Li Dao opened the Gale Blade Technique. Unlike the cultivation manual, it was a combination of images and text.
As before, he first relied on his memory to quickly memorize the entire contents of the book.
Once he was done, he tucked the manual back into his chest.
Since he had no blade to practice with, Li Dao could only visualize the movements of the technique in his mind.
Perhaps it was because his body enhancement had strengthened him comprehensively—his mental capabilities had also reached ten times that of an average person.
Even just imagining the movements in his mind, he could clearly recreate the techniques described in the Gale Blade Technique manual.
Half an hour later—
Li Dao opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing in them.
He looked at his hands and felt something stirring.
It was as if, with a blade in hand, he could perfectly execute the Gale Blade Technique.
He even recalled his earlier fight with the Northern Barbarian commander and felt that he could now easily see through the man’s techniques.
If that commander were to appear in front of him again, even without relying on his enhanced physique, Li Dao felt confident he could suppress the opponent’s blade technique using Gale Blade, and defeat him.
“Is this like a new skill that comes with a stronger body?” he muttered.
Li Dao had initially believed that with his physical strength constantly growing, he was destined to walk the path of “overwhelming force crushes all techniques.”
But to his surprise, strengthening his body also enhanced his mind to such a degree that he could quickly master a blade technique.
Although the Gale Blade Technique was relatively simple, the fact that he could perfectly learn it just by reading and mentally rehearsing it was absurdly powerful.
He couldn’t help but wonder—what if he combined overwhelming force and unmatched skill?
That might really be something.
A superhuman body paired with superhuman killing technique—who could stop him?
As long as he could overpower his enemies physically, cutting them down would only be a matter of time.
Thinking this way, he cared even less about the minor issue of not being able to cultivate.
In fact, if he really thought about it, his endlessly strengthening body was a kind of cultivation—just a different path from cultivating inner energy.
His path was more like “external hardening.”
Time passed slowly.
Perhaps due to the heavy casualties from the last mission, a whole week went by without a new assignment for the death row inmates.
Li Dao spent his time in prison either dozing off or studying the Gale Blade Technique, trying to modify it using his enhanced intellect to better suit himself.
And it actually worked. After seven days of research, Li Dao had really figured something out.
By mentally practicing and breaking down the technique over and over again, he successfully streamlined it.
He cut out the moves that relied on internal energy and replaced them with moves better suited for his enhanced physique.
In short, the modified Gale Blade Technique was now far more suited for him to reap lives on the battlefield.
Another day passed.
Li Dao was sitting in the corner of his cell, resting with his eyes closed.
At that moment, he heard approaching footsteps from outside the cell.
He opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound.
Soon, Liu Fuchang’s face appeared outside the prison bars.
“9527, come out for a bit.”
A jailer opened the cell door and called to Li Dao inside.
Li Dao stood up, dusted himself off, and stepped out.
“Another mission?” he asked directly, looking at Liu Fuchang.
Liu Fuchang shook his head. “No missions for now. This time, I’m here for something else.”
“What is it?”
Li Dao showed a curious expression. As far as he knew, with his value, he was only useful for killing—what else could it be?
At Liu Fuchang’s signal, the jailer unlocked the shackles on Li Dao’s wrists and ankles.
Then Liu Fuchang beckoned, “Just follow me and you’ll find out.”
With that, he turned and began walking deeper into the prison.
Li Dao rubbed his wrists and followed.
The deeper they went, the more empty the surrounding cells became. Eventually, there were no more inmates at all.
“No one here?” Li Dao asked.
Liu Fuchang glanced at the empty cells and said calmly, “There’s been a lot of conflict along the border lately. The death row prisoners are being used up fast.”
His tone made it clear—these prisoners weren’t seen as people, but as expendable tools.
After saying this, Liu Fuchang glanced sideways to observe Li Dao’s reaction. Seeing that there was none, he explained, “But don’t worry—you’re different from the others. You’re more valuable. You won’t be treated as disposable.”
Li Dao nodded, not minding the term “expendable.”
