The Vanguard Army

Su Yu was utterly depressed. This black-armored commander was extremely powerful—very likely the supreme commander of the Vanguard Camp, or at the very least a deputy general. The Vanguard Camp oversaw the Sunmoon Battalion, the Shanhai Battalion, the Lingyun Battalion, the Tengkong Battalion, and more. Filled with countless fierce experts, whoever commanded this place was no ordinary figure, and even a deputy commander was terrifyingly formidable. Stationed on the absolute front line, anyone lacking sufficient might would never be able to suppress these unruly soldiers, nor could they repel the invading enemies. He had been caught red-handed! At this moment, Su Yu raised his hands in surrender. All around him, that pack of wolf-like Shanhai and Sunmoon experts beamed with delight. At least they were relatively polite. Armamentsmiths were often even more welcome than alchemists. One could go without pills, but one could never go into battle unarmed. Once a weapon broke, repairing it was a matter of life and death. As the group escorted Su Yu back, the Shanhai expert who had previously shouted at him to leave hurried over and laughed heartily. "I told you to leave just now, but you didn't. Now it's too late!" Su Yu pulled a sour face. Any armamentsmith who found themselves intercepted by the Vanguard Camp would hardly be smiling. The newly arrived Shanhai commander did not mind in the slightest. Taking off his helmet, he revealed a pale, exhausted face that looked well past its youth. He glanced at Su Yu with a chuckle. "I am Hong Du, deputy commander of the Shanhai Battalion!" Introducing himself, the man smiled. "Master Cui, we'll have to trouble you to put in some extra effort this time. Please repair our weapons as quickly as possible. Battling has been continuous these days, and many brothers have been fighting while injured. They dare not use their damaged weapons carelessly, so casualties have been severe." Su Yu glanced around at the exhausted, battle-scarred soldiers and said nothing. The Vanguard Camp! A gathering of criminals! Yet... some things were truly hard to judge. For example, his teachers—both Liu Wenyan and Bai Feng had served in the Vanguard Camp. Were they criminals? Su Yu did not think so. Of course, there were certainly heinous villains in the Vanguard Camp, but the fact that they hadn't been executed usually meant they hadn't crossed certain absolute bottom lines. Take Xu Bin, for instance—that cross-dressing thief. If the Great Ming Prefecture sentenced him, he would most likely be shipped off to the Vanguard Camp. One couldn't say he was innocent, but his crimes generally didn't warrant execution. Looking back toward the vast rift valley strewn with corpses, Su Yu sighed inwardly, though his tone remained blunt. "You can't force what won't yield! I said three days, and I mean three days. I can repair your weapons within three days, but if you try to hold me after that, I'll leave some nasty surprises behind. When battle breaks out, your weapons will explode—let's see if you dare let me fix them then!" Hong Du gave a helpless look at those words and said, "Please don't be angry, Master Cui. We're truly at our wits' end, or we wouldn't have forced you to help." These people certainly changed faces fast. A moment ago, they were barking 'Cui Lang' at every turn, yet now he was 'Master Cui.' Su Yu couldn't be bothered to argue further. Glancing sideways at Liu Wenyan behind him, he suddenly snorted. "I can't afford to offend Shanhai and Sunmoon experts, but this Tengkong little brother was shouting pretty loudly earlier. I'm not repairing your weapon!" "..." Liu Wenyan stared in bewilderment. *What the hell? Little brother?* *How old are you?* Then he sensed the other's cultivation and felt completely helpless inside. *Damn it, I'm not even comparable to a youngster now. How bleak.* Hong Du and the surrounding experts couldn't help laughing. Seeing Su Yu glaring at Liu Wenyan, Hong Du smiled. "Master Cui, you probably know this man—or at least heard his name. He is Liu Wenyan of the Great Xia Prefecture." "Huh?" Su Yu looked utterly bewildered, unable to resist saying, "Him? Records in the Great Ming Prefecture say Liu Wenyan was dashing, elegant, and unrestrained, pursued relentlessly by countless noble maidens. General Hong, you... aren't joking with me, are you?" He turned his head to look Liu Wenyan up and down, looking entirely incredulous. Liu Wenyan snorted, casually unbuttoning his robe to drape it over his hairy legs. What was wrong with that? Was he not dashing and elegant? The nerve of this kid! Su Yu clicked his tongue and chuckled, turning away from Liu Wenyan to look back at Hong Du. "General Hong, it seems I really can't stay long in this Vanguard Camp. If I end up looking like that, I won't be able to live with myself. I still care about my dignity." Hong Du laughed as well. Su Yu added, "By the way, who was that commanding general earlier? If General Hong doesn't mind, tell me his name so I know who to lodge a complaint against, right?" Su Yu sneered. "I'd like to see if anyone cares when an Earth-rank armamentsmith is detained on a whim!" "..." Hong Du looked embarrassed. