Chapter 62

Though it was inevitable that Chen Lie would be appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Yulong Camp and granted the rank of Tinghou, it still required an official decree from the imperial court to make it official.

Being granted the rank of Tinghou, Chen Lie would officially join the upper echelons of the Wuwei Army, receive a formal fief to support his troops and household, and become one of the four main branches of the Chen family. As the "eldest son" of Tinghou, Chen Hai would also have the qualifications to directly enter the inner gate of the Taowei Sect's seven peaks for cultivation.

Previously, both Chen Zhang and Chen Qing had only officially entered the inner gate of the Taowei Sect after opening the Linghai Secret Palace.

Zhou Jun, Ge Tong, and others were also very pleased. They had been following Chen Hai and were already considered part of Chen Lie's direct lineage. With Chen Lie being granted the rank of Tinghou, their status in the army or the sect would naturally rise.

"Since the New Year is approaching, should Junior Brother Chen go down the mountain in a few days to celebrate this matter with Uncle Chen?" Zhou Jun asked with a smile.

Chen Hai, holding the lacquered wooden box containing four Tongmai Pills, said, "In three days, we will go down the mountain together to celebrate Uncle's enfeoffment..."

***

Three days later, the sky was just beginning to turn white, and the surrounding mountains and fields were still covered in snow.

After completing his morning practice, Chen Hai led the blue fox horse down the western ridge of Snake Valley. Wu Meng, Ge Tong, and Zhou Jun had already packed their bags and were waiting at the foot of the western ridge for Chen Hai...

They had to reach Yulong Prefecture before nightfall, so they had to set out from the Medicine Garden before dawn.

Seeing the faint porcelain-white glow on Chen Hai's scarred face, only Wu Meng, at the mid-stage of the Lingjing Realm, could clearly discern what this signified. His expression brightened, and he said, "Young Master has already entered the late stage of the Tongxuan Realm, which is a cause for celebration..."

Chen Hai smiled slightly and said, "The Zuyang and Shouyang main meridians are relatively easy to cultivate, yet I used four Tongmai Pills. In others' eyes, this might not be something worth celebrating."

Wu Meng, Zhou Jun, and Ge Tong all smiled awkwardly, unsure how to comfort Chen Hai.

Chen Hai had used five Tongmai Pills to reach the late stage of the Tongxuan Realm, and with the consumption of other pills, the total cost in sect merit points was no less than 40,000, and he had only cultivated four spirit meridians.

In comparison, Zhou Jun, who had successfully opened the Linghai Secret Palace on the basis of six spirit meridians, had consumed less than 10,000 sect merit points in total over the years. The gap between the two was evident.

More crucially, Chen Hai had already taken five Tongmai Pills, and the efficacy of further pills would be greatly reduced.

The four main meridians he had cultivated—Zuyang, Shouyang, Zhaoyang, and Mingyang—were the easiest to cultivate among the twelve main meridians. The possibility of using Tongmai Pills to open other main meridians was extremely low.

This meant that Chen Hai might only be able to open the Linghai Secret Palace on the basis of four spirit meridians, which would greatly limit his strength in the Lingjing Realm and his potential for future cultivation. He would not be comparable to the talented descendants of the noble families, and might not even be as good as ordinary inner gate disciples.

Seeing the somber atmosphere among Wu Meng, Zhou Jun, and Ge Tong, Chen Hai laughed heartily. His luggage was prepared by Ge Tong and the others, and he spurred his horse up the newly constructed mountain path, heading towards Huanglong Abyss...

From the beginning, he knew he was destined to walk a more difficult path than ordinary people. In less than two years, he had successfully cultivated four spirit meridians and reached the late stage of the Tongxuan Realm, clearing the way for opening the Linghai Secret Palace, which was far better than he had expected.

Since he was destined to walk a different path, why should he worry about these minor troubles?

***

The Wuwei Army was vigorously developing Yulong Mountain, and the Hexiang Army was also expanding its military preparations in Yanchuan Prefecture to the south. However, after nearly half a year, neither side had made any further moves.

In the short term, it was unclear who would make a move, as neither side was fully prepared.

With the New Year approaching, the atmosphere on Yulong Mountain was filled with festive joy.

Accompanied by Wu Meng, Ge Tong, and Zhou Jun, Chen Hai spent half a day winding through Yulong Mountain before riding out and entering the newly built Yulong Prefecture north of Chenqiao Village.

