I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 279 Reminder
Inside the quiet room, a middle-aged Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom sat motionless on a futon, devoid of any life force, merely an empty shell.

This Taoist priest is none other than the contemporary Celestial Master, holding a transcendent position in the Great Jin Dynasty.

"Master, your spirit has left your body!"

The three young Taoist priests of the prefectural master rushed over that day. Upon seeing the middle-aged Taoist priest's appearance, one of them blurted out.

These three were all disciples of the Celestial Master. When they heard that their master was in trouble, they were terrified and rushed over immediately.

Seeing that his master had only left his body, he breathed a sigh of relief, but inwardly he also thought that the people in the palace were ignorant and didn't even know what it meant to leave one's body.

Actually, it's not entirely the fault of the palace eunuchs. The path of cultivation began to decline thousands of years ago, and there are only a handful of true Yang Shen cultivators left in the world today. Who knew that the physical body left behind after the Yang Shen leaves the body would look like this?
Astral projection?

The accompanying eunuch's expression changed slightly. "This is the imperial palace, a place of utmost importance. Where has the Celestial Master's spirit gone?"

"this--"

The outspoken young disciple paused.

Even if he knew, how could he possibly say it?
Allowing one's spirit to leave the body in the palace's backyard is indeed a taboo, and this matter can be serious or minor; it's not a joke.

Another, slightly older disciple glared at his junior brother and said in a deep voice, "My lord, Master must have encountered some accident. You must know that the Yang Spirit is the foundation of a cultivator and cannot withstand the slightest damage. If it were not for a last resort, Master would never easily let the Yang Spirit leave the body."

The eunuch didn't pursue the matter further, but instead brought up something more important: "Young Celestial Masters, the Celestial Master's spirit has left his body, and a great commotion has occurred inside the Pagoda of Merit..."

He recounted how the trial participants inside the Tower of Merit died but were unable to leave, saying, "Now those dukes and marquises outside are all asking the Emperor for people; you'd better think of a solution quickly."

The three Taoists exchanged glances and shook their heads. "Only Master can control the Pagoda of Merit. There's nothing we can do but wait for Master's spirit to return."

"This... alas..."

The eunuch had no choice but to take a young Taoist priest with him and go report to the emperor.

As for the other two, they stayed behind to protect their master. They also expelled everyone else from the meditation room.

Once only the two of them were left in the quiet room, they began to communicate using telepathy.

[Strange, why would Master's spirit leave his body at this time?]

Yes, they even disregarded the trials of the Ghost Festival banquet.

Unfortunately, none of my senior uncles are here, leaving only us juniors. We can't control the Merit Pagoda.

I have a nagging feeling that something terrible is about to happen.

[Senior brother, could it be related to the opening of the "Qingwei Heaven" a while ago?]

"Perhaps. Junior brother, you stay here and keep watch. I'll go inside the Merit Tower and check. Those who participated in the trial are all of extremely high status. If anything happens to them, our Celestial Master's Mansion cannot bear the responsibility."

"Senior brother, be careful."

【it is good. 】

After the Taoist finished speaking, his spirit left his body and used a secret technique to enter the Tower of Merit.

……

"Trying to steal my kills?"

Chen Ming saw that Ling Qingying killed people even faster than he did, and he almost unleashed a sword intent at her, but fortunately he managed to restrain himself.

Now is not the time to argue about these things.

Let's clear the level first.

Ling Qingying's strength is indeed extremely astonishing. Her swordsmanship seems to have been created for killing. With a single strike, she can kill a large number of people, making her incredibly efficient.

With the two working together, the battle turned into a one-sided massacre.

It took them more than an hour to kill all two thousand people.

Chen Ming was greatly exhausted, and less than 40% of his internal energy remained.

He instinctively reached into his pocket, only to find nothing.

Seeing his actions, Ling Qingying sneered, "Haven't you realized yet? Right now, you're just a projection of a wisp of consciousness. You can't bring anything in except weapons. You think you can take pills to recover your energy? You're dreaming."

"forget."

Chen Ming smiled and asked a crucial question, "So where are our bodies now?"

"Want to know? Just silently repeat 'I want to return' a few times in your mind, and you can go back."

"..."

Such an important rule, and nobody told me!
At this moment, Chen Ming had some doubts about whether Gu Haochuan really wanted him to get good results and win a spot in the Immortal Mansion.
Ling Qingying immediately added, "Of course, you can also end your own life if you want."

Chen Ming discovered that although she seemed aloof on the surface, she was actually quite talkative. She especially loved to tease people. The contrast between her public and private personas was quite significant.

He looked around and noticed that the golden light hadn't appeared yet, nor had they entered the next level. He asked, "We've already cleared the level, haven't we? Why isn't there any reaction?"

Ling Qingying said, "Above the fourth level, all the trial participants will appear in the same scene. So, we can only wait, after all, not everyone can have our strength."

