The Army HQ was a completely different place from the border garrisons. It was more like a small town, with far more complete infrastructure.

For Zhao Rui, being transferred here from the border camp was no different from moving to the city.

Backed by a large frontier city, it not only had abundant daily supplies but also plenty of options for recreation.

Soldiers had more options when they were on leave.

Though the two women weren’t old, they were both veterans with three or four years of service. Compared to a novice like Zhao Rui, they naturally knew much more about the Army HQ.

It wasn’t that Zhao Rui had nothing better to do, or that he was just after a free meal.

After all, he was new here. Getting to know people and learning more about the situation would help him settle in.

He was a bit lazy and couldn’t be bothered to figure things out on his own.

Even though the three of them had just met, the meal was far from dull. When women want to get to know you, you’ll find the conversation never dies down.

They could always find all sorts of topics to bring up.

Especially when there was another girl with them.

"We haven’t had a day off in so long, not since the war started. Things are finally looking up. The dawn of peace has arrived," Qing Mei said.

"If there were true peace, the Court wouldn’t be making us all practice Martial Arts. Idiot!" Fei Yan rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I don’t believe for a second those bastards will behave themselves."

"Zhao Rui, what do you think?"

"Me? I don’t know. Maybe." Zhao Rui smiled. "To be honest, I don’t know much about military affairs."

’In truth, he already knew the answer.’

’The only way to stop the enemy for good is to physically eliminate them.’

"That’s right. In another year, you can go back to university. We’ll still be stuck here in the army!" Qing Mei sighed softly.

"When that time comes, we’ll visit you at your..."

Before she could finish, a young military officer strode toward them with a commanding presence.

"It’s Xu Shaolei!"

Fei Yan quickly ducked her head, leaning over the table and giving Qing Mei a sharp nudge.

At her words, Qing Mei craned her neck to look.

The officer sensed their gazes and glanced to the side before looking forward again, walking straight past their table without breaking his stride.

"Who’s that?" Zhao Rui asked curiously.

"The number one expert in our Army HQ," Fei Yan said with a pout. "But he’s super arrogant. I’ve never once seen him smile!"

With that, she glanced at the young man sitting across from her, her lips curving into a playful smile. "I think you’re way more handsome than he is!"

Zhao Rui just smiled, not taking the bait.

His gaze, however, followed the man who had just passed.

’The man can’t be that old, maybe twenty-six or twenty-seven, yet he’s known as the number one expert in the Army HQ.’

’He’s clearly more than just an ordinary Grandmaster.’

’I wonder what Martial Arts he knows. It can’t be anything ordinary.’

After a simple meal with the two women, Zhao Rui got to know them and promised to teach them some training techniques when he had time. Then he returned to his dormitory.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, after breakfast in the mess hall, Zhao Rui hurried to the army instructors’ office to report for duty.

The Grandmaster Martial Artists recruited from the various grassroots units were gathered here to be assigned by the Army HQ to teach Martial Arts to the soldiers.

When he got to the office and looked inside, he saw a group of familiar faces—people he had met before in the presence of the Army HQ’s leadership.

Including Zhao Rui, there were twelve of them in total.

They were all relatively young; the oldest was a middle-aged Martial Artist like Liu Huaijin, who was in his forties.

They all recognized each other and exchanged nods of greeting.

Perhaps because the war was now over, the atmosphere was completely different from their last meeting.

Everyone was much more inclined to chat idly amongst themselves.

Their moods were much more relaxed.

Some talked about what they would do after their service when they returned to the interior. Others discussed local characteristics, extending sincere invitations for Martial Dao exchanges.

The room was bustling and noisy, but it lacked the tension and oppressive atmosphere of wartime. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As the youngest and still a student, Zhao Rui wasn’t interested in their idle chatter. Most of the time, he just listened quietly.

They chatted like this for the better part of the morning before footsteps finally sounded outside the office.

A moment later, a deputy corps commander from the Army HQ strode in, flanked by two other men.

Zhao Rui glanced up and saw a familiar face from the day before.

It was Xu Shaolei, the Army HQ’s top expert. He stood behind the commander in a crisp military uniform, his expression stern and cold.

Next to him stood a middle-aged man with uneven eyes.

"Gentlemen, you’ve had a long journey. Thank you for your hard work. We’ve gathered you here today primarily to comprehensively improve our soldiers’ Martial Dao aptitude..."

The deputy corps commander spoke with ease for a few moments, then gestured to the two men at his side. "This is Major Xu Shaolei. He will be responsible for your Martial Arts instruction. Don’t let his youth fool you—Major Xu is a Dharma Realm expert!"

The moment he said this, every Grandmaster Martial Artist in the room was stunned.

Even Zhao Rui’s pupils contracted, his face a mask of astonishment.

’So young... I would’ve thought the Divine Void Realm was his limit, but he’s actually in the Dharma Realm.’

"Beside him is Major Hou Zeng. He will be in charge of your follow-up training. You can communicate with him regarding any issues that arise."

After finishing his introductions, the deputy corps commander offered a few more words of encouragement, stressed the importance and urgency of their task, and then left the conference room.

"Alright, time is short and our task is great. Everyone, follow me to the Martial Arts Arena. I will personally teach you this set of military Martial Arts. Once you have mastered it, you will in turn teach it to the officers and soldiers of all ranks."

Xu Shaolei finished speaking in a cold tone, then turned and walked out.

Though his expression was cold and aloof, none of the Martial Artists present felt his attitude was out of line.