The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Hundreds of Great Tang military flags were hung all over the mountain, dancing amidst the wind, creating a grand and majestic sight. The thickest and tallest one was a yellow one which was almost a hundred meters long. Despite the long distance away, the reddish-gold word written on it was clear:

  “Kunwu!”

  “How majestic!”

  Wei Hao said exaggeratedly as he glanced into the distance.

  The others didn’t say anything but internally, they were overwhelmed with shock by the massive formation before them. Of the Three Great Training Camps, Kunwu was directed toward normal civilians. If even Kunwu’s setup was like this, it was unimaginable what Shenwei and Longwei looked like.

  “Given that the various bureaus of the royal court, along with the Imperial Army, have collaborated with one another on this matter, the efficiency is indeed remarkable.”

  Wang Chong thought as he looked at the camp from the distance.

  In his previous life, Wang Chong was unfated with the Three Great Training Camps. On top of that, the Three Great Training Camps weren’t places that any casual passer-by could approach easily. Thus, this was the first time Wang Chong was seeing Kunwu Training Camp.

  The construction work for his training ground on the spirit vein probably earlier than the Three Great Training Camps but in terms of degree of completion and scale, it paled far to Kunwu Training Camp.

  “Wei Hao, don’t get careless on the mountain later on. The Kunwu Training Camp might be the easiest to enter of the Three Great Training Camps but if you think that you’re invincible inside and a place is guaranteed for you, you might just end up being sent back home.”

  Wang Chong suddenly turned to Wei Hao and said. Standing right before Kunwu Training Camp, he felt that there was some things he should remind his brothers of in advance so as to prepare them.

  “Are you joking? I’ve already at Origin Energy Tier 7 and I’m even capable of exerting the Mountain Ascension Might now. It can’t be that everyone in this Kunwu Training Camp is Origin Energy Tier 8, right?”

  Wei Hao exclaimed in disbelief. His cultivation had surged immensely in the past few months. For some reason, the Mountain Ascension Formula that Wang Chong gave him seemed to be exceptionally compatible with him, as though it was tailored just for him.

  Due to this, his confidence surged as well. That was also why so many scions had decided to follow him.

  Yet, Wang Chong said that there was a possibility that he might fail the entrance examination to Kunwu Training Camp. How could Wei Hao possibly believe it?

  “Hmph, is that so? Do you think that martial art is all about clash of strength? You might possess immense strength but you lack skill and dexterity. You might still be able to deal with average martial artists but true experts will be able to see through your flaws and start exploiting them within a few blows. The dumb bird starts learning to fly early—those who applied to Kunwu Training Camp might have come from humble backgrounds, but that’s precisely the reason why they put in much more effort than us.”

  “Furthermore, Kunwu Training Camp is specifically created for civilians so the competition for it will be far more intense than what you expect. All those who managed to earn the qualification to enter Kunwu Training Camp today are those who have emerged victorious in an intense fight against a huge group of contenders.”

  “All of them are the elites of the elites. Just by how they were able to stand above so many people, do you think that they’ll be unable to discern your flaws?”

  Wang Chong’s words shocked the group. Miyasame Ayaka didn’t expect the Kunwu Training Camp to be so competitive whereas a bizarre glint shone in Li Zhuxin’s eyes.

  It wasn’t surprising for there to be intense competition among the civilians. What was surprising was for Wang Chong, despite coming from an affluent clan of generals and ministers who worried not for his food and clothes, to understand this, that was truly a rare and valuable trait.

  “No way!”

  On the other hand, Wei Hao failed to consider this aspect before so so he was astounded by Wang Chong’s words. “That seems like making a mountain out of a molehill!”

  But Wang Chong didn’t bother explaining any further.

  Given Wang Chong’s ability and accomplishments, he could easily pick any of the Three Great Training Camps. It wasn’t on a whim or anything that he chose Kunwu Training Camp. Rather, he had considered the matter properly and determined that this was the best course of action.

