19: Zhenxi Army
γ Year 9, γ
γ You participate in the Martial Arts Academy competition for the third time. γ
γ You finally bring the Shadowless Steps and Dragon-Elephant Palm to Major Achievement, and this time you rush to eleventh place. γ
γ Jin Lili and Song Zhanpeng, who broke through to the Perfected Innate Realm, also participated, placing last and second to last, respectively. γ
γ In your years at the Martial Arts Academy, your biggest realization isβGeniuses are everywhere. γ
γ If not for stealing a bit of knowledge here and asking for advice there, your two High Grade Cultivation Techniques would not have reached Major Achievement. γ
γ Everyone is gossiping about you behind your back: γ
γ "Do you still remember that Qin Chen?" γ
γ "Of course I remember! When he first entered the academy, he was touted as the number one Genius, now he's just a joke!" γ
γ "I heard he even steals techniques; I think calling him the number one waste would be more accurate." γ
γ You don't care at all about their gossip. γ
γ You firmly believeβThe slow one grinds a sword for ten years; though the blade arrives late, it can cut metal and stone. The clever one casts ten weapons in a year; they may be sharp, but they break halfway. γ
Looking at the simulation results, Qin Chen's face turns livid.
"Damn! Is my Aptitude really that bad?"
"Is it really this hard to Cultivate a Cultivation Technique?"
"Sigh, life is hard for you, kid."
He knows that if not for relying on the System, he probably wouldn't even be able to touch the threshold of the Xiantian Realm in this lifetime.
Especially with Cultivation Techniques; the higher the grade, the harder they are to Cultivate.
Let's put it this way: Low Grade Cultivation Techniques are like elementary school arithmeticβ1+1 = 2.
Medium Grade Cultivation Techniques are like middle school geometryβyou need to understand some formulas and theorems.
High Grade Cultivation Techniques are like higher mathematicsβwithout some talent, you simply can't understand them.
As for Top Grade Cultivation Techniques? That's basically quantum physics level!
Fortunately, he is at the Martial Arts Academy, and after years of watching the Geniuses around him Cultivate, he can roughly figure out a thing or two.
He is like an upstart now, possessing a body full of Innate True Qi but not knowing how to unleash its maximum power.
Not to mention the Prodigies at the Martial Arts Academy, all of whom are the top Geniuses of the Yan Dynasty.
"Tch, you Geniuses, I have a cheat!"
Thinking this through, Qin Chen feels much more at ease.
γ Year 12, γ
γ The Martial Arts competition arrives on schedule, and you step onto the ring for the fourth time. γ
γ Those competing this time are all Disciples who entered at the same time as you. γ
γ To your surprise, these Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters who arrived two or three years after you are now all stronger than you. γ
γ However, you came prepared this timeβyou have already brought the Shadowless Steps, Dragon-Elephant Palm, and Eighteen Needles of Soul Chasing all to Perfection! γ
γ Over these three years, you have chewed through the Cultivation Techniques word by word, practicing them over and over again; only you know the hardship involved. γ
γ Only after the Cultivation Techniques reached Perfection did you realize that this is the only way to fully unleash the strength of the Perfected Innate Realm. γ
γ If you had a Top Grade Cultivation Technique, what would that be like? γ
γ Sure enough, after the Shadowless Steps reached Perfection, you have the strength to fight even against those Geniuses. γ
γ The competition standard is very simple: over thirty Disciples at the Perfected Innate Realm draw lots for duels. Losing three matches leads to elimination, while winning three matches leads to advancement. γ
γ You win three matches in a row; although each match was thrilling, you finally won. γ
γ In the crucial battle for the top ten, you deliberately reveal a flaw. The opponent falls for it, and you instantly cast the Eighteen Needles of Soul Chasing to seal their retreat, followed by a Dragon-Elephant Palm to blast them off the ring. γ
γ Upon entering the top ten, you realize these guys are more troublesome than the lastβeach person has at least three High Grade Cultivation Techniques at Perfection, and the top three have even practiced Top Grade Cultivation Techniques! γ
γ Being at the same Perfected Innate Realm, they are simply able to crush you. γ
γ Only then do you understand that in front of top experts, the more trump cards you have, the better. γ
γ Fortunately, you are tenth this time, and finally receive an "obstacle breaking pill". γ
γ Jin Lili and Song Zhanpeng are stronger than you, taking fourth and seventh place, respectively. γ
