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Chapter 457: Highest Level of the Demonic Change State!
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
However, it wasn't long before Long Shiya and Duan Tianlang were given the surprise. The first was the sheer offensive capabilities and killing strength of the Peerless Battalion archers.
Seeing row after row of Consolidated Bows shooting out arrows at lightning speed, how could Long Shiya not understand that almost the entire force of thousand soldiers of the Peerless Battalion were all Jewel Masters!
To a Heavenly Emperor powerhouse like him, an ordinary Jewel Master was almost nothing, pretty much like an ordinary person, a mere ant when compare to him. However, with over a thousand ordinary Jewel Masters gathered together, the sheer combined forces they could bring into play was definitely startling. The rain of arrows they were showering upon the Swift Wolf Regiment was indeed proof of that.
The next surprise that came to them was the tactics used. The trench of fire that had been prepared, able to efficiently block the enemy's charge while taking down the officers' mounts. Zhou Weiqing's ferocity and how he had actually managed to block a nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master… all of that was totally out of Long Shiya's expectations. Originally, he did not really like the fact that Zhou Weiqing had Stored so many Skills, but when he truly saw Zhou Weiqing in action with his full power, only then did he realise that with the help of the Demonic Change State and his own proper usage and compatible integration, Zhou Weiqing was able to make full use of the advantage of his many Attributes. Making use of his opponent underestimating him, he was able to bring the surprise and unleash his greatest power in a short period of time.
Even at that point, Long Shiya still did not believe that the Peerless Battalion would succeed to the end. After all, the Wolf Cavalry Soldiers still numbered more than eight thousand and were starting to route around the fire trenches. Once they reached melee range, even if all the Peerless Battalion soldiers were Jewel Masters, they were mostly at a single Jeweled cultivation, with maybe a few at two-Jeweled. Facing the charge of the powerful Wolf Cavalry soldiers, it was doubtful they could hold their ground.
Yet, once again, Long Shiya was quickly proven wrong. When he saw the three hundred Peerless Battalion Air Force soldiers appear in the skies, there was only shock and admiration left in his eyes. What kind of unique thinking that was to bring out the latent potential in such an army troop! Instantly, Long Shiya knew that Zhou Weiqing definitely had the support of some Consolidating Equipment Masters, otherwise how could he possibly get so many Consolidating Equipment Scrolls to create such an army.
The Peerless Battalion Air Force, their arrows and the javelins, not only were they extremely efficient in killing, they were also able to buy enough time for their allies to retreat safely. In the end, the Swift Wolf Regiment did not dare to pursue them and had to retreat, licking their wounds with a terrifying forty percent loss.
Total Victory. No other term could describe it. This was a true victory belonging to an unheard of, fully ranged army troop. Tactics, Strategy, Personal Strength. In this entire fight, it could be said that all three had played their own major roles, and the Peerless Battalion had made use of their strengths to perfection, defeating their opponents in a crushing fashion.
Long Shiya knew from Zhou Weiqing that he had only been in the northern borders for about half year. In half a year, being able to form such an army and having them grow to such a height… if he was really given sufficient time, what would this Peerless Battalion end up becoming? Would they become even more disgusting? All of a sudden, Long Shiya felt as if he had a fresh feeling of anticipation, something that he had not felt in over several dozen years. More importantly, this Peerless Battalion Battalion Commander was his own disciple!
All his life, Long Shiya had been a lone ranger, learning, fighting and living on his own out in the world. Yet, when he witnessed Zhou Weiqing's Peerless Battalion fighting together on the battlefield, he suddenly felt as if commanding a troop in battle was actually an interesting thing after all. As such, he did not mind aiding his disciple in improving the Peerless Battalion and making them stronger.
"With only five to six thousand men, will it be too few? After all, you will be facing one of the first rate Empires in the entire Mainland. Although the Bai Da Empire is not comparable to the top end Empires like the ZhongTian Empire, its army still numbers at least five hundred thousand or more, and the amount of powerhouses they have cannot be underestimated. With just the few thousand men you plan to have, I'm afraid it's not enough to fight against an entire Empire like that." Long Shiya said.
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "If my aim was to conquer them, it is naturally not enough. However, if we are just trying to damage and hurt them, I feel it is more than sufficient. Indeed, they have many men, but what use is a ragtag band no matter how much they number? No matter how many rabbits swarm an adult male lion in his prime, they cannot kill it. The greatest advantage of our small numbers is our speed and flexible movements. You have already seen for yourself how my Peerless Battalion is mainly ranged combat… and the true reason I plan to give them all the Consolidated Wings is just so that in case we meet any foes we cannot fight, we can easily run away. At the same time, we can easily choose where we want to fight, able to switch battlegrounds at our will. In a single day, we can appear in various different places to fight just from our sheer mobility. In such a case, as long as the Bai Da Empire does not have any troop like us, it will be impossible for them to stop us and wipe us out."
Long Shiya said: "So… how do you plan to continue training these men in the future?"
Zhou Weiqing replied: "That Legion Commander Shen Ji already promised to send me the rest of the northern army Ruffian Battalions, and I estimate that it will bring our total numbers up to more than four thousand, maybe five thousand. That is a sufficient number, just right by my calculations. What comes next will be to go all out in forging them into not individual fighters, but a great unit. I need to ensure that all their interests are linked to mine, and also to constantly improve their personal strength. Once their teamwork and morale is up to speed, and they are able to fight together, then our main focus will be to improve everyone's personal strength. If one day, all my Peerless Battalion soldiers can reach the pinnacle of their Physical or Elemental Jewels, then I can easily sweep through any Empire."
Long Shiya examined Zhou Weiqing closely for a moment, but in his eyes, Long Shiya did not see any vast ambition, just a strong fighting spirit. Indeed, Zhou Weiqing was not a man with much ambition, but all he wanted to do was to revive him Empire. Yet, someone like him, if he truly accomplished what he had just set out to achieve, then perhaps he would become a Legend and a Myth in his own right…"
"Little Fatty, just go ahead according to your plan, teacher will support you. In this world, as long as you dare to think and try, there will always be opportunity and chances that arise. Who knows… perhaps in a few dozen years time, you will create the Sixth Great Saint Land in the mainland."
Great Saint Land? Upon hearing those words, Zhou Weiqing started. He had not expected that his teacher would look so highly upon him. Seeing Long Shiya's smiling face, he couldn't help but grin and say: "Heh heh, Master, if I were to really create a new Great Saint Lands, then you would become the Grand Founding Forefather!"
"Hahaha!" Long Shiya might not have spent a lot of time with Zhou Weiqing, but compared to many of those who had been with him for a long time, he actually understood this little rascal very well.
"Buttering me up like that, are you trying to con me again? Don't even think about it! When I said I will support you, it is morally and spiritually, not materially. Little brat, I have already given you my entire life fortune, you better not splurge it all at once. Upkeeping a huge army with that may be impossible, but to sustain your five thousand men for a few dozen years should not be a problem."
Zhou Weiqing was slightly embarrassed, saying in an abashed tone: "Teacher, I'm not asking you for money, you have already given me more than enough. However, as you see, though my Peerless Battalion's overall strength is still alright, but we just lack true powerhouses. Now, I have a few Heavenly Jewel Masters who have just Awakened, but they are still at the single-Jeweled stage. However, their latent potential would be the highest amongst the entire Battalion… if Teacher can give them a few pointers, then they would benefit greatly from it for life."
Long Shiya said exasperatedly: "I just knew you little brat would not be so good. Still, although those men are Heavenly Jewel Masters, they are much older than you, and their Heavenly Jewels are only just Awakened. There is definitely no hope for them to break through the Heavenly King Stage. Are you trying to make me waste my effort?"
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Just some simple pointers… even if you really wanted to teach them seriously, I would be the one who would be unwilling! I can be a jealous disciple!"
Long Shiya couldn't help but laugh at that. "Alright alright, I get it. Simple pointers, do you really need me? What are you for then? Also, there is that Heaven's Expanse Palace little girl, you two are more than enough to teach them."
As he spoke up to that point, Long Shiya suddenly grew very serious and he said solemnly: "Weiqing, there is one thing I have to warn you. By creating such an army, you will definitely run into problems… that is jealousy."
"Jealousy?" Zhou Weiqing started. "What do you mean, teacher? Why jealousy?"
Long Shiya said solemnly: "Do you know the true reason why the Heavenly Demon Sect has always been discriminated against and suppressed so hard by the other Great Saint Lands? Do you really think it is because they are unable to control their Demonic Change State or are inherently evil? In this world, there is one rule that always remains constant. The victors are the good guys, and the losers are always the evil side. So what if a power tends to the evil side? Does it mean a person with the Evil Attribute cannot do good? Or vice versa? The true reason why the Heavenly Demon Sect has always been suppressed to such a degree, that they have become the weakest of the Great Saint Lands, and never been able to grow past that... it is because the Demonic Change State is just too powerful, so powerful that all the other four Great Saint Lands were jealous of it. Not just jealous, but also afraid that if the Heavenly Demon Sect would grow to surpass them and stomp them below their feet."
"This same principle can apply to your current position. By forming an entire army of several thousand Jewel Masters… do you really think you will not strike fear and jealousy into others' hearts? As soon as your men grow past a certain strength, it will be certain to invoke jealousy in some others' hearts, and it will only grow stronger and stronger. In fact, there is only one single way to solve this problem."
"What method?" Hearing Long Shiya's words, fear gripped Zhou Weiqing's heart. His teacher's words struck true to the heart, and he knew that this was the voice of experience speaking, and this was something very real that he had not thought about previously.
A bright light gleamed in Long Shiya's eyes and he said: "As the saying goes, only a useless person will never evoke jealousy from others. That solution is simple, but not easy. You, as the leader and main dominant force of the Peerless Battalion… must be powerful, sufficiently powerful enough. Only when one day your personal power reaches my level or beyond, then can your Peerless Battalion truly become a Great Saint Lands."
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Why not Master takes the lead then, and be our figurehead and powerhouse, and you can be the leader of the Great Saint Lands too!"
Long Shiya looked at his little disciple with a bit of a headache. "You think too much. I have already seen through you, little brat, you do not have any whit of ambition in you. If not for the fact that your home, your Empire, and your family had such a terrible thing happen to them, I would guess that at most you would only cultivate and train by yourself, and not attempt to build up such a force."
