Chapter 99: The First Battle

After the oath ceremony, Mu Yi gained the soldiers' initial trust.

This made Mu Yi sigh that General Qi truly is a demigod; everything he does now basically stems from Qi Jiguang's two military manuals "Record of New Merit" and "Practical Training Record".

By flexibly applying the command methods described in the books, Mu Yi can now mobilize the soldiers' vital spirit to form Cloud Energy.

Though he used many shortcuts, such as the wandering bard's off‑stage BGM to stir emotions, Luo Si's blessing, and Dragon Scale Armor, etc.

The final result was still very pleasing.

At least the soldiers don't fully understand Mu Yi's training methods, but they still earnestly carry out every command he gives.

Mu Yi also selected five hundred people from the tens of thousands as his personal guard.

These five hundred vary in strength, but share one trait: they have all ignited the flame of their souls.

At the oath ceremony, Mu Yi employed Qi Jiguang's special training; when the soldiers' emotions peaked, he tried to draw out their will.

Not knowing how to use Cloud Energy to extract will, Mu Yi took a shortcut: he used embers to ignite the soldiers' will, thereby extracting it.

As early as the White Lotus Instance, Mu Yi discovered that soldiers who formed a formation and shared Cloud Energy with him were affected by his Elite Talent.

He originally should have used his strongest Elite Talent Sharp Talent Iron-Blood Killing as a catalyst, but considering its uncontrollability, Mu Yi switched to embers.

Even a nascent form of embers, merely the first spark of spiritual fire, lets these soldiers shield themselves from the intrusion of Abyssal aura, which greatly aids Mu Yi when leading them into battle.

According to Qi Jiguang's description in the manuals, soldiers who have the prototype of Elite Talent can be called the army's elite, or single‑talent elite.

However, that is a vague label; the actual effect after the Elite Talent is attached matters, just as Mu Yi himself bears six Elite Talents—should we call him a six‑talent elite?

Igniting the spiritual fire gives these soldiers an extra specialization in will, allowing resonance with Mu Yi and constituting a qualitative leap.

As for the other soldiers, under Mu Yi's drill they can already skillfully form formations on his orders.

Forming formations is not unique to Jiuzhou; gathering everyone's strength into one is not Jiuzhou's exclusive secret.

For example, the soldiers in the camp generally master a skill called Wolf Fang Sword Technique; when several use it together they can form a Wolf Fang Battle Formation, granting a nice bonus.

It is precisely on the basis of these soldiers' prior formation training that Mu Yi's military formation training proceeds smoothly, since both military and battle formations share the same organizational training foundation.

Training a group of professional soldiers progresses far faster than training a group of civilians.

Yet once a formation changes or suffers damage, problems arise, weakening the formation's buff.

Mu Yi can only patiently train bit by bit; some things cannot be rushed.

During the few days Mu Yi trained the soldiers, other Zongwang Players still formed small squads as before, exploring Twilight Forest while avoiding succubi and beast hordes.

"Boss Mu, I found the target you need here!" the catfolk Aili Er hopped over to Mu Yi, handing him her tactical map.

After spending a few days with Mu Yi, the catfolk realized he wasn't frightening, gradually letting their nature out; at least now they can speak freely before Mu Yi.

"Here?" Mu Yi marked the location on the Twilight Forest map.

In these days, the wandering squads probed the forest and found several objects similar to the Tsol Elf Altars.

Although Mu Yi hasn't left the camp, he still entrusted the others, hoping they can find a suitable first‑battle site for him.

Training is ultimately just training; it must eventually be validated in real combat.

However, the altars previously found were all small, like the Tsol Elf Altars, and each squad could handle them alone.

Mu Yi has no intention of snatching credit, so he's not in a hurry.

Today the catfolk Aili Er brought him a decent target.

"Between these altars… there seems to be some connection?" Mu Yi surveyed the altars' positions in Twilight Forest, finding it increasingly odd.

