Chapter 45: The Man Who Defies Ten Thousand!

As if sensing the sharp aura radiating from Li Guanyi, Xue Shen bowed his head slightly, then gently raised his brush and said calmly, “Of course I’m ready.”

“It’s just writing the character ‘zheng’—how much effort could that take?”

Li Guanyi ignored the lazy general.

The Tielei third prince, fierce and unstoppable, charged again; the White Wolf Dharma Form coalesced into a technique of balanced offense and defense. Li Guanyi twisted his waist, unleashing a brief burst of power, hurling his heavy blade through the air in a spinning arc that slammed down upon the White Wolf Defense.

A sharp, piercing shriek echoed.

The heavy blade was violently rebounded, its razor edge embedding itself into the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling, showering down fine shards of stone; Li Guanyi retreated swiftly, now gripping two arrows at once.

This was the method the young mistress had taught him.

Holding two arrows between his fingers and releasing them one after the other saves time, but demands extreme skill; without sufficient technique or wrist strength, the arrows lose accuracy and force—better to shoot them one at a time, plainly and steadily.

Li Guanyi seemed to have a decent grasp of technique—he had mastered this method.

He nocked the first arrow; the White Tiger on his shoulder let out a long roar.

Golden light shimmered along the arrow’s shaft.

He drew the bow fully.

Shoot! The entire bow vibrated violently; the arrow, wreathed in golden wind, spun forward, piercing through the White Wolf Defense before it could dissipate the force—within an instant, it breached the defense.

The Tielei third prince twisted his body instantly.

His massive, muscular frame bent through an impossible arc, as graceful as a dancer; the golden-wreathed arrow grazed his side, carving only a small wound—if he’d been armored, it would have been fully blocked.

This was an astonishing art.

Even Qian Zheng, a hardened border warrior, could not have dodged Li Guanyi’s arrow.

As the Tielei third prince landed, he used the momentum of his twist to maintain high speed, lunging forward with his body almost hugging the ground, tracing a zigzag path like a hunting wolf.

But Li Guanyi did not pause—he retreated swiftly, and the second arrow was already nocked.

He drew it fully.

A crimson dragon coiled around the arrow, like a dragon circling a pillar.

The seated Xue Shen raised his eyes slightly, murmuring in mild surprise, “Hmm?”

Li Guanyi’s eyes reflected the Tielei third prince’s form, as if ignited by flame; his fingers tightened on the bowstring, the heat scorching his skin, yet he did not release—knowing that if the prince had dodged the last arrow, he could dodge this one too.

When the Tielei third prince suddenly surged forward, closing the distance to near nothing, Li Guanyi let go of the string.

This time, the bowstring’s hum was fierce.

A streak of crimson light erupted from the bow.

It shot through the gap left by the previous White Tiger arrow; the Tielei third prince roared, crossing his arms to block it—his forearms bore iron gauntlets, two fingers thick, clashing to absorb the impact—but the next instant, the crimson dragon coiled and slammed into him.

BOOM!!!!

A thunderous explosion erupted, fire bursting outward; the boy’s dark hair flew wildly, his eyes stained crimson, flames roaring like a dragon’s cry; the Tielei third prince’s forward momentum halted, his gauntlets glowing red-hot like torture instruments, twisting his face in agony.

Li Guanyi hurled the bow at him; the Tielei third prince, despite his pain, knocked it aside.

But as he deflected the bow from his face, his arms moved away from his front.

His defense was wide open.

A gust of wind surged before him.

The boy had already leapt as he threw the bow.

In midair, he curled his knees, driving them downward like twin chisels into the Tielei third prince’s chest, while his left hand shot straight for the prince’s eyes; the prince raised both hands to shield his face, instinctively arching back to block the strike.

His center of gravity shifted entirely to his upper body, and with Li Guanyi’s forward momentum, he crashed heavily to the ground.

Li Guanyi’s eye-gouge was blocked.

His right hand had already risen, middle finger extended, thumb pressing against its base—forming the Phoenix Eye Fist.

Leveraging the prince’s falling momentum, he slammed it hard into the man’s throat.

Beggar’s Dispersed Hands!

The Tielei third prince roared, struggling to rise; Li Guanyi offered no resistance, instead spinning his body, locking the prince’s arms with his legs, wrapping his own arms around the prince’s neck like a hug, dragging him back to the ground, then twisting his hips violently in opposite directions, pulling with legs and arms.

This was another variation the old beggar had taught him.

The Tielei third prince grabbed Li Guanyi’s waist and back, twisting and resisting.

Again, he countered.

Li Guanyi pushed the inner power of the Break Formation Melody to its limit; for a full incense-burn’s time, they struggled in a deadlock—until the Break Formation Melody’s lingering force continued unceasingly, while the Tielei third prince’s arms were wounded, his waist bleeding profusely with every exertion; after his initial beast-like burst, his strength dwindled.

Finally…

A crisp snap.

The mighty Tielei third prince’s neck twisted grotesquely—he was dead.

His eyes went vacant, dissolving into fine starlight that slowly faded; Li Guanyi’s body relaxed, though the fight had been brief, he felt utterly drained, his limbs aching with exhaustion—he stretched his arms wide and collapsed backward.

Muscles tensed, then loosened; body hairs stood erect; sweat burst from his forehead and back in an instant.

He gasped for breath.

Even knowing his opponent’s style, this battle filled Li Guanyi with fear and crushing pressure—Qian Zheng was a hardened border soldier who had slain seven enemies and led fifteen new recruits; Li Guanyi had killed him alone.

