Chapter 2748: Chapter 2748
"Ha! A friendly sparring match among military officers is perfectly acceptable. What do you say, Commander Ye?" Liu Haotian made sure to defer to Ye Liuyun’s opinion.
"I was just thinking the same. I’d love to learn a thing or two from all the commanders here," Ye Liuyun replied eagerly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Ha! Excellent! That’s the spirit I like!" The burly, bearded commander stepped forward.
"Han Qiao at your service!" He clasped his fists in salute toward Ye Liuyun.
"Ye Liuyun!" Ye Liuyun mirrored the gesture, stepping forward with equal poise.
"You’re challenging *me*?" Han Qiao’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. After all, he was at the fifth level of the Dominator Realm. He had expected Ye Liuyun to pick a soldier to represent him—not step into the ring himself.
"What’s the matter, Commander Han? Do you look down on me? Or do you think I’m not worth your time?" Ye Liuyun countered with a smirk.
"No jokes in the military! If I accidentally hurt you, don’t blame me!" Far from underestimating Ye Liuyun, Han Qiao actually admired his boldness.
Losing a fight as a commander would be humiliating. Yet despite knowing the gap in their cultivation, Ye Liuyun still dared to step up—a courage few commanders possessed.
Liu Haotian observed silently from the sidelines, studying Ye Liuyun’s character through his actions.
"Of course," Ye Liuyun replied calmly, unsheathing his Demon-Slaying Blade.
"Good!" Han Qiao wasted no more words. Any further hesitation would make him seem weak.
He had initially planned to hold back, but to his shock, he couldn’t even land a hit on Ye Liuyun—instead finding himself suppressed by the sheer force of Ye Liuyun’s blade intent.
Ye Liuyun clashed with him head-on, yet after exchanging blows, he still stood ready to fight, astonishing everyone present.
In the end, Han Qiao’s energy was nearly depleted, forcing him to summon his beast companion—a fifth-level Dominator Realm polar bear. This time, Ye Liuyun didn’t hold back either, unleashing his Vermilion Bird without hesitation.
The Vermilion Bird let out a piercing cry, its spiritual pressure causing both humans and beasts present to shudder. Faced with this overwhelming aura, Han Qiao’s white bear dared not advance even a step. It was clear—if the bear made any aggressive move, the Vermilion Bird would instantly obliterate its soul.
"Enough! Any further fighting might lead to unnecessary injuries," Liu Haotian quickly intervened, calling a halt to the confrontation.
"I concede. You’ve got real skill, kid!" Han Qiao admitted, thoroughly convinced. Both Ye Liuyun and his Vermilion Bird were one or two levels below them in cultivation, yet they had overpowered him effortlessly. There was no room for denial—he had been outmatched.
"You honor me," Ye Liuyun replied courteously, clasping his fists before returning to his ranks.
"Now, let’s see how your soldiers fare," another commander, a refined middle-aged man, stepped forward. "I am Meng Wenxiang. May I request Commander Ye’s guidance?"
He selected ten soldiers at the second level of the Dominator Realm, intending to pit them against Ye Liuyun’s forces.
Ye Liuyun studied the ten soldiers carefully. Their formation was evident just from their stance—they were clearly trained to fight in unison. Yet, confident in his own tactics, he casually summoned three of his own soldiers, all at the third level of the Dominator Realm. With numbers and cultivation levels balanced, the two sides appeared evenly matched.
Meng Wenxiang chuckled. "Commander Ye, perhaps you’re underestimating them. Though my men are of a lower realm, their coordination makes them far more formidable than they appear."
"My soldiers are no different," Ye Liuyun replied coolly.
"Very well," Meng Wenxiang said, signaling for the battle to begin without further delay.
As soon as the clash commenced, the other commanders could see that Ye Liuyun’s soldiers also fought with seamless teamwork—their spears and shields perfectly synchronized in offense and defense.
Within moments, two of Meng Wenxiang’s soldiers were struck down.
"Fall back," Ye Liuyun commanded calmly. His three soldiers immediately shifted to a defensive stance, retreating steadily before rejoining their ranks.
"Your formation is broken. There’s no need to continue," Ye Liuyun explained.
The two injured soldiers had been pivotal to the enemy’s formation—not that Ye Liuyun had deliberately targeted them. It was simply how the battle unfolded; as the formations clashed, the critical weak points naturally became exposed.
"Impressive! Commander Ye, your military training methods are truly remarkable. I, Meng Wenxiang, must admit my inferiority. I wonder if I might have the honor of learning your techniques someday!" Meng Wenxiang conceded gracefully, eager to glean wisdom from Ye Liuyun.
"Mutual learning!" Ye Liuyun replied without a trace of arrogance. He understood that no formation was flawless—only by continuously refining strengths and compensating for weaknesses could one truly improve. Meng Wenxiang’s training formations, too, had their own merits.
Liu Haotian and the other commanders observing nearby were thoroughly satisfied with Ye Liuyun’s composed and confident demeanor. They exchanged approving glances, silently congratulating themselves on having stumbled upon a rare gem.
Though Ye Liuyun was merely a commander of ten thousand—a rank that ordinarily wouldn’t grant him a place among them—his unit was destined for critical, high-stakes missions. None of them underestimated him.
In fact, they had deliberately tested him to better gauge his capabilities, ensuring stronger mutual trust in future battles.
"Excellent! Our army has gained another formidable leader!" Liu Haotian praised warmly. Ye Liuyun’s forces had far exceeded his expectations, and he suspected they would become a vital asset.
Soon after, he instructed Han Qiao to escort Ye Liuyun to his assigned camp, seeing no need for further tests that might sow distrust.
Han Qiao was more than happy to assist and promptly led Ye Liuyun to arrange accommodations for his troops. Once settled, Ye Liuyun followed Han Qiao to the central command tent for a briefing.
"Have you encountered the alien races before?" Liu Haotian asked.
Now that Ye Liuyun only needed to familiarize himself with the aliens’ traits and battlefield conditions, he could be deployed on missions. Liu Haotian intended to brief him on their characteristics.
"I’ve fought them. In fact, I still have alien prisoners in my custody," Ye Liuyun confirmed.
"What? You’ve captured aliens?" The other commanders gasped in astonishment.
Ye Liuyun explained, "I took this prisoner earlier—kept him for training purposes. Unfortunately, he wasn’t captured here, so he lacks intel on the local alien forces."
With that, he released Tuolin. The sight of the red-armored alien left the group even more stunned—though their surprise quickly faded when they recalled Ye Liuyun’s formidable Vermilion Bird, assuming the divine beast had aided in the capture.
Liu Haotian, however, was delighted. "Even better! Since you’ve dealt with them before, this’ll save me time. Come, let me brief you on the battlefield directly."
He immediately began pointing out positions on the sand table, detailing enemy troop numbers, strongholds, and other critical intel for Ye Liuyun.
But Ye Liuyun’s curiosity extended beyond the battlefield. He meticulously inquired about the surrounding planets, absorbing every strategic detail he could.
