Chapter 103: Breaker of Armies Raises Troops, Yao Guang Descends from Heaven

Breaker of Armies?!

Li Guanyi recalled what Xue Lao had once told him: every generation of the Bai Hu Grand Master would encounter two individuals—Yao Guang and Po Jun—both disciples of the Eastern Land’s Star Observing School, though belonging to different factions.

Li Guanyi remained expressionless, watching the Tiger Roar Heaven Battle Spear placed behind the carriage.

Po Jun lightly traced his finger along the spear and said, “This is a fine thing—a divine weapon, a battle spear. Five hundred years ago, General Xue Shen swept clean the steppe coalition and pierced the Xiang people’s sacred mountain with arrows. When he departed, he left this spear within that sacred mountain.”

“It is the weapon of a tyrant—heavy, powerful.”

“I spent three years pinpointing its location, then set out alone from the Central Plains, crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, reached the Xiang people’s sacred mountain, advised them, earned their trust, and finally took this spear away.”

“Try it.”

Beside Li Guanyi, the aura of his soul condensed into the form of a Bai Hu.

The Bai Hu manifestation bowed its head slightly, touching the ancient divine weapon; its low tiger roar carried both nostalgia and curiosity. Li Guanyi extended his hand, his fingers brushing lightly along the spear’s haft—faint starlight shimmered across its ink-black surface.

Li Guanyi gripped the spear and pulled with all his strength.

He lifted the impossibly heavy divine weapon.

Po Jun’s expression grew solemn.

The Tiger Roar Heaven Battle Spear is a divine weapon; all divine weapons possess not only myriad mysteries but also an element unmatched by ordinary treasures or arcane arms—something seemingly basic yet absolutely central—

Growth!

Just as Li Guanyi, General Xue Shen, and the overlord eight hundred years ago.

Their martial cultivation realms, styles, and physical constitutions were utterly different.

Even if they all possessed the same [Golden Muscles, Jade Bones, Dragon Tendons, Tiger Marrow].

Li Guanyi’s [Golden Muscles, Jade Bones] at the First Tower level and the legendary overlord’s [Golden Muscles, Jade Bones] differed in expression and power by an immense gulf—but whenever they gripped this divine weapon, it would manifest a weight and posture perfectly suited to their current state.

Always perfectly matching the user’s stature and strength.

And unbreakably hard, nearly immune to damage.

And a self-repairing ability like that of a living being.

These three traits are the most fundamental requirements of a divine weapon.

They are also the most unassuming yet most demanding—far harder to achieve than intricate techniques like tearing sword qi or entangling thunder. Li Guanyi sensed the divine essence within the Tiger Roar Heaven Battle Spear: besides General Xue Shen’s aura, another, even more dominant presence lay hidden within.

The divine weapon’s aura touched Li Guanyi, then retreated.

It revealed no more.

Li Guanyi had already obtained [Rolling Waves].

At the First Tower level, the divine weapon had not revealed any further inherited techniques; merely possessing this weapon alone was extraordinary enough. Li Guanyi lifted the spear and felt—as though he had trained with countless weapons before—that he had never before experienced such a bond, as if the weapon were linked to his bloodline.

This spear was an extension of his own arm.

Its length, its center of gravity—all perfectly matched Li Guanyi’s style. With just a few swings, he felt the sensation of commanding it as effortlessly as his own limb; even resistance seemed to vanish, as if the air and wind before the blade were cleaved apart.

Divine weapon!

Li Guanyi pressed the spear’s tip to the ground; the blue stone tiles shattered without a sound.

Po Jun smiled and said, “It seems you greatly favor this divine weapon. Good.”

He reached out and placed his hand upon the spear, his narrow eyes smiling as he looked at Li Guanyi: “I have met General Yuwen Lie of the Ying State. I know he too possesses the Bai Hu’s destiny and manifestation.”

“Then, young Li Guanyi—”

“Give me a reason.”

“Why I should give you this spear.”

The dagger is revealed when the map is fully unrolled.

He is an arrogant genius who reveres fate but never blindly obeys. His schemes always follow this pattern: lay out his cards first, stir the hearts of others, then strike with a decisive blow. He seeks only one reason—to glimpse the bearing of the man before him.

This is the true test.

Li Guanyi understood Po Jun’s intent.

He looked at the handsome young man before him and seemed to see the fire within his eyes. The boy gripped the spear, suddenly shook it, raised it, and pressed its tip against Po Jun’s throat. The latter remained calm. If Li Guanyi claimed this spear as a Xue family heirloom, he would have to prepare for a rupture with the Turks.

And Po Jun would turn and leave without hesitation, taking the spear to Yuwen Lie.

He sought heroes of the realm—those who seized the Bai Hu’s star destiny. Those who relied only on intimidation were trash, unworthy of becoming Bai Hu Grand Master. Even if they bore the celestial constellation, they were not the one he sought.

