Chapter 157: The Beginning of the Military Affairs

"Old Chen!" Zhao Xing couldn't help but smile when he saw the weary Chen Shijie. "You're finally here."

"Hey, I'm here too! Are you just going to call for Old Chen?" Long Xiao immediately looked displeased.

"Haha, my bad! I must be blind! Valiant Captain, come on in!" Zhao Xing exaggeratedly beckoned.

"Hmph, like I care about coming to your place." Long Xiao snorted, shaking the box on his back, and walked past Zhao Xing.

"Uh... did he really get mad?" Zhao Xing asked, glancing at Chen Shijie.

"Don't worry," Chen Shijie chuckled, shaking his head. "He's just putting on a tough front."

"I almost thought you weren't coming and had sold me off at a good price." Zhao Xing teased, "You sure made me wait."

"The Hujiao Army really did offer a good price," Chen Shijie said. "Want to hear the specifics?"

"Of course."

The two continued chatting as they walked.

"Wei Yuan came to me three times."

"The last time, he offered one six-tier divine weapon, four five-tier divine weapons, and was even willing to exchange Feng Qiu from the Tianshi Academy for you."

"That much?" Zhao Xing raised his eyebrows. He had to admit, that was quite a bold offer. The elites certainly had sharp eyes for talent.

"To be honest, it was a very tempting offer." Chen Shijie smiled. "One six-tier divine weapon, four five-tier divine weapons, all for me personally. And since I brought you into the Shenwei Army, as long as I agreed and replaced you with Feng Qiu, even the Marquis would give face to Marquis Mingwu."

"With me being so valuable, you didn't sell me off?" Zhao Xing joked.

"I, Chen Shijie, do not sell my comrades," Chen Shijie said calmly. "Believe it or not, even if they gave me a supreme treasure, I wouldn't use you as a bargaining chip—unless you wanted to leave yourself."

"How do you know I didn't want to leave?" Zhao Xing countered.

"What I did in Gucheng hardly counts as much of a favor," Chen Shijie chuckled. "The moment I heard you tell Wei Yuan things like 'a life-saving grace, a teaching grace, a mentor's grace,' I knew right away that you were just using me as an excuse to turn down the Hujiao Army."

"You have great ambitions. While you're not arrogant, you have pride in your bones. Why would you need anyone to pave your path to the skies?"

"I didn't even need to send you another letter to ask what you thought."

Zhao Xing smiled.

A thousand gold pieces are easy to obtain, but a true friend is hard to find.

No doubt about it, Old Chen really knew how to speak to him.

As they entered the room, Zhao Xing saw Long Xiao unpacking a box.

"Meow~"

A small head popped out of the box and meowed at Long Xiao.

But the creature seemed to sense something, turning its gaze towards Zhao Xing.

"Meow? Meow!" In a flash, the mountain cat leaped into Zhao Xing's arms, rubbing against him affectionately.

"The little mountain cat has grown so much," Zhao Xing remarked, holding the cat. Before entering the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven, Zhao Xing had been separated from the mountain cat. At that time, it was only about half a meter long.

Now it had grown to over a meter in length. Its fur still had gray and black stripes, but the color was more vibrant, with a small patch of golden fur on its forehead and a streak of purple-gold running down its spine to the tip of its tail.

Though the size wasn't too large, holding the mountain cat felt like hugging a small mountain.

No wonder Long Xiao seemed to struggle with the box—this creature easily weighed several hundred pounds!

"This..."

Zhao Xing squeezed the cat, then looked at Chen Shijie with surprise.

Chen Shijie nodded, "Just as you thought. The mountain cat has become a seventh-tier exotic beast, having passed its juvenile stage and entered maturity."

"The mountain cat's bones are now golden, with blood as rich as mercury, and its bone marrow akin to Thunderwood—full of vitality and strength. Raising it to this point almost bankrupted Long Xiao and me."

Chen Shijie had truly put a lot of effort into it.

Had the mountain cat stayed in the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven, Zhao Xing wouldn't have been able to care for it as well. Let alone allowing it to evolve into a seventh-tier beast.

Only a Military Shennong like Chen Shijie, with his mastery of transformation techniques and access to rare foods, could have enabled the mountain cat's perfect progression.

A seventh-tier beast with golden bones and Thunderwood bone marrow was truly rare!

In Zhao Xing's words, this was like giving the mountain cat a perfect reset and boost!

