248: Chapter 247 Commander of the Silver Sand Army, Qisong

As his voice faded, a steady and powerful sound of footsteps suddenly rang out from outside the palace gates, approaching from afar.

Before long, a tall figure stepped into the palace hall.

The person wore a suit of pitch-black battle armor, and his entire being exuded an aura of solemn slaughter.

Upon entering the hall, he first walked quickly to the Great Hall Master, knelt on one knee, pressed his clenched right fist against his chest, and performed a standard military salute.

"Disciple Qisong pays respects to Revered Master!"

"Rise," the Great Hall Master said, raising his hand, his tone carrying a rare hint of gentleness.

Qisong rose in response, his gaze naturally turning toward Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, who were standing in the hall, a trace of curiosity appearing in his eyes.

So these are the Disciples Revered Master took in from the Lower Realm?

He secretly sized them up in his heart; earlier, he had heard that Revered Master intended to bring two Disciples from the Lower Realm to Yinsha City in the Shenyun Realm. However, he had thought Revered Master was joking at the time.

After all, no matter how strong one's strength might be in the Lower Realm, it counted for little upon entering the Shenyun Realm.

But now that he saw Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, his fixed impression was somewhat shattered.

Although this bald man's Realm appeared to be only the Creation Realm, that profound aura of his did not resemble a newly arrived Cultivator from the Lower Realm.

And that youth with long purple hair beside him was someone he couldn't even see through.

"Qisong," the Great Hall Master's voice pulled his thoughts back. "These two are the Disciples I took in for the Temple I established in the Lower Realm, Xia Jin and Marquis Chu."

Hearing this, Qisong solemnly cupped his fists toward the two, a hearty smile appearing on his Face. "Greetings, Junior Brothers, I have long heard of you."

Xia Jin and Marquis Chu hurriedly returned the salute, speaking in unison, "Greetings, Senior Brother Qisong."

The Great Hall Master glanced at the three of them and pointed at Qisong, introducing him: "Since arriving in the Shenyun Realm, Qisong is the only Personal Disciple I have accepted. He now holds the position of Commander of Yinsha City, commanding the Yinsha Army and protecting the safety of the city. From now on, you two will follow him and heed his arrangements."

Upon hearing these words, both Xia Jin and Marquis Chu sensed the weight behind them.

The only Personal Disciple; it seemed that this Yinsha Army Commander, who was even more burly than Marquis Chu, possessed talent and strength far beyond what appeared on the surface.

Qisong, upon hearing this, turned to look at the Great Hall Master and said respectfully, "Rest assured, Revered Master, this Disciple will certainly take good care of my two Junior Brothers."

The Great Hall Master nodded. "Very well, since they have been handed over to you, take them down. You may arrange their living quarters and duties."

"Yes, Revered Master. Junior Brothers, please follow me!"

Qisong saluted the Great Hall Master once more, nodded at Xia Jin and the other, and turned to walk out of the hall first.

After the three left the City Lord's mansion, they did not walk for long.

In just the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, they arrived at a military camp within Yinsha City.

A massive drill ground appeared before the three, covering at least several hundred mu.

On the drill ground, teams of soldiers clad in black armor were drilling; the glint of blades and swords flashed, and the shouts of battle shook the sky.

Every soldier exuded a thick Evil Qi; it was the temperament that only comes from having truly been on the battlefield and experiencing life-and-death struggles.

"Creation Realm! Even the ordinary soldiers are of the Creation Realm!"

Marquis Chu, following behind, looked at the hundreds of Yinsha Army soldiers wielding their weapons not far away, and his expression changed instantly.

Even Xia Jin, who had now stepped into the third layer of the Ascension Realm, narrowed his eyes at the scene before him.

One must know that back in the Temple, there were only a few dozen Temple Disciples who had reached the Creation Realm. And every one of those Temple Disciples was a one-in-ten-thousand Genius.

But here in the Shenyun Realm, such Prodigies seemed to be nothing more than the lowest-ranking soldiers.