He sought heroes who roamed the land, seizing the Bai Hu’s star destiny.

If the celestial omens contradicted his own will, he would burn the texts, turning them to white ash, then write his own answer in charcoal upon white paper. As a child, it was precisely this attitude that led his master to choose him for the Star Observing lineage, for the Po Jun branch.

“Divine power cannot surpass karma.”

His master had said: “But can the human heart truly submit to fate?”

“If all things were predestined, there would be no Star Observing lineage at all. Your temperament—this is what belongs to Po Jun.”

So he waited for Li Guanyi’s answer.

Li Guanyi said: “Are you planning to seek out Yuwen Lie?”

Po Jun smiled faintly: “General Yuwen is strong—a divine general of the realm.”

“Between a strong man and a weak one, who would anyone choose?”

Yet the boy suddenly laughed. He flicked his wrist, swinging the spear. Its sharp edge tore through the air with a roar like a tiger’s. As the black divine weapon moved, it seemed as if a tiger crouched beside him, clawing the wind. The handsome youth now carried an aura of chilling dominance.

The weapon hovered before him, ready to sever his throat at any moment—yet Po Jun still smiled gently.

Finally, Li Guanyi pressed the spear’s tip to the ground, raised his head, and looked at Po Jun.

“Then I have a question for you.”

“With your nature, would you rather serve a divine general already famed across the land, as a mere embellishment to his glory—or would you rather serve a [weakling], then achieve greatness and earn your name in history?”

Po Jun’s expression hardened slightly.

The young boy smiled faintly: “You are an arrogant man, Po Jun.”

“How could a man like you bear to cower beneath the shadow of a divine general?”

“You crave fame across the four seas—you yearn to display your talent, not to serve as a subordinate. Only a [weak] faction can truly reveal a strategist’s ambition. Only the most difficult beginning can ignite the fire within you, is that not so?”

Po Jun’s smile slowly vanished. His gentle expression receded as he stared at the boy who had pierced his heart with a single sentence. Li Guanyi raised the spear, suddenly exerting force—the tiger’s roar surged violently, wind whipping up, scattering the boy’s hair.

Then came a deafening howl.

The spear plunged into the ground, shattering the blue stone slabs and blasting open a crater. Its ink-black haft stood upright, blocking the space between Li Guanyi and Po Jun.

“Sir may take this spear away.”

He withdrew his hand.

Po Jun heard those words.

For the first time, he was caught off guard.

Li Guanyi replied: “My elders told me: divine weapons are merely aids. True glory is forged by men. The weapon gained its fame because of its original master—not the other way around.”

“If you thought to bind me with this weapon, you have miscalculated.”

Po Jun smiled and asked: “Don’t you desire this weapon?”

General Xue Shen’s legacy includes a secret realm and the Cloud-Piercing Thunder Bow. Li Guanyi cared, but he would never let himself be controlled. He gave his answer plainly, frankly: “I do want it—but not now, not this way. We’ve been away too long. It’s time to return.”

Po Jun watched the boy turn and walk away.

Li Guanyi paused, then, facing away from the young strategist, waved his hand.

“I’ll wait for you.”

“To bring this spear to me yourself.”

Po Jun watched the boy turn his back, ignore his question, and simply leave. The strategist, who had always lived with unbound freedom, stared at the spear in silence. After a long while, he smiled faintly—then his laughter grew louder.

Finally, Po Jun burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.

Utterly exhilarating!

The corners of his eyes and brows finally carried the sharp, unsheathed brilliance of a sword.

This was their first true meeting.

Po Jun laughed so hard he had to grip the spear to stay upright, murmuring Li Guanyi’s question:

“Serve the strong, and become an insignificant appendage—”

“Or start from nothing, and become a legendary strategist remembered through the ages? This question—this question—”

To young, ambitious heroes, it was no question at all.

In their meeting, the boy had ignited Po Jun’s inner fire with a single counter-question, helping him choose. The unknown strategist touched the divine weapon, thinking of the boy’s retreating back, his eyes burning. He closed them and whispered:

“The bearing of a hero and a tyrant…”

“Is this what you call personal charisma?”

“Five hundred years ago, eight hundred years ago—when the former Po Jun met the Bai Hu Grand Master, did they feel this same way? Ha! Did they feel it too?”

When the Seven Kings of the Turks emerged and saw that the gentleman still cherished the spear where he had left it, and that he seemed to have enjoyed their conversation, a faint smile on his lips, their hearts eased. Since leaving the steppe, this gentleman had kept the weapon in his carriage at all times.

The Seven Kings was no fool—he was a fierce ruler of the steppe, well-versed in conspiracy and slaughter.

So he guessed: the moment this gentleman found the right owner for his spear, he would depart. His hand had gripped the weapon tightly—now, relaxed, he smiled and asked: “Did you have a pleasant chat with your old acquaintance?”

