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Chapter 294: Ling Chen's Improvement

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock

"Young noble, are we really going to let the Xiao Family leave peacefully like that?" Ling Chen asked with a frown.

"Mmm," Ling Tian responded with a smile, "the Xiao Family is leaving because they think that their goals were achieved. The Heaven Splitter had already successfully gained the attention of the whole continent and would definitely cause chaos to break out. In their predictions, regardless of who obtains the Heaven Splitter, they would definitely stage an uprising in a year at the latest. The Xiao Family is definitely preparing for war upon their return. However, what they don't know is that the party that obtained the Heaven Splitter is one which no one in the continent would dare to provoke. Furthermore, that party is also the only power without any ambitions to conquer the continent. However, this is something that no one would be able to guess!"

Ling Chen nodded her head in response and said, "However, it is a pity to let Xiao FengYang leave like that."

Ling Tian then said with a smile, "What's the pity? If we let them go, the Xiao Family will definitely remain silent for now. As long as the world doesn't break out into chaos, the Xiao Family won't make a move. However, chaos will definitely not break out anytime soon. This change is something that is definitely out of the Xiao Family's calculations. Thus, we have unknowingly won ourselves more time." Ling Tian chuckled before continuing, "If the Heaven Splitter really had been obtained by another party, I would have definitely exhausted all my means to kill Xiao FengYang in Sky Bearing! While the Xiao Family's plans are extremely intricate and well thought out, they didn't include Beyond Heavens, the biggest wild card, into their calculations! With the addition of this change, things will be interesting!"

Ling Chen came to a realization and she couldn't help but smile, "That's right, regardless of whether or not a power has the strength to conquer the continent, they would definitely have the ambition. However, the unbelievably powerful Beyond Heavens is able to seclude themselves from worldly affairs without the thought of conquering the continent. For the Heaven Splitter to land in the hands of Beyond Heavens, it is akin to having it disappear from the world. As such, the Xiao Family's plans of using the Heaven Splitter to incite a war have been completely foiled. Am I right?"

Ling Tian laughed out loud, "That's right! The Xiao Family would definitely wait for the party with the Heaven Splitter to stage an uprising so that they can gain the benefits when the continent breaks out into chaos. While their plan was a good one, they just couldn't predict the future! The Xiao Family's plan will definitely be foiled. Furthermore, if Beyond Heavens were to think that the Xiao Family was the mastermind for inciting chaos in the continent, the Xiao Family would certainly be in trouble!"

Ling Chen replied with a giggle, "Then, the Xiao Family would be waiting for nothing or perhaps for calamity to befall upon them?"

A slight smile could be seen on Ling Tian's face as he looked out of the window, "That's right, by the time the Xiao Family comes to that realization, it would probably be a year later. At that time, Xiao FengHan would realize that the state of the world was far different from what it is now! The Ling Tian of that time will also not be the present Ling Tian! While a year isn't a long time, it is enough for me to lay out my plans!"

"So, Xiao FengYang can't die!" Ling Tian concluded, "Not only must he be alive, we must pray for him to arrive back at the Xiao Family safely, lest the Xiao Family get anxious and start the war early. After all, we were the ones who received the most from the auction. Not only did we receive the Millennium Warm Jade and Ice Fire Lotus, we even exterminated the bulk of Water of Heavenly Wind in the continent and captured Shui QianRou. At the same time, we have also wiped out the XiMen Family and gained the time which we lacked the most! If we don't let others return home safely after receiving so many benefits, I wouldn't be able to face my conscience. Right, Chen'er?" As he said that, he revealed a mischievous smile.

Ling Chen's face turned red and she also burst out laughing. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel pity for the Xiao Family. After such detailed planning and great foresight, their plan was completely foiled and even benefited others! Furthermore, they were still kept in the dark and celebrating their success.

The brightest one is still my young noble!

Ling Tian suddenly stopped smiling and asked, "Chen'er, how is your improvement?"

A trace of excitement could be seen on Ling Chen's face as she said jubilantly, "Young noble, the Great Cyclic Pellet which you had refined is a divine medicine indeed! Chen'er didn't meet any danger when consuming the pill. All I did was to use my cold inner qi to continually refine the medicinal effects of the pill. In the end, not only was my inner qi much purer than before, I had successfully broken through to the seventh stage and entered the mid-seventh stage. The pill is just too amazing!"

Err! Ling Tian's mouth was wide open in shock.

The top grade Great Cyclic Pellet which Ling Tian had refined was without a doubt extremely effective and even Ling Tian had tried it out himself. However, he definitely didn't have such an unusual improvement like Ling Chen. Thinking about how he had to undergo a torturous process to absorb the medicinal effects of the pellet, and looking at how Ling Chen was able to absorb it so easily as though it was something insignificant, Ling Tian had a sudden urge to bang his head on the wall!

The mid-seventh stage of the Divine Ice Formula?! It seems that Ling Chen was only at the fifth stage originally! To think that a single Great Cyclic Pellet was able to help her cross two stages! Ling Tian was completely speechless.

"Such quick improvement?" Ling Tian suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but become anxious. Quickly placing his finger on Ling Chen's wrist, he sent out a wave of inner qi into Ling Chen's meridians. However, he was shocked to realize that the flow in all her meridians was incomparably smooth with her inner qi gentle, dense and pure. There wasn't a single oddity in her meridians, and Ling Tian couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Ling Chen then smiled, "At the start, I felt as though the medicinal effect of the Great Cyclic Pellet was extremely violent but it became gentle and smooth after a full circulation in my meridians. Furthermore, when I hung the Millennium Warm Jade which young noble gave me on my chest, I felt as though it was continuously sending out waves of warm energy into my meridians. The originally violent energy then became much calmer and gentler. It is really so amazing, hehehe…"

Millennium Warm Jade! Ling Tian suddenly thought of this item! No wonder Ling Chen's improvement was so stunning! With the Millennium Warm Jade protecting her, she wouldn't need to worry about entering into cultivation deviation and could focus fully on absorbing the medicinal effects of the pill. How could her improvement be slow? Furthermore, she has the pure Yin physique and is cultivating the Divine Ice Formula. Upon being mixed with the pure Yang Great Cyclic Pellet, she would naturally achieve twice the results with half the effort. After which, breaking through into the seventh stage of the Divine Ice Formula was no more than nature taking its course. Ling Chen was originally at the peak of the fifth stage and a single step away from the sixth stage. With the aid of the top grade Great Cyclic Pellet and Millennium Warm Jade, she was actually able to break through into the seventh stage! This was definitely something unexpected.

"I see…" Ling Tian nodded his head.

Ling Chen then said excitedly, "Young noble, this Great Cyclic Pellet is really useful. If I take a few more of them, will I breakthrough into the ninth stage directly and enter the highest stage of the Divine Ice Formula?"

Ling Tian was startled as he reprimanded, "You must not have such a thought! The Great Cyclic Pellet is something which goes against the heavens and goes against the logic of inner qi growing by slow accumulation. Such a quick improvement is already something that shouldn't happen and would be harmful to your meridians. If you were to take another pellet, you would suffer a backlash on the spot and die from all your meridians rupturing! This is no joke! With your improvement, you can only take the second pill five years later! Furthermore, this is conditional on whether or not your improvement in these five years is satisfactory. Even if you can take a second pill, the effects of the pill would definitely be greatly diminished. If I were to have a say, I wouldn't want to you to consume another pill. After all, an external source of strength isn't the right path!"

Ling Chen's eyes widened in shock as she patted her chest with fear, "Ah? So that's the case? Thankfully I only ate a single pill. I originally still intended to consume two pills. Mmm, I will listen to young noble and work hard in my cultivation. I will not rely on such divine pills!"

Ling Tian began perspiring as he thought, Does this lass think that this is a candy? My goodness! If this lass really consumed two pills, I would probably be greeted with a pile of ashes upon my return! Then, Ling Tian couldn't help but pull Ling Chen into his embrace. With a shriek, Ling Chen was already placed on Ling Tian's knees. With two loud slapping sounds, Ling Tian began spanking her behind.

Ling Chen cried out in pain but her eyes were filled with joy.

Ling Tian said with a 'hmph', "Let me teach you a lesson! How can you be so naughty!"

Ling Chen leaned on his knees and raised her head out, "Didn't young noble want to assess my improvements? Why not let Chen'er exchange a few moves with young noble? It's been a long while since Chen'er had a spar with young noble." With a large improvement in her inner qi, she was itching to have a spar.

Ling Tian then gave a lecherous smile as his hands were already under her shirt. Grabbing on two her twin peaks, he grunted, "You can spar with Ling Jian tomorrow. Today, we have other more important things to do. See how this young noble makes you submit!"

Ling Chen's face was completely red as she struggled to get up. However, she was quickly pressed down by Ling Tian and had no choice but to shut her eyes as she felt a wave of pleasure rising from her chest. With a moan, she said, "Young noble, it is still in the day!"

Ling Tian then carried her up and walked towards the room with a chuckle, "So what if it's in the day? Who says we can't do it in the day?"

With a shriek, she plunged her face into Ling Tian's chest and stopped struggling. Like a docile cat, she allowed Ling Tian to carry her into the room.

Ling Tian was first ignited by Shui QianRou first and Yu BingYan next. However, he had no way to let out his lust and could only hold himself back. Then, Xiao YanXue came to bid her farewells which frustrated him even more as he almost wanted to let out a roar to the skies. Now that he had a chance, why would he care about the day or night? He immediately sought Ling Chen to have a good 'confirmation'!

The sound of the both of them talking could then be heard.

