Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Trial of the Star Brigade

Cang Ling glanced at Huang Sheng, who was prostrated on the ground, and shook her head helplessly. “Forget it, our sect doesn’t accept useless people,” she said.

“Haha, you’d better settle down. My master doesn’t always teach his disciples personally—only me, his last pupil,” Hu Mo teased, his mood improving as he looked at Huang Sheng’s pitiful expression.

Huang Sheng crawled up, mumbling, “Actually, I do have some talent…”

“All right, all right, just focus on what you’re good at. Every craft has its own mastery, doesn’t it?” Hu Mo said with a smile, gently patting Huang Sheng on the shoulder.

Huang Sheng nodded, hurriedly excused himself, and went home, not having touched a drop of wine or a bite of food. Hu Mo’s words had made things clear; he truly needed to do what was required of him, to fulfill his own responsibilities.

After Huang Sheng left, Hu Mo and Cang Ling also departed from the main hall. The meal had lasted less than two hours, and the sunlight outside remained fierce, so intense it seemed it could ignite their clothes.

Cultivation was reserved for the night, so as soon as Cang Ling left the hall, she disappeared off somewhere to amuse herself.

Hu Mo found himself beset by many worries, all piling up and causing him a severe headache.

First was the matter of training the Star Battalion. Their physical conditioning had improved, but they still needed more effective training, something Hu Mo wasn’t particularly skilled at.

Second, he needed to establish a vast intelligence network. Anyone who sought to accomplish great things without intelligence gathering was like a blind man. How could the blind compete with those who see clearly?

Third, he had to find a way to draw the Lin and Du families to his side—or at least reach a consensus with Lin Meng and Du Zhong, lest he fall into isolation.

Fourth, he needed to act quickly regarding the Huang family. Huang Sheng’s chance for a comeback was his only opportunity, and if missed, regret would follow him forever.

Fifth, Huang Zong’s injury had to be healed as soon as possible. If both direct heirs of the Huang family rose up together, seizing power would be much easier for them.

Sixth, he had to guard against hostile forces. The Hu family was currently at a great disadvantage; all sides were either excluding or isolating them, creating immense pressure—especially from the Situ family. Hu Mo didn’t believe he was fully capable of resisting Situ Feng or those mysterious experts from the previous attack. If Cang Ling wasn’t there at a critical moment, could he really fend off so many formidable adversaries?

Finally, there was the matter of the Celestial Fire Ladies’ Gala. Though it seemed simple, it was anything but easy to manage. The grand event was to be held the day after tomorrow, and Hu Mo couldn’t quite imagine what might happen there. He hoped to learn more about Zhu Xinluo through this occasion; it was, after all, a mutual process of sounding out one another.

As Hu Mo walked to the training grounds beside the Hu Mansion, his mood was still heavy, but seeing the group of soldiers training with all their might instantly lifted his spirits.

He smiled faintly and appeared, oddly enough, in the center of the training ground without warning. Without a word, the power of fire surged within him, covering the sky above the grounds with blazing fire clouds. The crimson clouds left the Star Battalion soldiers staring in astonishment.

“What are you looking at? Form up! Earth element warriors, boost everyone’s defense; water element, attack; metal element, support!” Black Iron shouted. The stunned troops quickly snapped back into action.

Earth element warriors conjured a massive shield overhead, sheltering everyone beneath. The formidable earth defense held back the wild surge of Hu Mo’s fire power.

Lin Nan’s expression was steely, and at her command, all water element warriors unleashed their strongest attacks on the fire clouds. Metal element warriors assisted, augmenting the water element’s power significantly.

After some time, when the water and metal element warriors were exhausted, Hu Mo finally withdrew his fire power, a satisfied smile on his face.

Just as everyone thought it was over, Hu Mo’s lips curled into a wicked smile that sent chills down the spines of the Star Battalion.

Soon, the chill was replaced by the cold aura emanating from Hu Mo. With a wave of his hand, a torrent of icy water—like the mighty Yellow River—rushed down upon the warriors who had just breathed a sigh of relief.

“Quick, form up! Earth element on the outside, defend!” Black Iron shouted, his face grave.

“And fire element warriors, raise the surrounding temperature, support the earth element!” Lin Nan said calmly. The icy water was terrifyingly cold; earth shields alone couldn’t block its chill, especially since the earth warriors were already drained. By combining fire and earth, the strength of the fire element could be greatly enhanced.

“Right! Fire element warriors, release your strongest power, warm your comrades, aid the defense! Wood element warriors, support!” Black Iron issued rapid orders, and the team sprang into action. This time, Hu Mo showed no sign of withdrawing his power; instead, he kept increasing it, as if testing their limits.