"It seems all the altars ultimately converge on the succubus here…"

Mu Yi tried linking each altar to the succubus and discovered the altars appear to form a magic circle, with its center at the succubus's area.

"Damn! It's already too late?" Mu Yi thought something was wrong.

Undoubtedly, these altars are a prelude to some ritual; the enemy's failure to send forces to stop them clearly indicates a more important matter, and even destroying the altars may already make the ritual impossible to initiate.

"Is this ritual composed of Abyssal aura?"

Mu Yi instantly realized the altars are merely mediums; the crucial part is the Abyssal aura they generate, which has already seeped into the ground and air, likely forming a complete spell circle.

Destroying the altars would probably only delay the ritual's activation slightly.

Such a grand display—what is it for?

A shadow of doubt fell over Mu Yi's heart; the unknown always fills one with fear.

"Huh~" Mu Yi exhaled lightly, showing no worry on his face.

The long night fell, a torch in his hand; he must not waver, nor let the soldiers see any tremor.

"Thank you for your effort, Aili Er, you are truly a reliable wanderer!"

Mu Yi thanked the catfolk and also silently thanked the other members of the Kaier squad.

This contribution could have been shared with other squads, but they gave the opportunity to themselves, which is also a sign of trust.

"Hehe! Not at all!"

Hearing Mu Yi's praise, the catfolk's ears twitched and its tail wagged excitedly, making Mu Yi fall into thought; for a moment he seemed to see a hint of the First One in the catfolk.

"Could you elaborate on your discovery?"

Mu Yi asked as gently as possible; he also knew that under Luo Si's blessing, even if he weren't a demon monster, he was enough to calm the little one, and he feared a slightly harsher tone would scare the timid catfolk.

"Around the altars there are seventy‑two weak demons and one berserk demon!"

"A pure Abyss Demon altar?"

Mu Yi raised an eyebrow; this was the first altar solely guarded by Abyss Demons—previous ones were either Tsol Elves or mixed with some corrupted creatures.

Pure Abyss Demons are a first sight, and he didn't know if that signified the altar's special nature.

A Quake Demon is an initial form of demon; newborn Quake Demons are under a meter tall, yet as demons they possess power far beyond ordinary humans.

A mature, normal Quake Demon may be a Challenge Rating 2 creature; they naturally have damage reduction and resist electricity, toxins, strong acid, cold, and fire reasonably well.

Moreover, they automatically understand the Abyssal language and possess a 100‑foot telepathic range.

Of course, that's all; as the weakest demon form, they are only slightly stronger than humans, with a maximum challenge rating around 3.

If they go any higher, they should advance into other demons.

However, berserk demons are different; berserk demons are considered very solid infantry among abyss demons.

Although their strength is only around 21 points, their physique can approach 30 points, qualifying them as competent transcendent meat shields.

Moreover, berserk demons can weigh over half a ton; although they can't match larger demons, in legion battles their charging threat is also great.

"Truly fitting!" Mu Yi had nothing to say; as if heaven-sent, the abyss demons on this altar are very suitable to be the first battle target for his personal guard.

Without hesitation, Mu Yi led his personal guard following the cat-person's choice to sortie.

The other members of Kyle's team also followed; Mu Yi, just in case, greeted them to join as well.

Regardless of the reason, his personal guard's first battle under his command absolutely cannot lose.

Kyle and the others are operating separately from the army.

Most Zongwang players' combat style differs from the army's; forcing them together only creates mutual hindrance.

Zongwang players' combat style emphasizes agile evasion; in most situations they do not stubbornly harden against enemy attacks.

Meanwhile, army training focuses on overall offense and defense.

Even the most clumsy Zongwang player will have better evasion skills than soldiers trained by the army, because the latter are accustomed to large-scale team combat.

In large-scale team combat, there is usually no room for evasion; they often have to clash head-on, and even in a hail of bullets they have no chance to retreat—only by charging forward to scatter the enemy can they survive.

Adventurer squads usually number no more than ten, most commonly five-man teams comprising frontal hard resistance, mobile skirmishing, ambush, and magical healing.

