Chapter 45: Enemy of Ten Thousand!

As if sensing the sharp aura emanating from Li Guanyi, Xue Shen lowered his gaze slightly, then gently raised the brush in his hand and said calmly, "Of course I'm ready."

"It's just writing the character 'zheng'—how much time could that possibly take?"

Li Guanyi ignored this lazy general.

The Third Prince of Tiele, already ferocious, charged again; the Canglang Dharma Form coalesced into a technique of perfect defense and offense. Li Guanyi twisted his waist, unleashing a brief burst of full-body power—the heavy blade in his hand flew through the air, spinning violently as it slashed down upon the Canglang Defense.

Accompanied by a sharp, piercing shriek.

The heavy blade was violently rebounded, its sharp edge embedding itself into the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling; tiny stones rained down with a clattering sound, while Li Guanyi retreated swiftly, this time gripping two arrows at once.

This was the method the Young Lady had taught him.

Holding two arrows between the fingers and releasing them one after the other saves time, but demands extreme skill; insufficient technique or weak wrist strength drastically reduces accuracy and force, making it worse than shooting them one at a time.

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

The first arrow nocked, the Bai Hu on his shoulder let out a long roar.

Golden light shimmered along the arrow's shaft.

The bow drawn fully.

Shoot! The entire bow vibrated violently; the arrow, wreathed in golden wind, spun and tore forward, striking the Canglang Defense—its force began to dissipate, but this time the arrow gave it no time to deflect; in an instant, it pierced through the defense.

The Third Prince of Tiele instantly twisted his body.

His massive, muscular frame bent through an impossible arc in midair, like a dancer's motion—the arrow wrapped in golden wind grazed his side, carving only a small wound; had he been armored, it would have been fully blocked.

This was an unbelievable supreme art.

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

The moment the Third Prince of Tiele landed, he used the momentum of his twist to keep his speed nearly unchanged, lunging forward with his body bent nearly parallel to the ground, closing the distance in a zigzag path like a hunting Canglang.

But Li Guanyi's steps never halted—he retreated swiftly, and the second arrow was already nocked.

Drawn fully.

The Chi Dragon coiled around the arrow, like a dragon circling a pillar.

The seated Xue Shen raised his gaze slightly, letting out a quiet, surprised "Hm?"

Li Guanyi's eyes reflected the Third Prince's form, as if ignited by flame; his fingers tightened on the bowstring, the heat searing his skin—but he did not release, for he knew: if the Third Prince had dodged the last arrow, he could dodge this one too.

When the Third Prince of Tiele suddenly surged forward, closing the distance to near nothing, Li Guanyi released the string.

This time, the bowstring's shriek was fierce.

A streak of crimson light erupted from the bow.

It passed through the hollow left by the Bai Hu arrow; the Third Prince roared, crossing his arms to block—his wristguards, thick as two fingers and as heavy as black iron, met the arrow's impact—but the next instant, the Chi Dragon coiled and slammed into it.

BOOM!!!!

A thunderous explosion erupted, flames bursting open; the youth's dark hair flew wildly from his temples, his eyes stained crimson with fire, the flames roaring upward like a dragon's cry—the Third Prince's forward momentum was halted, his wristguards glowing red-hot like torture devices, contorting his face in agony.

Li Guanyi hurled the bow at him; the Third Prince, despite the agony, managed to knock it away.

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

His defense was wide open.

A gust of wind surged before him.

The youth had already leapt into the air as he threw the bow.

In midair, he bent his knees, using gravity to drive them like twin chisels into the Third Prince's chest, while his left hand shot straight for the man's eyes—the Third Prince raised both hands to block, instinctively arching backward, successfully defending the strike.

As a result, his entire center of gravity shifted to his upper body, compounded by Li Guanyi's forward charge—he crashed heavily to the ground.

Li Guanyi's left-hand eye-gouge was blocked.

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

Using the Third Prince's falling momentum, he slammed it hard into the man's throat.

Beggar's Dispersed Hands!

The Third Prince of Tiele roared and struggled to rise; Li Guanyi offered no resistance, instead spun his body, locking the man's two arms with his legs, wrapping his own arms around the Third Prince's neck like a hug, dragging him back to the ground, then twisting his hips as a pivot, pulling his legs and arms in opposite directions with sudden force.

This was another variation the old beggar had taught him.

The Third Prince of Tiele grabbed Li Guanyi's waist and back, twisting and struggling to counter.

Counter again.

Li Guanyi pushed the internal energy of Po Zhen Qu to its limit; the two struggled for a full incense-burn's time—eventually, Po Zhen Qu's residual power flowed endlessly, while the Third Prince's arms were wounded, and his waist wound bled continuously; after his first desperate burst, his strength dwindled.

Finally…

A crisp snap.

The invincible Third Prince of Tiele's neck twisted—finally dead.

The Third Prince's eyes went vacant, dissolving into fine starlight that slowly faded; Li Guanyi's body relaxed, though the battle had been brief, he felt utterly drained, his limbs aching with exhaustion—he spread his arms and collapsed backward.

Muscles tensed, then loosened; body hairs stood erect; sweat burst forth instantly from his forehead and back.

He gasped for breath.

Even knowing his opponent's techniques and style, this fight filled Li Guanyi with fear and crushing pressure—Qian Zheng was a fierce border soldier who had slain seven enemies and led fifteen new recruits; Li Guanyi could kill him alone.

Yet facing the Third Prince of Tiele, whose power had been suppressed below the Entry Level…

Even knowing his moves, the battle was this grueling—imagine how terrifying he would be armored, leading an army on the battlefield; and such a genius, a hero unmatched in the Tiele tribe…

History recorded him briefly.