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Wenyan, having just been mocked, spoke up lazily: "Aren't you a quasi-Earth-rank armamentsmith? Strictly speaking, that's still Mystic rank, isn't it?" Su Yu dismissed him nonchalantly. "That's just keeping a low profile on the outside. Believe it or not, I could forge an Earth armament right in front of your eyes right now! Brother Liu, this isn't fifty years ago. Your era has passed! Now is the era of newcomers!" Liu Wenyan's expression shifted slightly. He let out a sigh and said no more. Harsh as the words were, they were true. Hearing this, Hong Du coughed lightly. "Master Cui, don't lower yourself to his level. The general earlier was Deputy Commander Cao of the Vanguard Army, an expert of the fifth stage of the Sunmoon Realm." "Deputy commander?" Su Yu nodded. "I thought he was the supreme commander." "No, Master Cui probably doesn't know much about the Vanguard Army," Hong Du explained. "The supreme commander of the Vanguard Army is Lord Qin Guang, the second son of King Daqin and an expert of the eighth stage of the Sunmoon Realm. However, he is currently away on business and will return soon." Qin Guang, Qin Zhen's younger brother, the chief officer of the Vanguard Army. Su Yu pondered this and refrained from saying more. The Vanguard Camp indeed required a supreme commander capable of holding the fort—someone powerful who dared to fight and kill. Experts from either the Great Qin Prefecture or the Great Xia Prefecture could serve, as both prefectures carried immense slaughterous aura. Currently, however, no one in the Great Xia Prefecture could likely assume the post. As they conversed, they retreated about thirty li, arriving before a massive mountain whose peak had been cleanly sheared flat. It was unknown which expert had achieved such a feat, lopping off the mountain's summit to create a central plateau that served as the garrison for the Vanguard Army. Most of the Vanguard Army's five thousand-odd troops were stationed here. This mountain was known as Soul-Severing Mountain. Where souls were severed! After a few more years of warfare, who knew how many of these five thousand people would make it back alive? They might be criminals, but their military merits were shockingly high. As the others gradually returned to camp, Hong Du stayed beside Su Yu, giving him an overview. "Currently, there are six armamentsmiths in the Vanguard Army: three Yellow-rank and three Mystic-rank. But among the Mystic-rank smiths, only one is an advanced Mystic-rank armamentsmith. "Previously, an Earth-rank armamentsmith was stationed here..." Hong Du paused, then continued, "However, when the gods, demons, and yaoguai attacked fiercely a few days ago, Lord Zhang joined the fray in person and fell in battle." Su Yu frowned. "Even Earth-rank armamentsmiths have to fight?" "Lord Zhang insisted on it himself," Hong Du explained. Su Yu's brow remained furrowed. "You agreed just because he insisted? Besides, isn't it said that Invincibles watch over the Vanguard Camp? Why didn't anyone intervene when an Earth-rank armamentsmith was killed? How many Earth-rank armamentsmiths are there in the entire Human Realm? With one stationed in each major prefecture, there aren't even enough left to supply the elite military corps. There might not even be more Earth-rank armamentsmiths than Invincibles! Are Earth-rank armamentsmiths that cheap in your eyes?" "That's not what happened," Hong Du hastily explained. "Well... Master Cui, we didn't want to see such an outcome either, but Lord Zhang was also in the Sunmoon Realm. Since he was adamant, we couldn't stop him. "As for the Invincible lords..." Hong Du hesitated before clarifying, "Their oversight only means they might intervene if the Vanguard Camp is breached. Before the camp falls, they won't interfere; otherwise, it would escalate into a war between Invincibles! "The same goes for the other side. Invincibles might not constantly monitor us, and