Chapter 668: Shrine, the Wind Stops!

The barracks of the Tianzhou Military Logistics Department were utterly quiet.

When Qiao Zhenyu opened his eyes, his limbs felt as heavy as if filled with lead.

His eyelids were so sticky that he had to blink several times before fully opening them; his vision shifted from obscurity to clarity, revealing the gray‑white roof above and several military flags hanging from the crossbeam.

His memory still lingered in a swirl of chaos…

The dozens of rounds on the Arena against Chi Tian Yi Lang were vivid, every palm and fist clear, but what followed was erased like with an eraser, a blank.

His mouth moved, his throat dry as smoke, emitting a sound like sandpaper rubbing.

A young soldier standing by the bedside snapped his head up, saw Qiao Zhenyu's opened eyes, and his youthful face shifted in an instant from fatigue to ecstatic joy.

"Sir! You're finally awake!"

The soldier's voice was both urgent and loud, carrying excitement that had been suppressed for too long.

"You scared me to death! You were unconscious for a full three days and three nights! Fortunately Divine Doctor Jiang intervened and saved you…"

Li Zheng spoke while clumsily lifting the water bowl from the table, supporting Qiao Zhenyu to sit up a bit and bringing the water to his mouth.

Qiao Zhenyu took a few sips; the cool liquid slid over his parched throat, and his whole body seemed to come back to life.

He leaned against the headboard, gasped a few breaths, and the chaos in his brain gradually dissipated a bit.

"I was unconscious for three days?"

His voice was still hoarse, but much better than before.

Li Zheng nodded vigorously, his face full of lingering fear.

"Yes! After you defeated Chi Tian Yi Lang, you barely managed to stand before collapsing with a thud, which terrified us! Master Wu personally lifted you down, Old Lu was frantic, almost had to channel energy to revive you. Fortunately Divine Doctor Jiang came to check and said you're fine, just that your true Qi was severely overdrawn and you need rest."

Qiao Zhenyu listened to Li Zheng's words, his brows slowly furrowing.

He recalled the duel with Chi Tian Yi Lang, remembered being badly suppressed by the opponent's Heavenly Absolute Seal, recalled taking seven or eight blows, and remembering he was on the verge of collapse.

Then, inexplicably, his true Qi surged continuously, and those fists struck with a force even heavier than his peak, allowing him to shatter Chi Tian Yi Lang's Heavenly Absolute Seal with a single punch and slam a palm onto the opponent's chest.

And then he won.

The whole process felt like looking through frosted glass—clear yet not vivid.

He even doubted whether he misremembered details; Chi Tian Yi Lang was at the Heavenly Person Peak, while he was only at the Heavenly Person Mid-stage, two minor realms apart.

Logically, he should have been pinned to the ground and beaten by Chi Tian Yi Lang.

Qiao Zhenyu lifted his head, looked at Li Zheng, his voice tinged with tentative doubt.

"What happened to Chi Tian Yi Lang and those Ying Kingdom men afterward?"

Li Zheng's eyes lit up instantly, his tone showing unmasked delight.

"That brat Chi Tian Yi Lang realized he wasn't your match and fled! He turned into a wisp of black smoke, vanished somewhere unknown. The remaining Ying Kingdom dogs hadn't even had time to run before we captured them outright!"

He spoke animatedly, gesturing wildly.

"Old Lu single‑handedly cut down everyone, wiping out the remaining Ying Kingdom warriors—what a display! Sir, our Tianzhou Martial Arts has become completely renowned this time!"

Qiao Zhenyu's eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Completely renowned?"

Li Zheng nodded emphatically.

"Exactly! The news of your three‑day unconsciousness reached Kyoto! The Emperor even sent a messenger to visit you, saying he would promote you to Four-Star General!"

At those words, Qiao Zhenyu's pupils snapped shut sharply.

In the Xia Kingdom's military, ranks and positions are separate; as a commander of the Tianzhou Military Logistics Department, he would normally top out at Three-star General.

