Free Web NovelChapter 578: Chapter 397: Gathering of the Stars of War! (Double-Length)
"Those two, one is Dou Xuan, the Little Flag Master of the Sixth Army. This person wields a Heavy Iron Sword, rumored to be able to cleave mountains. His strength is formidable, and in the early years among all the Little Flag Masters in the Military Department, at least ranked in the top ten combatants!
As for the other, named Wen Zhen, the Little Flag Master of the Eleventh Army, it is similarly said that he already possesses Marshal-level strength..."
Song Changming hadn’t done much homework, but Yang Zhen beside him was able to recognize each identity, softly informing Song Changming.
"Marshal-level strength, is it the Innate Perfection Realm?" Song Changming was somewhat surprised.
He did not expect that there were so many martial artists in the Military Department with the Innate Perfection Realm. Not to mention the dozens of Grand Generals, but even among the Little Flag Masters, there were such individuals.
Hearing this, Yang Zhen smirked slightly and helplessly said, "When I refer to Marshal-level strength, it’s usually assumed to have opened two Celestial Martial Veins and cultivated to completion.
Innate Perfection Realm is not so common, not just among us Little Flag Masters, but even among those Grand Generals, not all have the Innate Perfection Realm cultivation."
"Huh, not all of them?" Song Changming was taken aback.
Yang Zhen looked at him silently, as if saying this was basic knowledge, and he still wasn’t aware of it.
"Alright..." Song Changming realized he had somewhat jumped to conclusions.
Among the Grand Generals he often interacted with, like Wang Tianshuang, Meng Kunlun, Hu Xuzhi, all were pinnacle forces of Innate Perfection Realm level.
This had led him to subconsciously believe that other Grand Generals were the same, that Innate Perfection was the standard cultivation for a Grand General.
But in reality, this was not the case.
The number of martial artists in the Innate Perfection Realm was much less than Song Changming imagined.
It was just that he interacted with too many prominent figures, creating the illusion that the top-level powerhouses in the Military Department were abundant.
A martial artist in the Innate Perfection Realm, taking one step or half a step further, would reach the Grandmaster Realm!
Theoretically, any martial artist in the Innate Perfection Realm is a potential Martial Arts Grandmaster at any time.
Even in the Prince’s Mansion and the Military Department, this level of powerhouse is scarce.
Among the Little Flag Masters, most of the innate cultivations only reach the level of opening seven Martial Veins.
Those who can open eight Martial Veins are few, and those who open nine Martial Veins can perhaps be counted on one hand, mostly those bearing the halo of Noble Family prodigies.
By mere Qi Refining Cultivation, Song Changming is currently just about average among the Little Flag Masters, with no particular advantage to speak of.
But Song Changming was already very satisfied with this.
In the past, his Qi Refining Cultivation always lagged behind his promotion speed in the Military Department, causing him to always rely on powerful physical strength to challenge formidable enemies across cultivation levels.
Now, thanks to a drop of Earth Core Fire Liquid, his Qi Refining Cultivation barely caught up with the level of his colleagues in the Military Department.
The shortcoming was no longer a shortcoming.
"And at first, this person, named Liao Junmao, the Little Flag Master of the Fifteenth Army, don’t think that because this person is eloquent you can assume he is straightforward; in fact, he is notoriously brutal.
He delights in slaughtering enemies, rarely letting captives live at his hands..."
Yang Zhen said as Song Changming silently listened.
Afterward, silhouettes descended one after another, seeing everyone else standing on Stone Peaks, and they each found a Stone Peak to take their place.
Finally confirming, the list included sixteen Little Flag Masters selected, all of whom were currently present.
Yang Zhen could almost call out everyone’s name, whereas Song Changming only recognized one among them.
"Younger Brother Song, it’s been months since we last met, has your strength improved?" Xu Yuan landed near Song Changming, grinning and asking.
Among these people, besides Yang Zhen who accompanied him, only Xu Yuan of the Fifth Army was familiar with him.
The others, although famous military stars, had no particular interaction with him.
"Congratulations, Brother Xu, from the sound of it, it seems your strength has improved significantly recently." Song Changming said with a light smile.
"Indeed, my Blazing Divine Thunder has evolved!" Xu Yuan spoke with a bit of pride in his voice, even with a touch of excitement.
In front of others, this Grand General Xu rarely loses composure, but with Song Changming, who knew him well and was his imagined rival, this carried a sense of showing off.
It was apparent that this so-called evolution must have given him a significant boost in strength, otherwise, he would not be this excited.
Song Changming suddenly thought of the Golden Thunder he had refined from the Great Demon Heart Core.
Strictly speaking, it and Xu Yuan’s Blazing Divine Thunder both belonged to a type of Anomalous Thunder.
If he were to unleash the Golden Thunder from within him before Xu Yuan, who knows what expression Xu Yuan might have.
During this time, he had been continuously refining the Great Demon Heart Core.
The acquired Golden Thunder Seed was no longer just capable of sparking fireworks.
Once unleashed, blended with his strike, it could add some power.
Of course, compared to Xu Yuan’s well-studied and matured Blazing Divine Thunder, the gap was still significant.
He had no intention of making a fuss over minor skills now.
"Just in time, for the upcoming competition for the position of Marshal, let us duel once more, and I’ll show you what Divine Thunder truly is!"
Xu Yuan was full of fighting spirit towards Song Changming, directly issuing a verbal challenge, as pure white arcs of electricity emerged continuously from his excited body.
"I have no objections." Song Changming smiled slightly.
Facing Xu Yuan, he felt no pressure, or in terms of just pure cultivation strength, none of the meticulously selected Little Flag Masters present posed any threat to him.