Zhou Weiqing scratched his head sheepishly and said: "It is as teacher said… though I do hope that I can strengthen my homeland Empire to a sufficient degree."
Long Shiya said: "Alright, you already understand all the underlying principles and dangers, and I do not need to talk too much anymore. The reason why I mention all this to you is to let you work harder, and improve as fast as you can. Before the age of thirty, you must definitely break through the Heavenly King Stage. Only then do you have enough time to handle to difficulty of cultivation which you will face after reaching the Heavenly King Stage."
Zhou Weiqing quickly agreed.
Long Shiya continued: "From now on, you will train under me for sixteen hours, and the remaining eight hours will be for you to rest or handle your Peerless Battalion matters."
"Sixteen hours!?" Zhou Weiqing stared at Long Shiya with his jaw agape, thinking to himself that it was absolutely too much. After all, it was not just simple meditation and cultivation if he was learning from his master. Although he already had previous experience in such tough training methods when he went through the Three-Thousand Tempering Training, that previous time was because his hand was forced. Yet, it seemed like his teacher was saying that he would have to do this from now on for the foreseeable future.
——
Highest Level of the Demonic Change State! (2)
Long Shiya totally ignored his protests, saying passively: "We will start now. Today, let's first talk about your Demonic Change State."
Zhou Weiqing started once more, this time more in curiosity. His teacher was not focusing on the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, instead focusing on the Demonic Change State?"
Long Shiya said: "Do you think that your current manipulation of your Stored Skills is not bad?"
Zhou Weiqing scratched his head and grinned: "It is alright, right?"
Long Shiya said passively: "Little brat, remember my words clearly: Pride will cause one to stop improving, to even deteriorate. Remember this, as long as you have the will, there is no limit to improving any ability. Watch this."
As he said that, Long Shiya flicked his wrist, and a Wind Blade appeared on his palm, consolidated and solid almost like a real blade. At the same time, his own Heavenly Skill Image appeared.
"What do you think about this Wind Blade of mine? Is it already at the maximum that the Wind Blade can reach?"
Zhou Weiqing nodded without hesitation and said: "Of course, this is a Wind Blade that can be favourably compared to a Heavenly God Tier Skill."
Long Shiya smiled faintly and said: "Look again."
As he said that, Zhou Weiqing was shocked to see green light shimmer around Long Shiya's surface skin, staining his entire body with the green, mixed with several flickers of a metallic glow. The Heavenly Skill Image above his head also shimmered slightly and seemed to grow clearer, more solid.
Along with the changes in his body, the Wind Blade in Long Shiya's palm also started to change. It was still as well formed and solid as ever, but it rapidly grew larger. In a moment, it had almost doubled in size.
"What about now? How would this Wind Blade compare to the one before?" Long Shiya looked at Zhou Weiqing and asked.
By this moment, how could Zhou Weiqing not understand what his teacher was trying to convey. Respectfully, he said: "I understand the lesson now. As long as we keep on training, practicing and improving, with greater Heavenly Energy backing it up and improvement in technique, there is no limit to any Skill. The so-called limit is just the limit of our own cognition and perception, or perhaps preconceived notions."
Long Shiya nodded in satisfaction. Teaching an intelligent disciple was definitely an enjoyable task.
"Very good. Alright then, now tell me about your experience and understanding of this Demonic Change State Skill." The Wind Blade in Long Shiya's palm disappeared at once, as if that little object that held the terrifying power to level an entire hill never existed in the first place.
Zhou Weiqing nodded his head and said: "The Demonic Change State arises from the union of a bloodline power and the Demonic Attribute, the body is stimulated by the Demonic Attribute Heavenly Energy, evoking and triggering some unknown power in my bloodline… from there it instantly boosts the user's body. Strength, defense, offense… almost every single attribute is raised substantially, even my senses become far more acute. Also, I am able to use the bloodline aura to frighten some weaker Heavenly Beasts. Once in the Demonic Change State, I am able to always unleashed a hundred twenty percent of my power in combat; at the same time all my Demonic Attribute and Darkness Attribute Skills seem to have some additive power to them. For example, my Dark Demon God Lightning… with my current cultivation level, I can only actually use it to its full effect when I am in the Demonic Change State."
Long Shiya did not even bat an eyelid as he continued: "Alright, then of all of the powers you mentioned the Demonic Change State provides, which is the most important one?"
Zhou Weiqing started in surprise, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words. From his perspective, every single one of the powers the Demonic Change State granted him was extremely important. When he used the Demonic Change State in actual combat, even without considering his powerful Skills and his own powerful physique, it already enabled him to fight equally against an opponent with one more Heavenly Jewel. That was to say, the Demonic Change State could be said to be 'giving him' an extra Heavenly Jewel worth of power, just without the extra Skill. In complement to his six Attributes, his vast array of powerful Skills and Legendary Set Consolidated Equipment… that was the reason why he was able to defeat so many enemies of much higher level than himself. Of course, a lot of it was also due to luck and being underestimated, it was without question that his unique, strange Skills and the Demonic Change State had all been a major factor in those victories.
However, if he really had to rate all the various powers the Demonic Change State granted him, and to state which was the most useful, he was truly unable to do so. Even the Heavenly Demon Sect's Demonic Manual did not mention anything about such a thing.
"You're unable to pinpoint it right?" Long Shiya continued solemnly after a pause. "Remember this carefully. The most important boost that the Demonic Change State grants you is not the obvious power, defense, or even what it grants to your Demonic or Darkness Skills. It is the perception and sensory boost."
"Perception?" Zhou Weiqing was rather surprised. He had truly not expected the answer to be along this line of thinking.
Long Shiya nodded and said seriously: "That's right. Perception, or your senses. Think back in detail, whenever you enter the Demonic Change State, when you are facing your enemies, aren't you able to better focus and easily sense the changes in your enemy's attack patterns and movements? Also, your control over your body, your Energy and your Skills, it is much clearer. Lastly, you are much better able to find any weak points in your enemies, especially in between their Skill usage and compatibility."
Zhou Weiqing thought for a moment, before realising that it was all true.
Long Shiya gave a cold laugh and said: "The true reason why the Four Great Saint Lands discriminate against the Heavenly Demon Sect is because of that ice cold perception. All those that I mention will allow a person to always be able to use his capabilities at a hundred and twenty percent, to reduce the chances of mistakes and yet capitalize on your enemies' ones. This is not something that just strength, defense, offense, or Skills can bring to you. And this is what we term the 'Ice Cold Perception', and the true strength it brings…
In this state of 'Ice Cold Perception', not only will your judgement of both sides' strength will improve, it will help you in choosing and using what Skills to use, judgement of the battleground and clarity in your surroundings and everything happening at once. Even if you lapse in consciousness, your personal strength can still be subconsciously brought into play at full power. However, in your previous usage of the Demonic Change State, it can be said that you have slightly neglected this most important tool it has provided, and as such you have not fully made use of the Demonic Change State."
Zhou Weiqing's heart was struck by a thought, and he said: "The Heavenly Demon Sect had once let me read their Demonic Manual to try and get me on their side… however, there was no mention of this at all in that Demonic Manual."
Long Shiya laughed heartily and said: "The true power of the 'Ice Cold Perception', and how to improve it… that is the absolute core secret of the entire Heavenly Demon Sect. Unless you actually join them and become part of their core members, how could they possibly reveal it to you? Although the Heavenly Demon Sect is the weakest of the Five Great Saint Lands, none of the other four would underestimate them. In the Heavenly Demon Sect, there may not be many members who actually have the ability to use the Demonic Change State, at most over twenty people. Out of those, there are probably only six or seven who have reached the Heavenly King Stage or higher. Even so, with just these few powerhouses who are able to enter the Demonic Change State, even if they face off against ordinary Heavenly Emperors, they can still hold their own. According to conventional thinking, a Great Saint Lands requires at least one Heavenly Emperor Stage powerhouse to hold the fort, yet the Heavenly Demonly Sect does not have a single one, and even their Sect Master is at the Max Level of the Heavenly King Stage. Yet, even if I were to face off against him, if he went all out without caring about his own life, although he will not be able to defeat me easily, if I wanted to kill him, he would have a forty percent chance of dragging me into hell along with him… Do you know how terrifying that is… how massive the gap between the max level Heavenly King Stage and max level Heavenly Emperor Stage is? I can tell you accurately that the difference between the two is just like the gap between you currently with a Heavenly King Stage powerhouse. From the Heavenly King Stage onwards, each small stage is a major power increase, let alone the large stage. In such a circumstance, for the Demonic Change State to enable him to somewhat close that gap, you can imagine how terrifying that is… and why the other Four Great Saint Lands are so afraid of the Heavenly Demon Sect."
At this moment, Zhou Weiqing felt unbelievably lucky in his heart, not because he had the Demonic Change State, but because he had a teacher like Long Shiya. It just felt so good to have a teacher to teach him and guide him on to the right path, allowing him to refrain from making wrong turns and mistakes.
"Master, then how should I practice this 'Ice Cold Perception'? How do I bring the Demonic Change State to the maximum?"
Long Shiya fell silent for a moment as he lapsed into thought, before he said: "I once duelled with the Heavenly Demon Sect Sect Master and defeated him. However, it gave me the chance to witness the maximum power of the Demonic Change State… which is not having Demonic Change State…"
"Wha–?!" Zhou Weiqing's eyes widened, his jaw agape. That answer had truly stunned him.
Long Shiya said: "What I mean by not having the Demonic Change State, could also be called a permanent-state Demonic Change State. That is to say, when one has trained the Demonic Change State to the maximum, on the surface you do not have any change, but your body is already permanently in the Demonic Change State." "This is the true maximum level of the Demonic Change State, but as for how to reach it, I'm afraid that only the core members of the Heavenly Demon Sect would know this. Perhaps, this is something you have to fumble your way around to figure out… or maybe when you reach the Heavenly King Stage, you will be able to sense some clues and traces on how this will come to be. However, the link between the maximum level of the Demonic Change State and the 'Ice Cold Perception' is only in the sustaining of it forever, but the true profound secret in actually improving 'Ice Cold Perception' is in the training your mental and spiritual force."
