The midday meal was organized by Aunt Xia, sponsored without charge by Sister Jiani and Sister Donglun, whom the soldiers had helped out of goodwill. It served as a reward for the lads who had labored all morning. Sister Jiani and the others were more than happy to oblige this simple request, as the cost of a single meal was negligible compared to normal employment fees, and the young soldiers had rendered them immense help. It was only when they saw the young fighters one after another practically inhaling their food that they couldn't help but be startled.

"Disaster, we won't have enough food! Hurry, before they finish, get the bread and anything else edible in the kitchen warming up, and rush those vegetables to the wok!" Aunt Xia reacted instantly. For a moment, the kitchen descended into chaos.

Half an hour later, the soldiers sat contentedly, patting their full stomachs with loud burps.

"Heh heh! The food today was delicious," Abe squinted, satisfied.

"A full five large bowls—that’s double what we usually manage," I replied casually.

"Blame it on being starved this morning," Chen Kun mumbled.

"We absolutely cannot fail tomorrow; plowing while hungry is a truly miserable feeling." .................. Inside the hastily erected straw shelter, the soldiers chatted pleasantly, already planning how to complete the ore transport mission tomorrow.

"It is now rest time." Xiaoman glanced at the notebook in his hand and boomed, "Your current task is sleep. Training resumes at two o'clock this afternoon. If you must talk, keep it quiet so as not to disturb others."

After two o'clock! Xiaoman led us to the lumberyard.

"This afternoon's task is to help Uncle Lu chop wood. Your tool is the Asura Battle Axe. The quota is one hundred trees per person. After felling, you must also deliver the timber to Uncle Lu’s yard! Naturally, for anyone who fails to complete the quota, the penalty is the same as before: skipping the next meal." Xiaoman briefly outlined the training task before stepping into the shade of a nearby tree.

"That trick again," Chen Jiang grumbled. "But right now, what I fear most is an empty stomach."

"Hahahaha!" The whole group erupted in laughter.

"Looks like everyone’s been scared straight by hunger."

"Lads, put your backs into it! This is a golden opportunity to train your arm and waist strength." Uncle Lu held up his axe and demonstrated before our eyes. Swinging the heavy Asura Battle Axe with his right hand, he spun, sending the weapon carving a perfect arc.

With a resonant thud, a thick Fir Pine tree was instantly severed and crashed to the ground. Then, with a series of swift, slicing blows, all the branches were trimmed away. In moments, the once lush Fir Pine was reduced to several fine pieces of usable lumber.

"Good heavens, what incredible arm strength," Jialuo exclaimed in shock.

Everyone was stunned by Uncle Lu’s almost supernatural axe work. Though Uncle Lu was a carpenter, he possessed the strength of a peak Intermediate master. Rumor had it he had never undergone formal warrior training; his formidable power stemmed entirely from his astonishing brute strength. Where others required both hands to wield the Asura Battle Axe, he managed it with one, sometimes even swinging one in each hand! This illustrated just how incredible their raw strength was. In terms of sheer power, no one in the village could surpass Uncle Lu, save for Uncle Wei. Even the strongest of the house guards, older brother Chen Feng, was no match for him.

"Remember the movement I just showed you, yes?" Uncle Lu looked smugly at our gaping faces. "Chop exactly as I demonstrated."

"We remember!" We were already too eager to wait and began the arduous cutting.

However, none of us could fell a Fir Pine with a single swing like Uncle Lu. It usually took four or five precise chops to bring one down, and we were both hands on the axe. Trimming the branches consumed a significant amount of our energy. It was only at this moment that we truly grasped the finesse of Uncle Lu's axe technique. The heavy Asura Battle Axe simply refused to be controlled at our will. It was either too heavy or too light, and the angle was constantly off, making it impossible to wield with the effortlessness and grace Uncle Lu displayed, where he seemed to control the weight as if it were nothing.

"I always thought I had mastered the Asura Battle Axe by now," Jialuo sighed. "Seeing Uncle Lu’s style, I finally understand why Xiaoman made us come cut wood."

"Indeed," Chen Jiang agreed. "Axe work isn't just about pure strength. True accomplishment comes from mastering the ability to control it effortlessly, just like Uncle Lu."

"Heh heh, it saves me some breath that you realized that," Xiaoman murmured from the shade, perfectly relaxed. "But Uncle Lu’s axe work is not as simple as you imagine. Think hard about how he felled that tree with one blow and how many strikes it took him to turn it into timber."

"Is there some hidden secret to it?" Someone immediately voiced the doubt.

"If you can fell that Fir Pine with a single swing like Uncle Lu, you will naturally understand the true power of his axe. That is the hint I'm giving you for your training. Think it over." With that, Xiaoman ignored the group and closed his eyes to meditate.

"Could there truly be a trick to Uncle Lu's axe?" I couldn't help but recall the instant Uncle Lu split the Fir Pine. Indeed, that single blow he struck possessed an indescribable fluidity and beauty. His movements looked incredibly open and expansive, showing no stiffness or resistance whatsoever. It seemed completely natural, as if no strength was exerted—just a casual rotation that effortlessly severed the wood. What exactly was going on?