"Young noble, can I beat Ling Jian tomorrow?"

"Mmm…"

"Then I must definitely teach him a good lesson tomorrow! I must definitely beat him up black and blue. Hmph, hmph…"

"...up to you, the fiercer the better." As though he was busy with something Ling Tian's words weren't very clear.

"Young noble, then can I…" Ling Chen continued chattering on.

"Keep quiet!" Ling Tian finally cried out in exasperation and thought, This foolish lady really knows how to spoil the mood!

"Oka...err...ooo…" It was as though her mouth was covered with something and the room became silent…

Chapter 295: Unexpected

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

The next day, Ling Family Courtyard.

Ling Tian coldly stared at Ling Jian, seeing him lower his head in guilt.

Ling Jian originally thought that he would receive a punishment for acting out of line yesterday, but surprisingly it was delayed until the next day.

Ling Tian coldly stared at him for a while, before speaking, "Chen'er, go and spar with Ling Jian. I want to see which stage the two of you have reached. Both of you are to give it your all, I expect no leniency."

The moment he finished speaking, looks of ecstasy appeared on the faces of the other seven present! Ling Chi's group of five was actually here to make up the numbers, and Ling Jian could be said to be practically soaring in happiness. As for Ling Chen, after consuming the Great Cyclic Pellet, she was already itching for a battle a long time ago.

Ling Tian indifferently added, "Ling Jian, I allow you to use your sword!"

Ling Jian paused in shock. While Ling Chen's skill and movement techniques were above his, the moment he used the sword, he would be brimming with killing intent, his prowess more than doubled. How could Ling Chen take it? He slowly replied, "Use my sword? Is there really a need for that?"

Ling Jian also had his own considerations. Previously during the battles between Yu ManTian and the five Ling brothers, Ling Jian had always stayed hidden. However, his contact and experience had still grown by a large margin, and if he were to pit himself against Yu ManTian once again, a victor could probably only be decided after a few hundred moves! When compared to Ling Chen who had always been following their young noble, while her martial skill was strong, she rarely took action. Thus, compared to his killing skills, if he couldn't draw back on time, he would probably end up hurting Ling Chen!

Seeing that Ling Jian was looking down on her, Ling Chen indignantly replied, "Jian Jian, you should use your sword. Or else, you will not be satisfied when you lose later!"

Ling Jian had on an expression full of suspicion, where did Ling Chen's confidence stem from? The last few years when they had sparred, if not for him holding back, she would be on the ground looking for her teeth!

Ling Tian lightly patting Ling Chen on the shoulder as he encouraged her, "Chen'er, rest assured and fight. Your mission today is to beat Ling Jian up till he looks like a pig's head. If you don't complete your task, then there will be no dinner tonight."

Ling Jian laughed out loudly, "Lass Chen, looks like you will go hungry tonight!"

Ling Chen, however, gave a shallow smile, "Jian Jian, let's see who will go hungry tonight!"

Ling Jian was pleased as punch, sniggering, "What's there to see? These last few years, have you ever once truly won against me? Haha, stop joking. I've also had some minor breakthroughs during this time. If you lose, don't say that I'm bullying you!"

However, things turned out to be completely different!

The moment they started, Ling Jian felt something amiss! Ling Chen's palms carried with her a frigid wintry pressure, which was cold enough to make him feel like he was in an icebox on this hot summer day! As the two of them fought, their surroundings began to be covered with a layer of clear ice! On a hot summer day! Furthermore, it continued to persist there! Ling Jian began to suspect something, since when did the skill of this lass increase by so much?

When he was disarmed by Ling Chen and fell to the ground in a semi-frozen state, he was inwardly crying. In order to avoid harming Ling Chen, he didn't use any of his killing moves, but even if he had used them, there might not have been an effect, seeing how frenzied she was today. What sort of steroids did she eat today?!

He had indeed guessed it correctly, wasn't this frenzied Ling Chen a result of her consuming drugs?

As he was being pummelled by Ling Chen, his intestines were going green with regret at not having sent the five Ling brothers to another place beforehand. Now how was he going to maintain his prestige amongst the five of them?!

In the end, Ling Jian lay down on the ground groaning, lacking even the energy to stand up...

Ling Chen indeed didn't let Ling Tian down. Right now, if anyone were to see this scene, they wouldn't recognize that Ling Jian was the sparring partner of Ling Chen! Ling Jian's fame had plummeted to rock bottom in just a matter of hours. But Ling Chen was already very considerate, not even harming any of his bones, but in return bruising every single inch of his muscles. If one were to take a cursory glance, they would see that Ling Jian's head had somehow grown larger by a size, and his pretty boy face could actually replace a pig's face!

"Young noble, my mission has been completed." Ling Chen delightedly walked back to Ling Tian's side, giving off a sweet smile. However, the five Ling brothers looked as though they had seen a demoness, all of them possessing faces white as milk, and unconsciously taking a few steps back. No one here was unaware of Ling Jian's true prowess, but Ling Chen actually didn't need much strength to beat Ling Jian up to this state! Wasn't this skill on par with Yu ManTian already?

"Hmm… barely passable." Ling Tian nodded his head, but with some hesitation. "He has still a ways to go before becoming a pig's head. The ears are not big enough, and the nose not long enough either… haiz, at least the mouth has some resemblance. Forget it, I can consider it as a pass."

Ling Chen pouted in response, hatefully glaring at Ling Jian who was lying on his back, lamenting about the fact that his ears were so small, and his nose was so short. To think that he almost cost her the success of her mission.

"Young noble…" Ling Jian slowly crawled up, opening his swollen eyelids and speaking in an unclear manner, "Young noble is being biased! Why has lass Chen suddenly improved so quickly?!" Now he had finally realized that Ling Chen's startling growth could only be because of using medicines and it definitely had to be Ling Tian's Great Cyclic Pellet that had done the job!

The matter on the Great Cyclic Pellet, the fewer who knew of it the better. Even Yu BingYan only knew it as a form of medicine to cure her illness, and nothing else. The only people who were aware of its true properties were Ling Tian, Ling Jian, and Ling Chen. After all, such a heaven-defying medicine was bound to set off a lot of waves if word spread about it. It might even lead to people trying to steal the medicine. Thus, after long consideration, Ling Tian decided that the effects of the medicine should never be divulged.

Ling Tian snorted and meaningfully stared at him, whispering in his ear, "This is the consequence for what you did yesterday. Are you happy with it? Hmph, if there's a next time, it would mean that Ling Chen is not doing her job well, and I'll be the one sparring with you."

Ling Jian immediately trembled, an expression of fear on his face. Ling Chen had sent blows to practically every part that had flesh on him, and Ling Tian had said that she was not doing her job well?

Ling Tian drew out a jade bottle from his bosom, pouring out six pellets before putting them in Ling Jian's hands, instructing, "I want you to go into closed-door cultivation, and after cultivating for thirty-six hours, take one of these. Remember, only one. If you take more than that, you won't have any body left to speak of! When you have finished absorbing the medicine, give the other five one each and guard them. There's no margin for failure, am I clear?"

Ling Jian was overjoyed, taking the Great Cycling Pellet with his hands and holding it tightly in one hand. He thought, If the six of us can improve like how Ling Chen did, then the First Pavilion will turn into the number one assassin organization overnight!

Ling Tian walked off, he suddenly paused as though he recalled something, saying, "Before you give it to them, you need to do what Ling Chen did to you: loosen all their muscles. This is to ensure that the medicine is more easily absorbed."

Ling Jian paused in shock, then a weird smile began to form on his face. Glancing at the five of them standing at the corner looking at him in schadenfreude, he slowly clenched his fists, and the crackling of his knuckles could be heard.

Finished with his preparations, Ling Tian commanded Ling Chi, "Bring me to Ye BaiFei."

In a secret chamber.

"How was Brother Ye been?" Ling Tian smiled as he sat down, Ling Chen standing behind him.

"Ling Tian, you place this Ye here, but you don't take any action. What's the meaning of this?" Ye BaiFei looked to have recovered quite a bit, the obvious sign of the care he received in the Ling Family Courtyard. Other than the fact that his inner qi had been sealed, he lived just like a normal person, albeit one without freedom.

"Brother Ye has extraordinary martial skills and bravery that surpasses normal men. Ling Tian admires you." Ling Tian sincerely spoke. "My purpose this time is to settle everything with you. You can decide whether to be killed or to be let go!"

A cold smile surfaced on Ye BaiFei's bloodless face. "Settle scores? Whether you kill or let me go, does it matter?"

Ling Tian stood up as he replied, "I'm now lacking capable people, and I hope that Brother Ye can consider forming an alliance with me, to aid me in my accomplishments. If Brother Ye can agree, not only will I be endlessly thankful, but you will also regain your freedom."

Ye BaiFei smirked, "If this Ye doesn't agree?"

Ling Tian inwardly sighed, he had already realized what Ye BaiFei's inner attitude was, and couldn't help but find it a pity.

He could only heavily answer, "There's no point in me lying to you. Brother Ye, if you don't agree, I'm no saint either, and will not leave you out alive. May Brother Ye please reconsider."

Taking two steps forward, Ling Tian solemnly continued, "Brother Ye, you should know that I'm not trying to use your life to blackmail you. I'm just telling you a fact. At our realm, it would be childish if we were to use life and death to attempt to blackmail someone. As such, this is a choice for you, and the only difference is that it's one where you have to play with life and death!:

Ye BaiFei laughed out loud as he replied, "Yes, that is indeed a childish choice for me!"