"What determines the strength of our perception and senses is actually our mental and spiritual force. The 'Ice Cold Perception' of the Demonic Change State is actually just using your body to consolidate your spirit and increase your sensory perceptions. As such, to improve the 'Ice Cold Perception', the main focus is to increase your spiritual energy. Out of the four Saint Attributes, Time, Spirit, Divine and Demonic, I do not even have one, but you actually have two of them! The best way to train your spiritual energy will be to to stay in the center of a spiritual force field, constantly being battered by outside spiritual energy forces, from weak to strong, constantly using that external stimulation to let your own spiritual energy grow."
At this point, Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but ask: "Master, in that case, the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers of the Heavenly Snow Mountain two Saint Attributes, the Divine and Spirit Attributes. Doesn't that mean their sensory perception is also extremely strong? They would not be weaker than the Demonic Change State in that case right?"
Long Shiya said with a hint of surprise in his voice. "Not bad, you little rascal, you even know about the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger, you know quite a lot for your level! Actually, I was just about to say that if you want to improve your spiritual energy, you will actually need to ascend the Heavenly Snow Mountain. I have fought a few times with that old fellow on the Heavenly Snow Mountain, and have grown to have a slight friendship from that. As for your question, that is a good question indeed. Your guess is right, the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers of the Heavenly Snow Mountain also have extremely strong perceptions. However, their perception is improved through a spiritual force field, and they can use that extended senses to activate their attacks. On the other hand, the 'Ice Cold Perception' of the Demonic Change State is more towards a supportive role that is like a passive effect than an active one. The key phrase are the words 'Ice Cold', to be in the calmest coldest state to utilise one's senses. It can be said that both have their own benefits and advantages compared to the other. After all, the Divine Attribute is also a Saint Attribute."
Zhou Weiqing had a bitter look on his face: "I doubt I can actually ascend the Heavenly Snow Mountain to train right…" As he spoke those words, he suddenly thought of Tian'er, about that night, and his heart fluttered. However, he knew very clearly that with his current power, he did not have the qualification to ascend the Heavenly Snow Mountain to look for Tian'er."
Long Shiya laughed heartily and said: "Well, there is another simpler method to train the 'Ice Cold Perception', but at the same time it is much less efficient and a lot slower. That is, you constantly maintain the Demonic Change State, to constantly feel and experience the 'Ice Cold Perception' while in that state and all the various intricacies, learning all you can about it. At the same time, when you are cultivating and training normally, you can do so while in the Demonic Change State, for as long as you can."
…
—————
Highest Level of the Demonic Change State! (3)
"My Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts is split into several large attainment states. The first is mimicking, that is the one you have barely stepped into. The second state is compression, for this you have also started learning the basis. However, your learning was not in an orderly, gradual and structured manner, and this is not a good thing. As such, I need you to focus on training on the mimicking stage to the maximum in the following time when you are training with me. Your first step is to bring your mimicking to the absolute max. That is to say, whatever your cultivation stage is at, you must be able to mimic all the Skills of your Attributes that your cultivation stage can handle, and be able to swap around freely."
Zhou Weiqing said: "Master, what other attainment states are behind then?"
Long Shiya said: "Mimic, compress, next up is control. Once those Skills you mimic are compressed, their power is naturally increased exponentially, and their Star Rating is also increased. By this point, it will be the main test of your control over your Skills. As compared to Stored Skills, mimicking Skills have a much greater requirement on your control, not just while mimicking, but also the fact that when you are attacking, you need to make those Skills become an extension of your body. If you are able to reach this third attainment stage, then you will be considered having the first step of success in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts. The next will be the fourth attainment stage, sublimation and evolving, and this much more intricate and involves many profound mysteries. On the surface level, it is about letting a Skill evolve constantly, and at this point, you need to make some difficult choices."
"For those of us at the Heavenly Emperor Stage, in truth we do not use many Skills, just a few. However, each and every one of those thoroughly tempered and well-seasoned, with countless of possibilities and myriad changes. After all, no matter how many Skills you have, if you are facing a powerhouse, what is the point if you do not have the chance to use them all? As such, when it comes to the Heavenly King Stage and beyond, the greatest aspiration of all Skills is to be instant-cast. Simply put, let's say we are at equal levels and you have a Heavenly God Tier Skill, but I only have a mere five Star Rated Skill. However, when we fight, I use my Skill to instantly kill you, what is the point of your Heavenly God Tier Skill then? That is the reason why up to a certain power level, the true powerhouses will be pursuing the increase of power of Skills with the premise that they have to be instant-cast. In a fight against such equals, not only is the control of your own Skills of utmost importance, the control of the battlefield and control of your opponents in not allowing them to gather power and unleash spells. All of that is necessary."
Without question, all that Long Shiya was describing was opening a whole new world to Zhou Weiqing, giving him a sudden enlightenment towards his future, to know the path towards being a true powerhouse in the future and the direction his cultivation and training had to take.
"Teacher, what are we waiting for then? Please start guiding me now. How about this, I will learn and practice your Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts under your guidance while still maintaining the Demonic Change State. In this way, not only can I gain experience in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, the increase in senses will also help in that factor. At the same time, I can also train in my Demonic Change State and the 'Ice Cold Perception'. As long as I keep in mind and remember all the various changes of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts while in the Demonic Change State, it will also help me improve in my normal usage outside of it."
Long Shiya laughed heartily and said: "Very good, you are indeed a promising student. That is exactly what I was about to ask you to do. Your resting time will be when your Heavenly Energy is not enough to maintain the Demonic Change State, and you can meditate and recover during that period."
"Yes!"
…
Long Shiya began to officially start teaching and guiding Zhou Weiqing in his cultivation. As for the training of the Peerless Battalion soldiers, it was still left to Shangguan Fei'er, Wei Feng and the seven god archers of the Heavenly Bow Unit.
The more he personally taught Zhou Weiqing, the more Long Shiya realised how terrifying his young disciple's innate talent was. Perhaps, in terms of his self coordination and control, Zhou Weiqing was not the greatest. However, his mind was his greatest weapon. As long as Long Shiya gave some simple pointers, he was almost always able to comprehend it and draw inferences to many future steps ahead, and more importantly, able to make use of it in actual practice, finding the simplest method to implement the lessons into his cultivation.
The next surprising thing for Long Shiya was the sheer speed of Zhou Weiqing's recovery. By this time, his Immortal Deity Technique had reached the nineteenth stage, with nineteen energy whirlpools of the respective Death Acupuncture Points whirling and drawing in energy at full power, causing his Heavenly Energy to recover at insane speeds far beyond any Heavenly Jewel Master of equal power, or even beyond. After all his Heavenly Energy was expended, it barely took him fifteen minutes to fully recover once more. At the same time, he was starting to practice in limiting his Demonic Change State, to maintain the 'Ice Cold Perception' while cutting down on other energy expenses conservatively.
It might sound complicated, but in truth, what Zhou Weiqing did was to reduce the physical boost that the Demonic Change State brought to his body. With that reduction, it also greatly reduced the toll it took upon his Heavenly Energy.
Such an innovation allowed him to maintain his 'new' Demonic Change State for almost an hour, even at his mere nineteenth stage of Heavenly Energy. Such a feat was truly out of Long Shiya's original expectations.
At the same time, with Long Shiya's personal tutelage and the aid of the 'Ice Cold Perception' of the Demonic Change State, Zhou Weiqing's training in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts also improved by leaps and bounds, taking great strides in it every single day.
…
In the twinkling of an eye, a week had passed.
Just as Zhou Weiqing was immersed in the joy of continuous improvement, he was surprised by yet another good news passed down to him. The other Ruffian Battalions from the other northern armies had been sent to him, with Shen Ji personally leading men to escort them to the Peerless Battalion. The total number of them was about three thousand seven hundred men, of which the Central Northern Command had sent almost two thousand men. After all, the Central Northern Command was the biggest army in the entire north, almost the equal of the North West and North Eastern Armies combined.
With the arrival of the new batch of Ruffian soldiers, Shangguan Fei'er came to ask Zhou Weiqing how they were to deal with them.
Three thousand seven hundred men had already surpassed Zhou Weiqing's original expectations, and he immediately called a meeting of the upper echelons of the Peerless Battalion to discuss their further plans.
The upper echelon of the Peerless Battalion was still the original few, though of the seven Heavenly Bow Unit archers, only Hua Feng attended. Besides that, there was Lin TianAo, Shangguan Fei'er, Wei Feng and the other ten Company Leaders. Currently, they were all gathered in Zhou Weiqing's large Battalion Commander tent.
Currently, all of them had overjoyed expressions on their faces. After all, the Peerless Battalion could now hold their heads up high after the previous chasing away of the Sixteenth Regiment. Ever since that incident, no one had dared to come to cause trouble to them, and even all their requests for supplies had easily been green lit without any problems.
Now that another three thousand seven hundred fresh blood was incoming to their ranks, it would undoubtedly be a great boost to the Peerless Battalion.
…
That day, Shen Ji had brought Shen Bu to see their Master and adoptive father, the Vice Commander of the entire North-West Armies. However, that wise and farsighted old man did not bring them to offer an apology or attempt to smooth things over. He knew such belated actions would not have any great effect. Instead, he pushed for the North-East and Central North armies to hasten the process in sending their Ruffian Battalions over with a strong escort. Indeed, a strong escort was required to do so; otherwise what if those ruffians started causing trouble or run amuck?
Without question, this was what the Peerless Battalion most required now, and putting more effort in accomplishing those tasks was far more useful than just a mere apology. Actions spoke louder than words, and this was further represented by specially sending over pay and provisions. As for whatever supplies the Peerless Battalion required and requested for, as long as the North West Army Command had sufficient supplies, they would approve and send it without delay.
Indeed, given Zhou Weiqing's description of the battle, the remaining corpses of the Swift Wolf Regiment had been quickly found, further 'proving' to Shen Ji and the others about Long Shiya's power. At the same time, it had also given them the false impression that the Heaven's Expanse Palace was planning to make a move in the border wars, and as a result they did not hesitate to give their full support to the Peerless Battalion.