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

At this moment, the starlight from the dead Third Prince of Tiele still lingered, not fading; Xue Shen nodded and said, "Swallow the pill, absorb this starlight—it's stellar energy drawn by this sacred land, highly effective for refining before Entry Level."

Li Guanyi forced himself up, took the pill the Xue family had given him, and circulated the "Formation-Breaking Song."

From the very start, he felt something different.

As the old man had said, when one expends one's own essence in real combat, the body grows weary, and in life-and-death battles, the parts that are normally hard to train are also called upon; after battle, using pills to spur the internal qi to flow can greatly train the resilience and recovery of one's Wu Gong. Stellar force falls into the body, replacing the original human essence, tempering the finest sinews and bones.

Li Guanyi realized this was altering his innate constitution.

This was — after endless life-and-death battles, then using great tonic medicines to replenish the foundation — artificially creating the constitution of a hundred battles!

By common sense, it is impossible to fight a hundred battles without dying or being wounded.

It is even more impossible to have such great medicines to replenish and purify one's essence after a life-and-death battle.

Only one who can wait five hundred years to accomplish the absolutely impossible is a peerless hero.

Xue Shen smiled and said: "Canglang Guard I will teach you, but now, I must first fulfill my earlier promise. This is my legacy; even the great Emperor Your Majesty wanted me to teach it to his descendants. Pity his grandson was too foolish — his eyes held only women — he couldn't learn it."

Li Guanyi couldn't help but be curious.

What kind of legacy was this?

Xue Shen did not display any Wu Gong, but sat cross-legged beside the youth and said: "The Tiele tribe rides Western Region horses."

"The 'Fang Zhou Miscellaneous Records' state: tribute horses from the Western Regions stand nine chi tall, with necks as long as their bodies; they hold their heads high like phoenixes, bear two spurs between the cannon bones of their hind legs, and have hair that conceals scale-like armor—swift in speed and strong in endurance. Riders wear light armor while the horses wear no barding, pursuing the utmost speed."

"When the two armies clash, they press their bodies close to the horse's back, the blade held sideways; when two horses pass each other face to face, the opponent's head is sliced off by their blade. It is swift — sometimes the opponent's horse runs a dozen zhang before the head is sent flying up by the spurting blood, and at that moment the horse still charges forward bearing the headless corpse."

"The Tiele Golden Curved Saber cavalry excel at the Crescent Moon formation, like a swift blade, especially adept at division tactics — slicing in from the two wings of the main army like a swift blade paring away flesh and blood. If you lead troops and meet such a unit, how would you break them?"

"If you lead cavalry, if you lead a great infantry army, and your numbers are fewer than theirs —"

"What then would you do?"

Xue Shen smiled and said: "You have already learned my martial arts; how could you not know military matters?"

The weary Li Guanyi widened his eyes.

Whether learning military strategy was good or bad —

He felt he had walked into a trap.

He had only thought of leaving Chen Country safely with his aunt; at most, repaying Xue Lao's help. The youth now had no desire to ride a warhorse and conquer the world. Compared to military strategy, he wanted Wu Gong and strength more. Xue Shen's lips curved slightly upward as he smiled and said: "Since you're already here —"

"You're exhausted now; you truly can no longer move, can no longer steady your mind, can you?"

The brush in his hand flipped over and poked the youth's cheek as he smiled:

"This too is military strategy."

Li Guanyi bared his teeth in a grin.

Xue Shen laughed and said: "If the world falls into great chaos, such knowledge will be useful."

"Those who come after — do not disgrace me."

"Compared to archery or war-halberd, this is my true skill. Fierce generals, every nation has them; one man holding a pass against ten thousand is the foundation of a famed general. In my army, there were those whose archery surpassed mine; battlefield tigers who seized banners in combat, whose valor was unmatched even above mine — such existed."

"In this age of great contention in the world, the great grandmasters of the jianghu are also absolutely powerful."

"Why is my ranking first on the Divine General List?"

Xue Shen said: "The school of war divides the world's generals into six categories."

"Those whose valor is unmatched, who fight on while wounded, who lead the army in the first assault — these are Fierce Generals."

"Those who can lead cavalry, whose qi is as one, who sweep across the field — these are Cavalry Generals."

"Those who, at the moment of battle, win single combat, behead enemy generals and seize banners, raising the might of our army — these are Champions."

"Those who lead the army on forced marches, ensuring orders arrive and troops reach their destination, threading through front and rear — these are Leading Generals."

"Those whose stratagems are apt, who know the heavens' timing, seize the terrain's advantage, use the strong to strike the weak, the weak to defeat the strong — these are Strategist Generals."

"And those who hold one region, who can command a host of over a hundred thousand in great campaigns — these are Great Generals!"

Li Guanyi caught the drift and said: "You want me to learn military strategy, to be a Great General?"

Xue Shen smiled and said: "Wu Gong, at best, lets one be a foe to a thousand — sweep across the land, laugh proudly in one region, make the world respect you, make the lords hate and love you, make all under heaven look up to your might."

"What I wish to pass on to you is the art of being a foe to ten thousand times ten thousand."

"To first-assault and behead generals, to use the weak to defeat the strong, to be certain of victory in every battle, certain of conquest in every attack, certain of stability in every conquest, certain of endurance in every stability."

"One smile and the world is settled; one wrath and all kings tremble. Wherever the long spear points, all can be trampled beneath. Champion, Fierce General, Leading General, Cavalry General, Strategist General, Great General — all can be done, all can be won. Peerless bearing, unmatched beneath the heavens!"

He rose to his feet, looked at the youth, and said: "That — is a Supreme General!"

………………

And at this moment, the world was once again stirred into waves by a piece of news.

The hidden thirty-fourth Divine General of the world — Yue Qianfeng.

His tracks have been exposed!

(End of chapter)