Chapter 146: The Might of a Single Punch

The frontier soldiers never expected Shang Lu to be so arrogant.

On their way to Luoshu County, they had inquired about the situation and learned that Shang Lu had been nothing more than a minor constable not long ago, almost failing his performance review.

In the frontier army, a person like that would at most qualify as a squad leader.

Even with some stroke of fortune that caused his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds, how could he possibly have broken through to the Marrow Cleansing realm all of a sudden?

Therefore, the frontier soldiers could not fathom where Shang Lu got the audacity to act with such arrogance.

Could he be relying on some magical treasure given by a witchcraft officer?

For a moment, the frontier soldiers hesitated and grew uncertain. No one responded to Shang Lu's challenge, and a murmur of whispering spread through the noisy crowd.

They still held a deep fear of the methods used by witchcraft officers.

On the battlefield, they had witnessed the terrifying power of witchcraft officers all too often.

Seeing this, Shang Lu sneered, "What, no one accepts my challenge? Are you all cowards?"

Du Feng went all out with his taunts, adding fuel to the fire: "If you don't even have this bit of courage, what's with all the clamor? Our lord has given you a chance, but since you are useless yourselves, don't go whining and making a fuss hereafter!"

The two of them worked in tandem, successfully stirring up the anger of the frontier soldiers.

Immediately, several troopers stepped forward to challenge Shang Lu, but they were glared back into the ranks by a short, surname-Feng centurion.

After a brief moment of thought, the centurion named Feng pointed at a platoon leader.

"Old Chen, go and accompany the County Lieutenant for a couple of moves."

This platoon leader was at the threshold of the Meridian Opening realm. The centurion intended to use him to test the waters and gauge Shang Lu's true strength.

If Shang Lu's cultivation was merely at the Bone Forging realm, facing someone just entering the Meridian Opening realm wouldn't result in too miserable a defeat or a complete loss of face.

Even if his cultivation was above the Meridian Opening realm, or if he truly possessed a treasure bestowed by a witchcraft officer, Platoon Leader Chen's strength would still be enough to flush out the details.

Platoon Leader Chen cupped his fists in acknowledgment of the order and stepped out of the ranks, determined to teach Shang Lu a lesson.

What kind of situations had they not witnessed on the frontier? They certainly wouldn't be frightened by a mere County Lieutenant.

Besides, it was Shang Lu who had asked for a challenge, and he was simply following orders.

The centurion named Feng lowered his voice to instruct him: "Exercise some restraint when you fight, and don't injure him too badly. Also, keep your guard up—he might have some treasure given to him by a witchcraft officer."

"Understood," Platoon Leader Chen nodded and replied in a low voice.

Seeing him step forward, those familiar with him in the formation began to cheer him on.

"Old Chen, we've been through blood and blades, don't disgrace us!"

"That's right, keep your spirits up!"

Hearing these words, Platoon Leader Chen immediately puffed out his chest and held his head high.

Before the fight had even begun, he carried himself like a victorious general returning from battle.

This instantly drew another wave of applause and cheers from the crowd: "Well done!"

Platoon Leader Chen stepped out of the formation and cupped his fists toward Shang Lu.

"This subordinate, Chen Qian, is here to ask the County Lieutenant for guidance on a few moves. I hope you will show mercy and not hurt me too severely."

Before Shang Lu could say anything, the surrounding crowd burst into uproarious laughter.

Everyone felt that Chen Qian's words were a deliberate mockery of Shang Lu.

They knew Chen Qian's abilities very well; despite only being at the threshold of the Meridian Opening realm, he was fierce in combat and possessed vast experience. Even someone with accomplished Meridian Opening cultivation might not necessarily be able to defeat him.

Having finished speaking, Chen Qian did not even draw his sabre. Instead, he raised his fists into a starting stance and waited for Shang Lu to make the first move.

However, Shang Lu looked him up and down and simply shook his head: "You won't do. Send someone else."

Chen Qian chuckled in disbelief: "Change someone? Could the County Lieutenant be afraid? Among the platoon leaders, my cultivation is the weakest. If you want someone else, you'll have to pick a squad leader or a regular trooper... But you are the County Lieutenant; isn't it beneath your dignity to fight them?"

Shang Lu was not angry at all; instead, he smiled and said, "It is precisely because you are too weak that I must ask for someone else. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back my strength and might fail to show mercy."

Chen Qian froze in astonishment, and then anger flared in his eyes: "Does the County Lieutenant look down on me that much? I don't want your mercy—just watch and see whether I am really that weak!"

Without waiting for Shang Lu to respond, he launched his attack, though he remembered to issue a warning: "County Lieutenant, take my blow—"

Stamping his feet hard against the ground, Chen Qian lunged forward like a fierce tiger descending from the mountain, bursting forth with blistering speed and an overwhelmingly ferocious momentum!

