Chapter 224 The Rise of the Jinyiwei’s Third Faction, Xiao Qi’s Thoughts
The Martial Practice Ground of the Jinyiwei Command Office.
Xiao Qi gritted his teeth and endured for a full day and night. Then his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness as he collapsed.
With the successful end of his dead stance, not a single Jinyiwei who had participated in this training was still standing.
Thanks to Cheng Yu’s constant provocation, during which he had called these Jinyiwei trash many times, a ball of fire had been smoldering in all their hearts.
Aside from a small number who had chosen to give up from the beginning, a considerable portion of them had gritted their teeth and completed the dead stance.
They were clearly supposed to be martial artists who licked blood from the edge of a blade.
But for these people of the Great Qian Capital, who had grown up in brocade robes and fine food, that feeling of losing everything and approaching death was extremely special.
Before losing consciousness, they had all obtained gains from an indescribable experience.
The Jinyiwei from the other two factions in the Command Office looked at these people with only arrogance and incomprehension.
Those Jinyiwei who had joined the Zhang Family and gathered around the two brothers all considered themselves more ambitious and more shrewd.
In their eyes, all of this was nothing more than Cheng Yu’s means to establish authority and gather subordinates.
Seeing that some people were still risking their lives to undergo meaningless training, they only found it laughable.
Trash was trash. They had fallen behind them long ago. No matter how much they struggled, they could not change anything.
The attitude of the Lu Family disciples was not completely the same.
When they were still young, all of them had already undergone training that confronted them with the terror of life and death. They were long accustomed to things like dead stance.
They themselves knew very well how important it was for a Jinyiwei to become familiar with the feeling of death.
Many impossible missions and unattainable goals throughout the Lu Family’s history had only been achieved because their predecessors had held on with their final breath.
Those who had never experienced death would absolutely fail to do this well.
But even if the method was correct...
In their view, conducting death training for these Jinyiwei only now was already far too late.
Cheng Yu might indeed want to select a few talents, but it seemed somewhat wishful.
True talents.
When they first joined the Jinyiwei, they would either be absorbed by the Lu Family as disciples with different surnames, or the Zhang brothers would find a way to take them in.
No matter how Cheng Yu selected them now, he would not be able to pick out any talent from a group of rotten fish and shrimp that had been left over after everyone else was done choosing.
One Lu Family disciple laughed. “Let’s just see what brilliant method this Lord Cheng has.”
The others immediately burst into laughter.
They said they wanted to see his brilliant method, but in truth, they were waiting to watch Cheng Yu make a fool of himself.
If Cheng Yu wanted to painstakingly cultivate subordinates, then compared to their Lu Family, he would never be worth mentioning.
But just then, a Lu Family disciple with bright eyes and sword-like brows frowned and spoke.
“Do not be careless and look down on others. The family head and Brother Ming suffered a great loss over this exact matter.”
The token hanging at his waist impressively represented his status as an Assistant Commissioner.
Lu Lin.
He was one of the outstanding figures among the Lu Family’s youngest generation, a Seventh-Rank Realm martial artist at the age of twenty-five.
Last month, he had killed a mid Seventh Rank great bandit who had robbed the court’s tax silver, making him famous for a time.
Relying on that battle record, Lu Lin had entered the Human Ranking for the first time at the limiting age of twenty-five, and had obtained the excellent result of third place.
“Brother Lu Lin, there’s no need to worry so much about those people, right? Cheng Yu may indeed have exceptional talent, but if he thinks he can rival our Lu Family just by cultivating subordinates, that is no different from indulging in fantasy.”
Facing the completely unworried attitude of the other Lu Family disciples around him, Lu Lin shook his head with a grave expression.
“The family head and Brother Ming are both absent at the moment. Although Lord Fang is in charge of the Jinyiwei, we still cannot afford to be careless.”
In the eyes of most Lu Family disciples, their family had controlled the Jinyiwei for several hundred years. Compared to the famous thousand-year aristocratic families of the Jianghu, they were not inferior at all.