In his view, if someone truly deserved death, then being used like this was reasonable. In fact, things could be even more brutal—some people probably wouldn’t even have the privilege of dying easily.
As they continued on, they eventually arrived in front of a door.
Li Dao turned to ask, “Liu Fuchang, what’s this place?”
“This is where I’m supposed to bring you,” Liu Fuchang replied. “Once you go inside, you’ll know why we came for you this time.”
“But don’t worry—it’s not a bad thing. It might even be a good opportunity. Whether it is or not will depend on how you handle it.”
Leaving behind these cryptic words, Liu Fuchang opened the door and gestured for him to enter.
“A good thing?”
Li Dao shook his head. He had already come this far—there was no turning back now.
He stepped through the doorway and into a dim corridor.
At the end of the corridor, a faint light glowed.
With his senses ten times sharper than a normal person’s, Li Dao could already sense several living people in that direction.
He walked steadily toward the light.
As he neared the light, Li Dao’s expression subtly shifted.
He sensed that the breathing of the people inside was different from that of ordinary folks. Instead, it was more like Liu Fuchang’s—or that Northern Barbarian commander he had fought earlier.
It wasn’t hard to guess—they were likely all the same kind of people.
Cultivators.
Finally, Li Dao reached the end of the corridor, where a room appeared before him.
At the same time, he clearly saw the people inside.
There were five of them.
And four of them stood out quite distinctly.
The one closest to Li Dao was shockingly tall—at least 2.5 meters (over 8 feet). He had an extremely muscular build, like a small giant. Just standing there motionless, he exuded a terrifying sense of pressure.
Most notably, the aura around him gave Li Dao a beast-like feeling.
Perhaps Li Dao had been staring too openly, because the giant suddenly turned his head and locked eyes with him.
In that instant, Li Dao felt as if he’d been targeted by a fierce tiger.
Apparently sensing nothing amiss, the giant turned away again and leaned against the wall in a daze.
Next, Li Dao’s eyes moved to a petite figure beside the giant.
Calling him “petite” wasn’t just in comparison to the giant—he truly was small.
Barely 1.2 meters tall (under 4 feet), emaciated, with messy hair hanging down over his face.
Yet Li Dao could feel an even wilder aura coming from him than from the giant.
Or rather—not wild, but mad.
The small figure also noticed Li Dao’s gaze and instantly turned to look at him.
“Hssst!”
With a sharp hiss, he revealed the lower half of his face and made a threatening expression at him.
His mouth was filled with jagged, saw-like teeth.
His eyes gleamed with a mix of madness and clarity—like a lunatic, yet somehow aware.
The next two people, compared to those two, seemed somewhat more “normal.”
One was a sleazy-looking middle-aged fat man.
The other, an old man muttering to himself under his breath.
The only truly “normal” person in the room was a middle-aged man standing at the center.
He wore official armor similar to Liu Fuchang’s, though it looked like a higher rank.
And this man also gave off the strongest sense of danger among all present.
“You’re finally here. We were just waiting on you.”
The middle-aged man smiled as he saw Li Dao.
“And you are?” Li Dao asked, raising an eyebrow.
The man responded, “Wei Yun. Commander of the Mighty Martial Battalion.”
Li Dao was slightly surprised at the name.
Commander of the Mighty Martial Battalion?
If he remembered correctly, the troops stationed at Changgu Town were from the Mighty Martial Battalion.
And the Commander would be the highest-ranking officer here.
Which meant—this man was Liu Fuchang’s superior.
Li Dao glanced around at the other four. “So, Commander Wei—what business does someone like you have with a lowly death row convict like me?”
“Lowly?” Wei Yun chuckled and shook his head. “You killed nearly fifty people across just two death missions, including the leader of a Northern Barbarian cavalry unit. I hardly think that’s what you’d call ‘lowly.’”
Li Dao looked at the others again, then casually sat down and said, “Alright, then—just say what you brought us here for.”
Wei Yun smiled faintly. “Since everyone’s here, I’ll get straight to the point.”
