Firmament Sword

Though the group was young, they were all quite strong, so hunting for wild game wasn’t difficult.

The mountains were teeming with birds and beasts, and the icy streams were home to plenty of plump fish. Having lived in the cold water year-round, their meat was so succulent that it was even fine to eat raw.

Xu Luo led a large group to catch fish. The vast majority had no experience, which led to a lot of comical mishaps.

But there was a reason they were called the most exceptional youths in the Cangqiong Kingdom. Soon enough, they learned how to catch fish from the few who had experience.

These youths, who had never done anything like this before, were now laughing and shouting with excitement as they cornered their prey in the stream.

It was an unlucky day for the plump fish that had lived their lives freely and undisturbed. They were caught one after another and strung onto long, thin branches.

Meanwhile, Sun Donghai led another group into the forest. They were all so ravenous they wouldn’t let even a squirrel escape their sight, let alone a rabbit.

With so many skilled Martial Artists working together to surround and trap their quarry, they quickly procured a large amount of game.

Although they were all exhausted to their limits, their spirits... were higher than ever!

On this day, they learned the meaning of discipline, understood what true companionship was, and experienced the bonds of brotherhood.

Now, they had also learned the first step of wilderness survival.

They might have a long road ahead of them, but at least these passionate youths had taken the first step.

It was the first step toward maturity.

The students returned, laden with their spoils, to a warm welcome from those who had stayed behind. Under the guidance of the veteran soldiers, the group at camp had already pitched the tents and set up cooking stoves.

Smoke plumed into the air, and the entire camp bustled with activity.

Hunting and dressing game were completely new to the students, to say nothing of pitching tents, setting up stoves, and starting a fire to cook a meal—that was an experience unlike any they’d ever had.

Yet, it was this very experience that made the students feel as if they had grown up immensely in an instant.

Instructor Zhou may have been called the Devil Instructor, but he wasn’t a true devil. While he had punished the students in the first group, he later had the quartermaster distribute military rations to each of them.

The rations were awful, but at least they could stave off hunger.

The students in the first group naturally had outstanding physiques, and they had just gone out to hunt for game themselves, so there was no real danger of them starving.

Soon, dinner was ready. Groups of students gathered around the bonfires. The roasted game, dripping with savory juices, and the delicious fish soup were quickly devoured by the ravenous crowd.

Although the flavors couldn’t compare to the restaurants in the Imperial Capital, to them, in that moment, it was better than any delicacy in the Mortal World.

...

For the next half a month, everyone lived in a state of both agony and joy.

The devilish training made them complain endlessly, but their bodies were also growing tougher without them even realizing it. They gradually grew accustomed to the pace of marching at high speed without using True Essence.

Though some still couldn’t keep up with the training pace, there was always a companion with stamina to spare to help them along.

The camaraderie between them grew deeper and deeper, completely different from the formal, detached friendships of ”gentlemen” they had back at the academy.

These former favored sons of heaven now spoke louder and told dirty jokes without restraint. They became adept at finding joy amid hardship and forged deep friendships with one another.

Xu Luo’s transformation was also obvious. His skin had tanned, his frame had filled out, and the last traces of youth and immaturity were steadily fading from his face.

Xu Luo could clearly feel the changes in his Shaking Light Star Soul.

It was absorbing True Essence faster and faster, and the Shaking Light Star Soul itself was growing brighter. As for his Shaking Light Step... if Xu Luo were to use it with his full power now, probably no one here could even catch a glimpse of his shadow.

This was all thanks to his perseverance.

Thanks to Xu Luo’s influence, everyone’s legwork had improved tremendously. Even those like Wei Ziting, who had been passively going along with it, could now feel the benefits of this training.

They wouldn’t thank Xu Luo for it, but they had to admit that the training method he proposed was something special.

As long as you could endure it, the rewards were immense.

Both Xu Luo and Sun Donghai had earned great prestige, each in their own way.

Leng Ping and the other young nobles, true to their word, actively participated, strove to drop their airs, and blended in with the crowd. They cast aside their former arrogance and quickly became one with their fellow students.

Everyone was growing up fast.

Now, the troop of several thousand could march four hundred li in a single day!

And though they were still dog-tired at the end of each day, their spirits were completely transformed.

There was almost no trace of the ”academy type” left in them. Each one had bright eyes and a powerful physique.

Even Little Fatty Liu Feng had lost over ten pounds and looked much more solid.

Devil Instructor Zhou remained as cold and merciless as ever, his words dripping with sarcasm.

But the students no longer felt their initial resentment. Sometimes, if they went a while without hearing Devil Zhou’s taunts, they’d even feel like something was missing...

In the past, they had never focused on physical conditioning, believing it was something only for those with no future in martial arts.

Now that this notion had been shattered, they had a sudden revelation: tempering the body itself had a monumental impact on their path of cultivation.

It was no exaggeration to say that with this kind of tempering, someone originally destined to become only a Sword Master could now potentially break through to the realm of a Great Sword Master!

