"We’ve been fighting for so long now. With that much time, I’m afraid many of them have already learned our language."

Hearing what Qi Tianlu said, Liu Huaijin was stunned. "Then how can we possibly guard against that?"

"That’s why you can’t let your guard down around anyone suspicious. A lot of soldiers died that way at the start of the war."

Qi Tianlu sighed.

"I mean, why are they attacking us? Everything was fine. There are plenty of other countries in Central Asia they could live in! They’ve already conquered them, after all!"

Liu Huaijin was thoroughly dejected.

’He’d been doing just fine as the master of a Martial Arts Hall. He wasn’t fabulously wealthy, sure, but he had power, he had status, and he wasn’t hurting for money.’

’How did I suddenly end up on a battlefield?’

Listening to Liu Huaijin’s complaints, Qi Tianlu simply smiled, neither agreeing nor offering an explanation.

The five of them drank sparingly, just a few sips, and then the gathering broke up.

A deputy director led Zhao Rui and Liu Huaijin to their quarters to rest.

After the pair left, the other deputy director couldn’t help but complain, "Of these two, one is a timid, calculating coward, and the other is young and green. I have no idea what the higher-ups were thinking, assigning them to us."

"What are you complaining about? As long as they’re Grandmasters, they’re helpful to have. Or would you rather keep watch over the barracks all night, every night?"

Qi Tianlu shot him a glare.

"But this is the front line!"

"That’s enough. Shut your mouth and don’t damage morale. Now that they’re here, they’re our brothers-in-arms."

"Yes, sir."

The deputy director immediately snapped to attention and saluted, not daring to complain further.

Over in the living quarters, Liu Huaijin didn’t go to rest. Instead, he knocked on Zhao Rui’s door.

"Brother, now that we’re in the army, we should stick together. That way, these old grunts won’t be able to use us as cannon fodder."

Liu Huaijin said, holding nothing back.

"Yes, Brother Liu, I get it. I doubt things will get that bad, though. With a strong enemy at our gates, it’s only natural for everyone to be a little wary."

Zhao Rui said with a faint smile.

"Yeah, well, I didn’t sleep a wink last night. Damn sons of bitches, starting a war for no good reason."

Liu Huaijin grumbled for a bit longer, but seeing that Zhao Rui wasn’t in the mood to chat, he returned to his room, somewhat embarrassed.

The next day, Qi Tianlu summoned all troops not on guard duty or patrol to the Martial Arts Arena.

There, he introduced Zhao Rui and Liu Huaijin to everyone.

The soldiers were instantly thrilled to hear that the higher-ups had sent two more Grandmasters.

With Grandmasters present, their lives had another layer of security.

After the assembly, Qi Tianlu gave the two of them their assignments.

Their main duties were to guard the base, provide backup and aid to patrol teams, and prevent enemy incursions.

They weren’t required to go on patrols or participate in attacks.

They weren’t the only two Grandmasters in the entire regiment. The Director and one of the deputy directors were also in the Grandmaster Realm.

As for the other Households of a Thousand, he was at the True Transformation Realm.

Their regiment was considered exceptionally well-equipped.

Normally, Grandmasters were only found at the division headquarters.

A regiment-level unit was lucky to have even one.

But with the war effort being so intense, many soldiers in the Grandmaster Realm who originally served at division headquarters had been reassigned to the front lines.

After assigning their duties, Qi Tianlu also assigned a combat veteran to teach them some battlefield basics and weapon handling.

Zhao Rui was actually quite interested in handling the weapons.

’He’d always wanted to see what would happen if he used his Sword Intent while wielding a submachine gun. Would there be some special new insight to gain?’

With his duties assigned and a new "hobby" to explore, Zhao Rui’s life in the barracks settled into a routine.

"Can these guns pierce the enemy’s Protective True Qi?"

At the Martial Arts Arena, Liu Huaijin, holding a submachine gun, fired off a full clip—RAT-TAT-TAT—and curiously asked the veteran beside him, Qiu Tong.

"Can’t get through. Their True Qi is incredibly strong. When regular bullets hit their Protective True Qi, they’re met with extreme resistance, almost like an electromagnetic shield."

"Then what’s the damn point of this thing!"

Liu Huaijin promptly put down the gun.

Qiu Tong’s eye twitched. ’Even if they aren’t that effective, you can’t just go into battle with only a sword, can you?’

’You’d have even less of a chance then.’

"I’m heading back. If it can’t pierce their True Qi, then there’s no point in using it. I’m not practicing this. My longsword is more effective anyway."