even if they do, this is still small-scale warfare. The moment an Invincible participates, it becomes a large-scale conflict, elevating to the Invincible level." Su Yu understood. It wasn't that the Invincibles were unaware or simply didn't care. They couldn't! If an Invincible on this side intervened, an Invincible on the other side would step in, instantly expanding the scale of the war to the Invincible level—an escalation neither side's Invincibles wanted to trigger right now. Asking no further, Su Yu followed Hong Du down from the sky. On the mountainside plateau stood numerous buildings constructed from giant boulders. At the center stood an enormous stone structure. Inscribed upon it were three large characters: 'Armament Forging Hall.' This was the Vanguard Camp's smithing facility. From within, the faint sounds of forging could be heard. Hong Du smiled. "Master Cui, this is our Vanguard Army's Armament Forging Hall. Whenever the troops need something, they come here. It's not free of charge—services are paid for. Our Vanguard Army might lack many things, but we do not lack merit points." Su Yu asked in confusion, "Do kills in the Vanguard Camp still earn merit points?" "Yes," Hong Du explained. "Of course, aside from the merit points awarded for kills, they don't share in subsequent spoils of war. That's the Vanguard Camp's policy. After all, those exiled here bear guilt and must earn redemption through service." Su Yu nodded. "Some of them clearly look like they've fought for years and killed plenty. Haven't they expiated their crimes yet?" "Some of them... simply don't want to leave." Hong Du's expression was conflicted as he continued, "Having killed so much, once some people leave this place, they quickly commit crimes again elsewhere. Quite a few of them fly into murderous rages at the slightest disagreement. So even after their crimes are wiped clean, some choose not to leave. "Not everyone in the Vanguard Camp is a criminal," Hong Du sighed. "Some come to unleash their bloodlust. Others have long cleared their records but can no longer fit into the Human Realm. Other legions occasionally recruit them, but they are too wild and intractable to integrate with regular troops. In the end, they choose to return, spending their lives killing and fighting here until death." Su Yu's feelings grew complicated. Could such people still be considered criminals? They might have been guilty originally, but they had already atoned. Yet having killed so much, they could no longer rein in their bloodlust. Even upon returning to the Human Realm, they were completely out of place in civilian society. And so they ultimately chose to return. As he was musing, the doors to the Armament Forging Hall swung open, and a young man walked out with his head lowered, lost in thought. Sensing someone ahead, he looked up and saw Hong Du. He gave a casual nod. "General Hong, what is it? We can repair peak Mystic-rank weapons, but my master might not succeed. You'll have to decide for yourself—we won't take responsibility if it breaks." "Thank you for your hard work, Master Wang!" Hong Du laughed and made the introductions. "Master Wang, this is Master Cui, a quasi-Earth-rank armamentsmith. General Cao invited Master Cui to stay for three days to repair some difficult weapons for the Vanguard Army..." "Master Cui?" The young man looked up at Su Yu. Seeing how young he was, he hesitated with suspicion. "Who are you?" "Cui Lang!" "Cui Lang?" The youth pondered for a moment, then seemed to recall something and blurted out, "Cui Lang? Cui Lang of the Great Ming Prefecture? Are you here conning people again? When did you become a quasi-Earth-rank armamentsmith? Weren't you a Yellow-rank smith? Even if you advanced, you'd be early-stage Mystic rank at best. Are you kidding me?" "..." Su Yu curled his lip. The guy was right—even if the real Cui Lang had improved recently, early Mystic rank would be his absolute limit. But he wasn't actually Cui Lang! "Believe it or not!" Su Yu adopted an arrogant posture. "Little Wang, you should watch your tongue. Armament forging requires luck and talent! If I really forge an Earth armament, will you kneel down and apologize? If you don't want to humiliate yourself, stop blabbering so you won't lose face as an armamentsmith later!" The youth was left speechless. "Do as you please. Cui Lang, if you're scamming people, this place is full of ruthless killers—watch out or you'll get yourself hacked to pieces! Don't seek your own death, because no one will save you!" Hong Du quickly smoothed things over with a smile. "How