Four-Star General is a senior rank reserved for the central command, part of the empire's core decision‑making echelon.

The Emperor's willingness to elevate him shows great satisfaction with Tianzhou Martial Arts' results this time.

Yet a stubborn cloud of doubt still lingered in Qiao Zhenyu's mind.

How exactly did he win?

He clearly remembered feeling exhausted after dozens of rounds, his true Qi waning bit by bit, yet the force behind his fists grew heavier and steadier.

Just as he furrowed his brows in contemplation, a faint voice came from the doorway.

"Awake?"

Qiao Zhenyu jerked his head up, seeing Jiang Feng standing at the barracks entrance.

His gaze fell on Qiao Zhenyu, scanning up and down, a faint smile tugging at his mouth corner.

Qiao Zhenyu couldn't attend to his injuries, lifted the quilt and tried to get out of bed.

But as his leg touched the ground, his knee gave way, nearly collapsing, and Li Zheng, quick‑eyed and swift‑handed, steadied him.

He braced the bed rail, stood steady, looked at Jiang Feng, his voice sincere and urgent.

"Uncle…"

Jiang Feng entered, waved his hand, indicating he should sit.

Qiao Zhenyu had to return to the bed and lean back, but his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Feng, like a student awaiting an answer.

Jiang Feng stood before him, gave him a glance.

"Your comprehension is a bit too poor. All that true Qi poured into you still didn't grant you Battlefield Breakthrough; you'll have to work harder in the future."

Qiao Zhenyu's body jolted. His eyes widened, and the vague fragments in his brain snapped together in an instant!

The continuously flowing true Qi, the increasingly heavy fists, the sudden surge of power when he was near exhaustion—all the answers converged into a single direction at that moment.

"Uncle… you helped me?"

Jiang Feng nodded lightly.

"Otherwise, did you think you could handle Chi Tian Yi Lang? With your meager Heavenly Person Mid-stage cultivation, you would have been knocked off the Arena long ago."

Qiao Zhenyu's mouth moved, trying to speak, but his throat felt blocked by something.

Jiang Feng continued, his tone still even.

But according to my plan, you were supposed to make a Battlefield Breakthrough, directly taking the old dog that was left behind. Unfortunately your foundation was a bit lacking, and you couldn't seize that opportunity.

He paused, his gaze lingering on Qiao Zhenyu for a moment, as if evaluating something.

But that's okay. The foundation has already been laid for you; Next Time you see Chi Tian Yi Lang, just kill him outright.

Qiao Zhenyu's Mouth opened, "Old Heaven, what monster is my senior uncle!"

At that moment, east of the distant Tianzhou, in the vast ocean, there lay an island nation hidden in perpetual mist.

There is the Ying Kingdom.

In the western port of the Ying Kingdom, a small town's streets were narrow and damp, the air filled with salty fishy odor and the scent of seaweed.

A figure clad in a tattered kimono staggered into the town, gray head and dusty face, the clothes torn in several places, as if having fled for his life.

He kept his head down, hurrying through stalls selling dried fish and alleys where fishing nets were drying, straight toward an inconspicuous shrine at the town's center.

The shrine was small; the stone steps before its gate had been worn smooth and rounded by time, the oil in the two stone lanterns had long since dried up, and they were covered in dust.

An elderly man in a gray monk robe was holding a broom, Slowly sweeping fallen leaves in the courtyard, his movements sluggish, like an old tree on the verge of decay.

Chi Tian Yi Lang rushed to the old man's front, and with a thud knelt on the ground covered with broken stones and fallen leaves.

His forehead pressed against the icy stone slab, his voice Trembling to the extreme with panic.

"Lord! My plan failed! Tianzhou... Tianzhou really has strong protectors!"

The old man's broom halted.

His pair of clouded eyes, as if covered with a layer of ash, flashed in that instant; a razor‑sharp glint pierced from behind the murk, like a blade hidden in a battered sword sheath revealing a thin line of cold light.

The wind inside the shrine ceased.