Chapter 9: The Seven Great Regiments

  Unable to help but feel astonished by the lavish rewards of this war tournament, even as a strong Thousand-Man Commander, he couldn't help but be moved. Especially the reward for the Hundred-Man Commander who came in first place, it exceeded his expectations. Even as one of the four great Thousand-Man Commanders of the Flame Mountain Tribe, throughout the year, they would only be able to divide up four pieces of low-grade spirit stones at most.

  A piece of low-grade spirit stone, with its pure heavenly and earthly essence, can allow an ordinary soldier to increase his cultivation by nearly ten meridians. A strong warrior at the rank of Wu Chang can also use it to connect nearly six meridians. When one reaches the realm of Blood Refining Great Completion, a piece of low-grade spirit stone can even allow a strong warrior at the rank of Bai Fu Chang to connect three meridians. When one reaches the realm of Blood Refining Small Cycle Completion, a strong warrior at the rank of Qian Fu Chang values low-grade spirit stones even more. The amount of blood essence needed to nurture a soldier's body is simply too great. Relying solely on hunting high-ranking desolate beasts, it would likely take around ten years to cultivate just one Blood Soldier.

  Apart from that, Chi Yan Qian Fu was also drumming in his heart. He didn't believe that Shi Zhi Xuan couldn't see the depth of the ten young masters from the Volcano Tribe who came this time. Even if so, he could still be so calm and bring out so many rewards. Apart from needing enough courage, it also requires a kind of magnanimity.

  The crimson flames that once shone brightly in Chi Feng's eyes had now become a deep, profound gaze. The strong-willed cultivators' line of sight was no longer limited to the lower levels of the Blood Realm. They saw further, and possessed unshakeable confidence. This was already distinct from the Refining Blood Realm; their life stage had evolved, their lifespan increased. From this point on, they were two different worlds apart.

  Next, the Bloodstone Clan people began to distribute stone chips. The palm-sized stone chips had lines of engravings on them, and the number of engravings was used to determine the order of the competition. What's different is that ordinary soldiers received gray stone chips, while company-grade strongmen received white stone chips, and hundred-man-grade strongmen received cyan stone chips. Xiao Yi noticed that among the ten people from the Volcano Tribe, seven were holding white stone chips, while the three who had never made a move were holding cyan stone chips. In other words, among the top ten young strongmen of the Volcano Tribe who came this time, there were three hundred-man-grade strongmen.

  This shocked many powerful members of the Bloodstone Tribe, as Taotie Feng and his four companions had originally broken through with the guidance of their tribe's leader, Shi Zhixuan. Although the four were also incredibly talented and physically exceptional, even without the guidance of a Bone Forging Realm expert, they would have eventually broken through on their own. However, among the young generation of the Volcano Tribe, there were actually three people who had reached the Great Completion of Blood Refining. If it wasn't for the existence of hidden Bone Forging Realm experts within the tribe, then these three must be incredibly talented and insightful. Either possibility was not to be underestimated.

  Shui Qianliu let out a cold hum, his entire body clad in black armor, standing with his hands behind his back, emitting an aura that made one's heart palpitate. This was consistent with his judgment; even if they were three top-notch Hundred Refiners, what of it? With his Crazy Wind Leg at the Great Completion stage, he feared no opponent who had achieved Blood Refining Great Completion.

  Tuoba Feng's eyes slightly condensed, and in an instant, he smiled freely, but didn't think much of it. However, in the depths of his pupils, a hint of solemnity emerged.

  Shi Taiyi was like a long sword half-out of its scabbard, his entire being exuding an aura of sharpness. His gaze remained still, fixed on the hundred-meter battle stage, as if nothing could shake his state of mind.

  Muxue is an ordinary woman, at first glance she seems dull and unremarkable. Behind her back is a Qing iron sword wrapped in black beast skin, not revealing even half of its sharpness. However, people with discerning eyes can distinguish that the black beast skin comes from a high-ranking desolate beast called Heifeng Diao.

  The young generation of the Bloodstone Clan's four great masters reacted differently, and the big comparison had not yet begun. The atmosphere was already extremely solemn, and the air around the hundred-meter battle stage seemed to be quietly condensing.

  Soon, the Battle of the Great Comparison began. The first to take place was the Battle of the Soldiers' Comparison, which had nothing to do with the Volcano Tribe. Over 2,000 soldiers engaged in one-on-one combat, competing not only for rewards but also for a kind of conviction. At the same time, for many soldiers, this was also an excellent opportunity to observe and learn. With over 1,000 matches, each match could reveal something new. By the end of the comparison, after reflection and integration, there would inevitably be great gains.

  The showdown between ordinary warriors seemed a bit childish to Xiao Yi and the others. Only occasionally would Xiao Yi watch some of the matches, or when Shi Lei's seven people took action. Otherwise, he spent most of his time sitting quietly, regulating his breath, and adjusting his spirit to keep himself in top condition.

  After being tempered by the Green Stone Elephant, Shi Lei and his six companions were no longer as tender as before. Their combat skills had become well-rounded, their spirits unyielding, and they burst forth with dazzling brilliance in the Grand Competition. Among them, Shi Lei, Shi Qian, and Yun Shan stood out the most, for all three of them had broken through to the Ordinary Realm Middle Stage, giving birth to their own unique auras.

