With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

Seeing that Yan Rouyun was focusing her attention on the long spear, which seemed to be made of stone, Zhao Yao also looked over curiously.

"What, is there something special about this gun?"

"My lord, do not be hasty."

As Yan Rouyun spoke, she bent down, picked up the spear, and handed it to Zhao Yao.

Zhao Yao took the spear, feeling its heavy weight and slightly cool touch, turning it over and over, stroking it up and down, playing with it endlessly.

She looked at Zhao Yao, her eyes crinkling into a smile, and continued what she had just said:

"I learned some new information about realms in Wangzhou City... I hadn't paid attention to this before. It turns out that the realms of strongmen and martial artists are related."

"My lord, do you know why the originally perfect ten realms of a strongman were forced to be merged into one realm for every two?"

"Wasn't the name changed because it was inspired by a Greek myth from the lower realms and found it extremely apt?"

Zhao Yao, holding his gun and leaning on the ground, looked into Yan Rouyun's bright eyes and responded tactfully.

This is one of the reasons.

Another reason is that the strongmen changed the ten realms to five realms in order to be comparable to the martial artists.

In other words, my lord, you are a Black Iron Realm warrior, and I am a Remnant Martial Realm martial artist; we are actually at the same level.

Yan Rouyun smiled and looked at Zhao Yao.

"Are we at the same level?"

Zhao Yao was surprised.

When did strongmen become comparable to warriors?

In his mind, strongmen were always servants, while martial artists were associated with gods.

Moreover, there are many sayings like "When a warrior reaches the tenth realm, his blood is as golden as mercury, and he is closer to a god, the gate to martial arts will appear on his own" which are widely circulated among the people. This clearly places gods and warriors above warriors.

"I know what surprised you, my lord. I was also surprised when I saw this statement in the books in Wangzhou City."

This statement not only contradicts the starkly different circumstances of strongmen and martial artists in reality, but also differs greatly from common perceptions…

At this point, Yan Rouyun paused, glanced apologetically at Zhao Yao, and then continued:

"...My lord has fought with me, so you should know that even though we are both at the first level, the difference between a strongman and a martial artist is almost like heaven and earth."

So where does the saying that strongmen and martial artists are on the same level come from?

In fact, there is a widely circulated saying: "The difference between a strongman and a warrior is greater than the difference between a dog and a man."

These words were too insulting, so Yan Rouyun didn't mention them.

"I was also very curious, so I continued to look through the books and found that in ancient times, the status of strongmen was not bad. It was only because the later generations lost the inheritance that they became weak and gradually degenerated to the level that people remember today."

Even his sole attempt to "unify the ten realms to rival martial artists in order to seek dignity" was completely ignored by the masses because his actual combat strength was indeed inferior to that of a martial artist.

Upon hearing the inside story, Zhao Yao looked at Yan Rouyun and said softly:

"Yun'er, are there any changes in what you're saying?"

"Your guess is correct!"

Since the incident where strongmen sought dignity but lost it, some strongmen finally realized that dignity lies only in strength and victory, not in these superficial things.

Therefore, they gathered together, pooled their wisdom, and attempted to recreate the power of the ancient strongmen, aiming to achieve a level of combat strength comparable to that of martial artists…

As Yan Rouyun finished speaking, she took the spear from Zhao Yao's hand, flicked it upwards with her finger, and the cold spear began to glow.

"They succeeded?"

Zhao Yao pressed for more information.

This time, he was genuinely curious, not just trying to please the other party.

"No, they were driven to poverty and starvation by the need to make a living."

Yan Rouyun shook her head.

"Um……"

This sudden turn of events left Zhao Yao breathless, and he couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Haha~ Don't be angry, my lord."

Although these people met with bad ends, their legacy has been preserved and is now known and utilized by the world!

Looking at Zhao Yao's appearance, Yan Rouyun chuckled, offered a word of comfort, and then continued:

"The most important legacy they left behind is a single sentence."

He said: "The strength of a warrior lies in his numbers and formation, in his weapons and his techniques."

"The strength of a warrior lies in numbers and formation, in weaponry and technique?"

