In his current troop, only Feng Xingzhuo can deal with this person.

"Your strength is quite impressive; I will be your examiner this time." Feng Xingzhuo stepped forward and said.

Xia Mu just glanced at him and suddenly turned his head towards Song Changming.

"I wonder if the General could give me some guidance."

These words surprised all the soldiers, as they didn’t expect this evaluator to challenge their commander right from the start.

Rongjiang, as Song Changming’s personal guard, was the most furious and was about to scold him.

Ordinarily, such a novice evaluator would have no right to challenge Song Changming.

Their identities were entirely unequal, and the opponent’s actions were somewhat disrespectful.

Song Changming stopped Rongjiang and nodded, saying, "No problem."

He knew the other party must have some background, different from ordinary new recruits. To gain the respect of this powerful rookie, a fight was the most suitable and efficient way.

Therefore, he didn’t refuse and gave Feng Xingzhuo a look.

Feng Xingzhuo understood and stepped aside; it was no longer his concern.

The two of them moved to a corner of the training field designated for combat, not planning to disrupt the entire assessment process.

Of course, a new recruit challenging the commander naturally attracted almost everyone’s attention, sparking various discussions.

"Do you think this young General will be defeated?"

"As the troop’s General, if he loses to a new recruit, it would be too shameful. Once the news spreads, his authority as Commander will surely plummet, and he might even lose his General Armor..."

"No way, even if this recruit is powerful, he can’t possibly defeat a legitimate Commander of the army."

"Indeed, this is absurd; it’s never happened before."

"Well, let’s see. I heard this Commander hasn’t been in his position for long and might not have firmly established himself."

"..."

Outside the training field, there were many onlookers, naturally not afraid to see a big event.

Some even secretly hoped to witness something unusual, like a powerful military commander losing to a new recruit, as it would satisfy their curiosity.

On the field, Song Changming cared little for others’ thoughts; he didn’t even draw his saber. He just smiled at Xia Mu and said, "You may start anytime."

His expression was calm and relaxed.

Xia Mu frowned. Even though Song Changming was the commander, his casual attitude in the face of a challenge seemed dismissive to Xia Mu.

This made him feel discontent.

"Alright!" Without hesitation, Xia Mu drew the large saber from his back. His body moved like a shooting arrow, charging straight at Song Changming.

His speed was even faster than during the arrow dodging assessment.

In an instant, he was in front of Song Changming, holding the saber with both hands, slashing diagonally at him.

The boundless Gang Qi instantly engulfed the area where Song Changming stood. The power and ferocity of this strike made even Feng Xingzhuo, watching from the side, show a look of surprise, his expression growing serious.

Xia Mu did not hold back in the slightest; he would gladly cause this military commander to stumble publicly!

However, Song Changming stood where he was, neither dodging as Xia Mu expected nor activating his Innate Qi Aura.

It wasn’t until Xia Mu’s strike was about to reach Song Changming’s head that he extended his right hand and caught upwards.

Clang!

The wide, heavy blade of the saber emitted a metallic ringing noise.

"The power is decent, and the intensity of the Innate Qi Aura is high, but the force is somewhat scattered and lacks cohesion," Song Changming commented, holding the blade without letting it hit his head, while appraising the strength of the strike.

"Impossible!" Xia Mu was shocked to see Song Changming firmly holding the blade with his hand, and no blood oozing from it.

This meant Song Changming caught his blade bare-handed, without a scratch!

"Could it be that my blade is dull? Impossible!"

Xia Mu instinctively denied the scene before him but quickly realized they were in combat. He attempted to pull out the saber, but Song Changming’s single-handed grip prevented it from budging!

Gritting his teeth, Xia Mu’s Innate Qi Aura surged, his explosiveness reaching a new level.

Suddenly, boundless Sword Qi threatened to explode from Song Changming’s palm.

Song Changming released the saber upon seeing this.

Xia Mu was not startled; instead, he took advantage and executed the Wind Attribute Saber Technique, which appeared to be of a high level and well-mastered.

The fierce wind, like a beast, was set to devour Song Changming up close.

"Nice swordsmanship," Song Changming said, forming a fist with his right hand. As his fingers closed, a gleam seemed to be caught in them, which he then slammed forward.

With the Small Witch Power Seal stacking up, the immense power exploded, effortlessly shattering Xia Mu’s powerful strike.

Within the force of this punch, not only was Xia Mu’s Sword Momentum broken, but he was also knocked back, crashing into the rune protection array boundary before falling down.

"That’s enough," Song Changming said, retracting his fist.

With his insight, a few simple exchanges were enough for him to thoroughly grasp the strength of the person before him.

Overall, he was indeed a rare talent.

However, to win this person’s full loyalty, a simple overpowering duel was not enough; time and guidance would be needed to shape him into the desired form.

"At the very least, allow me to witness your swordsmanship," Xia Mu said, standing up and taking a deep breath.

Seeing that Song Changming was equipped with a saber, with no other weapons hidden, it seemed likely he also excelled with the blade.

Despite recognizing Song Changming’s prowess in this spar, Xia Mu was unsatisfied, having not witnessed him actually draw his saber.

"Alright." Song Changming agreed readily and then said to Feng Xingzhuo in the distance, "Take him to the physician for treatment later."

Saying this, he drew his saber with such speed that it seemed as though his right hand pressed an acceleration button.

No one present saw Song Changming’s movements.

In reality, he did press an acceleration button, activating a successfully refined Little Witch Speed Seal on his right hand’s bone!

Like the Small Witch Power Seal, the Little Witch Speed Seal is one of the basic Witch Seals of the Witch Race.

Once activated, it can instantly unleash potential in speed and agility, whether in hand speed or foot speed.

With the support of this Little Witch Speed Seal, his saber-drawing speed increased more than twice, making it difficult for even Martial Artists to track his speed of drawing the blade, even with spiritual perception.

And the pure surge in speed further enhanced the kinetic energy power.

With the Little Witch Speed Seal’s power, he felt there was nothing he couldn’t cut through!

He then used the Second Grade Great Thunderfire Saber Technique he mastered!

Since the opponent wished to experience it, he would provide a full experience!

The violent Sword Qi slashed out from Song Changming’s blade, transforming into a ray of thunderfire light that pierced through space with pinpoint accuracy, like a laser!

Xia Mu was struck by Song Changming’s saber before he even realized it.

The next instant, Xia Mu broke through the rune protection array, was sent flying out of the training field, and fainted with a pale face.

Feng Xingzhuo, having received orders before Song Changming drew his saber, immediately went to Xia Mu’s side to ensure he hadn’t died before taking the gravely injured Xia Mu directly from the training field.

"Not bad," Song Changming looked at the wall on one side of the training field penetrated by his Sword Qi, kept intact due to his controlled force.

It was only the rune protection array that was broken, minimizing the loss and disturbance.

He hadn’t forgotten the time he sparred with Fu Yuan at this training field, resulting in the complete destruction of the location.

Now, he certainly wouldn’t make the same mistake.

"Let’s continue," Song Changming said to the Generals nearby, seeing a crowd gathered around the training field inside and out.

It wasn’t until the sun was setting that this round of recruit assessments ended.

The greatest gain was, naturally, Xia Mu, who dared challenge him, as he was the top talent he discovered.

...