could that be? Master Cui truly has real skills. Word of that has reached us from the Human Realm." "Is that so?" The young man remained noncommittal, clearly skeptical. Well, whatever. If Cui Lang lacked the skill and ended up hacked to death, he certainly wouldn't shed a tear. "Then I'll take you inside to see my master. Cui Lang, my master is an advanced Mystic-rank armamentsmith. Whether you have genuine skill or not, my master will be able to tell. Don't think that just because this place is full of butchers, no one will see through you." "Little Wang, if you don't apologize to me later, I'll have General Hong hack you to death!" The youth scoffed. "Fine. If you're truly a quasi-Earth-rank armamentsmith, an apology is only proper. I'll admit it!" He still didn't believe it. He had met Cui Lang once years ago and hardly recognized him now. They had never had much interaction, but he knew the fellow wasn't a good sort. Cui Lang was known to brag after a few drinks—could it be that he had bragged so much that people took it seriously? He bore no malice; he was merely warning the guy that this wasn't the Human Realm. These were genuine slaughterers! Spouting nonsense here would easily get him killed. Officers like General Cao were all ruthless men who wouldn't hesitate to beat someone to death. ... The young man led the two deeper inside. The place was vast, divided into individual forging rooms. Soon, he brought them to the innermost hall. The space was enormous. A white-haired old man, surrounded by several youths, was observing a middle-aged man forging. Sensing their arrival, the old man turned and nodded slightly at the youth and Hong Du. "Is the battle over? Do weapons need repairs? Anything below advanced Mystic rank can be brought in, but repairing peak-grade weapons carries a risk of failure." The old man was only an advanced Mystic-rank armamentsmith. Advanced Mystic-rank armaments were generally used by Lingyun cultivators, which was usually sufficient. Peak Mystic-rank armaments were mostly used by low-to-mid Shanhai cultivators. High-stage Shanhai experts, if wealthy enough, generally opted for Earth armaments. As for the Sunmoon Realm, most wielded mid-to-high Earth armaments. Before Hong Du could speak, the youth piped up, "Master, General Hong says General Cao invited a quasi-Earth-rank armamentsmith to repair weapons—Cui Lang of the Great Ming Prefecture." "Cui Lang?" "Yes, the one related to the Cheng family of the Great Tang Prefecture. Don't you remember?" "Oh, oh, oh..." The old man remembered. Su Yu's face darkened as he glared at the youth. *Fine, kid, you've chosen a short road in life!* *Just wait and see how I deal with you later!* Too lazy to waste words, Su Yu noticed the middle-aged smith was wrapping up. Without saying anything, he stepped forward and ignited another forging furnace. Seeing this, the surrounding smiths fell silent, knowing he intended to forge. Clearly, he was going to show his real ability. Armamentsmiths were straightforward that way: if you had the skill, there was no need to hide it. As long as you had genuine talent, your craft spoke for itself. Su Yu retrieved several materials. Flames surged, melting them in an instant! With just that single move, the old man's expression shifted. *What powerful fire!* *A tier-four divine character!* In no time at all, Su Yu melted the materials and extracted their essence. In the blink of an eye, steam rose, golden light flashed, and a general sword blank was formed. No golden inscriptions yet—just forging the blank first. That display alone made the old man's eyes light up. He quickly transmitted his voice: "Come look, all of you! Little Wang, watch closely—this is truly a master!" The youth was also struck with shock. He had forged a rough blank with such ease. Had this guy truly reached the level of a quasi-Earth-rank armamentsmith? Su Yu ignored them. By now, he possessed his own deep understanding of armament forging. Having exchanged insights with multiple Earth-rank armamentsmiths, assisted Old Zhao in forging an embryonic Heaven armament, and forged a cultural weapon with seventy-two golden inscriptions himself, creating a peak Mystic-rank martial weapon was hardly difficult for him. Quenching, refining, hammering the blank... A moment later, a massive hammer appeared and crashed down with thundering booms! His speed was blindingly fast! "Is that... the Zhao family's forging technique?" The old man recognized it. Hong Du didn't understand the craft well, but he knew some of the story and chimed in, "Master Cui helped Master Zhao Li