Chapter One Hundred and One: A Slap Followed by a Sweet Date

Hu Mo smiled faintly. Seeing the soldiers each brimming with confidence, he naturally felt very pleased. However, if their confidence became excessive, they would likely suffer greatly.

“Hm, don’t hold back. I want to see how much strength you can force me to unleash,” Hu Mo said calmly, allowing them to arrange their formations without any trace of anxiety or worry on his part.

A deep, powerful flame-like battle energy began to radiate from him. In no time, the entire training ground of the Hu residence was completely enveloped. Hu Mo’s power left everyone dumbfounded.

“Don’t just stand there in a daze. Follow the formations you practiced. Let me see to what extent your strength has improved,” Hu Mo said with a smile, releasing a strong wave of battle energy that spread outward from him. His battle soul slowly manifested, transforming rapidly into a fiery dragon that circled above the training ground—a truly magnificent sight.

The soldiers were stunned. This was not the first time they had seen such a move; long ago, they had witnessed Hu Yihu and Hu Meng using it. They had originally thought Hu Mo would not be able to perform it, but now that he did, their confidence immediately plummeted, and they forgot how to even operate the formations.

Hu Mo sighed as he observed their state and shouted, “Snap out of it! This is nothing serious—just a mid-level Earth-ranked battle technique. If you’re afraid of such a technique, how do you expect to build great achievements and lay the foundation for our future? If you’re scared now, you’re letting down the brothers who sacrificed themselves. They did not give their lives for cowards!”

His words immediately awakened them. Black Iron’s face flushed with a surge of determination. A fierce shout burst from him, shaking the barrier near the training ground violently.

“Everyone, stand firm! Although we cannot yet use the Great Heavenly and Earthly Formation, even relying solely on the Mutual Generation Formation, we must win. Understand?” Black Iron bellowed. The soldiers all took their positions simultaneously, even Lin Nan, who stood aside, itching to join, was firmly held back by Hu Mo.

If Lin Nan appeared, the Chaotic Water within him might cause unforeseen problems. Any sudden incident would be truly disastrous.

Seventy-two men, arranged according to the Five Elements’ generating cycle, pushed the water-attribute warriors’ power to its peak. The water battle energy quickly turned icy cold, spreading a chilling aura that clashed violently with Hu Mo’s fiery battle energy. The entire training ground trembled at the impact.

Hu Mo secretly applauded this burst of power, which alone nearly reached the level of a Battle Emperor’s strength. However, having faced Battle Emperors many times, such a forceful strike had little effect on him.

Although Black Iron and his comrades attacked fiercely, their expenditure was tremendous. After just this simple strike, their aura weakened significantly, and the once-condensed formation began to show signs of disarray.

Lin Nan watched anxiously from the side. This formation could greatly enhance overall power, but its drawbacks were glaring. Such enormous consumption, without adequate replenishment, would inevitably lead to disaster.

Hu Mo shook his head, commanding the fiery dragon to descend from the sky. Wherever it passed, the water battle energy rapidly evaporated. Grimaces spread across everyone’s faces; without a doubt, their collapse came far too easily.

Just as the fiery dragon was about to strike their last defense, Black Iron suddenly shouted, “Now’s the time! Transform your battle power! Everyone, hold your ground!”

As soon as he spoke, the mass of water battle energy began to condense rapidly, forming a massive ice dragon with surprisingly coherent structure. Though unstable, it had taken on a tangible form.

This time it was Hu Mo’s turn to be surprised. He had not expected Black Iron and the others to forge their water battle energy to such a degree. To shape battle energy into a form required not only immense cultivation but also strong control. Such power, Hu Mo had only seen before when the Four Ice Dragons displayed it.

Black Iron eagerly guided the ice dragon to bite at Hu Mo’s fiery dragon. It was somewhat comical—a fire-element warrior commanding an ice dragon in attack. Yet because Black Iron bore the greatest burden within the Mutual Generation Formation, he naturally gained control over the ice dragon.

Hu Mo smiled faintly, subtly withdrawing some of his power, and shouted to Black Iron and his men, “Not bad at all. But the ice dragon’s power is too dispersed; it cannot defeat me! Let me end this battle. Fire Dragon Slash—Break!”

With a loud roar, Hu Mo’s massive fire dragon transformed into a golden blade of light, slashing directly at the ice dragon. A cracking sound rang out as the ice dragon shattered into fragments. All the soldiers were knocked backward, thrown into disarray by the force.

Had Hu Mo not held back some of his power, these men would have suffered serious injuries at best. Black Iron, seeing the ice dragon so easily destroyed, looked deeply dejected. He had hoped the defeat would not come so easily, but the outcome was disappointingly straightforward.

Hu Mo smiled as he saw their dejected expressions. “Don’t all look so grim. It’s quite normal to be defeated by me. I haven’t fallen behind in training these days. Soon, I might enter the Battle King stage. If you don’t have this level of strength, that would really be disappointing.”

He shook his head with a helpless gesture, and Black Iron and the others turned to look at him as if he were some kind of monster.

“Marshal, you... you said you’re aiming for what stage?” Black Iron asked timidly, his expression quite comical.

Hu Mo paused briefly, then smiled, “The Battle King stage. Why, is there a problem?”

“No... no problem. That would be a problem!” Black Iron suddenly shouted, startling Hu Mo.

“Marshal, you’re too intense. For us forty-something old men to eagerly train up to the Furious Warrior level, your words have completely crushed us. A teenage Battle King—you're terrifying! If this keeps up, when you reach our age, won’t you be a war god? My heavens, are you a deity incarnate, blessed with such a powerful gift?” Black Iron’s words grew more fantastical by the moment, and his expression became odder still.

Not only him, but the others also looked at Hu Mo with increasingly strange expressions, some even swallowing nervously.

Hu Mo felt a bit uneasy. He wondered if these men, having been without women for so long, had somehow shifted their affections. If that were true, the way they looked at him now...

“Hey, hey, don’t look at me like that—you’re making me nervous. And don’t start guessing wildly. I’ve only been lucky enough to cultivate to this level; it has nothing to do with gods. Let’s not talk about divine beings. Let’s focus on something practical—like how to raise all your strength,” Hu Mo said with a smile. The others immediately perked up, their gazes on Hu Mo turning even more peculiar.

Trying to ignore their looks, Hu Mo continued, “You’ve all cultivated for many years and should understand how crucial battle techniques and battle skills are to a warrior. Battle techniques form the foundation of battle power; their quality determines how long you can endure in combat, which is very important. For example, like just now, if your battle technique level were higher, you could have prolonged the fight longer. With the strength of seventy-one men, you could have worn me down. In the end, I would not have been able to outlast you. But you don’t have that much battle power to use, which is a key reason you lost to me.”

His tone was grave. Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Indeed, this was a concern they had long harbored.

Black Iron looked distressed and pitiful as he said, “Marshal, we want good battle techniques too, but...”

“I know. First, I’ll point out the problem, then I’ll talk about how to solve it,” Hu Mo said with a reassuring smile.

“Battle techniques are important, but so are battle skills. Good battle skills are like the weapons in your hands. If you fight with a rusty axe against a sharp sword at the same level, the outcome is obvious. Battle skills are your sharp blades. High-level skills can be decisive in some battles. So today, I’m going to give you all the battle techniques and skills you deserve. How well you learn them will depend on your own comprehension!” Hu Mo declared loudly. The soldiers all widened their eyes and fixed their gazes on Hu Mo.