"Mountain cat? It has a name now!" Long Xiao said indignantly as he cuddled the cat. "Kid, after I raised it so well, don't you think it's fair I give it a name?"

"That's fair," Zhao Xing replied with a smile. "What did you name it?"

Chen Shijie rubbed his forehead.

"What's with that look, Old Chen? You still think I gave it a bad name, don't you?" Long Xiao glared at Chen Shijie.

"I didn't say anything," Chen Shijie waved dismissively.

"Then why did you call it 'mountain cat' earlier instead of its name?"

"..." Chen Shijie was speechless. How was Long Xiao so perceptive today?

"So, what's its name?" Zhao Xing asked, confused.

Long Xiao proudly held up the cat. "I gave it my surname and a mighty name. It's called Long Aotian!"

Zhao Xing: "(⊙_⊙)"

Chen Shijie: "(;￣д￣)"

Mountain Cat: "（＾ω＾）"

Long Xiao noticed their reactions and immediately stared at Zhao Xing. "What, got a problem?"

"No, no, it's a great name! Really powerful!" Zhao Xing quickly responded.

Considering how well the mountain cat had been cared for, if it wanted to be called "Long Aotian," so be it. Long Xiao obviously had a deep affection for the little creature, giving it his own surname. If Zhao Xing had shown any other reaction, Long Xiao might have flipped out.

Besides, the cat seemed to like the name just fine.

"Now that your military mission is about to start, are you familiar with the process?" Chen Shijie asked.

"Stay out here and play, Aotian," Long Xiao said as he let the cat outside since they were about to discuss business.

"The Military Affairs mission in the Army Realm is a continuous set of tasks," Zhao Xing explained. "The more tasks I complete, the higher my rank."

"Exactly. Based on your performance during training, if you complete three tasks with at least a 'C' grade for each, you'll be appointed as a regular eighth-tier Military Shennong," Chen Shijie confirmed.

That was right—Zhao Xing only needed to pass three tasks with a minimum grade of 'C' to secure an eighth-tier official position.

For most reserve Shennong recruits, even if they were already at the eighth tier, they would still have to start from the ninth tier unless they were talents from one of the four major academies. The military ranks in the Nine Garrison Troops were held to much higher standards, similar to how capital officials outranked their provincial counterparts.

For top talents from the four academies, if their previous performance had been exceptional, their ranks would be determined as follows: starting from the lower eighth-tier, the upper eighth-tier, and so on, up to the regular eighth-tier.

"To reach the seventh-tier, you'd need to complete six tasks, with no task rated below a 'B'."

"And for the regular seventh-tier, you'd need to complete nine tasks, each with a rating of 'A' or higher."

Ordinary recruits wouldn't even have access to that many tasks. Six tasks were reserved for the truly talented Shennong, while only seventy-five of the elite recruits were eligible to take on the nine-task challenge.

Out of ten thousand reserve recruits, only seventy-five had the right to compete for the nine-task mission in the Army Realm.

These were the cream of the crop, but even among them, only a few could rise to the challenge.

"You're already familiar with the process, so I won't elaborate further," Chen Shijie said. "All the missions take place in the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture. We can't interfere with the mission content—no noble, no matter how powerful, can."

"But we can help you in other ways."

"Like what?" Zhao Xing asked.

"People," Chen Shijie replied. "It's not just you being sent to the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture—there will be others as well. We can work some influence on where you're assigned."

Chen Shijie drew a map on the ground with his finger. "Let's say this is the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Prefecture."

Then, with a flick of his hand, a handful of sand appeared. "These grains of sand represent all the talents being sent to the prefecture—fighters, Shennong, craftspeople, and spiritual advisors."

With a shake of his hand, the sand scattered across the map. "When the Army Realm assigns people, we can try to place those you're familiar with near you."

"Of course, it's mostly about luck. If you're lucky, people you know might end up in the same county or even the same military garrison."

"But if you're unlucky, they could end up in a different prefecture entirely."

Zhao Xing smiled. "I've always been pretty lucky."

Chen Shijie brushed off the remaining sand from his hand. "You can give me some names."

Zhao Xing thought for a moment. "Military doctor Yuan Yang, craftsman Wang Ji, spiritual advisor Zhang Yi, and fighter Xia Jing. As for Shennong, I can handle that myself."

Long Xiao snorted. "Not asking for much, are you? Why don't you just ask for all the top people?"

"Not a bad idea," Zhao Xing joked.

"..."

Chen Shijie considered for a moment. "Xia Jing will depend on luck. He's a genius from the Xuanjia Army, so we have no control over his assignment, not even within a large area."

