Chapter 51: Assessment

“Thank you for the match!”

Wu Ming clasped his fists, and only then did the surrounding crowd erupt into an uproar.

They had only seen a blur before the previously fierce and menacing tooth soldier fell defeated, all happening at an incredible speed.

Those who understood a bit more now wore expressions of apprehension and admiration as they studied Wu Ming.

“Excellent! Truly impressive skills!”

The nearby general, however, burst into laughter. Catching a blade bare-handed was nearly the pinnacle of martial arts skill. Moreover, the opponent was a tooth soldier from the army, quite different from the flashy martial artists in the martial world. He deeply understood the difficulty involved and thus appreciated Wu Ming even more.

“Come on, let’s spar a bit!”

The general stepped onto the training ground, where his personal guards promptly handed him a long sword with a golden tiger-head hilt: “I am Liu Jie, the new commander of the Shanshan Division. If you join the army, I will be your commanding officer. Remember that?”

“I dare not!”

Wu Ming waved his hands frantically, stepping back several paces.

“I’m telling you to fight, so fight! That’s an order from your commanding officer!” Liu Jie frowned.

“Then… please forgive my impertinence!”

Seeing the genuine intent in the man, Wu Ming once again bowed and then took a long sword from a wooden rack nearby.

“Haha! Very well!”

Seeing Wu Ming now armed, Liu Jie finally nodded in satisfaction: “Be careful, here I come!”

Whoosh!

In an instant, he leapt forward, covering two zhang in a single stride, arriving before Wu Ming.

Chi chi!

With just a casual slash, threads of sharp qi emerged from thin air, manifesting as sword qi.

“Internal and external united, refined qi—this man’s martial arts skills are no less than mine…” Outside the arena, Xiao Di’s expression changed.

Peng!

Wu Ming kept his mind calm and raised his sword to block. After the loud impact, a tremendous force surged through his arm, numbing half his body as he staggered backward several steps.

However, his internal cultivation was boundless, combining both Daoist and martial training. He quickly recovered his mobility with a breath, and instead of retreating, he advanced, his long sword flashing with brilliant arcs.

“Die!”

Ding ding dang dang!

Blades clashed as the two moved like the wind, attacking each other fiercely, appearing evenly matched.

Only someone like Xiao Di could tell that Wu Ming was now at a disadvantage, barely holding on.

“Haha! Thrilling! Absolutely thrilling!”

Liu Jie fought with increasing fervor, suddenly letting out a mighty roar.

Hou hou!

A tiger’s roar echoed. In broad daylight, a star in the sky flared brightly, casting a wide halo of light.

His golden tiger-headed sword seemed to come alive, its tiger eyes emitting two red beams as it roared continuously.

“Behold my military school’s divine skill—the Seven Killings of the White Tiger!”

As Liu Jie slashed, celestial power surged into his body. Wu Ming saw the man’s military aura and killing intent suddenly condense into a massive white tiger with glaring eyes, charging toward him.

“Military school’s divine skill?!”

Outside the arena, Xiao Di’s face paled: “I never expected the military school’s divine skills to have a lineage here. This general is clearly carried away in the heat of battle!”

Throughout history, Daoist sorcery, witchcraft (shamanistic arts), or gu magic (curse techniques) have always been suppressed by the blood and qi of soldiers.

Ordinary Daoists have little use on the battlefield.

But the military school’s divine skills are different! This path was specifically designed for warfare, encompassing troop training, deployment, battlefield tactics, formation arrangement, metalworking, and more. Commanders can even harness military and killing auras to unleash battlefield divine attacks, greatly enhancing their power!

Liu Jie, as a division commander aligned with the stars, his slash’s power had already surpassed the physical realm’s capabilities, approaching the level of a master-level cultivator. Even Xiao Di, at the ninth transformation stage, couldn’t be sure he could withstand it.

The celestial star responded to his command, merging with the military school’s divine skill, transforming into a white tiger that charged at Wu Ming, its massive claws raised, cutting winds so fierce they lifted Wu Ming’s hair.

Yet Wu Ming’s expression remained calm as he revealed two talismans in his hands.

One talisman was sky-blue, seemingly dotted with starlight, while the other was bright yellow, with crimson Daoist characters glowing vividly.

“Chaotic Star Talisman? Demon-Sundering Talisman?”

Xiao Di gasped from outside the arena.

The two talismans quickly burned, transforming into two streams of mystical light—one blue, one red—shooting forward.

Peng!

The white tiger’s illusion trembled and slowly dissipated, revealing Liu Jie inside, still charging forward with his blade raised.

Wu Ming’s sword rose to meet it. Upon impact, the long sword shattered into several pieces, and he himself was sent flying backward: “General, your might is unmatched! I am truly inferior!”

“You did well, very well indeed!”

Earlier, he had lost himself in the battle’s fervor, striking too hard. Now seeing Wu Ming’s understanding and humility, Liu Jie couldn’t help but feel greatly pleased.

“That talisman you used…”

“These were talismans bestowed upon me by a mysterious master during my travels, though I only have a few left…”

Wu Ming said, a hint of regret appearing on his face.

In reality, these talismans were specifically crafted by him—Chaotic Star Talismans to disrupt celestial power, and Demon-Sundering Talismans to dispel bloodthirsty auras. He had plenty more, but there was no need to mention that.

Liu Jie was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter: “Wu Ming, heed my command!”

“At your service!”

Forced by the mission, Wu Ming endured and stepped forward to salute.

“Your martial prowess is exceptional, and your knowledge is broad. I hereby appoint you as a squad leader, commanding a unit of fifty men!”