…
"Battalion Commander, once our Peerless Battalion gains these new men, we will have the strength of almost half an entire Regiment already. Hahaha." One of the stronger Company Leaders, an Eight-Jeweled Physical Jewel Master known as 'Mammoth' exclaimed excitedly.
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "You must be planning how much bigger your Company will grow right?"
Mammoth grinned and said: ���Heh heh, Boss, as you know, as our First Company is primarily made up of the Air Force Troops, we are the elite amongst even our Peerless Battalion. If there are any top quality fellows, you must give us the priority to grab them up!"
Naturally, the other Company Leaders would not take that lying down, and the tent burst out in arguments as they all tried to 'snatch' the top talents incoming.
"Alright, enough, everyone keep quiet. First, Second and Third Company, you all already have so many Air Force soldiers, it can be said that all my finest warriors are with you three, why are you still trying snatch from others? My goal is to let the entire Peerless Battalion be powerful, without any weak. Vice Commander Wei Feng, you record this and take note, there are a few things that I need to trouble you to coordinate and arrange."
"Yes sir." Wei Feng glared slightly at the noisy Company Leaders before giving a proper army salute towards Zhou Weiqing.
Zhou Weiqing said solemnly: "The first thing is to get an accurate census of the men, and get all the details of all the new three thousand seven hundred of them. How many are Jewel Masters, Physical, Elemental or Heavenly Jewels, what their cultivation level is, how many have Heavenly Energy, what all their Heavenly Energy stages are, down to their Attributes etc… All of it in detail and recorded down. If they do not even have Heavenly Energy, reject them back for Legion Commander Shen Ji to handle."
Wei Feng nodded and said: "Those who are totally without any Heavenly Energy at all are likely to be a minority. After all, in the northern borders, no matter which army's Ruffian Battalion should be in a similar circumstance. Those without confidence in themselves would never dare to cause trouble in the army, and correspondingly would not end up in the Ruffian Battalion. Our registration and recording process has already started."
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "If we run into any trouble, let Chief Instructor Fei'er accompany you. Absolute strength is absolute truth. Fei'er, is that okay with you?"
Shangguan Fei'er glanced at him, then said passively: "It will be good to see some new blood with itchy skins, I really enjoy treating such 'illnesses'."
Upon hearing this, the entire tent gave a collective shudder involuntarily, with the exception of Hua Feng and Lin TianAo. The Company Leaders all suddenly fell quiet. It was clear all of them had been 'treated' such before.
Wei Feng continued: "Now, the biggest problem is that with those over three thousand men here, there are definitely a lot of new troublemakers with attitude problems. More importantly, some of them have pretty decent strength as well… if not for the fact that the Seventh Legion has stationed two Regiments around their temporary camp to guard them, perhaps some serious trouble would have already arisen. We need to be able to deal with that as soon as possible."
Chapter 458: Shangguan Sisters! (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: "That is fine, we will still stick to our old plan, guidance through profit. When they go through the registration, those who do so without any trouble, give them each a silver coin. We do not need to give too much, just a token silver coin will do. Those who cause trouble, beat them up; as long as they are not crippled or killed, that is fine. Once registration is finished, immediately split up all three thousand seven hundred of them."
"We will split them up according to their cultivation level and power, equally distributing them to the ten Companies. At the same time, we will have to do some reorganization. Due to our unique qualities of our Peerless Battalion, we will add an additional establishment and rank. In the future, all ten of you original Company Leaders will now be Senior Company Leaders, each of you will have five Companies under you forming a sub-Battalion, each back down to the usual one hundred men. As for how you choose your Company Leaders, I do not have to teach you right. The same principle holds, might is right."
"Each of your original one hundred and fifty men from your sub-Battalion, I want each of them to be mixed with and in charge of two to three of the new men. We do not need them to rush them into training or to actually lead them, but to first speak of them how our Peerless Battalion came to be and how we grew to such strength, as well as the rules, rewards and punishments of our Peerless Battalion."
Mammoth asked curiously: "Boss, is there such a necessity?" Those of them from the original Ruffian Battalion all preferred to call Zhou Weiqing 'Boss'. After all, a Boss was usually the one who gave out the pay right? Currently, all their waist pouches were at least filled.
Zhou Weiqing glanced at him and said: "Of course it is necessary. This is called ideological education, and it is extremely important to bring everyone on the same page. This must go on for at least ten days before we resume the original soldiers' regular training. Let the new soldiers watch and see for themselves, they do not need to join the training yet. We will let this go on for another ten more days."
Wei Feng took note of all that Zhou Weiqing had mentioned. History had already proven that Zhou Weiqing was usually right, and he had absolute confidence in him.
Zhou Weiqing continued: "Ten days after, we will hold a fighting competition for the entire Battalion. I want you all teach those new men a painful lesson in that competition. Vice Commander Wei, send someone to requisition a sum of pay and provisions from the Seventh Legion, to be used as the grand prize for this competition. Fei'er, you take notice and choose a few of those most exceptional amongst the new men, and give them Consolidating Equipment Scrolls. Also, choose a few who have Heavenly Energy and have good potential but have not Awakened their Personal Jewels, and help them Awaken it with the medicine. With all that, within a month I want all three thousand seven hundred new men to fully integrate into the Peerless Battalion. After the fighting competition, we can start bringing them along to the various trainings. Big bro Lin, as for our arms, weapons and armour, continue along with our original plan. However, in terms of Scrolls, ask Yun Li and Little Miss Muddle if it's possible to increase the speed of production."
Lin TianAo nodded and said: "We have been continuously producing and purchasing the required armours and Scrolls as per your previous requirements, and in this half a year, we have some accumulated. The only lack would be the Consolidated Wings, but as for the rest of the gear it will not be a problem. By the time the annual WanShou Empire armies attack, I estimate that all the new soldiers would have at least their Consolidated Bows and titanium mail. That, at the very least, will be no problem."
Zhou Weiqing's original estimate for the Peerless Battalion was about five thousand men, and as such, even after the original one thousand five hundred men had been fully equipped, they had continued production of equipment and Consolidating Equipment Scrolls in preparation for the future.
Shangguan Fei'er furrowed her brow and said: "The time might be too limited; with at most two months, and although we should have enough medicine, it might be difficult to help all of those who haven't Awakened their Personal Jewels to do so."
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "In that regard, we'll just have to do our best. Vice Commander Wei, please assist Fei'er in that matter too. It just takes second level of Heavenly Energy and higher to help assist in the medicine to take effect. Choose a few men from our original crew to aid Fei'er after the fighting competition is over, and our target is to help everyone Awaken their Personal Jewels in the shortest possible time. At that point, you can inform the new members that they do not have sufficient merits earned, but we will advance this special treatment to them due to special circumstances, and they will have to pay back from their future pay and rewards."
"Yes Sir!" Wei Feng agreed once more.
Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and continued: "Besides that, everything else should be going according to our original plan. Training and equipment must be kept up to date to keep apace with all our progress. When the WanShou Empire armies attack, that will be the true test for our Peerless Battalion. Tell the brothers, losing more sweat in peacetime means losing less blood in wartime. I don't want anyone dying on the battlefield, let them all know that if anyone dares to do so, all their money will go to our public funds. This time, after our fight with the main WanShou Empire armies, I will personally reward the top fifty soldiers with the best merits and contributions. Your Father, I, will bring them into the city to 'eat chicken'". "Eat chicken? Top fifty and you only reward them with a meal of chicken? Aren't you being too stingy." Shangguan Fei'er said with a dissatisfied tone.
The entire tent fell silent momentarily, as everyone had a strange look on their faces, with some of them struggling to hold back their laughter.
Zhou Weiqing glared at them with a swift, forceful glare. "No one is allowed to tell her what that means, at least not until I am gone. Anyway, I have already given out all the orders, everyone, let's work hard to get through the next few months. Vice Commander, you, Master Hua Feng, Bro Lin and Fei'rer, you all can discuss to deal with any unforeseen problems that crop up. If nothing especially important crops up, do not disrupt my training. I will be going into training in an attempt to reach the Five-Jeweled stage within the next two months."
After finishing those words, Zhou Weiqing did not sit around and wait for Shangguan Fei'er to react and flare up. With a quick Blink, he disappeared directly out of the tent, running to look for Long Shiya to train.
What kind of temper did Shangguan Fei'er have? With a quick lift of her hand, she grabbed the huge Mammoth who towered over her by more than half a metre, dragging him down closer to her as she said savagely: "What eat chicken, hurry up and tell me, otherwise… you know…."
Mammoth shuddered involuntarily and he quickly said: "Lady Boss, I'll say, I'll say alright." His huge figure was about the same as Ma Qun's, and with his current frightened look in front of this small lady, it looked extremely funny. However, no one around laughed at him.
Hua Feng smiled and walked out of the tent, while Wei Feng had to restrain his laughter as he followed behind outside. As for the other company Leaders, those fellows were definitely taking pleasure in Mammoth's misfortune.
Shangguan Fei'er blushed deeply at him calling her 'Lady Boss', and she glared savagely at him once more, and he quickly bent down closer to her ear and whispered a few lines.
As soon as Shangguan Fei'er heard his words, her slightly flushed face turned as red as a ripe apple.
"ZHOU–WEI-QING, you bastard!"
A certain fellow who was running back to his tent felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself how lucky he was to have ran so quickly.
Alas, in the large tent, all the Company Leaders who had been watching in good humour were now in trouble… as their 'Lady Boss' Chief Instructor was extremely angry, and gave them all an 'extra lesson' without hesitation.
Of course, though they were beaten up by Shangguan Fei'er, none of these Company Leaders gave any complaints or grumbles. They had already truly accepted and respected Shangguan Fei'er for all she had done for them all.
In the Peerless Battalion, the one with the highest prestige and power was undoubtedly Zhou Weiqing, as it was exactly because of his arrival that had brought all these unbelievable changes to the Peerless Battalion, transforming them from a mere exiled Ruffian Battalion to the Peerless Battalion of today. It was Zhou Weiqing that had given them their power today, living a well fed and well clothed life, with hope for the future and strength to grow. This organization called the 'Peerless Battalion' had slowly been accepted by them all.
Besides Zhou Weiqing, the next in line for prestige was definitely Shangguan Fei'er. Even Wei Feng and the seven God Archers of the Heavenly Bow Unit were no match for her in this regard.