Disinterested, Liu Huaijin turned and left the Martial Arts Arena.

’He made up his mind. He would just lie low inside the camp and ride out his one-year term of service.’

Seeing Liu Huaijin leave, Zhao Rui paid him no mind and instead began an earnest discussion with Qiu Tong about the use of firearms and other basic knowledge.

Since Zhao Rui was a serious student, Qiu Tong became a serious teacher.

Once he had a decent grasp on how to operate the various firearms, Zhao Rui said to Qiu Tong, "In a bit, I want you to take a gun, stand over there, and shoot at me. I want to feel its power."

Qiu Tong’s face fell the moment he heard Zhao Rui’s words.

"Th-That’s not a good idea!"

"Don’t worry, just fire away. I’ll be fine."

"Uh, I’d better ask the Director for permission first!"

Qiu Tong didn’t dare to act on his own authority. This was no laughing matter.

’What if I end up killing a Grandmaster the higher-ups just assigned to us with a single burst? I’d be done for.’

Seeing this, Zhao Rui could only sigh. "Fine, go get permission."

Qiu Tong hurried to the regimental command office to request permission from the Director.

The moment Qi Tianlu heard that Zhao Rui actually wanted to test the power of a bullet, he immediately stood up. "Let’s go. I want to see this."

With that, he called over the two deputy directors and headed out.

"Xiaozhao, are you sure about this? Our True Qi isn’t as strong as theirs—not by a long shot. How about we try a handgun first?"

Qi Tianlu said to Zhao Rui with a wry smile as soon as he arrived at the Martial Arts Arena. He assumed Zhao Rui was just being young and reckless, wanting to see what it was like.

Zhao Rui didn’t object to the suggestion.

He had only encountered a genuine firefight once before, during that train hijacking, but he had never actually been shot.

’So, he had no real right to comment on what it felt like without experiencing it for himself.’

Zhao Rui walked right up to the shooting target and held out an arm.

"Qiu Tong, you do it!"

Qi Tianlu shouted.

Frowning, Qiu Tong pleaded, "Director!"

"What are you dawdling for!"

Resigned, Qiu Tong had no choice but to raise the handgun. From twenty or thirty meters away, he fired a single shot at Zhao Rui’s arm. BANG.

With the crack of the gun, the bullet shot forward in a streak of light, flying straight toward Zhao Rui’s arm.

Zhao Rui’s gaze was as sharp as lightning. He instantly perceived the bullet’s trajectory as it sped toward him.

The bullet, which would have been a blur to an ordinary person, moved as if in slow motion to his eyes, its path perfectly clear.

In the blink of an eye, the bullet reached his arm.

Zhao Rui circulated his True Qi, forming an invisible barrier in front of his arm.

The bullet slammed into the barrier as if hitting an iron plate and was instantly sent ricocheting away.

Zhao Rui felt only a slight impact against his arm; the sensation was barely noticeable.

"Not much power! Switch to a standard submachine gun or automatic rifle."

Seeing that Zhao Rui was completely unharmed, Qi Tianlu issued the new command.

As a veteran Grandmaster himself, he was well aware that handgun rounds had extremely limited power and were not lethal to someone of their level.

Qiu Tong switched to an automatic rifle. Taking a deep breath, he aimed at Zhao Rui’s arm and fired a short burst. RAT-TAT-TAT.

A series of pings—TING TING TING—rang out as the bullets once again bounced away. This time, however, they seemed to skid off to the side.

The bullets still carried momentum.

"Alright, that’s enough!"

Qi Tianlu was stunned, seeing how incredibly pure Zhao Rui’s True Qi was.

He hurriedly put a stop to the experiment.

"Xiaozhao, that Body-Protecting Divine Skill of yours is really something. If it were me, I’m afraid I’d have had to take those hits head-on."

"Just a little trick."

Zhao Rui smiled. When the rifle bullets came at him, he had tried using his True Qi to deflect them.

The attempt had been quite effective; he didn’t have to simply endure the impact.

After the test, Zhao Rui had a better understanding of things and didn’t trouble Qiu Tong any further.

For the next few days, he simply continued to diligently learn about battlefield tactics from Qiu Tong.

Fortunately, the border was relatively quiet during this period, and no firefights broke out.

This gave Zhao Rui time to acclimate.

「Less than a week passed.」

One day, Zhao Rui was meditating in his room when a piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the camp.

By the time he exited his room, an orderly came running up, panting as he shouted, "Director Zhao, Director Qi has been trapped by the enemy in a canyon!"

Hearing this, Zhao Rui froze for a second before sprinting toward the regimental command center.