However, Ling Tian didn't get angry, instead a flash of pity appeared in his eyes! Ling Tian highly viewed such people who didn't blink even when at death's door, but if such a person was his enemy, then he would definitely end him before anything could happen! Because such people, if given the chance, could deal irreparable damage to him!

A brief silence followed before Ling Tian spoke once again, "Brother Ye, you still have not answered me. What are your thoughts? Please seriously reconsider, there's no turning back!"

Ye BaiFei only looked at Ling Tian calmly. "Young noble Ling, the only reason why I haven't silenced myself until now is that I have been waiting for this day." His eyes bore the look of a person who viewed death as nothing but another end and continued with a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, "This Ye could have ended his life anytime. I was waiting for young noble to come so I could ask this: That day when I was captured, did you give out the order?"

Chapter 296: Unconcerned with Life and Death

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

Ling Tian stared directly at Ye BaiFei, sincerely speaking, "Definitely not! It was an order given down by one of my underlings. If it was me, then I would have silenced you on the spot, without giving you any chance! Brother Ye, I would never have captured you alive." A look of understanding appeared in his eyes, "Because I know that to someone of your caliber, that is an insult! I'll never insult an opponent that I respect." As he spoke that, he looked at Ling Chen, and her face reddened as she lowered her head in guilt.

Ye BaiFei let out a genuine laugh, "Thanks!"

Ling Tian, however, remained silent for a while more, finally saying, "There's no need for thanks! Because you are Ye BaiFei! Golden Leaves BaiFei!"

Ye BaiFei smiled in satisfaction, with a hint of pride, "That's right. I'm Golden Leaves BaiFei! Just as you are Ling Tian, the Ling Tian who wishes to overcome the Heavens themselves!" He looked at Ling Tian with a few extra points of appreciation, and this was the first time he stared directly at him since Ling Tian walked in! "I might not be as good as you, but there's one point, and that is the fact I will not concede defeat."

Ling Tian slowly nodded, "That's right, Brother Ye's demeanor really leaves one full of respect."

Using a much calmer tone, Ye BaiFei confided, "As such, your last sentence has no need for an answer."

Ling Tian sighed loudly in reply, "Yes! While I knew it was futile, I had to ask. If I didn't ask, it would be a huge regret in my life!"

Ye BaiFei turned around and spoke in a soft voice, "Since that's the case, Brother Ye will not see young noble Ling off."

Ling Tian laughed loudly as he replied, "Then let me give you some final words of parting: If there's a next life, then let us meet again as opponents! The road to the Yellow River is long, Ling Tian shall not see you off!"

"If there's a next life, let us meet again as opponents!" Ye BaiFei silently repeated these words, and laughed out, shouting, "You too! He who understands me, Ling Tian!"

A tremor suddenly passed through his body, and Ye BaiFei found that all his internal energy that had been sealed was suddenly unlocked. A look of appreciation and gratitude passed across his face, and when he turned around, he found out that only he was left in the chamber.

Looking at the chamber door which was left ajar without any guards, he sincerely whispered, "Thank you, Ling Tian! If there's a next life, maybe we might not be enemies, but bosom friends!"

On the journey back, Ling Tian had a heavy expression. Ling Chen finally couldn't take it anymore and curiously asked, "Young noble, just now when you were talking to Ye BaiFei, I didn't understand a single word you spoke to him."

Ling Tian halted in his steps, sighing, "Chen'er, while Ye BaiFei might not be a good person and even could be considered a heartless killer, he is, in the end, a hero!"

Ling Chen was stunned into silence. Since he was no good person, how could he still be a hero?

"Not every good person is definitely a hero," Ling Tian mused. "Just as not every evildoer is a villain! There would always exist anomalies! And for a hero, he has his own moral principles that we can't shame or cross!"

Hurried footsteps could be heard from afar, and Ling Tian seemed to have felt something, as his face changed and he stiffened.

A bloke full of sweat rushed over, going down on one knee as he reported, "Young noble, this servant has just discovered that the secret chamber was left unlocked, and inside, Ye BaiFei had committed suicide by destroying all his meridians!"

Ling Chen let out an 'ah' in shock, not knowing what to do.

Ling Tian had on an icy expression. He suddenly turned, staring up at the sky as though recalling something, but also looking as though he was sending something. At where he stared, clouds lazily floated by, serene and beautiful. At this point, he solemnly spat out the two words, "Bury him!" Then strode off. Ling Chen followed tightly.

"Yes!" The black-robed bloke inclined his head in respect, then stood back up.

"The turbulent river water flows east, and the waves carry away the heroes; looking back, all the successes and failures of life seem empty. The mountains still remain green, but the sun has risen and set many times!" Ling Tian seemed to be in a bleak mental state, composing such a poem as he walked through the courtyard. After this, however, he gave an easy smile, shaking his head as he muttered, "Let this poem be a sincere gift to Ye BaiFei!"

Ling Chen muttered the poem to herself and found out that while the poem sounded all-encompassing, it had with it a few points of being detached from all worldly affairs. She couldn't help but feel worried, glancing at Ling Tian. This was the first time in a decade that Ling Chen felt a sense of uncertainty from Ling Tian, as though his previous mentality of being able to do anything he wished had disappeared.

Noticing Ling Chen's gaze on him, Ling Tian couldn't help but pat her head, ruffling her hair as he lightly spoke, "You won't be able to understand. As a woman, there are things that we men do you will not understand, and neither will I allow my loved ones to worry about such matters!"

Ehh… Ling Chen felt like she was being exposed to some esoteric concept. You guys are obviously men, and I'm a woman, why are you affirming that? But hearing Ling Tian speak of her as 'his loved ones', she felt a sense of sweetness fill her heart, and immediately threw all irrelevant thoughts out of her mind!

Seeing the cute expression of Ling Chen blinking her eyes in confusion, Ling Tian laughed out, wiping off the depressed feelings he had a while ago. He pulled Ling Chen into his arms and beamed, "You silly girl, let's go, we'll go see how the Miss from the Shui Family is doing!"

Shui QianRou sat silently in her chamber with half-closed eyes and a haggard look on her face. Ever since she stepped into this place, many physicians had tended to her injury, and forced down quite a few medicines into her throat, so she could clearly feel that her wound was already in the process of recovering, the pain already much less. Die'er sat beside her silently, fretting over the expression of her miss, but not making any noise. Instead, her eyes moved nonstop, as though thinking of something. After being taught a lesson by Ling Tian that day, she no longer tried to scream and yell any longer!

Inside the chamber, there were not only beds and couches but also clean blankets as well as tables and chairs. There was even clean hot water as well as cups. Evidently, the Ling Family still treated this young miss quite kindly.

However, in Shui QianRou's heart, it was like the waves crashing onto a beach, billowing high as she constantly repeated the harsh words which Ling Tian spat out to her! 'What did I do wrong? Did I really do something wrong? No! I didn't do anything wrong, all of this was done for the sake of my family's benefit, how is that wrong? But no! I really am wrong, I've long lost my original purpose, and I've never done anything in my own name, with my own intentions!'

With the two sides of Shui QianRou warring with each other inside her mind, switching from thought to thought, this caused her to be tortured to no end, and to be muddle-headed. She actually couldn't make heads or tails of what she was thinking about.

A whole day and night had already past, and she appeared to have become a walking sack of meat, to the point where she had to require help from treatment and bandaging, all the way to eating and drinking where Die'er had to feed her. Such was the shock she received when she realized that she had never done anything on her own before and that she had always been manipulated from behind the scenes.

"Miss Shui, how are you feeling? Is the service provided here still adequate?" Suddenly, a familiar yet foreign voice pulled the half-conscious Shui QianRou back to reality. She sharply opened her eyes! That disgusting voice! And the disgusting owner of that disgusting voice! Ling Tian, you b*st*rd! You're finally here!

"Ling Tian!" Shui QianRou's voice sounded like she was speaking through clenched teeth. "What have I done wrong? To deserve a scolding like that? Who do you think you are? This lady here has never done any foul play! Yes, I admit that I like you! But liking is one matter, and my personal stand is different from my family's stand! Since we are enemies, when the time comes for me to kill, then I will kill! Who are you to lecture me?! My life and my everything has long been handed to my family, and to sacrifice myself to complete the task, where am I wrong?!"

Shui QianRou was so agitated, her pale face was flushed abnormally red. "You think you're some lofty person? Don't bring feelings into this matter! Ling Tian, let me ask you, even if you love a woman, would you betray your family for her? Can you do that? If you can't then who are you to judge others, you hypocrite!"

Ling Tian stopped in shock, what was wrong with this lass? Spitting out so much when they just met? Did those doctors feed her gunpowder for medicine?

However, Ling Tian was not aware that while Shui QianRou didn't consume any gunpowder, she was filled with such thoughts for the whole day and night! And furthermore, she was warring against whatever Ling Tian had spoken in her mind! The more she thought, the more she decided that she had no fault whatsoever, and upon seeing Ling Tian, she exploded like a volcano that had an atomic bomb thrown in it. Only when she had finished speaking out all that was on her mind did she finally slump onto the bed, bereft of energy.

Ling Tian replied calmly, "You're not in the wrong! In your viewpoint, you're absolutely correct. To willingly sacrifice for your family, to put in all your effort, how is that wrong? At least, to your family, that is absolutely correct, and you would be considered prestigious, your family is immensely proud of you! I've never once said that your viewpoint was wrong!" A cold smile then surfaced as he continued, "But, in MY viewpoint, you're gravely mistaken! What do you think?!"

"You are the Water of Heavenly Wind, situated on the far Heavenly Wind Continent. Other than the Yu Family with whom you have a grudge, you have no grudge with any others on Heavenly Star Continent, am I right?" Ling Tian's tone got colder.

