CHAPTER 271: CHAPTER 141 GESTURE_3

They’ve only been apart for a few months; no matter how strong Li Xiu’s physique is, how strong can he become? It’s hard to compete with those veteran Trial Takers, so there’s no need to act recklessly.

"With me here, don’t worry." Li Xiu said as he headed towards the still-open door.

Hearing Li Xiu say this, Shale didn’t argue further and followed Li Xiu inside. He had an inexplicable trust in Li Xiu.

After entering the Trial Gate, Li Xiu and Shale appeared on the stands of an arena, where Doge and his men were also present.

"You two really dared to come in." Doge saw Li Xiu and Shale and immediately laughed, "I appreciate your courage, but impulsiveness comes at a price—you’ll have to leave your lives here."

Doge said this as he walked towards Li Xiu but was stopped by a tall man behind him.

"Doge, stand back; you’re not his match." The man said sternly, his eyes fierce, staring at Li Xiu like a beast waiting to strike, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

"Didn’t you hear that? Little henchmen should step aside." Shale said with a smirk.

Now that things had reached this point, Shale wasn’t going to hold back. When it comes to sharp tongues, Shale was no less venomous than Doge.

Doge’s face darkened, but he didn’t dare say anything further, obediently stepping aside to stand behind the man.

"That’s more like it; a dog should act like a dog." Shale said mercilessly.

Doge’s face turned extremely sour but he dared not retort. The man glanced at the Fire Lotus Sword on Li Xiu’s waist and the Dark Mirror on his face, saying expressionlessly, "Commander Pan of the 4th Army of the Guyue Corps. How should I address you?"

"Li Xiu, Shale’s friend." Li Xiu replied.

"Are you a soldier?" Pan frowned, clearly displeased by Li Xiu’s lack of military identification.

"I’m not a soldier." Li Xiu said.

Pan slightly frowned; he didn’t believe Li Xiu because Li Xiu had the demeanor of a soldier—a trait only honed between life and death on the battlefield. Ordinary people couldn’t possess such qualities.

"Since you’re not a soldier, I see no need to observe military etiquette." Pan said as he slowly approached Li Xiu.

"Do you only adhere to etiquette with soldiers?" Li Xiu looked at Pan and asked.

"Not everyone is worthy of respect." Pan replied.

"What about respectable non-military individuals?" Li Xiu asked again.

"I’m not God; I don’t distinguish between good and bad, so my principle is this: soldiers are worthy of respect, and you’re not a soldier." Pan said, now within two meters, clenching his fist.

"How about this then?" Li Xiu extended his right hand, making a peculiar gesture.

Pan stopped in his tracks upon seeing Li Xiu’s gesture, staring fixedly at Li Xiu’s right hand.

"What’s your code name?" Pan asked, eyeing Li Xiu’s right hand.

"Forgotten." Li Xiu answered.

The soldiers behind Pan were puzzled, not understanding why Pan stopped or what Li Xiu’s gesture meant.

Swish!

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Pan suddenly stood at attention, his posture straight as a rod, saluting Li Xiu with formal military etiquette.

Doge and his companions were utterly shocked, jaws almost dropping to the ground.

Pan was the commander of the 4th Army of the Guyue Corps, second only to the overall commander of the Guyue Corps. In Guyue City, only two individuals were above Pan in rank: the overall commander of the Guyue Corps and the City Lord. At most, others were on par with Pan.

Now, Pan was saluting formally, as though being reviewed by a superior, which made their hearts race.

"Who is this guy? The Guyue City Lord? The Overall Commander of the Guyue Corps? That’s impossible; I’ve seen those two from afar, and they aren’t this young..." Doge was stunned, cold sweat pouring down his back.

Even Pan was treating him with such deference, Doge shuddered at the thought and cold sweat ran down his forehead.

Shale was also caught off guard, perplexed at how things had turned out this way; he was ready for a fight.

"Thank you for remembering." Li Xiu lowered his hand and smiled at Pan.

He knew Pan, but Pan didn’t know him. Back when Li Xiu was testing Demon Armor for Space City in their No.1 laboratory, he hunted magical creatures at the border area with the Southern Cross Federation.

At the time, tensions between Space City and the Southern Cross Federation were high, with occasional skirmishes erupting.

Li Xiu wasn’t a soldier of Space City and didn’t participate in the war; he was only responsible for testing the new Demon Armor, opting to hunt magical creatures in the area for testing because of frequent magical creature appearances.

Because of frequent battles, Li Xiu didn’t want the Southern Cross Federation soldiers to mistake him for an invading enemy, hence using this gesture.

This gesture signified to Southern Cross Federation soldiers that he wasn’t an enemy.

Initially, the Southern Cross Federation ignored his gesture, treating him as an invader and dispatching Magic Armor Masters against him.

Yet no matter how powerful the Magic Armor Masters they sent, Li Xiu defeated them effortlessly, never injuring anyone or attacking Southern Cross Federation territories—only hunting magical creatures in the area.

Eventually, the Southern Cross Federation soldiers realized Li Xiu wasn’t an enemy, merely hunting magical creatures; otherwise, the Southern Cross army would’ve been overrun.

Later, whenever Southern Cross Federation soldiers saw a Magic Armor Master using this gesture, they would proactively return the salute.

This gesture seemed simple, but achieving it was not easy. Many imitated it—struggling due to joint and finger length limitations—and failed to perform it correctly.

Pan, serving as a member of the Southern Cross Federation army, was stationed there for a while.

At his post, the base suffered a surprise magical creature attack without warning, resulting in severe casualties due to the absence of a Magic Armor Master.

Everyone thought the base was doomed, but Li Xiu arrived, controlling the Demon Armor to slay the creature.

As Li Xiu prepared to leave, Pan loudly asked for his code name.

Li Xiu replied that he forgot the code name because he was testing Demon Armor, never expecting Pan to remember.