Chapter Thirty-Two: Attitude

However, the primal crystals of demon beasts and sacred beasts are entirely beyond the reach of ordinary warriors, and even most cultivators may not be able to obtain them. Furthermore, refining one’s innate technique requires over a hundred primal crystals—the cost is astronomical, a distant dream for anyone within the Nine Principalities.

“Well then…” Ye Xin sighed helplessly. The Hall of Cambrian held great advantages for him as well, and with Ye Ling involved, he had no choice but to give it a try.

“With you making a move, boss, dealing with those kids will be a breeze!” Xie En grinned.

“I won’t be taking action,” Ye Xin shook his head. “Have you forgotten what I’ve said before? Always treat combat as the very last resort.”

“Boss, if you don’t step in, we’re bound to lose the Hall of Cambrian!” Xie En’s smile stiffened. “There’s nothing I can do—if I act, that woman will seize on it as a pretext.”

“I assure you we’ll win,” Ye Xin replied. “Now tell me, what’s this flag-capturing event about? I want to know all the rules.”

“Well… it’s like playing a game,” Xie En explained. “There are two peaks on Twin Ridge Mountain, twenty li apart, both with flat summits. I’ll hand the Fifth Battalion’s banner to them, and they’ll give me the First Battalion’s banner. Both sides must plant their banner atop their mountain, then the contest begins. It starts at midnight and lasts twenty-four hours, until the next midnight. There are no restrictions on tactics—you can steal, launch surprise attacks, or go for a frontal assault. Any method is allowed; whoever gets the enemy’s banner wins.”

“Stealing is allowed?” Ye Xin mused. “How likely is it to actually steal the banner?”

“Almost impossible,” Xie En answered. “The area is rich in primal energy, which has bred many fierce beasts, though most are small. Especially near the peaks, swarms of hornets nest there—you have to circulate your primal energy just to fend them off. But doing so creates fluctuations, which they will sense immediately—you can’t sneak past them.”

“Anything else to keep in mind?” Ye Xin asked.

“Mm… Battles usually break out at dawn,” said Xie En. “The small beasts are too active at night, so there are too many variables. Nobody wants to act then. Plus, to avoid beast attacks, students must circulate primal energy constantly. The strongest among them is just a novice innate warrior. Prolonged use of primal energy is exhausting. If they don’t fight during the day and delay until night, everyone will be drained, and there’ll be no way to decide the outcome. I’ve participated in several flag battles—each time, fighting started at dawn and was over by midday.”

“Anything else?” Ye Xin pressed.

“Uh… You mentioned stealing the banner…” Xie En hesitated. “If you act, boss, you’d have a decent shot—as long as you can sneak onto the summit. To encourage students to develop varied tactics, nobody is allowed to guard the summit; they have to stay at least three hundred meters away. That gives you a real chance.”

“Me? You want me to play masked thief?” Ye Xin retorted.

“Definitely not,” Xie En shook his head. “They must lose convincingly. Plus, there will be people watching from above. What would it look like if you wore a mask?”

“Then I can’t intervene,” Ye Xin said. “Anything else?”

“Nothing comes to mind right now—I think that’s all,” Xie En replied.

“Heh… Seems the deans and deputy deans of Dragon Soar Martial Academy are a bunch of incompetents—the rules are too lax,” Ye Xin commented. “Can you get your hands on squid ink?”

“Squid ink?” Xie En pondered a moment. “I recall it’s used as an additive in some medicinal pills—the Academy’s alchemy room should have it.”

“Bring me a vial,” Ye Xin instructed. “Let’s hope for clear weather.”

“Boss, what difference does sunny or cloudy weather make?” Xie En asked, confused.

“Sunlight can accelerate chemical reactions,” Ye Xin replied.

“What’s a chemical reaction?” Xie En was even more puzzled.

“It’s too complicated to explain,” Ye Xin said after a pause. “Can you get me into the alchemy room? I’ll need a few more things—squid ink alone won’t suffice.”

“No problem—I’m a highly paid instructor here, after all. I have plenty of pull.” Xie En grinned.

****

By noon, the students of the Fifth Battalion had gradually returned to the Hall of Cambrian, though two were missing. There’s always some risk in field exercises in the wild. Even with deans and instructors supervising, accidents can still happen, and some parents refuse to let their children take such risks.

The Academy never forces anyone to participate—everyone has their own ambitions, and it can’t be helped. A few absences are normal; the First Battalion won’t be at full strength either.

After entering the Hall of Cambrian, Ye Ling instinctively observed Ye Xin’s expression, worried he might have been mocked or troubled by Xie En. Seeing him calm and composed, she finally relaxed.

Wen Rong and the other girls known as the “Four Flowers of the Army” were, of course, present. They were all ambitious; losing was acceptable, but refusing to fight was cowardice. The former only cost them face, but the latter could undermine their martial spirit.