Du Feng and Liu Zhi, standing beside Shang Lu, both changed expressions instantly. In a split second, they had an illusion, as if it were not a man lunging at them, but a savage beast!

A terrifying beast ready to leap forward and devour its prey!

These men of the frontier army had all killed their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Their techniques retained a strong battlefield style.

Simple, direct, and hitting with full force from the very first strike.

Using the fastest speed and the greatest strength to slaughter the enemy before them in the shortest possible time!

"Good!"

Unlike the shock shown by Du Feng and Liu Zhi, the men of the frontier army cheered in unison.

Only the centurion named Feng frowned and muttered under his breath, "Old Chen, that bastard, I told him to mind his restraint, and he's thrown it all to the winds!"

Secretly channeling his internal energy, he prepared to step in and intercept Chen Qian to save Shang Lu the moment the situation turned sour.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Qian closed the distance to Shang Lu and threw a punch. The force of his fist shattered the air with a whistling sound akin to rolling thunder.

Facing Chen Qian's aggressive charge, Shang Lu did not dodge or evade; he simply raised his right hand.

There was no discernible speed in his right hand, nor any terrifying pressure radiating from it, yet somehow, Chen Qian found himself unable to dodge.

Even the onlookers had an illusion that it was Chen Qian who had deliberately crashed straight into Shang Lu's right hand.

"Boom—"

Their fists collided.

Chen Qian's thunderous punch, which had carried such an astonishing momentum, was like crashing into a giant wall, shattering instantly.

The tremendous force sent Chen Qian flying backward like a kite with a broken string amidst a muffled thud.

Finally, he hit the ground with a heavy thump, landing in a corner of the drill field, motionless.

An absolute silence fell over the drill field.

No one had expected that Chen Qian, who had charged in with such formidable momentum, would be defeated so easily by Shang Lu.

And defeated so quickly, so thoroughly!

Shang Lu withdrew his right hand, instructed the local militia centurion to quickly fetch a physician, and then took out a box of medicinal ointment, saying to the frontier soldiers, "Rest assured, Platoon Leader Chen's life is not in danger. However, the bones in his hand have been shattered by the impact, so he will need careful recuperation... I have healing ointment here, you should apply it to him immediately."

A few frontier soldiers took the ointment and rushed over to check on Chen Qian's condition.

They found that Chen Qian's life was indeed safe and he hadn't even passed out, but the intense pain throughout his body coupled with his scattered Qi meant he was temporarily unable to crawl back up.

Of course, he had too much pride left to crawl up anyway.

Just a moment earlier, he had declared that he would let Shang Lu see whether he was weak, only to be knocked flying with a single punch...

Although Shang Lu's punch hadn't landed on his face, it felt as though his face had been thoroughly swollen, leaving him far too ashamed to get up.

Shang Lu glanced at the two centurions, deciding not to rush them into fighting him directly, and instead turned his gaze toward the other three platoon leaders.

Shang Lu wanted to test these men's strength to gain a firsthand understanding of their capabilities.

At the same time, he wanted to use them as sparring partners to consolidate his newly-broken-through cultivation realm.

"The three of you platoon leaders, come together!"

The three platoon leaders looked at the two centurions beside them, and upon seeing them nod, stepped out of the ranks.

"If you have reliable weapons, feel free to bring them," Shang Lu added, "Let me test your skills with weaponry."

Hearing this, the three platoon leaders stood on no ceremony.

One picked up a large shield to take the front position, with a short sabre tucked at his waist.

Another wielded a long spear, hiding behind the shield, while the third carried a sabre and a bow, aiming directly at Shang Lu.

Though there were only three of them, they had formed a proper battle formation.

The Qi of the three platoon leaders intertwined through the formation, not only erupting into a stern, iron-blooded killing intent, but also enhancing each of their individual auras to a certain degree.

Even though they were merely at the threshold of the Meridian Opening realm, relying on their formation and coordination, they would have the strength to fight an enemy at the accomplished Meridian Opening stage!

*This is good,* Shang Lu thought, his eyes lighting up. Once he subdued this group of frontier soldiers, he would definitely make them teach this set of battle formation techniques to the men in the county yamen.

"County Lieutenant, please offer us your guidance!" the three platoon leaders said in unison.

This time, there was no mockery in their tone.

In the frontier army, strength was everything.

The punch Shang Lu had just delivered had demonstrated his power and earned him the respect of the frontier soldiers.

However, to truly make them submit from the heart, he would need to display even greater strength!

"Make your move!"

Shang Lu beckoned with his hand.

His response was the thunderous twang of a bowstring.

The archer platoon leader unleashed his rapid-firing archery skill.

In an instant, he fired three arrows in succession, swift as lightning, aiming straight for Shang Lu's throat, chest, and lower dantian!