Inside the barracks, Feng Qingtian and the others, clad in standard military War God armor, were animatedly discussing something, their spirits high.

Seeing me enter, they immediately crowded around. "Heh heh, look at this kid, slipping into the Cloud Thunder Iron Cavalry without a sound. Not bad, not bad."

"Ha, just a matter of chance and coincidence," I replied with a laugh. "How does it feel in the army?"

"Hah! With our skills and courage, we'd be big shots anywhere!" Feng Qingtian felt rather pleased with himself, proudly swaying the golden War God armor he wore. It was only then that I clearly saw the insignia on Feng Qingtian's shoulder.

Good heavens! He was actually a Black Belt Four-String War General!

The military rank structure on the Mafa Continent was actually quite simple, somewhat resembling the modern ternary corps structure, consisting of String Generals, Star Generals, and Marshals.

The specific divisions were based on profession, years served in the army, and accumulated military achievements. Warriors belonged to the Warrior system, Mages to the Mage system, known as the Red Belt, and Taoists to the Taoist system, known as the Blue Belt. Although rank promotion was extremely strict, it was also straightforward and clear.

Taking the Warrior as an example, upon joining the army, if there were no special circumstances, the rank was Black Belt Asura Warrior. This was the smallest unit in the Mafa Continent's rank structure, marked by a shoulder insignia depicting a Shura Battle Axe, the symbol of a warrior's weapon. Only warriors capable of wielding the Shura could join the army and become soldiers of the Empire.

In the second year, the rank advanced to Black Belt Frost Condensing Warrior, with the insignia changing to a Frost Condensing Sword on the shoulder.

The third year brought Black Belt Purgatory Warrior, the shoulder mark being a thick Purgatory Battle Axe.

The fourth year was the Judgment Warrior, the shoulder insignia bearing the Judgment, a warrior's ultimate weapon. This progression was very similar to the promotion from Private to Lance Corporal in modern armies.

Generally, after serving four years, a soldier could choose to retire or continue serving the nation.

Once they chose to remain in service to the Empire, they would be granted the String General rank, symbolizing an officer in the Imperial Army. String Generals were also divided into Black Belt, Red Belt, and Blue Belt based on combat profession. This covered the rank structure for frontline combat units. Beyond this, there was the Gold Belt designation for auxiliary roles. The so-called Gold Belts did not belong to the standard continent professions like Warrior, Mage, or Taoist, but held positions within the military structure, such as master craftsmen with outstanding contributions or civilian advisors skilled in military strategy. While they might not engage in direct combat, their contributions were irreplaceable. Craftsmen were equivalent to modern maintenance engineers, and advisors functioned like staff officers in a modern general staff, specializing in planning battlefield strategy, and so forth.

For the Warrior line, in the fifth year of service, they automatically advanced to Black Belt One-String War General, becoming the smallest officer rank in the Imperial Army, capable of commanding ten warriors ranging from Asura to Judgment level to achieve merits in battle. Only at this point could they truly be considered a genuine Imperial officer, equivalent to a modern squad leader.

If military merit accumulated to a certain degree, they would be promoted to Black Belt Two-String. A Black Belt Two-String War General could manage three subordinate units of Black Belt One-String, meaning they commanded three Black Belt One-String Generals and the ten new recruits each led, totaling thirty men, equivalent to a modern platoon size.

Subsequently, advancement continued based on accumulated military honors, though promotions became increasingly difficult at higher levels. Subordinate management strictly followed the ternary system, mirroring modern military structuring perfectly.

Beyond Four-String came the Star General ranks: One-Star Brigadier General, Two-Star Major General, Three-Star Lieutenant General, Four-Star General, Five-Star Grand General, Six-Star Marshal, Seven-Star Field Marshal, and Eight-Star Supreme Commander.

The ternary system meant that one String unit comprised ten men, analogous to a modern squad. From there, the corresponding positions managed corresponding numbers of subordinates based on the String unit multiplier.

One-String General manages 10 men. One String = 10 people. Two Strings = 10 * 3 = 30 people. Three Strings = 10 * 3 * 3 = 90 people. Four Strings = 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 270 people.

