Nuwa, the goddess of immortality, said that cultivating immortality does not require spiritual energ

Time slipped by quietly, and half a year passed in an almost eerie calm.

Over the past six months, the celestial realm has entered an unprecedented and peculiar period of peace.

Those chaotic beasts that once poured out of the celestial void in endless numbers and were impossible to kill all seemed to have vanished overnight.

The soldiers on the front lines no longer need to fight the enemy day after day with their nerves on edge.

This long-awaited, even somewhat unreal, tranquility left some soldiers, accustomed to the clash of swords and the thunder of horses, feeling somewhat lost and disoriented.

Occasionally, they would go together to some remote places to search for and hunt down any stray, weak Chaos Beasts that wandered in from who-knows-where, just to stretch their muscles and bones.

Li Jiuyuan and Qin Le, under the Jade Emperor's arrangement, temporarily resided in the core area of ​​the Heavenly Court.

The intention was self-evident—everyone knew that Chaos would never sit idly by and watch Li Jiuyuan become a saint; it would definitely try to nip her in the bud before she took that final step.

Placing these two key figures in the Heavenly Court is undoubtedly the safest option at present.

Although there are several other more secluded paradises in the celestial realm, the Heavenly Court is undoubtedly the best location considering factors such as protective capabilities, personnel mobilization, and response speed.

That day, Qin Le's temporary residence welcomed two visitors.

Luo Qiuyue, and... Xiong Yaoyao, whose fighting spirit was almost tangible and whose eyes were shining.

Upon meeting, Xiong Yaoyao couldn't wait to speak, her eyes fixed intently on Qin Le: "Now, shouldn't you have time to have a match with me?"

"Sure," Qin Le smiled and readily agreed.

He had indeed been too busy to attend to his duel with Youxiong Yaoyao. Now that the Three Realms had a rare chance to catch their breath, a war game simulation was a good way to pass the time.

Luo Qiuyue and Xiong Yaoyao followed Qin Le into the elegant courtyard and sat down in the stone pavilion.

Without any formalities, Xiong Yaoyao took out a small battlefield sand table, about the size of a palm, depicting miniature landscapes of mountains, rivers, cities, and fortifications, and placed it in the center of the stone table.

She sat down opposite Qin Le and pointed to the sand table, saying, "Just send a wisp of your divine consciousness into it."

"Okay." Qin Le did as instructed, separating a wisp of her divine sense to gently touch the sand table.

In an instant, the scenery before his eyes changed, and he found himself on a vast and boundless plain.

Beneath his feet was solid ground, and behind him stood ten thousand soldiers in bright armor, silent and solemn, their auras subtly connected to his.

And he was the commander of this legion.

Not far away, Xiong Yaoyao, also leading ten thousand soldiers in a disciplined formation, stood opposite him. She was also a commander.

Looking at this familiar scene and the familiar way of connecting with the aura, Qin Le felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

How similar this is to the simulated battlefield he experienced during his special training with Chi You, the God of War!

The only difference might be that back then, Chi You only led 10,000 soldiers, yet he utterly humiliated him, who led 100,000 soldiers, more than two hundred times in various ways...

However, the opponent before them was not that warlord.

The results, naturally, are different.

Qin Le's mind stirred slightly, and he raised his hand in a gesture of invitation.

A bright red military flag suddenly rose behind him, fluttering loudly!

Immediately, a command flag appeared in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, clear, concise, yet interconnected military orders were precisely transmitted to every soldier under his command through the connection between his divine sense and qi.

The army of ten thousand men, following his commands, began to operate precisely and efficiently, changing formations and advancing like a massive machine that had been brought to life.

You Xiong Yaoyao's gaze sharpened, equally unwilling to be outdone.

With a wave of her hand, a blue military flag rose from her ranks, exuding an aura of unwavering composure.

She also used command flags to quickly issue instructions, adjust formations, and respond to Qin Le's movements.

She had repeatedly studied the two stunning command videos from Qin Le's student days, and knew that his expertise in military strategy was unfathomable.

Therefore, she deliberately chose this vast, open plain as the battlefield, where the movements of both sides were clearly visible. This was intended to counter Qin Le's possible use of unorthodox tactics and to focus the contest more on direct confrontation and on-the-spot command.

This is not despicable; it's simply a matter of deception in war.

On the battlefield, making the most of every condition to gain an advantage is the essence of military strategy.

