*Yawn.* I know I know, I should have updated quite a while ago, but I truly was occupied. Sorry. All I can say is, school is shit. Anyways, enough with that and to the next chapter we go!

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The next morning was quite normal. Everyone had woken up quite early as they were told that they were going to have an emergency meeting that morning. The battalions were quite excited to hear the news and were curious as to what could prompt a meeting to occur. There was no doubt in their minds that it had something to do with mourning for the dead people. After all, this was a must. The Death Singer Mercenaries emphasized strongly on camaraderie and would always grieve for the deceased brothers and sisters of their group. Another man lost to the group was another powerful force gone. Feng Yun and the rest of the 5th Battalion had already begun making their way to the meeting which was taking place in the center of the camp, right next to the Chief's tent. The people besides Xia Qing and Feng Yun were discussing about the contents of the meeting. The former two however, already knew the contents of the meeting. 

"Hmm, I wonder what Chief wants to talk about this time?" Meng Rou said.

"Probably just a memorial for the brothers that died. We suffered quite the casualties this skirmish!" Cang Lin put in.

"I don't think it is as simple as that. Remember that in the battle, one of the commanders was killed? Well, this meeting could be a selection." Duo Ling shook his head as he said this. Feng Yun lightly whistled. He was quite smart. 

"As for who the Chief has in mind, I'm not too sure about it. They absolutely need to have five commanders. It's always been the tradition. we shall see soon." The five warriors then walked on and reached the meeting. The area was merely the Chief's tent as well as the commander's tents. Altogether, it was a decently sized area. Surrounding the area was all the members of the Death Singer Mercenaries huddled together, all waiting in anticipation. In the center was Dong Fuzhen, surrounded by three other people who gave off a powerful aura and seemed to have sorrowful expressions. It was likely that they were still grieving. The man who died had to have been incredibly close to them. After a few more minutes of waiting, the remaining members of the mercenary group as well as Elder Zhou and the arrogant girl arrived. The two did not really care much for a meeting but the girl had apparently expressed that she was bored so they decided to come. Dong Fuzhen shot a glance to the two people but turned his head quickly to face the members of his group, which numbered about fifty. He looked around and appeared to be searching for someone specifically. Feng Yun was in the back so he was not easily visible. As such, Dong Fuzhen could not see him. The old chief let out a sigh and gave up, instead choosing to speak.

"My fellow brothers, the encounter we have met with this time has taken many of us away. I am truly saddened to see so many of my fellow brothers dead. Before we depart, we shall cremate their bodies and take their ashes back with us to give to their families. That way, we can rest easy knowing that out brothers have been returned to where they once lived." He said this solemnly. The people nodded their heads with serious expressions on their faces. They evidently agreed with the statement. Again, camaraderie was emphasized by this group. Dong Fuzhen continued,

"At any rate, the losses we have suffered were close to a third of our total force. We cannot afford to lose too much men. Still, we will continue with the mission."

"But Chief, how can we go on without fifth brother. Our force has been significantly weakened ever since fifth brother died." One of the elite commanders said out loud. The others became quiet and waited for an answer.

"Haaa, I understand this perfectly. Naturally, I would not continue the mission blindly. Although, fifth brother ha indeed died, that does not necessarily mean that we cannot replace him." He spoke this loud enough for everyone to hear. They were all shocked. Another elite commander? Is it possible that Dong Fuzhen has someone in mind? The elite commander who voiced his comment spoke once more in confusion,

"Chief, do you already have someone to replace fifth brother?"

"Indeed. I noticed this during our battle with the bandits. When I was fighting their commander, I realized that I could not beat him by myself. He had already dealt a lot of damage and depleted my Yuan Energy from my storage. I didn't have the capacity to fight much longer. When, I was about to die, this person came into the fray and saved my life. Not only did he do that, he demonstrated his strength such that he could even hold off the commander which was far stronger than him for a period of time. During that time, he let me recover my strength and together, we killed the bandit commander. Most of the credit for killing the commander goes to this person." Dong Fuzhen spoke loudly. Feng Yun in the back was cringing from the words. Damn you, you're bringing too much attention to me! Don't over-exaggerate what happened you bastard! Dong Fuzhen smiled slightly, as if he expected Feng Yun's temperament, even though he could not see him, to be heavily embarrassed as of now. 

"I owe him much for his efforts and he has played a significant part in undermining the casualties from this battle. Although his appearance is quite young, everyone, do not doubt his strength at all. Even I would have to use my full power to defeat him. Junior brother Qiu, come out!" Everyone's eyes looked around to see where the person surnamed Qiu was. In the back, as the three original members of the fifth battalion heard the name, they all looked behind them towards Feng Yun, who seemed exasperated. Their eyes became egg shaped and they pointed at him.