Beyond Four-String, one entered the Star General echelon.

Beyond Four-String came the Star General level.

One-Star Brigadier General can command 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 810 subordinates. Two-Star Major General can command 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 2,430 subordinates. Three-Star Lieutenant General can command 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 7,290 subordinates. Four-Star General can command 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 21,870 subordinates. Five-Star Grand General can command 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 65,610 subordinates. Six-Star Marshal can command 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 196,830 subordinates. Seven-Star Field Marshal can command 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 590,490 subordinates. Attaining this rank usually meant holding a concurrent position as a Heavenly Demon Warrior of the Royal Family. Eight-Star Supreme Commander can command 10 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 1,771,470 subordinates. This was the highest conventional military structure on the Mafa Continent, held by His Majesty the Emperor of the Royal Family. Only the Eight-Star Supreme Commander could directly mobilize the army groups under a Seven-Star Field Marshal.

The Prague Legion belonged to the Field Marshal group army structure, commanded by the Seven-Star Field Marshal, Jin Yao. The regular military strength of the Demon Dragon Empire totaled exactly two million troops, divided among three group armies.

These were: the Prague Legion, stationed at Yuncheng, commanded by Field Marshal Jin Yao. The Dragon Soaring Legion, stationed at the Imperial Capital Demon Dragon City, commanded by Field Marshal Yue Yao, with Ji Du Luo Hou as his deputy. The Iron Wolf Legion, stationed at the Misbe front lines, commanded by Field Marshal Huo Yao, with Mu Yao and Shui Yao as deputies.

However, because the Aotian Legion had advanced so fiercely, bringing together powerful special unit soldiers, the Field Marshals of the three major legions and their associated Heavenly Demon Warriors were forced to assemble into a single, powerful special unit army to counter the Aotian Legion's potent special forces.

In terms of military might on the Mafa Continent, the Aotian Legion was unquestionably the strongest, possessing the largest number of special units and controlling the seven famed Group Armies that spanned the continent. Aotian was merely one of these. Yet, the massive invasion by the Aotian Legion alone had already stretched the Demon Dragon Empire to its breaking point.

This was also partly due to the national strength of the Demon Dragon Empire. Among the four nations, the Demon Dragon Empire possessed the fewest special units. It could be said that in terms of both regular and special troops, the Demon Dragon Empire was the weakest.

This weakness was directly related to the royal bloodline of the Demon Dragon Royal Family, which had failed to flourish over the past five centuries. Of course, Ji Du had shared all this information with me.

Feng Qingtian's golden War God armor bore the conspicuous Black Belt Four-String insignia on his shoulder, meaning Feng Qingtian currently held a rank equivalent to a battalion commander.

This surprised me. I hadn't expected him to climb so high in the army in such a short time. But then again, considering Feng Qingtian's exceptional skills and his past experience commanding guild battles involving tens of thousands of troops, this minor Black Belt Four-String rank felt almost like an insult to his capabilities.

Admittedly, a Black Belt Four-String was considered a mid-level officer in the army. The structure here was vastly different from the Adventurer World. For an ordinary person, reaching this rank usually required seven or eight years of hard work. This was equivalent to a modern battalion executive officer, after all.

Recalling the army structure Jin Yaohong had explained to me, I instinctively calculated how many soldiers Feng Qingtian could command now. Amazing—it was two hundred and seventy men, far more impressive than my personal guard of one hundred!

"Ha, not bad, reaching Black Belt Four-String," I chuckled. Han Yunzhen and Shaya on either side also sported Four-String shoulder pads, Red Belt and Blue Belt respectively, meaning their rank was equal to Feng Qingtian's. Tong Lei held the same rank as me, Black Belt Three-String, though he looked somewhat displeased.

"It's alright," Feng Qingtian replied cheerfully. "It's just that Brother Tong isn't too satisfied."

"Haha," the others all laughed heartily.

"Can't be helped," Tong Lei grumbled. "There weren't any suitable vacancies left in the legion for me, so I had to settle for this temporarily."

