice but to try to step up to that position.

As compared to love and relationships, training was far more important to Zhou Weiqing now. Although Shangguan Fei'er had been rather insulting to him, the words had pierced to the heart of the matter. Some of it had actually been known to Zhou Weiqing himself, but some were things that he had not been clear about. With the words of her as his guide, he was able to straighten his thoughts.

Without a doubt, she was right. He had more than enough Skills, but he was still not able to use them to their maximum potential, to wield them together as a cohesive unit. Without question, the first thing that Zhou Weiqing thought of was the Three Thousand Tempering Training method.

Combat experience, fighting skills and the ability to use Elemental Skills in such fights could be learned in actual fighting training. However, that had to be with a base of absolute understanding of that Skill. The Three Thousand Tempering Training method might be one that was tough and painful that made one want to die, but Zhou Weiqing had experienced its impressive effects as well.

He had previously used the Three Thousand Tempering Training method on a few Skills, and after that, the usage of that Skill had reached a whole different level. Now that the Peerless Battalion had stabilized, their training would undoubtedly bring the Peerless Battalion to greater strength. It was time for him to go through that once more.

As compared to the previous time he had underwent the Three Thousand Tempering Training method, he was now at the four Jeweled cultivation level. Without question, he would now be able to complete more Tempering in a shorter period of time.

Chapter 413: Three Months Training! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Having made the decision, Zhou Weiqing would not hesitate to begin. After arranging things simply, he began his first tempering training.

This time, Zhou Weiqing had set his mind and steeled his resolve. As long as it would not affect his body foundation, he would set each Three Thousand Tempering period to be at five days.

Ordinarily speaking, if a person did not eat and only drank water, his body could only last for seven days before perishing. Of course, for Heavenly Jewel Masters, that could extend up to perhaps fifteen days or more. However, in such a case, it would be extremely detrimental to the body, down to the foundation. Although Zhou Weiqing only chose a five day period, do not forget that he was going to continue doing this many times over.

Five days of cultivation, two days of rest and recuperation. That was the training schedule that Zhou Weiqing had set for himself. Each time he would focus on a single Skill, and after five days of tempering it, he would spend the day to let his body heal and re-nourish it, at the same time reflecting on the experiences of the past few days and what he had learned.The seventh day would be to deal with any administrative matters of the Peerless Battalion. As for the communication with the TianBei City and Lin TianAo, and any other things, he would leave it to Shangguan Fei'er.

Shangguan Fei'er would bring back any goods that Lin TianAo had bought, as well as any completed Consolidating Equipment Scrolls.

Zhou Weiqing began his arduous journey of training. He had four Jewels, six Attributes, twenty four Skills. Amongst the twenty four Skills, besides the few that had already gone through the Tempering, and a few that were not able to go through such training like the Dragon Silencing Seal, Demonic Dragon God Seal and the Time Reversal Skills, the rest needed the training. According to his training schedule of seven days per cycle, the three months would be just nice for him to temper his Skills once through.

When Zhou Weiqing first started on this training method, Shangguan Fei'er was still rather approving. The Thousand Tempering Method was known to all, but no one had such a great effect like Zhou Weiqing. After all, due to his Immortal Deity Technique caused his Heavenly Energy recovery rate to be far faster than any ordinary Heavenly Jewel Master, and he could use his Skills far faster than others. As such, he could complete the Tempering Training in just five days, and as long as he could withstand the torturous five days, the effect would be extremely great.

However, after just two cycles, Shangguan Fei'er's heart began to ache for him.

In just that two weeks, Zhou Weiqing had lost weight noticeably, though not emancipated, he was clearly a lot thinner, having lost at least five jin or more. Although he still looked energetic, the normally huge musculature of him seemed an entire size smaller.

Shangguan Fei'er had also tried to stop him from continuing, but deep in this hellish training, Zhou Weiqing refused to stop at all. She knew that once someone had set their resolve to undergo such a training, if they stopped it halfway, they would most likely be unable to muster the courage to go through it again. For Zhou Weiqing's sake, she could only hold herself back from stopping him forcibly, watching from the side with an aching heart.

However, she also tried to do her best to help with what she could.

Each tempering cycle of Zhou Weiqing's was seven days, and before every fifth day had ended, Shangguan Fei'er started to prepare food for him.