"No way...you?!" They all exclaimed. Feng Yun sighed to himself and did not pay attention to their expressions. Instead, he whispered,

"Damn old man, you really went and did it, didn't you? You're probably laughing on the inside right about now." Feng Yun then disappeared in a flash before the eyes of the fifth battalion. He landed right in front of the crowd and next to Dong Fuzhen, who held a cheerful expression upon seeing him. He slightly smirked at the tired expression that Feng Yun had on him. Evidently, he was enjoying teasing him. The crowd, however, held different reactions towards the boy in front of them. They gazed at him, trying to see what was so special about him. He was much too young! The commander that Dong Fuzhen had enlisted was a boy that wasn't even a teenager! They had incredulous looks on them and some even had expressions of disdain. Though Dong Fuzhen had told them he was strong, they didn't believe him that much and thought he was exaggerating. The elite commanders behind Dong Fuzhen especially had quite the interesting reactions. They completely did not know whether their chief had gone crazy or not! Recruiting a young boy to be a commander, what was he doing? Elder Zhou and the girl looked closely at Feng Yun and did not know whether to laugh or cry. It seems that the chief of the Death Singer Mercenaries had gone crazy!  Dong Fuzhen did not pay attention however and said,

"This is the fourth elite commander in my ranks. You are to treat him respectfully and listen to his orders when they're given." The mercenaries had recovered from their shock and listened to the Chief's words. However, they still didn't think that they could follow the orders of a kid.

"Hmph, a kid taking the position of an elite commander? Ridiculous. With all due respect sir, if someone as young as him can become a commander, then anyone of us could do the same!" A mercenary stood out from the crowd. He had short brown hair and thick eyebrows. He had large muscles and an spear strapped to his back. He held an expression of disdain towards the kid as he bowed to the commander. Dong Fuzhen was enraged and tried to retort but Feng Yun held him back with a smile.

"Hoh? Anyone can become a commander? Very well, then if you can defeat me in a battle, I will step down from the position of elite commander and give it to you." Feng Yun said. The man who spoke earlier was surprised and cracked a smile. Heh, he thought. This kid is too arrogant. He is looking for a beating!

"Very well. But don't go back on your promise if I, Di Luan wins." The crowd slightly gasped. Di Luan was a formidable warrior from the first Battalion. He was extremely adept with the spear and was said to be at the fifth layer of the Xiantian Realm. He had incredible strength among the warriors of the mercenary group. The crowd was thinking, this boy is surely going to lose. After all, how could a boy at the age of twelve have the strength to oppose a middle aged man with a higher strength than him. Feng Yun could probably only match his strength is he had considerable talent! However, even this was rare. Most talented individuals would not join a mercenary group and join a large sect. How could Feng Yun be such a talented person?

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"Naturally, I won't. I am not despicable. However, only if you win against me can you gain the seat. If you lose, swallow those words back down your throat." Feng Yun had no hesitation and had complete confidence. The man narrowed his eyes and gave a hearty laugh. Then, he walked forwards to meet Feng Yun in the space between the crowd and Dong Fuzhen. The crowd moved back a few steps to give room. Dong Fuzhen nodded to Feng Yun and said,

"As stated before, whoever wins this battle will have the position of the fourth elite commander! Whoever manages to knock the other one out of the ring shall be the winner. Of course, keep the damage to a minimum. No heavy damage." Dong Fuzhen looked at Feng Yun as he said this. Evidently, he wanted Feng Yun to go a bit easy on Di Luan. Feng Yun smiled wryly in return. At the same time, a red border was drawn on the opposite sides of the battleground. This was the markings for the ring out.

"Now then, BEGIN!" Dong Fuzhen yelled and the battle started. The fifth battalion had pushed their way to the front to see their fellow comrade fight. They wanted to see how much strength he possessed to make even Dong Fuzhen impressed. Di Luan had started off first. He leaped forward with startling efficiency and arranged his palms and legs in a tiger stance. He reached Feng Yun in a matter of seconds and lashed out with his fists. They had the feeling of claws and seemed incomparably powerful. Feng Yun merely snorted and charged his fist with lightning Yuan Energy. With a movement of his fist, he struck against the full force blow of Di Luan's fist. An explosion occurred and smoke erupted into the air. A figure was pushed back. When the smoke cleared, the crowd was astonished to see that it was Di Luan who had been pushed back. His expression was grim and he appeared to be clutching his arm in agony. The power of the fist thrown at him casually actually contained this much power! He shuddered at the thought that someone this young was stronger than him. He did not fret however and decided to use some of his full strength.

Di Luan charged Yuan Energy into his body and expanded it slowly. It was like a gigantic golden armor had surrounded him and become an impenetrable defensive wall. His figure seemed to have grown about a foot or two and he looked incredibly terrifying.