While waiting, Wen Rong and her companions chatted idly. Out of consideration for Ye Ling, they didn’t avoid Ye Xin’s presence.

Only now did Ye Xin learn that they weren’t originally in the same battalion. All were scions of great families. Aside from Ye Ling, the other three had the qualifications to choose their own instructor.

Among all instructors at Dragon Soar Martial Academy, the most prominent were Wu Man of the First Battalion and Xie En of the Fifth. Wu Man, barely past thirty, was already a veteran of the battlefield. Xie En, meanwhile, possessed two innate techniques and was the most powerful among the instructors.

So children of the great families always chose one of these two battalions. Wen Rong and Ye Ling were in the Fifth, Shen Miao and Shao Xue in the First. They met, became friends, and as their bond deepened, Shen Miao and Shao Xue left the First Battalion to join the Fifth.

To an instructor, this was a blatant humiliation and betrayal. Shen Miao and Shao Xue had strong backgrounds and didn’t care about Wu Man’s opinion, so Wu Man redirected all her anger at Xie En. To make matters worse, her own lover had been ousted by Xie En. The relationship between the two instructors became extremely hostile—if not for the strict rules of Jiuding City and the Academy, things might have turned bloody long ago, as they would have in Tianyuan City.

Of course, if it came to that, Wu Man would almost certainly be the one to die, and Xie En to survive. Compared to ordinary people, Wu Man had rich experience, but she was no match for Xie En.

Three thousand soldiers in the Heaven’s Wrath Battalion once found themselves in dire straits. After more than a hundred battles over the course of a year, fewer than a hundred escaped with their lives. It was the harshest form of tempering.

Xie En had many faults—laziness, a wild and unrestrained nature, a penchant for trouble—but Ye Xin always tolerated him, for Xie En was a true genius. More importantly, Xie En had been on Ye Xin’s side from the very beginning. Back then, Ye Xin was not the leader, just the strategist.

During the Heaven’s Wrath Battalion’s internal strife, Xie En had saved Ye Xin’s life several times. If it had been someone like Hao Fei pulling such stunts, Ye Xin would have kicked him aside long ago.

A commander must be fair, but feelings still make a difference.

Suddenly, the neighing of horses sounded outside the hall—the Academy was ready. Xie En led the students out of the Hall of Cambrian. Ye Ling hurried to Ye Xin and whispered, “Brother, do you know how to ride?”

Ye Xin glanced at her, too lazy to answer. Did he really look that useless?

The students leaped onto their horses. As Ye Xin was just grabbing the reins, Ye Ling rushed over. “Brother, are you sure you can ride?”

“Little Ling, I’ve traveled all across the Nine Principalities these past years. If I couldn’t ride, do you think I walked everywhere?” Ye Xin said helplessly.

“Oh… well, I’ll ride beside you, just in case you fall. I can help you,” Ye Ling insisted.

Ye Xin couldn’t help rolling his eyes, then swung himself onto his horse. Not only did Ye Ling draw near, but Wen Rong also flanked his other side—a double layer of protection.

Ye Xin had nothing to say, nudging his horse forward at a leisurely pace. Wen Rong sneaked a glance at him, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Ye Xin didn’t notice. Since that morning, Wen Rong had already cast him many such looks, for she found his figure vaguely familiar, yet couldn’t recall where she’d seen him before.

Including Xie En, there were twenty-one riders in all, and the troop moved slowly through the Academy.

As the students on foot saw the riders, a sudden stir rippled through the crowd.

“This is… this is incredible!” one student couldn’t help exclaiming.

“Who is that? Does anyone know?” another asked, eyes wide.

All eyes fixed on Ye Xin—not because he was powerful, but because of his striking position.

Ye Xin rode in the center, with Ye Ling and Shao Xue on his left, Wen Rong and Shen Miao on his right.

The Four Flowers of Dragon Soar Martial Academy, famed throughout the school, clustered around Ye Xin like stars encircling the moon. Not even the most outstanding young men of their generation—Tie Shudeng or Zong Yunjin—had ever received such honor.

The golden age for making friends is between thirteen or fourteen and one’s twenties. Any friendships formed later are usually tinged with self-interest. At this age, friendship is pure, born of affinity and liking, and thus all the more precious.

Among the Four Flowers, Ye Ling’s situation was the most difficult. Wen Rong and the others knew Ye Xin’s past and the enemies he’d made, so they deliberately behaved this way to make their position clear: Ye Xin was under their protection, and anyone who dared trouble him would face them as well.

They cherished their friendship and were willing to help Ye Ling and the Ye family, regardless of their own families’ interests.

The other students, however, read much more into it. The weight of their complicated stares even made Ye Xin feel a bit ill at ease.