Chapter 210: Cultivation Advances! Reviewing the Old to Learn the New

Chapter 210: Chapter 210: Cultivation Advances! Reviewing the Old to Learn the New

Zhu Ge sat cross-legged on his bed. Before him lay three thin booklets.

The first was the Eight Armored Arrays, a gift from Mr. Langhao.

He had already read it once but had only scratched the surface. The core of the Military Dao was "momentum"—borrowing the collective momentum of the masses for one’s own use.

The rudimentary methods of the Military Dao were what he had used to command his army of six thousand, but he was still a far cry from truly "overwhelming others with momentum."

The second booklet was the Celestial Horse Mountain Heroic Chronicles, presented to him by the Sword Hero.

It was less a cultivation technique and more a biography, chronicling the life of a certain Hero.

This Hero spent his life championing justice, traveling the world with a single longsword, and slaying countless tyrants and Demon Beasts.

The book contained no specific techniques or incantations, but it was imbued with the essence of the Heroic Dao: the principle of "righteousness" above all, of drawing one’s blade to help whenever injustice was found.

By emulating the Hero’s actions, one could comprehend Blood Qi.

The third was a Thief Dao technique from Li Hao. It had no name and was just a thin, handwritten copy.

It recorded several of the Thief Dao’s foundational methods: concealing one’s aura, lightness and leaping techniques, and the art of picking pockets.

These methods were remarkably similar to Zhu Ge’s "Incense-Lighting" Body Technique, but they focused more on stealth and theft.

"The Military Dao values momentum, the Heroic Dao values righteousness, and the Thief Dao values skill," Zhu Ge murmured. "Though all three stem from the Martial Dao, their focuses are entirely different."

He first picked up the Eight Armored Arrays and began to study it again.

Previously, he had only known the methods for deploying the Round Array, the Pyramidal Array, and the Xuanxiang Array, but his understanding of "momentum" was still shallow.

The "momentum" spoken of in the Military Dao wasn’t simple morale. It was the convergence of the entire army’s Blood Qi, will, and strength into a single entity—an unstoppable torrent.

But if the power of a vast army could be concentrated into a single person, that person would become even stronger.

He closed his eyes and tried to integrate the "momentum" of the Military Dao into his own Blood Qi.

His Blood Qi surged within him, showing a faint tendency to expand outward, as if trying to connect with the soldiers behind him—or rather, with the "army" in his heart.

Although his soldiers were far away in the camp outside the city, the power of the Military Dao allowed him to faintly perceive their presence.

A thought stirred in Zhu Ge’s mind.

’Why are Grand Generals so strong?’

’If they rely entirely on their armies, wouldn’t they be easy to assassinate?’

’They can’t spend their entire lives surrounded and protected by their soldiers, can they?’

’Therefore, a Grand General must have some way to protect themselves.’

Now, he felt he was faintly grasping the essence of it.

’A Grand General and their soldiers can break through the barrier of space.’

’Right now, I can sense them from several hundred meters away. What if I were stronger?’

’Wouldn’t I be able to borrow their power and unite it as one, even if I were at the ends of the earth and my soldiers were scattered across the world?’

’A Military Dao like that would be the true, ultimate Military Dao.’

Zhu Ge even vaguely wondered if the barrier of time could also be broken.

’If all my soldiers were to die in the future, could I summon them back from the river of time to fight alongside me once more?’

Although he could only just begin to sense his soldiers now, he had already crossed the threshold.

In the future, he would be able to establish a closer connection with his soldiers on the battlefield, making his command much more intuitive. He would no longer need to rely on Hua Liusha’s Yin Qi for communications.

’Let’s take a look at the next one.’

Having gotten a taste of success from this review, Zhu Ge continued by rereading the *Celestial Horse Mountain Heroic Chronicles*, followed by the Thief Dao technique.

After reviewing all three books, he felt that his Blood Qi had become much more refined, and he himself had become much more agile.

