It seemed that Yue Qianfeng sensed the sharp aura emanating from Li Guanyi, and General Xue slightly lifted his gaze, but gently raised the brush in his hand, leisurely saying, "Of course, I'm ready."
"To write a mere character, how much effort could it possibly take?"
Li Guanyi paid no attention to this indolent Divine General.
The Third Prince of Tie Le, already valiant and unmatched, charged again. The Gray Wolf Dharma Form converged, transforming into an offensive and defensive Absolute Skill. Li Guanyi twisted his waist, and his body's strength burst forth briefly. The heavy sword in his hand was thrown, spinning viciously and cleaving onto the Gray Wolf Guardian.
Accompanied by an intense scream.
The heavy sword was forcefully deflected, its blade sharp, embedding into the stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave, with many tiny stones clattering down. Meanwhile, Li Guanyi rapidly retreated, this time grasping two arrows at once.
It was the method taught to him by the young miss.
With fingers holding two arrows at the same time, releasing them one by one could save time. However, it demanded high skill; if one lacked the technique and wrist strength, both the precision and power of the shot arrows would significantly decrease, making it less effective than shooting them earnestly one by one.
Li Guanyi seemed to have a good understanding of techniques and had mastered this skill.
The first arrow was nocked, and on his shoulder, the White Tiger let out a long howl.
On the arrow, golden light emanated.
The bow was fully drawn.
Shoot!
The entire bow vibrated intensely, and the arrow, enveloped in golden winds, spiraled and tore through the air, resisting the Gray Wolf Guardian. The Guardian started to dissipate the force, but this time the arrow did not allow it time to unload its power, and in a split second, it penetrated the Guardian's defense.
The Third Prince of Tie Le instantly twisted his body.
That sturdy and tall figure, with the grace of a dancer, exhibited an unbelievable arc in the air. The arrow, winding with golden wind, flew past, merely tearing a small wound on his side which, if armored, would have been directly defended against.
It was an incredible skill.
This shot by Li Guanyi, even a fierce soldier like Qian Zheng on the border could not evade.
The moment the Third Prince of Tie Le landed, using the momentum of his twisting body, his speed barely slowed as he sprinted forward. His figure exaggeratedly nearly skimming the ground and with a zigzag trajectory, he rapidly closed the distance, like a hunting Gray Wolf.
But Li Guanyi's feet did not cease; he rapidly retreated, and the second arrow had already been placed on the bowstring.
Fully drawn.
The Red Dragon spiraled down onto the arrow, like a dragon coiling around a pillar.
Elder Xue, sitting cross-legged, slightly lifted his gaze, uttering a slight sound of surprise.
Li Guanyi's eyes reflected the body of the Third Prince of Tie Le as if igniting flames. His fingers tightened on the bowstring, the heat causing his fingertips to ache, yet he did not release the arrow because he knew, with the Third Prince's movement technique, if he could dodge the previous shot, he could dodge this one as well.
When the Third Prince of Tie Le suddenly burst forth, closing the distance greatly, Li Guanyi released the bowstring.
This time, the twang of the bowstring was intense.
A streak of red light burst forth from the bow.
Passing through the gap left by the White Tiger Arrow that had pierced the Dharma Form, the Third Prince shouted angrily, crossing his arms in front, his wrists protected by black iron bracers, thick as two fingers, interlocking to block the arrow's momentum. But in the next moment, the coiling Red Dragon on the arrow collided fiercely.
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Boom!!!!
A massive explosion erupted, and flames burst forth. The young man's hair at his temples whipped in the wind, his eyes reflecting the crimson glow of the flames. The fire surged like a dragon's roar ascending to the heavens, interrupting the Third Prince of Tie Le's forward momentum. His wrist guards were scorched red-hot, contorting his face like a torture device.
Li Guan Yi flung his bow with a flick of his wrist, but the Third Prince of Tie Le endured the searing pain and managed to knock the bow aside.
But as he deflected the bow smashing into his face, his arms also left the front open.
His guard was wide open.
A ferocious wind blew in his face.
The young man had already leapt into the air as he threw the bow.
In mid-air, he bent his knees, using gravity to hammer them down like two chisels onto the chest of the Third Prince of Tie Le. Meanwhile, his left hand shot towards the prince's eyes. The prince raised his hands instinctively to shield his face, leaning back to defend against the attack.
