"They actually found their way to the army?"

Jiang Shi quickly pondered in his heart, glanced at Lu Zhongshan, and said, "Thank you, Marshal Lu, for holding them off temporarily for me, but I need to think this through some more."

He knew very little about this Black Lotus Sect.

Furthermore, he had personally witnessed not long ago that someone from the Black Lotus Sect dispatched a strongman to assassinate Lu Zhongshan, indicating that this sect was definitively not united internally.

This made him have to treat the matter cautiously.

After all, he didn't want to be targeted by the higher-ups of this sect just after entering, because of anything related to Lu Zhongshan.

"Very well, but as I said, the world is in turmoil today, heroes rise everywhere, and almost every rebel army has the support of a noble family. The era of fighting alone is over. Now, only by backing a power can one gain resources and further enhance oneself. Relying on personal strength alone to fight against this great tide is simply unrealistic."

Lu Zhongshan spoke, saying:

"The resources of the world have long been divided among the various powers. Even if some luckily flow into the Jianghu, how much could there really be? Moreover, whoever unifies the world in the future, the first thing they'll have to deal with is the Jianghu, so mixing in the Jianghu is by no means a wise move."

Jiang Shi felt a chill in his heart.

What Lu Zhongshan said was almost identical to what Yang Hongtian had done back then.

It seems that commanders all have the same apprehensions towards Jianghu.

However, to be truthful, if one day he became the emperor, he might also take action against Jianghu.

After all, nobody wants to see such an unstable force in the world.

"Marshal Lu, you mentioned just now that every rebel army has the support of a noble family?"

Jiang Shi asked.

"Yes, every time the world falls into chaos, it's actually just the noble families reshuffling behind the scenes."

Lu Zhongshan lightly sighed.

"Though our Yi Ming Army does not have support from noble families, we do have the backing of the Black Lotus Holy Sect, which has been passed down for over four thousand years. The current Holy Sect Leader and the Four Great Kings are almost all experts at the Blood Exchange Realm, with countless secret manuals and resources within the sect. As long as Brother Jiang performs well, there's no reason you couldn't also get the secret medicine for the Blood Exchange Realm in the future."

He further persuaded Jiang Shi.

"There's a secret medicine for the Blood Exchange Realm?"

"Naturally."

Lu Zhongshan nodded calmly, "The Blood Exchange Realm has long surpassed the human realm; without secret medicine, one simply cannot succeed in the exchange. But unfortunately, this secret medicine has been strictly controlled by various sects and noble families throughout history. It's extremely difficult for anyone else to obtain it!"

"I see."

Jiang Shi once again pondered deeply.

These noble families have persisted through the years indeed for a reason.

The potent power is monopolized by them!

"Marshal Lu, allow me a few more days to think."

Jiang Shi said, "As you mentioned earlier, the secret manuals in the army are available for me to peruse; is that still true?"

"Brother Jiang, you're welcome to look anytime."

Lu Zhongshan replied.

"Great, I want to view them right now."

Jiang Shi said, "By the way, would you kindly have someone gather information on the upcoming martial arts gatherings for me?"

"Martial arts gatherings?"

Lu Zhongshan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

Jiang Shi answered.

He didn't want to hang himself on a single rope.

The situation with the Black Lotus Holy Sect still needed further investigation.

The resources he needed now could only be sought at those martial arts gatherings.

"Very well, I'll have someone keep an eye out."

Lu Zhongshan nodded, "Come, I'll take Brother Jiang to the armory in the army; feel free to choose any secret manual you need."

The two immediately left the tent and headed towards another area.

In no time.

Jiang Shi had entered a massive building.

The entire structure was divided into three floors, filled with stacks of books, wafting a unique scent of paper and ink.

"Brother Jiang, this is the collection of various martial arts and classics that our Yi Ming Army has accumulated over the years. Aside from the third level's military secrets, which you cannot view, you are free to peruse any other type, including the corresponding materials for these secret manuals, which I can supply to you in full."

Lu Zhongshan magnanimously said.

"Thank you, Marshal Lu!"

Jiang Shi nodded.

"Brother Jiang, you're too kind. I'll leave you to it!"

Lu Zhongshan smiled, left Jiang Shi there, and then turned to leave on his own.

Jiang Shi's eyes sparkled, immediately wandering through this massive building, beginning to search through the secret manuals one by one.

Various secret manuals appeared before his eyes, giving him a dizzying choice.

After browsing for quite some time, Jiang Shi finally slapped his forehead.

"Damn it, what body techniques and hidden weapons do I need? With my current talent, only raw strength can achieve miracles; cultivating any other martial arts would be a waste of time."

Now that he was looking at such a vast armory, it was natural to fully utilize his talents and cultivate all the Horizontal Training Techniques first.

···

Seven or eight days passed.

Jiang Shi didn't leave his quarters, arduously immersed in cultivation once again.

Now, almost everyone in the army knew that the Marshal had somehow found a frail boy, a veritable martial arts fanatic.

