Chen Sanshi studied the description of Backbone of the Army on his panel, quickly grasping its meaning.
Unshaken in the face of danger.
Just four simple words. Plain, straightforward—but they carried unimaginable weight.
In truth, for any army in the world to become a true "pack of tigers and wolves," the very first quality they needed was precisely those four words.
He'd already realized this while reading military treatises.
An army could be armed with the finest weapons and armor, but if its soldiers trembled at the sight of the enemy, what use was that?
Even the most intricate formation, if the troops broke under fear and chaos, would fall apart the moment danger struck. Only those who remained steady when the world collapsed could truly wield the power of formation.
Most ancient armies would crumble once their casualties exceeded 20%.
Xu Wencai once told him that the reason the Eight Garrisons were considered invincible was that they could withstand 50% casualties without breaking—and even when driven into despair, their formations remained unshaken.
To lose half of one's soldiers and still not rout—that was a terrifying statistic.
In the 57th year of the Yongchang Era, there had been a famous battle in the south involving the Xuanwu Garrison. They had the chance to retreat, yet chose instead to face the enemy head-on, fighting to the death until the very last man.
Of course, not every soldier had died. Some must have survived. But the fact that the records described it that way meant at least 90% had fallen in battle.
To fight like that… they must have carried an unshakable faith in their hearts.
If Backbone of the Army meant that Chen Sanshi could inspire soldiers to remain calm even in the face of annihilation, then one day, he would forge a true elite force of his own.
As for Prefect Ji harassing him—it was nothing but bullying.
Strength was part of it. But having no power or men under him was the bigger reason.
Even a commander with just 1,000 loyal soldiers wouldn't be easy to provoke.
No one would dare.
After the morning drills ended, Chen Sanshi went to the archery field for practice.
Though his main focus was martial cultivation, he refused to neglect any skill.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Each arrow he loosed from the Fifteen-Stone Bow struck the target with thunderous force. The straw targets woven from coarse grass fell one after another.
[Skill: Archery (Minor Achievement)]
[Progress: 205/1000]
Although the progress bar hadn't advanced to the next level, his archery skill was still improving steadily.
Now, Chen Sanshi could hit the bull's-eye from 150 paces—nearly 200 meters—with unerring precision.
That was far beyond the range and accuracy of a modern handgun.
A piercing cry echoed above him.
"Kreeee!"
Two massive eagles soared across the sky above the range.
Perfect timing.
He could use some live targets—and maybe earn a few taels of silver while at it.
Even two eagles could fetch several taels.
Mosquito meat was still meat, after all.
The higher one's cultivation climbed, the more resources it devoured. Chen Sanshi wasn't about to waste anything.
His gaze locked on the sky. He waited until the eagles dipped to the perfect height and angle before releasing his shot.
A triple-edged armor-piercing arrow whistled upward.
It tore through the clouds in an instant—one arrow, two kills.
"Kreeee!"
The shrill cries faded as the twin eagles plummeted to the ground with heavy thuds.
"Impossible! That's impossible!"
Chen Sanshi turned, startled, just as a young man around his own age came running over, face full of disbelief.
He had never seen this person before—definitely not from their garrison.
The youth held a bow in his hand, his expression half shock, half awe. "Brother, how did you do that?"
He mimicked the shooting motion excitedly. "Those two eagles were at least forty zhang above the ground—how could you possibly hit them from here?"
Chen Sanshi looked puzzled. "Do what?"
"I mean, how are you that accurate?" the youth said earnestly. "How heavy is your bow—ten-stone? Fifteen-stone? Mind if I try a shot?"
"Sorry, I'm a little busy," Chen Sanshi replied truthfully.
There were too many things he still had to grind, too many tasks piling up.
If he had more free time, he might have indulged the boy for a bit of small talk.
"One hundred taels!"
The youth suddenly offered, his tone full of sincerity. "Brother, if you agree to become my archery master, I'll pay you one hundred taels of silver every month!"
"…How much?"
Chen Sanshi thought he must've misheard.
"Is that too little?" the youth pressed quickly. "Two hundred taels! I really can't offer more—I left in a hurry and didn't bring much silver with me."
Two hundred taels, and he still called himself short on silver?
