Spirit Mountain cave dwelling, eternal spring.
Li Pingcan sat cross-legged under the Mulberry Spirit Tree, surrounded by a haze of spiritual energy.
Since his last breakthrough, aided by the power of Green Jiao, his cultivation had steadily remained at the early stage of Refining Qi Stage Six.
Over the past six months, he had been consolidating his realm while steadily practicing. If not for the sudden outbreak of war, life would have been quite leisurely.
“Hoo…”
With a long exhale, he slowly opened his eyes, feeling the power in his dantian energy sea had grown slightly stronger. Yet, his face showed little joy—only a faint sigh.
“Still too slow.”
If outsiders heard his cultivation speed now, the rogue cultivators would probably envy him so much their resolve would shatter on the spot. But to Li Pingcan, it felt like crawling at a turtle’s pace.
It was like a robust man starved for three days and nights, facing a bowl of clear rice soup.
Drinking it quenched thirst but was utterly useless!Since reaching the mid Refining Qi stage, his “appetite” for spiritual energy had grown at a terrifying speed.
“Throat…”
With a long sigh, Li Pingcan stared at the empty pill bottle in his hand, feeling a sharp sting in his heart.
“This immortal cultivation… why does it feel like burning money?”
Ordinary spiritual energy pills, once ingested, were like pouring water into the sea. Though they brought some power increase, breaking through the bottleneck of late Refining Qi was like trying to fill the ocean with a cup of water.
His appetite was becoming more and more demanding.
“Living off savings won’t last forever.”
Li Pingcan stood up and paced within the cave dwelling, contemplating a new “source of income.”
“What if I borrow Green Jiao’s dragon skin pouch? No, no, that guy is broke now. Last time’s gains all went into solidifying cultivation.”
“Or… maybe I should browse the rogue cultivator market again?”
The thought barely formed before he dismissed it himself.
Such places were full of all kinds of people. Occasionally you might find a lucky deal, but relying on it for cultivation supplies was unrealistic.
As he was lost in thought, his gaze unintentionally landed on a stone in the corner of the cave.
The stone was entirely black, its surface covered with natural pits, looking no different from ordinary mountain rocks.
But when Li Pingcan subconsciously scanned it with his Detection Technique, he uttered a surprised sound, his face lighting up with astonishment.
Beneath that ordinary stone shell was a fist-sized core of energy, emitting a faint soil-yellow glow.
“This is… a small stone spirit?”
His heart stirred as he hurried over.
The stone was only about a fist in size, its intelligence undeveloped. It seemed newly born from the earth vein, naive and filled with curiosity and caution about the outside world.
He reached out and knocked heavily on the stone.
“Dong, dong.”
The stone remained unmoved.
Li Pingcan tried using Dream Language, but the stone spirit shrank tighter in response.
“Heh, still a tough nut to crack.”
He chuckled and immediately increased the output of his celestial power.
A gentle yet irresistible will spread like an invisible net, tightly enveloping the stone spirit.
Li Pingcan patiently transmitted his goodwill again and again.
“Little guy, don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person.”
“Look here, the mountains are clear and waters pure, full of spiritual energy.”
“Come with me, I can help you cultivate, grow fast, and one day become a divine stone bigger than a mountain!”
The stone spirit initially resisted but gradually, under Li Pingcan’s coaxing and coaxing, felt a comfortable warm current flow throughout its body. The cautious intent slowly faded, replaced by curiosity and a budding sense of trust.
It gently swayed and finally rolled with a “klunk” into Li Pingcan’s palm, rubbing its smooth surface against his finger.
“That’s more like it.”
Li Pingcan was satisfied as he pocketed this “stubborn stone.”
“The core of the Seven Spirit Array uses spirit stones, which are ultimately lifeless. But if I use this stone spirit as the formation spirit…”
The more he thought, the more excited he became.
Natural spirits were the essence of the earth. If placed in the formation eye, nurtured by the cave’s Spirit Gathering Formation, it would grow continuously and in turn provide endless spiritual energy for the great array!
A perfect positive feedback loop!
This was something to try immediately.
Half an hour later.