All day and night, almost every moment soaked in medicinal water.

The rumors about Jiang Shi also spread directly within the Yi Ming Army, causing Jiang Shi's Reputation Value to increase slightly once again.

However, just when Jiang Shi thought he could keep cultivating, a change occurred.

Inside the tent.

Lu Zhongshan looked grave, staring at a letter in his hand, his heart sinking rapidly to the bottom.

The letter was written by his father, Lu Yongyuan.

The last time someone within the Holy Sect sent people to assassinate him, he immediately wrote to his father, who then directly wrote to their Hall Master.

So many days later, his father's letter finally returned.

But the content left him feeling very heavy-hearted.

Their immediate superior, the Hall Master of the Five Elements Hall, was ambushed half a month ago and seriously injured, now unable to continue managing affairs, and the Holy Sect was preparing to send someone else to temporarily manage the Five Elements Hall's affairs.

In addition, someone was once again pursuing their recent defeat.

Soon, an envoy would enter the army to take over all the power from him and his father.

"Trouble!"

He clenched his fist tightly.

"Marshal, do you really want to relinquish power?"

Zhao Qing gritted his teeth and said unwillingly.

"In the face of the Holy Sect's order, I have no choice."

Lu Zhongshan gave a bitter smile, shaking his head, "Just hope the person coming isn't sent by our old adversary Guo Yi."

The person who came to assassinate him last time was from Guo Yi, the Hall Master of the Profound Dragon Hall.

He had been wondering how the Profound Dragon Hall dared to be so reckless; it turned out their Five Elements Hall Master had long been seriously injured, and there was no one left to back them up.

Zhao Qing and Lu Chengtian both looked frustrated and remained silent.

On the surface, they commanded an army of hundreds of thousands, enjoying unlimited prestige, but once faced with their own sect, their hearts were still filled with deep powerlessness and fear.

"Report, Marshal, the Holy Envoy has arrived."

Suddenly, a soldier rushed in from outside, cupping his fist and saying.

"Invite him quickly!"

Lu Zhongshan took a deep breath and spoke.

"No need, I am already here."

A voice cold and deep sounded, and the tent opened wide, revealing a middle-aged man striding in, cloaked in a long golden robe, his presence concealed.

Following him was a line of men, each with indifferent expressions.

One of them notably held a golden long saber in his hands, radiant and dazzling.

The moment he saw the golden long saber, Lu Zhongshan's face changed and he immediately bowed respectfully, "Holy Sect Leader, greetings!"

Others in the tent also knelt.

Seeing the Golden Dragon Treasure Saber was like seeing the Sect Leader.

"Rise, the Sect Leader is well!"

The man in the golden robe spoke with a cold, impolite tone, sitting grandly at the head commander's seat with icy eyes, "Lu Zhongshan, are you aware of your crime?"

Lu Zhongshan's heart trembled, "Please enlighten me, Holy Envoy."

"You rashly deployed troops, causing losses and defeats, resulting in the Yi Ming Army's loss of over half its forces, committing a heinous crime, and now you want me to personally tell you? You're simply courting death!"

The man in the golden robe slapped the table, his voice stern, "The Holy Sect spent great efforts to cultivate so many troops, only for you to ruin them overnight. According to the sect's rules, flaying you alive is considered lenient!"

"I plead for mercy, Holy Envoy!"

Lu Zhongshan quickly knelt down, cold sweat pouring, not daring to argue.

The other party had come with no good intentions, and arguing further would only be courting death.

"Besides, I heard you've privately harbored an unknown person in the army, is that true?"

The man in the golden robe spoke with a cold tone.

"Brother Jiang Shi saved my life, so I brought him into the army..."

Lu Zhongshan quickly explained.

"Oh? Who is this person, I'd like to see him, bring him here."

The man in the golden robe said indifferently.

Lu Zhongshan sweated profusely, his heart in turmoil, signaling with his eyes to Lu Chengtian on the side.

Lu Chengtian understood immediately, his heart tensed, and he quickly retreated.

In another area.

Jiang Shi was still in the tent, continuing his cultivation.

He hadn't left for days, and had managed to train two additional Horizontal Training Techniques to Perfection, increasing his strength by about 2500 pounds.

"As my physical body grows stronger, these ordinary cultivation techniques provide increasingly smaller boosts, how unfortunate."

Jiang Shi murmured to himself.

"Brother Jiang Shi..."

Suddenly, Lu Chengtian rushed in from outside, extremely anxious, and said, "You need to run, there is a problem within the sect, a Holy Envoy has come, my father and I may not be able to protect ourselves, and now the Holy Envoy specifically wants to see you, you must leave quickly!"

...

Thanks to: the leader of Book Friend 20230715213943666!

Thanks to: the Sect Leader of Book Friend 20230717203250782!

Thanks to: Book Friend 20230713133723529, Super Electromagnetic Dan with Fireworks Light Sound for the rewards!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.