Volume One, Chapter 18: The Commander-Type Warrior

Inside the Lion-Tiger Mountain Stronghold, in the study of the bandit chief, Liu Yanshi.

The study was modest in size, lined on both sides with shelves brimming with books.

At this moment, in the very center of the room, a tall and refined man sat at the desk, engrossed in a military treatise.

This man was none other than the head of the Lion-Tiger Mountain Stronghold, a three-star general whose primary attribute was command—a commander-type warrior!

“Report, Chief! Bad news! A troop suddenly appeared at the gate of the stronghold. The second-in-command has already gone over there. I’ve come to report to you!” shouted a bandit underling clad in simple cloth, bursting into the study.

“A troop? How could an army suddenly come to our Lion-Tiger Mountain Stronghold? There’s no need to panic! Our stronghold is easy to defend but hard to attack. Even if the army wants to assault us, it won’t be that simple,” Liu Yanshi bellowed, seeing his subordinate’s panic. He himself remained calm, utterly confident in the stronghold’s defenses.

“Come, I want to see who these people are and what they intend to do!” With that, Liu Yanshi rose and walked out of the study.

When Liu Yanshi reached the gate of the Lion-Tiger Mountain Stronghold, he found the soldiers from Linjia Village attacking the gate.

“Yihu, what’s going on? Why are they attacking?” Liu Yihu looked up as his elder brother arrived, shaking his head with a puzzled expression.

“Big Brother, they suddenly launched an attack. I don’t know what’s going on either!” he replied.

“This won’t do. We can’t drag this out much longer. Take some men and push them back. I and the others will interfere from the walls!” Liu Yanshi said, activating his skill.

[Inspire]: For the next fifteen minutes after activation, all soldiers under command gain +3 to their force attribute. Cooldown: two hours.

With Liu Yanshi’s skill activated, the basic troops of the Lion-Tiger Mountain Stronghold, including bandit underlings and archers, saw their force increase from 51 points (including weapon bonus) to 54 points.

Across the battlefield, Lin Xuan, hiding behind his troops, widened his eyes in shock.

Snapping back to composure, he quickly glanced toward Liu Yanshi and opened his virtual panel. Liu Yanshi’s information appeared before his eyes.

[Liu Yanshi]: Age 32
[Territory]: Lion-Tiger Mountain Stronghold
[Qualification]: Three Stars
[Profession]: General
[Force]: 85 (Weapon +1)
[Command]: 88
[Politics]: 75
[Combat Power]: 110 (Three-star martial art, combat power increased by 30%)
[Skill]: Inspire (For 15 minutes after activation, all subordinate soldiers gain +3 force. Cooldown: 2 hours)
[Martial Art]: Three-star "Flaming Cloud Technique"
[Weapon]: Common-grade iron halberd
[Mount]: None

“Force 84, Command 88, skill Inspire—boosting all subordinate soldiers’ force by 3! So this is what a commander-type general’s skill looks like.”

“This is troublesome! I didn’t expect this small bandit stronghold to have not one but two three-star generals, and one of them is a commander-type!”

Originally, Lin Xuan had been confident in taking the bandit stronghold, relying on equipment bonuses and numerical superiority.

But with Liu Yanshi’s arrival, doubt crept into his heart.

It wasn’t that he lacked confidence in taking the Lion-Tiger Mountain Stronghold; the current situation just meant continuing the fight would lead to heavy losses.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Lin Xuan saw Liu Yihu leading a group of bandits charging out from the stronghold.

“This is bad! Feishang, go assist immediately! That bandit leader is a three-star general. Liu Jie can’t handle him.”

Liu Jie was only a one-star general, and Lin Xuan dared not let him confront Liu Yihu.

Now, with Liu Yanshi’s skill buff, not even Jiang Feishang was necessarily Liu Yihu’s match.

[Liu Yihu]: Age 31
[Territory]: Lion-Tiger Mountain Stronghold
[Qualification]: Three Stars
[Profession]: General
[Force]: 99 (Inspire +3 / Blade King +1 / Mount +3 / Weapon +3)
[Command]: 75
[Politics]: 52
[Combat Power]: 126 (Three-star martial art, combat power increased by 30%)
[Skill 1]: Blade King (When wielding bladed weapons, force +1)
[Skill 2]: Gale Triple Slash (For the next three attacks after activation, force +2 each. Cooldown: 6 hours)
[Martial Art]: Three-star "Flaming Cloud Technique"
[Weapon]: Spirit-grade Flame Blade
[Mount]: Spirit-grade warhorse

Spirit-grade weapon—the Flame Blade—and a spirit-grade mount, plus the three-point force buff from Liu Yanshi’s Inspire skill.

Liu Yihu’s force now even surpassed Jiang Feishang’s!

To put it into perspective, Jiang Feishang had activated the Blade Sect skill with his horse-cutting saber, raising his force from 90 to 95.

Plus, Lin Xuan had rewarded him a common-grade warhorse, bringing Jiang Feishang’s force to 96.

Still, compared to Liu Yihu’s 99, it fell short.

Although Jiang Feishang possessed the skills [Valiant Charge] and [Heaven-Shattering Nine Strikes], Liu Yihu had yet to use his [Gale Triple Slash].

If they truly clashed, it would be hard to say who would come out on top.

At Lin Xuan’s command, Jiang Feishang immediately spurred his warhorse, charging toward the skirmish.

At the same time, Liu Yihu, chasing Liu Jie on his mount, sensed something. He glanced toward the rear of the Linjia Village troops and spotted the approaching figure.

Feeling the aura radiating from Jiang Feishang, Liu Yihu grew excited.

Jiang Feishang gripped his horse-cutting saber and charged, the soldiers parting to make way as he closed in on Liu Yihu.

“If it’s a fight you want, then come at me!” Jiang Feishang’s battle fervor surged as he faced Liu Yihu.

Seeing such strength in Liu Yihu stirred Jiang Feishang’s desire to spar.

“Well met!” Liu Yihu roared, charging with his blade. The tip of his Flame Blade aimed straight for Jiang Feishang’s forehead.

A spark of excitement flickered across Jiang Feishang’s face. With a swift flick, his saber blocked Liu Yihu’s strike in an instant.

From their first clash, both could gauge the other’s strength, and Liu Yihu’s excitement grew.

As the saying goes, in literature there is no first place, in martial arts no second.

As a general, who would not want to test themselves against someone of equal strength to see who truly excels?

Liu Yihu’s great blade swung again toward Jiang Feishang, who countered with a deft parry.

As their blades crossed, both unleashed their skills.

Liu Yihu gained a +2 force buff.

Jiang Feishang, in turn, gained two successive +3 force buffs.

The battle was about to intensify.