A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Three days later, the city of Jiangnan was still filled with the stench of blood, and corpses littered the ground!

The city's residents had long been moved to the inner city, and for three days, they did one thing—serve as logistics support for the Wei family army.

The old men carried arrows and logs, the women cooked porridge and baked pancakes to send to the front lines, and even the children were helping to pass water.

No one is organizing them.

Zhao Yue later said that he originally wanted to arrange manpower to coordinate the work, but he found that the people started doing it on their own.

Su Qingyun did only one thing—open the granaries, ensuring a sufficient supply of grain, and the people would take care of the rest themselves.

Wei Zhao stood outside the west gate of Jiangnan City.

The bodies at the foot of the city wall had not yet been collected; blood had seeped into the soil, making a splattering sound when stepped on, and the rusty smell in the air was so strong it made one nauseous.

When the guards reported the casualty figures, their voices trembled violently.

"The number of Nanman casualties... conservatively estimated, exceeds 400,000."

Four hundred thousand.

Wei Zhao closed his eyes. Of the 430,000-strong Southern Barbarian army, only a few thousand scattered people escaped through the north and south side gates.

The rest were all left under the walls of Jiangnan City.

"Our casualties..."

The guards' voices lowered even further.

"Fifty-one thousand three hundred people."

fifty thousand.

Wei Zhao's fingers gripped the white wax spear tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Fifty thousand lives.

Each and every one of them was a brother who had fought alongside him from Yanmen Pass and Yumen Pass. He could name some of them and had seen their faces before.

This number weighed heavily on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

……

Wei Zhao slept soundly for days after the war.

When Wei Zhao woke up, his eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, his head was buzzing, and his limbs ached as if they had been disassembled and reassembled.

The light inside the tent was dim and yellowish. An oil lamp sat on the table, its wick already burned down to almost nothing.

He propped himself up on his arms, his head spinning for a moment before he regained his balance after several breaths.

There were sounds of people moving around outside the tent, and the faint sound of Su Qingyun's abacus beads could be heard.

"The young marshal is awake!"

A guard saw him move through the gap in the tent flap, and he spoke in a very low voice, as if afraid of disturbing someone.

"How long has it been?"

"You slept for... fifteen hours."

Fifteen hours.

Wei Zhao rubbed his temples.

From Yumen Pass to Mojiabao and then to Jiangnan City, I barely slept a wink. After this battle, my body was completely exhausted.

A guard brought in a bowl of porridge and placed it on the table. Wei Zhao picked it up and took two sips. It was so hot that it hurt his tongue, but at least he had something in his stomach.

My mind slowly cleared up.

He didn't rush out, nor did he call anyone.

Instead, close your eyes and let your consciousness sink into your mind.

The interface of the God of Slaughter template lit up.

[Battle results are in progress...]

[Host personally killed the enemy: 609!]

[Soldiers under the host's command have killed 384470 enemies!]

[Killing God Points Calculation: The host has personally killed an enemy and gained 609 Killing God Points!]

[Total Kill Points Earned in this Battle: 39056!]

Wei Zhao clenched his fingers.

The gains from this battle were greater than those from Yanmen Pass and Yumen Pass combined.

There were many southern barbarians, and many died; when you add it all up, it's a huge number.

The template in my mind continued to jump between words.

[Previously, the freely usable Killing Power was 10,061]

[Currently available Killing Power: 49,117]

Forty-nine thousand.

Wei Zhao stared at the number, his breathing slowing down.

Most of the previous Killing God Points were used to improve attributes: physique, strength, speed, and perception, gradually increasing until reaching the first rank. The remaining ten thousand or so points were saved up, waiting for a big upgrade.

That's enough.

He opened the redemption list for the God of Slaughter template in his mind.

The options are densely packed from top to bottom, including martial arts, movement techniques, internal energy cultivation, military strategy, etc., and the prices range from a few hundred to tens of thousands.

Wei Zhao didn't scroll through them one by one; he went straight to the very top of the cultivation technique section.

He scanned through the cultivation methods marked "recommended," some for cultivating qi, some for body training, some for quick results, and some for slow progress.

His gaze settled on a name.

【The Great Dao Floating Pagoda Technique】

[Price: 40,000 Killing Points]

[Grade: Heavenly top grade]

Number of floors: nine

[Introduction: Cultivation begins with killing, and nourishment comes from battle. With each battle, the cultivator's qi and blood are tempered. The more enemies killed, the faster the progress. Upon entering the first level, one gains a 10% increase in all attributes. The cultivation method is highly compatible with the God of Slaughter template, doubling the cultivation efficiency.]

Wei Zhao's eyes lit up after reading the introduction.

He entered the path of cultivation through killing.

These four words were tailor-made for him.

He wasn't the kind of person who would spend three to five years in seclusion; he was a warrior, someone who had rolled in swords and spears, crawled through blood and mud, and grew stronger with every battle he fought.

This is his approach.

Forty thousand Killing God Points isn't cheap, but it's worth it.

Wei Zhao did not hesitate.

"exchange."

A burst of golden light exploded in my mind.

【Ding--】

[40,000 Killing Points Deducted!]

[Remaining usable Killing Points: 9,117]

Forty thousand, gone.

But then, a massive influx of information flooded into Wei Zhao's mind.

It's not words, not pictures, it's something indescribable—

It's as if someone has directly etched the entire set of exercises, breathing techniques, and the laws governing the circulation of qi and blood into their very being.

My head buzzed.

Wei Zhao's body tensed up abruptly, his hands braced on the couch, and the veins on his forehead throbbed twice.

The amount of information was overwhelming, like having a thick martial arts manual, thick enough to kill someone, crammed into my brain all at once.

The pain wasn't the pain of an injury, but the throbbing pain of a brain being stretched out.

It lasted for about ten breaths.

Then--

Everything became clear.

The first level of the Great Dao Floating Pagoda Technique, from the initial introduction to its operation, every acupoint, every meridian, and where the Qi and blood should stop, turn, and surge—all of it was crystal clear, as if he had practiced it for ten years and was as familiar with it.

The "God of Slaughter" template directly helped him skip the most difficult introductory stage.

What might take others months or even years to grasp, a template can accomplish in a second.

With his eyes closed, Wei Zhao slowly guided the flow of Qi and blood within his body, following the route in his mind.

The first Sunday.

Qi and blood surged from the dantian, traveled along the meridians, and returned to the origin, flowing smoothly without any obstruction, like a familiar road that had been traveled countless times.

The second week, even faster.

The third Sunday—

"Buzz".

A surge of heat burst forth from my dantian, not in a violent way, but as a warm, gentle force that seeped into my bones.

The muscles and bones of my whole body were simultaneously soaked by this heat, like parched earth being thoroughly irrigated by spring water.

Wei Zhao felt his body changing.

It's not an exaggerated, radical change, but a subtle, internal and external improvement.

I'm a little stronger, my reactions are a little faster, and my bones are a little harder.

Each item increased by only 10%.

But one percent is enough.

His previous physique was 1,905, and adding 10% would bring it to nearly 2,100. The same applies to strength, speed, and perception.

All attributes increase by 10% simultaneously.

What does this mean?

It's like he was already a top expert in the first-grade realm, and now he's climbed even higher.

It's not a qualitative change, but the quantitative changes have accumulated to this extent, and the gap is already terrifying.

[Ding—The first level of the Great Dao Floating Pagoda Technique has been completed!]

[All attributes increased by 10%!]

Current physical condition: 2095

Current Strength: 1987

Current speed: 1876

[Current Perception: 1832]