CHAPTER 604: CHAPTER 369: I AM OF NO USE TO YOU

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Yan Xiaobao didn’t pay attention and continued speaking, "I want everyone to split up. The Thousand-man Commander over there. The Two Thousand-man Commander move here." Twice, he pointed toward different areas of the training grounds; however, considering that the Emperors were still conversing among themselves, many people couldn’t hear his words. The young man ignored them and kept designating positions for the Five Thousand-man Commander and eventually pointed to the Commander of Ten Thousand People. Although he instructed the Emperors to find their positions, only a few were truly moved. Most of the others remained busy chatting, not paying attention to what he wanted them to do.

Seeing this, Yan Xiaobao’s eyes darkened, and his voice, the same as it had been just moments before, rang out, "Those so-called experts who ignore me—I’ll simply report to your Lord that you are useless to me. If you can’t even follow a simple order, I can’t trust you to be a commander in the army."

Though the tone of his voice was as strong as ever, his words instantly quieted the murmuring crowd, who now stared at Yan Xiaobao. Some experts opened their mouths, their expressions filled with disbelief, but when they looked at the young King standing in the arena, they saw a hard, unyielding face, void of any sign of regret. It was clear—he was completely serious.

Witnessing this sudden development unfold on stage, it wasn’t long before all the experts began to compose themselves, arranging themselves by their rankings within the military hierarchy.

"This young man is truly skilled," one of the Lords remarked after seeing how Yan Xiaobao managed to bring order to all the experts. "Our Emperor may not know we’re watching, but he’s absolutely aware of it. To threaten them like this, all while knowing we’re already observing everything... I can’t wait to see what he’ll do next."

As they continued to watch the experts standing before them, Yan Xiaobao’s icy blue eyes remained merciless. Yan Xiaobao was fully aware that these so-called experts looked down on him—they were clearly displeased to have to follow his orders. On the other hand, Yan Xiaobao himself felt no satisfaction dealing with these so-called experts, as they didn’t understand the true meaning of war.

"I am here to teach you the meaning of war," Yan Xiaobao proclaimed. This time, no one dared interrupt him as he spoke. Although Yan Xiaobao was weaker than them, they all knew one thing—he was here under orders from their Lord. To oppose him, to fail in battle, would shame their Lord. No guard could tolerate seeing their Lord humiliated. Thus, they all listened carefully to Yan Xiaobao’s words.

"In war, what matters is not your personal honor, nor the glory of your Lords. In war, you are fighting for the Divine Domain, and to the Divine Domain, you are merely chess pieces ensuring victory in battle."

"Thousand-man Commanders, all those under you will be divided into groups of five. The primary task of these groups will be to ensure their survival. Survival and teamwork are the principles they must remember. Within these five-person teams, they must work together to destroy the waves of humans being sent against us. By having five experts look out for one another, none of the human onslaught should be able to kill even one of them while leaving the rest vulnerable. Even if this feels like the strong oppressing the weak, this is war. In such times, there is no room for honor or dignity. Anything goes in war—as long as it ensures victory, everything is permitted."

Yan Xiaobao’s words left many experts looking at him in dejection. These were cultivators, not warriors. To them, fighting weaker enemies was already a lowly task, but to actively strategize against them—it felt even more disgraceful. What Yan Xiaobao was demanding of them went against everything they believed in. Even the Saints standing farther away, overhearing his words, had fallen silent at this moment.

Yan Xiaobao observed the dejected expressions and heaved a sigh. The pride ingrained in these guards was difficult to extinguish. Making them understand they had no choice but to succeed in war was an even greater challenge. Convincing them that unity was the key to defeating the waves of soldiers was the only way Yan Xiaobao could guarantee success in this war. Yet, figuring out how to achieve this monumental change in these proud cultivators was not something Yan Xiaobao felt entirely sure of.

Yan Xiaobao sighed again, gazing at the experts before him. "Do not think of war as a duel. This war is one we cannot afford to lose. We must claim victory, and to do so, we need to unleash our most powerful warriors to obliterate the Siban Empire’s army. Although we are strong, the nation we are up against commands a vast army. As an Empire, their soldiers have been rigorously trained from the very beginning. Each one is prepared to lay down their life to win the war. They will carry out suicide attacks, one after another. To them, death is a source of pride. They will continue attacking until they manage to kill even one of our experts. For them, sacrificing twenty ordinary soldiers to take the life of just one King-level expert would be cause for celebration. Now, tell me, although your rank far surpasses that of ordinary soldiers, do you possess the resolve to sacrifice your life for victory in this war? Do you have the courage to attack a Saint, even if it means trading your life for theirs?"