forge an armament in the Great Xia Prefecture, allowing Master Zhao Li to advance to Shanhai and forge an embryonic Heaven armament. During that time, Master Cui advanced to become a peak Mystic-rank armamentsmith." "So that's how it was!" the old man marveled. "Zhao Li succeeded! Truly worth celebrating!" After his exclamation, he urged the others, "Watch closely, everyone. This Cui Lang... no, Brother Cui might truly be able to forge a cultural weapon with seventy-two golden inscriptions." Only by successfully forging seventy-two golden inscriptions could one be called a quasi-Earth-rank armamentsmith. Before, he had been doubtful, but now, he was beginning to believe. Su Yu paid them no heed. He remained focused on his craft. Forging techniques couldn't simply be copied by watching once, anyway. Furthermore, the core of his smithing relied on the Mind Expansion Hammer and his five-element divine characters. Unless forging an extraordinary weapon, armamentsmiths rarely minded onlookers. The hammer struck fiercely! The flames roared! Su Yu forged with incredible speed. Gradually, the first golden inscription took shape, followed shortly by a second. It took roughly five minutes to generate a single golden inscription. In an hour, twelve golden inscriptions had formed. Su Yu's speed did not diminish in the slightest, his hammer blows remaining thunderous. At this point, even if Hong Du didn't fully comprehend the art of smithing, he could sense the profound depth and power of Su Yu's willpower. Vibrations resonated! The small sword shrank progressively smaller, turning increasingly translucent and crystalline. Without realizing it, several more people had gathered in the hall, watching silently without interrupting. Two hours, three hours... With a resounding boom, thirty-seven golden inscriptions were forged, completing a Mystic armament. In three hours, a Mystic armament had appeared. Yet that was not enough. Su Yu continuously added materials, his movements fluid and seamless. Both the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao's legacy and Zhao Li's legacy ranked among the finest smithing inheritances in the Human Realm. After hammering for several more hours, a sharp burst of sword qi erupted from the sword blank with a loud crash. Several youths in the hall were grazed by the sword radiance and stumbled back. "Sixty-four golden inscriptions!" the old man gasped in awe. Peak Mystic rank! With such ease! In one unbroken breath! He could never match this level. Currently, he could only forge up to sixty-three golden inscriptions and could go no further, and doing so took considerable time—nowhere near as effortless as Su Yu. The golden inscriptions continued to increase. Sweat dripped from Su Yu's forehead, only to be instantly vaporized by the intense heat. The hammer strikes fell in a rhythmic cadence, sending muffled shockwaves rippling out. Flames danced in all directions! More golden inscriptions appeared: sixty-five, sixty-six... By now, darkness had fallen outside. Su Yu forged for a while longer, continuing to add materials. Finally, as the seventy-second golden inscription began to take shape, Su Yu suddenly frowned. The forming seventy-second inscription was slightly distorted. Frowning slightly, Su Yu let out a low growl and brought his hammer down! The forming golden inscription actually began to recede! "Reforging!" The old man trembled, crying out involuntarily. Reforging a quasi-Earth armament? Did Cui Lang have such skill? Even an Earth-rank armamentsmith might not be able to pull that off! Just as the thought crossed his mind, a loud boom sounded, and the seventy-second golden inscription vanished. Su Yu suddenly stopped and shook his head. "Can't reforge it properly. There's a flaw in that seventy-second inscription, and I won't craft a flawed peak Mystic-rank weapon. Seventy-one will do." With that, he activated his 'Gold' character. With a resonant hum, the martial weapon unleashed an exceptionally sharp sword qi! The old man looked on in admiration. "Incredible! Brother Cui's forging skills have reached perfection! Crafting a quasi-Earth armament with seventy-two golden inscriptions is clearly effortless for you. An ordinary quasi-Earth-rank smith would never downgrade seventy-two inscriptions to seventy-one just because of an imperfection... Brother Cui, have you already advanced to Earth-rank armamentsmith?" Without being an Earth-rank smith, such control was nearly impossible. Su Yu shook his head. "Haven't tried. I've been busy lately and haven't had the time. Besides, it takes too long