If the Body Refining Martial Dao gave him explosive power and defense, then the Military Dao gave him control, the Heroic Dao gave him speed, and the Thief Dao added agility.

A Grand General commands a vast army and can pluck the stars from the sky.

A Great Hero kills a man every ten steps, leaving no trace over a thousand miles.

A master thief steals all things for their own use, even mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.

These were all things Zhu Ge needed to learn and develop.

Otherwise, as a mere Martial Artist, his options would be too limited, his methods for dealing with enemies too few.

’I might as well review the Five Animals Qigong, the Waist and Horse Skill, and my other cultivation techniques.’

Feeling inspired, Zhu Ge continued to review his old cultivation techniques.

After a period of reviewing and studying his old techniques, Zhu Ge was surprised to find that not only had his Blood Qi improved, but his Confucian Daoist Literary Qi had also become much more condensed.

To review the old is to learn the new!

This also made Zhu Ge understand that in the future, he couldn’t just frantically learn new cultivation techniques and martial arts. He had to review the old while learning the new.

Hooo...

Having filled the gaps in his knowledge and finished his studies, Zhu Ge let out a long breath.

He walked out of his room and went to the city’s training ground.

Just moments ago, he had sensed a connection with about three thousand of his soldiers.

These three thousand soldiers had all gathered on the training ground, their faces filled with curiosity.

After all, the feeling of that mental connection had been profoundly mysterious.

It was a feeling of shared destiny.

If one had to put it into words, it was the camaraderie of "brothers in arms."

That was why they had all assembled when Zhu Ge arrived.

’These soldiers are all elite troops and fierce generals in the making!’

"Get ready! Rest and regroup. We depart in two hours! Our target is Yilong City!"

...

Two hours later, the army had finished assembling.

Mounted on Mazhu’s back, Zhu Ge’s gaze swept over the vast army before him.

Over six thousand soldiers, more than three thousand Demon Beasts, and over a thousand Ox Demons formed a dense, black mass, their combined presence overwhelming.

After the battle for Mengzi City, the surviving soldiers had all drawn blood and stared death in the face. A new layer of viciousness, one they’d never had before, now gleamed in their eyes.

"March!"

The army began to move, a black torrent flowing eastward.

After half a day of marching, the sky began to darken.

Zhu Ge ordered them to make camp on a hill.

The soldiers skillfully pitched tents, dug fire pits, and set up sentry posts.

The men from the Mechanical Dao released several Reconnoitre Puppets, which roamed the perimeter of the camp on patrol.

Campfires were lit, and the smoke from cooking fires curled into the air.

Zhu Ge sat by a fire, holding the map from Tongzhen and carefully studying the next day’s route.

"Yilong Marsh..." He pointed to an area on the map marked in black. "To get to Yilong City from here, we have to cross Yilong Marsh. City Lord Tong said a Third Realm Demon Beast is entrenched there, but he doesn’t know what kind."

"Whatever it is, we’ll just kill it," Zhao Tieshan said nonchalantly, gnawing on a piece of dried meat.

"Don’t underestimate it," Yu the Scholar said, putting down his book. "Any Demon Beast that can dominate a place like Yilong Marsh won’t be any weaker than the two outside Mengzi City."

Zhu Ge nodded. "Tomorrow morning, Liu Jianjian and I will scout ahead."

"Zhao Tieshan, you’ll lead the main force and follow behind. Maintain your distance and be ready to provide support at any time."

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Tieshan replied.

Zhu Ge returned to studying the map, recalling the overall situation.

For now, Yuan Yang City, Mengzi City, and Jianshui City had not yet fallen.

As for Eagle City, Yilong City, Fenshui City, and Lvchun City—well, Eagle City had been saved, at least.

But based on the situation in Mengzi City, the circumstances in the other cities were grim.

"Jianjian, rest up and gather your strength. Prepare for a great battle!"