  Shenwei and Longwei were more famous of the three, and those inside were either nobles or offsprings of prestigious clans. However, time would prove that the true talents and experts were all gathered within Kunwu.

  Nearly ninety percent of the rising generals of Great Tang would appear from Kunwu.

  And Wang Chong didn’t think that this fact would change due to his prior actions!

  ‘The offsprings of a poor family mature faster’, the very nature of Kunwu Training Camp made it inevitable that it would become the most outstanding of the Three Great Training Camps. The words that Wang Chong had just told Wei Hao weren’t lies, it was his actual evaluation based on the trainees of Kunwu Training Camp in his previous life.

  These people had no background, resulting in their limited training resources. Thus, they could only make up for their insufficiencies through frenzied hard work.

  Wei Hao’s diligence was indeed impressive among his scion peers, but it was nothing much compared to these people.

  There were many that were more frenzied and hard working than him when it came to training.

  What these people lacked weren’t aptitude, wisdom, or diligence. What they lacked were cultivation resources! Once they obtain sufficient resources from the training camp, their abilities would soar in an instant.

  Like the saying goes, it was impossible for an individual tree to form a forest.

  If Wang Chong wanted to change the fate of the empire, he had to find peers and aides who shared the same vision as him, and Kunwu was the best place to do so.

  “… In any case, just remember this. If someone attacks the back of your right thigh, use the ‘Tiger Ascending Mountain’ and ‘Dragon Ascending Mountain’ of the Mountain Ascension Formula to retaliate. As long as you do so, you shouldn’t fail the examination.”

  After recovering from his momentary daze, Wang Chong said.

  “Got it.”

  Wei Hao nodded his head with a slightly fearful expression. Even though he found the matter hard to believe, he didn’t think that Wang Chong would lie to him.

  They were still a distance away from Kunwu Training Camp but Wei Hao could already foresee the entrance examination being harder than that of Shenwei and Longwei.

  ——Wang Chong had already pointed it out so clearly to him. He would be truly foolish if he didn’t start raising his game.

  “Also, later when you’re on the mountain, look for a plump, bearded instructor for your test. Don’t bother about the other instructors, just go straight for him. It’ll definitely be beneficial to you!”

  Wang Chong said.

  Trainees in Kunwu Training Camp were divided into various sections and each section would be led by a different instructor. Each instructor would impart the fundamentals to the trainee and guide their training.

  The instructor that Wang Chong mentioned was the instructor who was the most adept in henglian in Kunwu, which bore extremely high compatibility with Wei Hao’s Mountain Ascension Formula. Most of the students taught by this instructor eventually went on to become valiant generals who led their troops at the forefront of the formation.

  In the future battlefield, this instructor and his students would make a huge name for themselves. Just that, at this very moment… due to the instructor’s chubby appearance, there weren’t many people who thought highly of him.

  Many people were unwilling to come under him, thus missing this opportunity.

  If nothing changes, three years from now, that instructor will b
e promoted to a higher-ranked commander and by then, he wouldn’t take any new trainees anymore. If Wei Hao wanted to progress further, this was his chance.

  The future had already changed so Wang Chong couldn’t say for sure whether the plump instructor would be there or not. Even so, he felt that this was an opportunity that Wei Hao shouldn’t miss if possible.

  “Yes, Wang Chong. Don’t worry, I got it.”

  Seeing Wang Chong’s grave expression, Wei Hao nodded grimly. Their long relationship had given Wei Hao unreserved trust toward Wang Chong.

  “Zhao Jingdian, you should follow me later on!”

  Wang Chong turned around and faced Zhao Jingdian. They had been good brothers in their previous life so there was no need for Zhao Jingdian to look for any other instructors.

  He was the best one for him.

  “Yes, gongzi!”

  Zhao Jingdian respectfully replied without any hesitation.

  Wang Chong was the offspring of Duke Jiu, the future successor of the Wang Clan. The Zhao Clan had been following the Wang Clan ever since his grandfather’s generation, and in his heart, he had already viewed Wang Chong as his future liege.

