With this, Si could finally say his life had begun. Each morning, he rose before dawn and ran laps around the Bi residence, covering a distance of roughly sixty-four li. Afterward came strict physical training, followed by either group formation drills or individual cultivation sessions.
This routine consumed the entirety of their day, yet there was one small mercy. The food was better. No longer limited to dry rice balls, they were given thin chicken soup without the chicken, filled only with vegetables. It was a meager improvement, but it brought a faint trace of flavor to their otherwise bleak meals.
Contrary to Si's expectations, it took barely two months for the remaining three members of his squad to be filled.
The first was Jun, a young slave with a strangely unrestrained enthusiasm. His eyes burned with ambition far beyond his station. The moment he heard of Si's overwhelming victory over the brute Qiang, he abandoned the relative safety of the stables and volunteered for the Death Banner Battalion.
Where others saw a death sentence, Jun saw opportunity. To him, this was a path toward freedom, a chance to rise beyond his station by serving under Si's command.
He carried grand dreams, and in his mind, only by following this strange yet terrifyingly talented youth could he ever hope to achieve them.
The next was Giant Zixuan, a towering, middle-aged man who had never cultivated a day in his life. He had been a field slave under the Bi family, tasked with tilling the land. Yet when he stepped in to defend an elderly slave being whipped by a soldier, he struck back with such force that he killed the man by accident.
Despite his lack of cultivation, Zixuan possessed a monstrous physical strength that even Si would not confront head-on without caution.
Recognizing his value, the Bi family chose not to waste such raw power in execution, especially in a time of war. They made an exception and sent him to the Death Banner Battalion, despite his failure to meet the standard requirements. He was to begin cultivation under Si's supervision, with Si himself responsible for guiding his growth as his squad leader.
The final addition was the librarian Ruìzhì, an exalted Foundation Realm cultivator and a senior slave who had served within the library alongside Si's father.
He had been caught attempting to sell books from the collection by Si's father and was sent here in place of execution. Ruìzhì carried himself with a sharp, haughty demeanor, but more importantly, he harbored deep resentment toward Si because of his father's involvement in his downfall.
Ruìzhì desired nothing more than to challenge Si, kill him, and seize control of the thirty-first squad. Yet despite his superior cultivation, he knew his limitations. He was not a true fighter. If Si could defeat the demon Qiang, then he would undoubtedly be able to defeat him as well.
With these three additions, along with Qiang, Si found himself reasonably satisfied. He had not expected his squad to be composed of such uniquely dangerous individuals, each formidable in their own way.
____
The thirty-first squad stood in a rough line, cracked shields raised and bodies drawn tight with tension.
"Closer," Si said, his voice calm yet cutting cleanly through the noise of the yard. "Your shields are not ornaments. They are a wall. A wall has no gaps."
Jun shuffled his feet, pressing in tighter beside Zixuan. The giant adjusted awkwardly, his massive frame forcing space rather than sealing it. Ruìzhì's lips curled in quiet irritation as he shifted only by a fraction, clearly displeased by the proximity. Qiang said nothing, but the low growl rumbling in his chest made his disdain unmistakable.
Si stepped forward, striking the rim of Jun's shield with two fingers.
"Here. This space gets you killed."
He moved to Zixuan, pressing against his shield with both hands. It barely budged.
"Strength is useless if it breaks formation. You are not alone on the battlefield."
Zixuan blinked, then nodded slowly.
Si turned, his gaze sweeping across them.
"Lock your arms. Angle your shields inward. Feel each other's weight. If one falls, all fall. If one stands, all stand."
Ruìzhì exhaled sharply through his nose, muttering under his breath, "A kid pretending to command soldiers…"
Si heard him but did not react. He simply stepped back.
"Formation."
The squad tightened. This time, the shields aligned more closely, their edges overlapping into a crude but forming shell.
"Hold."
The command had barely settled when a sharp whistle cut through the air.
From across the yard, the thirtieth and twenty-seventh squads surged forward like a breaking wave. Boots thundered against packed earth, bodies leaning into the charge, laughter and shouts rising as they closed the distance.
"Brace!" Si snapped.
Jun stiffened. Zixuan planted his feet. Ruìzhì's grip tightened despite the irritation in his eyes, while Qiang lowered his stance.
Bam!
The formation shattered instantly.
Bodies slammed into shields, driving them backward with overwhelming force. Jun cried out as he was thrown off his feet. Zixuan staggered, his strength unable to compensate for the collapse around him. Ruìzhì lost his footing and crashed hard into the dirt. Even Qiang was forced back a step before the entire line crumpled like broken wood.
Dust exploded into the air.
Laughter rang out from the charging squads as they withdrew, already losing interest.
"Pathetic!"
Si's voice cut through the haze like a blade.
"Get up!"
No one moved at first.
"GET UP!"
The command cracked like thunder.
Jun scrambled to his feet immediately. Zixuan followed, slower but steady. Ruìzhì cursed under his breath as he rose, brushing dirt from his robes with visible disgust. Qiang stood last, silent, his gaze fixed on Si with a simmering intensity.
Si walked forward and stopped before them.
"If this were a real battlefield, squad thirty-one would already be dead."
He struck Jun's shield again, harder this time.
"You think the enemy will wait for you to prepare? You think they will give you time to recover once you fall?"
His eyes shifted to Ruìzhì.
"A formation is only as strong as its weakest gap. You left space. You broke the line."
Ruìzhì's jaw tightened. "And what would you have us do? Stand like statues and hope to survive the impact?"
Si stepped closer, his presence pressing down on him.
"I would have you trust the wall."
Silence followed as the two locked eyes in a tense standoff. After a moment, Si turned away, addressing them all.
"The strength of a shield wall is not in the individual. It is in unity. Tightness. Pressure. You absorb the force together, or you fall alone."
His gaze hardened.
"You were not knocked down because they were stronger. You were knocked down because you were not one."
Ruìzhì clicked his tongue softly, muttering, "Ridiculous…"
Yet he stepped back into position.
Qiang said nothing. He simply returned to the line, his shoulders lowering, his stance adjusting. Jun swallowed, his eyes burning with renewed determination, while Zixuan planted his feet once more.
Si stepped back.
"Again."
This time, the shields came together with intent. Edges pressed tight. Arms locked. Bodies leaned into one another, forming something denser, heavier, more resilient.
Across the yard, the same squads gathered again, grinning as they prepared for another charge.
Si's voice came, quieter now, yet sharper than before.
"Hold… or die."
No one spoke.
But this time, no one doubted him.