Those words were not entirely flattery. Li Zhi had pooled all the medicinal pills onto his central elite. With thirty elites repeatedly charging and slashing, even an opposing force of one or two hundred could potentially be routed. It was just exceptionally cruel to the examinees whose pills had been stripped away, inevitably breeding resentment. Li Zhi did not care in the slightest; those examinees were merely stepping stones on his path to heaven. Once the martial test ended, who would remember who they were?
Hearing the girl's words, Li Zhi smiled and said, "Though I know a thing or two about military strategy, don't forget that these people are still just children, far removed from true elites. Holding a static formation right now looks passable, but the moment they advance, it won't hold up. They'd likely fall into a chaotic mess before even reaching the north. So all I want is to wait. Wait for Bao Yun to charge over, and we will rest our troops while the enemy tires themselves out. Victory is guaranteed!"
The boys and girls gathered around Li Zhi were all invigorated. If left to their own command, they certainly could never have devised such a plan. If they could win this battle, everyone's evaluation score would rise considerably. Though they had secured places in various sects long beforehand, a high score still brought immense prestige—especially if they defeated the young lady of the Bao family, which would give them bragging rights for years to come.
Li Zhi added, "However, we cannot simply wait idly. Wang Fang, lead the vanguard forward into the central zone. If you encounter the enemy's main force, fall back immediately. If it's only their vanguard, you may clash briefly to test their caliber. But remember: you are not permitted to penetrate deep into enemy lines. You may only operate within the central zone. Is that clear?"
Wang Fang, tall and imposing, answered in a deep voice, "Senior Brother, rest assured!"
He took his leave of Li Zhi, turned, and led thirty men racing toward the central zone.
Li Zhi picked up a tree branch, sketched a map of the entire illusory realm across a square boulder before him, and gazed at it in deep contemplation.
In the north of the illusory realm.
The young girl had at some point changed into a goose-yellow dress, appearing incomparably lovely and elegant. This dress was not something found in any treasure chest, nor had it altered its color according to team alignment. Amidst the verdant mountains and azure robes, this single touch of tender yellow was extraordinarily eye-catching.
Before her lay a patch of sandy earth, sculpted from sand and mud into the terrain of the illusory realm, looking far more detailed than Li Zhi's map.
Pointing her longsword at the central area on the map, the girl said, "That fellow Li Zhi looks steady on the outside, but he's actually the most impatient. He will definitely send people to probe our strength. Tian Rong!"
A youth stepped forward.
The girl said, "Take a dozen or so men to the central zone. When you meet the enemy's vanguard, lure them to the designated area. Jiang Qun and Xu Yu will back you up from behind. Have you memorized Mr. Su's *Three Hundred Countryside Curses*?"
"Backwards and forwards!" But the youth immediately scratched his head and said, "Miss Bao, I still have two concerns. First, the words in there are truly shameful; some are hard to utter. Second, I don't really know how to string them together!"
The girl said, "There is no need to string them together. Just curse with whatever comes to mind. After three lines, they will pursue you relentlessly, sworn to fight to the death."
Tian Rong offered a wry smile. "But the evaluators above are watching. If I utter those curses, my reputation might be ruined."
The girl smiled. "Do not worry. Whoever you curse will be the one whose reputation is ruined."
Reassured, Tian Rong set out with a dozen men toward the middle zone of the battlefield.
Once Tian Rong had gone far, the girl called out again, "Jiang Qun, Xu Yu!"
Two youths stepped forward in response.
Pointing to the rolling hills on either side of the sand table, the girl said, "Each of you take thirty men and lie in ambush at this location. Once Tian Rong lures the opposing vanguard over, join forces with him to encircle and devour their vanguard in one bite."
The two youths received their orders.
The girl tapped the mountainous terrain flanking the south and said, "After wiping out the enemy's vanguard, advance along the hills on both flanks to strike Li Zhi's flanks. Oh, and after dealing with their vanguard, remember to smear their blood on your bodies and faces—the more, the better."