"Here it is, Di Luan's Golden Body Transforming Armor technique!" The crowd yelled. Feng Yun looked up at the large figure approaching him with heavy steps. each one of them seemed to make a large imprint into the ground. The technique strengthened the overall body features and made the strength of the user undergo a qualitative leap. With this technique, he could probably go toe to toe with ordinary sixth stage Xiantian Realm cultivators and even beat them! One could see that the strength the Golden Body Transforming Armor technique possessed was truly not small. Feng Yun stood still as a mountain and did not even flinch in the face of the overwhelming pressure. He had no fear and looked at the technique and Di Luan with boredom. He did not even put the strength of Di Luan in his eyes. He yawned slightly and patted his mouth. The crowd, seeing this didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was this all...just bravado to cover up his fear? Or was he really strong enough to take this technique head on. 

"Hmph, to not take me seriously, it seems I'm going to have to teach you what a truly strong cultivator is!" Di Luan was thoroughly enraged and his eyebrows twitched from witnessing Feng Yun's actions. He did not waste any words and, in his golden splendor, moved to destroy Feng Yun. Amazingly, he still retained most of his speed even when surrounded by that tyrannical armor! He lashed out with fists strong enough to crush boulders instantly and severely damage a person's organs if taken directly. Feng Yun narrowed his eyes and dodged each and every one of the attacks with an agility that matched his small and slender physique. He was not to be taken lightly. After a few minutes of constantly attacking only air instead of Feng Yun and became frustrated.

"Damn you! Stop running around like a coward and fight me directly!" Di Luan furiously roared to Feng Yun, who had flipped backwards from an attack thrown at him. Hearing this comment, he slightly smiled and said,

"Hoh, you want to fight me directly? I was planning to save you some face but, it seems you don't want it. Very well, I shall give you what you desire."Feng Yun stopped running. Di Luan smiled with satisfaction. He was finally going to be able to end this fight and become commander. At least that's what he thought. The pressure around Feng Yun began to intensify and his strength began to rise. A terrifying aura enveloped him and stretched outwards towards Di Luan. Di Luan felt a chill come over him and involuntarily shivered from fear. Feng Yun had somehow become much more terrifying than he had been before. What the hell?, he thought. Why would he suddenly become much stronger than he was originally? His instincts were telling him not to fight but he resisted them, thinking that a little boy couldn't possibly hurt him.

"Hmph, all an act. I shall personally destroy you." Di Luan then charged at Feng Yun with his golden aura glowing brighter than ever. He struck out his palm, concentrating all of his Yuan Energy into the strike attempting to finish off Feng Yun in one move, Feng Yun coldly smiled and stood there waiting for it. As soon as the palm landed within a foot of Feng Yun's distance, he lashed out with his palms full of lightning Yuan Energy and a startling power which completely overpowered the golden aura which surrounded Di Luan.

"Raiding Thunder Palm!" Feng Yun went under the palm that was flying towards him and launched his own strike aimed at the chest. Feng Yun had keen eyes due to his time as an assassin and could locate weak points easily. He had seen that the chest contained a weak point and without hesitation, struck out. The blow landed successfully on the chest and the expected result came. Di Luan lurched forward, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Then, Di Luan's body flew outwards and traveled a long distance until it landed a foot outside of the red border. Then, the body was still. Di Luan had become unconscious.The crowd was silent for a moment, before shouting explosively. They were all surprised and had not expected this result at all. They all thought that Feng Yun would be the one to fall when it was actually the opposite. They were all impressed with Feng Yun's strength and no longer underestimated him. Dong Fuzhen was nodding his head with satisfaction and said,

"Qiu Yun has won the duel. He has the right to become the fourth elite commander under me. I assume no one no longer has any other objections?" No one responded. They had all been thoroughly warned of his strength thanks to this duel. They would not dare to slight Feng Yun after this duel.

"Good, then Qiu Yun has become the fourth elite commander under me. You will treat him with respect as you do with the other commanders." The crowd nodded. The fifth battalion's eyes were shining. They had not thought that their newest member would become a man of position so fast. They were all happy and proud. In the corner however, Elder Zhou and the girl had strange looks on their faces. Elder Zhou was quite curious about the boy. He knew that this boy should belong to a powerful sect or family but he could not figure out which one. The girl seemed interested as well. She was itching for a fight.

"Grandpa, can I fight him? He seems decent in strength." Evidently, this girl wanted to fight Feng Yun and had always wished to find someone she could spar with.

"Sure, you can fight him, but Ling'er, be careful. We don't know his status. It would be best to not offend him." Elder Zhou said. He wanted to see who would win if his granddaughter and that boy clashed. The girl happily walked forward and stood in front of Dong Fuzhen, who was confused. Why would she come out here? Feng Yun was currently basking in praise by his fellow fifth battalion members when he heard an arrogant voice call out to him.

"Oi, you. Yeah, I'm speaking to the one surnamed Qiu." The girl said. Feng Yun was surprised to find her talking to him. He couldn't understand why.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of young miss calling my name." Feng Yun said with a hint of sarcasm although it was not detected by the girl. She smiled wider and said,

"I want you to fight me."