Chapter 8: Realm Skills

Wang Yu’s suspicions were correct; this Xue Zimo was no mere bandit. He had once been an officer in the Southern Defense Army.

Although he was not a man of significant status, he had earned some military merit and his future could arguably have been considered bright. However, as the saying goes, beauty is often the root of misfortune. He possessed a wife of exceptional beauty, yet he lacked the power and influence to protect her.

Eventually, his superior officer took a fancy to Xue Zimo’s wife. Furthermore, Xue Zimo’s conduct in daily life was not exactly upright. His superior did not even need to fabricate false charges; a simple investigation into his past misdeeds was enough to convict him and cast him into prison.

Fortunately, Xue Zimo had a few loyal followers. The man with the scarred face bribed the jailer and used another prisoner on death row to swap places with Xue Zimo. From then on, the two of them gathered a group of subordinates and lived the life of bandits, preying on travelers.

Yet, after several years of living recklessly, Xue Zimo finally met his match today.

"Damn you, I'll slaughter you today!" Sensing the searing pain of his wound, the leader—Xue Zimo—felt his fury surge, and he swung his heavy blade with even more frantic aggression. Despite only trading a few blows, Xue Zimo’s back had already been pierced by Zhao Yun’s spear.

The scarred man then swung his blade at Zhao Zilong from another direction. The two attacked in tandem, attempting to combine their strength to strike Zhao Zilong down.

"Ding! Xue Zimo's 'Warrior' skill activated.
Warrior: A unique skill for first-rate generals. Upon activation,武力 (Might) +1. It imposes a -1 Might suppression on those without a realm skill. Can be upgraded to 'General'.
Xue Zimo’s base Might is 88; with the Warrior skill, his current Might rises to 89."

Skills like 'Warrior' could be considered realm-based; once one reached a certain level of cultivation, they could comprehend them. Correspondingly, there are 'General', 'Warrior King', and 'God of War', which correspond to the Super-First-Rate, Heaven-Tier, and God-General levels, respectively.

To become a true God-General, one not only needs a base Might of 105 but must also comprehend the 'God of War' skill. Otherwise, how could one be worthy of the title? It could be said that for every God-General, the 'God of War' skill is a universal prerequisite.

With Wang Yu’s current Super-First-Rate strength, he had comprehended the corresponding universal skill: 'General'. Of course, it does not mean that one must absolutely reach a certain realm to comprehend these skills. Those with extraordinary talent may have a chance to comprehend the skills of the next realm in advance.

Conversely, those with dull talent—such as those who reach the first-rate realm through the use of elixirs—often lack the necessary foundation and may fail to comprehend even these basic skills.

"You have some skill, but that is far from enough!" With a casual flick of his spear, Zhao Yun parried the blades of Xue Zimo and the scarred man, his gaze turning icy. Although these two had some ability, they were not worth mentioning in Zhao Yun's eyes. If he were to truly get serious, dealing with them would be effortless.

"Ding! Zhao Yun’s 'General' skill activated.
General: A unique skill for Super-First-Rate generals. Upon activation, Might +2. It imposes a -1 Might suppression on those with the 'Warrior' skill and a -2 Might suppression on those without a realm skill. Can be upgraded to 'Warrior King'.
Zhao Yun’s base Might is 97, +2 from the General skill, +1 from the Zhaoye Yushizi steed, and +1 from the Bright Silver Dragon-Guts Spear. Current Might rises to 101."

"Ding! Affected by Zhao Yun’s 'General' skill, Xue Zimo’s Might -1. Current Might drops to 88."

Xue Zimo’s luck was poor; the moment he finally unleashed a skill, he was suppressed right back to his starting point by Zhao Yun’s simple pressure.

"Ding! Affected by Zhao Yun’s 'General' skill, Chen the Scarred’s Might -2. Current Might drops to 77."

"System, does Zhao Yun have other skills?" Wang Yu had received skills as mission rewards, and he himself already possessed the 'General' skill. Thus, he had keenly deduced that each person might possess more than one skill. This led to his current inquiry.

"Ding! Host, the system cannot detect specific skills until they are unleashed. Furthermore, some skills are awakened through continuous tempering and hardship."

"Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix!"

Unwilling to drag this out any longer, Zhao Yun decisively unleashed his ultimate technique. In an instant, a sky full of spear shadows appeared. The traces of these countless shadows seemed to form a phoenix, radiating endless killing intent amidst its beauty.

The resplendent phoenix swept toward the weaker Chen the Scarred. When the phantom of the phoenix vanished, Chen the Scarred’s eyes were already hollow; his life had been completely extinguished by this strike from Zhao Yun.

"Scarred!" Xue Zimo cried out in grief and anger, but his body was honest. Knowing there was no chance of victory, he immediately sought to retreat and find a way to escape.

However, how could Zhao Yun, mounted on his warhorse, let him escape so easily?

The spear shadows flickered once more. Xue Zimo remained in a running posture, but he no longer had any breath of life.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host. Zhao Yun has killed Xue Zimo, gaining 8 summoning points; killed Chen the Scarred, gaining 7 summoning points. A total of 15 summoning points gained. Total current summoning points: 115."

"Elder Tong, please inform Zilong to remain highly vigilant. There must be no mistakes!" Wang Yu said to the other person in the tent. Since Zhao Yun had left, only three people remained in the tent, including Wang Yu.

"Young Master, rest assured..."

Before Tong Yuan could finish his sentence, a sudden change occurred.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Countless arrows were fired. The Black Cavalry, having just finished a major battle, had not yet reacted when over a dozen men fell under the rain of arrows.

Following the arrow barrage, approximately three hundred soldiers clad in iron armor appeared before their eyes. These three hundred soldiers advanced in a neat formation, continuously cocking the crossbows in their hands.

Unlike the ragtag bandits from before, these three hundred men were clearly well-trained regular troops.

"Quick, defend!" Zhao Yun shouted in shock and anger while batting away several arrows, ordering the remaining Black Cavalry.

These Black Cavalry were worthy of being the elite of the Eastern Defense Army. Upon being attacked, they reacted instantly. They hurriedly dismounted, sought cover, and fired back with their own crossbows.

Although the Black Cavalry were at their most formidable while mounted, their horses made for targets that were simply too large. With the few men they had left, they would all die on the charge before they could even reach the enemy.