  Among the three, Shi Lei Xiu was the highest, and he had already penetrated thirty-three heavenly veins. Shi Qian and Yun Shan also made some progress. This was due to the silver ginseng they had refined earlier, some of whose medicinal properties had lain dormant in their bodies without being fully absorbed. Over the past month, under the grinding of Qing Shi Xiang, the medicinal properties were forced out one after another. Adding to this was the daily hunting and killing of wild beasts to absorb their blood energy, which allowed the three people's cultivation to take a significant leap forward once again.

  The great battle lasted for three days and three nights, except for Shi Lei's trio, the other four were too shallow, their cultivation was insufficient, they barely won against one opponent, but lost in the second match, which also made people take notice, a young man who had just entered the war academy, almost made it into the top thousand, this kind of strength is rarely seen.

  Finally, Yunshan stopped within the top 20, Shi Lei and Shi Qian both made it into the top 10, but failed to enter the top 5. This was not a competition for young people, as it included middle-aged and young people. The champion was a young man named Qinghe, whose cultivation had almost reached the level of Wu Chang, and he also generated his own momentum.

  Despite this, Shi Lei and the others also shocked many people. On the stone platform, Chi Yan Qian's gaze slightly condensed as he took a deep breath to calm his mind. However, in his heart, he couldn't help but compare Shi Lei and the others with the young generation of his own family. In the end, he reluctantly discovered that they were weaker by more than one level.

  On the fourth day at dawn, the Wu Chang Da Bi began. In just one month, under the supply of a large number of low-grade spirit stones, the number of strong Wu Chang level warriors in the Blood Stone Tribe had increased to 208 people. Adding the seven from the Volcano Tribe, there were a total of 216 participants in the competition. As the champion of the soldier competition, Qing He requested to enter the Wu Chang Da Bi.

  The fierce competition among the top five, was no longer an ordinary showdown. No one else was distracted, on Xiao Yi's white stone tablet, there were fifty-four engraved marks, in front of him, he could observe fifty-three matches of top five strongmen.

  Among them, Xiao Yi saw Shi Yuan and also saw Li Yue. The cultivation of the two had made great progress. Li Yue had already become a strong Wuzhang-level cultivator. Her archery skills were not ordinary, and she had already touched the threshold of the Lianyin realm. Her momentum and archery skills were subtly merged, with a tendency to transform. However, the cultivation of the two was still shallow, and they lost in the first battle.

  In the fifty-three matches, three members of the Volcano Tribe took action, each with extraordinary combat power. Among them, Chi Xue was the most powerful, having reached a small achievement in the Split Sound Boundary's archery skills. The Bloodstone Tribe's Wu Zhang, who was among the top twenty among many Wu Zhangs, couldn't withstand his two arrows. The other two were similarly skilled, not only with deep cultivation nearing the Great Blood Refining Completion, but also with comprehensive mastery of military tactics and strategies, defeating their opponents in less than ten moves.

  At this point, a hint of smile finally appeared in the eyes of Chi Yan Qianfu, Shi Zhi Xuan's expression remained calm, while a hint of worry crept into the eyes of Hu Shan Qianfu. The seven strong men from the Fire Mountain tribe were no ordinary people, although they were all young, each and every one of them possessed extraordinary strength, even the weakest among them had the strength of the top five. If nothing unexpected happened, it was highly likely that they would occupy seven spots in the top ten, most importantly, the first place. If an outsider were to take that spot, the lower-grade spirit stones and earth-tier blood pellets would be unimportant, what mattered was face and the dominant position in the confrontation with the Xian tribe, which might be lost.

  The fifty-third round ended, Xiao Yi stepped forward and walked towards the hundred-meter battle stage. Under the gaze of tens of thousands of Bloodstone Tribe members, he stepped onto the stage, also facing a kind of pressure. In the previous Battle Soldier Competition, some people couldn't withstand this gaze and became timid before the fight, thus falling into a disadvantageous position.

  Upon seeing Xiao Yi's opponent, Shi Lei and the others were shocked in their hearts. It wasn't because his opponent was a member of the Fire Mountain Tribe, but rather that Xiao Yi's opponent was Gu Quan, the second-ranked Wu Zhang of the tribe. He was a middle-aged Wu Zhang who had been through countless battles and had a high reputation within the tribe. Not only was he just one step away from achieving Blood Refining Great Completion, his mental willpower had already broken into the Ordinary Boundary Higher Realm, possessing Second-Order strength.

  "What a pity! Although Xiao Yi Xiu's cultivation has improved quickly, he still can't be a match for Gu Quan Wu Chang."

  "But this Xiao Yi is not simple, it seems that he has exchanged blows with Huo Qing of the Volcano Tribe and emerged undefeated, and is said to have grasped the second level of power, but unexpectedly encountered an extremely powerful opponent from the start."

  Some of the strong men of the Wu tribe were disappointed. On the stone platform, Shi Tai's thousand-man commander slightly furrowed his brow, which was a bit bad. In his expectation, if Xiao Yi and Gu Quan, who ranked in the top three, did not meet, they might be able to get a top ten position for the tribe. Now it seems that there is no such luck. Although Xiao Yi is not weak, he still has a significant gap compared to Gu Quan, which was accumulated through years of life and death battles. Even on Gu Quan's hands, there was once a hundred-man commander who lost by one move.

  On top of the hundred-zhang battlefield platform.

  Xiao Yi's expression was calm and serene, his eyes fixed on the front. Gu Quan looked at the young Wu Chang in front of him, who had grown up at an astonishing speed in just one short year, even surpassing all records in their clan's history. With time, it wasn't impossible for him to surpass Xiao Yi as well, but now was a bit too early. A hint of admiration appeared in his eyes.