Mythical Three Kingdoms

It’s not about how strong the Yuan Family is, but about how they severed the roots of the Huns, eliminating this five-hundred-year scourge for Huaxia. Just for this, since they’ve come, lining up to welcome them is not too much.

"It seems at first they were confirming our identity, probably because this place is quite chaotic." Sheni Pei breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Xiliang Iron Cavalry quickly form two lines, spread out afar, and wait with their long spears. As long as they’re not here to fight desperately.

Although Sheni Pei spoke as if not fearing the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, those who have mingled in the Central Plains get headaches seeing these guys. They’re just too hardy, so hardy that you have no idea how to deal with them, you don’t even know how to strike.

"Let’s go over then." Seeing over twenty people coming to greet them from the opposing side, Yuan Tan silently straightened his robes, tossed his cloak, and led his men to greet them.

"Yuan Tan of the Yuan Family of Hebei greets you all." Yuan Tan did not offer a greeting with an official position but instead presented his family’s name while saluting Li Jue and the others first.

Li Jue, though not understanding the meaning, was not here to make trouble and so returned the salute with a bow, then proceeded to introduce everyone.

"Is this Yuanbo?" Li Jue looked Gao Lan up and down and nodded silently, "Indeed remarkable. With you here, things will be much easier for us going forward."

Yuan Tan and his people didn’t understand the meaning of Li Jue’s words, but it didn’t hinder their conversation. After all, Yuan Tan had someone like the crafty Sheni Pei, who could clearly feel that although Li Jue and Guo Si spoke crudely, and some words were indeed hard to respond to, they bore no malice and were sincerely here to welcome them.

As for their way of speaking, Sheni Pei indicated that as long as they were truly here to welcome them, these uneducated fellows’ coarse words were not taken to heart.

Afterward, Li Jue and Guo Si took Yuan Tan and the others to a plateau they frequently stationed at, where the altitude was around six thousand meters. As they ascended further, Yuan Tan’s soldiers grew increasingly feeble, while those muscle-bound barbarians, accustomed to living at altitudes around a hundred meters, mostly were almost exhausted.

However, Yuanbo led the Yuan Family elite troops, who although extremely unaccustomed to this place, maintained their formation through willpower, without any serious issues due to fatigue and breathing.

As for the Xiliang Iron Cavalry led by Li Jue, they acted as if it was nothing since they had long adapted, and Li Jue even began leading them to scale heights reaching seven thousand meters.

"Not bad, indeed your soldiers are excellent." Li Jue remarked as he saw those with grim expressions but steady steps, carrying their long spears rather than using them to support their bodies. Although advancing was hard, Yuan Family soldiers maintained their proper posture.

Yuan Tan looked grim; from any angle, it couldn’t be called good. Even he found it hard to breathe in such a place, and his elite soldiers all appeared fatigued, while the Xiliang Iron Cavalry seemed unaffected.

If earlier Sheni Pei thought their elites could certainly withstand the Xiliang Iron Cavalry after activating their Legion Talent and Elite Talent, now, in such an environment, Sheni Pei could guarantee their elites couldn’t even withstand a single charge of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry.

"Do you think I’m mocking you?" Li Jue said with a half-smile, half-sneer.

Yuan Tan frowned, looking at the calm Xiliang Iron Cavalry, then at his own struggling elite soldiers, his thoughts clearly reflected.

"Actually, you’re doing really well. When this group first came, they weren’t much better than your men. From various perspectives, your soldiers are already very strong, both in spirit and physical power." Guo Si remarked fairly.

"In this place, miscellaneous soldiers can’t make it up. According to our estimates, for the first time, as long as they can climb up, even if the whole legion stumbles up, they’ll be an elite legion. Five thousand meters is a hurdle, and your soldiers are already very strong in various attributes." Fan Chou observed the soldiers, already starting to emit a chaotic light, and commented.

"Was this legion cobbled together?" Li Jue saw the Elite Talent emerge, albeit appearing in unified color only after being briefly self-conflicted.

"Ahem, we had to leave in a bit of a rush." Yuan Tan coughed twice, having clearly seen earlier that those soldiers had erupted with over a dozen fragmented Elite Talents before it consolidated into a complete one.

"Better let those barbarians settle here, they might not withstand any more ascent." Li Jue glanced at the wobbling barbarians and remarked with distaste.

Yuan Tan sighed deeply; he had great hopes for these barbarians, but today’s outcome made him realize that the veterans left by his father were more reliable.

Dismissing the barbarians on the spot and looking at them lying on the ground like dead dogs, Yuan Tan sighed deeply in embarrassment.

"Keep moving forward; the road ahead is extremely tough. Only those who make it up have the right to share quarters with us. Otherwise, you’ll have to stay where you stopped." Li Jue turned and told Yuan Tan and his companions.

"Speaking of which, why live in such a strange place?" Yuan Tan’s face was somewhat grim but he offered no rebuttal. If he couldn’t make it, on what grounds should he stay there!

"Because in this place, even lying down will make you stronger." Li Jue pondered for a bit and then said, "Of course, if you can get up here."

Upon hearing this, Sheni Pei was greatly surprised but soon understood. Li Jue had clearly stated that his Xiliang Iron Cavalry initially struggled like their Yuan Army. Now, though, they’re clearly accustomed, naturally growing stronger.

"In that case, this is indeed a treasure land." Sheni Pei nodded silently, remarking that he too was nearly exhausted, but as a strategist—not the unprincipled type like Chen Xi—he wouldn’t bury his head in a horse’s mane like a dead dog even if he died.

"Hey, once you get used to it here, there’s even more entertainment awaiting." Li Jue smirked with a hint of sarcasm, saying that during training avalanches will happen, and when you’re near exhaustion, they’ll force you to launch a legion attack to see your hidden potentials.

By the way, the Yuan Family’s elite are indeed formidable; although they looked like they were about to collapse at fifty-five hundred meters, they still managed to reach where Li Jue and the others had built a camp. And though after reaching it, one by one, they collapsed, they all made it up.

"Drag them away, drag them away; don’t be stingy with food and drinks. From tomorrow on, they’ll be climbing mountains with you, and these are the comrades you’ll fight alongside in the future." Li Jue ordered the Iron Cavalry soldiers, acknowledging that making it up indicated these people had reached a high level of Spiritual Will and Physical Quality. On the plains, they would be top-notch elites.

Initially, the five thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry soldiers Guo Si led almost ended up the same, sprawling all over after reaching the place, which was inevitable.

"Old Fan, did you notice? Those Yuan Family soldiers who were disdainful before are now lacking that arrogance, even among those still standing." Li Jue transmitted a message to Fan Chou.

"Indeed they are." Fan Chou observed and found that these Yuan Family soldiers indeed showed expressions of admiration.

"Preserve this for the future." Guo Si transmitted with a sneer to the other two. "This is more reliable than any show of strength. Be generous and grand. Don’t trick anyone, but this path must be walked; without making it, you aren’t qualified to join us!"

"Master..." Over five hundred barbarians labored to catch up, collapsing similarly breathless before Yuan Tan, who was also gasping for air. These barbarians didn’t yet know much Chinese, but this one tired call of "Master" made Yuan Tan realize his place in their hearts.