Shui QianRou reluctantly lifted up her head, "And what has that got to do with anything?"

"What has that got to do with anything?" Ling Tian repeated her words, laughing out, "You invaded Heavenly Star Continent, not purely for the Yu Family, wasn't it? Your first mistake, and greatest, was to provoke me, Ling Tian! We had no enmity, but you just had to go over to collude with Northern Wei and Sky Bearing Imperial Court to get rid of my father! Shui QianRou, plotting to assassinate someone whom you have no enmity or feud with, what part of that is correct?"

Chapter 297: Devious Psychological Attack

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

Shui QianRou met his eyes with a level gaze and unyieldingly replied, "Just as the celestial bodies never run out of energy, we should always strive to better ourselves. In order to achieve some accomplishments, how could one be picky about what they do? The victors are glorified, and losers vilified, what more can I say? Your father Ling Xiao is a great general, with half his life as a soldier, he should have long ago made the preparations to die in battle. When two countries war, it's every man for himself. To be completely unscrupulous, what wrong is there in that?"

Ling Tian coldly snorted, "So, to you people, what you did was ultimately correct. But if you stand in my viewpoint?"

"When two countries go to war, it's every man for himself. When people fight for accomplishments, the winners are glorified and losers vilified!" Ling Tian recited. "Indeed, under this pretense, anything done can't be counted as wrong. Miss Shui, is it not like that? Do you really think that's the case? Is this the behavior of a monarch?"

Shui QianRou sneered at him, "To think that young noble Ling has finally achieved enlightenment!"

Ling Tian ignored her jibe and instead continued to speak, "As enemies on opposing sides, based on what Miss Shui said, does it mean that anything and everything should be done to win? Since we chose to be enemies, then should we accept it and go all out? Is this what Miss Shui wants to say?"

Shui QianRou coldly ridiculed, "You're not too foolish after all! I've said it, just as the celestial bodies never run out of energy, we should always strive to better ourselves. This is the way of a monarch!"

Ling Tian laughed out loudly, suddenly withdrawing his smile as his face become cold. "Good. What a good saying, just as the celestial bodies never run out of energy, we should always strive to better ourselves! In that case, let me ask Miss Shui, are we now enemies?"

She snapped back, "If we aren't, then why would this lady be here?"

Ling Tian clapped his hands, leisurely continuing, "Then since we're enemies, why can't I scold you? Since you can even kill me, do I need a reason to scold you? Whatever you do is the way of a monarch, so why can't I remain noble if I scold you?"

Shui QianRou was stunned silly!

A cruel smile now surfaced on Ling Tian's face, "Based on your logic, anything I want to do is permissible! Are you prepared to actually be my slave? Or a toy to be played with and discarded? Can I actually throw you into the barracks to be the prostitute for the military? To sate my soldiers' lust? Have you had this mental preparation? Since you're a nobility that understands this concept. Is that it?!!"

Shui QianRou's face immediately paled! No one knew if it was because of anger or… fear! This young woman's heart definitely was in a panic right now.

Ling Tian coldly snorted, ruthlessly pressing on, "Since you've already made ample preparations, then if I don't do as you wish, then wouldn't I be seen as too friendly? Otherwise, I wouldn't have any of that regal bearing!"

He turned around, hollering, "Men!"

From outside came sounds of assent, and Ling Tian commanded, "Strip this Shui Family's Miss of her clothes, and throw her into the military barracks! Tell the brothers that they are to enjoy themselves to the fullest, as per the request of the successor of Water of Heavenly Wind! This person has long ago prepared herself for such a matter, and we definitely must live up to her expectations!"

The group agreed, and four big men rushed forward!

"NOOO!" Shui QianRou screamed out mournfully! It was a plaintive lament, full of sadness. What color that was left on her face bled out immediately, as two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks!

"Ling Tian! No, young noble Ling, I beg you, please let my family's young princess go!" Die'er immediately kneeled down on the floor, kowtowing to him, "My young miss's body is after all worth its weight in gold, how could it be defiled like so? On account of the feelings our little princess has towards you, please let her go! I beg you! I beg you! I beg you! …" Die'er kept knocking her head on the floor, to the point that her forehead was profusely bleeding. On the floor, a bloody patch had already formed!

"Worth its weight in gold?" Ling Tian sneered, "But we're enemies after all, and what is a noble body worth to me? Hurry up! Drag her out!" Shui QianRou's face was already ashen, looking like a corpse! For someone of her status, to speak nothing of having those crude boors defile her, even touching her would be a humiliation! If she was really bestowed to Ling Tian's troops as a prize, then she would rather die! She had already formed the intention to commit suicide in her heart!

In the end, Ling Chen was still a lady and couldn't take it anymore. She tugged on Ling Tian's sleeve, softly whispering, "Young noble….."

Ling Tian, however, furiously hollered at her, "Shut your mouth! When a man is doing his business, as his partner, you don't have the rights to interrupt! Stand at the side!" His voice was cold and ruthless, with no room for argument!

The rims of Ling Chen's eyes immediately reddened, as the tears threatened to fall. She could only aggrievedly stand beside the wall, not daring to even speak another word. This was the first time Ling Tian had ever rebuked Ling Chen so loudly and viciously, so how could she not feel heartbroken?

The four of the guards looked at each other, feeling that the situation was incredibly awkward, and hesitated.

Ling Tian was apoplectic with rage and sent a kick to one of the guards as he shouted, "Are you guys deaf?! This noble here has already given his orders, didn't you guys hear me? Hurry up and entertain this Miss Shui, unless you tell me you want this young noble to do it myself?"

The guard who got kicked was smashed heavily on the stone wall and even rebounded back. An intense look of pain appeared on his face, yet he dared not even let out a sound of pain. However, sweat poured profusely down his face as he endured it!

Seeing the four guards step ever closer, Die'er lost her head out of fear. She quickly crawled back up, and stood in front of Shui QianRou, pleading in a low voice, "Miss, under someone else's eaves, you have to lower your head; hurry and beg young noble Ling! If you ask him yourself, he might change his mind!"

Shui QianRou had a bloodless complexion, despair evident in her eyes. "No! I'd rather die!"

Ling Tian immediately took the chance, "Die? Do you think you still can choose to die now? Do you think that by dying you'll escape all this? Shui QianRou, you're too naive!"

"Dang!" Ling Tian drew out one of the blades on the waist of the guards, and threw it beside Qian ShuiRou, saying, "I'll give you this sword. Do you dare to commit suicide now? Hmm?"

Shui QianRou stretched out her hand and placed the blade on her fair neck. In a severe yet mournful voice, she screamed, "Ling Tian! I'll die for you to see!" As she spoke, she lifted up the blade to chop at her neck!

Ling Tian jeered, "Go ahead! After you die, I'll strip your body naked, and while it still has human warmth, give it to every soldier to sate themselves! After they're done, then I'll freeze your body and expressly deliver it back to Heavenly Wind Continent to parade around. I'll let everyone all over the world have a feast for their eyes and allow the world to see what the millennium-old Shui family is like! I believe, the name of Miss Shui, from Water of Heavenly Wind, will go down in history, to be passed down across all ages!

"Dang lang!" The steel blade dropped onto the floor as Shui QianRou pounced on Ling Tian, grabbing hold of his lapels. "Ling Tian! You're not human! As nobility, how could you treat me as such? You devil! You're a b*st*rd dog who's worse than a beast!"

Ling Tian however remained unmoved, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He only coldly replied, "Isn't this Miss Shui's life motto? This young noble here is just following your thought process. Since we're enemies, then of course I can be as unscrupulous as I want! This is nothing more than what I've just learned from Miss Shui!"

Shui QianRou slowly let go of Ling Tian's lapels, her whole body falling onto the floor as she started bawling. How could such a young girl like her take such psychological torment?

"Young noble Ling, what do we have to do in order for you to let go of my family's miss?" Die'er kneeled on the floor once again, with tear tracks all over her cheeks, and her forehead matted with blood, looking like a malicious spirit.

Ling Tian snorted, "Who are you to ask me! Your Family's Miss clearly knows what to do! And she also knows what I want!" Ling Tian turned his head to face Shui QianRou, his voice suddenly becoming gentle, "Great Miss Shui, are you planning to have the reputation of your family to be as smelly as the XiMen house for the next millennium or so? Or are you going to tell me about your detailed plans? How are you going to deal with my father? Where did this scheme originate from? Who is participating in it? So long as you spill the beans, I can save my father, and your Shui Family can be spared this humiliation. It's a win-win! Even if the scheme doesn't succeed, your people might not die! However, if you don't speak, while you can't avoid your fate, my father still might not die!"

Ling Tian continued, "I spared no effort to kill the two Yu Family elders, so as to bring you back. I don't have time to dawdle! Right now, my patience is wearing thin, so I'll count to three. Shui QianRou, if I don't receive the answer I want, then I'll immediately rush through dawn and dusk to the North to save my father. And you can obediently accept your fate as a slut!"

Ling Tian did not even hesitate, immediately counting, "One!"

A tremor passed through Shui QianRou's body, and myriad expressions flashed through her eyes, but her lips only trembled.

"Two!" Ling Tian did not pause, immediately shouting out the next number.

Shui QianRou bit her lips, drawing blood. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and the tears kept falling.

"Haha," Ling Tian laughed out, "Seems like Miss Shui doesn't want to say. Then I need not waste my time on counting down. Come, men, drag her out!"