Normally, she would leave earlier, and no one else would know where she went, and she would return with a hunted Heavenly Beast and brew some meat stew for Zhou Weiqing, adding some ground Heavenly Core and some medicines that she had brought out from the Heaven's Expanse Palace. After which, she would make some simple porridge from the stew, so that the meat would be cooked until it was extremely soft. When Zhou Weiqing came out of his training, he would be immediately be greeted with a fragrant and delicious bowl of nourishing meat porridge, helping him recover.

Furthermore, while Zhou Weiqing was training, she would continuously help replenish the water if he finished it, and she also added some Heavenly Core mixture she had prepared, helping to keep him as nourished as possible during the process.

In this way, the severe slimming of Zhou Weiqing was reduced. Although he still grew skinnier, but with her detailed and thoughtful care, Zhou Weiqing remained much better after each cycle of training.

In such a way, three months passed by in a flash, and Zhou Weiqing's training had come to an end.

A long shrill cry rang out from Zhou Weiqing's tent, a ferocious roar like a tiger claiming ownership of a mountain. All the horses in the Peerless Battalion Camp fell to the ground, shuddering.

In the middle of teaching the Peerless Battalion soldiers, Shangguan Fei'er looked up with a look of pleased surprise on her face. Without hesitation, she ran towards Zhou Weiqing's tent. This was the last time, and she had already prepared the meat porridge earlier.

The Peerless Battalion soldiers in the midst of training immediately beamed happily, but none of them dared to laugh at Shangguan Fei'er. They were clear that everytime Zhou Weiqing completed a cycle of training, their drillmaster would be extremely happy, and today the last twenty five would be saved from a beating.

In this last three months, Shangguan Fei'er had already forged a position of absolute authority and respect in the Peerless Battalion, perhaps even above that of Zhou Weiqing. The ruffians of the Peerless Battalion were all utterly convinced in their hearts about Shangguan Fei'er's power, but the real reason why the were so willing to listen to Shangguan Fei'er was not just because of her power and violence, but more importantly because of what she had taught them.

In just three months, each and every one of the Peerless Battalion soldiers could clap their chests and guarantee that their close combat capabilities now were like heaven and earth compared to previously. Currently, no matter any one of the soldiers of the Peerless Battalion, if brought out to any of the normal armies, could definitely defeat any of their Company Leaders.

They had felt their strength and power grow and escalate as the days passed through the tough training. Although it was definitely tougher than anything they had experienced before, they could only accept it. Furthermore, the fighting styles that Shangguan Fei'er taught them seemed to have a great effect on Heavenly Energy cultivation, and many of the Physical Jewel Masters of the Peerless Battalion had actually advanced to their next stage of cultivation level.

As for the seven masters of the Heavenly Bow Unit, they too took turns to learn from Shangguan Fei'er. One could imagine how great the close combat skills that Shangguan Fei'er were teaching.

Not caring about shy about it, Shangguan Fei'er quickly ran back to the camp. From Zhou Weiqing's loud cry, she could easily tell that his Heavenly Energy had improved once more.

After all, after that previous 'accident', Zhou Weiqing's cultivation level had just raised up to the seventeenth stage, or the fifth stage of the Heavenly Shen Energy. At that level, it was already much slower to raise up each rank of Heavenly Energy. However, with the Immortal Deity Technique, Zhou Weiqing was definitely extremely 'disgusting', and just within this short three months, he had not only stabilized his fifth stage of Heavenly Shen Energy, he had actually broken through to the sixth stage! As such, he was only two stages away from the five-Jewel cultivation stage.

With just a quick comparison to herself regarding Zhou Weiqing's cultivation speed, she realised that after leaving the Heaven's Expanse Palace, she had not even raised a level of Heavenly Energy cultivation level. At that point, her Heavenly Energy was at the twenty seventh stage, just a single stage away from the seven-Jeweled stage. According to her own estimations, in order to breakthrough to that stage, it would take her at least half a year to a year to do so. Although that was because entering the Heavenly Xu Energy Stage meant each stage was even tougher and slower to raise, but she had already been at this stage for more than six months. Just from this alone, one could see how insanely fast Zhou Weiqing was raising his cultivation level. If he continued at such a speed, perhaps he would even reach the five-Jeweled stage within the year.

One Jewel per year… such a speed was definitely inconceivable to any Heavenly Jewel Masters!

Taking a step out of his tent, Zhou Weiqing felt his legs a little wobbly. After all, he hadn't eaten for five days, and no matter how nourishing the water was, it was still just water!

