Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 319: Chapter 316: Forming the Formation

```html

Bai Ningyu hurried in, striding with large steps, his armor sparkling like silver as he moved, resembling a silver man.

”General.” Bai Ningyu solemnly cupped his fists.

He was handsome, and with this silver armor, his solemn demeanor commanded a certain dignity.

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists: ”General Bai, what is the situation?”

In the army, you cannot call someone uncle, only by their title.

Bai Ningyu shook his head and said, ”Progress is slow. To become combat-ready, arduous training is still required.”

”How much time is needed?” Chu Zhiyuan asked.

On the Wuyou Sect’s side, news has already been conveyed that the military equipment has been prepared, and they are actively gathering intelligence.

The Da Lie Dynasty and the Da Guang Dynasty are already in the final stages of preparing for war, and the repair of warships is almost complete.

The commencement of battle is not far off.

Meanwhile, this military camp has just been established.

Using the elite troops as a framework, they are actively merging, undergoing rigorous training to speed up the transition from new recruits to seasoned soldiers.

But this kind of thing cannot be accomplished overnight; it cannot be accelerated by human will.

Elite troops cannot be trained in a short time. It requires years of hard training and practical combat experience.

This over thousand elite, with decent cultivation and talent, may not necessarily be qualified soldiers.

They need time to be polished, but what is scarce now is time.

Chu Zhiyuan and Bai Ningyu arrived at the central command tent.

Chu Zhiyuan sat in a Taishi chair draped with a white tiger pelt, looking at the array plate on the table in front of him, which was too crude to look straight at. He frowned: ”Still haven’t figured out the specific geography?”

Bai Ningyu smiled wryly: ”The time is too rushed, and the Inspection Department has never done this kind of work.”

”Then expedite it.” Chu Zhiyuan said.

When he was beside Prince Ying, indeed he hadn’t seen any topographical models, but that was during the march, and they were heading to the border in a defensive stance, so there was no need for such complexity.

Thus he didn’t know that there weren’t any models in the Da Jing military.

Didn’t realize that building a model was so arduous.

To construct a model of the major mountains and rivers from Yujing to the Eastern Territory, then refine it down to every town and village.

This task became an insurmountable hurdle for the Inspection Department.

The Inspection Department, with such a long history, yet no one had thought of this?

This is the constraint of mindset.

What the world lacks are not smart people, but innovative flashes of brilliance.

Once this idea comes out, more smart people will continuously improve and develop it, bringing it to great prominence.

The models seen in later generations also started from an idea, developed over time, not achieved overnight.

”Are we not the Imperial Army?” Bai Ningyu questioned in confusion: ”What do we need these external terrains for?”

”This battalion not only defends the army but is vital for local support,” Chu Zhiyuan said.

It’s akin to the special forces brigade of a previous life.

Wherever required, they go, highly mobile, like firefighters.

This battalion has a good foundation; with a little training, coupled with mastering the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix Formation, it can be quite handy.

”A thousand men aren’t of much use, are they?”

”They’re enough for surprise attacks,” Chu Zhiyuan replied.

Influenced by his past life, he knew the formidable prowess of special forces, achieving surprise victories time and again.

Sufficient to change the battlefield’s form and the nation’s great struggles.

Bai Ningyu no longer asked more: ”How much time do we have left?”

”Less than a month,” Chu Zhiyuan said. ”Those who cannot master the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix Formation in a month will be directly eliminated.”

”A month?!” Bai Ningyu’s expression slightly changed.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Can’t master it in a month?”

”Most teams likely would not make it,” Bai Ningyu slowly said.

”Eliminate half if half cannot make it, eliminate all if none can make it, regardless of how many, any who have not mastered it cannot stay,” Chu Zhiyuan declared.

Bai Ningyu grimaced: ”That’s too harsh.”

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, shaking his head: ”Between being eliminated or dying, let them choose one.”

”... Alright, I’ll keep a tight watch,” Bai Ningyu said.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”I’ll instruct them. Bring the nine squads over first.”

”Yes.” Bai Ningyu cupped his fists, turned, and strode off.

Chu Zhiyuan picked up the papers to review, soon hearing buzzing discussions from the distant martial training field.

With Super Sense, they heard Bai Ningyu’s announced decision that anyone who could not master the formation within a month would be directly eliminated. They were stunned.

The formation they knew took ten to twenty years to train; how could it be mastered in a month?

If not mastered within a month, how many will remain in this battalion then?

Isn’t this too brutal!

Amid the discussions, Bai Ningyu brought the first nine squads, each with six people, to the center of the martial training field, positioning them around the high platform.

Chu Zhiyuan set down the papers, lifted the curtain, and floated onto the high platform.

Standing on the platform, his gaze was calm and indifferent, he slowly said, ”A month is just the minimum timeframe. Those who can master the formation within ten days, upon reaching Innate Perfection, can directly enter the Martial Arts Hall without ranking by achievements.”

Everyone’s eyes immediately brightened, breathing heavily.

Previously, they were desperately cultivating and training the formation to gain achievements to rank ahead.

A battalion of over a thousand, and everyone was an elite, either at Innate Perfection or just a step away.

These people couldn’t possibly all be simultaneously pointed out by Chu Zhiyuan; there had to be an order of precedence. It couldn’t be the older ones first or the ones who first reached Innate Perfection.

Surely, it would be by achievements.

Now, as long as the formation was mastered in ten days, they could skip the ranking and directly receive Chu Zhiyuan’s guidance.

How stimulating this is!

Chu Zhiyuan glanced over everyone, looking at the distant soldiers: ”In an hour, it will be your nine squads’ turn!”

”Yes!”

The soldiers in the distance responded eagerly, wishing to start immediately.

Soon after, the nine squads began executing the formation, treading strange step techniques underfoot, cooperating with weapons all differing—some with sabers, some with swords, others with spears, shields, bows, or tridents.

In Chu Zhiyuan’s hand flew a handful of beans, landing on legs or arms.

Accompanied by the beans were Chu Zhiyuan’s commands: ”Step larger, the pace is too small!”

”A bit faster, your pace is too slow!”

”A bit smaller, the stride is too large!”

...

Whoever got hit with a bean knew Chu Zhiyuan was talking about them, and immediately widened their eyes, concentrating on correcting themselves.

Time quickly slipped by; they felt half an hour passed in a blink with sweat pouring down.

The turn came for another nine squads.

Chu Zhiyuan continued flicking beans, seemingly with three heads and six arms, shooting beans like lightning, hitting instantly.

The last sentence was about one, and the next was about another, pointing out all discrepancies and providing solutions.

Bai Ningyu stood by, watching, his eyes widening more and more.

He could clearly see the visible changes in the nine squads before him, advancing rapidly.

Initially clueless, after Chu Zhiyuan’s reminder, they had a preliminary understanding, starting to operate the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix Formation.

Although a bit awkward, they still completed it, only requiring constant correction.

Nearly all nine squads reached this level.

This could be described as a tremendous advance.

Success or failure, good or bad, these are two different levels. First, achieve then improve.

Now, they have achieved it.

What’s left is to strive towards the better.

With a round of guidance, a brigade of eighteen squads can entirely execute the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix Formation, albeit not yet proficient, with occasional errors.

Getting from non-proficiency to proficiency is much easier, practice hard from dawn to dusk.

```