"No!!!" Shui QianRou raised her head up in panic, her defenses entirely crumbling! With a voice as soft as mosquito buzz, she spoke, "I…. I'll say…." But she suddenly swayed and fell into a dead faint. She was originally already inflicted with heavy injuries, and now that her psyche had been broken by Ling Tian, there was nothing left to support her, and she collapsed! The moment she dropped, her breath became shallow, as though she was about to die!

Ling Tian's face turned grave as he took a step forward, grabbing onto her wrist. Exercising his inner qi, he couldn't help but sigh, the wounds of this lass were unexpectedly heavier than what he had thought! He immediately commanded, "Summon the doctor to treat her. The moment she wakes up, report to me, regardless of the time." After he had finished, he walked out, and the four guards followed, standing uniformly outside. Ling Tian suddenly stopped and patting the shoulder of the guard whom he had kicked previously, apologizing with a genial tone, "Brother, thank you for your hard work. In order to get what I wanted, I had to do so. Does it still hurt?"

A warm current of inner qi flowed as he patted the guard, seeping into his body and alleviating the pain immediately, before removing all present injuries.

Chapter 298: The War up North

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

Upon receiving Ling Tian's 'first aid', the guard felt a wave of gratitude, and two large tears actually rolled from his eyes and dripped onto the floor! Who would have thought that the owner of the Ling Family Courtyard, Ling Tian, a person whom everyone here regarded as a god, actually knew how to apologize?! At that moment, he felt the blood in his body surging and found out that his voice was choked with emotion, unable to say anything. It was only after a long time that he finally forced out the words, "young… noble…"

Ling Tian wiped his tears away and laughed, "What a sight! You're such a strong and burly man, but you're actually crying. Did I hit you so hard that you're crying in pain? Look at him, is he actually a grown man?" As he spoke, he turned to the other three guards.

"That's right, it's so unsightly. Li LaoSi, you're embarrassing us, crying like a newborn baby. You only got kicked once! Even we wanted to do the same but didn't have the chance! Hahaha!" The three of them also laughed, but you could see that their eyes brightly shimmered and their voices were also trembling a little. Seeing the sympathy and care that Ling Tian showed towards Li LaoSi, and having Ling Tian jest with them like friends, the four of them felt that they would gladly lay down their lives for him!

Li LaoSi wiped his tears away and started laughing.

When Ling Tian left the place and saw Ling Chen silently tailing behind with a frightened expression on her face, he couldn't help but laugh, pulling her into his chest as he whispered, "Silly lass, this was just a ploy, and you actually thought it was real! Look at your pout, I could practically hang a lamp there! If I can't even lie to you, then how am I going to bluff that lass? To lie to someone, you first have to be able to make those who are close to you believe in your lies!"

Ling Chen wasn't originally pouting, but upon hearing his words, her lips stuck out immediately as she lamented, "I also knew that young noble was using a ploy, but when young noble was lecturing me, my heart still hurt! I've never been scolded by young noble before, and it was actually very painful!"

Ling Tian started, and couldn't help but ruffle her hair, laughingly scolding her, "You silly lass!"

Ling Chen nestled in his chest and serenely replied, "Miss Shui must also be feeling terrible though, after all, she has some feelings for you young noble, and Chen'er can tell that she's not lying about that!"

Ling Tian smiled in response, "Of course she would feel terrible, a stately heir of the Water of Heavenly Wind being reduced to such a state. How could she be feeling good? Of course, she better be speaking the truth, or I really would have carried out what I said!"

Ling Chen sighed, "While what you said was the truth, that wasn't enough to cause agony to Miss Shui. Young noble, you really don't understand the mind of a female."

Ling Tian paused for a while and then suspiciously replied, "What do you mean?"

Gazing off into the distance, Ling Chen slowly spoke, "A lady might not care about much, but the thing she cherishes most is her purity! A lady can face the harsh judgment of the world, but be unable to take even a single word of beratement from the person she loves! Even the smallest bit of a poor impression inside the heart of the man she likes would be as though she was being mutilated. Does young noble understand now that I put it this way?"

At this point, Ling Chen mustered up her courage to directly face Ling Tian and huffed, "Young noble's actions today, in light of being an enemy, are completely justified! But if you were the object of a lady's admiration, then that is not only overboard but also needlessly cruel. I believe that no lady would be able to take such an insult! Even if Miss Shui is from the Water of Heavenly Wind, she would be no exception, as after all, in the end she's still a lady!"

Ling Tian silently took two steps forward, the scene of Shui QianRou in despair fresh in his mind. He couldn't help but sigh out loud, murmuring, "Maybe I went overboard. But for the safety of my father, I didn't have any other choice…"

Ling Chen also got a little nervous at this point, and attempting to placate him said, "In the end, Miss Shui is still on the opposite side, so to suffer a few sentences of verbal abuse could be considered letting her off pretty lightly." As she spoke, she let out another sigh, "Actually, in this patriarchal society with this power struggle among men, women should never have gotten themselves involved. After all, we're still too weak. Young noble is the person Chen'er loves the most, so anything you want to do, Chen'er will support you to the end without a single word of complaint!"

Ling Tian curiously stared at her a little, as he hadn't expected Ling Chen's thoughts to have reached such a stage, and couldn't help but admire her maturity. He carelessly smiled in reply, "It doesn't matter even if women get involved, as long as they don't take the lead. As long as they stay safe behind their men and make use of their meticulous nature and wits to aid them, that would be more than enough. For Shui QianRou, she is totally not treating herself as a woman! While a woman commits no wrong in helping her man, to attempt to take over a man's role is going a bit too far!"

Ling Chen also smiled, thinking to herself while looking at Ling Tian, Young noble, I'll always be right behind you, living for you. This life, the next, and the one after the next. Forever and ever!

Ling Tian walked in front, with his hands behind his back as he stared up into the sky. He felt his soul leaving his body, his spirit soaring over to Northern Wei. In his ears he heard the sound of warhorses galloping and the sounds of slaughter and thought to himself, I wonder what the situation there is now? His brows furrowed at the problems he was facing.

The Northern battlefield.

The great general Ling Xiao was definitely different. With ten thousand personal troops and a hundred thousand as the main force, they seemed to have formed a wall of iron around Nine Swallow City! Ever since Ling Xiao had arrived at the destination, the morale of the soldiers had risen to an all-time high! Northern Wei had attempted many attacks, but not only were they repelled time after time, but their casualties continued increasing without end! Even if they were to unite under one common banner, many of their soldiers would still be mysteriously assassinated in their barracks! All the signs pointed towards Northern Wei already having the intention to surrender and retreat.

Deep in the night, Ling Nineteen's skinny frame was hidden in the shadows, sitting in front of a tent as he tested out his blade by himself. The war this morning had just ended, and the bloodstains on Ling Nineteen's body were akin to badges of courage and bravery.

The soldiers nearby him all began to shift a little farther away from him, shooting looks of fear. In their eyes, he was like a smelly and hard piece of sh*t. Other than those brothers of his, he treated everyone coldly, looking at everyone with a face devoid of emotions. Looking at him was just like meeting a pestilence demon.

Ling Nineteen cast his gaze over to the soldiers, the corners of his mouth raised in a helpless smile. Ever since he started participating in the wars, he chose this sort of unharmonious lifestyle with those around him. This was not introversion, neither was it disdain. This was because their lives of the young soldiers were too colorful and beautiful, and he had to use such a style to protect himself.

All this came from the fact that when Ling Nineteen first entered the army barracks, it only took him an hour's worth of time to befriend all of the other soldiers there. After all, the army would be full of hot-blooded men, and such fellows were the easiest to connect with. In those few days, Ling Nineteen felt that it was the happiest, most fulfilling time of his life. He treasured his friends, and was even prepared to live and die with them!

However, in the battle three days later, while all the men had hot blood rushing through their veins, most of them lost the chance to ever be hot-blooded again! Out of a platoon of close to a hundred men, only four of them were left. Ling Nineteen actually wanted to use his abilities to protect the few close to him, but this was a battlefield, and abrupt changes took place at any time and anywhere. To be able to protect your own life was already considered a miracle! Upon seeing those people he had shared jokes with a mere hour ago lying on the sandy ground, devoid of all life, he felt truly powerless at that moment! That sort of emotion could make even a hardened man go insane!

From then on, Ling Nineteen stopped befriending any of the men in the barracks, instead purposely distancing himself from them and burying any emotions in his heart. There was no other reason for that, it was just that he didn't want his comrades to feel the same pain as he did if he ever fell on the battlefield. It was the attentive people that found out that this youth wasn't as cold as he looked, going so far as to save anybody on his side, whether he knew them or not.

Ever since he was dispatched here by his young noble, he had developed the strange habit of wiping his blade. In the middle of the night, he would sit quietly wiping his steel blade, his thoughts flying off to some unknown place. He would reminisce about the times he spent with his fallen comrades and remember the fond times they shared. This period of brightness was the greatest pleasure he had every day.

Inside the tent, his other three roommates had long fallen asleep and were making loud snoring noises. The flags in the neighboring tents also fluttered in the night, suddenly giving him the feeling that although the grand array of tents looked imposing in the daytime, they resembled a tomb in the nighttime. These sorts of thoughts were a little bit too inauspicious!

Thinking of his young noble, a look of reverence was immediately revealed in his face. By adopting kids that were abandoned and without food, clothing, or shelter under his care, and even imparting a set of martial skills to them, this was as though going from hell to heaven! Such a life, what more could he ask for?

Touching a scar on his arm, Ling Nineteen's face had a reminiscent expression.

