Chapter 86

Chen Hai did not need a magical treasure-level battle halberd with profound array formations; he only needed a mystic battle halberd that allowed true essence to flow through the blade, generating a halberd glow. With the Ten-Step Water-Cutting Slash in hand, its power would at least increase by fifty percent.

Chen Hai had a Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd with him, which could be considered the pinnacle among ordinary iron weapons, a reward from the Grand Marshal's Mansion for his accumulated merits when he broke out of Jade Dragon Mountain.

True essence could not flow through the blade to form an invincible halberd glow, so the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd was still an ordinary iron weapon. However, Chen Hai had a piece of Cold Patterned Iron, which could be considered a treasure-grade material.

If this piece of Cold Patterned Iron could be refined into the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd, not only would the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd truly become a mystic weapon, but its weight would also increase by thirty to forty percent, making it most suitable for executing the Ten-Step Water-Cutting Slash, a powerful halberd technique.

To refine this mystic battle halberd, Chen Hai personally went to the foundry and visited three Spirit-Opening Realm master craftsmen to discuss the method of refining the Cold Patterned Iron.

The three Spirit-Opening Realm master craftsmen lamented that using the Cold Patterned Iron merely as a channel for true essence to flow through the blade was a waste. As a rare treasure, the Cold Patterned Iron could be refined into a complex array formation to create a high-grade magical treasure.

Chen Hai was indeed using it in a way that was far below its potential.

However, there were no cost-effective mystic battle halberds available in the Upper Seven Peaks, so Chen Hai did not care about the waste. No matter how many treasures he had, they were only useful if he could use them.

However, to refine this palm-sized piece of Cold Patterned Iron, which was formed from the essence of iron and stone, into the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd, even the three Spirit-Opening Realm master craftsmen could only勉强 do it together, and the cost would be astonishing.

Just to melt the Cold Patterned Iron, several extremely valuable Mystic-Level Extreme Flame Talismans were needed. Otherwise, the intense flames they could summon with their Flame Control Techniques would not be sufficient to melt the Cold Patterned Iron...

Even with the Mystic-Level Extreme Flame Talismans, controlling the Cold Patterned Iron to seep into the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd without damaging its structure was beyond the control level of a Spirit-Opening Realm craftsman.

After all preparations were made, Chen Hai finally invited the Yellow Dragon Abyss Dao College's supervisor, Zhao Ruhui, to assist. With the help of the three master craftsmen from the Alchemist Garden foundry, they successfully refined the Cold Patterned Iron into the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd.

Zhao Ruhui symbolically accepted one thousand points of sect merit as a token of gratitude from Chen Hai. The three Spirit-Opening Realm master craftsmen were subordinates of the Pavilion Marquis's household. Assisting Zhao Ruhui in refining the weapon also increased their knowledge, so they declined to accept the gifts Chen Hai had prepared.

The final Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd weighed two hundred pounds. Due to the large amount of Cold Patterned Iron refined into the blade, it was extremely sharp even without the halberd glow. However, even with the symbolic gifts from Zhao Ruhui and the others, the consumption of other auxiliary materials was enormous, and Chen Hai had to borrow over ten thousand points of sect merit from Chen Su.

Thanks to his intense cultivation over the past two to three years, Chen Hai's physical strength was ten times that of an ordinary person. Even without mobilizing the true essence in his Spirit Sea, his strength was terrifying, allowing him to wield the two-hundred-pound Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd with ease.

Chen Hai had grown extremely robust over the past two to three years. Although his face had not continued to swell, it was full of cross-muscles and scars, with fierce eyes. After entering the Upper Seven Peaks, he had also grown a beard. Wearing heavy armor and wielding a two-hundred-pound Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd, he was like a human tank on the battlefield.

After the weight of the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd increased by forty percent, when Chen Hai tested it against Wu Meng, the halberd could easily cut through the sword glow of Wu Meng's Spirit Pattern Sword. If not for his control, it would have damaged the sword itself several times...

"Even without opening the Spirit Sea Secret Palace, with such bravery, there are few Spirit-Opening Realm cultivators who would dare to face off against Young Master on the battlefield!" Wu Meng, who had followed Chen Hai, had not yet broken through in cultivation, but he knew how much his strength had improved.

Even so, before obtaining a higher-quality spirit sword, he could only engage Chen Hai's halberd in a hit-and-run style, unable to face it head-on. This made it clear how terrifying Chen Hai's bravery was.

Chen Hai smiled slightly and said, "We should have some ambition. Our goal shouldn't be just the enemy's Spirit-Opening Realm generals. If we can kill enemy generals of the Enlightenment Realm or higher during a battle, that would be true merit!"

Wu Meng's praise made him happy, but he was not overly proud. In fact, he had not told anyone except his uncle Chen Lie about comprehending the essence of fragmentation.

Unless he wanted to be caught and studied by the old monsters of the Taiwei Sect who had been in hiding for years, he would never let the fact that he had mastered the essence of fragmentation be known to the public.

Therefore, when he tested the halberd against Wu Meng, he did not incorporate the essence of fragmentation into the halberd. Otherwise, even if Wu Meng used his full strength, he could not have withstood Chen Hai's full set of Ten-Step Water-Cutting Slashes!

Chen Hai tied the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd to the back of his Blue Sly Horse and led the horse slowly down the mountain to the horse field.

Zhou Jun, Zhao Shan, and Shen Kun were training over sixty elite bandits on the horse field on the north side of the hill.

