Chapter 432: Chapter 325: Great Thunderfire Saber Technique, Demon Slayer! (Double-Length)

Outside the courtyard gate on the street, a soldier similarly dressed in military armor was holding the reins of two horses, quietly waiting.

Upon seeing Song Changming come out, the soldier immediately stepped forward and respectfully saluted.

"General!"

"Let’s go to the Fifth District," Song Changming nodded and mounted the horse directly.

"Yes!" The soldier promptly followed.

The soldier’s name was Rongjiang, with an ordinary appearance, seemingly not very old, but with a hint of heroic spirit, though in reality, he was over forty years old.

Of course, among the Innate Martial Artists, being around forty is indeed not considered significant; in fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say it’s young.

Currently, he serves as the Personal Guard beside Song Changming.

Together they rode swiftly, soon arriving at the outermost Fifth District from the Third District.

At the martial arts arena, where the morning dew hadn’t dissipated yet, the place was already crowded with people.

The Cuiqi Army was recruiting here again today, the news of which had spread long ago.

Since the demon disaster, within this year, the Cuiqi Army has been recruiting soldiers almost monthly, at an unprecedented frequency in decades!

The aim is to respond to Prince Cui’s orders to quickly restore military strength and expand army numbers.

"General!"

"General!"

"..."

As Song Changming arrived, soldiers in charge of the martial arts arena all saluted him.

This immediately caught the attention of the gathered crowd intending to enlist.

"Who is he? He looks so young, how can he make all these soldiers salute?"

"You must be from out of town. Only the army’s Commander can wear that General Armor. Who do you think he is?"

"Com... Commander, my goodness, he looks just like my child!"

"Innate Martial Artists age slowly, it’s nothing unusual."

"Well, that’s true..."

Without paying attention to the surroundings, Song Changming walked straight into the martial arts arena, which was not unfamiliar to him.

When he joined the army assessment years ago, it was here that he participated, ultimately showcasing his excellent skills and potential, gaining Xing Tiexin’s appreciation.

Now returning, he is already a commander in the army, equal to Xing Tiexin!

"General."

A brawny man with a face full of flesh and a black eye patch covering his left eye approached briskly, saluting Song Changming.

His physique was at least two meters twenty-three, like a black bear, his aura exuded blood qi that was extremely intimidating.

This person was Feng Xingzhuo, formerly a disciple within the Zhan Yao Pavilion at the Nine Nether Realm along the Yun Province border.

But a year ago, due to a great feud, the Zhan Yao Pavilion was attacked by a Demon Race led by a Great Demon, almost all the disciples inside perished.

Feng Xingzhuo happened not to be within the pavilion, escaping death, but was then hunted by the Demon Race, narrowly escaping death when wandering to Yunzhou Cui Bai Dao.

In a life-or-death moment, he was rescued by Song Changming who was out exterminating demons, surviving from then on.

Afterward, Feng Xingzhuo recuperated in the Cui Bai Main City for three months, recovering from all injuries except his left eye, which had been gouged out by the Demon Race and couldn’t be restored.

Upon recovery, learning by chance about Song Changming’s Cuiqi Army recruiting, with nowhere to go, he considered joining his benefactor.

Ultimately, although he lost his left eye, with his Innate Realm cultivation and three Earth Martial Veins opened, he was easily selected and joined Song Changming’s new recruit team.

He began as a Centurion and within just half a year was promoted by Song Changming to Deputy General.

He was Song Changming’s first Deputy General and earned Song Changming’s initial trust through his performance.

To this day, Feng Xingzhuo is undoubtedly the top strategist under Song Changming.

For Song Changming’s newly assembled recruit team, starting from zero, obtaining talent of Feng Xingzhuo’s caliber was indeed challenging.

Even Xing Tiexin, upon seeing Feng Xingzhuo, exclaimed how fortunate Song Changming was to discover such a great warrior within a year.