The entire Peerless Battalion's close combat skills had been taught by Shangguan Fei'er, and their acceptance of her was not just because of her own personal power, but because of her teachings without reservations. In this half a year, under her tutelage, it could be said that every single Peerless Battalion soldier had experienced much pain and suffering under the tempering of her devil-like training. However, at the same time, their power had also grown significantly, almost as if their entire world had been turned upside down.
If not for the fact that what Zhou Weiqing had done was just too strong, perhaps her prestige would be far beyond even him.
After 'taking care' of all those fellows, Shangguan Fei'er went back to her own tent. Of course, she wasn't really truly angry, and she needed to rush back to go through her own set of preparations in order to properly take care of what Zhou Weiqing had assigned her to do.
Having been at the Peerless Battalion for so long, Shangguan Fei'er had also experienced a totally new feeling, that of being swamped with work. The reason why she kept at it, persisting in doing all of this, even finding pleasure in doing so, it was not just simply because she wanted to help Zhou Weiqing.
Having been born from the Heaven's Expanse Palace, Shangguan Fei'er had never felt that women were any lesser than men. However, she never had the opportunity to be given free rein to bring all she had into play, being protected as the Little Demon Girl of the Heaven's Expanse Palace. She had always been a competitive person, and after coming to the Peerless Battalion, seeing with her own eyes and also through her own actions how this original Ruffian Battalion which had no sense of unity, just a mere heap of loose sand, had grown to such a state… it had truly given her a sense of satisfaction that she had not experience hitherto.
This was something that truly belonged to her, something that she had worked hard for and used her own efforts to flourish in. Although she was spending all her time together with a bunch of ruffians everyday, it was truly a unique experience that none of them treated her with that same caution and fear as in the Heaven's Expanse Palace. Although they were also afraid of her, but it was one that was with true respect. More so, in private, these ruffians were more her friends than subordinates.
Such a feeling was truly very good. It could be said that even without Zhou Weiqing, Shangguan Fei'er was leading an extremely satisfactory life in the Peerless Battalion. As such, her hopes and expectations for the Peerless Battalion was no less than Zhou Weiqing; the amount of effort she had put in also no less, and she truly hoped that the Peerless Battalion would grow stronger and stronger, until they truly lived up to their name as being Peerless in the world.
After issuing the array of detailed commands to his subordinates, Zhou Weiqing resumed his role as a leader leaving everything to his subordinates. However, none of them would complain. Although it seemed on the surface that Zhou Weiqing did not do anything, it was exactly his big picture view, direction and plans, as well as his unique unconstrained style of thinking that had brought them so far; truly a respectable and outstanding leader indeed.
If the leader of an army always had to spend all his time troubling over everything, down to each and every minute detail, that could only prove that he was just mediocre. What was a leader's true duty and responsibility? It was to lead, to find and seek out talents and all their various gifts, to develop them, to direct them, unite them together in a strong sense of camaraderie. In the most critical times, the leader had to be the spiritual pillar and foundation of the entire troop, and all this was the most important part of a leader's duty. Without question, Zhou Weiqing excelled at all of the above. Although he did not personally do many things, with just all that, he had already brought up the Peerless Battalion to its current strength.
…
Finally reaching her tent, Shangguan Fei'er thought of Zhou Weiqing and couldn't help but grit her teeth and scold inwardly:Hmph! Scoundrel!
Chapter 459: Shangguan Sisters! (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
After their intimate moment in the tent last night, she would still blush deeply and feel her skin heating up whenever she thought about it. More touching to her were the words that Zhou Weiqing had spoken to her. She was clear that her line of defense against that fellow was growing weaker and weaker by the day, and who knew when it would totally collapse. However… what about Bing'er!
Just as she opened her tent flap and stepped in, she stopped abruptly as an abrupt sense of alarm tore her from her thoughts, and her unfocused gaze instantly gathered swiftly and she snapped out: "Who's there?"
She did not unleash her Consolidated Equipment yet, but her Heavenly Energy immediately circulated to the maximum. At the same time, she made use of her step into the tent to enter a defensive stance that was ready to spring into action at anytime.
"Come in." A cold voice, with a hint of anger, rang out softly in Shangguan Fei'er's ears.
It was a very familiar voice, one that she had heard for all her life, and a voice that filled her heart with shock. If we were to say who Shangguan Fei'er was currently the most afraid of seeing now, it was undoubtedly Shangguan Bing'er, and the next after that would be the owner of this voice.
Quickly stepping fully into the tent, Shangguan Fei'er instantly saw a figure who looked exactly like her, dressed in the ZhongTian army uniform. It was Shangguan Xue'er, standing right in the middle of the tent, the exact same features with the only difference was that frosty look on her face, and even her clear eyes held a hint of cold and anger as she looked towards Shangguan Fei'er.
"Big Sister, you, why are you here?" Even Shangguan Fei'er could sense the noticeable tremor in her voice as she asked the question.
"Why am I here? What do you think? If I did not come any sooner, I'm afraid you would do something to let down Bing'er right?" Shangguan Xue'er's voice was filled with anger. This was actually the first time that Shangguan Fei'er had seen her like this.
Both these sisters were triplets after all, and though Shangguan Bing'er had not grown up together with them, the two of them had, and they were extremely close to each other. Although their ages were less than an hour apart, Shangguan Xue'er had always shown the bearing of an elder sister since a young age. No matter what, she would always give way Shangguan Fei'er in all things. However, when it came to critical moments, if Shangguan Xue'er got angry, Shangguan Fei'er would definitely listen to her obediently. It could be said that in the entire Heaven's Expanse Palace, even the two brothers Shangguan Tianyang and Shangguan Tianyue were unable to control the Little Demon Girl, and only her elder sister could make her afraid. However, she was not afraid of Shangguan Xue'er's power, but that Shangguan Xue'er would ignore her, and lapse into a cold war.
Even in the past when they were growing up together in the Heaven's Expanse Palace, no matter the argument or their worst deadlocks, they had only entered a cold war. This was actually the first time that Shangguan Xue'er had scolded her like that directly.
"Sis, what are you talking about!" Although Shangguan Fei'er refused to admit anything, her heart started racing.
Shangguan Xue'er gave a cold humph and said: "What am I talking about? I already witnessed it with my own eyes last night, do I still need to say anything else?"
"Last night… it was you?" Shangguan Fei'er instantly felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice cold water. The next moment, her face turned totally red.
However, to her surprise, Shangguan Xue'er's face also turned red.
What Shangguan Fei'er did not know was that as triplets, under such a close proximity like last night, they had somehow sparked an induction of emotions, causing Shangguan Xue'er to clearly sense what Shangguan Fei'er had been feeling, that sense of joy while she was being intimate with Zhou Weiqing, as well as that feeling of excitement. It was also because of that feeling she had never sensed before that she had quickly fled that scene so hurriedly instead of showing herself then. At this moment, seeing her sister in front of her, she suddenly remembered what she had seen and felt last night, not to mention that day on the Heavenly Jewel Island which she would never forget, the kiss that caused her to grit her teeth in anger. That was her first kiss!
"Sis, I'm wrong…" Shangguan Fei'er lowered her head in shame. If the Peerless Battalion's ruffians soldiers saw such a sight, their jaws would drop all the way onto the ground.
Was this still their valiant, ferocious drill instructor who would smack down anyone who caused trouble?!
Shangguan Xue'er's expression eased slightly. After all, her relationship with Shangguan Fei'er was extremely close. In the past, every time Shangguan Fei'er did something wrong and was caught by her, she would admit her mistake just like that, and every time, Shangguan Xue'er would forgive her. They had not spoken heart to heart for quite some time, and with those familiar words, Shangguan Xue'er felt her heart melting. However… this time… was what she did so easily forgiven?
"Fei'er, don't you know you are playing with fire? He is Bing'er's man! They are already engaged to be married, yet… yet… that actually happened. How, how could you be intimate with him? Is that fair to Bing'er?" Shangguan Xue'er paused for a while, biting her lip, but she finally gritted her teeth and steeled herself to continue.
Hearing her words, the rosy red cheeks of Shangguan FEi'er suddenly turned ashen pale. She bit her lip lightly and said: "I'm sorry, Sis, I really am… I know I am wrong, but … but… I really could not control myself. I also do not know when it was that I actually fell for him. Sis, feelings and emotions… it is not something that can be controlled. When I first ran to look for him, I was just curious about him, and more so, to take some revenge against him for both myself and your sake. Who asked him to steal our first kisses! However, that bad fellow seems to have some strange magic about him. The longer I spent with him, the more I was influenced by that… unable to extricate myself. I…"
As she spoke up to that point, her beautiful eyes were misty and welling up, her body shuddering slightly as she clenched her hands tightly.
Looking at her like that, Shangguan Xue'er could not bear to continue. Although she was always icy on the surface, it was just a cover for her soft heart. In truth, amongst the three Shangguan Sisters, she was the most tenderhearted. However, she had always used her icy cold demeanor to cover that tender-heartedness. Seeing her little sister in such pain and suffering, her own heart ached in tandem.
Taking a few steps forward, she embraced her sister, who fell into her arms and started crying.
In the past few months, her relationship with Zhou Weiqing had been the greatest problem plaguing Shangguan Fei'er. She had put her all into training the Peerless Battalion soldiers, not just because she enjoyed it, but also also in an attempt to lose herself in it and prevent herself from thinking too much about things. She had also started trying to avoid Zhou Weiqing, but even though she did not see him, it was as if he held some magnetic power, and she could not escape it.
Currently, seeing her own big sister, the emotions she was hiding in her heart burst forth, and in opening the floodgates of her tears, she found she was unable to stop. In moments, Shangguan Xue'er's shoulder clothes was soaked with her tears.
Seeing her sister crying in such sorrow, Shangguan Xue'er could no longer speak the words of admonition on her lips. Stroking her back softly, she gritted her teeth and said: "That bastard Zhou Weiqing, playing around with one of my sisters isn't enough for him, and he has to incur another one. I really feel like killing him with one sword strike."
"No… please…" Hearing that, Shangguan Fei'er's crying suddenly stopped and she grasped hold of Shangguan Xue'er urgently, looking up in fright.