At first, when young noble was gathering up the kids, he chose three thousand of them himself to personally teach. After a month, only a tenth were further selected to continue to undergo this special training. After yet another month, the three hundred became a hundred, and one final month passed before this number was reduced to fifty! The scar on his arm was obtained on the final qualification test! At that time, he originally didn't have enough ability, but when his arm was injured he didn't even flinch despite the sweat on his face betraying his pain. It was this particular point that caught his young noble's attention and got him selected.

His opponent that year was originally called Gou Dan, but young noble later renamed him as Ling Chi. However, everytime they met, Ling Nineteen would still call him Gou Dan, and every time they would get into a fight but he would be unable to defeat him. Thinking on this point, Ling Nineteen smiled.

Chapter 299: Surrounded on All Sides

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock

Thinking about his torturous training in the past and the brutal training methods of Instructor Ling Jian, those memories seemed incomparably sweet. Those memories were probably the ones he valued the most.

In the fifty brothers, apart from a few of them, the rest of them were named Ling One to Ling Fifty! Three years ago, they were dispersed in all directions in a single night. No one knew where their other brothers went. At this moment, the only brothers Ling Nineteen could see were the few sleeping in the tent behind him: Ling Twenty, Ling Twenty-one, and Ling Twenty-two. Under the orders of the young noble, they had entered the army to secretly protect General Ling!

I wonder where my other brothers are. Are they still fine?

From the past few battles, Ling Nineteen could vaguely sense that something was wrong. Their battles were just too easy! The moment Ling Xiao arrived, both sides fought a few tough battles and had a fairly large number of casualties. However, both armies were still in a fairly healthy condition.

Despite that, the Northern Wei had suffered from many lost battles and even showed signs of retreating! There were just too many unnatural signs!

How could the 200,000 strong army of the Northern Wei be so easily defeated? While Ling Xiao was extremely aggressive, he was an experienced general with keen eyesight! Originally, he only wanted to fight a steady battle and would be satisfied if he could protect Nine Swallow City. However, the few newly promoted generals who were close aides of the emperor suggested sending out their troops and expanding the war! In frustration, Ling Xiao could only allow them to send out their personal troops. He thought that as long as they met with some difficulties, they would stop suggesting an expansion of the war.

However, things didn't go as Ling Xiao had planned, and the new generals were actually victorious in their battles. They had successfully pushed Northern Wei back by a hundred miles which further increased the morale of their troops.

Now that they were on a winning streak, the other generals could no longer sit still. After all, the chance for them to perform a merit was right in their faces. As long as they could defeat the Northern Wei army, noble titles would definitely be within their reach and their future would be bright. Who wouldn't be tempted by that? Even a few wise and experienced generals began to grow restless.

After repeatedly sending out his spies, Ling Xiao couldn't find anything amiss. He could only give in to the majority opinion and lead his army northwards!

Their battles along the way were smooth, and they won every confrontation with the Northern Wei army! Even a few meticulously planned ambushes were easily foiled by their army with the Northern Wei army running miserably for their lives. The battles of the Sky Bearing army went on smoothly with victories one after another! After so many consecutive victories, everyone was in an excited mood with sky-high confidence. They almost felt as though they would be able to take down the imperial palace of the Northern Wei capital and return victorious. After chasing their enemies for 200 miles, they were already within the Northern Wei territory.

Such a scenario made the four Lings feel a strong sense of unease. The war had proceeded far too smoothly, and they were successful to the point that it was strange and suspicious. The four of them had already tried sending a report to the Ling Family Courtyard three times but never received a reply from their young noble! Just this point alone made them feel even more anxious. Due to the need for secrecy, they didn't bring their best messenger falcons and used the traditional pigeons to send their letters.

As long as their young noble received news about their circumstances, it was impossible for him to ignore his father! However, why didn't he give a reply after such a long time? Perhaps there was only a single explanation!

Behind him, ruffling sounds could be heard and someone came out from the tent, seating beside him. "Brother Nineteen." Ling Nineteen turned around and could see a pair of sharp eyes looking at him in the darkness.

"Little brother, why aren't you sleeping? We have a huge battle awaiting us tomorrow." Ling Nineteen frowned. The one who had come out was the youngest of the four, Ling Twenty-two.

"Brother Nineteen, I feel that something is wrong." Ling Twenty-two said with a frown. While Ling Nineteen was the highest ranking one here, they were used to addressing each other like they had in the courtyard. When they addressed each other like this, they would they feel a deep sense of pride welling up in their hearts! They belonged to the young noble and were the young noble's trusted aides!

"Mmm, something is indeed wrong," Ling Nineteen lowered his head, wiped his blade again, and continued, "I keep having a bad feeling. It seems as though this is the calm before the storm."

"I'm not just talking about this," Ling Twenty-two said with a solemn expression, "I strongly suspect that our army has already entered a huge trap. Brother Nineteen, do you realize that we have already sent out three messenger pigeons to the young noble? There shouldn't be any reason not to have a reply after sending three of them out! I suspect that our messenger pigeons have been captured! If that's the case, there is most certainly a trap!"

"That's probably the case." Ling Nineteen was still calm as he kept polishing his blade. Stroking it twice with love, he said, "Thankfully, our messages were sent with young noble's secret code. There isn't a chance for the contents to be leaked. If not, things would be bad."

"Even if that's the case, I believe the young noble will be extremely anxious if he doesn't receive news from us." Ling Twenty-two said, "Brother Nineteen, we are being far too passive. If our opponent can intercept our messenger pigeons, there will definitely be an ambush along the way! If young noble were to rush here out of anxiousness and send reinforcements to us, he may be ambushed by our enemy! If we were to cause young noble to be ambushed because we didn't send him news, even if young noble is unafraid of his enemies because of his strength, what face would we have to continue living in this world? Should we send someone to deliver news to young noble?"

Ling Nineteen fell into deep thought. After a long while, he shook his head and said, "The mission that the young noble gave us was to protect General Ling! This mission should be our number one priority no matter what. We are obviously in a dangerous situation already, and it would be unwise for us to thin out our strength! We can only try to find a way to contact brother Liu. It would be the best for them to settle this matter."

Ling Twenty-two then stood up anxiously, "What if young noble chooses to come…?"

Ling Nineteen then replied with a confident smile, "Little brother, do you think anyone in the world would be able to successfully ambush young noble?"

Ling Twenty-two was stunned as he laughed out loud, "That's true! With young noble's incredible abilities, how would he be fooled by these little tricks?"

Just when Ling Nineteen wanted to reply, his expression tensed up as he stood up in full alert, "What is that sound?" Ling Twenty-two's expression changed as well as he got down on the ground and felt it trembling.

"Enemy attack!" Ling Twenty-two jumped up with an ugly expression, "Enemies in all directions!"

"Alert the camp!"

"Yes!"

Another two figures darted out from the tent with two 'swoosh' sounds. The four of them looked at each other without saying a thing and sprinted off in four different directions. Then, a loud gong sounded and all the soldiers woke up from their dreams! They were all in a daze!

"Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!" A crisp sound could be heard in the camp as everyone woke up with their expressions heavy.

The sound of galloping horses could be heard from all directions as they charged over like a tsunami eating up the city! An earth-shattering battle cry sounded from all directions!

Ling Nineteen quickly climbed up the flagpole to gain a bird's eye view, only to see enemies in all directions. They were densely packed like sardines with a long trail of soldiers still approaching from behind them. As Ling Nineteen witnessed that, he could not help but take in a breath of cold air!

Didn't the intelligence say that there were only 200,000 enemy troops? Why did it seem like there were more than 400,000 troops present? Where did they get all their troops from? Did they fall from the sky?! Even if they fell from the sky, there should have been a sign at the very least! After all, it wasn't twenty people but 200,000 people!

Ling Xiao walked out from his tent calmly with his armor fully on. This was his habit when he was in the army: even if it was peaceful, he would wear his armor to sleep. While it was not as comfortable, time would not be delayed. With eyes like a tiger, he shouted, "What are you guys panicking about? They have finally appeared after such a long wait and we just need to kill them all!" For some odd reason, all the troops immediately calmed down after Ling Xiao said those words! Looking at their burly commander and sharp gaze, Ling Xiao's personal troops let out a shout, "Kill them all!"

Their voices spread out far and wide with echoes sounding incessantly, "Kill them all! Kill them all! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

All of a sudden, the panicking army camp completely calmed down. Every single soldier present had been through many battles and were all veterans. While they were flustered at the start, they quickly regained their composure.

Ling Xiao then got onto his horse with his broad shoulders held high up on his horse. With a loud shout, he said, "I am Ling Xiao! Listen to my command and kill the enemy! We must not retreat! D*mmit, kill them all! Our army will be victorious for sure! We are invincible!" His voice was filled with an awe-inspiring confidence and majesty!

"Roger! Our army will be victorious! We are invincible!" A thunderous roar echoed after Ling Xiao and the morale of the troops reached the peak! The battle intent and composure of their general had influenced them all! The enemy was already near! The nearest one was already within the range of their arrows!

Ling Nineteen and the other three surrounded Ling Xiao and let out a sigh of relief. As long as their troops could maintain their morale, they would remain a formidable force! While it was impossible for them to emerge victorious, it wouldn't be too difficult for them to protect Ling Xiao and break out of this encirclement!

Right at this moment, something happened!

"The enemies are here! Escape!"

A commotion sounded at the front from the troops in charge of the outpost and both flanks of the army. There were a full 30,000 troops, subordinates of the trusted aide of Long Xiang. After the commotion had begun, they immediately began retreating in two different directions and escaped for their lives at such a critical moment!

Because of this, Ling Xiao's army was completely exposed to the attacks of the enemy!

