Chapter 719 - 467: Belonging! (Double-Length)
Tang Le Mountain’s face was calm, effortlessly knocking down his opponent once more.
Since he overestimated himself last time and sparred with Song Changming, Tang Le Mountain had fallen from the peak to the valley.
From the initial high spirits and arrogance to the subsequent disappointment and decline.
Now after many years, Tang Le Mountain has finally recovered, becoming more stable in temperament, no longer easily swayed by emotions.
On the whole, after experiencing a severe setback, Tang Le Mountain has pulled through and grown.
Now he truly possesses the qualities of a strong person, and his strength has largely secured him the title of the Military Department’s leading Little Flag Master.
The only person capable of competing with him is Xu Yuan, who later rose and mastered Thunder Power.
"Thanks for letting me win." Tang Le Mountain said calmly, glancing up at Song Changming on the high cliff before retreating to the side.
Tang Le Mountain’s duel ended quickly, but he wasn’t the fastest to win in his group.
When he retreated, Young Prince Hu Fanyi had already been waiting silently with arms crossed for the third round of duels.
Seeing Tang Le Mountain approach, Hu Fanyi nodded to him, acknowledging his strength.
As the second round ended, more than half of the original seventy-eight candidates were eliminated, leaving the final twenty to compete in the third round.
The duel list was arranged by Military Department officials.
This was not a random draw but a deliberate arrangement based on cultivation level and performance on the field.
It couldn’t be called fair; it was the Grand Marshal selection, not a regular Martial Tao contest. Through rounds of selections, it was all to ensure the strongest four remained, securing the positions that rightfully belonged to them.
Of course, if a dark horse unexpectedly emerged, Song Changming would welcome it.
However, in reality, situations like that are rare.
Military Department officials usually have a good grasp of who could become Grand Marshal, seldom making mistakes.
Song Changming’s rise to Grand Marshal was unexpected for many in the Military Department.
But a figure like Song Changming is rarely seen within a century in the Military Department.
After resting for an hour, the third round of battles resumed, more intense than the previous rounds.
After reaching this stage, the position of Grand Marshal was near.
The remaining participants knew well; with four Marshal positions available: Hu Fanyi’s prearranged one, the powerful Tang Le Mountain, and Xu Yuan who controls Thunder Power, these three were expected to secure positions.
Theoretically, each remaining participant had a chance to fight for the last Marshal position since their cultivation strengths were not much different.
This intensified the competition to a fever pitch.
Hu Fanyi, Tang Le Mountain, Xu Yuan won first, while Yang Zhen faced a difficult opponent this round, fighting Yu Rui of the Third Army.
Song Changming had some impression of this person.
Yu Rui, like Su Qingqing, carried some Demon Race blood, said to be an Ape Demon.
Possessed great physical strength, formidable speed; he relied on the powerful physical body to directly compete with Song Changming back then.
His combat strength soon led Yang Zhen into a tough battle.
They fought for hundreds of rounds; eventually, Yang Zhen narrowly won by relying on an explosive move from the First Grade Spear Technique.
His spear’s glow was pointed at Yu Rui’s chest, while Yu Rui’s Gang Qi-clad claw was just inches from Yang Zhen’s face.
"I lost." Yu Rui retracted his hand, sighed, shook his head, his face slightly unsatisfied.
Clearly, falling in this round was unsatisfactory for him; he was actually the strongest contender for the fourth Marshal position.
Unfortunately, losing by a narrow margin meant the position wasn’t his this time.
"Thanks for letting me win." Yang Zhen also retracted his long spear, his expression resolute.
Though this step was difficult, fortunately, he succeeded.
"Thanks to Changming, without learning the First Grade Spear Technique, today’s defeat would be mine..."
In the Military Department’s Armory, there were several First Grade Spear Techniques. According to his achievements, he was slightly short to redeem a First Grade Spear Technique.
He estimated he had to wait another three to five years, accumulating personal achievements to potentially study the Spear Technique he favored from the Armory.
But unexpectedly, his good friend suddenly became the head of the Military Department.
The saying goes, it’s good to enjoy the shade of a big tree; before Yang Zhen always supported Song Changming, now Song Changming became their big tree.
Song Changming wasn’t a rigidly upright person; looking after his own wasn’t considered wrong, and it was merely a minor favor for him.
Upon learning, he found an excuse to let Yang Zhen acquire the Spear Technique ahead of time.
Just now it came in handy, moving Yang Zhen closer to the Marshal position.
After the third round ended, only ten people remained.
After resting half a day, the fourth round began.
Hu Fanyi, Tang Le Mountain, Xu Yuan easily won again, and Yang Zhen also secured another victory, seemingly easier than fighting Yu Rui.
Thus, the ten became five.
Song Changming stepped forward, his figure arriving in mid-air, facing the five people in front.
The fifth person was Little Flag Master of the Sixth Army, Dou Xuan, holding a Heavy Iron Sword.
Dou Xuan came from the Second District’s Dou Family, also considered a descendant of a noble family.