Afternoon.
Jiang Shi frowned, still carefully flipping through the Dragon and Snake Force manual in the courtyard.
The whole secret manual of the Dragon and Snake Force was almost worn out by him.
He seriously suspected whether there was a problem with this manual, otherwise, how could it be possible that he hadn't felt a thing after all this training.
"Damn it, could my aptitude really be this bad?"
Jiang Shi muttered to himself.
"Boss, boss, the steward is summoning everyone!"
Suddenly, Liu Si's anxious shouts came from outside the courtyard.
Jiang Shi clapped his hands to close the manual and walked towards the outside of the courtyard.
"What happened?"
"The steward suddenly gathered all the disciples, something seems to have happened."
Liu Si said.
"Oh? Let's go and take a look!"
Jiang Shi said.
He casually closed the door and walked away with Liu Si towards the distance.
All the outer sect disciples from the entire outer sect area were rapidly pouring out, a dense crowd moving towards the forefront square.
In front of the square.
A man in a cyan robe, around forty years old with dark skin, stood high on a large rock, looking at everyone.
When he saw everyone was present, he pointed directly to a dozen or so people on his left hand side and shouted, "You ten stay, everyone else follow me to the Inner Sect!"
Everyone was in an uproar, showing shock.
To the Inner Sect?
Could they have become Inner Sect Disciples?
Various discussions instantly echoed here.
And those ten disciples who were left behind also changed their expressions dramatically, showing strong envy and jealousy.
"Enough, no more talking, set off immediately, everyone let's go!"
The steward Ge Yang Daoist shouted loudly.
He was in a hurry, leaping down from the large rock, heading towards the direction of the Inner Sect.
The remaining people all rushed forward, quickly following him.
"Hurry up, hurry up, follow the steward."
"Hehe, we're becoming Inner Sect Disciples too."
"Once in the Inner Sect, your fate changes, from now on you'll be prosperous..."
...
Jiang Shi showed deep suspicion.
How could so many people suddenly be sent to the Inner Sect?
Did Zhenwu Temple's Inner Sect suddenly expand recruitment?
What a joke?
But he quickly followed the crowd.
From here to the Inner Sect, it's about three or four miles away. Under everyone's rush, they soon flooded into the walls of the Inner Sect.
With blue bricks and green tiles, ancient charm, the houses stretch on, the pavilions and terraces, completely different from the outer sect's scenery.
A short distance from the gate is a huge square, endless at a glance.
At this moment, there were already dozens of Inner Sect Disciples gathered on the square, each carrying swords and knives, murmuring to each other, many with faint tension and excitement on their faces.
"Here are the swords and weapons, choose a suitable one for yourselves and stand in the square!"
Ge Yang Daoist shouted, pointing to a large pile of weapons in the corner.
You could see there were gleaming lights, mostly knives and swords, with the occasional long spear, halberd, great axe, and shield...
Everyone's eyes flashed, and they quickly rushed over, each choosing a preferable weapon.
Jiang Shi also quickly walked over, grabbed an Iron Long Spear, gave it a light shake, weighing about dozens of pounds, and it felt as though it was as light as air in his hand.
He then tried other weapons one by one, and eventually chose this Iron Long Spear.
A spear is better than an axe, it can chop, smash, and sweep.
More importantly, it's long.
The sweep range is wider too.
All the outer sect disciples were fully armed and stood again.
"Hehe, boss, how does this knife look?"
Liu Si laughed, casually twirling the knife in his hands.
"Not bad."
Jiang Shi glanced at it and continued to look towards the front.
The number of outer sect disciples must have been at least over three hundred, pulling so many over at once and letting them choose weapons, it certainly wasn't normal...
After waiting quite a while.
Finally!
The Observatory Master Red Sun Daoist and the six Grand Elders all came from a distance, each with a solemn and serious expression.
"Chi Huo Junior Brother, Chi Long Junior Brother, Chi Yu Junior Brother, I'm counting on you to lead the squad this time."
Red Sun Daoist looked at the three elders beside him.
The three elders immediately nodded gravely.
"Rest assured, senior brother, we will surely succeed in bringing it!"
Chi Huo Daoist said.
"Hmm, remember, if it can't be achieved, you must ensure your own safety. Disciples can be recruited again, but if you are harmed, Zhenwu Temple will be in grave danger!"
Red Sun Daoist said.
