Starting from the border troops, I've worked my way up to become a Martial Emperor.

Chapter 8 Hall of Merit

Name: Lu Yuan

Age: 16

[Technique: Eight Forms of Breaking the Edge (9618/10000 Mastery)]

【"Tiger-Taming Stance" Body Tempering (102/1000 Minor Success)】

【The Golden Bell Cover (51/100 Beginner Level)】

"call!"

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, a look of joy on his face. In just ten days, his progress was quite impressive.

The Eight Forms of Breaking the Edge will soon be completed.

The "Tiger-Taming Stake" technique has been partially completed. Logically speaking, after reaching this stage, one can try to break through to the Bone Forging stage. However, Lu Yuan is prepared to try to see if he can cultivate to the limit of his physical body before breaking through.

After all, this way, their combat strength would be greater.

It is said that some people choose to break through only after mastering body tempering, accumulating a solid foundation, and can even fight at higher levels, making them definitely fierce soldiers in the army.

However, due to the lack of talent, it is difficult for anyone to achieve mastery of body tempering.

Disciples of noble families usually rely on elixirs or special cultivation techniques to suppress their power.

The closer you get to your limit, the better your talent is.

"The practice of the Golden Bell Cover technique seems to have a significant boost to the progress of body tempering, making the practice much faster than before."

Lu Yuan was making plans in his mind.

"We still don't have enough silver. We need to start earning money as soon as possible. With pills, our cultivation speed should be faster."

After assessing his current condition, Lu Yuan continued his cultivation.

Nothing happened that night. Early the next morning, after eating, he changed into his armor, put on a long sword at his waist, and headed towards the city gate.

At this time, it was just beginning to get light, and there weren't many people on the streets.

As soon as he arrived at the city gate, he saw that his men had all arrived: ten city guards and ten garrison soldiers.

A total of twenty-one people were responsible for checking people entering and leaving the city gate.

Icefield City, as a fortified city in the northern frontier, is built quite high, much higher than some cities in the interior, with walls more than ten meters high, all built of bluestone.

Giant crossbows are mounted at the crenellations of the city wall. It is said that a single crossbow bolt can kill someone at the True Essence Realm, and it is very powerful.

However, the number of city guards was relatively small, with only a few hundred stationed throughout the city.

Another group was stationed outside the city, responsible for clearing out and deterring nearby bandits and mountain brigands to prevent them from harassing the people.

In fact, the most important aspect was to defend against the invasion and raids by the northern barbarians.

The Great Yong Dynasty was not considered a chaotic era. Compared to ordinary dynasties, although it was not at its peak, it was still quite good. In any case, it was not afraid of the northern barbarians and would sometimes take the initiative to attack.

After handing over the defense at the city gate.

"Sizzle!"

With a piercing sound, more than twenty people exerted their strength at the same time, and the city gate was finally pushed open.

Then, everyone stood in their places and began today's task.

As a squad leader, Lu Yuan was relatively comfortable, standing by the fire at the city gate, warming himself by the fire.

As the sun rose, more and more people entered and left the city gates.

There are also quite a few caravans here.

At this moment, Lu Yuan perked up. As a city guard, although it wasn't the most lucrative job, it was still quite profitable.

In the past, he was just a garrison commander and had no right to take anything for himself, but now it's different. Now that he's a squad leader, he can do these things. That's what Lao Huang told him.

Moreover, he had seen it before during his previous rotations.

Ordinary pedestrians are hardly a concern; as long as they are not spies, they can be allowed to pass. However, when encountering caravans, it is usually possible to extort money from them.

Sure enough, just after 7 a.m., a small caravan of about ten people headed towards the city.

However, Lu Yuan did not go up on his own initiative.

I just watched coldly.

After all, he wasn't very skilled at this kind of operation.

Moreover, he was waiting for an opportunity.

Sure enough, Wei Yong couldn't help but step forward: "Stop and check."

As soon as the voice rang out, the caravan manager walked over with a smile: "Oh dear, it's Master Wei's turn to work today."

As he spoke, he slipped a money pouch into his sleeve.

Wei Yong gave the caravan a symbolic glance with a smile and said, "Let them pass."

Then, the people around made way for him.

Then, the other party said to everyone, "Brothers, I'll pay for an extra meal for you all tonight."

The voice wasn't loud, but everyone around could hear it.

Lu Yuan raised the corner of his mouth.

"Well, this guy really is going to be a troublemaker, but he's a bit brainless, giving himself an opportunity so quickly."

Then, he stepped forward and blocked the caravan.

"You dared to let them pass without inspection? Who gave you the guts!" Lu Yuan's words were firm and resolute.

An echo resounded at the city gate.

Today was his first day on duty. When he arrived, Wei Yong and the others didn't come up to greet him. Although this wasn't a strict rule, it was enough to show that they didn't take Lu Yuan seriously.

It was obvious that his subordinates had their own clique and were not very obedient to him, but Lu Yuan did not get angry because that would make him seem petty.

He spent almost the entire morning looking for opportunities.

Now he realized that his opportunity had arrived.

As Lu Yuan stepped forward.

The caravan manager's expression changed, and Wei Yong and the others also looked over. He glanced at the caravan, his face somewhat displeased, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Sir, this is the Li family's caravan from the city. They are acquainted with me and often..."

"Bang!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Yuan kicked him.

Wei Yong was sent flying several meters away and lay on the ground, unable to get up for a moment.

The pupils around him contracted slightly.

You have to understand that Wei Yong has already entered the country. Even if he stands still, most people can't hurt him, let alone kick him that far.

In the military, strength is respected. The reason why others were willing to gather around Wei Yong was twofold: firstly, he was a trusted subordinate of the previous platoon leader, and secondly, he was strong.