In the afternoon, it started snowing again in the mountains, and the north and south of Yulong Mountain were covered in white. The newly built Yulong Prefecture was even more magnificent than Chen Hai had imagined. The city walls, built along the mountain ridges, stretched for twenty to thirty miles, not much smaller than Mengyi City at the eastern foot of Tieliu Ridge.

Even with 200,000 laborers, it would have been impossible to build such a grand city in just half a year. It must have involved a large number of earth-element experts from the seven peaks.

The black city walls, like a coiled dragon, were twenty to thirty meters high, extremely grand. The gaps between the massive stones were filled with molten iron, and the walls were engraved with numerous Dao symbols, subtly connecting to the mysterious forces of heaven and earth, making any point on the wall capable of withstanding the attack of a Mingqiao Realm expert.

Chen Hai reined in his horse before the city walls, not in a hurry to enter. He was filled with emotion, unable to imagine how many resources the Grand Protector's Mansion had mobilized to build such a grand city in just half a year.

Since the Wuwei Army had such abundant resources, why had Yulong and other prefectures and counties suffered from continuous unrest for years without active relief, only to be dealt with hastily when the refugees rebelled and the local authorities could no longer control the situation?

Or did the Grand Protector's Mansion need a civilian unrest on the border with the Hexiang Army to justify the expansion of military preparations?

Chen Hai did not dare to speculate further, but he could already glimpse the true strength of the Wuwei Army from the construction of Yulong Prefecture. He wondered why the Hexiang Army would provoke the fierce beast of the Wuwei Army.

In recent times, Chen Hai had studied the military town system of the Great Yan Empire and the numerous military towns that occupied most of Yanzhou.

Although the Hexiang Army had two Dao Dan Realm supreme experts, one of whom even served as the Deputy Chancellor of the Tianzhu Academy, the phenomenon of noble families monopolizing cultivation resources was even more severe within the Hexiang Army's jurisdiction. Commoners could only cultivate by relying on noble families or clans.

On the surface, this corrupt system made the noble families and clans within the Hexiang Army's jurisdiction more powerful, but it also made the Hexiang Army system unwieldy, with internal noble families restraining each other. This made the Hexiang Army's efforts to expand military preparations in the south of Yulong Mountain over the past half year less effective.

Although the Hexiang Army had a considerable number of troops and even more Mingqiao Realm experts than the Yulong Camp, the construction of defense forts and barriers was far inferior to the Wuwei Army.

Chen Hai did not know what others thought, but he knew that the Wuwei Army's overall mobilization capability was much stronger than the Hexiang Army.

In terms of time, place, and people, the Hexiang Army scored negatively in both people and place. Chen Hai felt that it might not be long before Grand Protector Dong Liang of the Wuwei Army decided to launch an attack.

"I didn't expect the Grand Protector's Mansion to have the resolve to build Yulong Prefecture so grandly," Zhou Jun also sighed in admiration.

"It seems that a battle between the Wuwei Army and the Hexiang Army is inevitable," Chen Hai said, expressing his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Ge Tong asked in confusion. "If a war is really going to break out, why waste so many resources to build such a grand city here?"

"In the eyes of most people, the Grand Protector's Mansion's investment of a large amount of resources to build the Yulong Mountain defense line is a defensive move, but it can also be understood as pre-war military mobilization," Chen Hai explained.

"The Wuwei Army advanced into the eastern domain of Jinzhou several years ago, and the outcome was a stalemate. After a few years without a major battle, to launch a new major war, not only troops but also financial and other resources need to be mobilized and integrated. It is also necessary to ensure that the internal noble families will not have significant constraints. Considering victory and defeat, if the attack on Lanchuan Prefecture is unfavorable, the army must have a place to retreat and defend. This is the key to the large-scale construction of the Yulong Mountain defense line. However, once all the preparations are in order, the Grand Protector will have enough confidence to launch an attack from Yulong Mountain..."

"Is that so?" Wu Meng was not very convinced by Chen Hai's speculation.

Chen Hai smiled slightly. The relationship between the Great Yan Empire and the various military towns was too similar to a certain historical period on Earth. When the central government was weak and unable to effectively control the regions, and the military was monopolized by military oligarchs, even to the point of hereditary succession, what would happen next was not hard to guess.