At last, when Hu Mo exerted nearly half his strength, the battalion began to falter. Hu Mo decisively withdrew his water power, grinning at the gasping soldiers sprawled on the ground. A deep sense of satisfaction filled him.

“How was that? Was the fight enjoyable?” Hu Mo asked, beaming as if he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself. From his demeanor, it seemed he hadn’t used much strength at all.

After days of special training, the Star Battalion’s strength had risen a level. Even the weakest now reached the third rank of berserker, while Black Iron and Lin Nan had reached the peak of ninth rank berserker. The improvement was astonishing.

Hu Mo had single-handedly faced off against a well-trained, coordinated group of one hundred and eight berserkers, and had done so effortlessly—leaving them all speechless.

Lin Nan frowned slightly but said nothing, simply bowing her head and catching her breath. Black Iron was gulping air, nearly overwhelmed by the fire power he’d just endured. He was the reckless sort, fighting as if his life meant nothing, to the point that even Hu Mo found him amusing.

Hu Mo shook his head and walked over, placing a hand on Black Iron’s shoulder. In moments, Black Iron’s face flushed, his clothes began to emit a scorched odor, and it seemed he might burst into flames.

“Marshal, that’s enough! I’m almost roasted!” Black Iron cried out. After enjoying the rush of restored power, the burning pain made him shout.

Hu Mo chuckled, kicked him on the backside, and soon a patch of white skin appeared where his pants had been burned away by fire power. The others burst out laughing at Black Iron’s exposed rear, temporarily forgetting their exhaustion.

Hu Mo went over to Lin Nan, ready to place a hand on her shoulder.

“No need, Marshal, my energy isn’t so depleted,” Lin Nan refused his gesture, leaving Hu Mo’s hand awkwardly suspended.

He grinned and placed his hand anyway. “We’re brothers, what’s the big deal? Let me help you recover quickly.”

As soon as Hu Mo placed his hand, Lin Nan instinctively tried to evade. But Hu Mo, seemingly on purpose, sealed her feet with water power, rendering her immobile.

Smiling, he sent a steady stream of water power into Lin Nan’s body, replenishing her strength. Lin Nan ceased resisting—there was no point in such circumstances.

Hu Mo felt compelled to quote a famous line: “Life is like being forced; if you can’t resist, just close your eyes and enjoy it.”

Unlike with Black Iron, Hu Mo didn’t play any tricks on Lin Nan. After restoring her water power, he released her shoulder and said with a smile, “See, there’s nothing to be afraid of! Why so worried? I won’t strip your pants! Your power is very pure; I’ll help you find suitable combat skills and techniques to practice. Cultivate well.”

He patted her shoulder again, curiously noticing the softness beneath his hand. To be honest, he was tempted to strip Lin Nan to see if she was truly a man. But he quickly suppressed such wicked thoughts, cursing himself inwardly, “Since when did I become as sleazy as Huang Sheng?”

Lin Nan nodded, and with her energy restored, she easily shattered the ice binding her feet and walked toward the water element warriors.

Hu Mo watched her, seeing her bend down to help restore the other warriors’ strength. Some of his assumptions began to waver.

When his power entered Lin Nan’s body, he sensed an exceptionally pure water power—flawless, but distinct from his own chaotic water. It wasn’t chaotic water, yet so pure; there was only one possible explanation: she possessed a true Water Heart, rarer than chaotic water, requiring above all an unblemished, kind heart!

“Does she really have any evil intentions? Did I misjudge her?” Hu Mo wondered, his brow furrowing.

After a long internal struggle, he sighed and set the thought aside for now.

He looked at the recovering warriors and said loudly, “Your training these past days has pleased me— I’m very happy! You must be wondering why I haven’t come by lately; some of you even thought I eloped with Princess Crescent Moon. If that’s what you think, I must say you’re disappointed—I lack the charm, apparently.”

His self-deprecating manner made everyone burst out laughing; Hu Mo’s words struck a chord.

“So, it wasn’t some rumored romance, but a near-fatal incident. I was beset by a group of powerful enemies, each of them stronger than me! That I stand here now and speak to you is almost unbelievable, even to myself.” Hu Mo was still smiling, but everyone’s mood grew somber. They hadn’t learned of his attack until now—an oversight bordering on neglect.

“Haha, don’t all wear sad faces—I came back, didn’t I? You are my soldiers, my strongest spear. Until you meet my expectations, I won’t use you.”

He paused, then continued, “Your next training location will be the Sacred Fire Forest. Each of you must hunt at least thirty war beasts of your own rank. If you can capture them alive, even better. In a month, I’ll grant you combat skills and techniques based on your achievements—the lowest level will be Earth class.”

As soon as he finished, the training ground erupted in a commotion.