"Work hard then," I said with earnest concern, patting Tong Lei's shoulder. "Look, aren't I the same rank as you?"

"Heh, true enough," Tong Lei's gloomy expression vanished instantly. "For someone with your Grandmaster level cultivation to still only be a Black Belt Three-String, it’s quite alright that I’m your peer."

"This is the army, not the outside world," I continued. "No matter how powerful one's personal skill, one cannot fight ten thousand alone. Often, it relies on organization and command." I added, "Brother Feng and Brother Xia have experience commanding large-scale guild battles, which is likely why General Jin Yao promoted them to Black Belt Four-String War Generals."

"You think I don't understand that?" Tong Lei retorted. "I have command experience too."

The others murmured in surprise, but Tong Lei seemed unbothered.

"You're even more impressive!" Feng Qingtian laughed. "Although you're only a Black Belt Three-String, you have a special assignment within the Cloud Thunder Iron Cavalry. That title is much more prestigious than the Kill Squad."

"Not bad!" Hearing Feng Qingtian say that, I actually started to feel that way.

Since everyone was new to military life, there was naturally a lot of reminiscing, as the day's events had been quite novel. Naturally, they started chatting about various amusing training incidents.

Initially, the veteran soldiers were naturally dissatisfied that Feng Qingtian, this mere greenhorn (compared to the veterans, even Tong Lei, the oldest among us, was green) had secured the rank of Black Belt Four-String officer immediately upon joining the Prague Legion.

However, after a series of sparring matches on the drill field, those two hundred-odd seasoned soldiers were thoroughly subdued. To maximize the shock effect, Feng Qingtian, Tong Lei, Han Yunzhen, and the others had beaten them until they were bruised and battered, looking thoroughly miserable.

With Feng Qingtian and the others possessing strength at the peak of the Crimson Moon level, the two hundred-plus initial-stage Crimson Moon warriors barely qualified as appetizers. They were finished in just a few rounds, looking utterly pathetic. But they were genuinely convinced. Although they were rookies, they had won the support of the veterans, meaning they had successfully established themselves.

Feng Qingtian and the others were quite pleased with this outcome.

However, when they asked how I managed my subordinates, I felt somewhat speechless. I couldn't very well tell them that I held the title of Prince of Qin, and that my subordinates were actually my personal honor guard.

"It’s alright," I admitted. "They're pretty respectful toward me, ha ha."

"Haha, how could they not be?" Tong Lei scoffed. "Your strength is Grandmaster level. If anyone dares defy you, just beat them up! If you can't bring yourself to do it, you can always call me for help."

Sweat. Tong Lei had really turned into a thug, a pure militant.

"Save it," Feng Qingtian laughed. "This kid Star-Seeker usually looks harmless, but when he lets loose, hah! He doesn't blink when killing. Haven't you killed quite a few people?"

"That's true," Tong Lei agreed readily. "Your killing aura is too heavy, it's best not to act recklessly. You might actually end up killing someone. This is the army, not the outside world."

"Yes," Shaya added with a serious expression.

"..." I was somewhat speechless. What did these guys take me for? A murderous maniac? A heavy killing aura? That was absurd. Still, seeing their worried and earnest expressions, I instinctively nodded. "Don't worry, I know how to measure things. Nothing bad will happen."

"Strange, where is Big Brother Yun?" It was only then I realized Yun Xi was absent from the barracks.

"Young Master is studying military strategy," Tong Lei stated proudly. "Therefore, after joining the legion, he was specially promoted to a Gold Belt One-Star Advisor in the Legion's Military Strategy Department."

"Ah! One-Star Advisor in the Strategy Department?" I was surprised. That position was a rank higher than Feng Qingtian’s.

"Heh heh," Tong Lei continued. "Young Master is probably still in the Strategy Department right now, discussing how to counter the Aotian Legion's attack on Yuncheng."

"I see," I murmured, suddenly feeling a pang of worry. "It looks like the upcoming battle will be tough, otherwise Big Brother Yun wouldn't still be stuck in the Strategy Department."