The word "we" implies that she has already accepted that Chen Ming is on par with her.

"So that's it."

Then we can only wait.

Chen Ming found a clean place to sit down and closed his eyes to rest.

Ling Qingying suddenly asked, "I've heard about what happened to you. Tell me, does anyone know about it?"

Chen Ming knew she was referring to his relationship with Xia Mudan, but he didn't reply.

Is it appropriate to talk about this kind of thing in this kind of place?
Ever since he entered the Pagoda of Merit, he has felt that he is being watched.

"I heard that you already had someone you liked, she—"

“Miss Ling.” Chen Ming couldn’t stand it anymore and interrupted her, “If you’re really bored, we can have a fight.”

Instead of delving into his privacy here.

Ling Qingying finally fell silent.

After a long while, she whispered, "...Is Fairy Su's love tribulation related to you?"

"..."

I never would have guessed that this aloof girl is such a gossip in private. It's so annoying.

……

More than an hour later, Chen Ming was about to lose his patience when the golden light in front of him finally shone again.

A huge council tent appeared ahead, with a sand table in the middle covered with various flags.

Everyone present was wearing armor, including himself, dressed in the style of a second-rank chariot and cavalry general.

Standing next to her was Ling Qingying, who was also wearing second-grade armor.

At this moment, she had a cold face and an aloof demeanor, completely different from her gossipy self just now.

Besides her, there were seven or eight other people present.

This means that only about ten people will make it to the fourth stage. The elimination rate is as high as 90%.

In other words, the five spots in the Immortal Abodes will be contested by these ten people present.

With the top ten advancing to the top five, everyone felt their chances were very high.

Wang Jinhu and Duan Sijue were also present, as were the others, all of whom were at the second rank of cultivation, but their strength and reputation were far inferior to those three.

"Everyone."

At this moment, the man wearing the armor of a first-rank general spoke.

Chen Ming saw that this person was not even thirty years old, and was too young. He wondered in his heart, "Which famous general in history is this?"
At the beginning of the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, it could be said that there were many outstanding generals. To become a first-rank general at such a young age is sure to make him a figure who will be remembered in history.

All ten people present became serious.

But then the general said, "There was a slight mishap during the trial for this Ghost Festival banquet. I came in specifically to remind you."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was taken aback.

Chen Ming almost lost his composure, exclaiming inwardly, "The GM has personally descended?"
Wang Jinhu reacted quickly and asked, "Who are you?"

"Liang Guangyu, the seventh disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Greetings, Your Highnesses." The excessively young first-rank general introduced himself.

"Without further ado, due to some unforeseen circumstances, if you perish in this trial, you will be temporarily unable to return to reality. Whether irreversible damage will occur afterward is also unknown. I have come here specifically to remind you all whether you still wish to continue?"

Without a second thought, Wang Jinhu was the first to speak, “Of course we must continue! Anyone who wants to withdraw, please withdraw on your own. I am determined to get this Immortal Abode spot.”

Duan Sijue said, "Brother Liang, if we withdraw now, can you guarantee that we will definitely return to reality?"

Liang Guangyu was taken aback, but finally shook his head and said honestly, "I don't know either."

"Isn't that okay?"

"I'll continue too."

"Of course we have to continue."

"..."

Others echoed this sentiment, and no one was willing to give up.

The Immortal Abode slots are far too important to them. Having come this far, how could they not give it their all?
Seeing this, Liang Guangyu naturally had nothing to say. "In that case, please continue."

Then his appearance changed, and he became a man in his forties or fifties, who was the real general.

……

The fourth stage involves a large-scale battle. Chen Ming and his team each command a thousand-man squad, and their mission is to lead their troops into battle against the Wei army.

This was a field battle, and the enemy numbered in the tens of thousands.

When the time comes, whoever lives the longest and kills the most enemies will naturally gain the most merits.

This level tests not only individual skill but also the ability to lead troops.

Most of those present came from noble families with a long tradition of learning, and military strategy was a must-learn subject for them. Given the opportunity to lead troops, they were all eager to try.

Chen Ming hadn't studied military strategy, but as a modern person, hadn't he seen pigs run or eaten pork? It was just a battle; he could just go in and fight.

After receiving his mission, he and nine others left the main tent and went to their respective camps.

As Chen Ming was getting to know his subordinates, he sensed several astonishing auras soaring into the sky.

"This is... a battle formation?"

He sensed it immediately and knew that Wang Jinhu and his men had formed a battle formation and were charging towards the enemy.

broken.

The military strategies of this world are different from those on Earth.

Military strategy includes methods for forming battle formations and commanding troops.

These technologies do not exist on Earth.

Chen Ming and his group of subordinates stared at each other blankly. He really wanted to ask, "Is it too late to learn now?"

(End of this chapter)