“It really works!”
Looking at the newly set formation, Li Pingcan’s expression was pleased. A formation with a formation spirit was a completely different concept from one without.
Once this little stone grew into a force, the Seven Spirit Array’s effect would soar to a new level.
After finishing all this, Li Pingcan’s gaze quietly locked onto his nephew stationed far away at the border military camp through the mycelial carpet domain.
Li Yuanhu had long shed his immaturity. Clad in dark black light armor, he looked heroic and extraordinary. He stood atop a makeshift command platform, instructing a hundred soldiers on the key points of combined formation attacks.
“Listen carefully! Spearmen in front, shield soldiers guarding the flanks, archers in the rear! When the enemy charges, don’t just block head-on! Flank and cut off their retreat, understand!?”
He scolded while personally demonstrating each move—steady yet agile.
The previously frightened soldiers were inspired by his fierce aura, training harder one by one.
“This kid has finally grown up.”
Li Pingcan withdrew his divine consciousness, and the last flicker of thought about going to the battlefield completely vanished.
The reason he hadn’t chosen to personally go to the rear last time was not fear. With his current strength, dominating the battlefield was no difficulty.
But fledgling eagles must eventually spread their wings and soar alone into the vast sky, fighting the storms.
Li Yuanhu was just like that. He had paved the way for his nephew, giving him all he could—skills, weapons, military tactics, pills.
The rest of the path had to be walked by himself. Trees that grow in greenhouses cannot become towering giants.
Moreover, today’s battlefield was no longer as simple as the previous beast tide.
Unlike Wang Lie’s boldness, Li Yuanhu was like a seasoned old hunter.
He remembered his third uncle’s teachings, never clashing head-on with the enemy.
“Second squad, assist from the left flank to distract them! Third squad, push that rock off to cut off their retreat! Others, form up, archers prepare!”
Using various hand signals taught by his uncle, he commanded his hundred-man unit.
Most of his soldiers were farmers conscripted from Yunshui County, not as fierce as Wang Lie’s men but obedient and cautious. Under Li Yuanhu’s command, they always managed to trade the smallest cost for the greatest result.
“Captain Li is truly amazing! Next time we fight like that, even if one brother is injured, we’ll wipe out the enemy!”
“Following Captain Li, I feel like I’ll live to see my mother again!”
The soldiers admired and obeyed Li Yuanhu wholeheartedly.
That day, scouts reported the trail of a Crimson Flame squad of about thirty men in the One-Line Sky Gorge, three miles ahead.
“Thirty? Ha! Just enough to fill my teeth!”
Wang Lie’s eyes gleamed. This was a gift of merit!
Without waiting for orders, he immediately selected a hundred elite soldiers to go “eat meat.”
“Captain Wang, wait!”
Li Yuanhu hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.
“One-Line Sky terrain is easy to defend but hard to attack; there may be a trap!”
“A trap?” Wang Lie gave him a warning glance, laughing, “Captain Li, are you scared of fighting? Thirty puny men can’t possibly change the tide. If you’re too afraid to go, stay here and watch. See how I bring back their heads!”
With that, he ignored Li Yuanhu and led his men charging out.
Li Yuanhu frowned watching his back, a growing unease tightening his chest.
“All units, rest on the spot and increase vigilance!” he ordered his men gravely. “Send two sharp-eyed scouts to follow and observe. Report immediately if anything’s wrong!”
Sure enough, half an incense stick time later.
“Bad news! Captain! Captain Wang and his men… fell into an ambush!”
One-Line Sky Gorge had turned into a bloody hell.
Nearly a hundred Crimson Flame archers hid on both sides of the narrow valley, their arrows like locusts, pinning Wang Lie’s group to the valley bottom.
At the mouth, several heavily armored shield soldiers blocked the exit tightly.
“Damn! We’ve been tricked!”
Wang Lie swung his great sword, deflecting several cold arrows aimed at his face, but his arm tingled numb.
He was drenched in blood, with several deep wounds visible to the bone. The number of comrades standing beside him had fallen below fifty.
“Brothers! Charge out with me!”