One morning, twenty days later, Devil Instructor Zhou assembled everyone.

Gazing at the perfectly uniform ranks, Devil Instructor Zhou nodded in satisfaction. ”According to intelligence from the front, a problem has come up at the border we’re headed to,” he announced. ”Therefore, our force of three thousand five hundred will be splitting up.”

The students below were surprised, but they showed no reaction. Twenty days of military life had taught the once-green youths the rules of the army.

To obey orders is a soldier’s sacred duty.

”Now, when I call your name, step forward. You will be separated from the main force to carry out a special mission!” Instructor Zhou said. He looked at Xu Luo, who was standing at the front, and commanded, ”Xu Luo, step forward!”

His expression unchanging, Xu Luo took a step forward and out of the ranks.

”Huangfu Chongzhi, Xu Jie, Liu Feng, Sui Yan... Leng Ping, Wang Ziweng, Zhao Mo... Wei Ziting...”

Each person called by Instructor Zhou stepped out of the formation, but inwardly, they all found it incredibly strange.

”Lin Chi... Li Tie...”

At first, everyone thought the instructor was just picking the children of noble houses. But gradually, they realized that every single person Instructor Zhou called out was a Martial Artist at or above the level of a Sword Master.

’Looks like this is going to be a major mission,’ they thought to themselves.

”Sun Donghai, you will lead the rest and follow Instructor Mo Shang to the front lines to rendezvous with the main army. As for those I just called, you will all follow me to a different location.”

Instructor Zhou glanced at the people he had selected and said in a grave voice, ”This time, I’m taking you on an extremely dangerous mission. On this mission... people might die. I hope you are mentally prepared.”

Then, for the first time ever, Instructor Zhou’s tone softened slightly. ”If anyone doesn’t want to go, you can back out now. You’ll follow Instructor Mo Shang and join the main army at the front.”

The selected group, numbering less than thirty in all, heard his words and glanced at one another. In the end, all eyes fell on Xu Luo.

Just then, however, Wei Ziting spoke up from the side. ”Instructor Zhou, since we’ve entered this army camp, we are nothing more than common soldiers. A soldier’s sacred duty is to obey orders! We will not back down!”

Little Fatty Liu Feng frowned slightly, his eyes flashing with disdain as he looked at Wei Ziting. If Instructor Zhou hadn’t been there, he would have definitely shot back with a sarcastic comment.

Huangfu Chongzhi and the others also frowned. Xu Luo was the deputy leader here.

’What right do you have to speak, Wei Ziting?’

Instructor Zhou shot Wei Ziting an unreadable smile. ”Wei Ziting, you’re right. Though your performance on the first day was poor and selfish, you have corrected many of your faults in the days since.”

”It is all thanks to your guidance, Instructor,” Wei Ziting said with a humble expression.

”Good. Then it’s settled. You may say your goodbyes. We leave in one stick of incense!” Instructor Zhou said, turning away.

Once Instructor Zhou had walked away, Liu Feng looked at Wei Ziting and said coldly, ”Suck-up.”

”Who are you talking about?” Li Tie, who stood beside Wei Ziting, glared coldly at Liu Feng.

”Young Master Wei really is something else, never forgetting to bring his dog along on a leash,” Liu Feng sneered. In his eyes, someone like Li Tie wasn’t even worth noticing. He might joke around with Xu Luo and his brothers, but to outsiders, he was still the high and mighty Young Master.

Little Fatty’s nickname might be Flower Fool, but who in the entire Imperial Capital would dare call him that to his face?

”Fourth Brother, that’s enough.” Xu Luo clapped Liu Feng on the shoulder, pulling him back.

Li Tie’s face flushed crimson, and he was on the verge of exploding. Though he had thrown his lot in with Wei Ziting, deep down, he was still a proud man.

Wei Ziting also glared coldly at Little Fatty. If this weren’t an army camp, and if the instructors weren’t just a short distance away, he would have retaliated in kind, even if he didn’t completely lose his temper.

He clapped Li Tie on the shoulder and said gently, ”Tie, for my sake, don’t stoop to their level. They’re used to looking down on everyone; they don’t even see common people. Just stay away from them from now on. If they dare to bully you again, I’ll see that you get justice!”

”Mm,” Li Tie choked out, moved beyond words. ’People say Young Master Wei is hypocritical and selfish,’ he thought, ’but those are just rumors spread by people who don’t know him. The real Young Master Wei is a true nobleman who treats his followers with respect!’

’Compared to him, the likes of Xu Luo and Liu Feng are nothing but scum!’

Gazing venomously at Xu Luo’s group, Li Tie swore an oath in his heart: ’In this life, I will make something of myself! One day, I will be the one stepping on Liu Feng and Xu Luo! I’ll make them understand that I, Li Tie... am not someone they can afford to look down on!’

’And when that day comes, I will properly repay Young Master Wei for his kindness in recognizing my worth!’