His nose twitched slightly, and he could smell the familiar scent of the meat porridge, and his stomach rumbled loudly in response.

"Dearest, come quick, I'm starving to death!"

Shangguan Fei'er carried a small pot of meat porridge as she walked towards him, saying: "You deserve it! Who asked you to train like that. Eat up." As she said that, she passed him a bowl of porridge.

"Ahh that smells so good… just a bit too little." Zhou Weiqing gulped down the entire bowl of porridge, which had already been brought down to the right temperature. Instantly, a warm feeling started to spread through his body. Although he did not know what Shangguan Fei'er had added to the porridge, he knew that the reason why he was able to raise a stage of Heavenly Energy in just three months was not just because of his tough training, but also because of the porridge and water she prepared for him for the past few months.

Shangguan Fei'er said: "You have not eaten for five days, how can you suddenly eat too much?" The small pot of meat porridge was the best essence of all the food and medicines, but it could only fill three small bowls. It would definitely not fill his stomach, but it was more meant to nourish and reawaken Zhou Weiqing's physiology. After a bit of time for recovery, he would be able to eat properly without harming himself.

Finishing the three bowls of porridge swiftly, Zhou Weiqing collapsed onto the ground, not caring about his image.

Shangguan Fei'er kept the bowls and pot, saying: "So, how did it all go? Did you finish training all your Skills?"

Zhou Weiqing said: "Yup, I did! I finally completed all the tempering. You were right indeed, I really had just too little understanding of all my Skills. This three months might have been a tough and torturous time, but it was definitely worth it. I feel like I have totally been reborn. Oh right, how has the registration for the trading to the WanShou Empire gone?"

Shangguan Fei'er said: "Relax, I personally went to look for that Legion Commander Shen Ji, and everything has been arranged properly. We can leave at any time, and I have also brought Lin TianAo and the others here to stay here in preparation."

Zhou Weiqing abruptly flipped himself over, pulling Shangguan Fei'er into his embrace and giving her a gentle kiss on the side of her beautiful face. "Dearest, you are really a great wife."

Getting kissed so suddenly, Shangguan Fei'er blushed a deep pink, struggling a bit but not succeeding in breaking free, she gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "You haven't bathed for five days, so stinky! Hurry up and go bathe. Since you have finished your training, you'll need to be updated on the status of the Peerless Battalion. I'll go get the others."

Zhou Weiqing had just eaten the delicious porridge and the warm feeling was making him feel rather lazy, but he knew he had to get up to wash up and he clambered to his feet.

Shangguan Fei'er walked away a few steps, then stopped suddenly. Turning around abruptly, she said to him: "There is something else I have to tell you, someone has come from the Heaven's Expanse Palace."

"En?" Zhou Weiqing exclaimed in surprise: "They already know you are here?"

Chapter 414: Three Months Training! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Shangguan Fei'er said: "Naturally they did not know I was here before coming. However, having someone from the Heaven's Expanse Palace appear at the borders is extremely serious, and the northern command had reported it above to the command. After all, it is a very sensitive issue for someone from the Great Saint Lands to enter the border wars. Furthermore, there is the possibility that it was someone masquerading as one from the Heaven's Expanse Palace, how could they not send someone?"

Zhou Weiqing furrowed his brow. This was not a good sign. After all, he did not know what the Heaven's Expanse Palace would do once they knew he was here, up to no good. Any half-intelligent person would be able to tell that a person like him, from a conquered Empire, training the soldiers from the Ruffian Battalion, was up to something indeed. Even with his connection to Bing'er, the Heaven's Expanse Palace might not do anything against him, but they might not support him like that.

Shangguan Fei'er giggled and said: "Alright, you don't need to think so much. My Father and Uncle won't quibble over just a thousand men. They aren't so petty or shortsighted. Our ZhongTian Army numbers over two million soldiers, this thousand men does not count for much. Furthermore, haven't you realised that they have been trying to draw you in to our side? Otherwise, the previous time when you ruined our chances in the Lustre Spatial Realm to get the dragon egg, would they let you off so easily? That only shows that they look upon you even more favourably than a dragon's egg."

Zhou Weiqing started and a small smile crossed his lips and he said: "Hmm, so… that means your husband is hot property eh!"