“I’ve brought you all here today to ask for your help. We need people like you to assist the Mighty Martial Battalion in handling a few matters.”
At that, Li Dao’s brows lifted slightly.
Before he could say anything, someone else immediately jumped in.
It was the sleazy-looking fat man.
“Are you kidding me? You want me, Shen San, to help your damn imperial court?” he shouted rudely. “You must be dreaming! Let me make it clear right now—even if I die today, I, Shen San, will never help the court do anything!”
With that, Shen San turned around and began walking back toward the corridor, clearly intending to leave.
Despite Shen San’s attitude, Wei Yun remained calm—still smiling lightly.
As Shen San moved farther away, Wei Yun muttered just loud enough to be heard, “Well, that’s a shame. I had planned to let you all help us out in exchange for restoring your household registration and granting your freedom.”
The next moment, a gust of wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
When the others looked again, they were shocked—Shen San had instantly reappeared right in front of Wei Yun, as if he’d teleported.
“You serious? You can restore my records and give me freedom?” Shen San asked excitedly, grabbing Wei Yun by the armor.
“But didn’t you say you wouldn’t help the court no matter what?” Wei Yun replied calmly.
“What do you mean ‘help the court’? This is me just volunteering out of the kindness of my heart!”
“Didn’t you also say you’d rather die than change your mind?”
“Yeah, well—I’m not dead yet, am I?”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yun gave a slight smile and said, “I meant what I said. So, do you agree?”
“I agree, I agree!” Shen San nodded firmly, letting everyone present witness firsthand what it means to eat your words.
“But it’s not enough for just you to agree.”
Wei Yun glanced at the remaining four and continued, “You’ll need to convince the others too.”
“The task is potentially dangerous, and the five of you will have to work together.”
After hearing that, Shen San turned around to the others, clapped his hands, and shouted, “What are you all waiting for? This is your shot at freedom!”
“Ahem.”
The old man—the only elderly person there—coughed dryly and rasped, “I’ll agree… if you become my medicine tester.”
Shen San jumped up immediately, annoyed. “Why the hell should I be your guinea pig?”
A medicine tester was someone used to try out new remedies—something common for skilled healers.
The old man shot back bluntly, “Then I won’t agree. You can stay here in the death row camp and rot with me.”
“You…!”
Shen San had no comeback for the old man’s shamelessness. In the end, he reluctantly compromised. “That medicine of yours isn’t gonna kill me, is it?”
The old man snorted coldly and replied confidently, “In my entire career, I’ve never had a patient die from my medicine.”
Shen San gave him a doubtful look, clearly not convinced.
At this point, Wei Yun chimed in, “You can trust him, Shen San. He truly hasn’t ever killed anyone with his medicine.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Alright then, I’ll believe you—for now. But we’re clear, just one dose.”
Seeing Shen San agree, Li Dao looked at Wei Yun. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this always-smiling man was up to something.
Just then, Shen San turned to him.
“Hey, little bro—you’ve got the looks and youth. Surely you’ll agree too, right? Wouldn’t it be a waste to spend your best years trapped in this death camp?”
Clearly still nursing his pride after the old man incident, Shen San was being extra polite with Li Dao.
Li Dao glanced at Shen San, then turned back to Wei Yun. “I can agree, but I have a few questions first.”
Wei Yun smiled calmly. “Go ahead.”
“First question: how many tasks do we have to complete for you?”
Wei Yun raised an eyebrow. “Ten.”
Li Dao’s face immediately darkened. “Forget it.”
Ten missions? He might as well stay put and slowly earn merits the old-fashioned way.
Anyone with half a brain could guess—if five hand-picked people were being sent on special missions, those missions would be incredibly tough.
Wei Yun sighed in disappointment. “Alright then, how many would you suggest?”
Even Shen San was stunned at this—it turned out they could negotiate? Then what was all that drama he just went through for?
Li Dao held up three fingers.
“Three missions.”
Shen San looked like he’d just seen a ghost. Who negotiates like this? That was more savage than hacking the deal in half. He was about to say something to smooth things over…
“Alright. Three it is.”