Wang Lie’s eyes were bloodshot, fierce as a mad tiger. Prolonging this battle meant certain death.
He raised his blade, ready to lead the charge.
Just then, an eerie flute sound suddenly echoed from above the gorge.
Immediately, several agile black-scaled demon wolves leapt down from the cliff sides to join the battle!
“Beasts! They even have beast tamers!”
Wang Lie’s soldiers completely collapsed.
They had never seen such a formation. Facing these impenetrable, ferocious beasts, their courage was instantly swallowed by fear.
Despair surged like a cold tide, drowning Wang Lie utterly.
For the first time, he felt the chilling touch of death.
Could it be that today, Wang Lie would die here?
A fierce unwillingness welled in his heart. He still had a bright future, an unfinished path of martial arts, a beloved wife and concubines…
At this critical moment, a deafening explosion thundered!
“Boom!”
At the gorge entrance, the shield formation set by the armored soldiers was violently blasted open, leaving a huge gap!
Thick smoke and acrid sulfur spread, stinging eyes.
The Crimson Flame army’s formation instantly fell into chaos.
“Reinforcements! Reinforcements are here!” Wang Lie’s remaining troops erupted in cheers.
Wang Lie’s spirit lifted sharply as he looked up.
A figure charged out from the swirling smoke!
It was Li Yuanhu!
Unlike Wang Lie’s direct charge into enemy lines, he used the explosion as cover, moving like a nimble spirit ape. Leaping along the rugged cliff walls, he swiftly circled to the flank of the archers.
“Kill!”
Like a fierce tiger descending, he plunged into the still unprepared archer ranks.
Screams and shouts echoed.
Those archers, usually hiding and shooting cold arrows, were no match for a postnatal expert like Li Yuanhu.
His charge threw their formation into chaos, turning them into a rout.
Above the gorge, the Crimson Flame beast tamer playing the flute turned pale and immediately commanded the demon wolves to change direction and surround Li Yuanhu.
“Just in time!”
Li Yuanhu was not alarmed but pleased. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
He stood his ground, letting the demon wolves surround him, a cold smile curling at his lips.
Suddenly, he pulled several black iron lumps from his pocket and threw them with force around.
Grenades!
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Explosions erupted one after another, flames shooting high!
The arrogant demon wolves were thrown to the ground by the sudden blasts, their flesh torn and wailing in pain.
Seizing the chance, Li Yuanhu cut them down one by one, then pushed off with his feet like lightning, instantly reaching Wang Lie’s side and pulling him up.
“Can you still walk?”
Wang Lie stared blankly at him, looking at his face smeared with smoke and blood, speechless for a moment.
Seeing him stunned, Li Yuanhu said no more, supporting his arm, and shouted to the soldiers who had already formed formation behind them, “Form up! Retreat!”
Shield soldiers on the outside, spearmen inside, the group protected the wounded with alternating cover, orderly withdrawing from the gorge.
Inside the makeshift camp, the bonfire crackled.
Wang Lie, shirtless, let Li Yuanhu apply an unknown medicinal ointment to the deep wound on his back.
A cooling sensation spread, greatly easing the pain.
Looking at Li Yuanhu’s focused side profile, a mix of feelings swirled in his heart.
Shame, gratitude, shock… emotions blended like boiling bitter soup.
He, Wang Lie, owed this kid his life.
If not for him, today he might have already become food for those demon wolves.
“Why… why did you save me?”
After a long time, Wang Lie rasped out in a hoarse voice.
“We are brothers in arms.”
Li Yuanhu did not look up, his tone calm as if stating the most ordinary thing.
Those four words hit like a heavy hammer.
Bravery is not recklessness.
Calmness is not cowardice.
True strength is the ability to keep a clear head in the most dangerous moments.
“Thanks.”
Wang Lie said softly, no trace of his previous stubbornness.
Li Yuanhu finished bandaging the last wound, stood up, and patted his shoulder.
“Rest well. The fighting is far from over. Our army needs warriors like you.”
With that, he turned and left the camp.
Wang Lie watched his back and slowly clenched his fist.
This debt of gratitude was etched firmly in his heart.