The battlefield at Broken Cliff Pass looked like hell had discovered military strategy.
Blue ghost flames burnt across the snow.
Supply waggons collapsed into fire.
Men shouted.
Steel clashed.
Horses screamed.
And in the middle of all that chaos—
General Xu and I stared at each other like two men politely deciding whose week would be worse.
Honestly—
I already liked him.
Competent enemies were rare.
Annoying.
But rare.
He sat tall on his black warhorse, silver armour gleaming beneath torchlight and ghost fire. His presence was heavy and disciplined, the kind of commander who could hold an army together just by refusing to panic.
Very respectable.
Very inconvenient.
I spun the ancestral spear once in my hand.
The cold metal felt alive.
House Zhao had good taste.
General Xu raised his blade.
"Fifth Prince."
I smiled faintly.
"General."
His eyes were sharp.
"You still have time to surrender."
Hu Mei, from somewhere behind me, whispered loudly,
"He says that while standing inside a burning camp. Incredible confidence."
I ignored her.
Mostly.
I looked at General Xu.
"And if I surrender?"
His answer came without hesitation.
"You die with dignity."
I nodded thoughtfully.
"Terrible offer."
Then I jumped.
Straight off the cliff.
Because dramatic entrances were important.
Also, falling toward your enemy while holding a spear sent excellent emotional messages.
The wind screamed past me.
General Xu's eyes narrowed.
Good.
He understood.
I hit the battlefield like a bad decision.
BOOM.
Snow exploded outward.
Ghost flames twisted around the impact.
Before the dust settled—
I attacked.
The spear shot forward like lightning.
General Xu blocked instantly.
Clang!
The force pushed his warhorse back three steps.
Strong.
Very strong.
He countered immediately.
His blade came down like a falling mountain.
No wasted movement.
No flashy nonsense.
Just pure battlefield efficiency.
I barely twisted aside.
The ground split where I had stood.
Damn.
That would have been inconvenient.
I grinned.
Good.
This was good.
He attacked again.
Faster.
Stronger.
His cultivation pressure pressed against me like a storm.
Spirit Core Realm, Level 2.
Higher than me.
Much higher.
Perfect.
Because every time I survived stronger enemies, the system rewarded my terrible life choices.
He slashed low.
I blocked.
Pain shot up my arm.
I nearly lost grip.
Definitely stronger.
But strength wasn't everything.
Sometimes, confidence and emotional instability were enough.
I stepped in close.
Too close for his heavy blade.
Then drove my shoulder into his chest.
He staggered.
I smiled.
"General…"
I thrust again.
"…your army looks hungry."
He blocked.
Spark.
Steel.
Snow.
War.
His face remained calm.
"I expected arrogance."
He pushed me back.
"I did not expect competence."
Honestly?
That felt weirdly romantic.
I nodded.
"And I expected another spoilt noble's dog."
I spun the spear.
"Instead, I found a professional. Very disappointing."
For the first time—
His lips moved.
Almost a smile.
Good.
Battlefield respect.
Healthy.
Deadly.
Very efficient.
Around us, the war continued.
Ghost soldiers cut through the outer camps.
Mo Jianli was still somewhere, turning cavalry into philosophical lessons.
Ye Shura's underworld flames lit the western ridge.
And Feng Yuehuang—
well.
Half the eastern sky was on fire.
So yes.
She was helping.
Probably.
General Xu saw it too.
His expression darkened.
"You command monsters."
I looked at Feng Yuehuang setting military history on fire.
Then, Mo Jianli laughed in the distance.
Then, at Hu Mei's, stealing wine during battle.
I nodded.
"Yes."
I sighed.
"Every day."
He almost laughed.
Almost.
Then his aura exploded.
Enough politeness.
His blade shone silver-white.
A military killing art.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
He moved.
Too fast.
The strike hit my spear, my shoulder, and most of my remaining life expectancy at once.
I was thrown backwards across the snow.
Pain.
Everywhere.
I rolled, coughed blood, and stood again.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Hu Mei shouted from far away,
"Master! If you die, I'm stealing your room!"
"Get in line!"
I wiped blood from my mouth and laughed.
Because honestly—
This was fun.
General Xu stared.
"…You are insane."
I pointed the spear at him.
"Finally, someone understands leadership."
Then the Myth System flashed.
[Battle Growth Triggered]
A stronger enemy has been detected
EXP accelerated
Temporary breakthrough opportunity available
Ah.
Excellent.
The system also made terrible decisions.
I let qi circulate wildly.
Every wound.
Every strike.
Every near-death.
All of it became fuel.
The pressure around me changed.
General Xu noticed instantly.
His eyes sharpened.
"Breakthrough?"
I smiled.
"Professional development."
BOOM.
Qi Gathering Level 5—
broke.
Straight into Qi Gathering Level 6.
Warm power flooded through my meridians.
Sharper.
Faster.
Better.
Not enough to defeat him directly.
But enough to make him regret his schedule.
I attacked again.
This time—
faster.
The spear danced like a storm.
He blocked three strikes.
Missed the fourth.
The blade edge of the spear tore across his chest armour.
Crack.
Silver armour split.
Silence.
For one second—
Everything stopped.
I looked at the broken armour.
Then at him.
Then smiled slowly.
"There."
I pointed.
"Now we're discussing your return gift to the capital."
Hu Mei screamed with joy.
Even Bai Wuchen's ghost soldiers somehow looked supportive.
General Xu touched the cracked armour.
Then looked at me.
No anger.
Only respect.
And something heavier.
Recognition.
He understood now.
This wasn't a rebellion.
This was succession.
He lowered his blade slightly.
"Fifth Prince…"
Snow fell between us.
Blue fire burned around us.
His voice was calm.
"If you had been born first…"
He stopped.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I smiled faintly.
"But I wasn't."
That was the problem with empires.
Birth order.
Terrible management system.
He nodded once.
Then raised his blade again.
Duty remained duty.
Good.
I respected that.
He looked at me one final time.
"Then leave me no regrets."
I spun the spear.
"General Xu…"
I stepped forward through ghostfire and snow.
"Leave your armour behind."
And the battlefield answered.
Tonight—
Broken Cliff Pass would remember our names.
And by dawn—
Either the empire would fear me more…
Or I would become a very dramatic cautionary tale.
Honestly—
Both sounded memorable.