Chapter 156

Benthu Camp.

Liang He and a dozen others formed a circle, occasionally bursting into cheers.

"Good!"

"Brother Li's move is so unique—learn it well."

"Brother Tan is truly a born giant—utterly dominant."

The group chattered among themselves.

In the center of the circle.

Li Rui tapped his feet lightly, leaping high at times, occasionally drawing his blade.

Tan Hu charged like a wild bull, swinging his two xuanhua battle-axes with a whistling roar, keeping all at bay.

"Incredibly powerful!"

Li Rui dodged while secretly astonished.

Today, Tan Hu had suddenly decided to spar with Li Rui; since Li Rui joined Benthu Cavalry, he had only watched their training and never fought Tan Hu before.

Unable to resist Tan Hu's request, Li Rui was also curious about the true strength of Tan Hu's born giant physique.

So he agreed.

Of course, he did not use the Immortal Dragon Dual Form—only the blade techniques of Changchun Art.

Tan Hu grew increasingly frustrated: "Take this axe!"

He swung his right axe vertically downward.

Li Rui darted like a swallow, effortlessly evading Tan Hu's ferocious strike.

The axe missed, burying itself in the ground and leaving a deep crater.

"Again!"

Tan Hu swung again; Li Rui dodged again.

They had exchanged over a hundred moves—this exact scene had repeated countless times.

Tan Hu's born giant strength was brutal, but if he couldn't land a hit, it was as good as nothing.

Of course.

Without using true qi, Li Rui had no way to counter Tan Hu either.

What is a born giant?

Simply put, it means being born with bones so hard they're terrifying; as one grows, one's strength and defense surpass peers by several times, making one virtually invincible at the same rank—limited to below sixth rank.

Even seventh-rank martial artists who have condensed qi into form may still not be Tan Hu's match.

Finally.

Tan Hu dropped his axes in a huff: "Enough! Enough! If I can't break your defense, what's the point?"

Their strengths were clear.

Tan Hu excelled in offense; Li Rui excelled in defense.

And Li Rui could evade with his footwork—he couldn't even touch him, so how could he fight?

Li Rui chuckled: "Brother Tan, your vital energy is truly formidable—I can only dodge."

This was deliberately conceding.

Tan Hu shook his head: "In martial duels, only the outcome matters. If you can't win, you can't win—we'll call it a draw."

Several Benthu Cavalry soldiers chimed in:

"Yes, a draw."

Li Rui merely waved his hand lightly.

He had no real desire to win or lose—he let Tan Hu and the others have their way.

Yet this fight still gave him much.

At least now he could further train his lightness skill; the Changchun Art excelled in endurance and was perfectly suited to the Yaozi Fanshen technique.

Thus,

when facing enemies, he could still maneuver without revealing the Dual Form.

In short:

Practice more basic attacks—the Dual Form is a finishing move, not to be used lightly; once used, it's life or death.

As his realm grows,

his lack of martial techniques becomes apparent—no martial artist survives on a single trick.

Take Tan Hu—he trained in hardening arts and axe techniques, and together they multiplied his power.

He seeks immortality, true.

But he cannot neglect combat prowess—otherwise, he'll be at a severe disadvantage in battle.

With ample lifespan, he might as well fix his weaknesses.

He sheathed his blade.

Liang He hurried over, proffering a towel like a sycophant: "Chief, wipe your sweat."

"Hmm."

Li Rui nodded, taking the towel.

Those around them secretly envied him—Liang He's closeness to Patrol Commander Li was no secret.

But they also knew Liang He had followed Li Rui since the day he was just a powerless chief of Tianyi Hall, all the way to becoming a Patrol Commander of Anning Guard.

What is a trusted confidant?

This is a trusted confidant.

From obscurity to fame, side by side.

Once the timing is wrong, such an opportunity vanishes forever.

It can only be called good fortune.

Of course, Liang He had a good nature, was generous with his resources, and got along well with his brothers—so they were used to it.

Li Rui was no fool—he saw it all.

But cultivating confidants

isn't anything shameful.

Whom you cultivate doesn't matter—better to cultivate someone with deeper bonds, someone you can trust in critical moments.

Liang He called him "Chief," but in his heart, he already saw Li Rui as his master.

Without Li Rui's guidance, he'd still be that overlooked, sidelined disciple of Tianyi Hall.

Choosing the right person matters.

Li Rui wiped his sweat, ready to ask how the Benthu Cavalry men planned to spend their newly earned military merit.

With his current resources, he certainly wouldn't sink so low as to seize his subordinates' resources.

Rather, if any of them wanted a technique or elixir but lacked the military merit, he could help cover the difference.

Tan Hu was responsible for brutal training.

Li Rui, naturally, had to handle the soft approach—otherwise, resentment would fester over time.

"Chief Li, I want to exchange for a blade technique, but it costs two medium merits—I only have one."

Tang Hai spoke up first.

Li Rui smiled faintly: "You're the most shameless kid—fine, go tell the Quartermaster's Office the extra one's on me."

With Tang Hai leading, the others lost their hesitation and voiced their needs one after another.

