Chapter 58: Sword, Spear, Staff, Axe
The gears of time turn relentlessly forward, unaffected by mortal will.
The young master from a soul master family of a certain big city in the Heavenly Dou Empire swept through the Cold Wind Camp like the northern wind; there was no intention to linger even for a moment.
Apart from a lunch with Marquis Song Yao and watching a military exercise for entertainment, those important figures from the suzerain country quickly headed to the "Frozen Forest."
They showed no interest in anything within the Cold Wind Camp. Similarly, from Commander Song Yao to each of the rank-and-file soldiers, everyone in the camp took a cautious, respectful approach towards these eminent guests, eager to maintain their distance.
This is an extraordinary world where individual power can influence the rise and fall of territories.
In Ling Yi’s previous life, in a normal world devoid of magic, even a person with nothing could maintain their composure and integrity in the presence of the wealthiest or the political elite. At an extreme, one might even hope for equal footing.
But here, on the Douluo Continent, true great individuals possess the power to slay entire armies and leave scorched lands behind them.
Equal footing? You couldn’t trade even a hair!
Thus, in a world where strength reigns supreme, people are driven by an intense and frenetic pursuit of power. Revere the strong; it's an instinct of life forms, and survival is a fundamental instinct of life itself.
In a distorted extraordinary world, the weak are alive only by the grace of the strong!
Ling Yi wasn't sure what the world was like after the timeline of the original series' first part. Yet, from the words scattered across the internet, he could catch glimpses of its essence.
The great powers, once so mighty, seemed to be without constraints, causing the entire world to fall into a kind of pathological state.
In a healthy world, even if the upper echelons sealed themselves off from the lower levels, they'd still leave a gap, much like a carrot dangled in front of a donkey. Eventually, a lucky few might get a taste.
In this current, pre-timeline era of the original series' first part, the Spirit Hall still dominated Douluo Continent, the Clear Sky Sect soared to new heights, standing toe-to-toe with it, while the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire faced off, with minor kingdoms and duchies rallying below. Other clans, like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and the White Armored Earth Dragon Clan, staked their claims and kept their territories…
For someone like Ling Yi, who hails from the lower strata, this was the ideal period.
He didn't need to worry about his spirit failing to awaken or about any one power running amok without challenge.
No longer did he fear strict vigilance from above or innumerable hindrances...
Even with a modest spirit aptitude, it mattered not. As long as he could cultivate, Ling Yi had a path to ascend, narrow and treacherous as it might be, filled with thorns. He'd grit his teeth and blaze a trail for his future with his own flesh and blood.
If he alone wasn't enough, he'd rally everyone around who shared his discontent, those who didn't accept their fate, and together they'd ram through the barriers, charting a new course!
"Clang——!!!"
The resounding clash of metal pierced the air, drawing attention from all directions.
It wasn't the forging zone of an armory camp, nor the sound of a smith's hammer on iron. It was the clash of two steel spears, skimming past one another.
The owners of these two spears, one tall and one short, wielded weapons that varied in thickness and length, influenced by their differing builds and arm spans. Those drawn by the clamor first glanced at the tall figure, then at the shorter one.
At first glance, most people were taken aback.
What they saw was a seemingly short silhouette, but in reality, it wasn’t so short after all. Standing just over 1.7 meters tall, this height was quite average among the troops around him. It was only when standing next to the nearly 1.9-meter-tall giant across from him that he appeared diminutive.
These days, even in the army, the standard was just to ensure enough food to eat. Nutrition wasn't great, combined with the pre-enlistment family conditions, heights around 1.7 meters weren't uncommon.
What truly surprised the soldiers was how youthful, yet familiar, the face of this relatively short person was!
Ling Yi was the military doctor for the third battalion and a senior blacksmith from the military engineering camp. He was also a one-ring spirit master with healing abilities!
"What’s happening?" someone asked in confusion to their comrade next to them. "Why is Brother Ling fighting Captain Jiang Yuan? And they’re using spears?! Isn’t he supposed to be a healing spirit master—?!”
As the barrage of questions fired off, the comrades beside him all rolled their eyes in unison, responding in chorus, "I’d also like to know—!"
On a side note, Jiang Yuan’s mother, named Jin Xiuxiu, was Ling Yi’s mentor and the niece of Old Master Jin.
Following Old Master Jin’s lineage lines, Jiang Yuan should call Ling Yi 'Uncle Master,' just like how Ling Yi's senior brother’s son, in his twenties, would still greet Ling Yi respectfully.
However, given the gaps in strength, age, and military rank between them, it was unimaginable for Jiang Yuan to address Ling Yi in such a manner.
Unless one day in the future Ling Yi surpassed Jiang Yuan in power and status, then it might be possible. Yet, reaching that point, Ling Yi wouldn’t be hung up on a mere form of address. Even now, he never considered fighting over a title.