As a result, his entire body's balance shifted to his upper half. Add Li Guan Yi's forward charge to that, the prince's body hit the ground hard.
Li Guan Yi's attempt to gouge the eyes was blocked.
His right hand, however, had already been raised, with the middle finger protruding, thumb pressed against its base, forming the Phoenix Eye Fist.
He viciously smashed it down into the adam's apple of the Third Prince of Tie Le, who was tumbling backward.
Beggar Gang's Dispersing Hand!
The Third Prince of Tie Le let out a roar, struggling to rise, but Li Guan Yi did not fight back. Instead, he spun around, trapping the prince's arms with his legs, and hugged the prince's neck with both arms like a noose, dragging him back to the ground. Then, with his waist as the pivot, he exerted force in the opposite direction with both legs and arms.
These were the variations of the Dispersing Hand the old beggar had shown him.
The Third Prince of Tie Le reached back, trying to grab Li Guan Yi's waist, struggling and twisting in resistance.
Counterattacked once again.
Li Guan Yi's inner strength from the Breaking Formation Song was pushed to its limit. The two struggled and wrestled for a good amount of time, but the continuous aftereffects of the Breaking Formation Song proved relentless, while the prince's injured arms weakened his force. The blood continued to pour from the wound on his waist. After an initial burst of desperate energy, his strength gradually waned.
In the end...
A crisp snapping sound.
The undeniably brave Third Prince of Tie Le's neck was twisted. He had been killed.
The prince's eyes became lifeless, turning into fine sparkles of starlight that slowly faded away. Li Guan Yi's body relaxed, and though the battle had not been long, he felt as though he had overexerted himself completely. A severe tired soreness spread through him, and he stretched out his arms, collapsing backward.
His tense muscles loosened, sweat glands opened, and sweat poured out instantly from his forehead and back.
He gasped for air.
Even with foreknowledge of his opponent's moves and style, Li Guan Yi still felt fear and immense pressure from such a fight. Qian Zheng was a fierce border soldier who had slain seven enemies and led fifteen new recruits, all of whom Li Guan Yi could strangle single-handedly.
And yet, facing the Third Prince of Tie Le, whose level had been suppressed to less than the Entering Realm...
Knowing his moves, the battle was still hard-fought. It was clear how terrifying the Third Prince of Tie Le would be on the battlefield, fully armored, leading his troops—a hero of the Tie Le tribe, rarely seen across generations...
But his existence was briefly recorded in history.
[Rebellion, treason against the state, the Emperor's wrath, sent generals to suppress it]
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[The Rebellion Calmed]
Li Guanyi lay there, suddenly feeling the weight of the three characters in the history books, and his own insignificance.
"The Rebellion Calmed..."
Such a heroic figure, yet reduced to merely these three words.
At this time, the starlight from the death of the Third Prince of Tie Le had not disappeared but still lingered. General Xue nodded and said, "Take the elixir pills and absorb this starlight. It's the power of stars drawn by this blessed land, and it's very effective for tempering before entering the realm."
Li Guanyi struggled to get up, took the elixir pills provided by the Xue Family, and started to circulate the "Breaking Formation Song".
Right from the start, he felt the difference.
As the old man had said, the consumption of one's essence during battle, the weariness of the body, and the activation of parts that were rarely exercised in life-and-death combat – after the battle, using elixir pills to stimulate the flow of inner Qi could greatly train the resilience and recovery of one's inner strength. The star power entering the body replaced the original human essence, tempering the minutest bones and muscles.
Li Guanyi realized that this was altering his root bone.
This was the root bone of vast life-and-death battles, supplemented with tonic herbs to rebuild the foundation artifically, the creation of the root bone of a Hundred Battles!
Normally, it would be impossible to have a hundred battles without death or injury.
Nor would there be such a great medicine after life-and-death battles to purify the essence.
Possibly only a peerless hero who could wait five hundred years to accomplish what was otherwise impossible.
General Xue said with a smile, "I will teach you the Gray Wolf Guardian, but first, it's time to fulfill the promise I made earlier. It's my legacy, something that even the Great Emperor himself wanted me to teach his descendants. Unfortunately, his grandson was too dull, only had eyes for women, and couldn't learn it."
