249: Chapter 248 I'll give you two choices

After Commander Qisong stepped onto the martial arts platform, he paused, then turned to face the entire training ground.

He took a deep breath, his chest swelling, and then suddenly roared, "Everyone stop what you're doing and get over here right now!!!"

This roar was like a clap of thunder, echoing endlessly over the entire training ground.

Xia Jin stood behind Commander Qisong, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This shout seemed casual, but it actually contained the profound mysteries of some sort of sound-based Cultivation Technique. Under the formidable rule suppression of the Shenyun Realm, this was not something an ordinary person could achieve.

He was worthy of being a commander of the Silver Sand Army.

As Commander Qisong's voice fell, the eight hundred soldiers of the Silver Sand Army, who had been drilling on the training ground, stopped their movements in unison. Without any hesitation, they surged toward the martial arts platform like a tide.

Their movements were incredibly uniform; eight hundred people running sounded like a single person.

In a few moments, the eight hundred Silver Sand Army soldiers had finished forming ranks in front of the martial arts platform, their square formation as neat as if carved by a knife or chisel.

Every soldier stood straight, eyes fixed forward, radiating a dense Evil Qi. With eight hundred strands of Evil Qi converging, even Xia Jin, who had already reached the third level of the Ascension Realm, couldn't help but be secretly startled.

Xia Jin scanned the army, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Meanwhile, Marquis Chu was also observing the Silver Sand Army below the stage, his hands trembling slightly, unable to contain himself.

Of course, this was not out of fear, but rather excitement—excitement at the prospect of joining such an army.

Just as the eight hundred Silver Sand Army soldiers finished forming their ranks, there was sudden movement within the crowd.

"Move aside!"

"Make way!"

A few low shouts came from the back of the formation, and immediately after, the Silver Sand Army soldiers, as if pushed aside by an invisible hand, uniformly cleared several wide paths.

More than ten figures passed through the crowd along those paths. Their paces were fast or slow, but all carried a terrifying Aura as they walked straight toward the martial arts platform.

Xia Jin scanned the approaching figures; there were fifteen of them in total.

The attire of these fifteen people was clearly different from the ordinary soldiers; their black armor was of much higher quality.

Their presence was also more than a level stronger than the ordinary Silver Sand Army soldiers, and one could tell at a glance that each of them was a veteran of many battles.

The fifteen people arrived at the foot of the martial arts platform. They stood or lounged in various postures, but their gazes all simultaneously fell upon Commander Qisong, before curiously shifting to Xia Jin and Marquis Chu behind him.

One man, slightly older and with a slender build, who was playing with two emerald-green walnuts in his hands, stepped forward.

"Commander Qisong," the man said with a smile, "you've gathered everyone here; do you have any orders for us?"

As he spoke, his gaze had already landed on Xia Jin and Marquis Chu behind Commander Qisong, his eyes filled with a playful glint. He seemed to have already guessed something.

Commander Qisong scanned the crowd below the platform, his brows furrowing slightly, as if he were taking a headcount.

A moment later, his face darkened.

"Lv Yang," Commander Qisong said, looking at the man in the front, his voice growing colder. "Where are those three bastards? Where did they sneak off to slack off again?"

The man playing with the walnuts hurriedly shook his head upon hearing this, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"Commander Qisong," Lv Yang sighed helplessly. "I did hear yesterday that the three bosses seemed to have left the city together. As for what they went to do, I don't know."

"Left the city?" A cold glint flashed in Commander Qisong's eyes. "Those three bastards together?"

"Uh... I think so." Lv Yang swallowed hard, then nodded.

Commander Qisong was silent for a moment, then let out a cold laugh, the smile carrying a hint of gnashing teeth.

"Those three bastards with no regard for military discipline—when they get back, they better not let me catch them, or I'll show them!"

His voice was not loud, but the fifteen squad leaders below heard it clearly, and almost simultaneously felt a chill.

Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, standing behind Commander Qisong, heard the conversation clearly. The two exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming somewhat strange.

It seemed there was a touch of humanity in this Silver Sand Army; there were actually people who dared to openly defy the orders of Senior Brother Commander Qisong.

