Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

It was a morbid, almost frenzied excitement!

She raised Xiang Wu’s head high, and with all her might, let out a cry that echoed across the entire battlefield.

"Xiang Wu is dead! Surrender now!"

The voice reverberated above the Ancient Battlefield, completely shattering the Great Liang Army’s last shred of will to fight.

Their commander was dead, their escape route was cut off, and they were attacked from both front and rear.

The situation was hopeless!

...

After an unknown amount of time, the sounds of battle on the field gradually subsided.

Chen Ye stood beneath the commander’s banner, leaning on a broken lance. Gazing at the field littered with corpses, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotions.

’This battle was too brutal,’ he thought, ’but at least we won in the end.’

And Bai Yuge, who had cut down Xiang Wu with her saber, had earned the awe and fear of nearly every soldier.

Of course, Chen Ye’s gains were not small either.

[Your Professional Level has increased to Level 3!]

[Your Professional Level has increased to Level 4!]

’Two levels from a single victory!’

A flicker of joy crossed Chen Ye’s eyes, and he immediately opened his panel.

[Name: Chen Ye]

[Identity: General’s Personal Guard]

[Profession: Military Warriors (Level 4)]

[Talent: Immovable as a Mountain]

[Martial Arts: Wind-Slicing Saber Technique Level 4, Stone Skill Level 4, Mountain-Splitting Force Level 3, Array-Breaking Fist Level 3]

Just as he was checking his panel, the sound of hoofbeats came from ahead.

Chen Ye looked up and met a pair of cold, sharp eyes.

Bai Yuge had arrived beneath the commander’s banner. Her bright silver armor was now stained red with blood, and in her hand, she still carried the head of Xiang Wu, his eyes wide open in death.

She looked down at Chen Ye from horseback. Her gaze swept over the surrounding ground, soaked in blood and littered with severed limbs. Then, she spoke a single, cold sentence.

"You... are not bad."

After saying this, Bai Yuge left immediately.

Chen Ye watched her back, baffled, wondering why that woman, as cold as an icehouse, would suddenly praise him.

But soon, Chen Ye tossed these thoughts to the back of his mind.

’I’ll just let it go. I can’t be bothered with such trivial things anyway.’

Soon, the news of victory reached the Great Yong Capital City, and the imperial court erupted in celebration.

Xiang Wu had been beheaded and the main force of Great Liang annihilated. Such a peerless achievement was enough to be recorded in the annals of history.

The overjoyed Emperor immediately announced in court that he was appointing Bai Yuge as the Western Expedition Grand General, granting her command over all three armies. He ordered her to press their advantage and invade the heartland of the Great Liang Country, to completely crush this old enemy once and for all.

Once this decree was issued, the entire court was in an uproar.

Countless ministers submitted memorials, stating that the people of the Bai Family acted cruelly and recklessly. They feared that sending such a person as commander on a distant expedition would lead to disaster. They implored His Majesty to reconsider, retract the order, and choose a more suitable general.

Everyone knew that "suitable general" referred to Meng Yi.

However, the Emperor shelved all the remonstrating memorials, refusing to act on them.

What was most baffling was that, in the face of this situation, the Meng Family’s faction in the court remained surprisingly silent, as if tacitly accepting it all.

Ultimately, the Holy Decree was issued. Arriving at the military camp along with the decree were the rewards for the soldiers and officers who had distinguished themselves in the great battle.

Chen Ye’s name was prominently on the list.

"Personal Guard Chen Ye, for meritorious service in protecting the banner and for courage surpassing all others, is hereby promoted to Captain, awarded one hundred taels of silver and ten bolts of brocade!"

A Captain was a Senior Sixth Grade Military Officer, with command over one thousand men.

This already surpassed his former Squad Leader Bai Xuan. It was a meteoric rise.

The surrounding Personal Guards cast envious glances his way. However, as the list was read out name by name, everyone began to feel that something was wrong.