Yet facing the Tielei third prince, whose power had been suppressed below the Entry level…

Even with full knowledge of his techniques, the fight was this grueling—imagine how terrifying he would be armored, leading an army on the battlefield; and such a genius, a once-in-a-generation hero of the Tielei tribe…

History recorded him briefly.

【Rebellion, treason, the Emperor enraged, dispatched generals to suppress it】【Rebellion quelled】

Li Guanyi lay there, suddenly feeling the weight of those three characters in the annals—his own insignificance.

“Rebellion quelled…”

Even such a genius merited only these three words.

Yet even now, the starlight from the dead Tielei third prince lingered, not fading; Xue Shen nodded and said, “Take the pill, absorb this starlight—it’s celestial energy drawn by this sacred land, highly effective for refining before Entry.”

Li Guanyi struggled to his feet, swallowed the pill provided by the Xue family, and activated the Break Formation Melody.

From the very start, he sensed a difference.

As the old man had said: battle drains one’s essence; in life-or-death combat, normally dormant areas of the body are activated; after battle, pills accelerate inner qi flow, greatly strengthening the resilience and recovery of internal arts; starlight entering the body replaces the body’s original essence, refining minute sinews and bones.

Li Guanyi realized—he was altering his fundamental constitution.

This was the artificial creation of a hundred-battle constitution: endure repeated life-or-death fights, then replenish the foundation with potent medicine.

By normal logic, no one could survive a hundred battles without injury.

Nor could one find such potent medicine to purify essence after a life-or-death clash.

Yet only a peerless genius could wait five hundred years to accomplish the impossible.

Xue Shen smiled and said, “I’ll teach you the White Wolf Defense—but first, I must fulfill my promise. This is my legacy—even the Son of Heaven wanted me to teach it to his descendants. But his grandson was too foolish—eyes only on women, incapable of learning.”

Li Guanyi couldn’t help but feel curious.

What kind of legacy was this?

Xue Shen did not demonstrate any martial art; instead, he sat beside the boy and said, “The Tielei clan rides western steeds.”

“The Fangzhou Miscellany records: western tribute horses, nine feet tall, neck as long as body, raised like a phoenix; behind the hind legs, two spurs; scales faintly visible beneath the fur; fast, enduring; they wear light armor, their horses unarmored, pursuing maximum speed.”

“In battle, they press their bodies against their mounts, blades held horizontally; as two horses charge past each other, their blades sever the enemy’s head—swiftly, sometimes the horse runs ten zhang before the severed head, still attached by sinew, rises in a spray of blood—while the riderless corpse continues galloping forward.”

“The Tielei Golden Crescent Cavalry excels in the Crescent Formation—like a swift blade, especially skilled in cutting tactics, slicing through enemy flanks like a razor stripping flesh. If you commanded troops, how would you break such a formation?”

“If you commanded cavalry. If you commanded infantry. If your numbers were fewer than theirs.”

“How would you respond?”

Xue Shen smiled. “You’ve already learned my arts—how can you not know warfare?”

The weary Li Guanyi widened his eyes.

Whether learning military strategy was good or bad…

He felt he’d been tricked.

He only wanted to leave Chen Guo safely with his aunt; at most, repay Xue Lao’s aid. The boy had no desire to ride into battle and conquer the world—he wanted martial arts and strength, not strategy. Xue Shen’s lips curled slightly as he smiled: “You’re here now.”

“You’re exhausted—you can’t move, can’t gather your spirit, can you?”

He turned his brush and tapped the boy’s cheek, smiling:

“This is also military strategy.”

Li Guanyi grimaced.

Xue Shen laughed. “When the world descends into chaos, this knowledge will be useful.”

“Don’t let my successor disgrace me.”

“Compared to archery or halberds, this is my true skill; fierce generals exist in every nation—holding a pass against ten thousand is merely the baseline of a great general. In my army, there are archers stronger than I; battlefield tigers who seize banners and charge fearlessly surpass me.”

“In this age of great contention, even the great masters of the martial world are immensely powerful.”

“Then why am I ranked first on the Divine General List?”

Xue Shen said, “Military strategists divide generals into six categories.”

“Those who fight ferociously, wounded yet still charging, leading the vanguard—they are fierce generals.”

“Those who command cavalry, their aura unified, riding freely across the battlefield—they are cavalry generals.”

“Those who win duels, slay enemy commanders, seize banners, and boost their army’s morale—they are duel generals.”

“Those who lead rapid marches, ensuring arrival on time, penetrating enemy lines front and rear—they are command generals.”

“Those who employ sound strategy, understand heaven’s timing, seize terrain advantage, strike strong with weakness, overcome strength with weakness—they are strategists.”

“And those who command armies exceeding one hundred thousand in grand warfare—they are great generals!”

Li Guanyi caught the implication: “You want me to learn military strategy—to become a great general?”

Xue Shen smiled: “Martial arts can make you a thousand-man enemy—roam freely, dominate a region, command the world’s respect, make lords love or hate you, make all people admire your glory.”

"What I will teach you is the art of defeating ten thousand men."

"You can be the first to scale walls and slay generals, overcome the strong with the weak, win every battle, conquer every fortress, secure every victory, and hold it forever."

"With a smile, the world is settled; with a rage, the kings tremble. Wherever the long spear points, all shall be crushed. You can be the duelist, the fierce general, the commanding general, the cavalry general, the strategist general, the great general — you can be all of them, and defeat them all. A peerless brilliance, unmatched under heaven!"

He rose to his feet, looking at the youth, and said: "Fang Wei, you are a Supreme General!"

………………

And at this moment, the world was stirred by a piece of news.

The world’s thirty-fourth hidden divine general: Yue Qianfeng.

His whereabouts have been exposed!

(End of Chapter)