"Cheh, whose husband are you? Let me warn you … you better watch yourself. This time, Big Bro Zhan is here. I gave the excuse that I am keeping an eye on you in order to stay here. When you see him later, you better show some restraint, he does not have any liking towards you."

"Zhan LingTian?" Zhou Weiqing's heart skipped a beat. He did not like that fellow either. "His wounds are all healed?"

Shangguan Fei'er nodded and said: "Since they did not know who was here, Father specially sent Big Bro Zhan, who had just recovered from his wounds. He has already been here for about a month, but I was afraid of affecting your training, so I did not tell you before this."

Zhou Weiqing felt a migraine coming on as soon as he heard it was Zhan LingTian who came here. He knew that that fellow hated his guts, and was one of the top of the younger generation of the Heaven's Expanse Palace. Even against Shangguan Fei'er, he could hold his own.

"He wants to bring you back?" Zhou Weiqing asked the question that was currently worrying him the most.

Shangguan Fei'er gave a humph, saying: "Whatever this young lady wants to do, he can't stop me. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

"Good, good. I would not be able to bear for my Fei'er to leave me." Zhou Weiqing beamed happily. As long as Shangguan Fei'er did not leave with Zhan LingTian, he did not really care who came here.

Shangguan Fei'er continued: "Alright, hurry up go and go bathe. I will go call everyone here."

…

Zhou Weiqing took a quick and simple cold water bath. For the Peerless Battalion, the only thing they had no lack of was definitely water, with several underground wells, even in the deep harsh winter, the wells would not freeze over; otherwise, the Ruffian Battalion would have perished a long time ago. Zhou Weiqing's tunnel planning was purposely designed to include those wells and making sure they were well protected.

By the time Zhou Weiqing returned to his tent, Shangguan Fei'er had brought the entire group there. However, she did not call Zhan LingTian. After all, some of the secrets of the Peerless Battalion were not for his eyes and ears.

Lin TianAo, Dou Dou, Yun Li, Wei Feng, Hua Feng were all here. Due to the small size of the tent, Shangguan Fei'er did not call everyone to the tent.

"Master Hua Feng." Zhou Weiqing greeted him first.

Hua Feng smiled faintly, looking Zhou Weiqing up and down before saying: "A lot thinner, but you have managed to keep your powers well hidden. Not bad, looks like you have quite a good improvement over the last three months."

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Of course, your great disciple is definitely outstanding! How is everyone's archery?"

Hua Feng said: "A lot better than I had expected. These soldiers of your Peerless Battalion are old experienced hands, and they have a pretty decent foundation of skills. Furthermore, your reward and punishment system is really quite good. After the past few months of training, their basic accuracy should be no problem. Furthermore, most of them have a Heavenly Energy base, and they should be accurate to about a three hundred yard distance. Some of the better skilled ones have a range of about five hundred yards."

Hearing Hua Feng's words, joy overwhelmed Zhou Weiqing. With Hua Feng's level of skill in archery, for him to give any amount of praise, that would mean they definitely had an acceptable accuracy against moving targets. For the Peerless Battalion soldiers to accomplish this in three months, that was already really good.

Zhou Weiqing turned to Shangguan Fei'er and asked: "What about your side?"

Shangguan Fei'er said: "Still alright… one hundred and sixty nine men improved their Heavenly Energy, of which thirty one actually increased one Jewel. All of them have at least improved drastically in terms of reaction time, and overall close combat skills. At least, they are no longer a heap of loose sand 1. They are still not fully adept at fighting together though, but it is definitely a good improvement. If those Physical Jewel Masters can get a full set of Consolidated Equipment, they will be an impressive force that cannot be dismissed easily."

"So many people raised in rank?" Although the Peerless Battalion soldiers were all at a relatively low stage and it was much easier for them to rank up, for so many of them to be able to do so in such a short period of time was something Zhou Weiqing had not expected. Shangguan Fei'er was from the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and her eyes and vision were extremely high. If she said that they were a force that were not to be dismissed, one could imagine how much the Ruffian Battalion had grown in this time.

Lin TianAo said: "I've left Little Four and Drunken Bao back at the TianBei City to take care of things. The armour we ordered to be custom made still needs quite some time to complete, but the first batch of a hundred sets is done and in the midst of shipping; it should reach the TianBei City soon. As they are rather large to ship, we will be moving them in batches. Since the northern army command had sent us the bows and arrows, we have no lack of that. I brought five hundred thousand gold along this time, that should be enough to take care of any training requirements for a long time, and I've passed it to Big Bro Wei to take care of it."

