The Star River Era! The Dimensional Freedom Demon

Chen Xianli pointed to the map and said:

"Now, of the Jingzhou region, only Yuezhou and Changde prefectures, and Changsha, remain unconquered. I urge everyone to join forces and work together to establish our great cause in Baiyang!"

"By the Lord above, and with the Old Mother as witness, all those who have rendered meritorious service this time will be generously rewarded—martial arts skills, money, and titles are all within reach! However..."

Chen Xianli's eyes were full of ferocity, quite different from the impression Ji Chen had of him before.

"Anyone who dares to hide anything or try to play tricks, I'll be the first to make an example of them! No amount of pleading on their behalf will work!"

Next comes assigning tasks.

"Zhang Yuanping, you will lead a naval force to cooperate with the Baiyang Sect branch in Changsha Prefecture to block the Jingzhou General's reinforcements from the navy."

"Wang Tianli, you lead..."

. . . . . .

"Lu Xiao, I appoint you as a lieutenant general to follow General Li in attacking the south gate of Yuezhou Prefecture."

When he was finally called on, Ji Chen jumped up. His blood was already boiling from the pre-battle atmosphere, and he loudly agreed, forgetting to pay attention to who General Li was.

Chen Xianli gave him a gentle look, intending to give him a heads-up, but Ji Chen, who was in agitated, ignored his gaze.

Chen Xianli was busy with military affairs and had no time to pay much attention to him.

Ji Chen didn't realize until he went to the barracks to check the troops that he should get to know the commander-in-chief, at least to become familiar with him.

Just as he was fretting, a hoarse, rough voice called out to him:

"You must be Lu Xiao, the disciple of Master Lu?"

Ji Chen turned around and saw a middle-aged man wearing a simple, bright armor, with a large patch of scalp missing from his forehead, squinting and smiling at him.

Recalling the Baiyang Sect members he had met before, the person before him was none of the protectors he knew.

As if understanding his confusion, the middle-aged man burst into laughter:

"It's normal that you don't recognize me. I am General Li Cheng, the one sent by the Grand Master to lead the troops. But in the few days I've been in Changjiang, I've heard a lot about your name."

During the conversation, Ji Chen learned that this Li Cheng was a good friend of his cheap master. Back when Lu Dongsheng was studying religion, the two of them were under the tutelage of a great master.

Ji Chen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that Instructor Chen was still looking out for him, arranging a superior with whom he had a good relationship.

"Alright, go and call them. I'll be waiting for you at the drill ground outside the county tomorrow morning."

Watching Ji Chen take his leave, Li Cheng's eyes flickered, and he suddenly sighed.

"When I arrived, the Holy Maiden instructed me to pay close attention to this person and find out what his true identity is. If it is... then I can only apologize to Brother Dongsheng."

The main sect will absolutely not allow another figure like Lin Chaosheng of the Heavenly Principle Sect to appear in any of its branch sects.

Having exceptionally talented individuals in a branch sect will undoubtedly enhance the strength and prestige of the Baiyang Sect.

But the strong are never content to be subordinate to others and will always be unable to resist challenging the authority of the headmaster.

Lin Chaosheng is like this, and so is Lu Xiao, who may rise to prominence in the future.

He was a member of the General Church and had to consider things from the General Church's perspective.

. . . . . . .

Ji Chen's gaze was deep and unfathomable; he was not easily trusted by Li Cheng.

Although Li Cheng was always kind and gentle during the conversation, treating him like a junior and saying he would take care of him, he always felt that there was something hidden beneath Li Cheng's easy-going face.

"Who cares? I was planning to give up the identity of Lu Xiao within a month or two anyway. Let them come and try whatever they want. It'll make my apostle see things more clearly."

Flowing water does not compete for the first place, the contention is endless.

Ji Chen had no more doubts and hurried to the Changjiang military camp.

The Changjiang military camp was extremely lively at this time, with Baiyang Sect generals coming everywhere to snatch people. On the stage, one or two generals would argue heatedly over the ownership of a squad or platoon of soldiers.

Zhang Shunwu's team, because of its good discipline, was also targeted by someone.

