Chapter 56 - 54: Monstrous Strength
Chen Ye stared intently at the young general in black armor at the edge of the cliff.
Judging by his attire and position, this man was undoubtedly the commander of this enemy force.
Chen Ye quickly estimated the distance between them, and a bold idea began to form in his mind.
His gaze swept around, and he noticed that next to the boulder he was hiding behind, there were many smooth stones washed down by mountain floods. The largest were the size of millstones, while the smallest were as big as a fist.
Chen Ye bent down, picked up a bowl-sized stone, and weighed it in his palm.
’Not bad.’
Then, Chen Ye narrowed his eyes. After gauging the force and direction, he violently flung the stone in his hand.
Although he hadn’t been able to bring many of his Skills over due to his soul’s transmigration, the instinct for Throwing was so deeply ingrained in his soul that this new body also possessed incredible accuracy.
Combined with the ridiculously terrifying strength he’d gained after changing his class to a Military Warrior, the stone let out a sharp whistle the moment it left his hand. It tore through the air, pierced through layers of smoke, and shot straight toward Xiang Qing on the cliff!
At that moment, Xiang Qing was completely focused on observing the battle in the valley, utterly defenseless.
The piercing sound of the object tearing through the air was perfectly masked by the thunderous battle cries and the rumbling of falling boulders in the valley.
By the time he sensed the danger, the stone was already upon him!
Xiang Qing’s pupils contracted and his heart pounded in terror, but the rigorous training he had received since childhood made his body react faster than his mind.
Almost subconsciously, he yanked his hand back, and a three-section staff appeared in his grasp. With a flick of his wrist, the staff instantly connected to form a brightly gleaming, silver spear.
With no time to spare, the spear shot out like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair, striking forward ferociously!
TING!
The tip of the spear precisely struck the incoming stone.
Xiang Qing felt an immense force travel up the spear’s shaft. The entire weapon bent like a bow, nearly flying from his grasp.
But in the end, he had blocked it.
The stone exploded with a bang, shattering into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.
This was the Tyrant Spear Technique, the pride of his Xiang Family. Having practiced it since childhood, Xiang Qing had long since honed it into a muscular instinct.
But before Xiang Qing could even breathe a sigh of relief, several more whooshing sounds followed one after another.
Several stones flew toward him in a triangular formation.
"You audacious scoundrel!"
Xiang Qing shouted coldly, fighting spirit flaring in his eyes. He shook his spear, creating a blur of silvery afterimages. Then, the shaft twisted like a monstrous python, and the tip jabbed out repeatedly, precisely shattering every one of the stones in mid-air.
This display of spear skill was truly magnificent, drawing a round of cheers from his surrounding Personal Guards.
Xiang Qing felt a flicker of pride, but what he felt more was astonishment.
This seemingly ordinary grain transport team had given him far too many surprises.
First, there was that Squad Leader whose calm command had nearly allowed them to break through his encirclement. Now, a powerhouse who could throw stones with god-like skill had appeared.
’When did the Yong Country become this strong? Even a group of civilian laborers transporting grain is full of hidden experts?’
As he was reeling in shock and suspicion, he saw a massive shadow rise from the flames below, hurtling toward his head at an inconceivable speed.
Only then did Xiang Qing see it clearly: it was a boulder the size of a millstone!
The massive boulder whistled as it tore through the sky, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, and was above Xiang Qing’s head in an instant.
’It’s too fast!’
So fast that Xiang Qing had no time to retreat or dodge!
His eyes flew wide. With a furious roar, he poured all his strength into his spear and thrust upward with all his might, hoping to halt the boulder for even a moment and buy himself a sliver of a chance to survive.
But he had still underestimated the power contained within that boulder.
CRACK!
The bright silver spear held for less than the span of a finger-snap before it was bent to its limit. Then, with a mournful cry as if unable to bear the load, it shattered from the middle.
Then, the massive boulder rapidly grew larger in Xiang Qing’s terrified eyes....
THUD.
A dull thud, and flesh and blood splattered everywhere.
The upper half of Xiang Qing’s body was directly smashed into a pulp, leaving only his two legs standing in place, twitching uncontrollably.
The genius general, so carefully nurtured by the Xiang Family, had died so ignominiously under a rock.
On the cliff, a deathly silence fell.
The adjutant and Personal Guards behind Xiang Qing were all scared witless, staring blankly at the indistinct pile of flesh and blood.
They never would have dreamed that their General, the Qilin’Er of the prestigious Xiang Family from the Great Liang Army, General Xiang Qing himself—who had come here to make a name for himself—would die in such a manner, in this desolate wilderness!
Meanwhile, down in the valley, Bai Xuan and the other laborers were also completely stunned.
They looked in the direction the boulder had flown from and saw, illuminated by the firelight, Chen Ye standing where the massive rock had once been.
His shirt had been completely torn apart by the bulging muscles from that earth-shattering throw, revealing the chiseled, bronze-colored muscles underneath.
The bulging, knotted muscle fibers were filled with an explosive, aesthetic power, gleaming under the flickering firelight with a luster like that of a Demon God, a terrifying and awe-inspiring sight.
After throwing that massive boulder, Chen Ye was also slightly out of breath.
But an indescribable excitement surged within him.
He hadn’t had a chance to test it before, so he didn’t know just how strong he had become after changing his class to a Military Warrior.
Now that he had tested it for real, the result... was very satisfying.
Just then, chaotic shouts erupted from the enemy soldiers on the cliff. Immediately after, the ambushers who had been setting fires and throwing stones retreated as quickly as a receding tide.
With Xiang Qing dead, they were leaderless.
How could these enemy officers dare to continue the fight?
After all, the enemy team had a peerless powerhouse who could hurl millstones. Who knew what other ambushes they had in store?
Overcome with fear, they fled the valley in a panic.
And just like that, the crisis was averted.
In the valley, the surviving laborers looked at each other, unable to process what had just happened.
Bai Xuan walked up to Chen Ye, his face filled with shock. He stared at Chen Ye’s terrifying muscles and opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He raised his hand, intending to pat Chen Ye’s shoulder, but stopped halfway. In the end, he just said emphatically,
"Good lad!"
In truth, he couldn’t think of anything else to say. He didn’t even mention the reward again, because he knew that after this battle, Chen Ye was destined to soar.
If Chen Ye had been under someone else’s command, that person might have tried to suppress him for the sake of their own career, finding a way to take this monumental credit for themselves.
But Bai Xuan disdained such actions.
And because of that, despite half a lifetime on the battlefield, he was still just a Squad Leader in charge of laborers.
Seven days later, when they finally escorted the grain supply to the main camp at the front line, news of the battle had already arrived ahead of them.
Only then did Bai Xuan learn that the man Chen Ye had killed with a single stone was actually a young general from the Xiang Family of the Great Liang Country.
This left even Bai Xuan speechless with amazement.
Just then, a Commander walked briskly to the front of the column, his expression solemn.
"Where is Chen Ye?"
Chen Ye stepped out from the crowd. "I am!"
The Commander sized Chen Ye up and down for a moment, then said, "Come with me. The General wants to see you."