γ The first place is a Junior Brother named Zhang Rui, who entered the academy two years after you and is also this year's top martial scholar. γ
γ After the match, Zhang Rui comes to find you: "Senior Brother Qin, I plan to join the army after breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm, want to come along?" γ
γ Learning that Jin Lili and the others are also going, you agree. γ
γ After receiving the rewards, you all begin to go into seclusion to break through to the Grandmaster Realm. γ
γ After Zhang Rui breaks through to the Grandmaster Realm, he is directly appointed by the Emperor as the top martial scholar and a Thousand-Household Official. γ
γ You also begin to go into seclusion to impact the Grandmaster Realm. γ
γ After breaking through, you realize that a Grandmaster and the Innate Realm are completely two different conceptsβTrue Qi can be transformed into Protective Aura, and can also be projected three zhang to form a Domain! γ
γ According to the rules, after breaking through to the Grandmaster, one must leave the academy. γ
γ So you all head to the border military camp together. γ
γ Year 13, γ
γ You have been in the Zhenxi Army for half a year. This army is specifically responsible for defending against the Great Jin Dynasty in the west. γ
γ Warfare on the border is constant; although there have been no major battles, small-scale conflicts occur every month. γ
γ Now the Zhenxi Army is managed by Marquis Wu. Ever since the Dukes Residence was wiped out, the Marquis Residence has replaced the Duke and become one of the new Three Great Factions. γ
γ People coming out of the Martial Arts Academy are just different. Take Zhang Rui, for example; he became a Thousand-Household Official directly and can command one thousand people. γ
γ You, Jin Lili, and Song Zhanpeng are all Hundred-Household Officials, under Zhang Rui's command. γ
γ This arrangement is very interestingβif your subordinates perform meritorious service, the biggest credit goes to you; if you perform meritorious service, the biggest credit goes to Zhang Rui. γ
γ Therefore, people who come out of the Martial Arts Academy are born to be generals. γ
γ Those belowβAcquired and Innate Martial Artistsβno matter how hard they fight, the biggest credit is always yours. γ
γ However, this is also quite reasonable; after all, your strength is indeed much stronger than theirs. γ
γ Three months later, γ
γ You, Jin Lili, Song Zhanpeng, and over twenty other Hundred-Household Officials receive military orders to ambush a grain transport team of the Jin Dynasty. γ
γ Only when setting off do you learn that a total of over twenty small teams have been dispatched this time. γ
γ Each small team is led by a Hundred-Household Official, and each team can only bring twenty elite soldiers. γ
γ Everyone is sent to different locations because no one knows which path the enemy will take. γ
γ You set off quickly, leading your twenty brothers. γ
γ Seven days later, γ
γ You are lucky and happen to run into that grain transport team. γ
γ Without saying a word, you lead your twenty brothers to attack from all directions. γ
γ There are over thirty guards on the opposite side, plus over one hundred grain transporters, totaling over one hundred people. γ
γ You discover that the leader on the other side is also a Grandmaster. γ
γ You dare not be careless and directly unleash the Perfection-level Shadowless Steps, raising your hand to deliver a Dragon-Elephant Palm. γ
γ The opponent hurriedly activates their Protective Aura, forming a Domain within three zhang of their body. γ
γ You don't hesitate either; True Qi surges out from your body, instantly expanding your own Grandmaster Domain. γ
γ The moment the two Domains collideβ γ
γ "Crackle!" A series of explosions sounds, the air distorts and deforms, forming a strange magnetic field. γ
γ The soldiers in the Grandmaster Domain are instantly like people who have had their acupoints pressed, freezing in place, faces flushed red, unable to even catch their breath. γ
γ In that split second, your palms collide fiercelyβ γ
γ "Boom!" γ
γ With a thunderous explosion, the opponent flies backward like a kite with a broken string, while you remain motionless, only the corner of your clothes fluttering. γ
γ You seize the opportunity and throw out the Eighteen Needles of Soul Chasing; eighteen streaks of silver light instantly seal the opponent's Meridians. γ
γ In his terrified gaze, you swing your sword and cut off his head. γ
γ You turn your head to look, and your brothers are being surrounded and attacked; the situation is critical. γ
γ Your figure flashes, shuttling back and forth within the enemy formation; those Innate Realm guards and Acquired Realm grain transport soldiers are like cutting melons and vegetables in your hands. γ
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