Where they were currently located was the estate of the Grand Marshal of State Defense.
The people's reverence for Jiang Mengxiong manifested as the title "War God of Qi," but his official highest position in the Qi court was Grand Marshal of State Defense.
The man had no wife or children, dedicating himself entirely to cultivation and military affairs.
For a military-path powerhouse like him, military affairs were cultivation itself. So it wouldn't be wrong to call him a cultivator who sought the Dao with single-minded devotion.
Jiang Mengxiong had accepted five disciples in his lifetime, and he had once personally stated that Wang Yiwu was his closed-door disciple, meaning that after Wang Yiwu, he would take no more students. He believed his knowledge had found a worthy successor to carry on his mantle, and many acknowledged that person to be Wang Yiwu.
The War God of Qi's five disciples—two had already died in battle for the State of Qi.
The remaining three, each extraordinary in their own way, held prominent positions in the military. Wang Yiwu was the youngest, but it was well known that he was also the one in whom Jiang Mengxiong placed the highest hopes.
Jiang Mengxiong was usually stationed at the military camp, and the other two disciples each held important posts. The Grand Marshal's estate in Linzi was typically where Wang Yiwu resided.
And this operation against Chongxuan Sheng was something he had asked Wen Lianmu to help plan.
The art of warfare involved calculating people, timing, and momentum. Those who excelled in military strategy were often also skilled at reading human nature.
Although Wen Lianmu held the rank of a mere military clerk, he had the authority to consult on military affairs. Though young, he had already participated in planning numerous battles and had repeatedly won first place in military strategy competitions among the various armies.
In truth, military talents and Linzi's noble circle had always looked down on each other. The former considered the latter pampered sheep, weak and useless. The latter... the latter simply reciprocated that disdain.
Overall, those with military experience did feel a sense of superiority when facing the circle of young lords in Linzi.
This time, he had agreed to help only because he couldn't refuse Wang Yiwu's request.
He had casually made a move, expecting it to be an easy ten-out-of-ten certain task. But now...
The result was obvious.
Coming from a military background, especially from somewhere like the Tianfu Army, there was no tradition of shirking responsibility.
Wen Lianmu shifted slightly to sit more comfortably and said, "Though it's somewhat embarrassing to admit, that fat man really is difficult to deal with. My stratagem wasn't hard to see through; the difficulty was seeing through it in such a short time. If I were to compare it to fishing, he took the bait but didn't bite the hook."
"I told you long ago not to underestimate him. Even Zun was caught off guard and sent off the board."
Wang Yiwu's deep eyes looked at Wen Lianmu, but he said nothing more.
But the meaning was clear: no matter how clever you are, could you surpass Chongxuan Zun?
If they hadn't had some friendship, these words would have made Wen Lianmu lose his temper. Of course, losing his temper wouldn't have helped... He couldn't win in a fight anyway.
Wen Lianmu's face flushed as he said, "Send me the records from the Battle of Sun Extinction. I need to study Chongxuan Sheng thoroughly. I previously thought his merits in Yang Province were just Marquis Dingyuan polishing his reputation, but now it seems he might actually have some real ability."
"Where were you earlier?" Wang Yiwu said coldly. "The Art of War says, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' You..."
"Alright, alright, don't quote the Art of War at me." Wen Lianmu hastily interrupted him.
The meaning was also clear: in terms of combat ability I'll shut up, in terms of military strategy you shut up.
Seeing Wang Yiwu's displeased expression, he quickly added, "Hurry and use your connections to get the documents recording the Qi-Yang military situation. The sooner I understand Chongxuan Sheng, the sooner I can deal with him. If we wait too long, by the time Chongxuan Zun comes out of Jixia Academy, that fat man might already be the clan head..."
Before he could finish, Wang Yiwu had already walked out the door, leaving only a tall silhouette behind.
Wen Lianmu wiped a bead of sweat. "This is more troublesome than a military drill."
...
Within the Ethereal Realm.
After layering the Crown of Thorns with Five Qi Tiger Bind, a single Explosive Flame Sparrow finished off the opponent.
The Sword Dueling Platform slowly separated, returning to the Golden Essence Mountain Blessed Land.
These Blessed Lands, besides having different names and producing different amounts of Merit each month, seemed to have no other changes. At least that was what the Ethereal Realm currently showed.
Jiang Chen had gradually adapted to this.
He glanced at the sundial. After consecutive matching battles, he had now accumulated 8,650 Merit points! He had previously consumed all his Merit, so this was entirely newly accumulated. Six hundred and fifty points came from the Golden Essence Mountain Blessed Land's monthly production, while the extra 8,000 points were all earned through victories at the Sword Dueling Platform.
Counting at 80 Merit per victory, at the Soaring Dragon realm level, he had achieved a net total of 100 wins. (Net wins, not total wins—meaning after deducting losses.)
And his current ranking was 101st in the Soaring Dragon realm.
During this period in the Soaring Dragon realm matching battles, he hadn't lost again. But while hiding part of his strength, the battles had indeed become increasingly difficult.
Jiang Chen made slight adjustments. The Sword Dueling Platform once again soared upward, straight into the starry sky.
