Ah... that immense pressure, it was... it wasn't any weaker than that of a Soul Condensation Realm expert. Could his Soul Force have already reached that level?

What they didn't know was that Little Peach had consumed so many souls that the sheer volume of Soul Force was almost too much for it to handle all at once. Ye Jingyu, unwilling to let any go to waste, immediately circulated the Overlord Essence Art to absorb the purest soul energy Little Peach produced. Although he hadn't broken through to the Soul Condensation Realm in one go, his Soul Force had significantly increased, making the breakthrough an inevitability...

"Your subordinate pays respects to the General..." Sensing Ye Jingyu's vast Soul Force, the four completely shed the last shred of worry in their hearts and immediately knelt on one knee before him in homage...

Of course, the mere strength of the Soul Condensation Realm wasn't enough to make them submit, but the potential Ye Jingyu displayed was simply too immense...

"Heh heh, the four brothers are too polite. When there are no outsiders, let us address each other as brothers. I happened to slay several Vice Generals a few days ago, and now there are several vacant positions for Vice Generals. The four of you might as well reluctantly accept the roles for now..." Ye Jingyu descended from the commander's seat and personally helped the four rise...

The moment they heard they could become Vice Generals right away, joy bloomed on their faces. A Vice General was not the same as a Staff Officer; a Vice General held the substantive rank of a General. In a large army, without a full General present, a Vice General could fully exercise the General's duties...

Ye Jingyu also had his own considerations. This was a relationship built on cooperation, and cooperation required sincerity. Currently, the only one by his side capable of contending with Innate Realm masters was Chi Yi Xiu. To hold the rank of Vice General, without Innate Realm strength, it would be impossible to suppress those arrogant and overbearing soldiers. Never mind that they were currently obeying his commands to the letter—that was only because they were still reeling from his violent methods and hadn't fully regained their composure. Once they did, they certainly wouldn't be so compliant...

Gaining complete control over this army would not happen in a day or two...

All four were Innate Realm masters, so suppressing the martial artists posed no real problem. Furthermore, the sects these four represented held considerable power; using them to manage these martial figures was also feasible...

This was also an indirect way of winning over the four: follow me, and there are plenty of benefits...

As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing your cub; if he wanted their wholehearted assistance, he had to treat them with genuine sincerity...

Of course, if the four harbored any disloyal thoughts, with the transformed desolate beast Little Peach by his side, Ye Jingyu wasn't worried at all?

The strength displayed in single-handedly slaying two Innate Realm masters made Ye Jingyu thoroughly recognize the might of the Taotie, and he firmly believed that this wasn't even its peak power...

Moreover, Ye Jingyu's own strength was close to a breakthrough. Once he reached the Soul Condensation Realm, he could rely on his Soul Force alone to contend against a Grandmaster, let alone an Innate master?

Strength was accumulated step by step; Ye Jingyu was in no rush, not at all...

Ordinarily, a position like Vice General was not something one could appoint or dismiss casually. However, the Iron Army was an extremely special force. Especially after Ye Jingyu killed the original three Vice Generals, Luo Xiaofeng personally issued an order granting Ye Jingyu supreme command over the Iron Army, allowing him the freedom to appoint, dismiss, or even execute anyone at will...

To put it simply, the Iron Army was his own domain; he could do as he pleased. He could even slay everyone without anyone holding him accountable—provided, of course, he possessed the capability to do so...

With half a month left before the campaign, after settling matters with the four led by Bie Li, Ye Jingyu then entrusted Luo Ruofeng to summon Chen Qi, who was currently in Ninglang Prefecture. Chen Qi was the Staff Officer who had rendered Ye Jingyu immense help when he went to rescue Lin Xiaoyi and the Ye family servants...

He had promised Chen Qi back then that once he achieved success, he would never forget him. Now, although he hadn't fully reached the pinnacle of success, it was time to repay that kindness...

The most crucial point was that while the Iron Army boasted numerous talented individuals whose personal combat prowess was in no way inferior to the elite Four Great Legions of the Shu Yun Kingdom—the Wind, Cloud, Thunder, and Lightning—their overall combat effectiveness lagged behind even average units. The reason was simple: they were nothing but a rabble, a collection of martial artists. They knew how to fight and kill, but when it came to military formation and strategy, not a single one understood it. Even Bie Li and the others had never been exposed to it...

As for Ye Jingyu, he was barely adequate at playing Chinese Chess, let alone mastering military deployment; he was still far from capable...

But Chen Qi was different. As a military officer with no background who climbed his way up to the rank of Staff Officer, it was impossible that he possessed no skill whatsoever...

Therefore, Chen Qi was the first person Ye Jingyu thought of—to use Chen Qi's methods to train this unruly mob into an elite fighting force...

On this day, the sunlight was exceptionally bright. Within the residence of the Grand General of the Cloud Capital, Ye Jingyu stood by the martial arts training ground in the rear courtyard, wearing a plain off-white long gown, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression placid...

Wearing only a single layer of clothing and gripping a battle saber, Lin Xiaoyi continuously wielded it in the center of the field. Sweat streamed down his forehead, already soaking the clothes on his body...

Since the incident where he vomited on the parade ground that day, Ye Jingyu had conceived the idea of teaching Lin Xiaoyi martial arts and had directly imparted the Startling Thunder Saber Technique to him. This was the only core cultivation method he could pass on. As for the Overlord Essence Art, it wasn't that he refused to teach it; without the ring on his chest, teaching it would be useless anyway...

Lin Xiaoyi also knew that his young master was growing increasingly powerful and understood that if he continued as before, he would never be able to keep up with his young master's pace, so he practiced with extraordinary diligence...

Watching Lin Xiaoyi cultivate desperately, although Ye Jingyu showed no visible joy, his heart was filled with relief. Lin Xiaoyi was arguably the closest person to him in this world... and one of the truest to him...

He simply wished for him to possess the ability to protect himself...

Certainly, achieving the status of an unparalleled master in just a few days was impossible, but Ye Jingyu pondered how to find some miraculous elixirs to boost Lin Xiaoyi's power...

"Jing Gege..." Just then, a voice like silver bells suddenly rang out from outside...

"Little Lin, continue your training. Your young master has something to attend to outside. Remember, if you don't work hard, I won't let you follow me to the battlefield..." Ye Jingyu, who had been wholly focused on Lin Xiaoyi's welfare a moment before, spoke these words the instant he heard that voice, then bolted toward the outside, leaving a bewildered Lin Xiaoyi behind. His young master truly was...

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