Yet, the six thousand Black Armored soldiers felt like a cold, deep pool of black water, lending the whole field an icy chill. The more than three hundred people who had been chatting animatedly on the march fell silent in unison; in this atmosphere, no one dared speak.

“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan felt as if a stone were pressing on his chest. A slight adjustment to his breathing, and he returned to normal.

“Individually, I fear none of these Black Armored soldiers. But six thousand gathered together, even from this distance, their sheer presence completely suppresses me.” Teng Qingshan remained quiet, blending into the crowd as they walked toward the drill ground. As the group of over three hundred entered the spacious courtyard paved with bluestone—

The six thousand Black Armored soldiers turned many heads, their gazes holding a mix of confidence and challenge.

To be accepted as a soldier of the Black Armored Army was a source of immense pride.

“Hahahaha…” A booming laugh suddenly echoed across the drill ground. Teng Qingshan looked up to see four figures, men and women clad in black robes, walking abreast toward the front of the field, the laughter emanating from one of the elderly men among them.

This silver-haired, black-robed elder possessed a hooked nose and eyes that were piercingly sharp.

“Qingfeng, I heard there are nine Martial Artists of the First Rank participating in this sect assessment this time?” the silver-haired elder called out from a distance. “My Black Armored Army has eight vacant Centurion posts. I wonder how many of these nine will manage to secure one. If they fail to take even one, that would be quite interesting.”

The middle-aged man in the grey robe, who had been leading Teng Qingshan’s group, immediately offered a slight bow and replied with a smile, “Second Martial Uncle. This batch of nine First Rank Martial Artists includes several fierce contenders; your Centurions must be wary.”

The four black-robed figures walked side-by-side. Besides the silver-haired elder, there were two men and one woman. One of the men stood nearly nine feet tall, extraordinarily robust, his entire face bearing a metallic sheen, as if cast from metal itself.

The other man was close to eight feet tall and appeared younger, his gaze fiercely sharp. As his eyes swept over the Black Armored soldiers below, the soldiers instinctively lowered their heads, daring not to meet his stare.

As for the only woman among the four, her figure was obscured by the black robe, but her height exceeded seven feet (about 1.75 meters), which was quite tall for a woman. Her skin was fair, and the cold, knife-like glint in her eyes inspired instant wariness.

“Junior Brother, although the men fighting from my Black Armored Army are merely the weakest eight Centurions, they are not so easily defeated by these so-called First Rank Martial Artists,” the nine-foot giant boomed, his voice reverberating slightly in his chest.

At that moment, the four black-robed figures arrived at the viewing platform above the drill ground.

On the platform, five chairs were set out. The four black-robed figures distributed themselves among the seats, leaving the central one empty.

“Greetings, Commander!” A deep voice suddenly rose from within the ranks of the Black Armored Army.

Instantly, with a clamor—

The six thousand Black Armored soldiers knelt simultaneously on one knee, their heavy armor clanking discordantly. All six thousand shouted in unison, “Greetings, Commander!” However, a few dozen soldiers stationed at the very edges of the ranks bowed slightly and did not kneel.

“Rise,” the silver-haired, black-robed elder commanded.

The six thousand Black Armored soldiers stood up at once.

“Those four…” Teng Qingshan observed them closely, the four imposing figures arrayed above. “They must be the Four Great Commanders of the Black Armored Army! They are the true Houtian Peak experts, incomparable to ordinary First Rank Martial Artists.”

A flicker of fighting spirit ignited within Teng Qingshan’s heart.

Lifting a massive stone weighing ten thousand jin was a threshold!

Reaching that threshold meant one was a First Rank Martial Artist, referred to as ‘Houtian Peak.’ But with a good internal energy manual and decades of arduous practice, reaching Houtian Peak wasn't impossible. This reality meant… there were too many Houtian Peak experts in this world!

The three Wang brothers of the Iron Mountain Gang were all of this level!

Fourth Master Hong was as well!

And ‘Li Yanshan,’ whom Teng Qingshan had killed, was another!

If a small place like Yicheng had so many, the various sects certainly hosted even more Houtian Peak experts.

The nine First Rank Martial Artists in this sect assessment were all truly First Rank! It was easy to imagine the sheer number of Houtian Peak experts scattered across the Nine Provinces continent. Yet… their individual strengths were not equal, due to unique internal energy techniques or exceptional innate talent.

Some could unleash tens of thousands of jin of brute force in an instant!

For instance, Teng Qingshan, despite not having reached the Xiantian realm and thus being merely a Houtian expert, possessed the strength to easily slaughter crowds of First Rank Martial Artists.

“The Commanders hold the highest position in the Black Armored Army! I wonder how my strength compares to theirs.” Teng Qingshan didn't dare grow complacent.

After all, the history of the Nine Provinces continent stretched back thousands of years, with the utilization of internal energy refined to its peak. Take Fourth Master Hong of the White Horse Gang, who once managed to block Teng Qingshan’s 'stone projectile.' The methods employed by the even more formidable Four Great Commanders remained unknown.

While Teng Qingshan was contemplating this in the brief interval, three more figures approached from the distance. The four Black Armored Army Commanders, seated high above, immediately stood and offered a slight, respectful bow: “Greetings, Sect Master!”

“Greetings, Sect Master!” The middle-aged man in the grey robe, along with the scores of Black Armored soldiers at the edge of the formation, immediately bowed deeply.

