Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
General Mu’s name was Mu Xuan, and he was general of the first rank of the Flying Dragon Dynasty. The Iron Dragon Army under his lead was an elite troop of the dynasty with a long history.
The Iron Dragon Army had thousands of soldiers. They were the elite of the elite, equipped with the best and most powerful weapons.
To some extent, troops formed by martial arts practitioners were a navy.
Like masters of the sky, the 12 giant warships could stay in the air, as well as head for battlefields as quickly as they could.
What surprised Jiang Chen was how the Iron Dragon Army travelled in a river made of stars!
Below them were clouds, and mountains and rivers on the scale of a map. As they looked up, they could see the sun and the moon.
He felt like he was in the sea at night with an endless view.
However, the Iron Dragon Army was flying around the Realm of Milky. They hadn’t really flown out of the world.
How much the world has advanced during these 500 years! Jiang Chen exclaimed to himself. No matter which world he was in, the territory of stars was always forbidden. No matter how strong a martial arts practitioner was, it was impossible for them to live here.
But these warships had a layer of protection that could protect them from this danger.
“Jiang Chen, General Mu wants to see you.”
Soon, Jiang Chen was summoned by Mu Xuan. He wasn’t surprised.
After more than ten minutes of walking through the warship, Jiang Chen arrived at the general’s cabin, which looked like a study.
Mu Xuan was sitting by his desk, frowning. He had taken off his armor and put on casual clothes, but he still looked just as majestic.
After seeing Jiang Chen come in, he still had a long face. He said, “Tell me about yourself, and don’t hold anything back. This is fundamental.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Chen was pretty honest this time. He told everything about him to the general, including his motives for joining the Iron Dragon Army.
Mu Xuan didn’t speak immediately after hearing his story. He asked his first question after careful consideration.
“To better control the Three Lower Realms, the Sacred Martial Arts Institute has imposed limited access to the passages between Planes Worlds. How did you arrive in the Realm of Milky?”
Jiang Chen told him about the transmitting formation of the Sacred Institute.
“I see. So it’s possible to realize the transmission from just one side of a Sacred Institute,” Mu Xuan said emotionally.
“General, can I ask you something about the Sacred Martial Arts Institute?” Jiang Chen asked curiously.
His interest had been piqued as soon as he had heard this name. Not until then did he find the right time to ask about it.
“You must report first before posing any questions!” a lieutenant said seriously.
“He hasn’t formally joined the troops yet. It’s all right.”
But Mu Xuan didn’t think it was a big deal. He thought about Jiang Chen’s question, then said, “In your opinion, why was the Sacred Institute overturned?”
“Because they were too nosy,” Jiang Chen said.
“Really?” Mu Xuan smiled, which rarely happened. His look seemed to say that he had seen through Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and said, “Because people wanted to replace the Sacred Institute.”
“Exactly. That’s the key. That’s how the Sacred Martial Arts Institute came into existence. However, ever since they realized what problems the Sacred Institute had, they’ve been developing themselves instead of making unselfish contributions to the world. In this way, they’ve become a dominant force. And that’s why they added ‘Martial Arts’ between ‘Sacred’ and ‘Institute.’”
That’s right, Jiang Chen thought to himself.
If the Sacred Institute had realized this earlier, they wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Buddha was compassionate, because Buddha’s warrior attendants gave people fierce stares from beside him.
“The Sacred Martial Arts Institute is like the emperor of the Three Lower Realms. In this war, they play the role of god.”
Mu Xuan had said something meaningful, but he didn’t explain it any further to Jiang Chen.
“You want us to send an army to the Realm of Nine Heavens to eliminate the Dragon Rebel Army’s front, don’t you?” Mu Xuan asked.
Jiang Chen nodded sincerely. It would be best if they could do that.
“Have you ever thought about what’s going to happen after that?” Mu Xuan preferred posing questions to giving direct replies in order to encourage his subordinates to think on their own.
Jiang Chen hadn’t really thought about it. At second thought, he grew more serious.
Although he didn’t like to admit it, he said, “Then Dragon Rebel Army will send more reinforcements, and the Dragon Field will become a battlefield. The consequences will be 100 times more severe than they are now.”
“Exactly.” Mu Xuan nodded. There was appreciation in his look.
“Everything is relative. To solve your crisis, you’ll have to possess something the Dragon Rebel Army doesn’t have,” said Mu Xuan.
“I see, general,” said Jiang Chen.
“Does anyone know any information regarding the Realm of Nine Heavens?”
Mu Xuan looked towards his lieutenants, trying to give Jiang Chen an update.
One of them came forward to say, “The Sacred Martial Arts Institute has ordered to keep the war out of the Realm of Milky and less in the Realm of Nine Heavens.”
The Realm of True Force was like an ancient tree. The Realm of Milky was like a grown tree, while the Realm of Nine Heavens was still a sapling.
The same fire that an ancient tree could handle would kill a sapling quickly.
As emperor, the Sacred Martial Arts Institute, of course, would have to protect them.
“Looks like someone has violated the rule. Report it to the institute,” said Mu Xuan.
“Yes, sir.” A lieutenant began working on it right away.
Looking at Jiang Chen, Mu Xuan said, “The Dragon Rebel Army will stop acting so arrogant after the institute gets the report. Your family and friends will suffer less.”
“Thank you, general.”
Although it wasn’t a sure thing, Jiang Chen felt soothed. He hoped it wasn’t too late.
“You seem like a good guy. From today onward, join the Direct Battalion under my direct lead.”
Mu Xuan hadn’t forgotten the thing that he had summoned Jiang Chen for. He gazed at Jiang Chen again.
Jiang Chen was struck dumb first, then he hurried to ask, “General, I’m supposed to be a general, aren’t I?”
The lieutenants couldn’t help but smile. Even Mu Xuan smiled, showing his white teeth.
“The Flying Dragon Dynasty has a seven-rank system for military officers. Rank one is the highest, and rank seven is the lowest. The generals that were recruited this time are only in the seventh rank.
“The general’s bodyguards don’t have any rank. They belong to his Direct Battalion.
“However, it’s difficult even for disciples from noble families to join the Direct Battalion.”
The lieutenants solved Jiang Chen’s confusion.
Undoubtedly, Mu Xuan appreciated him a lot. He wanted to keep Jiang Chen aside to train him so that one day he could be a great general.
It was true that staying with General Mu Xuan would be much better than joining the basic level of the army.
“General, in that case, it’ll take me longer to develop my own power, won’t it?” said Jiang Chen.
His question silenced the camp. If he had hesitated before because he hadn’t had any idea of the situation, his current hesitation was almost an ungracious act.
“It’s true. But if you think about it this way, it’s like throwing a watermelon away to pick up a sesame seed,” one lieutenant said unhappily.
Jiang Chen hesitated. Putting time aside, if he stayed in the general’s Direct Battalion, he would definitely achieve something big in the Flying Dragon Dynasty.
But time mattered to him the most at that moment. He needed to make a contribution to the army. He needed to become a Venerable to lead his legion back to the Dragon Field.
“Jiang Chen, just tell me what you think,” Mu Xuan asked calmly, gazing at him.
“General, I don’t want to join your Direct Battalion,” Jiang Chen said honestly.