Zhao Yao repeated these words.

He recalled how the five Black Iron Warriors had survived their duel against Huo Xiaotian not long ago, and how he himself had defeated Huo Xiaotian and Song Angran in succession using a variety of extraordinary techniques. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this statement made sense.

"Yes, generally speaking, let's take the first level as an example."

Black Iron Realm warriors possess great strength and the unique ability to be as strong as cast iron, yet they cannot defeat martial artists of the same realm.

But if a group of Black Iron Warriors surrounds me from all directions... then I, the martial artist, will be in trouble.

If these strongmen also know how to form battle formations, possess excellent weapons, and have various extraordinary skills, then the outcome is uncertain.

Yan Rouyun nodded and, based on her own experience, briefly explained the validity of that statement.

However, Zhao Yao felt a little strange hearing these words.

Good heavens, you've used every formation and technique imaginable, and you still think it's just a matter of 'victory or defeat'?

"Both the generals and the formations require a large number of people, so let's leave that aside for now."

That leaves only tools and techniques.

"My lord, consider this: with a strongman's immense strength, if he were to acquire a fine bow and arrow and possess skillful archery, the warrior would likely be utterly helpless before even getting close, becoming fish on the chopping block."

Yan Rouyun handed the spear back to Zhao Yao, finally getting the conversation back to the main topic.

"So, this gun?"

Zhao Yao looked at Yan Rouyun and asked a question.

"This gun was once the standard-issue gun of a powerful clan, and it had a common name: the 'Death Soldier Gun'."

It has two capabilities.

Firstly, wielding this gun, combined with taking the Locking Yuan Pill, grants the ability to absorb and lock in one's vital energy, allowing one to act with impunity.

"Young master seems to possess the ability to lock in one's vital energy; you can grip this spear tightly and give it a try..."

Yan Rouyun looked at Zhao Yao with anticipation in her eyes.

What does "Nali Locks Yuan, Acts Unbridled" mean?

Zhao Yao's curiosity was piqued by Yan Rouyun's gaze.

He followed the instructions and summoned the primordial energy to possess him. His body suddenly turned pitch black, transforming into a black iron warrior with eyes burning with fire.

He gripped the "death weapon" tightly, looked down and examined it carefully, but found nothing unusual.

"My lord, do not be afraid."

Yan Rouyun smiled and suddenly spoke softly, without warning, she swept her leg at Zhao Yao!

bang~

Zhao Yao was startled by her movements, but he managed to control his body and avoid any sudden reactions.

Yan Rouyun put all her strength into this kick, which, under normal circumstances, would have sent Zhao Yao flying in a spinning motion.

But at this moment, Zhao Yao did not move at all. Instead, the spear in his hand suddenly became hot, and the dense patterns on it lit up.

In his perception, as he gripped the spear tightly with both hands, a chilling sensation surged from the spear and spread throughout his body. The force of Yan Rouyun's kick, after causing a sharp pain in his leg, was entirely absorbed by this chilling sensation and carried into the spear.

So, this is what "locking in the source and storing the force" means.

Is this some kind of super armor?! No wonder it's called the Death Soldier Gun!

It can withstand force without straining.

With this gun, the bizarre scenario of "you fight your way, I fight my way" can be completely realized.

It can be said that the tough skin and great strength of a warrior have been brought to the extreme!

In an instant, Zhao Yao felt a surge of excitement, and various scenarios of using this spear to fight the enemy flashed through his mind.

……

A makeshift fortress in the wilderness.

The five Black Iron Warriors were led inside by an acquaintance and settled into a wooden house by themselves.

After the acquaintance left, the five Black Iron Warriors looked at each other solemnly inside the house.

Li Jia, the Black Iron Warrior, spoke softly to his brothers:

"What should we do? Should we send someone to tell our benefactor what happened here?"

"We have just entered the village, and there must be someone secretly watching us and monitoring us. We must not cause any trouble."

"My benefactor will be blessed... He'll be alright."

The older Black Iron Warrior spoke, his voice gradually lowering, repeating himself as if to himself, or perhaps to emphasize:

"...He'll be alright."