“Hold on, General September, didn’t you say the tally would be done three months from now?” Hua Nongying asked, frowning.
“Oh, forgot to mention, the Ninja Clan and Jade-Eye Clan are planning a big move soon. You lot aren’t suited to keep running missions—going out now would just be asking for death,” General September said calmly, “Shortening it from three months to three days doesn’t change a thing, it’s still fair. Got a problem with that?”
Hua Nongying opened her mouth to argue but ultimately shook her head, “I’ll follow your orders, General.”
“That’s the spirit. Our Tiger Guard group’s tally’s been moved up too. Plans can’t keep up with changes—we won’t have peaceful days for much longer,” he sighed, then began announcing the merit rankings.
“Here’s the Hidden Dragon group’s merit standings—”
General September glanced at the final list in his hand, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he quickly composed himself.
“Top merit holder: Ling Xiao!”
“What? Ling Xiao?”
“How could he rack up more merit points than the two commanders?”
“No way, that’s absurd, he must’ve cheated.”
While most in the Hidden Dragon Camp didn’t have a personal grudge against Ling Xiao, jealousy was a common enough feeling.
Hearing a newbie had snagged the highest merit points left them a bit miffed.
“Quiet down!” Shi Lei bellowed, “What’s all this noise? You all saw Brother Ling’s combat skills back at the fishing village—what’s there to doubt?”
His roar silenced the crowd below.
General September continued, “Ling Xiao earned 120 merit points!”
Whoa!
The crowd erupted again.
Scoring that many points in just three days was staggering—past missions usually saw the Hidden Dragon group’s top earner hit 60 points in three days at most.
“Second place: Ling Yixue, 80 merit points!”
“Third place: Yin Ran, 70 merit points!”
The top three were all from Ling Xiao’s squad.
Leng Mei, being a servant, wasn’t eligible to rank, so their squad’s points were split among those three.
“Fourth: Shi Lei, 60 points!”
“Fifth: Hua Nongying, 50 points!”
“Sixth: Murong Shao, 40 points!”
Truth be told, Murong Shao lucked out—his squad was wiped out, leaving him as the sole survivor, so all their points went to him. Otherwise, he’d never have hit 40.
…
The later rankings didn’t hold much interest for the Hidden Dragon Camp disciples.
What shocked them was that Ling Xiao’s trio had swept the top three, especially Ling Xiao, racking up 120 points solo.
That was borderline terrifying.
Most of the others barely broke ten points, with captain-level folks hitting twenty or thirty at best—still nowhere near Ling Xiao.
“Hmph, enjoy your moment for now. Once I break through to seventh vein, we’ll settle the score,” Murong Shao muttered, casting a sinister glance at Ling Xiao.
He’d gotten a near-mortal martial art manual and a precious True Essence Pill from Wan Ben, plus 40 merit points to redeem rewards.
If he couldn’t break through to martial master with all that, he’d have to admit he was a complete dimwit and might as well off himself.
In reality, Murong Shao was neither stupid nor slow.
Making it into the Hidden Dragon Camp proved his talent.
Plus, as one of the captain-level disciples, his aptitude was undeniable.
Talent plus resources—he was due for a breakthrough.
“Right, the rest of you can go redeem your rewards. Ling Xiao, you stay,” General September said, dismissing the others but keeping Ling Xiao behind, as it’d been stated before that the top merit earner would get a special reward.
“Ling Xiao, I’ve kept you here to pick your reward. Listen carefully and choose wisely—this could shape your martial path ahead.”
“Understood!” Ling Xiao replied.
Standing there, his face showed no joy or sorrow.
But inside, he was buzzing with excitement.
A special reward from the Hidden Dragon Camp? That was no small deal.
“First option: Three sessions of guidance from a peak ninth-vein martial master!”
“Second option: One broken martial soul!”
“Third option: One rare-grade treasure weapon!”
“Fourth option: One hour to comprehend a mortal martial art! Listen up—not a near-mortal art, not a fragment, but a full-fledged mortal martial art!”
The first three didn’t faze Ling Xiao much.
But the fourth sent a thrill through him.
A mortal martial art! A genuine mortal martial art!
Though it was just an hour of comprehension time—if he couldn’t grasp it, it might not be as practical as the first three.
General September advised as much, “Mortal martial arts are profound and powerful, but it’s said only mortal-realm warriors can truly master them. I’d suggest the first three might suit you better.”
“No need to think it over—I’ll take the fourth,” Ling Xiao said.
Was there even a debate?
Mortal martial arts were rare beyond measure—probably only one or two existed in the Border General’s mansion.
Pass up a chance like that?
That’d be sheer stupidity.
He’d already pieced together an incomplete Snow Lotus Sword Art from a mortal art fragment—who’s to say he couldn’t grasp a true mortal art from its full essence?
“You sure about this? I don’t mean to discourage you, but a genius once made the same choice and regretted it. An hour wasn’t enough to grasp anything, and it just muddled his mind,” General September said coolly, “That genius was me!”
“No one’s succeeded?” Ling Xiao asked.
“There was one,” General September nodded, “But she only managed one move, and in my view, its power wasn’t much different from a near-mortal art’s.”
“Who was it?”
“Dai Yuling!”
General September went on, “You can’t compare to her. You’re a genius, sure, but she’s a genius among geniuses. Born with a complete martial soul! And that soul boosts her comprehension of martial arts like nothing else.”
“Her pulling off a move or two doesn’t mean you can.”
Ling Xiao smiled, “Thanks for the heads-up, General, but I’ve made up my mind.”
“Fine, if you’re that set on it, I won’t push,” General September said, shaking his head inwardly.
This Ling Xiao—did topping the merit list make him cocky? Well, let him taste some hardship, he’d learn to measure his limits.
“General, can I delay the comprehension for a few days?” Ling Xiao asked.
“Of course, but within seven days. Mind telling me why?” General September asked, frowning.
“Seven days? Plenty,” Ling Xiao said with a grin, “Like you said, grasping a mortal martial art isn’t easy, so I want to push my cultivation to seventh vein first—martial master level!”