"You…" Looking at her like that, Shangguan Xue'er was left speechless. "Fei'er, you have really fallen for him beyond help."
Her brow furrowed tight, Shangguan Xue'er was currently in an inward dilemma. She did not know how to face both her sisters. Originally, the words she had prepared to speak out, she found she was unable to say them. Her heart ached for Bing'er, and did not wish for her husband to be taken away, but Shangguan Fei'er was also her sister! How could she hurt one sister for another? That was something she could not possibly do, not at all. In truth, Shangguan Xue'er had never been an ambitious person. In her eyes, even the Heaven's Expanse Palace Palace Master position was no match for kinship and familial love. Even the reason why she worked and trained so hard was to make her uncle and father happy, to maintain their family and protect them from being hurt by any enemies.
"Sis, what should I do? I truly am unable to let it go. There have been many times in the past few months that I have tried to garner my courage to leave him, but every time I tried to step out of the camp, that sense of loss… it is as if I am being torn apart from the inside, and I could not help myself and walked back in. I really like him, and also like this Ruffian Battalion we have here. Everyone here, although each and everyone of them has their flaws, but they are extremely genuine… so real. No matter what they think, they will show it out instantly, even if they might seem rough, even vulgar and coarse, but as compared to our Heaven's Expanse Palace, they just feel more authentic to me. I truly do not wish to leave."
Looking at Shangguan Fei'er's pitiful look, Shangguan Xue'er could only remain silent. Even if she asked her what to do, she too did not know!
Shangguan Fei'er said softly: "Did Father ask you to come and bring me back?"
Shangguan Xue'er shook her head and said: "Father only asked me to come and keep watch on that Zhou Weiqing; he did not ask me to bring you back."
"Really?" Upon hearing those words, it was as if Shangguan Fei'er had been injected with stimulants. She leapt up abruptly, exclaiming: "Great, that's awesome! Sis, you are the best!" As she said that, she planted a big kiss on Shangguan Xue'er's cheek.
Caught by surprise by the sudden kiss, Shangguan Xue'er flushed slightly and said: "Stop it. Although Father did not ask me to bring you back, but I am also here to keep watch on you as well. I have already been here for some time… previously everything was still okay, and you were still able to keep your distance from him. However, what happened yesterday? Fei'er, you know, Bing'er has been separated from us for so long, since birth, and it is Father who has let her and Mother down. Now that she has finally returned to us, if you really steal her beloved, how are we going to face her in future?! She is so kind and goodhearted…"
The excitement that had just risen up disappeared once more, and Shangguan Fei'er sighed softly. "I also do not know, Sis, I truly do not know how to face Bing'er. It isn't like I haven't thought about it… if not for Bing'er, I would have already accepted Little Fatty long ago…"
Shangguan Xue'er couldn't help but ask: "Is that fellow really that good? Is he really worth you being like this?"
To her surprise, Shangguan Fei'er nodded without hesitation, saying: "It is true, Sis. Although Little Fatty might seem bad at times, rougish and a scoundrel… But, the things he shows subconsciously has truly infected me. If I have not truly fallen in love, I would not be suffering so much now. What should I do!"
Shangguan Xue'er took a deep breath and sighed deeply, saying: "Fei'er, such a thing can only depend on yourself."
"I… I…" Tears welled up once again in Shangguan Fei'er's eyes.
Shangguan Xue'er thought deeply for a moment and said: "Fei'er, you go back home then. You have to."
"No, I.. I do not want to leave." Shangguan Fei'er replied almost as a reflex. Looking at the strange look in her sister's eyes, she lowered her head and said: "Sis, I'm afraid that if I leave, I will never see Little Fatty again. Furthermore, there are still so many things for me to do here at the Peerless Battalion. I really cannot leave!"
Shangguan Xue'er pulled at her once more. "Silly girl, you cannot just leave things like this forever, or keep avoiding the topic. You will have to solve the issue eventually. You definitely have to return to the Heaven's Expanse Palace. If you think you truly love that bastard, then the only way is to speak to Bing'er and get her forgiveness! Although I do not want to see such a thing happen and give that fellow such an advantage, but… who asked you both to…"
Hearing those words, Shangguan Fei'er was struck dumb, opening her mouth and staring at Shangguan Xue'er in amazement.
Being stared at like that for so long, Shangguan Xue'er felt rather embarrassed, and she retorted: "What are you staring at me like that for?"
All of a sudden, Shangguan Fei'er took a big step forward and gave her a big hug, giving her another kiss on the cheek. "Sis, you are just too smart! Why didn't I think of that? That's right, isn't that the perfect solution? Both Bing'er and myself can marry Little Fatty! Hehehe, that's too good!"
"Good? Good your head!" Shangguan Xue'er gave her a light thwap on the head with her hand. "You are really hopeless. What so good about that fellow you are so eager? You silly girl! Furthermore, whether or not you can persuade Bing'er remains to be seen."
Shangguan Fei'er smiled happily and said: "I'm sure there is a way. Bing'er is so kind and gentle, I'm sure she will forgive me. She can be the first wife, and I'll be the second, anyway we are sisters. That Zhou Little Fatty is such a player, there is still that Tian'er, better to let our own gain the advantage than outsiders! With me and Bing'er together, we can unite together against the others, and we won't lose out."
It was Shangguan Xue'er's turn to be struck dumb. She truly could not understand what her sister was thinking, and no matter what, she could only think how terrible this Zhou Weiqing was. Yet, in her sisters' eyes, that fellow was like some treasure, and she truly could not understand it.
"You… You are really making me angry!" Shangguan Xue'er pushed her away lightly in exasperation. "Hmph, you decide for yourself then, I shall not interfere in this matter anymore." As she said that, Shangguan Xue'er turned around. Currently, she did not have any sign of her usual icy outlook.
Shangguan Fei'er said merrily: "You can't not interfere, who asked you to be my sister! You can't cut off blood ties like that."
Shangguan Xue'er gave another exasperated hmph. Looking at her back, Shangguan Fei'er abruptly thought of a daring idea. Although she felt guilty towards Shangguan Bing'er, she had after all grown up with Shangguan Xue'er, and if she were to say who she was closer to, it would definitely be Shangguan Xue'er. When that daring idea popped up in her head, her heart raced instantly, and her eyes swirled about in her sockets as the idea took hold in her mind.
Hearing her sister's words cut off so abruptly, Shangguan Xue'er turned back in curiosity, only to see her with her head lowered, as if deep in thought. She did not suspect anything, asking: "Fei'er, when are you prepared to return?"
"Ah?" Shangguan Fei'er was broken out of her reverie, and quickly said: "Sis, I cannot return at such short notice, at least until things here are relatively stable. Anyway, Bing'er is still in closed door cultivation, you wouldn't want me to disturb her training now right?"
Shangguan Xue'er insisted: "At least you need to set a time. I will not interfere between you and Zhou Weiqing, but before you get Bing'er's permission, I will not allow you to be intimate with him."
Shangguan Fei'er said: "We are just about to receive a new batch of soldiers. In two months, the WanShou Empire armies are going to attack. Weiqing said that this is the best opportunity for us to temper our Peerless Battalion, to put them through the grinder of true combat. In such a critical moment, how could I leave him? Leave them? How about this, I will return as soon as the WanShou Empire armies are beaten back."
Shangguan Xue'er thought about it for a moment, and decided her words made sense. Nodding slowly, she said: "Alright then, but you must honour your words." Towards this Little Demon Girl, she was all too familiar with her character.
Shangguan Fei'er said seriously: "Sis, I will listen to you. As soon as the WanShou Empire armies are beaten back, I will definitely go back. At the same time, I also promise you that during this time, I will definitely not… you know… with Little Fatty. However, I also have something to ask you, how about that?"
Shangguan Xue'er got her promise and relaxed inwardly. Subconsciously, she replied: "What is it?"
Shangguan Fei'er said: "Sis, you have also seen for yourself, this Little Fatty has such a 'flowery' heart, and our ZhongTian Empire armies also allow females to join. For example, that Shen Yi from the Sixteenth Regiment beside us used to have good feelings towards Little Fatty, and even wanted to marry him. That's why, if I really leave, I cannot help but be worried. Furthermore, if I go, these Peerless Battalion brothers will not have anyone to take care of them. Your power is greater than mine, if I leave, it will be stealthily, then you can replace my chief instructor position and not let Little Fatty discover it. Firstly, to help me take care of the soldiers here, and secondly to keep watch on him for me and Bing'er. Don't let me have any other women, otherwise you can beat him up!"
Upon hearing her words, Shangguan Xue'er did not feel anything amiss. After all, what Shangguan Fei'er said was true, that Zhou Weiqing was just too much of a player, if no one kept him in check, who knew how many other women he would attract. Her own two sisters had already fallen for this fellow, and Shangguan Xue'er naturally did not want anyone else to come into the picture."
Shangguan Fei'er had truly spent too much time with Zhou Weiqing and had been influenced by him, even her words in the art of trickery was at a much higher level. She first sincerely agreed with all her sister's requests, before giving a small request of her own… with all of it for Bing'er and her own sake. Naturally, Shangguan Xue'er would not be suspicious.
"Alright then, I will help you keep watch on him. If he dares to court any other girls, then my sword will…" As she said that, Shangguan Xue'er made a downward chopping motion.
Shangguan Fei'er was laughing inwardly. She had not expected that her sister would rise to the bait so easily. Her daring idea was on the first step to coming true.
Inside, she thought to herself: Little Fatty, it is all up to you to succeed. If you can drag Sis down as well, Heh Heh… then us three Sisters can stay together forever, and we three can bully you! Hmph hmph, we'll see if you dare bully me next time.
If Shangguan Xue'er knew what Shangguan Fei'er was thinking at that moment, she would definitely run over and slay him with a single sword strike. Alas for her, she did not know that she had fallen into her sister's trap.
"Sis, then will you still hide in the camp?" Shangguan Fei'er asked.
Shangguan Xue'er shook her head and said: "How can I stay here, I have been observing you all from nearby the camp. I brought enough food."
Shangguan Fei'er said happily: "Don't… stay here! You can stay in my tent… anyway besides that fellow, no one else would dare intrude here. He is in closed door cultivation in the near future, and will not come here as well. We have not seen each other for so long, I want to keep company with you!"