Chen Sanshi sized up the youth from head to toe.
The boy's clothes were finely tailored, his belt and jade pendant gleaming faintly. Even the bow in his hands was exquisitely carved, the patterns intricate and the wood clearly top grade.
Which young master's son is this?
But then again, who cared? Even if he were Prefect Ji's son, money sent straight to one's door shouldn't be turned away.
"Deal," Chen Sanshi said without hesitation. "Come to the training ground tomorrow. I'll teach you."
The youth's eyes lit up. "Great, Master!"
"No need to call me Master," Chen Sanshi muttered helplessly. This kid's quick to latch on, isn't he?
He waved his hand dismissively and walked away, leaving the boy grinning behind him.
"Who would've thought that in a small Poyang Thousand-Household Division, there's such a powerful officer!"
Sun Buqi couldn't stop replaying the scene in his mind.
A bow heavier than ten-stone, shooting birds from 150 paces away?
If that man were a tempering bone cultivator, wouldn't that mean each arrow could kill one instantly?
Two hundred taels of silver for a skill like that—an absolute bargain!
Forget spear practice!
"One hundred fifty paces…"
Sun Buqi raised his own bow, mimicking what he had seen.
But the training range didn't even have a target that far—120 paces was the limit, and he could barely make out the bull's-eye at that distance.
"Amazing! What an incredible man!"
Just as he was marveling to himself, something hard struck the back of his head.
"Sun Buqi!"
Sun Li stood behind him, her sheath in hand, face cold. "What are you doing here? Have you finished the investigation I assigned you?"
"Elder sister, can you not always hit my head?" Sun Buqi rubbed the sore spot and said seriously, "Don't worry, I've checked everything."
He began listing his findings, raising his fingers one by one.
"First, about Chen Sanshi.
"His background is clean. The date he joined the army checks out. He really started cultivating just over two months ago and is already close to tempering bone.
"In the Song family massacre, his contribution was huge.
"Apparently, it all started because someone from Tailei Martial Hall bullied one of his old neighbors. He couldn't stand it, so he killed several of the martial hall's disciples in the street.
"His courage is remarkable, and he doesn't forget his roots. Even after gaining rank, he still helps his old neighbors. Father will definitely like someone like him."
"Hmm."
Sun Li nodded in approval.
After spending a few days around her new junior brother, she had reached the same conclusion—he was hardworking and straightforward.
The only issue… was that his energy levels were a bit excessive. He seemed to have no shortage of stamina at night, constantly restless.
Still, he was young. It was understandable.
With that, the investigation into Chen Sanshi for the Elite Selection was officially complete.
Sun Li turned serious again. "And what about the Witch God Sect?"
"No sign of them, either inside or outside the city," Sun Buqi replied, rubbing his chin. "Could they have fled back to the grasslands?"
"If you can't find them in the city or countryside, then search the mountains."
Sun Li's tone was firm. "If they're not there either, look into the officials' homes and martial halls—including Xiang Tingchun's."
"Is that really necessary?" Sun Buqi looked uneasy. "The more I investigate, the stranger it feels. Maybe Father shouldn't have sent just the two of us—what if our cultivation levels aren't enough?"
"You're the one who didn't train hard enough earlier," Sun Li scolded, her expression stern. "Father has his reasons for arranging it this way. We'll follow orders. I'll go up the mountain with you this afternoon."
"Elder sister, I don't need to train anymore!" Sun Buqi's eyes lit up, full of excitement. "I just took a master—an incredible man! If I learn from him properly, I'll be able to kill a tempering bone cultivator with a flick of my finger!
"Hey, hey, don't walk away! I'm serious! It's only two hundred taels a month!"
…
Outside the apothecary, Chen Sanshi called out, "Medical Officer Jiang, prepare two servings of Bone-Nurturing Soup for me."
He paused. "Oh, and get a medicinal bath ready too."
"Medicinal bath, huh?" Medical Officer Jiang raised an eyebrow. "That'll cost one hundred taels. What, you bagged another rare beast?"
"No, but I ran into a rich young master."
Chen Sanshi grinned, pulling out fifty taels of silver to pay the deposit.
Once he drank this bowl of Bone-Nurturing Soup, he was confident—his breakthrough was close.