All means are acceptable as long as they do not violate morality.

Victory is the only standard.

however……

After half an hour.

You Xiong Yaoyao stood there in a daze, watching Qin Le lead his almost intact and morale-boosting army across the battlefield, walking step by step toward her.

Her ten thousand soldiers had been completely annihilated in that fluid yet incredibly fierce attack.

Qin Lefang's casualties were less than 10%.

This near-overwhelming victory left Xiong Yaoyao momentarily dazed, wondering if she was in an absurd dream.

Qin Le walked up to her, his expression calm: "Is it alright now?"

"No!" Xiong Yaoyao suddenly looked up, her eyes burning with an even stronger flame of defiance: "One more time!"

She attributed her first crushing defeat to her incompatibility with Qin Le's conducting style.

She believed that if she could fight again, even if she still lost, she would never lose so badly.

Seeing the light in Xiong Yaoyao's eyes—a mixture of resentment, stubbornness, and a strong thirst for knowledge—Qin Le smiled knowingly and nodded.

"it is good."

The scene was reset, and the two sides once again lined up at opposite ends of the plain, ten thousand against ten thousand.

This time, Xiong Yaoyao seized the initiative, raising a black military flag first. With the flag waving, the formation changed first, attempting to disrupt Qin Le's rhythm with speed.

Qin Le remained calm and composed as a pure white military flag rose behind him.

As the command flags fluttered, the army responded in unison.

His responses, seemingly unremarkable, always managed to pinpoint the exact moments of Xiong Yaoyao's offensive, either cutting off, diverting, or counter-encircling her.

This time, the defeat was even faster and more complete.

All of Xiong Yaoyao's intentions and tactical changes seemed transparent to Qin Le, as if they were predicted in advance and easily resolved.

Qin Le's army, like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, annihilated her 10,000-strong force once again with zero casualties.

The gap is so large it's despairing.

It was a comprehensive, generational, overwhelming dominance in command.

At this moment, Xiong Yaoyao clearly realized that the gap between herself and Qin Le in terms of leading troops was so vast that she couldn't even see how high a mountain peak the other was standing on.

Qin Le's illusory figure appeared before her again: "Let's end it here."

"...Mmm." Youxiong Yaoyao took a deep breath, suppressed the complex emotions churning in her heart, and nodded.

Continuing is pointless; she can't even immediately absorb enough nutrients for growth from the battles. She can only repeatedly review the matches afterward to painstakingly find a sliver of potential for improvement.

The two withdrew their divine senses, and their consciousness returned to their original bodies in the stone pavilion.

Luo Qiuyue, who had been watching the entire battle through the light screen projected onto the sand table, turned her gaze to Qin Le, her tone tinged with a helpless smile:

"You really are... showing absolutely no mercy."

She saw both matches clearly.

Qin Le had no intention of exchanging pointers or offering guidance; he simply crushed the opponent with overwhelming force, winning decisively and cleanly.

And it also won... leaving the other party speechless.

"Holding back would defeat the purpose of the competition." Qin Le smiled and looked at You Xiong Yao Yao, whose expression had returned to calm but whose eyes were now brighter and sharper. "Besides, I think... she doesn't need me to hold back."

"Of course." You Xiong Yaoyao nodded frankly, her face showing no dejection, but rather a clarity that seemed to have broken through the fog: "Giving your all is the greatest respect you can show to your opponent. I'll remember this defeat. In the future... I'll come back to ask for your advice again."

She has never been one to be a sore loser.

On the contrary, the two crushing defeats made her acutely aware of her own weaknesses and limitations in military strategy.

Recognizing the gap is itself the starting point for progress. In her view, this is a good thing.

Seeing Xiong Yaoyao's resilient attitude of quickly adjusting her mindset and even taking the crushing defeat as motivation and encouragement, Luo Qiuyue's heart stirred slightly.

She herself is actually a person who is somewhat afraid of defeat. She knows that she is not as good as Xiong Yaoyao in leading troops and commanding troops. Therefore, when Xiong Yaoyao asked her to spar, she would usually choose to politely decline.

But at this moment, witnessing Xiong Yaoyao suffer such a complete defeat at Qin Le's hands, yet still able to quickly regroup and her fighting spirit not only not diminished but increased...

This attitude and resilience in the face of failure allowed Luo Qiuyue to clearly see the missing piece in her own personality.