Chapter 3406

As soon as the battle ended, they immediately cleared the battlefield and returned to Cloudsoar City, lest they attract the attention of other groups of exiles.

On the way back, Liao Yaotian handed Ye Liuyun the storage rings belonging to the two martial artists Ye Liuyun had killed.

“These are all thanks to you. Keep them for yourself!” Liao Yaotian said to Ye Liuyun.

“Everyone should get a share. Let’s divide them among us!” Ye Liuyun felt that everyone had worked together to capture the martial artist at the second level of the Void Realm, so it couldn’t all be counted as his accomplishment.

“Without your reinforcements, some of us might have died! I’ve already asked the others, and they all agreed to give you this loot!” Liao Yaotian explained.

Ye Liuyun did not insist. After accepting the rings, he said to everyone, “Then I’ll treat you all when we get back. Let’s go into the city and have a huge feast together!”

“Haha, all right! It’s been ages since we’ve had a proper feast. We’ll be taking advantage of your generosity!”

Liao Yaotian and the others were delighted as well. They felt that Ye Liuyun was loyal and generous without being greedy for money, and their impression of him improved even further.

After everyone returned to the military camp, they first turned in the captives. The soldiers then went back to heal their injuries and restore their true essence, while Xiao Han went to the central command tent to claim credit for their accomplishments.

By the time Ye Liuyun and the others had finished restoring their true essence, Xiao Han had already returned. He immediately gathered everyone together, assessed their contributions, and awarded Ye Liuyun six mid-grade Void Divine Crystals and more than three hundred low-grade Void Divine Crystals.

“Three alive and ten dead.”

Xiao Han did not say much. He merely reported the number of bandits Ye Liuyun had killed before continuing to distribute crystals to the other meritorious soldiers.

“Six mid-grade crystals? Kid, you’ve struck it rich!” Liao Yaotian and the others beside Ye Liuyun were openly envious.

After Xiao Han finished distributing the crystals, he also gave all the soldiers a day off, prompting everyone to cheer even more loudly.

“Come on, let’s look around the city. You haven’t gone out since you arrived in Cloudsoar City, have you?” Liao Yaotian took the initiative to invite Ye Liuyun along.

“Perfect. Let’s go together and find a restaurant where we can eat and drink to our hearts’ content!”

Ye Liuyun also waved the crystals in his hand, indicating that he would pay.

Liao Yaotian then gathered more than a dozen soldiers he was on good terms with, and they left the military camp together with Ye Liuyun.

They took Ye Liuyun around the city, then visited the merchant association to learn about some of the cultivation resources available there.

The city was in a remote location, and Ye Liuyun did not see any particularly good resources. However, he discovered that pill recipes were sold there, including the recipe for the kind of spiritual liquid he had soaked in when he first arrived.

Ye Liuyun immediately spent ten mid-grade divine crystals to buy the pill recipe. He then spent another two mid-grade crystals on the corresponding medicinal ingredients and handed them to Lin Luoyi and the other alchemists to prepare.

“I never would have guessed! You’re quite the wealthy man!” Ordinary soldiers like Liao Yaotian and the others could not possibly produce so many spirit stones.

“I only managed to save these through a fortunate coincidence. In the future, we should capture more prisoners and earn more merit when we go out. Then we shouldn’t have to worry about resources!” Ye Liuyun said modestly.

“You said it! From now on, we’re following you. Take us along so we can earn more!” Liao Yaotian immediately chimed in.

He felt that Ye Liuyun was powerful enough to defeat a second-level Void Realm expert single-handedly despite the difference in cultivation. In future battles, following Ye Liuyun—even if they received a smaller share—would still be better than risking their lives on their own.

“Not at all. I don’t have nearly as much experience as you do. I’ll still have to rely on you to look after me, Brother Tian!”

Ye Liuyun was not arrogant in the slightest. He felt that he was unfamiliar with the Void Realm to begin with, and that Liao Yaotian indeed had far more experience than he did.

Seeing how modest and easygoing he was, everyone became even more willing to spend time with him. The group got along harmoniously, chatting and laughing together.

Afterward, they had another huge feast together, with Ye Liuyun picking up the bill, which brought them even closer.

They went through several more battles together after that. Ye Liuyun was the main force in each one, and everyone earned merit alongside him and received quite a few benefits.

Xiao Han was also extremely satisfied with Ye Liuyun’s performance. He felt that the young man was truly capable, both bold and meticulous, and the more he observed him, the more he felt that he should keep Ye Liuyun by his side.

Thus, he found an opportunity to summon Ye Liuyun, Liao Yaotian, and a bearded soldier named Chen Mo.

“I called you here because I want to discuss something with you, not issue an order.” Xiao Han got straight to the point. “I’m about to be promoted to commander of a thousand-man unit, and I want to take a few trusted and capable personal guards with me.

I think all of you have performed well, and I’d like you to follow me. But you know what I’m like. If you follow me into battle, there will definitely be plenty of fighting, and naturally, more danger as well.

So the decision is up to you. I won’t force you.”

As soon as Xiao Han finished speaking, Ye Liuyun had already decided to follow him.

During this period, he had already discovered that the soldiers in the other units hardly ever had any opportunities to go out and fight. It was safe, certainly, but without opportunities to hone themselves, their cultivation would surely advance very slowly. He did not want to remain quietly in the military camp cultivating forever.

Liao Yaotian’s attitude toward Xiao Han had also changed recently. With Ye Liuyun around, every mission they went out on was safer, and they also made money, so he no longer felt that there was anything wrong with going into battle.

Thus, after communicating with Ye Liuyun via voice transmission, the two of them agreed immediately. Chen Mo felt the same way. He saw this as an opportunity to rise through the ranks and naturally had no intention of giving it up.

Liao Yaotian even suggested bringing along several people he was close to.

“Then you can discuss it with them yourselves. Just let me know once you’ve finalized the candidates!” Xiao Han knew Liao Yaotian was capable of handling the matter, so he left it entirely to him.

Those men also felt that following Ye Liuyun and Liao Yaotian offered better prospects, and at the very least, more cultivation resources than before. Thus, they all agreed.

Chen Mo did the same, persuading two soldiers he was close to.

Thus, when Xiao Han left the hundred-man unit, he already had sixteen soldiers by his side. Ye Liuyun, Liao Yaotian, and Chen Mo were all promoted to squad leaders of ten.

For the time being, however, none of them had any soldiers under their command. They served as Xiao Han’s personal guards and followed him into the new unit.

The new thousand-man unit was far more complicated than the hundred-man unit. Its ten commanders of hundred-man units each had their own agendas, making them difficult to manage.

This was especially true because Xiao Han had been assigned as commander rather than promoted from among them, so there was bound to be a period of adjustment.

And naturally, that period of adjustment would begin with a contest of strength.

Some of the veterans from the original unit wanted to put Xiao Han and his men in their place, while others wanted to display their strength before the new commander and earn his favor.

Whatever their reasons, Ye Liuyun and the others became their targets for provocation.

Xiao Han knew the rules. He knew they could not fight him directly, and his cultivation was also higher than theirs, so he could only have Ye Liuyun and the others accept the challenges.