Po Jun noticed the Seven King’s subtle gesture and his keen perception.

And his longing for the spear.

In the past, Po Jun had merely thought the Seven King perceptive. Now, compared to the boy’s openness, he seemed petty—lacking the bearing of a tyrant. Po Jun smiled and said: “Chat? We spoke very pleasantly.”

“How did you fare with Old Xue?”

The Seven King laughed loudly: “Good! If I successfully marry a princess from the Central Plains, I’ll go find him—to trade grain, furs, to build my own tent. I’d even want to marry into his family, take one of his daughters!”

“Too bad, they do have a granddaughter—but she’s still too young. About the same age as my eldest daughter.”

“I still prefer older, fuller women!”

Po Jun smiled faintly: “After all, you prefer your current imperial consort.”

This mother consort was precisely the reason Ba Jun had survived the Seven King’s blade—but at this moment, the Seven King suddenly burst into laughter, mounted his horse, raised his brows, and said: “No, Master, the mother consort I seek is no longer her.”

“What I truly desire—a peerless beauty worthy of my total devotion—is my homeland, only the steppe, the greatest beauty of all. I shall devote everything I am to her.”

“I want the vast horse pastures of the Western Regions, my own great tent, a sky of deep blue, clouds as white as snow, heroes from all corners of the steppe kneeling before me. Our horsehead fiddles shall echo across the world. When people speak my name, they shall raise it alongside the Tuyuhun and the greatest sovereign of the Central Plains, Chi Di.”

“You too shall be a part of epic legend!”

Behind him, the Turkic warriors of the steppe burned with fire in their eyes.

They bowed low.

Then the Seven King tugged the reins and led these iron-clad cavalrymen away. Ba Jun watched the Seven King—now possessing gravitas and true heroic bearing, unlike the man he had first met—and murmured to himself: “...Has he transformed?”

“Was it because he saw the great heroes of this world? Or because he witnessed Chen Huang’s extravagance? Or perhaps both.”

“This chaotic age is truly magnificent.”

He had already seen: the mighty and arrogant celestial general Yuwen Lie, the refined yet calculating Chen Huang, the transformed Turkic hero, the free-spirited young Khan of the Tielei, and the hidden Bai Hu Grand Master within the Xue family of Jiangnan.

He sat inside the carriage, then suddenly remembered something and tapped the carriage wall.

He said casually:

“I made a pact with Li Guanyi.”

“No—he summoned me.”

“Afterward, I must find him again. Will Your Majesty come?”

This time, the Seven King’s vigilance had dropped sharply; he replied readily: “Master, come as you please. If I have leisure, I shall join you. But the Great Sacrifice is only ten days away, and I still have many places to visit. I may not be able to accompany you each time—pray forgive me!”

Ba Jun smiled and nodded.

Old ones, this time, I found him.

The Yao Guang faction did not get there first.

And we are deeply in sync—no, profoundly in sync!

Though we did not instantly become sovereign and minister.

But,

I saw his bearing; he understood my ambition.

Excellent!

……………

In the following two days, the Xue family remained calm. Li Guanyi spent each day shuttling between the Xue household and the Daoist temple, studying the [Four Symbols Spirit-Sealing Array] and the [Imperial Supreme Canon of Worldly Affairs], his head aching terribly. Time passed swiftly—tomorrow was the day he must report to the Golden Guard.

It was deep night.

Li Guanyi, dark circles under his eyes, a pot of strong tea beside him, pored over scriptures and the [Imperial Supreme Canon of Worldly Affairs]. This youth, praised by Ba Jun, was applying the same desperate energy he once used to cram for the Gaokao, frantically catching up.

He had already mastered sixteen variations of the array diagrams—a pace that even Zu Wenyuan had marveled at.

But it was not enough!

He must give everything he had to approach the Qilin, without disturbing the Xue family or implicating his aunt.

Therefore, he must master the array diagrams!

Sixteen diagrams.

One cup of tea. One lamp.

One night.

Perhaps, a miracle might come.

As for his body—

Golden skin, jade bones, dragon sinews, tiger marrow—Li Guanyi felt staying up all night was no problem.

The boy took a sip of strong tea, and, determined to achieve his goal, plunged into the fourth watch of studying the array diagrams—when suddenly, he heard footsteps. He paused, clutching a scroll, stepped out, and looked up.

He saw the girl standing steady against the wind, at the corner of the wall.

Beneath the moonlight, dressed plainly, hood drawn, silver strands at her temples fluttering gently.

As if she might vanish with the wind and moonlight in the next instant.

Li Guanyi said: “Yao Guang?”

She bent, brushed the dust from her knees where she had climbed the wall.

Stood firm.

Then reached up, removed her hood. Silver hair stirred in the wind. Her expression was serene; her voice, calm as flowing water, whispered: “The stars brought your message; starlight told me you face some difficulty.”

“You need me.”

“So I came.”