Somewhat puzzled, Jiang Qun asked, "Once people die, they dissolve into light and vanish. Where would the blood come from?"
Before the girl could answer, Xu Yu said, "Idiot! People bleed before they die, don't they? We'll just grab a few living ones and slash a few extra cuts into their arms and legs, and there will be blood."
"Senior Brother Xu is quite right," the girl praised. Then, gently rolling up her sleeve, she revealed an arm fair and slender as a scallion. Reversing her longsword, she drew a light stroke across her forearm. A cut immediately opened upon that snow-white skin, and blood welled forth at once!
The girl pressed firmly down on the wound, her brows furrowing slightly from the pain.
Her delicate face quickly relaxed, and she said, "You see? Wounds hurt, and blood truly flows. That Li Zhi is nothing more than someone who wages war on paper. He spent all that effort putting together a fine-looking battle formation—does he really think his subordinates are battle-hardened elites? Don't forget, those people are ultimately just children. If the wound is large, they will be afraid; if enough blood flows, they will be afraid as well. Senior Brother Jiang, Senior Brother Xu, when you clash with their flanking troops, simply slash and hack like madmen. Remember: severing hands and feet works better than taking heads. Your duty is to pin down Li Zhi's flanks tight and wear down his forces until the very last soldier is spent!"
Jiang Qun and Xu Yu accepted the command and departed, each leading thirty men.
The girl stared at the sand table, fell into contemplation for another moment, and suddenly said, "After his vanguard is devoured, if Li Zhi truly understands military strategy, then upon seeing the troops I sent to his flanks, he should pin down my flanks with a small force and launch an all-out strike against my central army. Only then would he have a sliver of hope for victory."
The girl pointed her longsword at the sand table and declared, "We shall deploy a deep formation right here and wait for his assault! I, Bao Yun, would like to see whether he is worthy of claiming first place!"
A girl beside her asked, "Miss Bao, what if Li Zhi doesn't come?"
The girl smiled and said, "We already possess superior numbers, and we'll have swallowed his vanguard. If he doesn't come, then once Senior Brothers Jiang and Xu have worn them down for a while, we will advance on them!"
Another girl asked as well, "What if Li Zhi's vanguard doesn't take the bait?"
Bao Yun laughed. "Rest assured. Anyone who can lead troops in the martial test is a child of an influential clan. Such people are proud and arrogant—not one of them can endure those three hundred famous lines!"
A youth chimed in, "I heard Li Zhi wants to use this test to build momentum, which is why he is doing everything possible to take first place."
The corners of Bao Yun's lips curved upward. "I don't care if he wants to build momentum, but making me his stepping stone is nothing but a pipedream! As long as I, Bao Yun, am here, he can forget about taking first."
Behind Bao Yun, a youth who had been cradling a sword with eyes half-closed as though half-asleep opened his eyes and said calmly, "He can forget about second, too."
Within the illusory realm, Wei Yuan stood atop the knoll in heavy armor with his spear held level, having already skewered three or four reckless scouts. Back and forth like this, no one dared come near the hill. However, Wei Yuan had also noticed a problem: his long spear and heavy armor were simply too heavy, severely hindering his movement. As long as those scouts chose to run, he couldn't catch up to a single one.
Just as Wei Yuan was pondering a countermeasure, he saw two contingents approach from the north and south, converging in the central zone. The meeting point was right before his eyes.
Having finally spotted large bodies of men arriving, Wei Yuan's brows rose. Outlaw of Heaven and Earth began to circulate slowly, and wisps of black qi faintly seeped from between the plates of his armor. Holding his spear level, he stood proud and upright, waiting for someone to come up and battle him.
Yet both contingents completely ignored Wei Yuan standing alone on the high ground, instead drawing up in battle formations opposite one another.
From within the azure-robed contingent, Tian Rong took a step forward, drew a deep breath from his dantian, and opened right off the bat with: "Fuck your mother..."
The yellow-robed ranks fell instantly into disarray.
Chapter 18