Chapter 300: This Daddy Will Not Accept That

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

"Jun ZiTang, Wu AiLing, Deng QuaiYan! Three despicable b*st*rds! This daddy here will f**k your grandmothers!" Ling Xiao was angered to the point he almost spat out blood! He could feel his heart throbbing from the anger and disappointment he felt.

These three people were the generals of those three armies. At the very start, the three of them were also the ones who jumped out to persuade the rest to give chase. Who would have thought that the three of them would flee the battlefield during the most critical and dangerous period!

With this sudden change, the army began to break out into chaos again. After all, the veteran soldiers were still humans. Many of them revealed frantic expressions as they looked around anxiously. It was as though they were looking for a path to escape.

Right at this moment, a high-pitched horn could be heard from the enemy's formation and the enemies suddenly stopped their advancement.

Ling Xiao sat on the back of his horse as he looked all around him, seeing the endless wave of enemy troops in all directions! However, when the three traitorous troops reached the encirclement of the enemy, the enemy's troops actually opened a path for them to leave safely! There wasn't even a need for communication and everything happened as though it was meant to be.

Looking at that, no matter how muddle-headed Ling Xiao was, he immediately understood what was going on! He couldn't help but let out a roar, "LONG XIANG! YOU A**HOLE! YOU LET ME DOWN!!" His bitter voice traveled far and wide. Fuming with rage, he suddenly let out a groan and spit out a mouthful of blood. His sight dimmed as his body fell from the horse.

Ling Nineteen quickly darted forward and caught Ling Xiao. At the same time, he said anxiously, "General! This isn't the time to lose heart. The most important thing to do would be to maintain the morale of our troops and break out this encirclement. As long as we can contact the young noble, our problems will be solved! General, you must hang in there! There are 70,000 brothers here who are relying on you. If you fall here, we are all doomed!"

Ling Xiao shut his eyes as his unrefined face contorted in agony. Two trails of tears could be seen flowing down from the corners of his eyes. He was heartbroken to the point he couldn't speak as he felt a sense of desolation in his heart.

While he wasn't an intelligent individual, he wasn't a fool either. How could he not understand what had just happened? If not for the orders of the Emperor, how would the three of them ever dare to flee from the battlefield? Furthermore, their enemies even opened up a path for them to escape. This was obviously a huge conspiracy targeted at his Ling Family!

A cooperation between both nations to wipe out the Ling Family!

No wonder all my troops were the ones I trust the most! It turns out he wants to kill us all in one fell swoop! As Ling Xiao looked at the young faces around him staring at him with absolute trust, he couldn't help but feel his heart ache. These men were all his personal troops and true elites who had been tempered by many battles! Today, they were going to perish in the wilderness because of his own foolishness and their empire's schemes! As the general of the army, how could Ling Xiao ever forgive himself?

There was only something which Ling Xiao just couldn't understand! Even if Long Xiao was wary towards the Ling Family, he shouldn't have been so decisive! Joining forces with Northern Wei to take care of the Ling Family was no more than dining with tigers! Did Long Xiang really naively believe that Sky Bearing would have the strength to contend with Northern Wei after having its vitality greatly harmed from dealing with the Ling Family? Without his elite troops, wasn't Sky Bearing just waiting for their deaths? Even if Northern Wei would foolishly adhere to their alliance, there were still the Southern Zheng, Eastern Zhao, Western Han, and Wu Empire eyeing them covetously. Furthermore, there were still the Xiao Family elites lying in wait.

Without the Ling Family and Ling Xiao, Sky Bearing was like a tiger that had lost its teeth. How would they be able to protect their territories?

I don't understand! Why?!

The enemies surrounding the Sky Bearing Army stopped an arrow's distance away from them and waited silently. Despite the tranquil lineup of soldiers, their dense killing intent shot up to the skies as a mountain-like pressure pressed onto the shoulders of the Sky Bearing Army!

"Why aren't they attacking?" Ling Twenty-two's cold face was void of any fear. Instead, it was filled with a crazed battle intent!

"They are waiting for daybreak! Since we are already surrounded, their victory is already sure. Thus, they are waiting for daylight to prevent any fratricide of their troops. At the same time, they are also trying to crush our morale by making us wait in suspense! As for whether or not they have any other motives, we won't be able to tell at this time." Ling Twenty twitched his lips and said with disdain.

"Should we hide and take out their leader first? This should be feasible right?!" Ling Twenty-two shouted out.

"No! Now that we are surrounded by over 400,000 troops, it would be useless for us to assassinate a single general. The safety of General Ling is of utmost priority, and we can't let the young noble down. We can't take any risks at such a moment." Ling Twenty calmly said while holding the hilt of his sword.

"Mmm, brother Twenty is right," Ling Twenty-two mumbled something before saying, "if that's the case, we will just let these b*st*rds live a little longer!"

However, the other commanders of Ling Xiao's army had eyes completely filled with despair. As men who had been through many battles, they were already used to facing death with a smile. While these soldiers were not afraid of death, they just didn't have any confidence that they could return this time. The situation in front of them was already extremely horrible! Hearing these two brats in front of them talking about the few hundred-thousand army in such a carefree manner, they couldn't help but stare at the both of them with shock. Were these two fellows scared silly?

"What are you guys looking at?" Ling Twenty suddenly hollered, "Look at all of your cowardly expressions! Do you guys even have the face to proclaim that you are the commanders of ten thousand soldiers? I feel embarrassed on your behalf! If you guys are afraid of death, why come out to lead your troops in battle? Go back and hug your wives and children!"

As these words were said, the commanders surrounding them were all furious as their expressions changed greatly. After all, Ling Twenty was a lowly soldier, and it was a great taboo to humiliate a commander as such.

"Who did you say was cowardly?" A forty-plus-year-old commander screamed, "Darn b*st*rd! This daddy here has been in the army since I was seventeen and I have been through countless battles. After killing so many enemies, I broke even long ago! When this daddy went out to war, you weren't even born yet! What do you even know!"

"Cheh!" Ling Twenty twitched his lips with disdain, "Since you aren't afraid of death, why do you guys have such pitiful appearances? Are you guys singing an opera?"

"Who is making a pitiful appearance?" Another commander retorted, "How can these few troops of Northern Wei scare this daddy? What a joke! You little brats are probably the ones who are afraid right? Hahaha…" As he said that, he actually burst out into laughter, completely forgetting about the present situation!

"Who is scared?" Ling Twenty feigned anger as he shouted back, "We will see who is the true hero and man among us in battle! I will only submit willingly if you can kill more people than me!"

"Good!" All the commanders cheered, "We will see who is the true hero and man among us in battle! This daddy here will have a competition with you! If this daddy here can't get you to submit, it will be a waste of my lifetime here! Our army will be victorious! We are invincible!

This battle cry was heard by many soldiers and they immediately echoed, "We will see who is the true hero and man among us in battle! Our army will be victorious! We are invincible!"

The battle cry spread across the army as thousands of people began to echo the battle cry together! The loud roar of the army shook the heavens like thunder! The originally desolate and helpless atmosphere was completely swept away! Their battle intent shot to the heavens!

Our army will be victorious! We are invincible!

Ling Nineteen revealed a smile and gave Ling Twenty a thumbs-up when no one was looking. Ling Twenty chuckled and made a funny face in return.

Ling Nineteen remembered that the words which Ling Twenty had just said were something that they had frequently used in the Ling Family Courtyard. However, they would usually say, "We will see who is the true hero and man among us in training!" Now, Ling Twenty had used those words to boost the morale of the troops and achieved an amazing effect!

Thinking about how they would be filled with energy when hearing these words in the past, Ling Nineteen couldn't help but let out a reminiscing smile.

Ling Xiao gradually opened his eyes and straightened his back! At this moment, he had regained the grandeur and prestige he had in battle! His body was filled with killing intent with his eyes burning with vigor and confidence!

Jumping back up onto his horse, shouted out, "Brothers! Every one of you knows our present situation already! We have been betrayed! However, I, Ling Xiao, am not willing to accept that! Are you guys willing to accept that?"

"No!!" A loud roar sounded in response.

Ling Xiao's voice thundered in the night sky, "Let us kill a bloody path! I, Ling Xiao, will take you guys back to teach that dogsh*t emperor a lesson! As long as you guys can return alive with me, I will not treat you guys poorly! However!" Ling Xiao's words suddenly turned solemn, "For those who can't go back alive with me, you guys are still my brothers! Even if you guys are going to die, you guys must die a glorious death! If any of you can't do that, even if you are in front of King Yama, I will grab you and spank you on the spot in front of King Yama! Do you hear me?!"

The army burst out into laughter! The army then echoed back in unison, "Roger that! We will die a glorious death! Our army will be victorious! We are invincible!" Cheering could then be heard from the army as whistles and chattering filled the army. The whole army was filled with laughter, and they didn't let any thoughts about their imminent deaths enter their hearts!

From afar in the enemy's ranks, two young men dressed in golden armor sat on horses. One of them was actually the Crown Prince of Northern Wei, Wei ChengPing. The other young man was lean and tall with a slim face and eagle-like eyes. He was surrounded by a majestic grandeur, and each and every single action was filled with elegance. With his calm appearance, he displayed the disposition of an expert.

A small blood-red flag was in his hands, and the surrounding troops stared at the small flag with nervousness. Even Wei ChenPing was extremely respectful when facing this young man!

It seems that this young man was the one in charge of commanding the troops. Looking at this confidence appearance, it seems that he had also taken part in planning this scheme. As the Crown Prince of Northern Wei, Wei ChengPing actually acted like a small follower in front of this young man! Just who was he?