"The others—Wang Ji is from the Shenwei Army, Yuan Yang as a military doctor is uncertain, but Zhang Yi should be no problem."

Why was Zhang Yi not a problem? Because he wasn't particularly exceptional. Zhao Xing just found it easier to work with people he had already teamed up with.

As for the other professions? Zhao Xing didn't care. Spiritual advisors, known as strategists in the military, weren't something he needed at this stage. And as for musicians, dancers, or weavers, he hadn't gotten to know any of them.

The first help Chen Shijie had provided was raising the mountain cat to perfection.

The second help was in arranging personnel.

"This time, there will be real dangers. We can't interfere with the mission itself, but Long Xiao will accompany you as your protector," Chen Shijie explained. "If you encounter a life-threatening situation, he will act. He is your guardian."

"Moreover, if something goes wrong or the task exceeds your limits, Long Xiao can call for help. The entire Shenwei Army will respond, with no upper limit to the level of response."

"If the enemy is powerful, we'll send someone stronger. If the Marquis himself can't handle it, he'll call for someone even more powerful."

Chen Shijie's expression became serious. "But you must know your limits. Don't push yourself for the sake of getting a top grade. If you face no emergencies and the task doesn't exceed its difficulty level, calling for help will lower your evaluation."

"I understand," Zhao Xing nodded. The Army Realm missions were designed to train talents, but they didn't want to see them die in vain. The cost of cultivating talent was too high.

Thus, those who performed exceptionally well during training received invisible privileges—their safety would be maximized.

In previous years, had there been elite talents who died during the mission? Yes. But as long as Zhao Xing didn't recklessly push beyond his limits, he might actually be safer than most.

The third type of help involved equipment.

Treasure List:

Five Element Staff, top-tier fourth-grade

Bright Moon Battle Armor, top-tier fourth-grade

Inkstone Amulet, low-tier fifth-grade

An upgraded golden raincoat, four cloud-stepping boots, and a bunch of other miscellaneous items—all packed into this box!

Long Xiao patted the box with a grin.

"We've also prepared a Swordfish Airship for you. It's waiting outside the Dili Academy gates. If there's anything else you need, let me know. The Marquis has authorized me to grant you anything from the Shenwei Army's arsenal, as long as it complies with the Army Realm's rules," Chen Shijie said.

"Looks like everything's in order." Zhao Xing flipped through the list of treasures, pulling out his Earth Mirror. "Just add some more seeds. That's my real lifeline."

"Got it. I'll get that arranged," Chen Shijie said. "It'll take at most two days. Is that enough time?"

"Plenty," Zhao Xing smiled. "I just need to say goodbye to Lord Tian."

"Alright then, let's split up." Chen Shijie and Long Xiao promptly left to make the necessary arrangements for Zhao Xing's mission.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xing made his way to Fuchun Garden.

Though he called it saying farewell, in truth, he was hoping to scrounge up some final gifts.

"Teacher, I am deeply grateful for your year of guidance. As I set off, I wish you good health and many blessings," Zhao Xing said with sincere emotion, his eyes misting with tears.

Lord Tian laughed. "You're saying your goodbyes like you're sending me off! Get up, everything's already prepared for you."

"Thank you, teacher!" Zhao Xing beamed and sprang to his feet, taking the box Lord Tian handed over.

"This box contains three blank letters with my personal seal, along with three tokens," Lord Tian said.

"Letters?" Zhao Xing blinked. "Just that?"

"Don't underestimate these three letters," Lord Tian smiled. "These represent the Tian family's thousand years of connections. If you encounter difficulties, use one of these, and it'll resolve most of your problems."

"But remember—don't use them unless absolutely necessary. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhao Xing, realizing the weight of Lord Tian's words, solemnly accepted the box. "Yes, I understand. Thank you, teacher, for this generous gift."

Seeing Zhao Xing's serious demeanor, Lord Tian knew he had understood and waved him off. "Go now, and do well."

Zhao Xing bowed once more and left, clutching the box.

As Lord Tian watched his disciple's retreating figure, a mixture of anticipation and concern flickered in his eyes. "Boy, climbing the ranks in the army is far from as simple as you think. With the looming war to pacify the barbarians, internal power struggles among the various factions will soon surface. Marquis Boping's resurgence is no easy feat, and the Army Realm's military affairs involve much more than just fighting. I hope you truly understand, and I hope you never have to open that box..."