At their peak, they had even produced three Grandmasters in one family, becoming the main force that allowed the Great Qian Court to firmly suppress the Jianghu.
Their status and conditions, which far surpassed others, along with the glory of their ancestors, meant that Lu Family disciples rarely worried.
Their Lu Family had a vast household and great enterprise.
No matter what trouble or enemies they encountered, there would always be stronger people who could step forward. There would be no factor capable of shaking the Lu Family’s position.
As an outstanding figure among the Lu Family’s peers, Lu Lin was unable to remain as calm as them.
Because among those of his generation, he was the one who had to stand at the very end. Behind him, there was already no one else.
As a genuine genius...
Compared to the other disciples who only needed to fulfill their own responsibilities, he felt the strongest sense of powerlessness when facing Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu was only twenty years old.
He was even a few years younger than Lu Lin, but his strength was already on a completely different level.
Even compared to Lu Ming, a true genius half a generation above him in the Lu Family and a Ninth Rank expert, Cheng Yu was not inferior at all.
With such a gap in strength...
Although Lu Lin was of the same generation, he had already completely lost the courage to compete with Cheng Yu. The gap was simply too great!
“You do not need to concern yourselves with Cheng Yu, and you cannot handle him either. But all of you must keep your eyes fixed on the others. You absolutely must not delay a major matter because of carelessness!”
“Understood.”
The other Lu Family disciples still agreed verbally.
Deep down, however, they felt that Lu Lin was being too cautious. They were only a group of rotten fish and shrimp with no talent or potential.
No matter how Cheng Yu trained them, what could he possibly train out of them?
Their Lu Family had not selected these people from the start. They were the leftovers who had been eliminated.
Could Cheng Yu possibly have higher insight than the Lu Family’s several hundred years of experience cultivating Jinyiwei? Did he still want to create a third evenly matched faction?
That was simply indulging in fantasy!
On the other side.
Cheng Yu was sitting cross-legged and cultivating on the platform of the Martial Practice Ground. Xiao Qi, who had lasted the longest in the dead stance, had endured for a full day and night, and Cheng Yu had waited here for a full day and night.
Sensing some gazes watching him from not far away, he did not care.
Whether it was the people of the Lu Family or the subordinates of the Zhang brothers, none of them were worth putting in his eyes.
Regarding the cultivation of Jinyiwei...
Cheng Yu was not arrogant. He knew that he had already lost by quite a lot when it came to choosing people.
He also did not have the Lu Family’s systematic and rigorous cultivation methods, nor was he like the Zhang brothers, who could obtain a tilt of resources from the Moderate Faction.
But he was very clear about one thing.
No matter how many reasons there were, these people were still not worth mentioning.
Because whether it was the Lu Family, which stubbornly defended its basic territory, or Zhang De, who was eager to advance, as long as they continued to focus their thoughts only inside the Jinyiwei for even one day...
They would never keep up with Cheng Yu’s pace.
His targets had always been the colossal entities outside: the Jianghu forces, and the people of the court’s Moderate Faction.
Unbelievable danger came with corresponding rewards.
The people Cheng Yu led would either be completely crushed by the enormous external forces, leaving no room for the Jinyiwei’s own people to stab them in the back...
Or they would be reborn through danger and opportunity. At that time, they could casually crush the Lu Family and the Zhang brothers, who were stuck in their old ways.
The difference in vision.
These people would never be Cheng Yu’s match.
On the Martial Practice Ground.
Xiao Qi, who had stood in dead stance until he lost consciousness, slowly opened his eyes. An elderly yet still vigorous figure entered his vision, and beside him, a Jiangnan Jinyiwei nodded and smiled.
“Lord Cheng said he would have a Divine Physician treat these people, and he absolutely keeps his word.”
“The people have all been treated, so this old man must leave.”
Ma Minnong waved his hand at the Jiangnan Jinyiwei beside him.
The last Jinyiwei had been cured. He had to hurry back and study the mysterious pill Cheng Yu had given him.
Its medicinal power was terrifying, yet it had no side effects at all. It even contained the Dao of Heaven.