Hiding one's strength in the Ethereal Realm was mostly to conceal one's real-world identity. For example, Chongxuan Sheng—as long as he used his Chong arts without restraint, he would immediately be recognized as being from the Chongxuan family. A little connection wouldn't make it hard to trace back to him personally.
And the current Jiang Chen was far from having such fame.
Whether to hide real-world characteristics and intentionally control certain signature killer moves required balancing cost and benefit.
But for the current Jiang Chen, as he persisted in exploring the Primordial Mist and gained increasingly concrete control over himself, his combat strength grew daily, and he wanted to see just how far he could go in the Soaring Dragon realm.
After all, with his current modest fame, even if he used his killer moves—unless the opponent happened to be in Linzi and had either fought him before or witnessed his battles—it would be hard to guess it was him.
Even stepping back, if someone with ulterior motives did figure out his identity in the Ethereal Realm, it wouldn't be a big deal for him. He hadn't offended any major figures in the Ethereal Realm.
The Sword Dueling Platform met within the starry sky, connected, and unfolded.
The upgraded Sword Dueling Platform seemed to show no other changes besides a more spacious space.
Ancient. Intense.
This was the most primitive arena, and the most direct way to verify the Dao through combat.
...
Niu Hanxun came from a military family in the State of Qin. Calling it a military family was perhaps generous—his grandfather had only reached the rank of a military lord, commanding a single division of troops, not even a captain.
But this did give him a path to earn Merit through risking his life in the military.
Obtaining the key to the Ethereal Realm had been an unexpected opportunity. That day he was cooling off in his courtyard, not remembering why, perhaps just staring blankly at the moon. Then a hazy ball of light drifted down from the moon.
He caught that ball of light, and afterward entered the Ethereal Realm.
He had cultivated since childhood, opened his meridians, and laid his foundation. With Roaming Meridian realm cultivation, in terms of strength... he was considered good among the locals, but only among the locals.
After much exploration, he gained a preliminary understanding of this wondrous world.
He contributed the cultivation methods passed down from his grandfather to the Deduction Platform, earning 80 Merit points.
Then in his first Sword Dueling match, he was easily defeated.
Activating the Sword Dueling Platform cost 10 Merit, and with one loss, he was left with only 60 Merit.
He tried to deduce cultivation techniques, but found it wasn't nearly enough...
For a long time, Niu Hanxun's Ethereal Realm was nothing more than a decoration.
Later, after joining the military and fighting bravely time and again, earning merits, he contributed the techniques he received as rewards to the Deduction Platform, slowly accumulating... but it still seemed impossibly distant.
For some reason, military techniques contributed very little Merit. Of course, he later discovered that the Deduction Platform placed great emphasis on "originality"—once any technique was contributed, subsequent contributions of the same technique yielded very little.
Later, whenever he accumulated a bit of Merit, he would simply activate the Sword Dueling Platform to earn Merit through victories in the Ethereal Realm.
Because he had so little Merit, he was extremely careful in every battle, treating each fight as a matter of life and death, never willing to lose easily.
At this point, having weathered many battles, his strength had improved significantly, and he began to hold his own in the Roaming Meridian realm battles of the Ethereal Realm.
One thing he loved about the Ethereal Realm was that it was very similar to the military: earning Merit through victories!
As his strength gradually increased and Merit slowly accumulated, he would use it to deduce his own cultivation techniques...
Then practice, master, earn battlefield merits, contribute to the Deduction Platform, fight in the Ethereal Realm, earn Merit, deduce techniques... and so on, accumulating.
Advancing bit by bit, growing stronger little by little.
At first, he thought he was some Chosen One, a protagonist with great fortune like in the stories.
Otherwise, how else would a moon key descend from the sky?
Later he discovered that he wasn't the only one who could enter the Ethereal Realm. Those stronger than him were countless.
Whether in talent, family background, or fortune, he had never been special.
But Niu Hanxun had never become dejected because of this.
Regardless, the Ethereal Realm had truly given him more opportunities, more experience. Compared to his military brothers with similar backgrounds, it provided an additional path to grow stronger.
Not everyone gets to have choices.
He grew stronger and stronger—from Roaming Meridian, to Cycle, to Heaven-Piercing, and even to pushing open the Gate of Heaven and Earth, completing his Dao Meridian Soaring Dragon transformation.
His position in the military rose accordingly. From a ten-man leader, he advanced all the way to military lord, and now had become a captain. By any measure, he had surpassed his grandfather.
In the Western Region, the State of Qin's dominance was almost unshakable.
Growing up in the army of such a powerful nation, Niu Hanxun had gradually developed an aura of dominance and confidence.
Surpassing his grandfather hadn't satisfied him, and pushing open the Gate of Heaven and Earth didn't make him stop either.
Now, returning to his homeland, he might well be among the top experts in his small town, but would that really mean anything?
The Ethereal Realm had shown a person of humble origins like him the vastness of the world. Having seen the height of the sky and the breadth of the earth, he was no longer content to swagger in a tiny pond.
So he worked harder than before.
Beyond military training, he added his own drills. Beyond his additional practice, he never stopped his efforts in the Ethereal Realm.
Now, he was even launching a sprint toward the top hundred in the Soaring Dragon realm.
Compared to the nervousness when he first activated the Sword Dueling Platform, this time he was filled with confidence.
And his opponent was a youth who held his sword at his waist, looking not particularly sturdy.