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“Yes.”

Li Yao shook her head. “We are not all the same, you know. Some of us seek to be real cultivators. I know, I know, there are many here just to increase their strength. They are but an extension of their family. But you should know me better than that.”

One thing struck Wu Ying about what she had said and he leaned forward, fixing Li Yao with his gaze. “You said the Sect had survived one kingdom?”

Li Yao nodded.

“Did the Sect abandon the previous kingdom?”

“In a way. This was three hundred years ago or so?” said Li Yao. “But if I recall my history right, the old kingdom insulted the Sect and the Sect Master chose to use the insult as an excuse to withdraw the Sect’s support. Forced to fight cultivators and the invading army alone, the kingdom fell.”

“Huh. That wasn’t what I learned in school,” said Wu Ying.

“I doubt the official curriculum would be as blunt,” said Li Yao with a slight smirk.

“Well, let’s just hope that they’re all wrong.” Tou Hei looked around the crowded dining hall then lowered his voice further. “We’re not really trained to fight with an army. In fact, maybe it’s something we should look into with the martial specialists.”

“I’m not really interested,” said Li Yao.

“Shirking knowledge for the sake of preference is not wise,” cautioned Tou Hei.

Li Yao shrugged, a mulish look crossing her face. When Tou Hei looked to speak again, Wu Ying shook his head. He had learned to read Li Yao well. When she got into such a state, even logic would not dissuade her. In time, she would likely come around, but you had to let her come to that realization on her own.

“I do like that spring is coming,” said Wu Ying, changing the topic. “I’ve seen some new assignments in the hall. Soon enough, I’ll be out gathering again.”

Li Yao brightened. “Definitely. I can’t wait to see you fight for real. After all that practice with your sword by yourself, doing it together will be amazing.”

Wu Ying kept a straight face, but Tou Hei could not help but choke off a laugh.

Grinning devilishly, Tou Hei leaned forward and said to Li Yao, “Tell me more about Wu Ying’s sword. Have you taken a good look at it?”

Li Yao frowned at Tou Hei. “What you mean? You’ve played with his sword too.”

This time around, Wu Ying could not help but laugh at Tou Hei’s red face. Once they diverted Li Yao from asking about the blushing, the group turned their discussion back to the new assignments in the hall. And, of course, what they intended to buy with the contribution points they would earn.

Chapter 2

“You want to learn how to fight with an army?” said Chao Kun. The older martial specialist was in the late Energy stage of cultivation, rumored to be only a step away from reaching Core cultivation. Standing just under six feet, Chao Kun was handsome but not devastatingly so. His point of pride was his hair that reached his waist.

Tou Hei and Wu Ying were standing before the late stage Energy Storage martial specialist in the middle of the martial specialist training hall. Of course, the training hall wasn’t a single building but a series of three buildings, a training yard with a dozen sparring arenas and the requisite exercise and training equipment. While technically not for the martial specialists’ exclusive use, few who were not dedicated to martial arts dared to visit the martial hall. After all, the martial specialists just were not very good at not being competitive.

“Are you thinking about joining the war?” said Chao Kun.

“No,” said Tou Hei.

“Maybe,” said Wu Ying simultaneously. Tou Hei looked at Wu Ying with surprise, only to have his friend shrug. “I was supposed to fight in the war, you know? A part of me thinks that maybe I should go back and help.”

“Well, you don’t really need to worry about that. They only choose from martial specialists when they’re looking for volunteers. You’re not one, Gatherer,” said Chao Kun. “Also, you are not even at Energy Storage. It would be foolish to allow an inner sect member who isn’t a martial specialist to join the war. There are so many better options.”

Wu Ying thought that Chao Kun was exaggerating a little but chose not to contradict his senior. There was nothing to be gained by making his senior lose face. In any case, he had a feeling his senior’s comments were more to alleviate his guilt than about practical considerations. “It’d still be worth it for us to learn.”

“Very well.”

Chao Kun looked around the yard and spotted a few other martial specialists. He waved them over, gathering the group around him.

“Much of how a cultivator is used in a war will depend on the cultivator’s abilities. A Core Formation elder is a very different individual from someone who has not reached the Energy Storage stage.” Chao Kun looked directly at Wu Ying when he said that. “That being said, since we are mostly in the Energy Storage stage here, I will focus on our use there.

“Firstly, for those who have significant experience with qinggong techniques, they are often used as scouts and for flanking attackers. The ability to move quickly and silently across all kinds of terrain to attack resupply convoys, direct other scouting parties to hit un-fortified defenses, and in some cases, even take out their opposing army’s officers are highly valued.”

“But doesn’t Elder Ko recommend we stay away from qinggong exercises?” Wu Ying asked with a frown.

“Only until you reach Energy Storage,” one of the other cultivators said. “Also, Elder Ko is a bit of a traditionalist.”

The group laughed, only to quiet from a glare by Chao Kun.

“Whatever he might be, Elder Ko is our Elder and should be respected. He only desires the best for each of us. And I’m sure his advice has helped everyone here at some point.”

The group mutely nodded at Chao Kun’s words.

“Good. Now, continuing. We have cultivator scouts who work alone for the most part, though they might work in pairs if they’re working behind enemy lines. But not all cultivators have the skills or temperament to make good scouts. As such, most cultivators are grouped in small teams. Those teams can work independently of the main body, or in other cases, fight alongside the army itself. When working interdependently, very little additional training is required.”

“Because we do that already?” Tou Hei asked.

“Yes. Exactly.” Chao Kun gestured at the group, then made his gesture wider to encompass the mountain and Sect. “We already work in small groups all the time. And while the army raiding parties might be better equipped, most are not much better trained than your average bandit group.”

“Some of them become bandits anyway,” another martial specialist complained.

The group nodded. It was no secret that some soldiers, ill content to become farmers or to return to a life of drudgery, turned to banditry. And while the local lords were tasked with dealing with the groups, when the bandits were too well trained or numerous, the Sect was offered the chance to finish the job.

Chao Kun gestured for the group to focus. “Now, for the teams fighting with the army—which can make up most of the cultivators sent, depending on the needs and the ways the general uses us—the training is different. Standing in a line with soldiers in a pike wall would make poor use of our skills.”

Wu Ying imagined his sword in a pike wall, the way he moved, and shuddered. All around, the other martial specialists did the same.

“So instead, most generals have us acting either as reinforcements, shock troops, or flanking strikers.”

“Isn’t that the same as fighting alone?” the noisy martial specialist said.

“No. Because not only will you have to learn to understand the flags and drums of the army, you might be tasked to act independently. Which means reading the flow of the battle. More”—Chao Kun held up a finger—“if you are reinforcing a line, you will have to not only rush to the broken line and beat the enemies, but also contain your style so that when the regular reinforcements arrive, you may leave.”