Moreover, although Senior Brother Commander Qisong scolded them fiercely, in that gnashing-teeth tone, there didn't seem to be any real killing intent; it was more like an older brother grumbling because he couldn't do anything about his subordinates.

After Commander Qisong finished scolding, he took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and then turned around to look at Xia Jin and Marquis Chu.

His face still wore a somewhat annoyed expression, and his tone was a bit helpless.

"I don't know if you two are lucky or unlucky today!" Commander Qisong gestured toward the fifteen people below. "You'll have to challenge these fifteen squad leaders first. As for those three bastards, I will give you another chance to challenge them when they return."

Xia Jin nodded slightly upon hearing this, not paying much attention to it. After all, with his current strength, even becoming a captain of the Silver Sand Army would be beneath him.

The fifteen squad leaders below, having heard Commander Qisong's words, also immediately fell silent.

"Interesting. It seems these two newcomers want to challenge us for our positions?"

Lv Yang stopped playing with the walnuts in his hands. He narrowed his eyes slightly and re-evaluated Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, a bit more seriousness appearing in his eyes.

The reactions of the other fourteen squad leaders were more direct.

Some crossed their arms, the corners of their mouths curling into a mocking smile, seemingly looking down on the two.

Others reached out to stroke their chins, their gazes sweeping back and forth over Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, as if examining some interesting prey.

Others simply chuckled, the laughter filled with undisguised contempt, as if they had heard some huge joke.

"Commander Qisong, did we hear you correctly just now? You're saying... these two newcomers want to challenge us?" A burly squad leader behind Lv Yang spoke up directly.

His gaze swept over Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, and upon noticing that they only had the Aura of the ninth level of the Creation Realm, he shook his head in disappointment.

"Ninth level of the Creation Realm? Not bad," another squad leader with somewhat effeminate features said, frowning. "But in this Shenyun Realm, the ninth level of the Creation Realm... Commander Qisong, for them to want to challenge us, they seem to be looking down on us squad leaders too much."

Lv Yang did not join in the commotion. He just quietly watched Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, the walnuts in his hands rotating again, one by one, unhurriedly.

But in his eyes, there was also a hint of disapproval.

After all, in this Silver Sand Army, even the most ordinary soldiers were existences in the Creation Realm, and as for these squad leaders, which one of them hadn't crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood? Some were even just one step away from the Ascension Realm.

Two people from the Lower Realm at the ninth level of the Creation Realm actually wanted to challenge them?

If that wasn't a joke, what was it?

Commander Qisong took in the reactions of everyone below the stage, but he didn't intervene, and even the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

He turned around to look at Xia Jin and Marquis Chu, his gaze carrying a hint of testing.

"Junior Brothers, it seems you are being looked down upon." Commander Qisong's voice was not loud, audible only to the three people on the platform. "How about it? Do you want to change your minds? Become my personal guards, at least you won't have to endure this."

Marquis Chu rubbed his bald head, his Battle Intent surging wildly. He walked forward two steps, reaching the edge of the martial arts platform, and looked down at the fifteen squad leaders below from a commanding height.

In that instant, his gaze was like two sharp swords, sweeping across the face of every single person.

Then, he spoke.

"I am Marquis Chu. I wonder which captain will be the first to offer me some pointers?"

Marquis Chu's words caused these squad leaders to immediately show playful expressions.

This bald guy, if nothing else, at least has good courage.

Lv Yang glanced at Marquis Chu, but his gaze fell with some uncertainty on Xia Jin, who was still standing silently behind Marquis Chu.

"Why does this purple-haired kid make me feel a sense of unease?"

Interesting.

A few moments later, Lv Yang retracted the contempt in his eyes. The walnuts in his hands started rotating again, but this time, the rhythm was significantly slower.

Commander Qisong stood on the platform, watching this scene, the smile on his face deepening.

He didn't tell the squad leaders below that someone Revered Master personally brought from the Lower Realm couldn't possibly be just an ordinary ninth-level Creation Realm cultivator.

However...

It wouldn't hurt to let these guys suffer a little bit.