  Di da!

  The sound of galloping echoed once more as the group headed for Kunwu Training Camp, leaving behind a trail of dust in their wake.

  I do regret not putting ‘bureau’ as ‘ministry’ but *shrugs*

  Anyway, for those who are slightly confused, Bureau of Military Personnel mainly deals with military matters whereas Bureau of Personnel deals with the governance side.

  henglian is one of the three main classifications of martial arts.

  It refers to the act of persistently dishing out damage to a certain part of your body so as to strengthen it.

  For example, if you have heard of the Iron Head Technique of Shaolin Monastery, they train by knocking their head on objects, starting from softer ones and going for harder ones as they progress. That is considered as henglian.

  And just to leave some words for those reading on aggregator sites,

  The version you are reading has been stolen from www.starvearchive.com

  Chapter 189: Marchioness Yi!

  “Gongzi, we’ll have to send you off at this point!”

  Around several li later, Li Zhuxin and Miyasame Ayaka suddenly stopped. Their complexion didn’t look too well.

  Li Zhuxin was still fine but Miyasame Ayaka’s face was already ghastly pale.

  “There are too many experts on the mountain. Putting aside the True Martial realm martial artists, there are quite a few Profound Martial realm experts as well. Ayaka and I will be seeing you off here.”

  The cultivation of the duo was far higher than Wang Chong, Wei Hao, Zhao Jingdian, and the others, and thus, they could sense the pressure from those experts on the mountain far more acutely than them. On top of that, the pressure seemed to be focused on them. They could clearly sense the dense hostility coming from the innumerable experts around the Kunwu Training Camp.

  All this left Li Zhuxin and Miyasame Ayaka in great discomfort.

  “Huh? Why can’t I sense anything at all?”

  Wei Hao looked around in bewilderment.

  “It’s fine, the two of you should return first then.”

  Wang Chong raised a hand to stop Wei Hao before waving his hands and dismissing the duo. Their words had reminded Wang Chong of something.

  The Three Great Training Camps were intentionally to prevent the various trainees from bringing their personal bodyguards or servants to the training grounds. For this purpose, experts were stationed around the various camps, and they could easily determine whether one was a trainee or a servant even from afar.

  Without a doubt, the pressure that Li Zhuxin and Miyasame Ayaka felt must have come from them.

  Given how the other party was able to synchronise the auras of all the Imperial Army members in the vicinity to exert a mountain-like pressure on any uninvited guest, Wang Chong was sure that there were experts of the royal family among them.

  With experts of such caliber standing guard, it was completely impossible for Li Zhuxin and Miyasame Ayaka to enter.

  “Miyasame Ayaka, help me look after my cousin. Get rid of anyone who wishes to do him harm from the shadows and escort him all the way to the ocean.”

  “Mister Li, take care of Zhang Munian for me.”

  Since Wang Chong wouldn’t require the help of these two top-notch experts for the time being, he decided to dispatch them for other purposes.

  “Yes, gongzi.”

  The duo hurriedly turned around and left along with Shen Hai, Meng Long, and the rest of the guards, leaving behind only Wang Chong, Zhao Jingdian, Wei Hao, and the other scions.

  Several massive tents were erected at the foot of the mountain, and at the top of each individual tent, a military flag with the word ‘Kunwu’ written on it fluttered in the wind. On this aspect, Kunwu Training Camp didn’t seem any different from an ordinary military barrack.

  Flashing their qualification tokens, Wang Chong, Wei Hao, Zhao Jingdian, and the other scions managed to get past the sentry without any problems and they began heading up the mountain.

  The mountain chosen for Kunwu Training Camp was the highest one within a radius of a hundred li. Walking on this immense mountain, one couldn’t help but feel as insignificant as an ant.

  Tents were erected in all around the mountain from the foot to the top, and stationed around these tents were powerful black-armored guards.