For a physician, it was far too alluring. If he did not study it thoroughly, he would not be willing to delay for even a moment.
“What Divine Physician?”
Xiao Qi did not hear the conversation between the two clearly and scratched his head in confusion.
But in the next moment, he immediately grew excited.
He had actually endured dead stance!
In Duke Zhongyi’s household...
Although Xiao Qi possessed decent talent and strength, compared to his elder brother at home, he was merely an unpromising second young master.
All the radiance and affection had little to do with him.
When he had still been young, he had also once tried to rely on this method to win the praise of the elders at home.
But what he could receive...
At most, it was only a sentence of, “You did well. Just learn more from your elder brother.”
All of Xiao Qi’s effort and success seemed not worth mentioning before the heir whom they had truly poured their hearts into cultivating. The center of the entire Duke Zhongyi’s Estate would always be the eldest son and eldest grandson.
After that.
Xiao Qi lost his spirit. He no longer had any motivation to work hard, and he began spending his days eating, drinking, and amusing himself.
His family’s attitude toward him also took a sharp turn downward.
It was not to the point where everyone found him utterly unbearable, but it did count as a situation where anyone could lecture him a few times.
Especially his elder brother Xiao Ping, who served as a thousand-man commander in the Royal Capital Guard. Xiao Ping’s attitude toward Xiao Qi was always full of contempt, and whenever he opened his mouth, it was either scolding or dissatisfaction.
Even in terms of official rank...
In truth, Xiao Qi’s status as a Jinyiwei Commandant was slightly higher than that of a thousand-man commander.
But everyone knew it.
The Jinyiwei was a place to gild oneself and idle away the days. Above them, the Lu Family held the path of promotion firmly in its hands, so ranks and positions were all empty.
The Great Qian Capital’s Royal Capital Guard, however, was a genuine force with real authority. Only a Seventh Rank martial artist could serve as a thousand-man commander.
His elder brother Xiao Ping was the one with a truly broad future.
More than ten years of striving, more than ten years of slacking off. Xiao Qi had thought that he had already completely given up on pursuit.
Xiao Ping was a full ten years older than him.
Time and talent were chasms that martial artists found difficult to cross.
His elder brother would always be his elder brother. He would never catch up in this lifetime!
Until Xiao Qi witnessed Cheng Yu’s ability and witnessed the ability of that group of Jiangnan Jinyiwei.
His mindset suddenly changed.
Talent and time were indeed realities that could not be changed. In that regard, it was almost impossible for him to catch up to Xiao Ping.
But at the same time...
There was always a sky beyond the sky, and a person beyond the person.
Conversely, for his elder brother Xiao Ping, Cheng Yu was a target he could never catch up to.
The gap was even so vast that it was impossible to imagine!
Xiao Qi could not change the gap in talent and time. He could only escape and remain dispirited for many years. But now, he had chosen to embrace all of this.
If he could not change it, then he would accept it.
He would go cling to a thigh!
Cheng Yu’s talent counted as a heavyweight even across the entire history of Great Qian.
What was even more precious was that he was willing to spend thought and time cultivating his subordinates. The facts had proven that the results were excellent.
Whether it was the Jinyiwei of Dragon Abyss Path or Jiannan Circuit, they had all shown tremendous improvement.
Xiao Qi saw through all of this and made up his mind.
He would cling to Cheng Yu’s thigh and closely follow his pace. One day, he would absolutely surpass his elder brother and kick him aside!
In a way that others found difficult to understand, he chose to completely entrust his future to Cheng Yu.
At this moment.
Xiao Qi did not know whether he was right, but he had already seen the initial benefits.
Dead stance!
He had endured it, and he had even endured it for a full day and night.
“This fellow is not bad.”
Cheng Yu looked at Xiao Qi and nodded in satisfaction. He had not expected that a troublemaker with such an extraordinary background could actually endure dead stance.
One had to know.
Compared to ordinary people, martial artists had undergone the tempering and nourishment of Internal Energy. Their Vital Blood was far stronger, and their body weight was also enormous.