"Who cares about that," Feng Qingtian declared. "I believe in the Prague Legion's great strength; we can surely defeat the Aotian Legion."

For a moment, everyone in the barracks grew somber, clenching their fists. They had chosen to remain in Yuncheng precisely to contribute whatever little they could.

The very next morning, I was summoned to the Military Administration Department. To my surprise, the thirty-odd people temporarily assigned to the Prague Legion with Feng Qingtian were also called there.

We were received by the Prague Legion's Military Administration Department Gold Belt Two-Star Advisor. "My name is Ming Jianxin. I am very pleased you have joined the Prague Legion. Here are your legion certifications." This advisor appeared to be around fifty, of medium height. Although he possessed the stern bearing of a soldier, he couldn't entirely hide the gentle aura characteristic of a scholar, making him feel very approachable.

"It is our duty as men to serve the nation's needs," we thirty-odd people responded in unison with a crisp salute.

"Young people, you have spirit and courage. Very good," Ming Jianxin praised highly.

"General flatters us," Feng Qingtian stated formally.

"Keep your legion badges safe. They must never be lost," Ming Jianxin stressed. "If lost, you must report it to the legion immediately. Understand?"

"Understood."

The legion badge was the same as the Adventurer Certificate in the Adventurer World, representing the holder's identity.

Feng Qingtian and I curiously examined the palm-sized badges in our hands. The badges for the Warrior system were black, Mages' were red, and Taoists' were blue.

The oval badge had several raised angles around the perimeter, resembling a miniature shield. On the face of the shield was a ferocious-looking Demon Dragon, appearing ancient and exquisite. The reverse side was engraved with an intricate six-pointed star array, whose specific function I was unclear about. In the center of the array was a string of characters and numbers representing the holder’s identity, assigned legion unit, department, and rank—all crucial information.

"The inner layer of the legion badge contains an identification cipher," Ming Jianxin instructed seriously. "Your first task is to memorize this number. Open the hidden compartment inside the badge; you will find a cipher card. Memorize the number on it, then immediately destroy the card. This number will serve as proof of your legitimate possession of the legion badge. Even if the badge is lost due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be no worry that it can be exploited by enemy spies." As he spoke, Ming Jianxin lightly pressed the center of a sample badge in his hand, causing a card to pop out. "Until you eject this hidden compartment, it remains sealed. That means only you and the Military Intelligence Bureau know the cipher. This is the only important identification information to verify your identity. You must memorize it and never leak it under any circumstances, or you will be punished for treason. Do you understand?"

"Yes," we responded in unison.

This felt somewhat similar to modern identification systems. While there was no computer data storage, the concept of cipher verification seemed like a highly effective identification method. Knowing the cipher only to myself and the Military Intelligence Bureau greatly reduced the chance of loopholes being exploited by malicious spies.

Of course, this was just the basic identification for us lower-ranking officers. As our ranks rose, the identity verification process would become increasingly stringent. The military was not the civilian world; a single slip-up could lead to classified information leaks with terrifying consequences. I had seen this in movies from my previous life. Although the time period and setting were entirely different, the underlying principles remained the same.

"Since you are now members of the Prague Legion, you must familiarize yourselves with all the defense sectors, departments, and key officers within Yuncheng," Ming Jianxin stated. "Today, I will lead you through Yuncheng's various defense zones and point out specific matters requiring your attention. This is extremely important for you."

"We thank you for your guidance, General," Feng Qingtian said.

..............

That entire day, under Ming Jianxin's leadership, we toured every corner of Yuncheng, familiarizing ourselves with the various defense zones and their corresponding contacts. In short, we learned almost everything we needed to know before returning to the barracks.

But just then!

Dong, dong, a series of deep, muffled bells suddenly rang out.

"That's the assembly bell," Feng Qingtian exclaimed in surprise. "All generals ranked Star level and above must attend!" Star-level generals referred to those whose positions were one rank higher than Four-String—those with a One-Star rank or above. Neither Feng Qingtian nor I qualified.

"It seems the Strategy Department has finalized the battle plan and started the deployment," Shaya commented.

"The fight is finally starting," Tong Lei murmured gravely.