The Hexiang Army's acceptance of the rebels' surrender was a sign of ambition, and with the ambitious and ambitious Grand Protector of the Wuwei Army, how could he not have even greater ambitions?

Seeing that Wu Meng, Zhou Jun, and others still did not understand, Chen Hai thought that after his cultivation realm, he might need some time to surpass them. He needed to show them something to gain their trust and continued to explain:

"The Grand Protector's Mansion has invested so many resources in Yulong Mountain, and they will not be satisfied with just controlling the small Yulong Mountain. Moreover, the Wuwei Army is threatened by the various Qiang tribes in the west of Jinzhou and the demon tribes to the north of Taowei Mountain, already facing enemies on two fronts. With the Hexiang Army in the south now showing hostility, the Grand Protector's Mansion may take the initiative to avoid being surrounded on three fronts..."

Wu Meng remained silent. He had heard similar arguments from Sun Gan before, and he did not expect Chen Hai, who was in a remote area, to have such insight.

"Is that so?" Zhou Jun and Ge Tong looked at the newly built Yulong Prefecture with a hint of confusion, but there was also a glimmer of excitement for future achievements.

Chen Hai's visit to Yulong City this time was for the New Year's reunion and to celebrate Chen Lie's official enfeoffment as Zhaoyang Tinghou. Zhou Jun and Ge Tong accompanied Chen Hai to Yulong City this time because they had both successfully opened the Linghai Secret Palace and entered the Lingjing Realm in the past month, based on five and six spirit meridians, respectively.

As Chen Lie's "eldest son," Chen Hai could directly enter the inner gate of the Taowei Sect's seven peaks for cultivation, a privilege of noble "eldest sons." Zhou Jun, this time, would naturally enter the inner gate of the Taowei Sect's seven peaks for cultivation.

In addition to accompanying Chen Hai to the seven peaks of Taowei Mountain, Zhou Jun also needed to visit Chen Lie in Yulong Prefecture. After entering the inner gate of the seven peaks, the formal master-disciple relationship would be established, and Zhou Jun wanted to cultivate under the third-generation true disciple of the Taowei Sect, Chen Lie.

If a war between the Wuwei Army and the Hexiang Army were to break out in the near future, it would mean more opportunities for the new generation to achieve success.

Ge Tong, nearly forty years old, did not have the qualifications to enter the inner gate of the seven peaks even after entering the Lingjing Realm.

Although Ge Tong could continue to serve in the army as a higher-ranking middle-level officer or return to Huanglong Abyss Dao Academy as a low-level official, he would not be able to obtain the fundamental Xuanfa and Dan Ding techniques for cultivation beyond the Lingjing Realm...

This time, Ge Tong wanted to join the Chen family and become a formal part of the Chen clan.

Although the Chen family's secret clan techniques were far inferior to the fundamental Xuanfa and Dan Ding techniques of the Taowei Sect, they were still a good choice for Lingjing Realm cultivators.

After formally joining the Chen clan, Ge Tong could cultivate the Qingyuan Sword Technique like Wu Meng and other Lingjing Realm household guards, and he also yearned for more battle achievements.

In addition to Zhou Jun and Ge Tong, Zhou Jingyuan also chose to join the Chen clan.

He had struggled to cultivate his third spirit meridian and then stagnated, making it difficult to break through to the Lingjing Realm. However, Zhou Jingyuan was already the grand steward of the Medicine Garden, and his daughter, Zhou Qingyun, was cultivating under Chen Qing. What more could he ask for if he did not join the Chen clan?

Shen Kun did not join the Chen clan.

If the father and children were all part of the household, they would have to achieve great feats worthy of enfeoffment to be released from their status—this was a rule that had been followed for a thousand years in Yanzhou and the Great Yan Empire.

Shen Kun, like Ge Tong and Zhou Jingyuan, would not have the opportunity to become an inner gate disciple of the Taowei Sect even after entering the Lingjing Realm. However, his young son, Shen Xiutian, was exceptionally talented and had cultivated the Zuyang and Shouyang main meridians in less than a year at the Dao Academy, becoming a black-robed disciple. He had a good chance of becoming an inner gate disciple of the Taowei Sect, or even a true disciple.

For Shen Xiutian's future, Shen Kun could not directly rely on the Chen family.

Chen Hai understood Shen Kun's feelings and would not become estranged from him because of this.

***

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