Among the three in the private courtyards, aside from Shi Lei, the other two were also weaker than Murong Shao in strength, though their higher realms allowed them to easily defeat him.
The next few exchanges left Murong Shao utterly shocked, as he had to admit one thing: Ling Xiao’s strength not only matched his own but surpassed it.
He was firmly suppressed.
After all, Murong Shao was using both hands, while Ling Xiao fought with just one, yet every clash put Murong Shao at a disadvantage.
“Ah—! Mountain-Breaking Slash!”
Mountain-Breaking Slash was the second move of the Mountain-Cleaving Axe Technique, stronger than the earlier Mountain-Cleaving Slash. When unleashed, it was as if a giant axe descended from the heavens, threatening to split the earth itself.
The sound roared ceaselessly, sending chills through the heart.
“Ghost Ship Blast!”
Ling Xiao unleashed the second move he’d comprehended from the Ghost Ship remnant soul, his expression unchanged.
His attacks weren’t chosen based on raw power but calculated precisely to outmatch his opponent’s move just enough, without wasting Gang Qi.
Boom!
Once again, the axe was knocked back, and Murong Shao nearly flew off his feet from the impact.
“Damn it, you think you’re the only one with a broken martial soul? I’ve got one too!”
Having failed to harm Ling Xiao with two consecutive attacks, Murong Shao’s pride took a hit.
So he decided to use his trump card—a broken martial soul.
It was now almost certain that all ten captain-level martial artists possessed broken martial souls, ranging from two-tenths to three-tenths completion.
“Roar—!”
As Murong Shao gathered his Gang Qi, a furious bellow erupted from behind him.
It was the phantom of a giant bear, about four metres tall—a black bear.
“An animal-type martial soul, the Black Bear remnant soul. No wonder your strength is so immense.”
Seeing the black bear soul, Ling Xiao finally understood the source of Murong Shao’s power.
“So what if you know? Today, you’re going down.”
Murong Shao sneered, “But don’t worry, I understand Qianlong Camp’s rules and will follow them. I won’t kill you or cripple you severely, but you’ll be bedridden for a month or two.”
“Is that so?”
The more Ling Xiao heard Murong Shao talk, the stronger his killing intent grew.
If the chance arose, he’d make sure this guy died by his sword.
For today, he’d collect some interest first.
“Moo—!”
A terrifying bovine roar suddenly thundered.
Ling Xiao unleashed the killing move he’d just mastered from “Barbarian Bull Strength”—Barbarian Bull Roar.
This move doubled his attack power while reducing his defence by nearly half.
But defence didn’t matter now—attack was the priority.
“Ghost Ship Wavebreaker!”
Barbarian Bull Roar combined with Ghost Ship Wavebreaker—the power of this combo was imaginable.
“Giant Bear Mountain-Cleaver!”
Murong Shao recognised the terror of Ling Xiao’s move and didn’t dare slack off. Fusing the essence of the black bear soul with his Mountain-Cleaving Axe Technique, it was as if a massive bear swung a giant axe at Ling Xiao.
“Stop!”
At the critical moment, when sparks were about to fly.
A voice rang out.
The newcomer wore black armour, tall and imposing at about two metres, looking almost inhuman.
His voice exploded with fury as he charged into the net from outside.
Both Ling Xiao and Murong Shao heard him.
But neither had any intention of stopping.
At this point, whoever stopped risked serious injury.
The black-armoured youth’s face darkened. With a punch, he shattered the net and stepped between Ling Xiao and Murong Shao.
One hand dispelled Barbarian Bull Roar and Ghost Ship Wavebreaker, the other neutralised Giant Bear Mountain-Cleaver.
“Shi Lei!”
“Early seventh-stage martial master!”
Ling Xiao and Murong Shao were both shocked.
Though their points of astonishment differed.
Murong Shao was stunned that Shi Lei, the deputy commander, would intervene in someone else’s fight.
This kind of sparring didn’t break any rules.
Ling Xiao was shocked by Shi Lei’s strength.
The head commander and two deputies were likely all martial masters, he thought darkly.
“Commander Shi, what are you doing?”
Though Murong Shao feared Shi Lei, his proud nature couldn’t help but question him.
Ling Xiao also looked at Shi Lei, unsure of his intent.
Shi Lei said calmly, “General September has ordered all Qianlong Camp disciples to assemble at the training ground for an important announcement. As captains, you can’t afford to be late.”
“What’s it about?”
Murong Shao asked.
“You’ll find out when you get there. Or do you want to ask General September yourself?” Shi Lei gave Murong Shao a cold glance, his aura laced with threat.
“No need, I’ll go now!”
Murong Shao bowed his head before the formidable Shi Lei.
“You got lucky today, but next time you won’t.”
As he left, Murong Shao didn’t forget to toss a warning at Ling Xiao.
“And you?”
Shi Lei turned to Ling Xiao.
“No matter what it is, it’s not more important than a life. I need to get her treated first.”
Ling Xiao shook his head.
“It’s urgent, but I’ll make an exception. Take my deputy commander token to the medicine hall—they won’t dare refuse. Whether it’s a maid or even a cockroach, they’ll tend to it carefully.”
Shi Lei considered for a moment.
Ling Xiao took the deputy commander’s token, feeling a pang of realisation.
This was the perk of strength.
He needed to reach martial master soon, or many things would remain tough to handle.
“Thank you!”
Ling Xiao nodded to Shi Lei, then hurriedly carried Leng Mei to the medicine hall.
As Shi Lei had said, the medicine hall initially refused Leng Mei, but upon seeing the deputy commander’s token, their attitude flipped entirely.
After settling Leng Mei in the medicine hall, Ling Xiao headed alone to the training ground.
By now, the training ground was packed.
At the front of the ranks stood nine of the ten captains, while on the platform above were General September and the two deputy commanders.
“Who’s that guy walking toward the captains’ section?”
Someone who’d been away on a mission didn’t recognise Ling Xiao and found it odd.
“That’s Ling Xiao. He beat Tian Guang. And that woman, Ling Yixue, beat Yin Ran. They’ve replaced two others and are captains now.”
An informed onlooker explained.
“Impressive! These newbies are something, taking down two captain-level disciples in a row.”
“But his luck’s running out. He’s caught Murong Shao’s eye. If Commander Shi hadn’t stepped in today, he’d probably be badly injured.”
“I don’t know—looked to me like he might be stronger than Murong Shao. Don’t forget he was holding a woman the whole time.”
“Silence!”
As the chatter buzzed below, Shi Lei’s commanding voice rang out.
A martial master was a martial master—his mere shout carried unmatched authority, as if it could suppress everyone’s presence.
The talkers instantly shut up.
“We’ve gathered you here today for an important announcement—a rare opportunity for you all. Listen carefully.”
Shi Lei continued, “Miss this chance, and you’ll regret it for life!”
