Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

The Central Army Tent was set up inside a deserted ancient temple.

Inside the dilapidated temple, the incense had long since gone out. Only a few mottled, peeling clay statues of gods remained, creating a rather desolate scene.

Armored Warriors, with sabers and swords at their waists, patrolled with steady steps, their presence adding a grim, martial aura to the place.

Chen Ye followed the Commander into the main hall.

Inside the hall, a dozen or so armored officers stood in two rows. At the head seat in the very center, a burly, middle-aged general was buried in paperwork, handling a mountain of military affairs.

This was the commander of this great army, Meng Yi.

The Commander withdrew, leaving Chen Ye standing alone in the hall.

Chen Ye wasn’t anxious. He stood there quietly, his gaze fixed forward, his breathing steady.

After a long while, Meng Yi finally finished the work at hand. He looked up, his gaze falling upon Chen Ye.

"You are Chen Ye?"

"I am." Chen Ye nodded, neither humble nor arrogant.

Seeing this, Meng Yi nodded to himself in approval.

’He had known the moment Chen Ye entered but had deliberately ignored him. He’d found that although this man was powerfully built, he wasn’t the least bit reckless. Even when facing my questions, he remains completely unfazed. That composure alone is enough to make me look at him in a new light.’

"Were you the one who killed Xiang Qing?" Meng Yi asked.

"General, I didn’t know who Xiang Qing was at the time. I only knew that I had crushed a young officer to death," Chen Ye answered with complete honesty.

Meng Yi smiled faintly. "That ’young officer’ of yours was quite someone. He was a scion the Xiang Family had meticulously groomed. He was originally here on the battlefield just to burnish his reputation, but now he’s dead. Look."

Meng Yi gestured to a stack of documents on his desk. "These are all from Great Liang, demanding I hand over the killer. What a joke! That Xiang Qing was young and arrogant. He didn’t even bring his family’s Personal Guard, daring to cause trouble inside Great Yong territory with just a small squad. Now that he’s dead, they come demanding I hand someone over. Why doesn’t the Xiang Family just ascend to the heavens?"

As he spoke, Meng Yi’s tone was filled with schadenfreude. After all, his own Meng Family of Great Yong was also a Noble Family with a hundred-year military history. Even setting aside the enmity between the two nations, the two families alone shared a feud that spanned several generations.

Thus, he was naturally delighted to see them suffer losses, and as a result, the more he looked at Chen Ye, the more he liked what he saw.

"Tell me everything that happened that day from the beginning. Don’t leave anything out, and don’t exaggerate."

"Yes, sir."

Chen Ye acknowledged the order and then recounted the events in the valley that day in full detail.

His narration was calm. He didn’t embellish the story or deliberately play up his own achievements, simply stating the facts as they were.

But when he described how, in a moment of desperation, he had hurled a massive boulder the size of a millstone and crushed the enemy commander, Xiang Qing, to death, the air in the entire tent seemed to freeze.

All eyes converged on Chen Ye, filled with shock and disbelief.

’Throwing a boulder the size of a millstone? And accurately crushing an enemy general to death?’

’This... How is this possible?’

’Forget a conscript who has only practiced a rudimentary Body Forging Technique for a few months—even a second-rate expert from the Martial World specializing in the path of Body Refining might not possess such terrifying, monstrous strength.’

Meng Yi’s gaze sharpened. He stared at Chen Ye and asked, word by word, "Is every sentence you’ve spoken the truth?"

"I would not dare speak a single false word," Chen Ye replied, his expression composed.

Meng Yi fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere in the tent grew extremely tense.

Suddenly, he laughed.

"Good. Since you’re so confident—and words alone are no proof—I will see for myself today."

He stood up and strode out of the hall like a meteor, pointing a hand at the weathered stone incense cauldron in the courtyard.

There was no telling how many years that incense cauldron had stood there. It was covered in moss, its body thick and heavy. One glance was enough to know it was incredibly heavy.

"Lift it. Let me see."

At these words, the officers who had followed him out all sucked in a cold breath.

’That stone cauldron must weigh thousands of pounds. Forget lifting it—even a dozen strong men working together might not be able to budge it an inch.’

’Is the General deliberately making things difficult for this kid?’

’Or... does he really believe the boy has such Divine Power?’

All eyes fell on Chen Ye. Without a moment’s hesitation, he walked directly to the stone cauldron.

He first circled the cauldron, as if looking for a point to apply force. Then he took a deep breath. The muscles in his arms bulged instantly, and knotted green veins coiled like Earth Dragons beneath his bronze skin.

The next moment, he lowered his stance, planting his feet firmly, and locked his hands onto two of the cauldron’s legs.

"UP!"

His explosive shout was like a clap of thunder!

Before everyone’s horrified eyes, he forcibly tore the incredibly heavy stone cauldron from the ground.

But that wasn’t all!

Holding the stone cauldron that weighed thousands of pounds, Chen Ye’s expression didn’t change, and his breathing remained steady. He even started walking, carrying it on a stable lap around the courtyard.

Not until a loud CRASH did he heavily set the cauldron back in its original spot, causing several spiderweb-like cracks to spread across the ground.

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Many onlookers were secretly dumbfounded. Meng Yi’s eyes, in particular, shone with a brilliant light as he stared intently at Chen Ye, as if looking at a peerless treasure.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said the word "good" three times, making no effort to hide the admiration on his face.

"Speak. What reward do you want?"

At these words, many people looked at Chen Ye with eyes full of envy.

’To receive a personal promise from the Grand General... this kid has basically soared to the heavens in a single step.’

’Whether it’s money, an official post, or beautiful women, as long as he dares to ask, the General surely won’t be stingy.’

However, Chen Ye’s answer was beyond everyone’s expectations.

"General, I don’t want gold or silver, nor do I seek an official post. I only ask... to be able to study more profound Martial Dao Techniques!"

At this, a wry smile appeared on Chen Ye’s face. "The Stone Skill I currently practice is too rudimentary, and I have already reached a bottleneck. I implore the General to grant my request!"

Hearing this, Meng Yi clapped his hands and burst into laughter, his voice full of delight.

"HAHAHA, I knew you would ask for this!"

"To have built such a physique with just a rudimentary Stone Skill shows your Talent is extraordinary. So rest assured, even if you hadn’t asked, I would have rewarded you with a Cultivation Technique. However..."

Meng Yi’s tone shifted. "I have one condition!"

"Please state it, General," Chen Ye said, cupping his hands.

"I want you to join my Personal Guard. Are you willing?"

Now, many of the onlookers’ eyes were practically red with envy.

One had to understand that the Personal Guard was the General’s most trusted Direct Lineage. Every single person selected was an elite, one in a hundred. Not only was their pay far better than that of an ordinary Soldier, but they were also the people closest to the General. Thus, their future prospects were virtually limitless.

Yet, faced with this heaven-sent opportunity, Chen Ye unexpectedly fell silent.

He frowned slightly, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

The people nearby were practically dying of anxiety on his behalf.

’Is this kid stupid? Why would he hesitate over something so good?’

But Meng Yi didn’t seem to mind. He simply watched him with keen interest, the admiration in his eyes growing even stronger.

After a moment, Chen Ye finally looked up and nodded solemnly.

"I... am willing."

"Good!"

Meng Yi laughed again. "From this day forward, you are one of my, Meng Yi’s, Personal Guard. You are dismissed. Someone will make the arrangements for you. As for the Cultivation Technique, it will be delivered to you tonight."