Li Guanyi couldn't help but be curious.
What was this legacy?
General Xue did not display any martial arts but sat cross-legged next to the boy and said:
"The Tie Le tribes ride horses from the Western Regions."
"According to the 'Fangzhou Miscellaneous Records', the Western Regions tribute horses, nine feet tall, with necks equal to their bodies, hold their heads high like a phoenix, and have two gaps between the shin joints of their hind legs. Hidden within their fur is something resembling scale armor. They are fast and have strong endurance. They wear light armor, and their steeds are not encumbered by gear, seeking the utmost speed."
"When two armies clash, they lay close to their horse's back with blades horizontal. As two horses pass each other face to face, their opponents' heads are sliced off. Often, the enemy's horse has to run ten or more paces before the head is propelled by the blood. The horse then still charges forward, bearing the headless corpse."
"The Golden Scimitar Cavalry of the Tie Le are skilled in the crescent moon formation, like a swift blade, particularly adept at divide-and-conquer strategies. From both flanks of a large army, they slash through like a sharp knife cutting flesh. If you were commanding troops and encountered such a unit, how would you break them?"
"If you led a cavalry army? If you led an infantry army that was outnumbered by them?"
"How would you deal with it?"
General Xue said with a smile, "You've already learned my martial arts; how could you not know military strategy?"
A tired Li Guanyi's eyes widened.
Whether learning military strategy was good or bad,
he felt he had fallen into a trap.
He had only planned to leave Chen Country safely with his Aunt, and at most, to repay Elder Xue for his help. The young man had no desire to ride warhorses and conquer this world. He prefered martial arts and strength over military strategy. General Xue's lips curled into a slight smile and he said:
"You came all this way."
"You're exhausted now, and in fact, you no longer have the strength to move or calm your mind, do you?"
He reversed the pen in his hand and poked the boy's cheek with the back of it, smiling:
"This, too, is military strategy."
Li Guanyi grimaced.
General Xue laughed: "In a world of great chaos, such knowledge will be useful."
"You, as my successor, must not disgrace me."
"Compared to archery or the Battle Halberd, this is my true expertise; every country has its fierce generals, and the foundation of a distinguished general lies in being unrivaled in defense. In my army, there were those whose archery skills were even stronger than mine; war generals who snatch flags, unmatched in ferocity and tigers of the battlefield, above me too."
"In this era of great contention in the Martial World, the strength of great grandmasters is also supreme."
"Why then am I ranked first on the Divine General List?"
General Xue explained: "The Military School divides the generals of the world into six categories."
"Those with unmatched bravery, who fight ferociously despite injuries, leading the charge are Fierce Generals."
"Those who can lead cavalry with a united Qi Mechanism, move unrestrained are Cavalry Generals."
"Those who win duels in the heat of battle, slay generals, capture flags, and promote the might of our army are Fighting Generals."
"Those who lead troops on forced marches, ensuring that orders are carried out, and the army reaches its destination, piercing through enemy lines, are Commanders."
"Those whose strategies are appropriate, who understand the heavens, occupy favorable territories, strike the strong with the weak, and overcome strength with weakness, are strategists."
"And one who can sit in one place and command over one hundred thousand troops in major battles is a Great General!"
Li Guanyi caught on and asked, "You want me to learn military strategy, to become a Great General?"
General Xue said with a smile, "Martial arts are merely about being an enemy of a thousand, moving freely, and scoffing proudly, allowing all under heaven to respect you, the feudal lords to hate and love you, admiring your grandeur."
"What I am going to impart to you is the Skill of Ten Thousand Enemies."
"To lead the charge and slay generals, to overcome the weak with the strong, to ensure victory in battle, to surely conquer and maintain peace and lasting order."
"With a laugh, you can settle the world, with anger, make all kings fear, and wherever the long spear points, can be trampled down. Fighting General, Fierce General, Commander, Cavalry General, strategist, Great General, all can be led, all can be overcome, an unparalleled elegance, unmatched in the world!"
He stood up, looked at the young man, and declared:
"This is what it means to be a General!"
.........
Meanwhile, the world was stirred by news.
The thirty-fourth hidden God of the Martial World, Yue Qianfeng.
His whereabouts were exposed!
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