Chapter 8: with translation of chapter title

Returning to Peak condition again, Shen Tianxing's might is unstoppable; only a ten‑thousand commander could hope to stop him, not even a thousand commander would suffice.

Yang Hongyue glanced over from time to time, utterly astonished; although she had seen Shen Tianxing drinking water and eating cake, he kept slaughtering enemies for a long time without showing the slightest fatigue, as if he were an tireless killing machine.

"His strength should be around Three to Four Pin, but his stamina is extraordinarily beyond ordinary; still, he counts as talent and can be promoted!"

That thought merely flashed through Yang Hongyue's mind, but if Shen Tianxing stays alive and really can kill two thousand commanders, Yang Hongyue will definitely keep her promise.

"Congratulations, Host, for slaying a hundred‑man colonel; you gain 250 Killing Value and drop a special item, a smoke bomb."

Carving a path through the slaughter, Shen Tianxing's power surged and he casually killed a hundred‑man colonel; unexpectedly, there was an added bonus—the system‑issued smoke bomb could probably smother a large area, but it cannot be used now; at least he must break out of the encirclement, and only when fleeing with Yang Hongyue can he employ it.

After consuming two more cigarettes, Shen Tianxing finally reached the edge of Yang Hongyue's breakout battle circle; if the system‑provided cigarettes had any side effects, smoking one after another would be unbearable.

Several thousand commanders were stationed at the periphery of the siege on Yang Hongyue, mainly to distract her attention and block reinforcements from outside.

Seeing Shen Tianxing charging over, two thousand commanders immediately attacked—one wielded a long‑handed great blade, the other grasped a long spear; they burst forth with astonishing Suodu from left and right, one slashing horizontally, the other thrusting forward.

Facing the left‑right pincer, Shen Tianxing did not retreat but advanced; these two are both Three Pin Six Layers, and against Shen Tianxing, whose strength is roughly equivalent to Fourth Grade Third Layer, a two‑on‑one is insufficient to threaten him.

Shen Tianxing first blocked the left thousand commander's attack with a horizontal blade, then, using the opponent's force, he spun as he sheathed his blade, delivering a diagonal chop that lodged precisely in the junction between the spearhead and spear shaft.

The thousand commander on the right could not retract his spear; he mustered all his strength and thrust at Shen Tianxing's throat, but Shen Tianxing reacted instantly, stepping back as his Dragon‑Slaying Blade swiftly slid past the spearhead junction.

Shen Tianxing then exerted force, sending the spearhead flying; it struck the left thousand commander's left shoulder, making him grunt in pain, causing his original slash aimed at Shen Tianxing to veer off and hit the right thousand commander's spear shaft.

The left‑right pincer having failed, Shen Tianxing's cigarette at his lips had just burned out; left with no choice, he lit another, missing the optimal moment for a surprise attack.

The thousand commander on the right, furious, flung away his spear, kicked a senior infantryman aside to snatch his blade, then joined the left thousand commander in another left‑right pincer, charging at Shen Tianxing.

Shen Tianxing dared not be careless; though in raw strength he surpassed the two, his battlefield combat experience fell short of theirs, and even with mastery of the Basic Blade Technique Proficient, it only made his attacks faster, fiercer, and more precise.

Taking a deep drag of smoke and a gulp of Thunder Blue, Shen Tianxing unleashed a full‑throttle burst of Suodu, ignoring the thousand commander on the right and delivering a full‑force slash at the one on the left.

The former husband commander on the left felt immense pressure, instinctively raised his blade to block, with a clang followed by a crack, and the Dragon‑Slaying Blade triggered Broken Blade again.

The blade broke, the head flew off, and Shen Tianxing succeeded in slaying a thousand commander; the system's pleasant voice then sounded.

"Congratulations, Host, for your first kill of a thousand commander; you gain 2500 Killing Value, drop a level‑four Red Gem, and a basic permanent third‑tier troop summoning token."

"Congratulations, Host, for completing the beheading mission and slaying a thousand commander; reward: five thousand Killing Points, strength raised to Three Pin Five Layers, top‑grade blade technique 《Slay God Three Blades〉, one intermediate lottery draw, and two hundred taels of Silver."

The rise in his Martial Dao Realm caused Shen Tianxing's power to surge instantly; against the thousand commander on the right, that vicious slash to his back produced only a clang of metal on metal, completely blocked by his Black Tortoise Armor.

The thousand commander on the right stared agape, especially upon sensing that Shen Tianxing seemed to have grown much stronger in an instant; what shocked him even more was that this slash could not inflict any harm on Shen Tianxing.

Shen Tianxing had no time to let the thousand commander think; seeing him, he suddenly turned and unleashed a full‑scale burst of Pojun Thunder, instantly cutting down the thousand commander.

"Congratulations, Host, for slaying a thousand commander; you gain 2500 Killing Value, drop a pack of Wangwang Snow Cake, a bottle of Thunder Blue, and a level‑two green gem."

The System Prompt sounded, and Shen Tianxing let out a heavy sigh of relief; just then all his buffs expired, but his Three Pin Five Layers strength was enough for him to manage temporarily, at least allowing him to open the character panel to view his attributes.

"Host: Shen Tianxing

Martial Force: 505+ (200)

Defense: 251+ (100)

Suodu: 253

Martial Arts: Basic Blade Technique Proficient, Pojun Blade Technique Skilled

Special Skill: True Eye of Reality

Internal Force: 250

Martial Dao Realm: Three Pin Five Layers (Equipment Bonus equivalent to Four Pin One Layer)

Equipment: Dragon‑Slaying Blade, Black Tortoise Armor

Killing Value:

"No need to mention thousand commanders; even if you encounter a ten‑thousand commander, you could fight him, and with double buffs stacked, your Martial Force Value could break 1400 points—killing a ten‑thousand commander wouldn't be impossible!"

"The Killing Value has already reached twelve thousand; after this battle ends, I could still greatly increase my strength, and yet I've already slain two thousand commanders—why hasn't the system prompted completion of the Side Quest?"

Shen Tianxing thought to himself, and suddenly the system's voice sounded, answering his doubt.

"The Side Quest can only be issued after receiving approval‑reward from the relevant key figure; if the relevant key mission dies or refuses to acknowledge completion, the system will provide appropriate compensation three days after the quest's completion and cancel the quest."

The system's human touch did surprise Shen Tianxing a bit, but upon reflection it makes sense—the relevant key figure is the foundation of the Side Quest, although most rewards are issued by the system.

Shen Tianxing also checked the System Package, preparing to comprehend Slay God Three Blades, and happened to notice the Silver display showing 272 taels of Silver, which in this world counts as a considerable fortune.

"System, comprehend Slay God Three Blades."

"Congratulations, Host, for successfully comprehending the Top‑Grade Blade Technique Slay God Three Blades; would you like to spend 100 Killing Value to upgrade it to Skilled?"

"Spend 100 Killing Points to upgrade Slay God Three Blades to Skilled!"

"Congratulations, Host, for successfully upgrading Slay God Three Blades to Skilled; would you like to spend one thousand Killing Points to upgrade it to Proficient?"

The System Prompt sounded again, this time even asking whether to upgrade to Proficient; it shows the system prompts based on Shen Tianxing's own Killing Points.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Tianxing chose to upgrade.

"Spend one thousand Killing Points to upgrade Slay God Three Blades to Proficient."

"Congratulations, Host, for successfully upgrading Slay God Three Blades to Proficient; would you like to spend five thousand Killing Points to upgrade it to Small Success?"