Lin TianAo had always been stable and dependable, and Zhou Weiqing could always set his mind at ease when he was in charge of something.

Wei Feng smiled and picked up the conversation: "The digging of the tunnels is going well; currently the few main tunnels have already been connected, and a few of the hidden ventilation shafts have also been well done, some connected directly to tree patches in the jungle. Unless someone knows about it beforehand, otherwise it should be nearly impossible to discover. With those ventilation shafts, even if our entire Battalion moves to live in the tunnels, there should be no problems. However, we are still continuing the expansion, giving us more space to use. In terms of water supply, we have already managed to connect one of the wells to part of our tunnels. With such preparations, along with all the stored food we have, by the time the WanShou Army attacks this year, we should have a far easier time in comparison. Oh right, after these few days of various rewards, the total gold spent is…"

Zhou Weiqing waved his hand and said: "You don't have to report the amount of gold spent to me, I leave this to you. As long as you think there will be a good effect, you can add rewards and punishments as you see fit."

Wei Feng looked at Zhou Weiqing, clearly touched. "Battalion Commander, ever since you arrived, I may not say that our Peerless Battalion has become so cohesive, but at least everyone is so much livelier and … alive. All these years I have been with the Ruffian Battalion, I have never spent such a fulfilling time like these past few months. Although every day is so busy, I just feel like everything is filled with hope. Most of our brothers also feel the same like me, and all of this was brought by you. Do not worry, even if there was no profit or gain, no matter what you asked us all to do, no one would dare to be against it, otherwise I too won't let them off."

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Profit is still a must. Furthermore, I still want to let our brothers enjoy the fruits of labour. What you need to instil in them is that no matter what, our lives are always the most important, because our lives are worth everything. No matter what, if we die, and we have the money but aren't able to spend it, won't it be so painful?"

Wei Feng nodded. He was growing to admire that nature of Zhou Weiqing. As a Battalion Commander, he would only take care of the overall direction, not fussing over every tiny detail, allowing his men to take care of that. That… was the mark of a good leader.

Yun Li said: "Myself and Dou Dou do not have any problems. The longbow Consolidating Equipment Scrolls you requested, we have already prepared three hundred sets. As for the Wings, we have also completed one hundred and fifty sets.

We also did a few Grandmaster Consolidating Equipment Scrolls. These may not be too tough to complete, but they cost a lot of materials, some quite expensive. Along with the titanium alloy armour you custom ordered, and calculating the time and cost, your money can only last us half a year. It's up to you."

If they were to see who was the most pleased with themselves over the past few months, it would definitely be Yun Li. Everyday, creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls together with Dou Dou, he felt full of strength and motivation. With all this time working together, he felt like he was falling for her more and more. Although this Little Miss Muddle was just as muddleheaded about emotions and feelings as everything else, these few months had definitely brought her closer to Yun Li. At the same time, creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls together with Dou Dou had also let him learn so much from her. After all, Dou Dou was the disciple of the greatest Consolidating Equipment Master in the world, and she did not have any thoughts of hiding anything from him. Yun Li's skill in creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls could be said to have improved by leaps and bounds. Although he still had some distance to go to reach Dou Dou's standards, such an improvement gave him the confidence that Zhou Weiqing could never catch up with him, how could he not feel pleased with himself? At the same time, Dou Dou was also getting closer to becoming a Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Master, and he trusted that she would do so very soon.

Despite hearing that so many Consolidating Equipment Scrolls had been completed, Zhou Weiqing was not too overly excited. With Dou Dou and Yun Li's skill level, creating these relatively simple High Level Consolidating Equipment Scrolls were rather easy for them, and it was all within his expectations.

However, these same words in Wei Feng's ears had a totally different effect. Four… almost five hundred Consolidating Equipment Scrolls! Even if the Consolidating Equipment Pavilion were to try to provide that, it would not be so easy. With these two Consolidating Equipment Masters in addition to Zhou Weiqing, the future of the Peerless Battalion definitely had a very promising future ahead. This gave him even further confidence in Zhou Weiqing, firming his resolve to follow him no matter what.

After hearing Yun Li's words, Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "It looks like our Peerless Battalion is growing very well! We still have six more months before the annual major invasion of the WanShou Empire, and I hope that by that time, our Peerless Battalion can be in fighting shape.