When standing in dead stance...
Removing the support of Internal Energy from the body would be an enormous test of both flesh and will.
Those who experienced it would therefore obtain tremendous benefits.
And among these Jinyiwei, Xiao Qi had the strongest strength and the best foundation. If he wanted to meet the requirement of standing stance until he lost consciousness, it was also the most difficult for him.
Naturally, his gains were even greater.
This point.
There was a manifestation of it on Cheng Yu’s side as well. The reward the system gave correspondingly was somewhat better than the others.
It was impressively a High-Grade Human-Rank spiritual saber.
Cheng Yu walked to Xiao Qi’s side. At this moment, Xiao Qi was still sitting on the ground, sensing the benefits of dead stance.
“How do you feel?”
Xiao Qi sprang to his feet with a whoosh and bowed seriously to Cheng Yu.
“Reporting to Lord Cheng, I feel very good! I have obtained endless power!”
After standing dead stance.
The clarity of his thoughts and will, as well as his sense of control over his body, had both greatly improved.
Even his stagnant Internal Energy had shown a trace of breakthrough.
More importantly...
Only by experiencing the feeling of death could fear turn into reverence.
When the others saw that Xiao Qi was beside Cheng Yu again, still wearing that same high-spirited and proactive look, they immediately grew vigilant.
Last time, Lord Cheng’s reward had been to make Xiao Qi stand in dead stance, and it had even dragged them in.
Although the effect was indeed quite good...
They did not want to experience it again. Their hearts were full of shouts directed at Xiao Qi.
Do not speak nonsense and drag us down!
Just then.
Cheng Yu’s familiar words rang out again. “You did well. You deserve a reward...”
Reward!
The hearts of the Jinyiwei instantly chilled. It had been like this last time. Was it coming again?
But unexpectedly, in the next moment, Cheng Yu took out a dark-blue long saber and tossed it into Xiao Qi’s arms.
“You did the best. This belongs to you.”
It was precisely the weapon the system had just rewarded Cheng Yu.
It had come from Xiao Qi, and now it was being used on Xiao Qi, so that Xiao Qi could grow stronger, establish merit in the future, and thereby achieve a sustainable cycle of system rewards.
Xiao Qi gripped the long saber and felt the leaping spirituality within it. His expression froze.
When he drew it from the sheath and saw the brilliant reflection on the blade, his expression instantly lost all control.
“A spiritual weapon?!”
Cheng Yu had actually rewarded him with an incomparably precious spiritual weapon!
As the grandson of Duke Zhongyi, Xiao Qi knew his goods. This dark-blue long saber was absolutely not the sort of half-spiritual weapon that barely stepped over the threshold into Human Rank.
It was cold and chilling, and its spirituality was incomparably abundant.
It was top tier among Human Rank, only a step away from Earth Rank!
More importantly...
The moment Xiao Qi held this weapon, he discovered that it matched his cultivation method and Internal Energy extremely well, as if it had been forged specifically for him.
Back then, Cheng Zhenjiang had traveled thousands of li to Dragon Abyss Path to visit Sword-Forging Manor precisely because he wanted to seek a suitable weapon for Cheng Feng.
This showed just how precious it was!
Xiao Qi held the saber, and his whole body began trembling. If such a good treasure had existed at home, it would absolutely have belonged only to his elder brother.
Because giving it to Xiao Ping, that genius, would have more value!
But now...
It was different!
He looked at Cheng Yu. “Lord Cheng, why?”
“Because you obeyed orders. A person who chooses to risk danger and obey my orders will naturally not be disappointed by me.”
Obeyed orders?!
Xiao Qi gripped the weapon in his hand and was completely stunned. What kind of reason was this?
The other Jinyiwei on the Martial Practice Ground were also dumbfounded at this moment.
Compared to confusion, they felt even more envy and jealousy.
No way?!
They had all seen it clearly. That was a spiritual weapon! And he had just rewarded it away like that?
Was Cheng Yu not far too generous?