“Greetings, Sect Master!” The rest of the six thousand Black Armored soldiers knelt on one knee.

The leading man among the three wore a white robe and bore a faint smile on his fair complexion. As he walked down the pathway, he seemed to glide, as if floating. Flanking him were a young man and a young woman. The young man was clad in a cyan brocade, his eyes darting around as if plotting some mischief.

The young woman wore a light yellow gauze dress, the fabric fluttering in the breeze like that of an ethereal fairy untouched by the mundane world. Her eyes were stunningly pure, containing not a trace of impurity, and a slight smile graced her lips. Even her gait carried a captivating charm that stirred the heart.

A fairy descended to earth?

“What a beautiful girl.” Even with Teng Qingshan’s composure, his heart skipped a beat upon seeing the maiden.

Teng Qihu and the others were utterly mesmerized.

The middle-aged man in the white robe led the pair directly to the chairs, taking the central seat himself, while the young couple stood behind him.

The white-robed man exchanged a few casual words with the Four Great Commanders before turning to look down at the Black Armored Army, saying with a smile, “Everyone, please rise for now!”

“Thank you, Sect Master.”

This man was none other than Zhuge Yuanhong, the Sect Master of the Guiyuan Sect, the absolute authority within Jiangning Prefecture!

“My Guiyuan Sect’s Black Armored Army absorbs external experts every six months! This time, we have nine First Rank Martial Artists and thirty-eight Second Rank Martial Artists. What surprises me most… is that one of the First Rank Martial Artists is only sixteen years old!”

As Zhuge Yuanhong spoke, even the disciplined Black Armored Army could not suppress low murmurs.

“Sixteen? How is that possible?”

“A genius like the Young Sect Master?”

…”

“Hmph,” the stern-faced young man seated among the five on the platform snorted, and the Black Armored Army immediately fell silent.

Zhuge Yuanhong smiled faintly. “Second Martial Uncle, you preside over the Centurion competition below.”

“Yes, Sect Master.” The silver-haired, black-robed elder immediately stood up, surveyed the crowd below, and announced loudly, “My six thousand Black Armored Army is divided into four battalions, totaling sixty Centurions! Every six months, among the fifteen Centurions in each battalion, the two weakest are dismissed!”

“Across the four battalions, there are eight Centurion posts. These eight, along with the nine First Rank Martial Artists, will now compete for these eight positions.” The black-robed elder’s words caused a low murmur among the more than three hundred newcomers.

Teng Qingshan finally understood the rules for competing for the Centurion posts.

The eight weakest incumbent Centurions would compete against the nine newcomers for the eight available slots.

“Seventeen people are vying for these eight Centurion positions. Those who fail will immediately become Squad Leaders!” The black-robed elder looked coldly below. “Niu Zhan! Hong Xingyang! Xia Shuo! Situ Ning…” The elder rattled off eight names in one breath.

“You eight, hand over your Green-Maned Snow Steeds and your Iron Heavy Armor,” the elder stated coldly.

Instantly, eight men emerged from the farthest edges of the Black Armored Army. Each led a fine steed, upon which rested a set of dark-red heavy armor. The faces of these eight men were grim; clearly, this forfeiture was deeply humiliating.

“The nine First Rank Martial Artists, come forward as well.” The black-robed elder commanded.

“Go, join those eight Centurions,” the middle-aged man in the grey robe urged Teng Qingshan and the others.

The aloof Gongyang Qing, the playful Wu Man, and Teng Qingshan, who bore the Reincarnation Spear on his back—the nine First Rank Martial Artists walked to the front of the Black Armored Army, lining up beside the eight existing Centurions.

“These eight are the weakest among the sixty Centurions!” The black-robed elder swept his gaze over the nine newcomers. “However, even among the weakest eight, few of you can defeat them! Becoming a Black Armored Army Centurion requires real skill.”

Did the First Rank Martial Artists lack pride?

Who would concede without a contest?

Teng Qingshan and the other eight remained silent, but their glances toward the eight Centurions beside them were imbued with fighting intent.

“The competition method is simple!” the black-robed elder announced loudly. “There are eight completed arenas on the drill ground. Niu Zhan and the other seven will temporarily act as ‘Arena Masters,’ one per arena. You nine First Rank Martial Artists may challenge them; winning the challenge makes you the Arena Master. If you lose, you can challenge another. Each of you seventeen will have two challenge opportunities! When the challenges conclude, the eight remaining Arena Masters will become the eight Centurions!”

“Remember, deliberate killing in the arena combat is forbidden; anyone intentionally taking a life will be executed!” the black-robed elder stated coldly.

Many experts were present; discerning whether a killing was intentional would be immediate.

“Alright, Niu Zhan and the rest of you eight, take your positions on the arenas,” the elder ordered coldly. At this moment, the eight Centurions were sizing up the nine First Rank Martial Artists, and simultaneously making their way toward the eight platforms.

Teng Qingshan’s gaze, however, fell upon the sturdy warrior who resembled a human-shaped black bear.

Because…

It was an acquaintance! That very Black Armored Army Centurion, ‘Xia Shuo,’ who had acted righteously at the Moon Gazing Tower.

“Brother Xia,” Teng Qingshan approached with a smile.

“You are…” Xia Shuo suddenly blinked his bull-like eyes. “The young fellow from the Moon Gazing Tower the day before yesterday… You’re a First Rank Martial Artist?”

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