When Chen Hai and Wu Meng arrived, Zhao Shan was patiently explaining military signals to the group, but the sixty bandits were lazy, whispering to each other, yawning, or sitting on the ground, chewing on willow branches to pass the time.

"How is the basic halberd technique and cavalry formation training going?" Chen Hai asked Zhao Shan.

He had been busy cultivating the Object Control Technique and refining the Frost-Quenched Halberd Technique, so he had entrusted the training of the sixty bandits to Zhou Jun, Zhao Shan, and Shen Kun.

"Your Excellency, we have lived a life of blood and steel. Although we are not experts in horsemanship, we don't need Your Excellency to teach us from scratch. As for the halberd technique, we have practiced the Mountain-Cleaving Halberd since childhood. Although it's not a masterpiece, it won't embarrass Your Excellency on the battlefield," a tall, thin man with a scarred face said, casually swinging his iron halberd, the sound of the air slicing through indicating his considerable skill in martial arts, but also his disdain for basic halberd training.

Chen Hai remembered this man's name was Qi Hanjiang, the leader of a bandit gang that had been wiped out by the Martial Might Army. He was in his mid-twenties but had grown up in a bandit den. He did not expect him to be the first to challenge him.

Chen Hai glanced over Qi Hanjiang and scanned the others' faces.

Everyone looked down on the basic halberd technique. Chen Hai knew these people were stubborn and would not truly focus on basic training until they received a sufficient lesson.

Cavalry formations were crucial for battlefield charges, and basic halberd techniques were the foundation for practicing the improved Ten-Step Halberd Technique.

The Dao College's training of low-level military officers for the Martial Might Army had a significant flaw: the cultivation methods of the Dao soldiers were extremely mixed. While this might help the sect discover the potential of its disciples and cultivate their strengths, it inevitably caused unnecessary and even fatal confusion for the lower ranks of the Martial Might Army.

The army needed strict discipline, uniformity, and the most efficient organizational ability to maximize its offensive and defensive power in the shortest time. In Yanzhou, where the strong ruled, the upper class looked down on the lower class, and few understood these principles. However, Chen Hai, from Earth and the mortal world, understood them very well.

Regardless of what weapons these bandits were skilled in, to maximize the potential of this elite force, unifying their weapons was a necessary prerequisite.

Seeing this scene, Chen Hai knew that Zhou Jun, Shen Kun, and Wu Meng had a headache training these bandits. In single combat, Shen Kun and Zhao Shan, who had not yet reached the Spirit-Opening Realm, could easily defeat all sixty bandits, but this did not make them submit.

Chen Hai remained silent, summoned his Blue Sly Horse, mounted it, and held the Frost-Quenched Gold Halberd in front of him. He then scanned the sixty bandits with a stern look and said, "You look down on the basic halberd technique and the cavalry formation. Come at me all at once, and I will use the basic halberd technique to face you. If anyone can knock me off my horse, I will give you a thousand gold pieces and send you out of the Alchemist Garden with respect."

The sixty bandits looked at each other, some showing excitement, but most were hesitant and silent.

"What, are you afraid I won't keep my word, or are you afraid that all of you can't knock me off my horse?" Chen Hai took off his armor, the Nine-Flame Soaring Dragon Seal, the Golden Edge Spirit Ring, and the Green Shadow Spirit Sword, and said calmly, "I won't use these magical treasures to gain an advantage over you!"

Chen Hai's calm and contemptuous attitude immediately provoked the anger of a dozen fierce bandits. They grabbed their halberds, mounted their horses, and slowly spread out. The more cautious and suspicious ones did not hesitate much and also mounted their horses, but they stayed on the outskirts, waiting to see the situation before making a decision...

The troublemaker, Qi Hanjiang, did not rush to the front. Chen Hai thought, "This guy is really cunning; I can't teach him a lesson."

Chen Hai's Blue Sly Horse was taller than him, with iron-like bones. Under the scorching sun, it shot forward like a green shadow as soon as Chen Hai squeezed its sides.

The sixty bandits were not prepared. They saw a green shadow rushing towards them, and a few reacted quickly but were knocked off their horses by Chen Hai's halberd.

Their horses, though well-trained, had not been well-matched with their riders and were startled, retreating and causing no hindrance to Chen Hai, who single-handedly tore through their loose formation.

Chen Hai reined in his horse on the other side of the horse field, turned to look at the still stunned bandits, and shouted, "Again!"

Chen Hai reined in his horse and charged back, striking anyone in his path with his halberd.

Chen Hai was careful not to hit vital points, aiming for the thickest parts of their armor. Even with his restraint, being hit by a two-hundred-pound halberd was painful for even the strongest bandits.

Although Chen Hai held back, the injuries were still severe, which hurt the bandits' pride.

After several charges, none of the sixty bandits could stop Chen Hai, but their anger was ignited.

Seeing Chen Hai charge again, regardless of their composure, the sixty bandits rushed forward, their halberds forming a dense forest, creating a formidable presence.

A single halberd could not withstand too many attacks, so Chen Hai had to dodge the halberds from the flanks. The speed and angle of his horse's charge varied, disrupting the bandits' formation...

Although the sixty bandits' killing intent was fully aroused, they could not unite as a single force. Chen Hai, without using true essence, used only the most basic halberd techniques—chopping, striking, thrusting, hooking, and dragging—to disrupt and tear apart their formation each time.