Chapter Eighteen: Intermediate War General

Wang Qian spun the Bloodshadow Battle Blade, making a dazzling flourish with ease and grace. She extended her left index finger toward Luo Yuan, beckoning him with a provocative gesture.

Luo Yuan had never used a blade before, so he simply raised the battle blade and brought it down toward Wang Qian. She slipped aside with effortless agility, and her blade was already resting against Luo Yuan's neck. He hadn’t even seen her draw it. The icy touch of the blade sent a shiver through him—a palpable aura of death. No matter how great his strength, it meant nothing if he couldn't land a blow. Actual combat was the true measure of skill.

Wang Qian withdrew her blade and smiled, encouraging Luo Yuan to try again. No matter how he attacked, she dodged easily, sometimes pressing her blade to his throat. Clearly, he was lacking experience in real combat. Even with his refined movement skills, he couldn’t evade a seasoned fighter completely. If this were a real battle, he would already be dead. Wang Qian’s movement techniques were nearing the level of perfection.

“When it comes to blade techniques, nothing surpasses the Thunder God’s ‘Ninefold Thunder Blade.’ Unfortunately, it’s difficult to master and outrageously expensive,” Wang Qian sighed.

‘Ninefold Thunder Blade’? Luo Yuan had already chosen this manual as his primary cultivation method—after all, many practiced it.

“Again!” Luo Yuan called, lunging at Wang Qian.

Thus, he spent the whole day sparring with her. From his initial clumsy strikes, he gradually became more adept, discovering a latent talent for blade techniques.

“Think of the blade as an extension of your arm; let your hand and blade become one. Only then can you wield it freely,” Wang Qian explained while deftly evading his attacks.

Time flew, and by evening both were exhausted. They dined on the ground floor of the Extreme Pavilion before heading home. As she left, Wang Qian gave Luo Yuan her villa address, inviting him to visit whenever he wished. Her manner was alluring, leaving Luo Yuan uncertain of her true intentions.

Back at his own villa, Luo Yuan took a quick shower and began attribute fusion. This time, the process felt smoother—he finished in two hours and opened his attribute panel.

“Name: Luo Yuan
Strength: Apprentice level (Advanced Warrior)
Power: 6000 kg
Speed: 72 m/s
Defense: 6000 kg
Spirit: 3500 kg
Cultivation Method: Five Hearts Toward Heaven
Skill: Movement Technique (Refined Level)”

Studying his attribute panel, Luo Yuan understood that advancing his strength would require gathering more attribute bubbles, and the requirements would only rise. It was a long journey.

“The road ahead is long and winding; I will search high and low for answers,” Luo Yuan mused as he lay on his bed.

So began his daily routine: collecting attributes in the morning, learning combat skills from Wang Qian in the afternoon, fusing attributes and cultivating Five Hearts Toward Heaven in the evening. Though monotonous, he found joy in it, and his relationship with Wang Qian grew closer. The woman continually teased him, sometimes pressing herself against him, and Luo Yuan, full of youthful vigor, found it increasingly hard to resist.

Two months passed in a blink. On the night of July 31st, Luo Yuan sat cross-legged in his villa's practice hall.

“Open my attribute panel.”

“Name: Luo Yuan
Strength: Apprentice level (Intermediate Battle General)
Power: 17,000 kg
Speed: 162 m/s
Defense: 17,000 kg
Spirit: 6,500 kg
Cultivation Method: Five Hearts Toward Heaven
Skill: Movement Technique (Refined Level)”

Looking at the results of his two months of diligent attribute collection and cultivation, Luo Yuan nodded with satisfaction. His power and speed had reached the level of an intermediate battle general, though his spirit remained at advanced warrior level. He had spent every cent of Jiang Nian’s ten million investment to purchase a nest of Phantom Fox pets for his villa, gathering spirit attributes daily.

For over two months he had scoured the second to ninth floors of the Extreme Pavilion for attribute bubbles, yet never found any spirit attribute bubbles from the warriors there. It made him realize how rare spiritual masters truly were—one in ten thousand.

“Tomorrow, August 1st, is the combat assessment for martial artists. To have an intermediate battle general tested alongside rookie quasi-warriors—what a farce,” Luo Yuan chuckled to himself.

He found his thoughts drifting to Luo Feng, the child of destiny. On July 1st, Luo Feng had come to the Extreme Pavilion for the quasi-warrior assessment, and Luo Yuan had watched. He had to admit that Luo Feng was a genuine prodigy. The spirit attribute bubbles Luo Feng dropped were yellow—the highest grade Luo Yuan had ever seen. Each bubble added five points to spirit, and Luo Feng was only at quasi-warrior level.

Later, Supervisor Zhuge Tao returned to test Luo Feng’s abilities. Through Zhuge Tao’s deliberate guidance, Luo Yuan and Luo Feng became acquainted. When he heard the future Lord of Luo City call him ‘senior,’ Luo Yuan felt especially content and treated him to a meal.

………………

On the morning of August 1st, under the guidance of a warrior from the Extreme Pavilion, more than thirty quasi-warriors—including Luo Yuan, Luo Feng, and Yang Wu—headed to the train station.

“Clack—clack—” The faint friction of the rapidly moving train was barely audible, but the carriage itself buzzed with noise. The train’s carriages were fully enclosed, with no glass to view the outside world. Each carriage displayed a human figure on its large screen.

Inside, a crowd of quasi-warriors sat together.

“Quasi-warriors, future martial artists, I come from the HR Alliance.” On the carriage’s screen, a middle-aged man was delivering a live speech. “I’m sure you’ve all heard of the HR Alliance! The world’s most powerful organization, the wealthiest, the one with the most warriors! You may know us by another name—the Underground Alliance!”

The carriage gradually quieted.

Luo Feng and Yang Wu sat side by side, looking up at the screen. Opposite them sat Luo Yuan, bored. Knowing each other, they had chosen to sit together.

“Our alliance is the world’s largest platform for warriors! Here, you can accept missions with generous rewards.”

“Our alliance has tremendous influence worldwide! Join us, and wherever you go—America, the European Union, any region—you’ll enjoy top-tier service.”

“Our alliance wields formidable military and political power. Join us…”

…

Luo Yuan curled his lip. He cared little for the HR Alliance—a bunch of wealthy people banding together for mutual comfort.

His thoughts wandered to Xu Qian, the cold and beautiful woman. He wondered how she was faring now. Luo Yuan felt something complex toward her. Though their time together was brief, during those days of weakness he had felt warmth—genuine concern from another.

ps: Esteemed gods, please bestow your rewards, your votes, your collections. Luo Yuan bows in gratitude.