"General," Chen Mo saluted respectfully, his posture straight as he addressed the commanding officer before him.

"Yes," General Sun nodded, gesturing for him to rise.

Chen Mo stood up. The barracks around him were spacious, with tightly laid bluestone tiles covering the floor. There were few decorations—just a few scattered weapon racks—indicating that this was a training hall, rather than a place for relaxation.

As Chen Mo stood there, two more personal soldiers arrived, escorted by messengers. Chen Mo recognized them both. Of the new recruits to the camp, only a select few had received an A rating in the assessments. And among those few, these two, like Chen Mo, had no prior experience in martial arts. Their achievement was a testament to their exceptional talent.

Though they hadn't reached the A rating as quickly as Chen Mo had in the first month, they had caught up quickly in the second.

"You three are already quite strong, and none of you have martial arts inherited from your families," General Sun said, his eyes sweeping over them. "Today, I'll teach you a set of military martial arts to help you further strengthen your bodies. If you practice it to perfection, it will serve you well on the battlefield and make it easier for you to accomplish great things."

Chen Mo's eyes lit up. He had long known that martial arts existed in this world. Those who mastered them could condense and strengthen their qi and blood. A person who reached the pinnacle of martial arts could fight with the strength of a thousand pounds.

He had heard from Mo Hu that General Sun himself was a master martial artist. His strength was unparalleled in the three armies, and no one in Xingyuan Prefecture could rival him.

"Thank you, General!" Chen Mo bowed again, expressing his gratitude.

Martial arts techniques were far from common knowledge in this world. They were more valuable and secretive than books. Military martial arts might be more widely taught, but even so, the chance to learn such techniques was rare, especially for someone like Chen Mo, who had no family legacy of martial arts.

The fact that General Sun was willing to teach him meant a great opportunity—and Chen Mo was determined not to waste it.

The other two recruits also bowed, showing their gratitude.

"The martial art I'll teach you is called the Greedy Wolf Seven Killing Fist," General Sun continued, preparing to demonstrate. "At your current strength—able to lift stone wheels weighing four to five hundred kilograms—you're ready to begin practicing it."

Sun Shouren went on to explain the technique in detail.

The advantage of military martial arts was that they were straightforward, easy to practice, and capable of rapid improvement. These techniques were highly lethal. As long as a person met the basic physical requirements, anyone could practice and improve, even without any special qualifications or deep understanding of martial arts.

Even an illiterate or simple-minded person could excel in the technique as long as they met the physical standards.

The disadvantage, however, was that these martial arts could be deadly. Practicing without a solid foundation or strong qi and blood could cause harm to the practitioner. If someone's qi and blood were insufficient at the outset, they might only suffer temporary weakness, requiring a few days of rest to recover. However, continuing to practice without proper training could cause serious injuries—damage to the bones, muscles, skin, and even the internal organs. In the worst cases, such practices could lead to death.

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Had there not been such risks, Sun Shouren would have taught the technique to all his personal soldiers. But due to the inherent dangers, he had to be cautious with who he passed it on to.

Fortunately, the Greedy Wolf Seven Killing Fist wasn't a closely guarded secret. It had been passed down through the military for quite some time. Soldiers with influence in the army, even low-ranking officers like lieutenants, could easily obtain this martial art.

Now that Chen Mo and the other two soldiers had achieved a strength of four to five hundred kilograms, they met the basic physical standard for the technique. This was why General Sun felt confident in teaching it to them.

"But remember," Sun Shouren added, his face becoming serious. "If you feel your qi and blood become blocked during practice, stop immediately. Come to me, and I will personally treat you."

His tone was stern, almost like an admonition.

He didn't mention that if the qi and blood were blocked, it typically meant the practitioner's body couldn't handle the technique's strain. If they wanted to continue, they would need to spend time on other internal cultivation methods to strengthen their bodies gradually. However, internal martial arts were slow and ineffective compared to military martial arts. A decade of internal cultivation might not match the benefits one could gain from practicing military martial arts for a year.

If he told them all this, some of the soldiers might be tempted to continue pushing themselves, even when their blood circulation was clearly impaired. The potential for quick and immense growth in strength was hard to resist.

Unfortunately, many people couldn't stop when they should, and they would only spiral deeper into harm.

If they were lucky, a few days of rest could solve the issue. But more often than not, those who ignored the warning signs would end up gravely injured or even dead.

General Sun didn't want to lose any more soldiers to such reckless behavior. That was why he kept the more dangerous aspects of the martial art to himself, opting instead to tell them simply, "If you encounter problems, come to me. I'll handle it personally."

Each of his soldiers was precious to him. He had put a great deal of time and resources into training them. Losing them was always a blow to him.

The last time he had lost more than 300 personal soldiers in a border battle, he hadn't been able to recover from the shock. Yet, he had never revealed his sorrow to his men. As a leader, he could never show weakness. If he failed, his entire army failed with him.

The loss on the battlefield was unavoidable, but he would never allow it to happen again within his own ranks.

"If you have any questions about the techniques, don't hesitate to ask me or consult others who are practicing it," Sun Shouren continued. "Aside from a small group of soldiers who come from martial arts families or have trained under other masters, most of the personal guards here practice this technique."

In fact, fewer than twenty soldiers in the Royal Guards Camp had truly mastered the technique.

This was partly due to the fact that many soldiers had been lost in battle, but more importantly, the physical requirement for training was high. Not everyone could meet the threshold of four to five hundred kilograms of strength. Only those with exceptional strength or innate power could do so. Most ordinary people could never reach that level, no matter how hard they tried.

"You must never teach this technique to anyone else," General Sun warned, his tone turning harsh. "If I catch anyone teaching it in secret, don't blame me for being ruthless."

A chilling aura emanated from him as he spoke, his presence growing suddenly more intimidating.

Chen Mo instinctively tensed, his body reacting to the commander's imposing energy.

The other two recruits also nodded nervously, though they didn't seem as affected by the general's aura.

General Sun raised an eyebrow, surprised that Chen Mo had responded so strongly. The presence of a murderous aura might seem abstract to some, but it was a real force. However, only those who had lived through life-threatening situations could recognize it. Most people, like the other two recruits, would never notice such an aura unless they were directly in danger.

Sun Shouren chose not to bring it up directly. He would observe Chen Mo's future performance and, if necessary, investigate his past.

When recruiting soldiers, it wasn't enough to know their outward qualities; understanding their past experiences was just as important. If Chen Mo continued to perform well, Sun could look into his background and learn more about him. But if he turned out to be average, then Sun wouldn't waste his energy on further investigation.

"Come," Sun said, motioning for the three of them to gather around. "Let's practice together. I'll show you the Greedy Wolf Seven Killing Fist."

End