Bear in mind, when he cultivated Fu Yuan from a squad leader to Deputy General, it took over ten years!

Talented individuals in the army aren’t easy to obtain or nurture.

Thus, upon Song Changming’s appointment as the new Commander, Xing Tiexin was both happy for him and unwilling to see him go.

After all, an outstanding Deputy General like Song Changming would be unachievable again in his life.

Furthermore, the departure of Song Changming caused a significant drop in the combat power of his troops.

Back to the martial arts arena.

"Almost ready, let’s start," Song Changming commented upon seeing that the arena’s equipment and props were prepared, nodding his head.

"Okay," Feng Xingzhuo responded and turned, gesturing widely.

The soldiers below understood and began controlling the scene, initiating today’s recruitment assessment.

One by one, martial artists from the civilian population began entering the arena.

As in previous sessions, they began rounds of project selection, with only the outstanding performers allowed to stay.

"Ruan Mountain, strength unacceptable, you may leave."

"Jiang Biqing, failed arrow evasion."

"Li Wang, weapon mastery lacking."

"Next..."

As soldiers announced each test result, some made it through, but most were unsuccessful.

Song Changming’s selection criteria were stricter than most military units, hence fewer passed through him.

Ordinary Body Refining Martial Artists not reaching Extreme Realm Cultivation generally had no chance, and even Extreme Realm Martial Artists had significant elimination rates.

However, it wasn’t absolute.

If young and possessing unusual potential, Song Changming would make exceptions, which is why he always allocated time to attend recruitment events.

He aimed to ensure no promising individuals slipped away from his grip.

Some were small fish, but if given a platform and opportunities for development, they might grow into sharks in the future.

"Let that one stay," Song Changming pointed to a young man about to be eliminated, addressing Feng Xingzhuo beside him.

Feng Xingzhuo glanced over with his one eye at the youth whose weapon mastery was lacking.

"What’s special about him?" Feng Xingzhuo asked puzzled.

"This person has decent Root Bone talent, lacking in martial arts and swordsmanship due to youth and lack of guidance and inheritance, although his Comprehension Talent might be mediocre.

Yet, his underlying Root Bone talent alone warrants giving him an opportunity to start as a soldier," Song Changming replied.

Feng Xingzhuo nodded and went to bring the person.

Song Changming rarely breaks his rules to accept someone, but it’s not unprecedented.

Those accepted by exception often had modest beginnings, starting at the lower end of the troop’s capability spectrum.

But as time progressed, these individuals found direction and rapidly revealed uncommon growth speeds within the troop, gradually climbing upward, proving Song Changming’s judgment was correct.

Thus, Feng Xingzhuo trusted Song Changming’s insight and simply executed the orders.

Li Wang, dressed in simple clothes, shook his head and sighed, disappointed by his unsuccessful attempt to join the army.

"I thought even if I couldn’t be a squad leader, I could still become a front-line soldier without issue, but it seems I’ve underestimated this army."

Just as he was about to leave, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, casting him completely in shadow.

"Uh, this..." Li Wang looked at the enormous figure like a wall before him, startled.

He stepped back to clearly see the person — the general responsible for this recruitment.

Feng Xingzhuo’s presence was extremely imposing and aggressive. Li Wang’s throat stirred yet found even the small act of swallowing difficult.

Seeing the other party’s embarrassed state, Feng Xingzhuo instinctively frowned.

His initial impression of this young man was not good.

He felt not just physically weak, but lacking in mental resolve too.

In his view, this person was not the talent he was looking for by any measure.

But Song Changming had a sharp eye and unique perspective.

Moreover, Song Changming was the Commander of the troops; Feng Xingzhuo’s Deputy General position served only to assist Song Changming, not to counter his opinions.

Following orders, he said,

"You are temporarily accepted, but your inadequate abilities mean further assessment is needed by the army. Only when you entirely meet the standards in the future can you officially become an army soldier.

Do you accept this?"

...