The three elders nodded again.
Then Red Sun Daoist turned around, walked forward, scanned the crowd, and shouted: "Disciples, the world is in turmoil now, warlords are dividing the land, bandit armies are advancing rapidly, and the people are already in dire straits.
We, Zhenwu Temple, have always taken the world as our responsibility and absolutely cannot just watch this. We just received orders from the court. The bandit Red Turban Army has invaded the Desolate Province, slaughtering countless people, leaving corpses everywhere and many homeless!
The court has ordered us to rush to Profound Dragon Pass for support immediately; time is of the essence, and there must be no delay. You are to follow the three elders immediately for support!"
Wow!
All the outer sect disciples below were stunned, and a clamor of discussions erupted instantly.
Weren't they entering the Inner Sect to become Inner Sect Disciples?
Are they being sent to the front line?
What kind of joke is this?
In an instant, each person's face showed intense surprise, whispering to one another.
"Silence!"
Chi Long Daoist suddenly roared, using a Sound Wave Technique, which boomed in everyone's mind. Instantly, the minds of the outer sect disciples stung with pain, letting out miserable groans, swaying left and right, and falling to the ground.
"The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every person. Now that the Desolate Province is on the brink of collapse, once the bandit army breaches it, all of you will have no way out. If you don't stand up against the national crisis now, when will you?"
Chi Long Daoist shouted sternly.
Many outer sect disciples turned pale with fright, no longer daring to discuss much.
Beside them, the numerous Inner Sect Disciples all wore sneers, with faces full of disdain.
"Alright, set off immediately!"
Chi Long Daoist shouted loudly.
The three old Daoists strode out directly, got on swift horses, and began to lead the way out of the observatory.
Instantly, all the disciples swarmed up, quickly following behind the three old Daoists.
"Boss, it's over, we're being sent as cannon fodder..."
Liu Si said with a pale face, "Should we...find a chance to escape?"
"Right, we need to run, we must run!"
Li San said in a panic.
Jiang Shi's face slightly tensed, he looked around in all directions and gently shook his head.
With those Inner Sect Disciples blocking all around, what ease is there in escaping for one's life?
"It's unrealistic, let's take it one step at a time."
Jiang Shi said.
"Damn it, had I known we'd be cannon fodder, I wouldn't have come no matter what."
Liu Si lamented tearfully, stomping his feet repeatedly.
All around, the many outer sect disciples were also apprehensive, looking around in every direction.
Evidently, many shared the same thought as Liu Si, planning to seize an opportunity to escape.
To get from here to Profound Dragon Pass is about a few hundred miles, neither too near nor too far.
It took everyone a full three days at their pace to finally arrive.
Three days passed, and Jiang Shi's strength increased by another 300 pounds.
Reaching a total strength of 4100 pounds!
The immense fortress stood tall, the surrounding walls stretched, thick and broad, like a massive black dragon coiled here, with only one entrance, both sides surrounded by steep mountains.
At a glance, it gave a staggering sense of awe.
Indeed, one man holding a pass can keep ten thousand at bay!
When Jiang Shi and the others arrived, Jiang Shi discovered that apart from Zhenwu Temple, many other Jianghu sects had also sent numerous disciples, wearing various attire, holding different weapons, a chaotic scene with a crowded population.
"Over here for the Zhenwu Temple!"
Suddenly, a stern shout rang out, a short and stout man wearing crimson battle armor waved in the distance.
The three elders surveyed the area and immediately led the disciples over.
"General Hu!"
Chi Huo Daoist greeted respectfully.
"Hmm, it seems many of you have come as well."
That short and stout man glanced coldly at the crowd and spoke: "The assignments from above have already been given: Zhenwu Temple is divided into three teams, one team stays to guard Profound Dragon Pass, another rushes to Cyan Dragon Town nearby, and the third team heads to a local iron mine to guard it. Now, divide yourselves up immediately!"
"Divided into three teams?"
Chi Huo, Chi Long, and Chi Yu exchanged glances.
But facing the order from above, they dared not disobey and immediately began dividing.
Jiang Shi, Zhao Si, Li San, and others, without exception, were all assigned to guard the iron mine, led personally by Chi Huo Daoist.
"Are you divided? Those assigned to guard the iron mine, follow me!"
The short and stout man commanded, mounting his swift horse, and rushed towards the distance.