Chapter 301: Scheme Within a Scheme

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Wave after wave of cheers came from the Sky Bearing army, and they were actually showing an unshakable fighting spirit and resolve! This sort of response wasn't expected by their enemies, and they all turned to look at each other.

"Ling Xiao indeed lives up to his name as the 'Sky Bearing God General'. Even under such circumstances, he's still able to rouse the will of his soldiers! Respect, much respect! In this area, even I can't compare!" A glint of admiration rose in the eyes of the youth, as he leisurely spoke. His voice was clear and bright, bringing about a certain magnetism, causing all to hear it to subconsciously relax.

"Haha, brilliant as he is, he still fell into our trap in the end! Today, Ling Xiao has no path to advance, and no reinforcements from behind, thus even if given wings, he would find it impossible to fly! He is akin to a cornered beast now; how could he fight back? Brother Shui is indeed a divine strategist!" Wei ChengPing flattered.

"We can't be careless!" The youth solemnly looked at the boiling mass in the darkness of the night, cautiously saying, "Ling Xiao is a good general, and his soldiers are willing to die for him. In this battle, even if we win, it could be a pyrrhic one!"

He waved his hand, and a cavalry soldier came forward to greet him. The youth indifferently asked, "Are the Western Han calvary in place?"

The soldier in question replied, "I've received news an hour ago that their ten thousand strong army is already in place, ready for the ambush."

A cruel smile appeared on the youth's face as he replied, "Not bad. Pass on my order, that the moment day breaks, all are to rush forward! They are to encircle them, leaving a gap on the Western flank, so as to allow Ling Xiao to use his utmost strength to escape from there, only to fall into our trap!"

Wei ChengPing paused in shock, asking in confusion, "Brother Shui, why are we doing so? We definitely have enough strength to swallow Ling Xiao and his men. Why should we allow him to escape? If the Western Han army slips up, then we're allowing the tiger to return to its den!"

The youth started at Wei ChengPing with a gaze as though he was looking at an idiot, but in the end chose to answer, "We've cornered Ling Xiao like a caged beast, hence his retaliation will definitely not be small! Even though we have the strength to ensure their destruction, I'm afraid that it would cost us a huge sacrifice. If one is without hope, who wouldn't go all out to ensure mutual destruction? With 70,000 troops under him, he would at least be able to pull 100,000 troops from us if we try to forcibly take him down!"

"But if we purposefully leave an exit for them, this can reduce their urge for mutual destruction! Furthermore, letting the Western Han ambush there can serve as a way for us to grind down their troops if we send Ling Xiao there to fight with them! When we catch up with them, then we can cut Ling Xiao down! Without him, the Sky Bearing Empire is akin to our backyard. As for the Western Han, heehee, for such a small country, the moment they receive such a huge number of casualties, they would never be able to recover in a short time, and can easily be manipulated by us! This is all prepared for us to better achieve world domination!"

The youth gave an arrogant smile as he concluded, "And this is why I chose to let the battle drag on even though I could have swallowed Ling Xiao long ago! I hope Brother Wei understands!"

"Brother Shui is all-knowing!" Wei ChengPing seemed to have achieved enlightenment as he cupped his hands in acknowledgment, a smile on his face. "As it turns out, one has to make so many preparations in order to actually rule the world!"

A look of ridicule quickly flashed in the youth's eyes, but he replied, "That's right! If it continues as planned, Brother Wei can hasten your domination by a few years at least!"

Wei ChengPing gave a satisfied laugh, further flattering the youth, "By the way, your pet bird is indeed godly, to be able to lock out the surrounding sky, not allowing any of Ling Xiao's rescue attempts to succeed. This point really makes me sigh in praise!"

The youth only gave an indifferent smile in response, and mockingly replied, "If the eight golden eagles that I've spent so much time and effort in training could allow any messenger pigeons to escape from their sight, then that would be a joke!"

Speaking to this point, his expression became heavy, "However, the person situated in Ling Xiao's camp had already considered this point. The message that was sent was coded in some mysterious way that we are unable to decipher. Without the code, we are unable to guess what the contents are actually about. This person in charge of sending intelligence is a real talent, and if there's a chance, I must get him!"

As he spoke, he looked towards the blazing torches far away from them, continuing, "If we are able to get our hands on such codes, then it would be like adding wings on a tiger. The whole world would be in our hands!"

Wei ChengPing flattered him once more, "Brother Shui is indeed farsighted and with such foresight!"

The youth gave an indifferent smile again, turning his head away. No one discovered an undisguised disdain in his eyes, as well as impatience. Towards this boot-licking Northern Wei crown prince, he felt that this person was extremely despicable. How could he even become the crown prince of a nation, let alone wanting to conquer the world? This was unbelievable!"

A pale light shone out from the east!

The sun started to rise, the day had broken!

The little red flag that the youth had been holding onto tightly all this while was suddenly swept upward! His eyes were cold as he ordered, "Advance!"

The sounds of bloodlust rose to the heavens as soldiers rushed in from all directions like a flash flood! The sound of horse hooves resounded like thunder, causing the land to tremble!

Fresh blood immediately sprayed across the battlefield, just like a blooming azalea flower!

Ling Outer Courtyard.

Ling Tian scrutinized the new batch of 'special' weapons that had just been delivered. Picking up one of them, he drew it from the sheath. Gazing at the sword body that looked like a still body of water, glittering with radiance from the light, the sword made all who looked at it feel as though a wave of cold sword intent was rushing towards them!

"Good blade!" Ling Jian praised.

The bruises on his face seemed to have disappeared, revealing his handsome facial features once again. One could see how effective the Great Cyclic Pellet was; not only did it boost one's cultivation, but also improved other areas!

The other five Ling brothers who had also ingested the pellet at the same time all looked as though they were bursting with energy, their presence steady and overbearing like Mount Tai. Compared to their previous fleeting presence, this was a shocking change!

This was especially so for Ling Chi, as he received the greatest gains this time. He was the most attractive among all of them, and this 'little gigolo' practically had light shining out of his face and sparks shooting out of his eyes. He had broken through the sixth layer of the Divine Shocking Dragon Formula, now only one layer away from Ling Jian, who was at the seventh layer! The rest of his brothers were all still at the fifth layer, with the slowest Ling Dian being at the fourth layer!

The strength of the First Pavilion just took another qualitative leap forward!

Ling Chi even had a sort of feeling that if he were to face off against Yu ManTian himself, he could actually defeat him! Of course, that was only his wishful thinking. However, the fact that all of their capabilities took a huge rise left them full of confidence! Except for the trio of Ling Tian, Ling Chen, and Ling Jian, of who they had a deep-rooted fear, they would even go to challenge the green-robed unfathomable man they met the other day!

While Ling Chi seemed to have gotten the most benefit out of the consumption of the medicine this time, the true beneficiary was actually Ling Jian! The Divine Shocking Dragon Formula only grew exponentially harder the further one went, and while Ling Jian had Ling Tian to personally guide him, he didn't have the time to properly restrain the internal energy in his body. As such, after a long period of time, the internal energy combined with his killing intent, creating the image of the 'Asura' from the First Pavilion. The consumption of the Great Cyclic Pellet this time gave Ling Jian the most pain, but his benefits were also the most outstanding, putting his benefits on par with Ling Chen's! 1 Not only did his internal energy get purified, it also began to settle down. With a few more days of hard work, he would be able to consolidate his foundation, turning the original severe cold air he had around him into a milder form that could be kept within him. With this change, he wouldn't scare the people around him any longer.

In conclusion, all of them were in high spirits because of the effect of the Great Cyclic Pellet. This was because they hadn't spent the time to slowly revolve and absorb all the energies. As long as they cultivated for a while more, their powers would settle down, and their improvements would then be solidified!

"Is it really just a good blade?" The corners of Ling Tian's mouth curved up into a smile. Holding the sword in his left hand, he put two fingers on the tip of the sword and pressed. The beautiful blade contorted into a half moon shape, but without the slightest creak or groan, which would have signified that the blade was unable to withstand such pressure! Just based on the suppleness it had already surpassed many famed swords!

The moment Ling Tian let go, the blade straightened itself with a 'shua' sound, regaining its original shape as a ray of light blinded everyone present!

"Indeed, a fine blade!" Ling Tian nodded his head in praise, then looked at the skinny youth who had sent the blades over. "Ling Five, how many more of such blades can we produce?"

Ling Five respectfully answered, "Reporting to young noble, we can manufacture around five hundred more of high quality, and another three thousand six hundred of a slightly lower quality. Together with the ones sent over this time, this would be enough to fit-out over twenty thousand elite troops!" He paused for a while, then added in another sentence for good measure, "As for the other weapons, the same amount could be used to make 200 cavalry swords, 100 steel lances, 16,400 daggers, 7,000 bows and over 10,000 arrows! In addition, the Azure Dragon guandao 2 which young noble specially ordered has also been crafted. It is eighteen feet long and used a total of 10 kilograms of black steel together with a hundred over secret minerals to take shape. The blade itself weighs over 62 kilograms, so there's no way anyone else can use it!"

Ling Tian did some sums in his head, before replying appreciatively, "You did well, I'm very satisfied!"

An expression of joy appeared on Ling Five's face, the four words of 'I am very satisfied' could be considered the highest level praise from Ling Tian. However, he suppressed his joy, and replied in embarrassment, "But as for the sabers that use the Black Iron, they haven't been completed yet, and will require at least two more days."

Ling Tian continued to nod his head, saying, "This is already considered very good! To be able to bend the black steel, that leaves all other blacksmiths helpless, like putty in your hands, I'm already very proud of you, Ling Five!"