The list of rewards was long, mentioning almost everyone who had earned merit on the battlefield. There was only one person missing.

Meng Yi.

As the nominal commander-in-chief of this battle, the Holy Decree did not mention him at all, not even a single word.

This was no longer a mere warning; it was a naked humiliation!

The atmosphere in the army instantly became incredibly strange. The Personal Guards who had been beaming with joy over their rewards just moments ago now found their smiles frozen on their faces.

They were all part of Meng Yi’s Direct Lineage. When he prospered, they prospered; when he fell, they fell.

Now that Meng Yi had lost favor, what good end could any of them expect?

In stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere in the Central Army Tent, Bai Yuge’s camp was bustling with visitors, as lively as a crowded marketplace.

Bai Yuge, the newly appointed Western Expedition Grand General, had become the most sought-after figure in the entire military camp.

Countless officers were scrambling over each other, trying every means possible to get transferred under her command.

Anyone could see that the Great Liang Country’s military was now depleted and its gates were wide open. Following General Bai on the western expedition was like going to pick up free merits.

Who wouldn’t want a piece of this immense fortune?

Chen Ye watched all of this with a cold detachment, unmoved.

’These people only see the immediate benefits,’ he thought, ’but they haven’t considered that seeking fortune and glory by following a madwoman is no different from asking a tiger for its skin.’

A person like Bai Yuge had only victory in her eyes. For victory, she would unhesitatingly sacrifice anyone, including herself.

Following someone like her might lead to immense glory, but it could also mean being discarded like a pawn in some forgotten corner, dying a silent, unnoticed death.

Chen Ye shook his head and returned to his tent.

The shifting tides of the outside world had nothing to do with him. He only believed in the strength he held in his own hands.

In the days that followed, Chen Ye completely immersed himself in arduous cultivation.

He poured all his time and energy into cultivating Mountain-Splitting Force and Array-Breaking Fist.

After becoming a Captain, he was allocated more resources. Blood Circulation Ointment and Qi Replenishing Elixirs were supplied to him almost without limit.

Therefore, his strength grew at a frenzied pace, visible to the naked eye.

Finally, on this night, everything seemed to fall into place naturally, and a line of text appeared before his eyes.

[Profession: Military Warriors (Level 5) is at Max Level. Change Profession?]

Chen Ye immediately chose "Yes."

Then, the screen of light before him began to change, and three different Profession advancement paths slowly materialized.

[Profession 1: Array-breaking Captain]

[Description: Born for battle, you are a natural vanguard. Your strength is enough to tear apart the most solid military formations, and your very presence is a deterrent to the enemy.]

[Talent: Powerful Force—Your strength will undergo a qualitative leap. Every strike will contain the will to shatter mountains and split rocks. Your attacks will ignore most armor and can strike terror into the enemy’s heart, shattering their formation’s morale. When you charge into the enemy ranks, you are a walking calamity, the Po Jun Star incarnate, who makes the enemy’s courage fail!]

[Profession 2: Green Forest Commander]

[Description: "Are kings and nobles born, or made?" You are unwilling to serve under others, for you harbor your own grand ambitions. In these chaotic times, you should raise the banner of rebellion and gather followers in the mountains and forests. You possess a unique charisma that rallies people to your cause; you are a natural-born renegade leader.]

[Talent: Gathering in the Mountains—Your reputation will attract desperate outlaws to flock to your side. When fighting in complex terrains like mountains and forests, the combat power, speed, and recovery rate of you and your followers will be enhanced.]

[Profession 3: Light Cavalry Scout]

[Description: A ghost on the battlefield, a blade in the darkness. You are the ultimate hunter, moving through armies of thousands, scouting, assassinating, and cutting off the enemy’s retreat. You are as swift as the wind, as traceless as a shadow.]

[Talent: Gale Swift Shadow—Your horsemanship, reaction speed, and dynamic vision will be greatly enhanced. When you move at high speed, your figure will become blurry and extremely difficult to target.]