Chapter 22

A month passed, and the leaves on the trees began to fall. Although the weather was still warm at noon, one could feel the chill in the air during the mornings and evenings.

The farmers entered the harvest season, starting the autumn harvest and preparing for winter.

"Bang!"

A fireball the size of a head struck a wooden post, instantly setting it ablaze.

"Magic is so difficult~"

Jiang Ping'an looked at the fireball he had practiced for a month, which was only this small, and couldn't help but sigh.

He had broken through to the sixth level of Qi Cultivation half a month ago using a Qi Gathering Pill and had fully opened the ten meridians of the *Hou Tu Breathing and Exhalation Technique*.

Even so, his progress in magic still made him want to cry.

This kind of attack might be useless in the final battle of winter.

"You should give up on spiritual cultivation and focus on physical cultivation; it has a brighter future for you."

Li Yuntian, holding a wine gourd, walked into the courtyard, drunk.

"Senior." Jiang Ping'an quickly bowed in greeting.

Over the past month, this senior had often come to guide him and tell him stories about the cultivation world.

Feeling a long-lost warmth from the old man, his smiles had become more frequent.

Li Yuntian took a sip of wine. "Your skills in physical techniques are on par with Miss Meng Jing. If you focus on physical cultivation, you will definitely reach the Martial Artist realm before the age of eighteen and become famous throughout Blackwind County."

Only those who had seen Jiang Ping'an's physical techniques knew how strong his talent was.

Meng Jing, according to the betting agreement, handed the *Vibration Blade* to Li Yuntian before participating in the county's genius selection competition, asking Li Yuntian to pass it on to Jiang Ping'an.

In just a month, Jiang Ping'an had mastered the second level of the *Vibration Blade*.

Throughout Lianshan County, only Meng Jing and Jiang Ping'an had mastered the second level of the *Vibration Blade* before the age of twenty.

"I want more trump cards." Jiang Ping'an replied.

He didn't want to give up on spiritual cultivation for now, even though it was difficult to practice, it had strong killing power and could attack from a distance.

Li Yuntian smiled. Young people were all like this, confident and unmanageable.

But that's what being young is all about. If you're not a bit wild when you're young, can you still call yourself young? He was even wilder when he was young.

Li Yuntian put down his wine gourd and suddenly became serious.

"The General wants you to go to the General's residence; there's a meeting you need to attend."

"Senior, is there something specific at this meeting?" Jiang Ping'an noticed the serious expression on the other's face.

"Indeed. The General and I plan to promote you to the position of Captain, but there are a few people with similar strength who might not be convinced."

Hearing this, Jiang Ping'an suddenly understood.

"It's fine. I don't have much interest in power; you can give it to them."

Li Yuntian shook his head. "This isn't about power. Only by reaching that position can you receive better rewards after the war."

"The Blood Qi Technique you are currently practicing is too low in level, which will limit your cultivation speed. If we win the war and you are a Captain, you can request better physical cultivation techniques from the higher-ups in Blackwild County."

Jiang Ping'an suddenly understood. Position was related to the distribution of cultivation resources.

To become stronger, he indeed needed better techniques.

He had to have this Captain position.

"Adjust your state. Those few people are top warriors who have survived battles. If there's a conflict, it might be resolved through a duel."

As Li Yuntian spoke, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "What level is your physical cultivation now?"

He knew that Jiang Ping'an had learned the *Vibration Blade* technique very quickly, so his talent in martial arts should be quite good.

"Captain level." Jiang Ping'an smiled.

The second level of the Blood Qi Technique could make one a Captain, and the third level could still make one a Captain.

Seeing the other's confidence, Li Yuntian guessed that Jiang Ping'an's current physical combat strength should be comparable to the sixth or seventh level of Qi Cultivation.

He took Jiang Ping'an to the General's residence.

Before they even entered, they heard intense shouts from inside.

"I don't agree! Letting a fourteen-year-old boy be a Captain is unreasonable!"

"How powerful can a fourteen-year-old be? If it were Miss Meng Jing, that would be different, but what is this boy Jiang Ping'an?"

"Moreover, this boy is from Lianshan County. We can't trust him to command the troops!"

"Click~"

Pushing open the door, Li Yuntian led Jiang Ping'an into the meeting room.

A group of soldiers in armor, exuding a killing aura, all turned to look at Jiang Ping'an.

As expected, this young man was Jiang Ping'an.

These people exuded a powerful aura. If an ordinary person faced this aura, they would kneel involuntarily.

Jiang Ping'an remained calm and walked in composedly.

"Huh?"

Many of the Captains were surprised by his calmness.

Not reacting to such a powerful aura meant that his cultivation was not low.

"I want the Captain position. Who wants to go first?" Jiang Ping'an said directly.

He didn't like wasting time. Becoming a Captain would give him better resources, and he needed this position.

He had already learned the Blood Qi Technique, and to reach the Martial Artist level, he needed to learn better martial arts techniques.

To make these soldiers respect him, he had to be stronger than them.

"What a presumptuous boy. I'll go first. If you can defeat me, Yang Hu, I, Yang Hu, will withdraw from the competition!"

A burly soldier with a full beard stepped forward.

"Let's fight in the courtyard. We'll stop at the first touch; no one should get hurt." General Meng Kuo said.

He leaned over and whispered to Li Yuntian, "Can Jiang Ping'an do it?"

He didn't know Jiang Ping'an as well as Li Yuntian did. He had other plans for making Jiang Ping'an a Captain but didn't have high hopes for his combat strength.

He didn't expect the boy to challenge someone as soon as he entered, disrupting his plans.

Li Yuntian took a sip of wine and smiled. "He has mastered the *Illusory Blade* and *Vibration Blade* techniques. As long as he is careful, it should be fine."

Meng Kuo nodded.

As long as it's fine. This boy Jiang Ping'an indeed has good talent, to have learned these two blade techniques.

Should he consider marrying his daughter to this boy? They are about the same age and have similar talent.

His daughter should be back today; he would ask her opinion later.

Yang Hu took out a large broadsword from his waist. Unlike the usual narrow short swords, this sword was particularly heavy, with iron rings hanging from it, making a crisp sound.

"Boy, don't say I, Yang Hu, am bullying you. You are still young, and this Captain position is not for everyone."

He had worked hard for so many years, finally about to become a Captain, and now a young boy suddenly appeared. How could he accept it?

"I understand. Let's go." Jiang Ping'an calmly looked at him.

"Where's your weapon?" Yang Hu asked.

"I won't use a blade today." Jiang Ping'an quickly retreated, and a ball of flame appeared in his hand.

He wanted to test the results of his practice over the past month with an opponent today.

"Spit~"

Li Yuntian spat out the wine in his mouth, his eyes wide open.

"Brat, you want to use spiritual cultivation to fight Yang Hu?"

If Jiang Ping'an used physical techniques to fight, he would have a high chance of winning.

But this boy actually planned to use magic!

This made Li Yuntian unsure.

What's wrong with this boy?