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

Early in the morning, after breakfast, Qin Le and his two companions arrived at the academy's sports field. A considerable number of students had already gathered there—they had agreed in the group chat yesterday to begin formal training this morning.

Once all the students had lined up, Qin Le took a step forward, and his figure appeared on the command platform in front of him.

With a slight thought, five military flags, each with a different luster, materialized out of thin air and hung in mid-air—red, blue, white, black, and yellow, their five colors shining brightly.

This is the core of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady's military strategy: using the commander's own humanistic spirit as a guide to inspire the Dao inherent in each of her soldiers.

Whether human, demon, or any other living being, they can all respond.

Qin Le raised his hand, and the five-colored military flag floated above the crowd. He spoke loudly, his voice clearly resounding throughout the entire area:

"Infuse a wisp of your divine consciousness into one of the military flags."

The students from both groups did as instructed, each sending a wisp of their consciousness toward the flag color that subtly resonated with them.

Then, Qin Le's divine sense spread out like a net—he didn't need command flags; wherever his thoughts went, clear instructions were precisely transmitted into the minds of the students in the different colored arrays:

"The red flag advances, three steps."

"The blue flag flanks on the left wing."

"White flags stand firm in the center..."

Compared to constantly monitoring flag changes when facing Chi You's army in a simulated battlefield, the current command is much easier.

Under his command, more than a thousand students quickly sprang into action, changing formations and advancing and retreating with measured steps. Although they were still somewhat unfamiliar with the drill, they were already showing signs of discipline.

Not far away, several teachers who had nothing to do and were observing from the sidelines couldn't help but show surprise on their faces.

With students not attending classes, teachers naturally have more free time.

"I've never heard that Qin Le knows anything about this..." a middle-aged male teacher sighed softly.

"With his aptitude, is it really that hard for him to learn it in one night?" another female teacher next to him asked with a smile.

"But battlefield command requires experience." The male teacher pointed to Qin Le on the stage, who was calm and composed, issuing commands without the slightest hesitation. "Can you become like him just by reading books?"

At this moment, Qin Le was completely different from his usual lazy and casual demeanor. His brows were furrowed with a calm and decisive air, just like a general who had been through many battles.

"Maybe... he really can use his talent to overcome the 'experience' hurdle."

"...Never mind, if it's Qin Le, it's not impossible."

The male teacher shook his head and stopped arguing—after all, that was a monster with unparalleled comprehension throughout history. In him, anything unreasonable seemed to become reasonable.

On stage, Qin Le vaguely heard the teachers whispering, and felt a sense of helplessness.

talent?

Where did this talent come from!

His command skills were honed through countless brutal defeats at the hands of Chi You in the simulated battlefield last night.

However, he naturally wouldn't say such a thing out loud.

"That was so relaxing..."

Looking down at the line of just over a thousand people, Qin Le sighed inwardly.

Compared to last night's command of an army of 100,000 and his struggle for survival against Chi You, this current deployment is as natural as breathing.

It could even be said that... it's not difficult at all.

The morning's drills passed quickly.

As soon as Qin Le dismissed them, the students, as if granted a pardon, turned around and ran wildly towards the cafeteria.

For some reason, everyone today feels an unprecedented hunger—not a physiological need, but a deep-seated, intense craving for hot food.

Even the three hundred demon students who were already capable of abstaining from grains were no exception; their eyes shone brightly, and their steps were swift.

Under normal circumstances, with their minimum cultivation level of Qi Refining to Spirit Transformation, half a day of training would not cause them to feel hungry.

But today, the urge to eat it was overwhelming and hard to suppress.

In the canteen, Chen Yun shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth, his eyes narrowing with satisfaction: "Strange, why does the food smell so good today?"

"I guess I was really hungry," Chu Xiaonan mumbled as she stuffed food into her mouth.

"Yeah... but why am I so hungry today?" Chen Yun scratched his head, looking puzzled.

