Aoki Camp, the True Spirit of Yazi

The carriage creaked as it advanced through the streets of Qingmu City, heading straight for the Qingmu Barracks, which were established within the city walls to guard against emergencies.

As they traveled further, armored soldiers clad in sturdy armor and wielding sharp weapons became an increasingly common sight, marching in disciplined formations.

"Hiss..."

Inside the carriage, Li Mo sat with a pensive expression.

"Brother Li, are you worrying about how to handle my military formation later? Nervous, aren't you?"

Zhong Zhenyue sat with his legs spread wide, hands resting on his knees, grinning broadly.

A military formation diagram lay before him.

After all, Li Mo had been deep in thought the entire journey, his expression serious. Zhong Zhenyue felt he ought to match that level of seriousness.

"Well, it’s not just the formation."

"Oh? What else could make you so tense, Brother Li?"

Zhong Zhenyue raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"You’ve met... the Frost Fairy, right?"

"Of course."

"This morning, she gave me this look."

Li Mo narrowed his eyes, lowered his gaze slightly, then tilted his chin up, mimicking the Frost Fairy’s expression with about thirty percent accuracy.

A mental image of "Frost Fairy’s Stare – Li Mo Edition.jpg" flashed through their minds.

"Hiss..."

Zhong Zhenyue leaned back in shock, spilling hot tea all over his lap.

"Based on your experience with women, what do you think it means?"

"But I don’t have any experience in that area, Brother Li."

"..."

Li Mo recalled the time Zhong Zhenyue had been drooling over a seductress who hadn’t even used any mind-bending martial arts.

Right.

Asking him was pointless.

This guy probably only had "fight, fight, fight" in his head, on the same level as the muscleheads from the Gangdou Sect.

Before long, they arrived at the Qingmu Barracks. As the heavy gates slowly opened, the two stepped out and proceeded on foot. The sight before them was a flurry of diverse military drills.

Some were new recruits, mostly at the Qi-Blood Realm, practicing basic thrusting techniques.

Others, at the peak of the Qi-Blood Realm, were stripped to the waist, grappling in pairs like massive bears.

Sweat, muscles, a true man’s one-on-one battle...

The most elite were the archers, all at least at the Internal Breath Condensation Realm.

Among them, many had features distinctly different from those of the Great Yu people—likely locals recruited from the Southern Border.

"How many troops are stationed in Qingmu Barracks? Is that something you can disclose?" Li Mo asked, gazing at the seemingly endless camp.

"Care to take a guess, Brother Li?"

"Three hundred thousand?"

Li Mo had seen TV shows where armies of hundreds of thousands were commonplace. Given the sheer scale of the camp before him, he figured he was being conservative.

"Haha, it’s eighty thousand."

Zhong Zhenyue strode into the barracks, his demeanor taking on a more authoritative air. "A force of three hundred thousand would be more fitting for Nanguan City. Back in the day, Nanguan truly had a million-strong army."

Li Mo nodded.

He had heard his father drunkenly boast about it before—there had been no Qingmu City in the past. Nanguan had been the Great Yu’s sole bulwark in the Southern Border.

Back then, the calamity beasts had been far more rampant than now, and Nanguan had faced the threat of falling multiple times.

"By the way, Brother Li, regarding Lu Yi—the person you asked me to find—it might take another two or three days at the earliest."

"That’s already quick. If only every garrison army were as disciplined as Qingmu Barracks."

"My father does what he can, but his hands are tied."

Zhong Zhenyue understood Li Mo’s implication and fell silent for a moment before adding,

"The Emperor no longer prioritizes Nanguan as he once did. Perhaps it’s no longer necessary."

Li Mo seemed to grasp something, pausing before smiling faintly.

"That just means the Southern Border is less likely to see war. A good thing, really."

"True. After you, Brother Li." Zhong Zhenyue also smiled, gesturing ahead toward his personal guard’s training ground.