Yet, after long contemplation, I couldn't grasp any clue. Of course, while thinking, my hands never stopped working, as dinner was still at stake.

Jialuo also wore a look of intense concentration, but sadly, he made no breakthrough either.

And so, the group carried the puzzle in their minds, deep in thought over Xiaoman’s words, constantly replaying the image of Uncle Lu’s swing. Before we knew it, the sun was already leaning towards the west. A careful count of the timber piles revealed that many had finished their quota. The rest naturally involved carrying the wood to Uncle Lu’s carpentry shop. However, when passing the Jing River, we still had to use the single-log bridge. Xiaoman had decreed that regardless of training status, from now on we could only cross the Jing River via that single log. Anyone caught using the old large bridge would face the penalty of cleaning latrines and going hungry. While this rigid rule felt a bit too demanding, no one strongly resisted. After all, as soldiers, constant self-discipline and training were essential.

Before six o'clock, everyone had successfully completed their tasks. Afterward, Xiaoman herded us like ducks to the Chao River for a quick wash before we returned to the lawn.

It was then that the butler, Chen Xi, informed us that the West Garden, where we were to live, had been fully cleaned. From now on, we would eat and sleep there.

This news brought us a wave of genuine joy. After dinner, we eagerly moved into the West Garden. Rooms were assigned ten men per room, organized by our small squads.

At this point, we young soldiers formally began the militarized drilling and production Xiaoman had spoken of.

Over the next few days, our training curriculum remained unchanged: 5 AM to 8 AM, transporting ore for Uncle Wei; 8 AM to 8:20 AM, bathing and swimming; 8:30 AM to 9 AM, breakfast. 9:10 AM to 12 PM, plowing fields.

12 PM to 12:20 PM, bathing and swimming.

12:30 PM to 1 PM, lunch.

1 PM to 2 PM, siesta.

2 PM to 6 PM, helping Uncle Lu chop wood.

6 PM to 6:20 PM, swimming and bathing.

6:30 PM to 7 PM, dinner.

7 PM to 9 PM, cultural studies under Mentor Chen Yun—this was added later.

9 PM to 10 PM, free time; those who wished to see home could use this hour.

10 PM, lights out, sleep.

This was our daily training schedule. After leading us for three days, Xiaoman became the absentee boss, promoting Jialuo to lead and supervise everyone’s training. He himself disappeared off somewhere to "mess around." Of course, none of us dared to slack off in the slightest. Jialuo often used to fill in when Chen Feng was busy, but Xiaoman was clearly shirking responsibility. Jialuo was a notoriously strict fellow. His leadership ensured that the required training quotas were met without fail.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed, and everyone gradually adapted to this special model combining training and production.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The sound of huge war drums jolted me awake from my sleep. Reacting instantly, I threw off the bedding. After a quick wash, I rushed to the lawn. Those who had arrived earlier were already curiously inspecting a line of large horse-drawn carts parked there.

"Aren't these the carts from Uncle Wei's smithy?"

"I wonder what they’ve loaded them with."

"Could this be another one of Xiaoman’s new tricks?"

Soon, Xiaoman appeared on the lawn as well.

After the customary roll call and headcount, Xiaoman stood in the center of the field. To ensure this batch of soldiers matured quickly, our training of two hundred men was now separated from the other age groups. The other groups’ training had been moved to another large lawn near the village southeast, leaving this vast expanse just for us two hundred.

"Now, unload everything from the carts," Xiaoman commanded.

The companions, barely containing their excitement, eagerly opened the carriage doors. But when we saw the contents, we couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

"Ah, heavy armor!" Jialuo exclaimed.

"No, that's not heavy armor. Look, it's black. Judging by the material, it must be made of ebony."

"Wow, this is heavy!" Chen Kun casually lifted one piece.

"At least 150 weight," having carried heavy baskets of ore for so long, we had become quite sensitive to weight, and immediately estimated the mass of this ebony gear.

"Faster! Uncle Wei needs those carts back," Xiaoman urged.

"Oh!" Despite our intense curiosity, we quickly began unloading the ebony suits.

"Exactly two hundred sets," the meticulous Chen Jiang counted.

"Ah! Could these ebony suits be... for us to wear?" Abe immediately blurted out.

Everyone stared at Xiaoman with expressions of sheer horror.

"That’s right!" Xiaoman nodded. "These ebony suits are for you to wear."

"But this is far too heavy."

"One hundred and fifty—heavier than Battle God Armor!"

"Heavens, wearing armor this heavy, we’ll have trouble just moving!"