Shangguan Xue'er could only nod helplessly and say: "Alright alright, you silly girl! What can I say to that. However, if I stay here, you'll have to tell me everything that has happened between you and that Zhou Little Fatty. Let me see what he has done to make you fall for him so hard. Don't you know that what you said just now, I truly cannot believe that you are my sister, the Little Demon Girl of the Heaven's Expanse Palace."
Shangguan Fei'er laughed and said: "No problem, I'll tell you everything, even all the details of our intimacy, how about that?"
Shangguan Xue'er's face turned cold. "Fei'er, your skin is getting itchy right?"
Shangguan Fei'er giggled and said: "Too bad there isn't enough space, otherwise I do want to have a practice fight. Although I did not have much practice time by myself since I came here, however perhaps because I have been enjoying myself while teaching these fellows, I also have learned a lot. I have the feeling that I am almost about to breakthrough to the Seventh Jewel, almost catching up with you!"
Shangguan Xue'er smiled faintly and said: "You better work hard then. I'm afraid that you currently can't fight with me still."
As she said that, Shangguan Xue'er closed her eyes. Instantly, a gentle aura rose from her body, filling the entire tent with a strange sensation, as if the entire air had been turned into liquid, reverberating. The soft, gentle sensation seemed to envelop Shangguan Fei'er. There was no strong Heavenly Energy fluctuations, but Shangguan Fei'er could feel as if she was in a swamp, restricted in an uncomfortable feeling.
"You… you already grasped the Boundless Infinitum Technique?" Shangguan Fei'er said in shock.
Shangguan Xue'er nodded slightly, saying: "My Heavenly Energy cultivation level has almost caught up with Big Bro Zhan."
Shangguan Fei'er gave a speechless look before saying: "You are truly born to cultivate… I don't think my talent is any lesser, but how come I can never catch up to you? Nevermind, although I can't catch up to you, but my man will definitely do so."
"What do you mean your man?! So unpleasant sounding, next time don't speak about such things like that." Shangguan Xue'er furrowed her brow once more.
Shangguan Fei'er said happily: "Why not, even you have agreed, so he is now my man."
Chapter 460: Evolving of the Peerless Battalion!
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
"Tcheh, when did I agree." Shangguan Xue'er said exasperatedly.
Shangguan Fei'er smiled and said: "How can it not be an agreement? If you didn't give tacit approval, how could you get me to look for Bing'er? A silent approval is still approval, and approval is agreement right? Hehehe, Sis, don't deny it any further. I'm so happy today~ Don't you know, these few days, I have been feeling so terrible. Now that you are here, I finally have someone to talk to. Tonight, let us sisters talk through the entire night!"
Shangguan Xue'er said: "Just now you said, that Zhou Weiqing has hope of surpassing me?"
Shangguan Fei'er nodded and said: "It's not just a chance, but a certainty."
Hearing her words, Shangguan Xue'er was instantly unwilling to accept it. As the heir to the Heaven's Expanse Palace, she had always been the top of her generation. It could be said that even amongst all the disciples and heirs of the Five Great Saint Lands, she was still at the top of the pyramid. Zhou Weiqing did not even have the backing of any Great Saint Lands, though she had to admit his talent was not bad, but how could he possibly surpass herself with the Boundless Infinitum Set. No matter what, Shangguan Xue'er was unwilling to believe that was possible.
Naturally, Shangguan Fei'er could understand what her sister was thinking. With a smile, she said: "Sis, don't think I am exaggerating or lying. Before I spent time with him, I was also unwilling to believe such a thing was possible, or that he could even surpass me. However, after all this time together, I have no choice but to accept that Little Fatty is truly a monster. The speed of his cultivation is just too shocking."
Shangguan Xue'er furrowed her brow and said: "Well, say then, what sort of advancements has he made, and in what areas?"
Shangguan Fei'er said: "Do you remember what stage he was at during the Heavenly Jewel Tournament? As far as I know, when he first left the Fei Li Empire to join the Heavenly Jewel Tournament, he had just reached the Three Jeweled Stage, barely entering the Heavenly Shen Energy stage. Yet… now? His Heavenly Energy has already reached the Nineteenth Stage, almost reaching the Five-Jeweled Stage! This time, he is entering closed door cultivation for the purpose of breaking through to that Mid Level Zun Stage…That might seem like nothing to you or me, but just think about it, from three to five Jewels, how long has it taken him? It is only about a year… even for you … when you were at that stage, you never rose at such a speed right?���
Hearing Shangguan Fei'er's words, it was as if Shangguan Xue'er's eyes were suddenly opened.
All this time, she had never really put Zhou Weiqing on the same level as herself. Perhaps at most she had been surprised by his six Attributes, thinking his talent was just 'not bad'.
However, upon hearing her sister's words, only then did she realise that it was indeed true. In just a year, his Heavenly Energy had raised six stages, and he was about to breakthrough to the Five-Jeweled stage. After all, the higher one's Heavenly Energy cultivation level was, the harder it was to continue raising. At the three-Jeweled stage, perhaps Shangguan Xue'er's speed was no lesser than Zhou Weiqing, but at the Five-Jeweled stage, her speed was already slower.
Although it seemed like Zhou Weiqing was extremely far from Shangguan Xue'er's current Seven-Jeweled cultivation level, she was suddenly reminded of a very pertinent fact by her sister's words… a fact that she had overlooked before this.
Shangguan Bing'er had previously told them that Zhou Weiqing's Heavenly Energy had only Awakened about four to five years ago. That meant that in just this short period of time, his Heavenly Energy had skyrocketed to what it currently was… from zero to the almost five-Jewels now. Furthermore, Zhou Weiqing was about two years younger than them, and did not previously have any support from any Great Saint Lands. Who knew what his cultivation level would grow to in two years time!
Shangguan Fei'er continued: "Now you understand what I mean right? That Immortal Deity Technique of Little Fatty's is truly terrifying, almost disgusting even. Although we are unable to cultivate it, as it is almost tantamount to suicide, but it seems to have been made for him. With that cultivation technique, I am certain that before the nine-Jeweled stage, his speed of advancement will not slow much. That is to say… I estimate that within four to five years, maybe less, he will reach the Upper Level Zong Stage."
"By that time, who knows, he might actually even be able to reach the Heavenly King Stage before the age of thirty! That is something that not even Big Uncle was able to accomplish! Sis, just think about it, in four or five years, are you certain that you will definitely reach the Heavenly King Stage? Furthermore, we are slightly older than he is. That is the reason why I said that he would definitely be able to catch up with you in the future."
Shangguan Xue'er looked at her gleeful little sister and said passively: "Heavenly Energy cultivation level is important, but it is also not the deciding factor for everything. Furthermore, all of that is just your estimations."
Shangguan Fei'er laughed merrily as she said: "Sis, looks like you really aren't convinced! Well, what about actual combat? Even though you have the Boundless Infinitum Set, that fellow also has the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set! Perhaps in terms of comparing Legendary Sets, his might be slightly weaker than yours, but how much of a difference can the two have? Do not forget, he also has the Demonic Change State and the Six Attribute Elemental Jewels. In terms of actual combat, I currently dare not say that I will definitely be able to defeat him. Even if I can, it will definitely be at a heavy price. This is even because I know most of his Skills very well. Although you are much stronger than I am, if you are not clear about his abilities, even if you can defeat him, it would also be at a heavy price."
All of a sudden, Shangguan Xue'er giggled. "Fei'er, do you know what you look like now?"
Shangguan Fei'er started momentarily before saying: "What do I look like?"
Shangguan Xue'er continued saying laughingly: "Just now, you looked totally like a mother hen protecting her little chicks. You haven't even married that fellow yet, and you are already so protective of him. Well, besides the fact he hasn't caught up with me yet, even if he becomes stronger than me, so what? Anyway, we are not enemies."
"Sis, you dare say I am like a mother hen?! I… I…" As she said that, Shangguan Fei'er suddenly sprang savagely at Shangguan Xue'er.
…
While the two sisters were joking around with each other at one side, Zhou Weiqing had started his closed door cultivation in his own tent.
This time, the closed door cultivation was not at Long Shiya's behest, but something he had requested of his own accord. After being taught by Long Shiya, Zhou Weiqing became clearer and clearer about his own flaws and what he lacked. On the surface, his talents were amazing. However, he had not been in the Heavenly Jewel Master world for long, and his flaws were plentiful as well. These flaws might not seem like much, some extremely tiny, but if an enemy managed to grab hold of one and make use of it, it could be a possible point that sent him to eternal doom.
More importantly, the Peerless Battalion had been replenished with so many new men, and Zhou Weiqing could feel the weight on his shoulders increasing. Although he did not speak out about this, that feeling in his heart was definitely growing. Closed door cultivation to break through to the Five-Jeweled cultivation level was his current goal. Furthermore, this time, he would do so by training in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts while in Demonic Change State.
Long Shiya would remain in the same tent as Zhou Weiqing throughout this period. During the time when Zhou Weiqing was training in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, he would give detailed pointers and correct any mistakes.
In his eyes, Zhou Weiqing's passion and persistence towards cultivation was far below his own. Back in those days, Long Shiya had gone through so much in order to increase his cultivation and gain power, barely forging his way through countless of trials and tribulations. Yet, at the same time, he had no choice but to admit that this disciple of his was far superior to himself in terms of understanding and comprehension. In addition to his other talents, it was definitely a startling cultivation speed. If he examined himself, Long Shiya knew that he was already being extremely critical and strict, but Zhou Weiqing would still give him a pleasant surprise every day. The Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts in his disciple's hands was slowing starting to look decent. After all these days, at least in terms of the first stage of the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts, Zhou Weiqing was already starting to enter deeper and at a much more stable state. At least for all Skills below the Five-Jeweled stage, he was already able to mimic them.
Of course, that was not to say that Zhou Weiqing would practice mimicking every single Skill, but it was more a particular talent or attribute that he had to master in mimicking; basically training hard in the Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts' mimicking capabilities. As the saying goes 'The Methods used may vary, but the Principle always remains the same'. As long as he knew the key to the method, it would be much easier to mimic any Skill within his capabilities.