"As expected, we underestimated the Shenyun Realm back then! It is truly worthy of being the center where many Small Worlds converge. What are called Prodigies in the Lower Realm are merely the most ordinary existences here. However, this is exactly what suits this King's wishes! Only by stepping on these people to rise can one feel a greater sense of achievement!"

A surge of Battle Intent suddenly ignited in Xia Jin's eyes.

Seeming to notice that Xia Jin and his companion had suddenly stopped, Qisong, walking in front, stopped his steps almost simultaneously. He turned around, glanced at Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, and then his gaze fell upon the Yinsha Army not far away.

There was still a smile on his Face, but the look in his eyes became serious.

"Junior Brothers, do you see the soldiers of our Yinsha Army? You are new here, so it would not be appropriate for me to arrange any important positions for you yet."

Qisong's voice entered the ears of Xia Jin and his companion solemnly. "However, in this military camp, only one principle is believed in, and that is that the strong are respected. If you want something, you must fight for it yourself!"

Xia Jin and Marquis Chu exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of understanding in the other's eyes.

This was not surprising. A military camp has always been a place that speaks through strength; the principle is the same everywhere.

Seeing their calm expressions, a flash of satisfaction crossed Qisong's eyes, and he continued, "Currently, in my Yinsha Army, besides myself as Commander, there are three Captains and eighteen Squad Leaders under my command. These twenty-one people are the core combat power of our Yinsha Army, and every one of them is a battle-hardened warrior."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across their Faces.

"For the sake of Revered Master's Face, today, I will give you two choices."

"First, act as my personal guards and stay by my side. This choice is naturally safer for you two; you would not need to leave the city to fight, and usually, you would just handle some military affairs and run errands."

"Second, choose any one of these Captains or Squad Leaders at will. If you can defeat them, you can replace them. However, once you become a Captain, you must be prepared to leave Yinsha City at any time to fight outside, and you will be responsible for your own life and death."

As his voice fell, Qisong stopped speaking, just quietly watching the two, waiting for their answer.

After exchanging a glance, Xia Jin and Marquis Chu smiled at each other.

Marquis Chu took a step forward, looking directly into Qisong's eyes, and spoke confidently. "Senior Brother Qisong, the two of us came all the way from the Lower Realm to this Shenyun Realm, not just to idle our time away. We want to break through our own limits and improve our strength."

"Senior Brother Xia is right. If we were greedy for comfort, we would have just stayed in the Lower Realm; why would we travel thousands of miles to come here?" Xia Jin nodded in agreement.

"We would like to trouble Senior Brother Qisong to arrange for us to challenge these Yinsha Army Captains."

Upon hearing the words of Marquis Chu and Xia Jin, Qisong was taken aback for a moment, but his originally serious Face quickly took on a hint of a smile, which later turned into a hearty laugh.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said the word 'good' three times in a row, and his laughing voice even attracted the attention of some of the Yinsha Army.

To tell the truth, giving these two choices earlier was also to see what choice Xia Jin and the other would make. If they had chosen the first path because of their relationship with Revered Master, he naturally wouldn't say anything on the surface, but in his heart, he would look down on them a bit.

After all, in this Shenyun Realm, in this Yinsha City, those who fear challenges and crave comfort can never become true powerhouses.

But now, the performance of these two Junior Brothers from the Lower Realm had completely put his mind at ease.

"Since you have such determination, then I, as your Senior Brother, will naturally not stop you." Qisong looked at the two with eyes full of appreciation. "Then follow me!"

Having said that, he walked quickly toward the depths of the drill ground, until he stepped onto the high platform in the center of the drill ground.

Xia Jin and Marquis Chu exchanged a glance, nodded simultaneously, and followed quickly.

On the drill ground, the Yinsha Army soldiers who were training saw the Commander personally bringing two unfamiliar Faces, and they all stopped what they were doing, looking over curiously.

And those Captains who were resting in their respective camps seemed to have sensed something unusual, and one after another, they walked out of their barracks.

In the air, a scent of an impending storm was faintly spreading.