Chapter 148: The Advancing Young Master

Under the scorching sun, the entire earth was baked until it radiated heat.

Despite the intense heat, the soldiers in the military camp still found no rest, for the mandated training could never be paused.

The State of Wei was able to withstand the blockade of various allied states with the strength of a single nation, and its formidable combat capability was certainly not earned for nothing.

The soldiers under the command of Wei Wuji were also drilling inside the parade ground at this moment. Originally, they should have been resting half an hour ago.

This extra stretch of training had already lasted for more than half a month. Although the men felt bitter in their hearts, they chose to remain silent.

They had no qualification to complain, because their commander-in-chief, the esteemed prince of the great State of Wei, was currently sweating profusely right alongside them.

After nearly twenty days of intensive training, Wei Wuji's mental outlook had visibly transformed, and his entire demeanor carried a much sharper edge than before.

The overwhelming impression he gave off was one of profound strength.

During these past days, his primary focus had been on practicing strength and endurance, with exercises that included horse-stance holding, weightlifting, and running.

In addition to these, Wei Wuji also had to practice mounted archery and swordsmanship.

For Wei Wuji, the most agonizing tasks by far were running and holding the horse stance, the consequences of which went far beyond mere exhaustion.

Every night as he lay in bed, the torment of that deep muscle soreness was indescribable.

However, during that celebration banquet a while back, Wei Wuji had already boasted grandly about how steadfastly he would train and how he would forge himself into a true warrior...

Although it had somewhat compromised his refined image, the effect of shouting those slogans was quite favorable, earning him yet another wave of fans on the spot.

Now, no matter how bitter or exhausting it was, Wei Wuji had to endure it. Otherwise, if he started strong and ended weak, he would simply become a laughingstock!

Of course, Wei Wuji was not actually training directly among the ordinary soldiers; instead, he received individual guidance from Zheng Dali.

They practiced in a separate area where everyone could still clearly see them.

"My lord, it is almost enough. You can definitely be considered qualified now..." Zheng Dali requested, watching Wei Wuji as he continued to thrust his sword forward.

He never expected that his lord would truly honor his word, actually enduring the harsh training he had promised to take on.

Even when Dan Ji had sent messengers two or three times to urge him to return—an opportunity to escape so easily—he had declined them all.

"It's fine. Let me practice a few hundred more thrusts," Wei Wuji said cheerfully, his hands never stopping their movement.

To him, building physical strength and endurance was painful, but practicing mounted archery and swordsmanship actually gave him the thrilling sensation of playing a game.

After these days of extraordinary practice, Wei Wuji's swordsmanship had also improved tremendously. While he might still fall short compared to Wang Yu, if they were to engage in a life-or-death duel, the one who would die is undoubtedly Wang Yu.

What amazed Zheng Dali even more was not just that, but Wei Wuji's mounted archery, which truly made him understand what natural talent meant and how different people could be.

Horsemanship went without saying; Wei Wuji had known how to ride from the very beginning. But Wei Wuji's archery skills could only be described as progressing with terrifying speed.

From initially missing the target completely, to finally hitting the target, then hitting the bullseye, and eventually hitting the bullseye while riding a galloping horse—Wei Wuji had achieved all of this in a mere fifteen days.

What is a genius? This right here is a genius! Zheng Dali felt an urge to cry.

Unconsciously, he recalled the miserable state he had been in, falling off his horse when he first practiced mounted archery back then.

Compared to Wei Wuji's straight-line trajectory of improvement, there was simply no comparison at all. To think he had previously stood by, eagerly waiting to watch his lord make a fool of himself!

Naturally, Wei Wuji was overjoyed by this. In the beginning, he had cursed his transmigration to high heaven, complaining that everything was flawed and unsatisfactory...

Yet now, his golden finger had finally awakened... The immense power it displayed made Wei Wuji feel unimaginably fantastic.

This also explained his previous puzzle: why he had been able to crack his whip with such pinpoint accuracy—it had all been the work of this golden finger!

With such innate talent, Wei Wuji certainly could not let it go to waste. He had to seize every single second to strengthen his own capabilities, for after all, one can never have too many skills.

