The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

"Sergeant! The Second Battalion is having a big competition!"

The soldier, clad in rattan armor, arrived before he did, but his voice preceded his arrival.

He rushed into the barracks excitedly and saw eight or nine people gathered around a low card table, all looking at him.

Unexpectedly, the platoon leader and the squad leader of another squad were also there, and he immediately let out a screech like a chicken whose neck had been choked.

Corporal Wang Li put down the cards, frowned, and said, "What's all the fuss about? What kind of competition is this?"

The soldier immediately started talking excitedly, saying, "Isn't the garrison selecting scouts at the Second Battalion's drill ground? Now they're going to have a scout skills competition with the brothers from the Tiger Might Battalion and the Trapped Battalion!"

Before he could finish speaking, the two squad leaders and platoon leader Wu Hao hurriedly put their feet into their cloth boots and strode towards the tent.

The rest of the soldiers followed behind, all excited.

"This is going to be good!"

The eleven soldiers rushed out of their barracks and saw a large crowd surging out of the camp. They were stuck at the entrance of the second camp for quite some time before finally squeezing into the camp and occupying a small spot of more than one square meter on the outskirts of the drill ground.

"It's really lively." Wang Li muttered, then a person suddenly popped into his mind. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "It's a pity that kid Li Yi isn't here. Right now, the soldiers' pay and rations have increased significantly. They're getting all their armor and boots. If they work themselves to the bone for a year or two, they won't have to worry about food and drink for the next ten or eight years."

Squad Leader Wu Hao nodded seriously, "That kid is capable. He's usually quiet, but he gets things done without hesitation. Most importantly, he's not like you idiots, who are a bit dim-witted and always causing trouble for me."

For some reason, he started to get angry as he spoke, and his fierce gaze swept over his soldiers.

The soldier who had just barged into the barracks to report had a hint of resentment in his eyes. "What's so great about him? Even the sergeant couldn't recruit him. He's clearly a coward who's afraid of death. What great future can he have?"

Wang Li flicked the soldier's forehead with a flick of the wrist. "If that kid goes back to camp as usual, will you still have a place?"

The soldier shook his head, saying, "It's all about timing and fate."

"Hey! The sentries are entering!"

Someone shouted, and everyone stopped chatting and focused their attention on the sentries. Many people stood on tiptoe and craned their necks, just to catch a glimpse of the sentries.

"That horse...it's really majestic."

The soldier sighed and said nothing more.

On the other side, Shi Jin and Li Shuyan sat on a high platform, with another person beside them, Wei Wuyan, a general of the Trapped Camp.

Upon hearing that the garrison and the Tiger Might Camp were going to have their own scouts compete, this man hurried over as well.

While the competition was supposed to be about the four skills of scouts and riders, it actually focused on archery and bravery, so the three decided to separate these two skills for the competition.

The garrison consisted of two battalions, totaling thirty small flags, fewer than the number selected previously, so the competition was not difficult.

Wei Wuyan was strong and muscular, with a leopard-like head and piercing eyes under his helmet, and a thick beard; he and Li Shuyan seemed to be from two different worlds.

His voice was also quite rough, and as he looked at the training ground, he suggested:

"Just making a fuss about it isn't very interesting; let's add some prizes."

Li Shuyan tilted her head and looked over, "Old Wei, set an example for us."

Wei Wuyan opened his palm and conjured a jade bottle out of thin air.

"Five Grade Three Acupoint Opening Pills can help cultivators in the Qi Refining stage open their spiritual acupoints. If they encounter any obstacles, they can also increase their chances by 20%."

Li Shuyan raised an eyebrow. "Then I, Li, will provide five bottles of Grade Two Qi-Boosting Pills, enough for Qi Refining cultivators to consume."

Shi Jin shook his head with a wry smile, "I don't have much wealth. Fortunately, I still have a great bow made of dragon sinews, which is an acquired spiritual treasure from my early years. Keeping it would be a waste. It's better to let it show its prowess on the battlefield."

