Xuanqing Guard

The leisure after the meal was pleasant but brief. Pang Ban also noticed the Time Fragrance stuck in the middle of the grounds, understanding that every item had its time limit and schedule—it couldn’t be used arbitrarily.

So after chatting about family matters with some ordinary soldiers of the Xuanqing Guard, Pang Ban returned to the viewing stands, feeling somewhat eager for the next competition events.

Individual ring battle, alley fight, encounter battle, ambush battle...

All sorts of set-ups were used to mimic real-life scenarios, trying to recreate situations one might face in daily life and assignments, then throw the competitors inside, fighting with wooden sabers as weapons.

Some scenes even used Illusion Arrays for assistance, striving to get even closer to real combat.

The results for these events came out fast. Wooden sabers were still sabers, especially when wrapped in cultivators’ True Qi—when struck, though it wouldn’t cut someone clean in half, breaking bones and tearing tendons was absolutely possible. So all participants took necessary protection, like tying iron rods to their forearms and calves, and wearing thick leather armor on their chests.

The usual way to determine "death" relied on charcoal dust smeared on the wooden sabers beforehand—if you got a clear black mark on a vital spot from a saber hit, you were considered "dead." Anyone "dead" could only lie still; trying to do anything would drag their teammates down and lead to immediate defeat.

"The Combined Attack Array is being handled really smoothly, and its power is definitely stronger than that of ordinary grassroots Xuanqing Guard soldiers."

"Stronger than just a bit! It’s at least ten or twenty percent stronger!"

"It mainly comes down to how high the cultivator ratio is among them. Even Qi Refining First Layer cultivators, under the boost of the Combined Attack Skill, gain far more advantages compared to ordinary soldiers. With all that stacking, of course they’re much stronger."

"Looks like the methods in the pilot plan are really making a difference at the grassroots."

"Haha, are you only looking at the boost in cultivation? I actually think these competitions themselves are more meaningful. Alley fights, ambush battles, encounter fights are all scenarios that crop up in real combat. Obviously, the Fengri City Black Banner Battalion has undergone targeted training for such sudden situations; everyone knows exactly what to do."

People trained like this, once put into real battle, would absolutely leave those without such specialized training in the dust, and fights might even be one-sided. I think the concept behind this kind of training is more worth borrowing."

Laymen watch for the excitement; experts look for the details.

Everyone on the viewing platform was an expert—even if their skills had gotten rusty, their eyes were sharp. In just a few words, they’d analyze the fierce, tangled "kill-or-be-killed" fights below almost perfectly.

"Are there more events?"

Pang Ban personally awarded the champion team for the "group battle," then returned smiling and looked directly at Shen Hao to ask.

"There’s still wild survival and outdoor encounter battle. But today’s getting late, so those will continue tomorrow."

"Then why did your invitation say it’s only for today?"

"Ah? Well... That’s because your subordinate didn’t dare disturb you too much, Lord. That you could spare a day to visit Fengri City Black Banner Battalion is already enough to make everyone here deeply satisfied."

Pang Ban smiled and shook his head. Truth be told, he really didn’t have much extra time to spend here, but he still felt regret at missing the later competitions.

"Let’s go, you’ve finished eating, right? You’re not going to have us eat slop from the big pot again, are you?"

"You’re joking, Lord. Dinner is already arranged..."

The grand competition would last two more days, but it was impossible to keep these honored guests here for two days. Them coming at all was showing plenty of respect.

As for dinner, of course it was booked at the highest standard. The big pot meal at lunch was just for laughs, for fun, but dinner couldn’t be casual anymore—otherwise it’d be clueless.

And such a banquet had its own rules.

Delicious food was important, but definitely not the most important thing for this occasion.

The key was the spectacle.

The restaurant had to have a prestigious signboard, big scale, tasteful decor. Money wasn’t even an issue—could the Xuanqing Guard be short of money? Booking out the place was a must. No matter which restaurant in Fengri City, whoever the master was, they had to give face!

There were plenty of people dining. They didn’t choose private rooms—this was Jiang Cheng’s idea, saying that Lord Pang liked lively scenes.

Originally Shen Hao had no qualification to sit at Pang Ban’s table, yet he was called over against convention, clearly at Pang Ban’s signaling, saying today’s "grand competition" was interesting and effective, and he wanted to have a couple drinks with Shen Hao during the meal.

That was a high honor, envied by many. Jiang Cheng especially felt proud—after all, everyone with connections knew Shen Hao was his disciple. If the Lord Commander took a liking to Shen Hao, his future would definitely be bright, so Jiang as the teacher would bask in the glory too.

After three rounds of drinks, Pang Ban picked up a huge horn cup and suggested everyone finish it in one go, politely declining all those who tried to come toast him individually. Given his prestige, nobody dared get out of line. After the horn cup, everyone focused on their food. The atmosphere was pretty lively.

Mostly because there were so many drunken rowdies—especially among the Xuanqing Guard and the military. Plus, the wine Shen Hao provided was Wuliangye, such good liquor hard to come by on ordinary days. People drank freely, stuffing three taels or more down their throats. This forty-something-degree wine was like water to Shen Hao, but others found it "strong." Those with poor tolerance just passed out, and even the better ones started shouting and hollering.

If not for Pang Ban and Jiang Cheng keeping things in check, who knows how many would already be clamoring to head off to the Flower House for some fun.

But suddenly a question from Pang Ban made the mood at Shen Hao’s main table tense all over: "Hundred Households of Shen, today I’ve seen how much your Black Banner Battalion values the Combined Attack Skill, mainly training battle arrays. Do you think they’re actually practical?"

Shen Hao took a moment to organize his thoughts, then replied: "My Lord, I believe that the Black Banner Battalion, as the Xuanqing Guard’s special force for responses, needs to handle all sorts of situations skillfully. Battle arrays and the Combined Attack Skill allow individual strength to unite into a greater force, which can take on more numerous enemies or foes with powerful individual strength. I consider their practicality to be extremely high."

"Indeed. Yet such highly practical methods are often neglected at the grassroots of the Xuanqing Guard. Some basic garrisons don’t even include the Combined Attack Skill in their daily training. Their soldiers rely solely on their own power and experience against the enemy, not caring about the power of uniting."

The words were heavy, pressing everyone at the table into silence.

Then Pang Ban continued: "You guys did a very good ’grand competition’ today. Though the main purpose was to show off your Fengri City Black Banner Battalion’s results after the pilot plan, actually the biggest highlight was your selection of competition events—based on reality, starting from the basics, not aiming too high yet not stagnating, knowing how to play to strengths and adapt flexibly. That’s what’s needed with the ’pilot’ concept."

Send me a report soon. I want you to detail every aspect of Fengri City Black Banner Battalion. Maybe your Fengri City Black Banner Battalion can serve as a model elsewhere as well, who knows."