Wei Yun hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
Shen San nearly collapsed on the spot. Three missions?! That’s all it took?! If it had been him, he wouldn’t have dared even bargain.
Seeing Wei Yun agree, Li Dao moved on to his second question.
“Will there be any suicide missions?”
That question made both Shen San and the old man freeze.
All eyes turned to Wei Yun.
“Why do you ask that?” Wei Yun asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
Li Dao calmly replied with a line from a well-known proverb from his past life.
“When the cunning rabbit dies, the hound is boiled. When the birds are gone, the good bow is put away. Isn’t that how it’s always been through history?”
Wei Yun slowly repeated the line to himself, and a touch of melancholy passed through him. There was a somberness to it—a feeling of being cast aside once used. Finally, he changed his tone, his voice serious:
“Don’t worry. I’m not that kind of person. The missions I have for you may be dangerous, but I would never send you to die on purpose.”
“Damn, brother. That was the most beautiful line I’ve ever heard,” Shen San chimed in, eyes wide with admiration. “You being in this death camp is such a waste. You should be sitting the imperial exams—you might even get lucky and marry a princess.”
Little did he know, the man he was praising had already slept with a princess—the most high-ranking one in the entire Da Qian Dynasty.
Seeing their reactions, Li Dao was reminded again that this world was different from the one he came from. The history was different. Things that existed in his past life didn’t exist here.
If it weren’t for the whole “sleeping with a princess” thing… and the system, maybe he could’ve carved out a path here just by plagiarizing classic poetry.
Too bad—for now, he was stuck experiencing the high-octane life of a death row convict.
“Any more questions?” Wei Yun asked after a pause.
“No,” Li Dao replied, shaking his head. He’d gotten the answer he most cared about.
With Li Dao on board, Shen San let out a huge sigh of relief and turned his eyes to the last two.
The little giant—and the little lunatic.
Taking a deep breath, Shen San figured the lunatic looked easier to deal with.
Seeing this, Wei Yun couldn’t help but warn him, “Shen San, I suggest you be careful.”
“Relax, it’s just a little freak. I’ve got this.”
One incense stick later…
Everyone watched as two figures darted around the room, blurring from speed.
Shen San was running. The little lunatic was chasing him—shrieking like a banshee the whole way.
“Help! Big bro, save me!”
Shen San’s clothes were shredded, with bite marks on his arm and butt. He was yelling for help while fleeing in terror.
The old man stood aside, powerless. At his age, joining the chaos would only mean certain death.
Wei Yun made no move to help either. He had already said: Shen San’s problem, Shen San’s solution.
In desperation, Shen San’s gaze locked on Li Dao.
He was the only one here who might possibly help.
“Big bro, please save me!”
With that, he dragged the trouble over and ran straight toward Li Dao.
Li Dao immediately saw through the fat man’s “generosity.”
Just as Shen San reached him, Li Dao didn’t hesitate—he kicked him to the side.
The little lunatic used the moment to launch herself at Li Dao instead.
Li Dao reacted fast, reaching out in a flash—
—and grabbed the little lunatic by the neck with one hand.
He lifted him effortlessly, his short limbs flailing mid-air. He tried scratching and biting, but his arms and legs were too stubby. He could only scream in frustration.
“Bro, wasn’t that a little too rough?” Shen San muttered as he picked himself up from the floor, looking mournfully at the subdued lunatic.
Li Dao ignored him, eyes locked on the squirming girl in his grasp.
Whatever his story, the first priority was to subdue him. Otherwise, working with him later would be a nightmare.
Seeing that he was still clawing madly and trying to bite, Li Dao gave a faint smile and murmured, “Time to show you the spinning top treatment.”
Then, holding him like a toy, he began to spin him around.
One circle… two… ten…
Li Dao’s arm spun faster and faster. At first, the boy still struggled, but once they reached a certain speed—
His crazed eyes suddenly lost all their madness. Fear, panic, and confusion flooded in.
He looked completely stunned—utterly lost.
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