Gongsun Ling stood by, listening with astonishment.

Countless Qi Refining cultivators have spent their entire lives trying to open up even a single meridian.

Not to mention that most of them still need to rely on the eight extraordinary meridians to harmonize yin and yang and increase the chances of foundation building. In this way, even doubling one's lifespan may not be enough.

The Grade Three Acupoint Opening Pill can help people break through realms and shorten cultivation time. For those with ordinary talent, it is like seizing the creation of heaven and earth, giving them a chance to try their best to establish a foundation before their lifespan ends.

As for the second-grade Qi-boosting pills promised by Li Shuyan, they can directly replenish a cultivator's spiritual energy, saving the effort of digesting blood and food, which is also another way to prolong life.

Shi Jin was the lowest-ranking and weakest-cultivated among the three, yet he was also the most generous in his actions.

A late-stage Qi Refining Acquired Spiritual Treasure is a deadly weapon in the hands of any cultivator; if an ordinary cultivator is hit in a vital spot, there is absolutely no chance of survival.

With these three prizes combined, no Qi Refining cultivator could remain unmoved.

Li Shuyan looked around and said, "Of the three prizes, the Dragon-Tendon Bow is the best. Let's make it the first prize, shall we?"

Wei Wuyan raised his hand and said, "In the military, the winner takes all! What's the point of ranking people? On the battlefield, it's either win or lose; there's no consolation in between."

Shi Jin laughed and said, "Alright, then the winner takes all."

Upon receiving the order, the messenger Zhang Ren shouted, "The winner of this competition will be rewarded with five Grade 3 Acupoint Opening Pills, five bottles of Grade 2 Qi-Boosting Pills, and a late-stage Qi Refining Acquired Spiritual Treasure—a Dragon Tendon Great Bow!"

The training ground erupted in chaos. All these rewards combined practically guaranteed him a Qi Refining stage killing god, with Foundation Establishment even more likely!

Putting everything else aside, being able to win the championship among the three military scouts is already a testament to their exceptional talent. With the help of those resources, they are practically given wings!

Li Yi stood on one side of the drill ground, equally enthusiastic, but his thoughts were different from those of most of the sentries.

Li Erhu and Liu Zhi have now returned to the examination hall. Both of them were considered to be above average in the selection within the garrison, but they were somewhat of a drag on the ten selected flag bearers.

Sekita's ranking in archery is not low; his performance was better, and he has a chance to break into the top three.

Although he was a novice in the Daoist path, he was quite suited to the popular style of riding and archery. In addition, most of the candidates for this path were not highly skilled, and many of them were ordinary people.

Those in each squad with cultivation level generally emphasize bravery and martial prowess.

Just as the archery competition was about to begin, Horseface, who had previously tried to steal a chicken but failed, came over, accompanied by two other people.

One was a scoundrel who loudly obstructed him and tried to trick him, while the other was also among the sentries of the garrison. Li Yi vaguely remembered him; he seemed to be a formidable figure in the gold trade.

"Is that skinny monkey under Brother Li's command? A Windwalker cultivator, he might one day be as famous as Xiao Zhou, the cargo loader."

Li Yi turned his head and looked, "Xiao Zhou?"

Horse Face raised his chin and aimed at a soldier surrounded by his scouts in the Tiger Might Camp. The man was tall and slender, with a pair of captivating phoenix eyes.

"Aside from the sergeant and the captain, he is the strongest among the Tiger Might Camp's scouts. He cultivates the Thunder Element, which is one of the two outer elements, and his cultivation is much deeper than your skinny monkey's."

Among the three armies' sentries, apart from the garrison which used the same official titles as the small flag and the centurion, the two military camps were divided according to the rank system, with a small flag also called a squad.

The headman was equivalent to a centurion, and each headman commanded about a hundred men. They were also called centurions or centurions.

Li Yi couldn't help but glance at Xiao Zhou, quite curious.

I wonder what it would feel like if Lei Xing's physique collided with my golden body?