Although the army also stresses coordination, this coordination emphasizes shield infantry, spearmen, ranged archers, and cavalry for harvesting charges, i. e., coordination among different troop types.

Mu Yi selected five hundred infantry, no cavalry, mainly because of this damned buff on him; whenever warhorses approach him, they always panic.

Of course, Mu Yi himself also struggles to command mixed troops; he hasn't yet mastered how cavalry and infantry should coordinate to stabilize battle formations.

Furthermore, cavalry is unsuitable in the forest, so Mu Yi simply chose a pure infantry force.

"Do we really not need to help?"

Kyle frowned; in his view, these soldiers' average strength is not outstanding, facing timid demons and berserk demons they may not gain an advantage.

He believes they will surely win, but casualties might not be small.

If casualties are too large, the blow to morale would be huge.

"No, this battle must be fought by the soldiers themselves!"

Mu Yi rejected Kyle's goodwill; this battle will certainly have sacrifices, but they are necessary—without blood and fire trials, a strong army cannot be forged.

Qi Jiguang earnestly wrote this point in a prominent place; Mu Yi, having experienced the transformation from an ordinary person to a warrior, understands it even more deeply.

And Kyle, after all, is a mage; she cannot fully grasp this point.

"Even if we don't act, at least let Apodi Luo provide a blessing?"

"You don't understand; you just need to hold the line for us—I must lead them to victory, a victory belonging to me and them!"

Mu Yi sighed; sometimes one can rely on others' strength, sometimes only on one's own.

To make these soldiers transform and fully ignite the power of Burning Ash, they must rely solely on themselves.

When Mu Yi's group arrived near the altar, Dundon leapt from the shadows and nodded at Mu Yi.

"Nothing changed inside; they're still on the altar, and no other abyss demons have joined!"

Mu Yi nodded; before acting, he had already asked Dundon to watch this place.

Know yourself and know the enemy, a hundred battles without peril; information is always the shortcut to victory.

"The enemy is right before you—prepare for battle!"

Mu Yi loudly commanded, then took the lead, walking to the front and approaching the altar's vicinity.

Most demons are influenced by their chaotic nature; they are not as cunning as devils. Upon discovering Mu Yi's group's movements, they hesitated not at all, utterly unaware of how perilous their situation is.

Led by the berserk demons, they surged toward Mu Yi's side in a frenzy.

"Ah ah ah! Oh oh oh!"

Accompanied by the berserk demons' excited ghostly howls.

A foul stench began to spread in the air.

The berserk demons activated their innate ability; these frog‑like monsters secrete a noxious gas when fighting; any enemy approaching must make a mandatory saving throw, otherwise even fellow demons suffer the "nausea" effect.

Two timid demons fell into this state, retching on the spot, shoved aside by companions and collapsing to the ground.

"Form the formation! Cloud Energy, rise!"

Mu Yi roared, standing in the battle array, raising his military flag high; red radiance covered all soldiers.

"Zongwang Prompt: Battle Array–Yuan Yang Formation effect, all attributes +10%"

"Zongwang Prompt: Battle Array–Square Formation effect, defense +5%"

"Zongwang Prompt: Military Strategist–Battle Array effect, all attributes +5%"

"Zongwang Prompt: Current flag buff effect, defense +5%"

"Zongwang Prompt: Current Cloud Energy buff effect, battle array buff effects doubled"

"Zongwang Prompt: All soldiers gain Yin‑Yang Harmony status!"

"Zongwang Prompt: Current Cloud Energy suppression effect, enemy all attributes –30%"

Buff messages scrolled densely; a halo of spiritual light appeared on every soldier.

Following, under Mu Yi's control, Cloud Energy condensed into a barrier shielding the soldiers, giving them final protection.

The soldiers who ignited their soul‑fire performed far better than Mu Yi imagined; none fell under the influence.

Today's extra chapter ends perfectly, showering flowers, showering flowers!

Group number: 731924346