Chapter 78

As summer gave way to autumn, the leaves turned golden, and three months had passed in the blink of an eye.

"Charge! Charge! Charge..."

Outside the city of Kunming, in the military camp, the war drums thundered and the flags fluttered. Over a thousand soldiers roared, their voices shaking the heavens. Lin Sha, mounted on a tall and powerful horse, wearing a helmet and armor, rode majestically past the rows of training soldiers, his presence commanding and awe-inspiring.

Nearly two years of military life had left a deep mark on him. His bronze skin, weathered by wind and rain, and his face, hardened by battles, made him look even more resolute. His eyes, sharp like a drawn sword, and the aura of a seasoned warrior surrounded him, making him a formidable general on the battlefield.

Three months was enough to change many things. Lin Sha was now a full-fledged Fourth Rank Commandant and a Brigadier General in the Yunnan Army, a middle-level officer with significant influence. Commanding over a thousand soldiers in three battalions, he was a rising star in the Wu Army!

Thanks to his connection with the young and plump Hu Dasha, he had joined Hu Guozhu's faction early on. With the legacy of his deceased father, he smoothly took over a new battalion without facing the typical suppression and exclusion from the old guard.

Over the past year, he had fought across western Yunnan, leading from the front in every battle, earning the respect of his men and the favor of Old Wu. His repeated achievements led to his promotion to Fourth Rank Commandant, making him a key figure in the Wu Army!

What made him happiest was the rapid improvement in his internal martial arts skills.

His strength had reached the level of Hidden Power, and his internal martial arts practice had advanced to a new level...

Even in the heyday of martial arts in the Republic of China, Lin Sha would have been considered a formidable expert.

Of course, to achieve this, he had paid a great price in terms of effort and hardship.

He trained tirelessly, challenging the martial arts masters in Kunming, often ending up with a bruised and battered face. His achievements were also the result of the trials of blood and fire on the battlefield!

He had underestimated the heroes of the world. The martial arts masters in Kunming, whom he had previously looked down upon, taught him a valuable lesson, showing him that the classification of internal martial arts strength did not apply to everyone!

After a year of continuous battles, his internal martial arts strength, which had been at the peak of Manifested Power, broke through to the level of Hidden Power under the intense stimulation of life and death!

Then he reached the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound level, solidifying his Hidden Power strength.

After returning to Kunming, besides the frequent invitations to banquets in the first few weeks and the busy period of taking over the new battalion, he devoted most of his energy to practicing internal martial arts once everything was on track!

Internal martial arts were the foundation of his survival in the military and in this martial world, and he could not afford to be careless!

Reaching the level of Hidden Power, further improvement in strength was not easy.

He had to continuously train his body, familiarize himself with various techniques of Hidden Power, and firmly stabilize his boxing and spear skills at the initial stage of Hidden Power.

With the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound method, which directly exercises the internal organs, he put in a lot of effort and energy, along with techniques to adapt to the vibration of muscles and the emission of hidden power. The daily energy expenditure was enormous.

To quickly enhance his physical fitness, he also needed medicinal food supplements and baths, which required a significant amount of money.

The cost of buying medicinal herbs alone was like a stream of silver, depleting not only the inheritance left by his parents but also his salary and extra income. He had to live in the military camp to avoid the embarrassment of being homeless.

Of course, he was not short of money. The wealth he had seized from the rebel forces in western Yunnan was considerable, and the local gentry and landlords had also contributed voluntarily. No one would believe he was broke.

However, some things could not be easily revealed, especially since his rapid promotion had already aroused jealousy among his peers, who were always watching for any missteps. He was not foolish enough to walk into a trap.

...

After a thorough inspection of the camp, finding no issues or irregularities, he called the battalion commanders for a stern lecture, instructing them to maintain discipline among their men. Only then did he leave the camp, escorted by the officers of the third battalion.

Outside the camp, about twenty members of his personal guard surrounded him, and they rode slowly into the city.

As a Fourth Rank Commandant and a Brigadier General, he could no longer live in the small town outside the city, where the infrastructure was inadequate and unsafe.

Here, it must be said that Hu Guozhu, the Commander-in-Chief, was indeed a man of good character. Learning through his nephew that Lin Sha had no place to stay in the city, he immediately sent a deed for a three-courtyard residence in the area where military officers lived, as a gift to celebrate Lin Sha's promotion. He said that not accepting it would be an insult to him.

Lin Sha, after a brief moment of thought, accepted the Commander-in-Chief's kindness without hesitation. He would have felt uncomfortable if he had not, considering how much he had "contributed" to Hu Guozhu during the pacification of the western Yunnan rebellion, selecting the finest spoils from the rebel forces, which were worth far more than several residences.

Thus, he settled in the area of Kunming where military officers lived.

When they returned to the city residence, the sun had just risen, casting a fiery red glow over Kunming. Dismounting, he handed the reins to the eager doorman and strode into the main hall. Passing through the flower hall and the screen wall, he arrived at a large, well-prepared training ground.

Under the attendants' help, he removed his armor, wiped his face with a hot towel, and, after catching his breath and confirming there were no visitors, he put on a light, tight-fitting outfit and went to his private training ground in the backyard.

The layout of the private training ground was modeled after the training ground in the back of the Baozhi Lin from his previous life, making it very suitable for internal martial arts practitioners to train their bodies.

Upon arriving, he stood in a horse stance in the center of the training ground for half an hour, warming up his body. Then, he performed the Five Animal Forms of the Hong Gate, the Tiger-Crane Double Form, and the Tiger Taming Gongzi Fist with full concentration.

At this point, his blood was flowing faster, and his body was almost at its peak. He then walked with a dragon-like gait to a corner where a wooden frame hung several sandbags of different sizes.

Bang!

Standing in front of the largest sandbag, he suddenly kicked it with his right leg, which shot out like a whip, striking the sandbag with a deafening explosion. The heavy sandbag, weighing nearly 200 pounds, was sent flying backward, reaching its highest point before being pulled back by the rope and falling forward...