Chapter 144: Fortune Momentum Surging

The grand victory ceremony and the noisy public rewards gradually settled, inside the commander's great tent.

Chai Rong and the core civil and military officials continued to discuss through the night the subsequent advance, pacification, and reporting the victory to Bian Liang.

And Chen Wen, after receiving the supreme honor of 'my Wei Huo',

then, citing the need to organize the troops and settle the casualties, he took his leave and returned to the Peaceful Army's garrison.

Compared to the brightly lit commander's tent and the ongoing army celebrations, the Peaceful Army's camp appeared much more solemn.

The bonfire crackled, illuminating the weary yet satisfied faces of the soldiers.

The military doctor, with his assistant, moved among them, changing dressings and bandaging the wounded, while the cooks simmered thick meat porridge, its aroma spreading.

The joy of victory certainly existed, but more prevalent was the calm after a life-and-death battle, and the silent mourning for fallen comrades.

Chen Wen did not alarm many people; he alone returned to his own tent.

Only a dim yellow oil lamp was lit inside the tent, casting his shadow long.

He took off his damaged armor, revealing the old and new wounds crisscrossing underneath.

Some wounds were merely simply treated, still faintly aching.

But his mind at this moment was completely not on bodily fatigue and pain.

As soon as he sat in meditation, he clearly 'saw' in his sea of consciousness the already overturned scene.

Originally, due to his repeated military achievements and governing the locality, the Fortune Momentum vortex was already quite magnificent.

Now it has swollen to a degree that even he himself feels heart‑pounding!

If one were to say the previous Fortune Momentum vortex was a rushing river,

then now it is a vast, boundless, bottomless dark‑gold sea!

The vortex rotates slowly, no longer lively and jumping as before.

but instead carries a deep, heavy, overwhelming momentum that crushes everything.

That dark‑gold light is deep and inwardly restrained, as if each ray bears a weight of thousands of jin.

representing the beliefs, expectations, and lives and fortunes of countless people.

At the core of the vortex, the color almost turns pure profound black, with specks of golden light rising and falling like stars within.

emitting an ineffable, mysterious aura pertaining to destiny and future.

This is the merit of the savior!

This is the achievement of defeating the enemy!

This is the massive fortune bestowed upon him from reversing the nation's fate and gaining fame under heaven!

Chen Wen could clearly feel that this vast Fortune Momentum is not illusory.

It is connected to the land beneath his feet, to the people of the three counties of Chan Prefecture, and to the soldiers under his command who are willing to die for him.

Even with Chai Rong's acknowledgment and expectation of 'my Wei Huo', countless threads of solid connection have formed.

This is no longer mere luck attached to him personally!

but is truly rooted in reality, a foundation and background he himself built and earned!

He tried, as before, to 'stir' this vast Fortune Momentum vortex.

Yet the result remained the same.

The vortex stood unmoving, like an ancient mountain, with no response to his thoughts.

It merely exists, rotates, displaying its vastness and heaviness.

Yet it refuses to be actively invoked or consumed in any form; that invisible, solid barrier still stands.

Clearly telling him the time has not yet come.

Chen Wen clearly realized in his heart that this might be the difference between 'momentum' and 'strength'.

'Strength' is what one can control oneself, like his breakthrough to thirty‑twofold efficacy, like 'Ability Granting'.

'Momentum' is external accumulation, the gathering of time and fortune, before a critical juncture arrives.

It can only be accumulated and guided, but cannot be forcibly driven.

As the system originally said, the active consumption function of this Fortune Momentum.

One must wait until he breaks through to that unattainable 128‑fold before it can be unlocked.

But this does not mean that the vast Fortune Momentum is useless now.

Chen Wen keenly perceived that, under the enveloping and nourishing of this vast Fortune Momentum,

his own state is undergoing some subtle and positive changes.

The mental fatigue from continuous campaigns is being slowly and steadily soothed, his mind becoming increasingly clear and empty.

Some subtle dark wounds left inside his body from forced breakthrough and fierce battle.

Under the unconscious nourishment of that dark‑gold light, they are actually quietly repairing and healing.

Even his perception and control of his own thirty‑twofold strength,

seems also to become more rounded and penetrating under the pressure and immersion of this grand 'momentum'.

He has lost a bit of the agitation from just breaking through, gaining a bit more calm and depth.

Although this Fortune Momentum cannot be actively used to kill enemies and win, it works subtly.

consolidating his foundation, nourishing his spirit, enhancing his potential.

paving the way for his future ascent to higher realms, accumulating energy.

It is more like an embodiment of 'background' and 'blessing'.

At the same time, Chen Wen can faintly feel that this vast Fortune Momentum is not static.

It is like a great whirlpool, still continuously drawing intangible 'nutrients' from the outside

——that comes from the joy and acclaim of the people of the three counties of Chan Prefecture upon hearing the victory report.

It comes from the reverence and conviction of the Zhou army up and down towards 'Chen Weihuo'.

It is also the force formed by the yearning for 'order' and 'peace' from this war-torn land, weak yet enduring.

This made him even more resolute about his future path.

In chaotic times, military strength is indeed the foundation of one's standing.

But if one truly wishes to accomplish great deeds and end these hundreds of years of turmoil,

One must have a solid foundation, must have the people's support, and must have this 'momentum' that bears everything!

"Govern Riverside, Thus entries: Thus entries: Anping, and Luo River counties well, make that place a true paradise, attract the displaced to return, fill the granaries, and equip the troops well…"

"This, perhaps, is the best way to accumulate Fortune Momentum and solidify the foundation."

Chen Wen silently pondered in his heart.

After this battle, he gained unprecedented prestige and a deeper trust from Chai Rong.

Next, it was time to turn this prestige and trust into concrete strength and foundation.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze piercing through the tent's slit, looking out at the tranquil night sky.

The starry river shone brilliantly, faintly resonating with the dark-gold whirlpool galaxy in his sea of consciousness.

The Battle of Gaoping ended.

But for him, a brand-new, broader stage had only just begun to unfold.

And this surging, ocean-like Fortune Momentum was his most abundant and solid capital as he stepped onto that stage.