  There were already many people on the mountain by the time Wang Chong and the group was proceeding up the mountain with their mount in hand

  “That’s weird. Why are there so many scions and nobles here?”

  Taking a glance around, Wang Chong muttered with a frown.

  The members of Kunwu Training Camp should comprise mainly civilians but for some reason, Wang Chong found a significant number of scions among the mix. Dressed in silk robes, it was clear that they came from affluent clans with a single glance.

  On top of that, there was quite a number of them.

  Most of the scions and nobles should have been at Shenwei and Longwei Training Camp. Why were they appearing here instead? Could this be a result of his intervention?

  Wang Chong was bewildered.

  The scions behind Wei Hao looked at one another hesitantly. There was a bizarre expression on their faces.

  “Gongzi, do you really not know?”

  One of the scions finally asked.

  “Know what?”

  Wang Chong was even more intrigued now. The situation in Kunwu Training Camp was very different from how he remembered it to be. Kunwu Training Camp was a significant chain in his plans so he had to view this aberrance with utmost importance.

  Wang Chong was just asking this question casually, not expecting anyone to reply it at all. Yet, Wei Hao’s followers seemed to know the answer to his doubts.

  “Hahaha, Wang Chong, it seems like you’re indeed uninformed. Let me ask you then. Of the Three Great Training Camps, Shenwei, Longwei, and Kunwu, which one is the most popular?”

  Upon hearing Wang Chong’s doubt, Wei Hao couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Of course it’s Shenwei and Longwei, is there even any doubt about it?”

  Wang Chong answered without any hesitation.

  “Hahaha, you’re indeed unaware of it. Let me tell you then, the most popular camp right now isn’t Shenwei or Longwei, but Kunwu!”

  “How can that be?”

  Wang Chong was completely dumbfounded. What was this situation? However, Wei Hao didn’t seem like he was joking with him, and this only left Wang Chong even more baffled.

  “Why?”

  Wang Chong asked. Could it be that the path of this world had changed from the moment he leaped back in time?

  “Gongzi, are you truly unaware of it? It’s all because of you!”

  A scion finally couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

  “Because of me?”

  W
ang Chong answered with a blank look on his face. He couldn’t process those words for a moment.

  “Hehe, it seems like he really doesn’t know.”

  Wei Hao turned around to look at Wang Chong and smiled mysteriously.

  “Wang Chong, you’re probably the only one left in the dark. For the Three Great Training Camps, do you know whose movements is everyone the most concerned with? Hehe, it is you!”

  “While you’re still in the imperial prison, everyone has already been trying to look into which of the Three Great Training Camps you are intending choose. It just happens that I know something about it so I helped you spread the news a little.”

  “Of the entire Great Tang, the one closest with the Han faction is you. Everyone has been saying that as long as one follows you, no matter which camp one goes to, one will definitely enjoy a smooth-sailing career. Shouldn’t it be obvious given how even I have followed you to Kunwu?”

  Wei Hao smiled gleefully.

  “Kunwu Training Camp is known to be the worst of the Three Great Training Camps, but due to gongzi‘s halo, it has become the most popular one at the moment. While part of the reason why we’re here is due to Wei gongzi, another part is actually due to you. Otherwise, even if we wanted to join Kunwu Training Camp, our clans would definitely oppose to it!”

  One of the scions behind Wei Hao added.

  “So it’s because of the regional commanders incident?”

  Wang Chong fell silent. Only now did he realize that he had been severely underestimating the impact of the matter. After all, it had only been two days since he was released from the imperial prison so he didn’t have sufficient time to get a good grasp on the current situation.

  Due to the close proximity in the timing of the matter with the implementation of the Three Great Training Camps, it was no wonder why he would influence the decisions of the scions and nobles.

  Even though Wang Chong was slightly astounded by the abrupt turn of events, this might turn out to be beneficial for his plans.

  “Hm? That’s weird. Why are there ladies in the training camp?”

  Suddenly, at around several hundred meters away, Wei Hao seemed to have noticed something and he suddenly exclaimed.