Qin Le kept his head down and ate, not responding.

He didn't bother to explain—it was because the humanitarian spirit that had been stirred within them was being gradually depleted, which in turn affected their physical and mental state.

It's hard to explain in a few words, and it's also troublesome to explain.

After lunch, the students, patting their round bellies, dispersed contentedly.

Only a few chefs in the kitchen were left, almost exhausted. Cultivators are known for their voracious appetites, especially the three hundred demons, whose appetites are even more astonishing.

Even though the chefs were skilled in martial arts, the midday's work was still quite a burden for them.

In the afternoon, the students attended classes as usual. Qin Le strolled to the back of the academy, found a soft patch of grass, and lay down comfortably to take a nap in the breeze and sunshine.

Seeing this, the demon students tacitly scattered on the surrounding grass—both to be closer to him and to have an additional invisible layer of protection to avoid being disturbed by others.

I slept until evening.

When Qin Le woke up, the setting sun cast a warm glow upon him. He sat up, looked at his demon classmates who were either lying down or sprawled around him, and smiled.

Thanks.

The demon students didn't say anything, but they all stood up and quietly dispersed, returning to that tacit distance that was neither too close nor too far.

In the evening, after having dinner with Chen Yun and Chu Xiaonan, Qin Le returned to his dormitory and once again immersed himself in his sea of ​​consciousness, stepping into the simulated battlefield dominated by Chi You.

Another night of bloody battle.

After countless defeats, Qin Le finally seized a fleeting opportunity and, on the verge of losing nearly 30% of his own troops, managed to defeat Chi You with great difficulty.

Although they won, it was a Pyrrhic victory—of the 100,000-strong army, nearly 30,000 were killed, and they almost suffered a complete rout.

Battlefield rule: If troop losses exceed 30%, morale will collapse. At that point, even a massive army will be nothing more than a rabble.

Chi You strode up to him, grinned, and revealed a set of white teeth:

"Not bad, you passed."

Qin Le, however, showed no joy on his face.

With a score of 100,000 to 10,000, and such a humiliating victory, there's really nothing to be happy about.

But these nearly two hundred defeats were not without meaning.

Every defeat, every comeback, is like being forged by an iron hammer, gradually tempering an indomitable spirit.

Even if he loses a hundred or a thousand times, he still has the courage to pick up his gun and fight again.

He put aside his distracting thoughts and solemnly bowed to Chi You, saying, "Thank you for your teachings, ancestor."

"Alright, enough of that." Chi You waved his hand, his expression casual, "Don't be so polite with me. I don't like hearing that. Just come here and spar with me whenever you have time."

He did have some expectations for this young man—perhaps in the future, he could really become one of their group of peers.

After all, there are very few people qualified to walk alongside them.

"Yes, ancestor."

"Let's go back."

With a wave of his hand, Chi You brought Qin Le back to consciousness.

When I opened my eyes, the sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten.

Early morning, washing up, breakfast, playground.

Another morning of training ensued. When the dismissal whistle blew at noon, the students rushed to the canteen again—the cooks had learned their lesson today and prepared enough food in advance, so there was no more chaos.

Time passed quickly, and the day the secret realm opened arrived in the blink of an eye.

The students gathered on the playground early. The teachers distributed life-saving artifacts to each student—jade rings that could be worn on the wrist.

If a person suffers a fatal injury in the secret realm, the jade ring will automatically trigger, teleporting them out and healing all injuries.

The secret realm is meant for honing skills, not for slaughter. All necessary safeguards are provided.

On the high platform, Shen Qingyan took out a dark gold disc-shaped magic artifact from her storage ring.

She formed a hand seal, and a beam of spiritual light entered. The disc flew into the air and hovered above everyone's heads. As it slowly rotated, it transformed into a secret realm entrance with rippling water patterns.

Having done all this, she glanced at the students standing solemnly below and announced in a clear voice:

"The Trial of the Heavenly Soldiers—"

"start!"