Under the gaze of multitude bewildered eyes, Jiang Yuan's expression remained unchanged. Steel spear in hand, he held it across, a glimmer of surprise flitting through his eyes. He found Ling Yi’s spear skills unexpectedly proficient. This made him curb his initial playful inclination slightly, choosing instead to take the match a bit more seriously.
Not long ago, Jiang Yuan visited the medical camp to check on the injured soldiers' recovery. It was there that he encountered Ling Yi, walking in from the outside, carrying a sword, a spear, a staff, and an axe on his shoulders.
From a distance, Jiang Yuan noticed Ling Yi’s steady gait, and it was clear that the weapons on his shoulders were not light, which left him slightly surprised.
If he remembered correctly, Ling Yi’s record stated he was a level eleven soul master, with a "Blue Silver Grass" martial soul, belonging to the healing type... Oh, right, this kid was also a highly skilled blacksmith, capable of forging weapons with five hundred layers of refinement. Having such strength was only natural.
Jiang Yuan found the scene intriguing nonetheless.
One would think that Ling Yi’s finished products would typically be delivered directly from the arms camp. Why would he bring them all the way back to the medical camp?
If it were any ordinary medic or blacksmith, Jiang Yuan would not pay much attention. But this was Ling Yi, the prized disciple of his granduncle Master Jin, whose effusive praise in family letters still lingered vividly in Jiang Yuan’s mind.
If his martial soul's aptitude were ignored, this would be a genuine prodigy!
No matter the knowledge, he would learn it effortlessly and master it quickly—truly a genius!
To illustrate, Jiang Yuan had learned the legendary "Random Cloak Hammer Technique" from Master Jin, being his granduncle’s nephew, inheriting the Jiang family's martial soul "Iron Hand Armor" and his paternal innate gifts. But even after a year, Jiang Yuan had only grasped a dozen forms and could never fully harness the internal power and transformations.
In contrast, Ling Yi picked up and executed more than twenty hammer strikes on his first encounter with the technique, and only stopped due to lack of strength. Jiang Yuan thus held his own judgment regarding the strength of Ling Yi’s learning abilities.
Still, things mentioned in letters remain unverified, just idle talk without concrete proof. Jiang Yuan respected his granduncle, maintaining a seventy-percent trust in these tales.
Now, seeing Ling Yi bearing four weapons, seemingly incompatible with a healing soul master, Jiang Yuan was suddenly reminded of his own training period with the "Random Cloak Hammer Technique"—the subtle rotational force skills learnt, which augmented various weapons during his military service.
As Jiang Yuan engaged in a moment of introspection, Ling Yi approached with steady strides, each step firm and unwavering. When he came within speaking distance, he greeted Jiang Yuan first, saying with a calm composure, "Captain Jiang, are you here to visit the wounded?"
His tone was neither servile nor arrogant; despite Ling Yi's connection to the renowned Master Jin, he showed no special familiarity, opting for a straightforward greeting instead.
"Yes," Jiang Yuan nodded slightly in response to Ling Yi’s inquiry.
To this, Ling Yi was unsurprised; he had known from their initial encounter that Jiang Yuan was not a man to easily trust or grow close to others, his emotions tightly held within.
Carrying nearly two hundred pounds of weaponry on his back, Ling Yi’s head was naturally tilted slightly from the load. He reassured Jiang Yuan, "Rest assured, Captain Jiang. The condition of the wounded is mostly stable, just some superficial injuries. I’ll apply another round of soul techniques later to ensure their proper recovery."
With this assurance, Ling Yi decided he would deliver the weapons back to the camp before attending to the injured.
"Ling... Doctor Ling, do you also have knowledge of weaponry?" Jiang Yuan suddenly asked.
Even Jiang Yuan found this question a bit out of character for himself, as it deviated from his usual reserved demeanor.
Yet, upon reflection, Jiang Yuan dismissed it; after all, it was a natural question born from genuine curiosity.
In reality, it was not strange at all—being far from home and encountering a fellow villager without major status differences, who was even an apprentice of a relative, naturally brought a sense of kinship.
Moreover, Ling Yi was not just an ordinary soldier; he possessed considerable talent. Since Jiang Yuan was not a stiff or cold person, such behavior seemed perfectly normal.
In that instant, Ling Yi mentally processed Jiang Yuan's behavior, quickly coming to terms with it. With a radiant smile, he replied, "Back in the village, I picked up some handling techniques of blades, axes, spears, and staves from an old soldier."
In the relentless march of time, the reserve chapters were entirely depleted by the twelfth. For the days that followed, I poured my energy into writing during every spare moment, barely managing to keep up with the two updates a day. On the thirtieth, just like the first day of this month, it was a single 3,000-word chapter.
Originally, I planned to squeeze in another chapter in the morning to publish by noon today, but I've decided to hold it back and save it as reserve material, allowing myself some breathing room for updates in July.
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