Now that Lu Yuan has shown such skill, no one dares to step forward to help Wei Yong; they all stand there dumbfounded.

"Just because we're acquainted with you doesn't mean you can just let me pass. How many heads do you have? Do you even care about military law?" Lu Yuan roared.

Then, glancing at the others, he said, "Search!"

Upon hearing the sound, more than a dozen garrison soldiers did not hesitate and began searching the caravan's goods, while the other city guards hesitated for a while.

They all stepped forward to work.

Lu Yuan's strength is sufficient to serve as a squad leader, so there's nothing more to say at this point.

The caravan manager stood aside, too afraid to move.

Only after searching everything did he take out a money bag, and in a fawning manner, he stepped forward and stuffed it into Lu Yuan's hand. Lu Yuan weighed it and found about five taels of loose silver.

Then he waved his hand and made way for them.

He slowly walked towards Wei Yong, who had already stood up, but dared not look Lu Yuan in the eye. That kick had shattered his courage.

They also recognized the gap between the two sides.

In the northern frontier, might makes right. He knew that even if he was prepared, he probably wouldn't last more than a few rounds against Lu Yuan in a direct confrontation, especially since Lu Yuan was indeed in the right.

Those in power don't care if you make a little money, but if you don't do anything, then there will be consequences.

Today, he wanted to put on airs in front of Lu Yuan and show his authority in front of everyone, which is why he let them pass directly.

Who would have thought that instead of intimidating the other party, they would give them leverage and end up getting kicked themselves?

Seeing Lu Yuan approaching, she didn't dare to hesitate. She picked up the money bag with both hands and handed it to him.

Lu Yuan glanced at it and estimated it to be around two taels of silver.

He didn't reach out to take it, but simply said, "Do you know what crime neglecting one's duty is?"

Upon hearing the voice, Wei Yong's face instantly turned pale. This kind of crime could be serious or minor, depending entirely on what his superiors said.

"thump!"

He immediately knelt down and cried out, "My lord, spare my life!"

He never imagined that a small act of indulgence would lead him to such a state.

Zhang Gun also stepped forward: "Sir, Wei Yong lost his temper for a moment. Please forgive him. We brothers will definitely listen to you from now on."

It must be said that this person is a sensible person.

That hit the nail on the head; compared to him, Wei Yong was just a complete brute.

"Yes, yes, I will listen to you from now on," Wei Yong quickly replied.

His head touched the ground, but he held the silver coins high above his head.

Actually, if he could have beaten Lu Yuan today, things wouldn't have been so embarrassing, and he might have really caused Lu Yuan some trouble. But unfortunately, the other party is much stronger than him.

So Wei Yong was the one who suffered the most.

Lu Yuan picked up the silver in his hand, weighed it in his hand, and then threw it directly into the hand of a soldier next to him: "Go to the city at noon to buy some meat, and have an extra meal tonight."

Upon hearing this, the other party quickly replied with a fawning smile, "Yes, sir."

Then, Lu Yuan looked at Wei Yong, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Get up. This is my first time on duty, and I don't want my men to bleed. Remember this incident."

If you dare to do it again, you'll be punished along with the meat. You'll also have to go buy meat with me at noon, and maybe pick up some liniment for your injuries while you're at it.

"Thank you, sir," Wei Yong said softly, now much more obedient.

Lu Yuan, on the other hand, has completely established his authority.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened after that. After inspecting several small caravans and obtaining more than ten taels of silver, it was already evening.

In the middle of the night, a group of people gathered around the fire and finished eating the cooked food they had bought, thus becoming acquainted.

By this time, many people had come to accept Lu Yuan.

The other party wasn't stingy either; following the rules, they took out all the silver they had acquired that day, which amounted to about fifteen taels after deducting the money spent on buying meat.

After taking five taels for himself, Lu Yuan distributed the rest to the others.

Everyone can miss one or two.

As for stationing troops, there are no such advantages; they are usually lucky if they can get a meat dish at night.

After the money was divided, everyone became more familiar with each other.

Even Wei Yong shamelessly approached Lu Yuan and said, "Sir, after our shift ends today, there are still more than ten days until the next shift. Do you have any plans?"

The latter raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

Wei Yong rubbed his hands together and said with a grin, "You may not know, but this place is bitterly cold. Although the imperial court provides silver, it is barely enough for one person to live on. It is difficult to support a family with more members."

In the past, whenever we weren't on duty, the previous squad leader would take us out to earn some money. I was the one who took us out a few days ago.

Now that you've arrived, everyone will follow you.

The fact that he could say something like that clearly shows he was completely convinced.

"What kind of job is this?" Lu Yuan didn't understand these things.

"There is a Hall of Merit in the barracks. When many people are not on duty, they go there to receive missions. Most of them are active near the city. The head of a bandit can be exchanged for one or two taels of silver, which does not count as merit."

However, the head of a northern barbarian scout is worth two taels of silver and a little merit, but usually we cooperate with other groups to kill small band of bandits. They are poorly equipped and weak.

After more than ten days, you can earn some money.

After listening to Wei Yong's words, Lu Yuan nodded. This did seem to be a way to make money.

"Okay, I'll go take a look this morning." Lu Yuan nodded.

Hearing his words, the others breathed a sigh of relief.

They worried that Lu Yuan would be unwilling to leave the city, and if Wei Yong were the only one to enter, he would be at a disadvantage in his activities outside.

It's unusual to have someone with such a long belt.

If they can form a military formation, their combat power will double.

Moreover, Lu Yuan is so strong.

As dawn broke, Lu Yuan and his comrades, who were there to relieve them, dispersed.

Only he, Wei Yong, and Zhang Gun walked towards the Hall of Merit in the military camp.