Li Rui's policy was simple: if you ask, and it's within my ability, I'll fulfill it.

These soldiers were all merely ranked martial artists—none of their requests were beyond Li Rui's reach.

Soon, everyone was delighted.

Li Rui was happy to win their loyalty—it wasn't silver, just military merit from Anning Guard; he wasn't worried they wouldn't repay.

He could simply deduct it from their wages.

Li Rui gave a sly, cunning smile.

Loss?

Impossible.

As the men cheered, praising Chief Li's generosity, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the camp—many of them.

=9+book_bar

Everyone turned.

There walked Ning Zhongtian, beaming.

"Brother Li, Ah Hu."

Seeing Ning Zhongtian, Li Rui and Tan Hu stepped forward together: "Chief Ning."

Friendship aside, if you didn't show proper respect to your superior in public, even if you escaped punishment, you'd be marked in his heart.

Such a basic mistake could never happen to Li Rui.

Ning Zhongtian's grin widened further:

"Don't say I broke my word—I've brought the reward I promised you boys."

Having finished speaking

He waved to the men behind him.

The pretty young maid Li Rui had seen before stepped forward carrying a brocade box.

"Ah Hu, you're at a critical stage of Qi cultivation—I went out of my way to get this Qi-Condensation Pill. Don't let my hopes for you go to waste."

Tan Hu widened his tiger-like eyes:

"Chief Ning, thanks!"

Li Rui's heart stirred slightly.

He had always known Tan Hu's combat power was brutal, but his realm was actually quite low—he hadn't even reached the first stage of Qi Cultivation, the Sinew Strengthening.

The Qi-Condensation Pill was famous; Li Rui had naturally heard of it.

A sixth-rank spiritual elixir.

It was the supreme pill for helping martial artists cultivate Qi, each pill worth an astonishing sum.

The price alone was bad enough, but the real problem was scarcity.

Before the alchemist even completed the batch, wealthy families had already reserved them all—you couldn't buy them even if you had the money.

Even Ning Zhongtian had to go through great trouble to get one.

It showed how much he cared for Tan Hu.

Ning Zhongtian turned to Li Rui: "Brother Li, see what good thing I've brought you!"

As he spoke, he clapped his hands three times—clap, clap, clap.

A clattering sound followed.

A young soldier led out a towering, fully crimson steed, its muscles sharply defined, standing one zhang tall.

Each breath it exhaled sent up a wisp of white mist; even from afar, its vigorous blood and qi were staggering.

But its most unique feature was the small horn atop its head.

Li Rui raised his eyebrows.

"Fine horse!"

As an old horseman, seeing such a horse made him unable to look away.

Ning Zhongtian immediately knew he'd chosen well:

The crimson steed was led to his side.

He reached out to pat it.

The horse snorted, reared its hooves, and lunged to kick—Ning Zhongtian barely dodged, though his sleeve still bore a hoofprint.

Ning Zhongtian looked embarrassed.

"What a fiery temper!"

He stepped aside a few paces to put distance between himself and the horse, then said: "Brother Li, this horse is something I specially sought from Annan Town, bred personally by the town's Stable Master."

The Stable Master was an official unique to Annan Town.

Even the guard battalions didn't have one.

Just from the title, you knew he was dedicated to breeding horses.

For a horse handler to become an official, registered with the imperial court, he must have extraordinary skills.

Like those who breed demons, the Stable Master could crossbreed and tame demonic beasts into warhorses.

Imagine a cavalry unit composed of martial artists riding such steeds—terrifying.

"Crimson Dragon Horse?"

Li Rui stepped forward slowly.

This horse was no ordinary beast—just from that kick, it was clear it had nearly landed on Ning Zhongtian.

Who was Ning Zhongtian?

A sixth-rank expert.

Most seventh-rank martial artists couldn't even scratch his sleeve with sword or axe—even if he'd been caught off guard, that was still impressive.

"This horse is worth half a seventh-rank!"

And just now, when the soldier led it, it was calm—but the moment Ning Zhongtian touched it, it attacked.

It had spirit.

Other horses were bullies to the weak and cowards before the strong; this one? It feared no authority.

Li Rui was about to step closer when Ning Zhongtian kindly warned: "Brother Li, this horse is dangerous—be careful."

In his view, Li Rui was the weakest among seventh-rank martial artists.

His repeated achievements came from brains and cunning, not strength.

He genuinely feared Li Rui might get kicked and lie bedridden for weeks—that would be a comedy.

Li Rui smiled lightly: "Chief Ning, I know my limits."

Under everyone's watchful eyes,

Li Rui walked slowly to the Crimson Dragon Horse's front, not rushing to approach, but murmuring softly—as if speaking to the horse.

"He understands horse speech?"

As Ning Zhongtian's expression grew increasingly strange, Li Rui slowly raised his hand.

Unlike before, the Crimson Dragon Horse now became utterly docile.

Li Rui finally smiled in satisfaction.

Ning Zhongtian hurried forward, curious: "Brother Li, what did you just say to the horse?"

Li Rui smiled faintly:

"I told it—if it doesn't behave, I'll chop it up and stew it for meat."

(End of Chapter)