To Zhou Weiqing, having two months to breakthrough to the Five-Jeweled stage was not a particularly difficult task. After all, his Immortal Deity Technique was truly 'disgusting'. Just like what Shangguan Fei'er had said, the speed of growth of his Heavenly Energy had never slowed, not even as his cultivation level increased.
Normally, Heavenly Energy cultivation would become harder and harder as one's cultivation level increased. However, in Zhou Weiqing's case, whenever he raised a stage of Heavenly Energy, his own Death Acupuncture energy whirlpools would also increase by one, and the draw from the atmospheric energy was greatly increased, and this would offset the extra difficulty in cultivation speed.
Originally, Zhou Weiqing had been very worried what would happen to him after reaching the thirty sixth Stage of Heavenly Energy and reaching the Heavenly Xu Stage and the Heavenly King Stage. After all, that was the limit of the Immortal Deity Technique with the thirty six Death Acupuncture Points, and he did not have another higher level cultivation technique. Now, he did not need to worry too much about the future; with a teacher like Long Shiya, that was no longer any problem. At least, before he broke through the Heavenly King Stage, it was clear that Long Shiya would not easily leave his side.
As Zhou Weiqing entered the close door cultivation, everyday he would enter the Demonic Change State to train in all his various Skills, not just to train in the 'Ice Cold Perception', increasing his senses and knowledge in the profound secrets in that state, but also to increase the time he could remain in that state. At the same time, he was also constantly improving in his Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts and Heavenly Energy. It could be said that it was not only training in Skill usage, but also Heavenly Energy, without neglecting either. This was Zhou Weiqing's greatest advantage compared to any other Heavenly Jewel Master, an advantage from the Immortal Deity Technique, the advantage that would allow him to slowly catch up with the Shangguan Sisters.
At the same time, the development of the Peerless Battalion was on the right path, following the instructions that Zhou Weiqing had laid out. The three thousand new ruffians who had joined were quickly dispersed amongst the various new Companies, and with the lure of food and money, as well as the 'propaganda' from the older Peerless Battalion soldiers, soon converted them all.
——
Evolving of the Peerless Battalion! (2)
The Peerless Battalion training was not in the actual campsite. Everyday, they would all head out of the camp, running twenty kilometres to a empty space for their training.
For other units, if they were to move out without consideration like that, they would definitely draw the attention and criticism from the headquarters. However, ever since Shen Ji knew about the presence of Long Shiya, it was as if the Peerless Battalion had gained a permanent green light, and they had no problems in doing such training daily.
The first time these new recruits saw the Peerless Battalion soldiers in their titanium alloy mail and all of them having a Consolidated Bow, they were truly shocked to the core.
The current Peerless Battalion was far different from what it had been when Zhou Weiqing had first arrived at the old Ruffian Battalion, in terms of cultivation, equipment, power, even confidence. Naturally, it was much easier to 'conquer' the hearts of these new recruits as compared to previously.
Looking at the 'old' Peerless Battalion soldiers using their Consolidated Bows to continuously destroy targets at an impressive distance of a thousand yards, then witnessing the impossible sight of the Peerless Battalion Air Force lift off… If one were to say that these new Peerless Battalion soldiers were not highly tempted, it would definitely be a lie.
The 'brainwashing techniques' that Zhou Weiqing had brought up was also of critical effect. Hearing all the miracles that had happened over the past six months, the great stories of growth and strength… slowly the new ruffians grew to accept the Peerless Battalion.
Against such people, just beating them down alone was definitely not enough. After all, being sent to the Ruffian Battalion, which of them weren't scoundrels and rogues, old experienced hands? Only with the addition of being lured by the promise of profit and gain, power, a slow methodical guidance to bring them onto the right path… only this would bring about the effect that Zhou Weiqing hoped for.
The facts proved themselves once more. Everything that Zhou Weiqing had done was extremely successful. After barely a month, the new Peerless Battalion was basically basically integrated.
After the 'Battalion wide competition' that was held, the five thousand three hundred soldiers of the Peerless Battalion were finally fused together as one unit.
Five thousand three hundred men. Ten large main Companies and a unique 'Commando' Company.
This 'Commando' Company was specially selected and led by the seven Heavenly Bow Unit God Archers. As for the original ten Company Leaders of the main Companies, four of them had actually changed after the large competition.
Amongst the three thousand seven hundred new ruffian soldiers, there were some powerhouses who were much stronger than the original Ruffian Battalion the Peerless Battalion had consisted off. Most of these powerhouses came from the strongest of the northern armies, the Central North Army, with some of them even originating from the Ghost Demon Horse Cavalry Troop.
Amongst them, the most valiant and impressive was a fellow called Lei Zi. Lei Zi was twenty seven years old this year, and was originally the Battalion Commander from the Central North Army Ruffian Battalion. Indeed, the Battalion Commander. As a Heavenly Jewel Master, he was actually already at an impressive Six-Jeweled stage… at only twenty seven years old! Even in the Great Saint Lands, that was already considered a very good result. Yet, he was a free cultivator not belonging to any Clan.
Lei Zi's Elemental Jewel Attribute was that of Earth, while his Physical Jewel Attribute was Strength. Ordinarily speaking, with such attributes, even if he weren't an ultimate Defense type like Lin TianAo, most would still focus on defense as the main.
However, this fellow acted in the totally opposite manner. His aspirations were towards offense, chasing after the strongest attacks possible, even choosing the rarer offensive Skills amongst the Earth Attribute. Although he still did not have Consolidated Equipment, he had already finished Storing all his Skills. More importantly, he had been able to use his own control and understanding to develop two Skills of his own. Such a talent… it was truly impressive.
Such a talent like himself should have had a glorious career ahead of him, but the reason he had been exiled to the Ruffian Battalion was because he offended someone.
This Lei Zi was originally part of a specially created Battalion in the Central North Army, consisting totally of Jewel Masters, and he had been one of the top in that unit as well, reaching the rank of Company Leader in that Battalion. Alas, he had killed that Battalion Commander's little brother, and had thus been sent to the Ruffian Battalion. Being able to stay alive despite that was only because of all the military exploits and merits he had earned over all the previous years.
Such a person, when he entered the Peerless Battalion, naturally his natural talent would shine forth brightly. Lei Zi himself never dreamed that he would have another chance, leaving a special Battalion consisting totally of Jewel Masters, and ending up in yet another such Battalion. Furthermore, from the surface of things, though the Peerless Battalion's individual soldier strength might not be comparable to his original special Battalion, in terms of numbers it was far superior.
In the Battalion Competition, Lei Zi cut a conspicuous figure, defeating all of his opponents, even some of the older Company Leaders who had been personally taught by Shangguan Fei'er, and had been extremely arrogant.
He requested to take over as Battalion Commander, to become the Battalion Commander of the Peerless Battalion. After winning the championship of the Battalion Competition, he challenged Zhou Weiqing to a fight.
At that moment, all the new recruits were extremely excited. They wanted to see for themselves how strong their Battalion Commander was. However, all the old Peerless Battalion soldiers all said a silent prayer for Lei Zi. The reason was simple – to gain the right to challenge the Boss, he had to first get past the 'Lady Boss'… and was she that easy to deal with?
Very quickly, Lei Zi learned why the flowers were so red. In front of Shangguan Fei'er, he was like a little child, not standing a chance at all. Both were six Jewels, but Shangguan Fei'er easily beat him up without breaking a sweat.
At first, he had not been satisfied with that loss, thinking that the only reason Shangguan Fei'er could win was because she had God Tier Consolidated Equipment. However, she just kept all of her Consolidated Equipment, and without even using her Elemental Jewel Stored Skills, just depending on her ferocious close combat skills, she defeated him time and time again. At last, Lei Zi had accepted his loss.
As such, Lei Zi had taken over Mammoth's original position, becoming the Main Company Leader of the First Company, with Mammoth becoming his Vice Commander. Mammoth was also not unsatisfied. After all, he had lost.
At the same time, Lei Zi was still harbouring some doubt in his heart; after all, being convinced of Shangguan Fei'er's strength did not mean he could easily be convinced by Zhou Weiqing so indirectly.
After all, since the new recruits had come, Zhou Weiqing had not even made an appearance.
There were three others in a similar state as Lei Zi. All of them were Heavenly Jewel Masters, though not as high a cultivation level as Lei Zi, they too had defeated some of the old Company Leaders and taken over their positions.
After this Battalion Competition, Shangguan Fei'er's prestige grew even higher. Not only because of her sheer strength and power, but also because of the gratitude the older soldiers held for her. It could be said that if not for Shangguan Fei'er teaching them close combat skills, perhaps even if not all of the Company Leaders would be swapped out, at least eight of them would be knocked out of the running. It was Shangguan Fei'er's selfless teaching and the half year of tough training that had allowed them the chance to defeat their opponents and keep their rank and status.
At the same time, this Battalion Competition was also a big alarm bell to the entire Peerless Battalion. No one had an absolutely guaranteed rank and status, and only strength and power was the most important, the most consistent thing. This type of meritocracy was the fairest way of doing things – who held the greatest power could ascend in rank. This also gave all of the Peerless Battalion soldiers further incentive to train harder, to protect their rank or to advance further.
Besides all of that, the Peerless Battalion spared no effort in gearing up the new recruits. Although they did not currently have any military merits or awards, each of them had a record, and the equipment would be given to them first and they would 'pay back' later.
Perhaps at this point in time, these new recruits did not realise what this debt truly meant. After all, with their ruffian soldier nature, many of them did not even plan to pay back. Alas for them, in the near future, when Zhou Weiqing returned from his closed door cultivation, they would soon understand that not returning was not an option for them.
…
Just like that, two months passed by swiftly as if in a blink of an eye. The entire Peerless Battalion had gone through these two months of training and equipping, and could now be said to be armed to the teeth. At the same time, the various Companies had also gone through several different rearrangements according to their combat strength.
The main lack was the Consolidated Equipment Wings, which were not so easily finished. Although Yun Li and Little Miss Muddle were getting much more familiar with creating them, it still took considerable time to create these Consolidating Equipment Scrolls due to their sheer complexity and the fact that two were needed for the complete wing set. As such, in a short period of time, it would be impossible to fully gear the entire Peerless Battalion with them.