Chapter 627: Chapter 180: Mu Lan: Husband! _2
According to the arrangement of the Parade Platform, soldiers of different Cultivation Levels endure inspections and pressures differently.
Ning Zhuo is a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and he endures the test of the Foundation Establishment Level.
If the test were about his combat power, realm, Mana, etc., he would pass easily. The problem is, the focus of the inspection is on his own defense and the strength of his body.
This made him feel uncomfortable the first time he experienced it.
“But this time it’s much better!”
“Many Foundation Establishment Cultivators also fainted.”
“The reason that changed this situation is that I borrowed the Fetal Breathing Spirit Boat.”
The shortcut in cultivation unexpectedly developed by Sun Lingtong was increasingly liked and addictive to Ning Zhuo.
In this round, only just over sixty percent of the soldiers from the Three Generals Camp passed, and nearly forty percent of the soldiers were eliminated.
“Our army has been newly established, and the quality of the troops is mixed. It makes sense that so many people have been eliminated,” Ning Zhuo consoled the Three Generals.
Guan Hong stroked his beard, saying enviously, “Red Flower Camp did very well, with almost no one being eliminated.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head: “If this trend continues, they will also have a large number of eliminations.”
Indeed, by the third round of the review, Red Flower Camp also saw a lot of eliminations, with more than half of the Three Generals Camp unable to complete the course, creating an embarrassing scene.
Even the Barbarian Demon Camp was faring much better than them.
This army, after being wiped out and rebuilt not long ago, was used as a pawn to test the military reality of Thousand Peak Forest, suffering considerable losses in the process.
But the physical quality of the Barbarian Clan and Demon Cultivators inherently has advantages over Human Clan Cultivators.
The performance of the Three Generals Camp was almost at the bottom.
This caused Liu Guanzhang, the Three Generals, to lose face and also feel a strong sense of crisis.
“What method can we use to quickly increase physical strength?”
“There have been three rounds of parade already, with only two rounds left.”
“The key is that the difficulty of each parade round is increasing too much. If it continues like this, I’m afraid that among the more than ten armies of Mulu Town, none will qualify.”
“Was Du Tiechuan always setting such high standards in the past?”
The anxiety and questions of the Three Generals were also the content of discussion among other soldiers.
There were people familiar with the insider information.
From the mouth of the Deputy General under Du Tiechuan, a secret Forbidden Technique was passed down—Iron Skin Armor Technique!
This magic is extremely painful to perform, requiring the cultivator to remove their own skin and expose all muscles, then don armored suits.
Under this magic, the armor will stick and merge with the flesh, becoming one entity.
The armor then replaces the previous skin.
As a result, the cultivator’s defense drastically increases and the physical quality takes a huge leap forward.
But such hasty progress naturally comes with many drawbacks.
For instance, maintaining it for a long time will erode the cultivator. This erosion will become more severe, initially targeting only the body, then later affecting the cultivator’s temperament.
Demon Skill, as most deep practices of Demon Skill would twist the normal minds of the cultivators.
However, these drawbacks are results that only come after a long time.
Currently, with a major battle imminent. If one has this method, ensuring they can be added to the list supported by Iron Stream Flat Country, then the survival rate in the battlefield would be high.
If one survives on the battlefield, there will be plenty of military achievements, and one might even Ascend to the Skies.
With this calculation, even a fool knows what to choose.
The vast majority of soldiers choose to take a risk!
Suddenly, there was a soaring demand for full-body Heavy Armor throughout the army, and it rapidly climbed to a rather exaggerated level.
Many generals found the Quartermaster immediately.
The Quartermaster, with a smile, informed everyone: The military supplies allocated from the Royal Capital had been distributed. However, there indeed was a batch of Heavy Armor reserved to ensure replacements for losses and damages among the armored soldiers.
The generals’ eyes lit up, and they began to bribe with strong intentions to purchase.
The Quartermaster then quoted a shockingly high price.
This immediately deterred many people, and even some straightforward generals directly walked away, cursing that the Quartermaster was too greedy!
The Quartermaster was not intimidated, sticking to the price and even stating, “Gentlemen, the quantity of Heavy Armor is limited, first come, first served. The fewer the quantities later, the higher the selling price will be.”
