170: Stationed in Xishan

Two days later.

As dawn broke, Lin Yue's Killing God Art finally ascended to the third layer!

name: Lin Yue

Title: Pioneer

Identity: Military General (Great Qin)

Peerage: Viscount

Official Position: Colonel

Cultivation Method: Killing God Art (Third Layer 1%)

Martial Power: 63

Intelligence: 33

Command: 37

Politics: 22

Charm: 99

Reputation: 4480 (Slightly Renowned)

Talent: Amiability

Skills: Art of Recognizing People, Qi Observation Technique!

Lin Yue exhaled a mouthful of stale air. His Killing God Art had finally reached the third layer, and he had also acquired a new skill—Qi Observation Technique!

Qi Observation Technique: After use, one can perceive sights invisible to ordinary people based on 'Qi'.

Single Use Duration: One minute

Cooldown: One month!

"Based on Qi?" Lin Yue was somewhat perplexed. This Killing God Art didn't focus on killing; why was it now researching "Qi"?

"Use!" Lin Yue said.

He decided to give it a try. Although this Qi Observation Technique was different from the Art of Recognizing People, having a one-month cooldown after use.

But trying it early meant knowing its effect sooner, saving him from not knowing how to use it at a crucial moment.

"Use!" Lin Yue repeated, only to find it still had no effect!

He looked at the panel, where Qi Observation Technique clearly showed 48 seconds remaining. Had it activated?

But why hadn't he noticed any change?

Lin Yue quickly ran out of his barracks. Zhao Yun, guarding the door, was still the same as usual, with nothing different!

"My Lord, what's wrong?" Zhao Yun asked.

Just as Lin Yue was about to speak, he accidentally caught sight of the sky behind Zhao Yun, which was incredibly vibrant!

He looked up at the sky, only to see a strong masculine Qi emanating above the Military Camp, mixed with a few strands of General Star Qi!

He looked behind him, and above Shenmu City, human Qi permeated the air, indicating a gathering of people.

Finally, a distant, crimson, murderous Qi caught Lin Yue's attention—that was where the Army had sealed off the mountain!

Lin Yue wanted to look further, but all the different Qis disappeared, and the sky returned to a clear blue. It turned out the Qi Observation Technique's duration had ended.

Lin Yue felt he had a preliminary understanding of the Qi Observation Technique's effect as a skill in the game.

Simply put, it was like activating a one-minute spy satellite in Red Alert, capable of discerning the general location of enemy forces, but affected by the enemy's gap generator, making it impossible to see specific structures.

For him, at present, it wasn't of much use.

Or perhaps there were other functions Lin Yue hadn't yet discovered.

He then glanced at the time and said to Zhao Yun, "Zi Long, inform Xing Daorong to gather the White Horse Camp and immediately proceed to the sealed mountain!"

"Understood!" Zhao Yun replied.

Lin Yue then returned to his barracks to put on his armor and marched with the White Horse Camp... The area around Shenmu City was mountainous, and as a result, many Mountain Bandits also existed. However, upon entering the game, the terrifying methods of the Great Wall Legion had deterred some Mountain Bandits, and subsequently, all the Mountain Bandits had become much more restrained.

Seeing that they no longer descended the mountains to raid, the Great Wall Legion did not pursue their complete annihilation. Because they hid deep within the mountains, and on a map ten times larger in length and width in the game, it was difficult for them to act immediately.

Rather than wasting time and energy to suppress the Mountain Bandits, it was better to prepare for battle and guard against the Huns, as the Huns were their primary concern before!

And focusing energy on the Mountain Bandits would seem somewhat counterproductive.

However, now that His Majesty's decree had been issued to all commanderies and counties under heaven, and the various Armies focused their attention on the outsiders and Mountain Bandits, the players' doomsday had arrived.

And the place Lin Yue and his group were heading to was a mountain commonly known by locals as West Mountain.

"Zi Long, how did you all handle sealing the mountain before?" Lin Yue asked.

"My Lord, when we sealed the mountain before, we only guarded a few vital routes up and down the mountain, and at the same time, we dispatched some cavalry patrols at the foot of the mountain to prevent Mountain Bandits from descending," Zhao Yun said.

"You didn't attack the mountain?" Lin Yue asked.

"No, the Soldiers were not very familiar with the terrain on the mountain. With snow accumulating now, we couldn't leverage our numerical advantage, so General She Jian only had us guard the foot of the mountain."

Lin Yue nodded. It seemed She Jian didn't want to waste energy on this, otherwise, he wouldn't have only dispatched a portion of his forces to guard the foot of the mountain.

Their attention was all on the Huns, neglecting the development of players and Mountain Bandits.

Lin Yue had clearly felt that as time progressed, the current players were already much stronger than before.

Now, players had transitioned from relying on NPC Mountain Bandits for development to engaging in power struggles between player guilds. The indigenous Mountain Bandits had now become weapons in the hands of players, sacrifices on their path of expansion.

This shift in the status of the two parties represented the increasing strength of the players.

Lin Yue dared to say that now, only a catalyst was needed, and players would rapidly rise!

Their threat would be no less than that of the Huns!

This sealing of the mountain, Lin Yue felt, should be the Great Qin's high-ranking officials realizing the threat of the outsiders and preparing to nip their influence in the bud during this winter!

For this, Lin Yue fully agreed!

Because Lin Yue, as a Colonel of Great Qin, was destined to stand on their opposing side!

During their conversation, the White Horse Camp unconsciously arrived at the foot of West Mountain.

Lin Yue handed over Command to Xing Daorong and then, with Zhao Yun and others, settled into the temporary barracks that had already been set up.

Actually, their cavalry was not suitable for attacking the mountain, and he didn't know how She Jian had arranged things.

"Having cavalry guard the foot of the mountain, I wonder what She Jian was thinking," Lin Yue sighed, then opened the regional chat channel.

He scanned through it and found that players were all wailing, presumably the sealing of the mountain had indeed caused them considerable impact, primarily the lack of food!

Food is the paramount concern of the people, and players and Mountain Bandits are no exception!

"Rest in shifts! There might be a Mountain Bandit sneak attack tonight!" Lin Yue heard Xing Daorong's booming voice echo through the camp.

Soon, the Soldiers began cooking, and Lin Yue noticed that different voices had emerged in the chat channel!

"Song Jin: So fragrant! These damn Qin Soldiers!"

"Chen Wang: Don't say it."

"Zhang Jin: Why can I still smell it even with my nose plugged?"

"Sun Wei: You should go to the latrine then!"

"Zhang Jin: Sun Wei, are you looking for death? Believe it or not, I'll shove you into the latrine."

...Lin Yue watched the players' arguments with a knowing smile, then took the meal handed to him by Xing Daorong and began to eat.

"My Lord, I just hunted a wild chicken and stewed it for you. It's very fragrant," Xing Daorong said with a smile.

"You've worked hard, but don't do this again in the future," Lin Yue looked at the large chicken leg in the big bowl, feeling a bit greasy.

"Oh, no, I can't let you, My Lord, eat the same food as the Soldiers.

My Lord, please eat without worry. I'll hunt another one for you tomorrow; it's no trouble," Xing Daorong chuckled.

Lin Yue no longer refused. After finishing his meal, he began to observe the players' conversations again, finding that the regional chat channel had erupted into an argument.

"Chen Wang: That's not right, how does the Zang Ai Family have food!"