and causes too much commotion, so I won't attempt it for now. But forging an Earth armament shouldn't be much of an issue—though even if I forged one, it would probably be trash. I'll see later." Their exchange made the other armamentsmiths want to bash their heads against the wall. Just then, the black-armored general clapped his hands from the side and said with a faint smile, "Impressive! Master Cui truly did not disappoint me! An Earth-rank armamentsmith in the Lingyun Realm—you must be the first! I don't know much about forging, but Master Cui crafted a peak Mystic-rank weapon in one continuous breath. In my eyes, your skill is no less than Old Zhang's!" Old Zhang was the fallen Earth-rank armamentsmith. Deputy Commander Cao added, "I watched Old Zhang forge several times, and his speed and technique with Mystic armaments were no better than Master Cui's! Cui Lang, on behalf of the Vanguard Army, I formally invite you to join us! State whatever terms you wish!" Su Yu snapped, "No terms! I'm leaving in three days! Fine, forging today took up an entire day, so I'll give you three more days! I'm not staying here—do you think I have nothing else to do? Besides, it's too dangerous. Even a Sunmoon-level Earth-rank armamentsmith died here. You people in the Vanguard Army treat armamentsmiths' lives like toys!" The black-armored general fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough! Old Zhang's death was indeed our failure to protect him adequately. Then for these three days, we'll trouble Master Cui. There's no need to repair anything below advanced Mystic rank—focus primarily on peak Mystic rank and Earth armaments." Pondering a moment, he added, "My spear is mid-stage Earth rank. Can it be repaired?" He didn't push too hard. If he forced the issue, as Su Yu had warned, a hidden sabotage would leave them helpless. Three days would still allow for a fair number of repairs. Su Yu frowned. "Difficult! Unless I officially advance to Earth-rank armamentsmith, in which case I'd have some confidence in repairing a mid-stage Earth armament. Otherwise, there's no hope! I could give early-stage Earth armaments a try, though." "That is enough." General Cao turned to leave, his voice carrying back: "Hong Du, take Master Cui to rest and recover properly. Ensure his safety. Tomorrow, the master will repair weapons for everyone. Do not bring anything below advanced Mystic rank!" "Yes, sir!" Hong Du acknowledged. Su Yu ignored General Cao. The man had kept his helmet on the entire time, leaving his face completely unseen. At any rate, he would only stay a few days. When he found time, he would go see Teacher Liu. Beside him, the elderly advanced Mystic-rank armamentsmith said with some regret, "Brother Cui doesn't plan on staying?" Su Yu shook his head. "No. Forging here is too dangerous." "Alas!" The old man nodded, glancing in the direction General Cao had departed. "It is dangerous, but... well, rest well, Brother Cui. We will trouble you tomorrow. I can handle the advanced Mystic-rank weapons, but I'll have to leave the troublesome ones to you!" Su Yu looked at him. The old man smiled, sensing his confusion, and offered, "Perhaps Brother Cui thinks everyone here is a criminal who deserves to die, and so you have no heart to forge or repair weapons for them... Yet even if they bear guilt, they are fighting for the human race now. We cannot help them in other ways, but keeping their arms in order is something we can do." Su Yu said nothing and walked toward the exit. Perhaps so. Everyone had their own pursuits. Perhaps he was simply not yet in a position to understand such things. As he walked away, the youth behind him hurried to call out, "Master Cui, I apologize! Master Cui, could you give us some pointers on forging?" "Not interested!" Su Yu strode out of the hall. The youth looked disappointed, but once Su Yu was out of earshot, he muttered in frustration, "Holy crap, he really is an Earth-rank armamentsmith. Master, how did he do it? Could it be... that sleeping with lots of women is the secret? Master, when you told me to stay away from women, were you wrong? Should I give it a try too..." "..." The old man was utterly speechless. *Get lost!* *What nonsense are you spouting!* Yet looking in the direction Su Yu had gone, he stroked his beard thoughtfully. *Could it be that our forging builds up too much yang fire, and we need to vent that heat?* *It's not entirely impossible!* *Should I... give it a try?* For a moment, the old man felt a wave of daze. *Maybe I should try it first, and if it works, let the apprentices try it?*