The last two ended up playing Go instead, mainly because trying to express military formations through Gomoku was just a tad too abstract for Zhong Ling.
Zhong Ling had a knack for maneuvering military formations, which could be slightly reflected in her Go skills.
She found herself sitting across from Ying Bing, who looked like a slim, fair-skinned goddess placing the black pieces delicately on the board. Zhong Ling couldn’t help but feel a jolt of shock.
“Miss Ying, do you already know about military formations? I feel like it’s even harder to deal with you than when I faced Uncle Qu…”
“Let’s say I have a basic understanding.”
“Let’s say?”
“I just learned from you.”
With a deft move, Ying Bing trapped Zhong Ling’s big dragon piece.
Zhong Ling stared at her, utterly confused.
Suddenly, it hit her—this Cold Fairy had indeed been intently watching her military maneuvers when she was orchestrating formations. Zhong Ling thought Ying Bing had already mastered this art.
But it turned out, she was just a quick learner.
“Why are you learning this?”
“…….”
Ying Bing paused, casting a fleeting glance downward at the training field, and softly said, “Focus on the game.”
“Oh.”
Zhong Ling’s expression grew more complex.
Though Ying Bing asked her to pay attention to the game, she kept glancing down at either Li Mo or Qu Sheng directing the military formations.
Zhong Ling began to suspect that Ying Bing had spotted some weaknesses in Uncle Qu’s military setup.
At that moment, Zhong Zhenyue’s command of the military formation fell into Qu Sheng’s hands.
Under this commander guarding Qingmu City, the hundred soldiers were tightly knit together, exchanging knowledge, and their morale surged.
Under his command, the drill improved several notches.
“No wonder the pressure increased so much.”
Little Li, who was playing close by, sneakily glanced over and realized the commander had switched to Qu Sheng.
“The itch to showcase my skills is overwhelming, Young Hero Li, don’t mind me.”
Qu Sheng’s voice rang out.
“Please, we can’t wait!”
Li Mo replied cheerfully.
The stronger the commander, the better the investment yield, meaning he’d receive a better return on his investments. And he could level up his own skills too.
He was curious about how much military strength he could absorb today.
He had just arranged with Zhong Zhenyue to first showcase the rampant disaster beasts in the South Border, and then get to the real business later.
“Brothers, so this is what true bl**d Zhu Yan looks like. Its bloodline power can unleash a bl**d curse, strengthening itself while devouring others.”
“If we hadn’t known better, we’d have been caught off guard and taken quite a hit!”
“What’s more than Zhu Yan? Qiongqi, the nine-headed bird—aren’t they all like that?”
“We’ve seen so much today; we must remember it well. The next time we run into these disaster beasts, we might just save a few lives!”
From the surroundings of the training field, gasps of amazement arose from time to time.
No one would take this lightly. They say, before soldiers march, logistics must be sorted out. There’s something on the battlefield more critical than food.
Information.
History is full of shocking battle tales rooted in these two words.
Li Mo now showcased the disaster beasts right before their eyes, more vividly than any record could convey.
He was also receiving notification pings in his ears.
【Congratulations, host, your investment in the soldiers of Qingmu Camp helped them understand Zhu Yan.】
【You have an investment waiting to be claimed.】
【Congratulations, host, your investment in the soldiers of Qingmu Camp helped them understand the great wind.】
【You have an investment waiting to be claimed.】
…
As the drill progressed, the astonishment in everyone’s hearts began to shift towards Li Mo himself.
“Have you all noticed? Young Hero Li shows no signs of exhaustion or depleting true energy?”
“Oh man, I didn’t even realize it until now.”
“Li Mo is single-handedly wearing down a whole military formation!”
“How strong must his consciousness and physique be?”
“No wonder the commander said Young Hero Li could become a divine general in the future…”
“Just how much military strength can he absorb? Won’t he be a general soon?”
The captains on stage grew increasingly awed as they watched.
They knew Qu Sheng was a straightforward guy, but they hadn’t expected such a hefty evaluation.
The image of the prince reigning over the military back in the day didn’t pack as much punch as Young Hero Li’s presence did for them.
A person like him, being likened to a future divine general, seemed completely justified.
“Stop!”
Qu Sheng lowered the command flag. Listening to the chatter of the captains, he sighed deeply, both surprised and relieved.
The reason for the halt wasn’t that Li Mo couldn’t keep up.
It was Zhong Zhenyue’s prolonged absorption of military strength, facing off against Li Mo, had pushed both his consciousness and physical endurance to their limits—he couldn’t go on any longer.
“Let me take a breather.”
“Fine, we can continue shortly.”
“Ah? Brother Li, why don’t you try absorbing military strength first? We can come back for the drills tomorrow.”
Zhong Zhenyue forced a smile and waved his hand.
Others probably had no idea how bizarre things would get.
Even when Brother Li wasn’t transforming into disaster beasts, he was still a powerhouse who could bring out the hammer…
“Well then, Old Zhong, you take a break.”
Li Mo regretfully tossed a six-pattern recovery pill to him.
He still hadn’t reaped enough rewards.
He hadn’t even managed to fuse with the last disaster beast’s true spirit yet.
Honestly, this timing was exceptional…
“Young Hero Li, how does it feel to be in the military formation?”
Qu Sheng personally welcomed him on the commander’s platform, not even shaking off the light snow from his cloak.
“It’s exhilarating.”
“Hahaha, exhilarating indeed! Why not take this moment to see how much military strength you can absorb? Any expectations?”
“Uh… More… I should be able to absorb more than Zhong Zhenyue.”
Li Mo meant to snatch some from the military genius but felt it was inappropriate to say so.
“Can we do it now?”
Qu Sheng’s eyes flickered, staring at the Go board not far away. “Originally, it wasn’t possible, given that the eye of the formation and the command require some time to harmonize.”
“Hmm?”
Li Mo didn’t quite catch his drift.
Following Qu Sheng’s gaze, he saw Ying Bing, clad in a long skirt, sitting gracefully amid the wind and snow. Her cold beauty added a flourish to the snowy scene, and as she gently placed her pieces on the board, she exuded an air of composed strategy.
Across from her, Zhong Ling was staring blankly, lips parted, white mist spewing continuously from her mouth in puffs.
Had she lost her mind?
“Just now, Zhong Ling asked Ying Bing how many soldiers she could command.”
Qu Sheng slightly lowered his eyelids, his hand trembling a bit.
“What did she say?”
“More is better.”
“…..”
Little Li suddenly felt a shock run through him as if struck by lightning, throwing his tactics back in shock.
Qu Sheng chuckled softly.
It seems this pair of young souls really had an undeniable chemistry, no doubts about that.