This person was none other than Protector Lin, who had previously clashed with Ji Chen.

Protector Lin stood before Zhang Shunwu, his face filled with extreme impatience, and shouted:

"Young Zhang, if you bring your men with me, I'll give you ten taels of silver. If you still refuse, my Hunyuan Palm doesn't discriminate."

Zhang Shunwu was filled with resentment. He had already said that his team already had a home, but Lin the Protector couldn't understand human language and instead became even more fierce and domineering.

Lin, the protector, grew increasingly impatient and reached out to grab Zhang Shunwu's severed arm.

He didn't think he couldn't afford to offend the people Zhang Shunwu associated with. In Changjiang, apart from Chen Xianli and that "jinx," there was no one he dared not mess with.

He also heard that Zhang Shunwu was missing a hand because of that "jinx," and with that protection, he naturally became even more arrogant.

Zhang Shunwu was taken aback, not expecting that Protector Lin would actually dare to make a move in the barracks. Just as he was about to dodge, he noticed that familiar figure appearing behind Protector Lin, and he couldn't help but relax.

"Playing tricks? Let's see who dares to stop me!"

Seeing Zhang Shunwu's expression, Lin Hufa assumed he was just playing tricks to stall for time and continued to grab at his severed hand.

Unexpectedly, an arm, seemingly from a phantom, suddenly appeared in the sloping path, gripping his wrist like a steel claw, rendering him unable to move.

Instructor Lin tried several times, putting in all her strength, her face turning red, but her restrained wrists remained motionless.

"You bastard! Who are you to dare to play such a trick on me, Lin Yong?!"

Enraged, Protector Lin momentarily forgot the difference in their strength and turned to shout angrily.

But she met Ji Chen's gaze, which held a half-smile and a hint of coldness.

"Lu... Lu Xiao!?"

Lin Hufa's arrogance vanished instantly, his face turning as red as a purple sweet potato. He never expected to see Ji Chen here.

"Are you here to make fun of me? I'm here to select my men, it's none of your business!"

Despite his fierce demeanor, Protector Lin was still unwilling to connect Zhang Shunwu's group with Ji Chen.

"Heh... Protector Lin, you've come to cause trouble for my subordinates, shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

Just then, Zhang Shunwu led his team to pay their respects to Ji Chen, saying, "Your subordinate greets Core Leader Lu."

One sentence silenced Protector Lin.

Unable to win by force and unable to stand up to reason, Protector Lin could only cover his face in shame and leave.

But the more he thought about it on the way, the angrier he became. A man fights for his pride, and a tree lives for its bark. He had been humiliated by Ji Chen twice in a row. How could he still have the face to stay in the Baiyang Sect?

The resentment in his heart grew deeper and deeper, and he had come to hate Ji Chen.

Ji Chen didn't take him seriously. He was a defeated opponent; how could he possibly catch up with him?

Even if he makes no further progress in martial arts, Protector Lin will never catch up to him in his lifetime.

He chatted with Zhang Shunwu for a bit, asked about the recent training content, and then selected a few more troops that he found acceptable, barely managing to gather five hundred men.

The military organization of the Baiyang Sect was a complete mess, like a pot of mixed stew.

There was no fixed number of positions or system set up by the higher authorities; it was entirely up to the leaders to do whatever they pleased.

Today they form a "Divine Might Battalion," tomorrow they can assemble a "Bandit Army," one day they appoint a "General Who Destroys the Barbarians," and the next day someone will claim to be the "Grand Marshal Who Pacifies the South."

Their titles are all impressive, but they probably can't even muster a thousand soldiers.

Ji Chen felt that he should have at least a thousand subordinate generals, but he really didn't want to find soldiers who looked like thugs to make up the numbers, so he had no choice but to maintain the current force of five hundred men.

Then, following the rules of his previous life, he divided the organization into teams, platoons, and battalions, appointing Zhang Shunwu as deputy battalion commander and promoting the physically strong among the original twenty-odd people to team leaders, finally making things look more organized.

Although some of the later-joining forces had reservations, they could only half-accept them due to Ji Chen's reputation as a "jinx" and the unity of Zhang Shunwu's group.