A simple statement immediately opened up the situation.
Many wealthy generals took the lead in making purchases, forcing other generals to follow suit. Soon, a fierce bidding war broke out among them.
“What, there’s a limit for each army?” Some generals wanted to monopolize, but the quartermaster stopped them.
The quartermaster, with a calm demeanor, said, “Gentlemen, please do not make things difficult for me.”
“There are only so many full sets of Heavy Armor, it’s not possible to sell to only one person or one army.”
“Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to explain to my superiors.”
The quartermaster spread his hands, showing his helplessness, and added, “Of course, you can also choose not to buy.”
The generals looked at each other in dismay.
Suddenly, some pinched their noses with a bitter expression: “Buy, buy, buy!”
The number of Heavy Armor sets was limited, and the quota for each army was also limited, often not enough to meet the total number of soldiers.
Still, many sets of Heavy Armor were snapped up amid the frenzy.
As scarcity makes things precious, the remaining sets of Heavy Armor soared in price, soon reaching levels that made people hesitate.
Ning Zhuo, who was cultivating in the Fetal Breathing Spirit Boat, learned about this too late.
Liu Er, anxious, paced around, holding onto his arm, and hurriedly sought out the quartermaster.
Upon learning the prices, Ning Zhuo stared wide-eyed; how was this different from robbery?
Liu Er’s face turned paler than ever.
“I’ll buy them,” Ning Zhuo decided after a moment of thought.
He gritted his teeth and spent nearly half of his assets to purchase 400 full sets of Heavy Armor.
There were also Light Armor sets for sale, but an experienced Deputy General had already made it clear: only with Heavy Armor could the full power of Forbidden Techniques be unleashed to pass the inspection.
Inferior half-body Heavy Armor sets didn’t stand a chance, let alone Light Armor.
The quartermaster was shocked by this and stared intently at Ning Zhuo.
The news of Ning Zhuo’s big spending spread, causing quite a stir.
Liu Er was deeply moved; his previous resentment had completely vanished: “The strategist has given so much, I will remember this, always remember!”
Ning Zhuo: “It’s just a pity that we still can’t equip the entire army.”
As the two returned to the Three Generals Camp and were about to enter the camp, Mu Lan descended from the sky.
She stared at Ning Zhuo: “Husband, I heard you just bought 400 sets of Heavy Armor?”
Liu Er’s expression suddenly changed.
The term “husband” indeed stirred him.
He immediately looked toward Ning Zhuo, his expression tense, hesitating to speak.
In his heart, a bit of resentment began to grow, yet more than resentment, it was fear that dominated!
At this moment, Liu Er was particularly worried that Ning Zhuo might reconsider.
Ning Zhuo touched his nose and gave a bitter smile: “General Mu Lan, there’s no need for this. If you want to buy full sets of Heavy Armor, I can also sponsor a portion.”
Mu Lan was not satisfied: “Even if I use all my quota, the number of Heavy Armor sets I can buy will not cover the entire army. So, husband, I need some of your Heavy Armor.”
“This…” Ning Zhuo immediately felt troubled.
Mu Lan shook her head firmly: “My Red Flower Camp’s Red Flower Battle Formation requires elite soldiers and good generals to form and operate. Missing just a few people greatly affects our army.”
“Liu Er.”
“You Three Generals Camp can simply recruit more.”
Mu Lan had also been worried about this issue recently.
She had access to the information about the Forbidden Techniques earlier than Ning Zhuo, but lacked the funds to make purchases.
The wealth demonstrated by Ning Zhuo this time truly shocked her. She never imagined that this young master had so much money!
If she had known earlier, why the anxiety?
In order to support her own Red Flower Camp, Mu Lan was all in, directly addressing Ning Zhuo as “husband.” This caused excitement and restlessness among the soldiers in the camp, who frequently looked back and forth between Mu Lan and Ning Zhuo and also communicated closely through their Divine Sense.
On one side was the determined Mu Lan, and on the other, the eagerly waiting Liu Er.
Ning Zhuo was suddenly faced with a difficult decision.