Liu Jie continued, seeing Wu Ming’s slight confusion, he explained: “Our Jiushan Army structure is as follows—five men form a squad led by a squad leader. Ten men form a platoon led by a platoon leader. Five platoons form a company led by a company commander, titled Peirong Assistant Officer, ninth rank. Two companies form a battalion led by a battalion commander, titled Yuwu Assistant Officer, eighth rank. Five battalions form a regiment led by a regiment commander, titled Zhiguo Assistant Officer, seventh rank. Above regiments are the Jiushan divisions—Xinshan, Lianshan, Nushan, Chishan, and so on—each commanding several regiments. I am the commander of Xinshan Division, and you will be my company commander!”

Ordinary recruits start as new soldiers, advancing to veterans, elite soldiers, then squad leaders, platoon leaders, deputy company commanders, and so on, finally reaching the position of company commander commanding fifty men.

Now, Wu Ming was promoted several ranks at once—an appointment indeed quite generous.

Of course, what discipline could there be in a rebel army?

“At your service, General!”

Wu Ming wasted no time, saluting again, which made Liu Jie laugh heartily.

In fact, a division commander typically commands between one thousand to three thousand men. According to Li Rubi’s military system, this only equates to the rank of Zhaowu Assistant Officer, sixth rank. One doesn’t truly attain the rank of general until reaching the fifth rank or higher.

Among the Jiushan Army, only Li Rubi himself could truly be called a general. Wu Ming addressing Liu Jie as “General” was clearly flattery.

At this moment, tooth soldiers brought official uniforms and seals, their eyes filled with envy. Wu Ming, however, was slightly taken aback.

“This Li Rubi’s ambitions are no small matter. At the very least, these official robes and seals couldn’t have been prepared overnight. Moreover, this well-established military system indicates capable individuals are indeed present.”

“Excellent! Truly heroic!”

Seeing Wu Ming dressed in the officer’s uniform, Liu Jie rubbed his chin, clearly satisfied: “As for the tactics of marching and forming battle arrays, since you can read, study them yourself. There’s no need for others to be tested. First, go to the new recruits’ camp and select a company. I authorize you to appoint your own squad and platoon leaders! Go forth, train them well, and when the time comes for sieges and conquests, you may take the women and wealth for yourself!”

“Understood!”

As the words fell, Wu Ming suddenly felt a shift above his head.

Knowing something unusual had occurred, he used his spiritual vision and saw a layer of black and white qi emerging above his head—this was an additional fortune aura, now connected to the camp’s cloud-like energy.

“This is the authority qi gained from commanding fifty soldiers!”

He instantly understood.

Soon, he noticed that although the total amount of this fortune aura was still less than the red and white qi from his noble status, its nature was different, carrying a forceful and aggressive flavor.

“This must be the result of entering the system, connecting with its fortune?”

Wu Ming’s heart stirred, and he subtly released his restrictions. In an instant, that layer of white qi seemed to encounter a bottomless abyss, getting completely absorbed, leaving only a layer of military aura swirling outside, dark and turbulent.

His Daoist cultivation also advanced slightly.

“Indeed, whether Daoist priests, shamans, Buddhist monks, or even deities, all can draw upon fortune to benefit themselves…”

Previously, within the Wu family fortress, Wu Ming had experienced this sensation.

However, Wu Qing had repeatedly warned him and even transmitted a cultivation technique to suppress his foundation. But now, facing this external fortune, Wu Ming had far fewer reservations.

“Breaking away from the family to cultivate the Dao, precisely for the ability to draw upon fortune… But my roots are all in the Wu family fortress. If I absorb all the fortune, the entire Wu fortress would decline, and my foundation would collapse. My own fortune would then become rootless, like a tree without soil or a pond without water—an illusion in the air. Therefore, it’s better to let it flow steadily…”

“But in this world, there’s no such problem!”

Wu Ming’s heart rejoiced, then suddenly sobered: “Even a small cultivator like me isn’t much, but the Southern Mountain Immortal has received an official title, ranking just below the commander. The stronger his Daoist cultivation becomes, the more fortune he can draw upon daily—mountains upon mountains of it!”

This was precisely the meaning behind his earlier bitter smile exchanged with Xiao Di.

Not only in the Great Zhou or here, but even in past lives—how many emperors who excessively favored national preceptors, immortals, or Dharma Kings ever met with a favorable end?

Not to mention, during every time of chaos, mountain spirits and demons emerge to take human form, disrupting the court and deceiving the people to obtain fortune.

“General, I would also like to recommend someone—my companion Xiao Di!”

At this moment, Wu Ming exchanged a glance with Xiao Di and stepped forward.

“On the battlefield, it’s ultimately the domain of military strategists and martial heroes. With Xiao Di’s martial skills, which are even superior to mine, he’s certainly capable of commanding independently.”

“Oh? Another one?”

Liu Jie’s eyes lit up. In times of external threats, the more talents the better: “Then he must be tested. If he passes, I won’t hesitate to promote him!”

When Liu Jie saw Xiao Di’s martial prowess, his eyes lit up even more. This time, he didn’t appoint him as a company commander but as a tooth general.

Tooth soldiers and tooth generals are the commander’s personal guards, indicating even greater importance.

Although only a tooth platoon leader, in terms of actual status, provisions, and Liu Jie’s favor, Xiao Di’s position might even surpass Wu Ming’s at this point.

The group then went to receive their assigned barracks, settling Xiao Di and Yuan Tai there as family members.

Normally, women weren’t allowed in the military camp, but Li Rubi had already established a refugee camp with both men and women. This wasn’t a regular barracks, and combined with Wu Ming and Xiao Di’s prominence, no one dared to gossip.

“Such lax military discipline has come to this!”

Wu Ming and Xiao Di felt deeply distressed, their confidence in the future diminishing further.