The spacious drill field was occupied by a unit of heavily armored soldiers, numbering around three to four hundred. They were practicing formations, each exuding a fierce and spirited aura.

Commanding them was a striking female general, holding an ornate carved bow in one hand and a command flag in the other.

"Personal guards are all battle-hardened elites, their killing intent palpable."

Li Mo felt a stir within.

The aura they gave off bore some resemblance to what he sensed from the Yazi Spirit.

"Before they finish drills, how about a spar, Brother Li?"

Zhong Zhenyue was eager.

"Certainly." Li Mo drew his Chixiao Sword.

Having not wielded a sword in some time—and after a night communing with the Yazi Spirit—the swordsman in him was itching for action.

The Yazi Spirit governed blades and reveled in battle.

Their duel lasted only briefly, but Zhong Zhenyue had clearly improved—not just in skill but in experience as well.

Li Mo restricted himself to swordplay, and it wasn’t until the eightieth exchange that Zhong Zhenyue began to falter.

Moments later, a familiar system notification chimed in Li Mo’s ears.

[Congratulations, Host. Successful investment in ‘Zhong Zhenyue’—identified flaws in his martial techniques.]

[Investment Reward: Hundred-Man Formation (Black Scale Formation)]

A military formation technique?

Li Mo mused that he wasn’t a soldier.

He wondered how this formation compared to the Zhong Family’s Iron Formation of the Southern Suppressing King.

"Given time, once I reach the Internal Scenery Realm, I’ll shed the nickname ‘Eight-Armed Young Flood Dragon.’"

Drenched in sweat, Zhong Zhenyue leaned on his spear, eyes alight with determination.

He had lost, but he had gained much.

"So nicknames can be changed?"

"Of course. What’s yours again, Brother Li?"

"Hmm... the Lone Strange Sword!"

Li Mo declared with utmost seriousness.

As they spoke, Li Mo’s ears twitched, but he made no move.

Thwack!

An arrow embedded itself into the ground three inches from his foot, its fletching quivering violently.

The female general standing atop the command platform called out,

"The eleventh-ranked genius of the Hidden Dragon Ranking can’t even dodge a stray arrow? Did you earn your spot solely by..."

"Being a lucky charm for wives?"

Li Mo: "......?"

His face darkened instantly.

Really? That’s the topic you bring up?!

Zhong Zhenyue glanced at Li Mo’s sleeve, relieved to see he was still holding Chixiao, then scowled and reprimanded,

"Zhong Ling, Brother Li could’ve easily dodged your arrow—he just chose not to retaliate. Since he’s still holding his sword, you’d better apologize now."

Judging by her age, Zhong Ling was likely Zhong Zhenyue’s elder sister.

"Hmph."

Zhong Ling shot Zhong Zhenyue an angry glare before turning her gaze back to Li Mo.

"You wanted to challenge our Zhong Family’s military formation, didn’t you? I’ll command it, with Zhenyue as the vanguard. Does the ‘Hidden Dragon Heavenly Flood Dragon’ dare to face us?"

"Gladly."

Li Mo sheathed Chixiao.

He had intended to temper himself against the army’s killing intent anyway, to better harmonize with the Yazi Spirit.

Zhong Zhenyue: "?!"

Since when was I the vanguard?! I never agreed to this!

Zhong Ling, though usually fiery, wasn’t one to act recklessly. What had gotten into her today?

"How about adding a wager?"

"Fine. If you lose, you’ll serve as the cooks for my personal guards for a few days."

Zhong Ling seemed to have prepared this in advance.

"Deal."

"And if you lose, you’re never allowed to call me the ‘Lucky Charm Battle Soul’ again!"

Li Mo stripped off his upper garment, revealing a lean, panther-like torso.

His muscles, brimming with power, shimmered with a dark aura, radiating a fierce, weapon-like sharpness.

Behind him, the faint silhouette of a ferocious beast began to take shape.

Yazi!

Zhong Zhenyue: "......"

Is it too late to withdraw from the competition now?

Waiting online, kinda urgent.