"That’s precisely why I want you to wear it." Xiaoman revealed that devilish smile again. "You all found things too easy recently. I recall every team managed to finish their tasks, and Squads Three, One, and Seven even finished their training tasks half an hour early. Clearly, the previous training standards are no longer suitable for you. It shows that your potential has not yet been fully tapped." Xiaoman continued, "Human adaptability is astonishing. Soon enough, you will get used to it." ......................... Silence descended upon the field. Every face stared at Xiaoman as if he were a ghost. The man stood there speaking as if a 150-pound weight felt like a feather. A strong urge to beat him up surfaced in everyone’s minds.

"Hurry up now," Xiaoman continued, looking at the stunned assembly. "Or do you want to go hungry and clean the latrines?"

Ah!

The mention of going hungry instantly snapped everyone back to reality. This guy, Xiaoman!

"Roar! Move it faster!" Jialuo shouted loudly.

"The training subjects remain the same, but from today onward, you must wear this ebony armor. Except during bath time, you even sleep in it—understand?" Xiaoman added. "If I find anyone taking the armor off at any other time, prepare for hunger and latrine duty."

"Yes, sir." Resistance was futile, given that he was the instructor. There was also a small part of us that still deeply trusted his methods. I don't know about the others, but I clearly felt my physical strength and endurance had increased significantly over the past week alone. Such obvious progress in just seven days was almost unbelievable. At this moment, I had no further doubts about Xiaoman’s words. I presumed the others felt the same.

Thus, everyone quickly donned the armor. It must be noted that ebony armor was famously heavy across the continent—a type of super-heavy armor. Ebony was extremely hard, almost like steel. However, because it was difficult to polish, most ebony was fashioned into practice ebony swords. Ebony armor had appeared historically, typically worn by heavy cavalry. Due to ebony’s hardness and excellent anti-magic properties, armor forged from it possessed supreme physical and magical defense capabilities.

But weight was the ebony armor's greatest drawback. Except for the famously robust Furnace Warhorses, no other mount could carry a warrior clad in ebony armor. Consequently, no military branch on the continent dared to directly confront heavy cavalry mounted on Furnace Warhorses wearing ebony armor; the sheer impact force of Furnace Heavy Cavalry could shatter a solid city gate—a testament to the incredible durability of ebony armor. As for infantry wearing ebony armor, that was pure fantasy.

Yet now, Xiaoman was forcing this fantasy onto our bodies.

"Don't be surprised. Trust me! You’ll manage if you get through this first week," Xiaoman encouraged.

"Hmph! We’ll trust you then!" Jialuo said. "It's just weighted training; it won't stump us. We managed carrying 200-pound baskets, didn't we?" Jialuo seemed completely brainwashed by Xiaoman.

However, hearing him say that did ease our minds somewhat. Indeed, the ebony armor didn't feel overwhelmingly heavy on our bodies, considering we had been running back and forth carrying 200 pounds of ore every day for the past week.

"Time is short, everyone move quickly," Jialuo urged, running towards the mine area. All squads quickly followed.

But reality was reality. When we tried to carry 200 pounds of ore while wearing the ebony armor, we understood what physical exhaustion truly meant. As a result, only Jialuo, the madman, completed the mission that day; everyone else, without exception, collapsed from fatigue. Most people only managed five or six baskets out of the usual twelve-basket quota. The wooden shed presented the biggest hurdle for many.

Because of this, everyone strongly protested, demanding Xiaoman lower the difficulty. To avoid inciting a general uprising, Xiaoman conceded, setting that day’s quota at five baskets. However, he announced that the quota would increase by one basket daily thereafter: six baskets tomorrow, seven the day after, climbing until it reached twelve again. Naturally, this provided a necessary buffer period for adaptation, and everyone accepted this without complaint.

This way, everyone got to eat—which was the most crucial thing. Naturally, other training subjects and production tasks were reduced proportionally. In Xiaoman’s words, this was a "buffer and integration period," and in one week, they would return to the previous standard. Xiaoman’s flexibility was met with rare tolerance and understanding from Aunt Xia and Uncle Wei regarding our sudden dip in output.

Perhaps Xiaoman was right. In one week, we truly adapted to the ebony armor. Our production levels also returned to the previous standard.

However, the subsequent training subjects were no longer limited to simple ore transport, plowing, or logging. Many other tasks were added, such as helping Uncle Wei’s apprentices mine, assisting Aunt Xia and the others in planting herbs, or any other miscellaneous chores—all while wearing the ebony armor. Over time, everyone simply started calling us 'Ebony Armor Warriors.'

Due to the active contribution of us Ebony Armor Warriors, the village's development in production and construction experienced a massive leap forward. In this process, our squad-based cooperation not only honed our teamwork but also caused our individual strength to soar. A month later, I could finally fell a thick Fir Pine with a single axe strike. While I still couldn't manage it with one hand like Uncle Lu, this progress was enough to send me into ecstasy. The others were experiencing similar leaps. Now, everyone treated Xiaoman as a deity; no one dared to question his words, as the changes were undeniably real. Although our Dou Qi cultivation hadn't advanced further due to the lack of external training opportunities, I believed that compared to warriors of the same rank, our bodies were much stronger, and our strength, speed, and explosive power far surpassed theirs.

Star’s Perspective