Wei Wuji even felt a twinge of regret as to why he hadn't persistently learned martial arts from Zheng Dali back when he was in Tierun Yi.

"My lord, is that enough for now?" After a while, Zheng Dali offered a timely reminder, because standing and baking under the blazing sun meant he had to suffer too.

After executing a rapid series of simplified sword forms, Wei Wuji gracefully sheathed his sword.

"This morning's session wasn't satisfying enough. We must continue to work hard this afternoon!" Wei Wuji said with a hint of dissatisfaction—his behavior was nothing short of perfectionism.

Hearing Wei Wuji speak this way, Zheng Dali could not help but wear a wry smile. There is nothing more terrifying than someone with higher talent than you working even harder than you do.

"Dali, do you think my current level is enough to be selected into the elite Wei Wuxu?" After wiping the sweat from his brow with his rolled-up sleeve, Wei Wuji asked with a sideways, smiling glance.

"My lord has progressed with miraculous speed, truly the likes of which this subordinate has never witnessed in his lifetime," Zheng Dali bowed deeply, speaking with genuine admiration.

Then he continued, "If we speak solely of physical strength... my lord, you still fall a bit short. But when it comes to mounted archery and swordsmanship, my lord is already on par with them."

At this point, Zheng Dali’s expression turned deeply emotional as he said in a low voice, "Given time, even this subordinate might find it difficult to claim victory over my lord."

This was by no means mere flattery; these were Zheng Dali's true thoughts. In the past, he would never have believed that there was a shortcut to achieving mastery in personal combat, but now he had no choice but to believe it.

Judging by Wei Wuji's rate of progress, leaving aside raw physical strength for the moment, it wouldn't be long before Zheng Dali was left far behind in the dust.

By that time, his position as the commander of the bodyguards would become rather awkward, for how could a bodyguard have lower combat prowess than his master?

Hearing Zheng Dali's evaluation, Wei Wuji felt another wave of secret delight. To receive such high praise from someone who had achieved remarkable success in the exact same field made him feel as though he were floating on air.

Yes, sometimes he could be quite shallow, but this was also the source of true happiness—having one more praise was always better than having one less.

Composing his emotions, Wei Wuji said slowly, "Let's go back and rest. Tell the others to rest as well. Why on earth do they insist on pushing themselves so hard?"

The "they" in Wei Wuji's words referred to the rest of the Wei soldiers.

In order to keep pace with their lord, over the past half-month or so, not only had they trained with intense dedication, but they had also extended their training hours.

Even the other garrison troops in the Wu'an Camp had noticed the abnormal behavior of their neighboring brothers, growing suspicious of their frantic participation in recent days.

Whenever anyone came to inquire, Wang Xiu and the others always gave the same outward explanation: their lord had issued strict orders to overhaul the military drills and enhance the combat capability of their unit.

This reason sounded much more lofty and grand, preventing Wei Wuji's "foolish perseverance" from being exposed.

Walking up to the command platform, Wei Wuji placed his treasured sword heavily upon the table and assumed a commanding posture to address the troops.

Zheng Dali quickly strode over to the bronze bell, picked up the iron striker, and began to beat it, producing a piercing, resonant clanging sound.

The sharp noise quickly caused everyone to halt their actions and focus their attention on the platform.

Handling such a situation had become second nature to Wei Wuji. He took two steps forward, swung a single hand down with force, and declared, "Lads, that's all for this morning. We'll be back at it this afternoon!"

Hearing this, the Wei soldiers hardly knew whether they should cheer or weep.

Why wouldn't this prince's enthusiasm ever fade? Were they not even allowed to enjoy a moment of peace? Such was the secret sorrow dwelling in the hearts of the soldiers.

Truth be told, they were deeply reluctant to endure that extra hour of training, but having driven themselves into this corner, they had to put on a brave face and act as Wei Wuji's sparring partners.

Paying no mind to the soldiers' quiet distress, Wei Wuji strode straight down the platform after making his announcement. He still needed to eat a good meal, get some proper rest, and then...

Prepare himself for the afternoon training...