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Chapter 801: Hua Xiong's Three Talents
🕑 Added 2024-10-15 10:08:26 +0000 UTCLiu Ye had already sensed something was wrong when unusual events occurred in Chang'an. However, because Xun Shen was watching him closely, he didn’t have a good solution. After all, in terms of wit and strategy, Liu Ye had to admit that the Xun family was full of sharp minds who were not easy to deal with.
On top of that, Hua Xiong unexpectedly awakened a Legion Talent, which completely shifted Liu Ye's focus away from the issues in Chang'an. By the time Liu Yu's letter reached Liu Ye, informing him of the events in Chang'an, both Liu Ye and Xun Shen had already received intelligence that a major battle was imminent. Their minds were elsewhere.
"Zijian, are you okay? Can you still control your feeling? When others awaken their Legion Talent, they can release and retract it at will, but you can't even manage that! And it's different every time!" Yu Jin asked Hua Xiong in frustration. So far, Yu Jin had seen three different effects from Hua Xiong’s Legion Talent, but the problem was that it wasn’t always reliable.
"Activate!" Hua Xiong roared, and suddenly, a layer of phantom-like radiance appeared over the thousands of soldiers under his command.
The momentum of the entire legion did not rise, but all the soldiers present became hazy and elusive, as if they were ghosts. Although they were physically standing nearby, the images seen by the eye appeared slightly off to the side.
"Not bad, you've made progress. At least you can release the Legion Talent now," Liu Ye praised, patting Hua Xiong on the shoulder.
Liu Ye had thought about it for a long time and decided not to dampen Hua Xiong’s enthusiasm. After all, it was important to give Hua Xiong the confidence to keep practicing. He didn’t want Hua Xiong to become so discouraged that he lost all hope in mastering his Legion Talent.
"…," Hua Xiong squatted on the ground, his face full of despair. The talent he wanted to activate wasn’t this one! He wanted to activate a talent that would increase the strength of the entire army, making all the soldiers under his command exponentially more powerful — including their horses!
"What’s wrong? Didn’t you activate the Legion Talent successfully?" Liu Ye asked, confused.
"This isn’t the Legion Talent I wanted!" Hua Xiong banged his head against a large rock, shattering it into dust, and then looked at Liu Ye with a face full of sorrow. Heaven knows why his Legion Talent had three different effects.
Liu Ye looked up at the sky, not knowing how to comfort Hua Xiong. With such a powerful Legion Talent — having three effects — and yet Hua Xiong was still troubled. Look at Yu Jin beside him; he was practically green with envy.
"Actually, Zijian, I don’t think these are three separate Legion Talents..." Yu Jin said after observing for several days. Seeing Hua Xiong bang his head on a rock, he decided to speak up, as he had managed to grasp a vague understanding of something.
"Hmm?" Hua Xiong and Liu Ye both turned to look at Yu Jin.
"I feel like there’s only one Legion Talent. As for this current one, it feels more like a special effect of a certain formation. After all, I’ve heard that top-tier military formations can come with special effects," Yu Jin said, tilting his head as he looked at Hua Xiong. "Zijian, have you learned any special formations?"
Yu Jin asked this just out of curiosity. He didn’t really believe Hua Xiong could learn a top-tier formation. After all, not only was there no one to teach him, but Yu Jin doubted that Hua Xiong’s brain was capable of grasping such complexity.
"Well..." Hua Xiong's eyes darted around before he hesitantly said, "I did learn a special formation once. Now that you mention it, this does feel a bit like the special effect of that formation."
Yu Jin was stunned. Just how lucky does one have to be to meet someone willing to teach a fool like Hua Xiong a top-tier formation? No wonder Chen Xi always said Hua Xiong was blessed with good fortune.
"Oh, you even know a top-tier formation? What’s it called?" Liu Ye asked, intrigued. He himself hadn’t learned such things—not because he couldn’t, but because there was no one to teach him.
"Xuanxiang Extreme Formation, Eight Gates Heaven Lock," Hua Xiong said with a bitter smile. Out of its sixty-four variations, he had only mastered three. What a disgrace!
"..." Yu Jin’s face twitched. He finally understood what it meant to be lucky. Hua Xiong’s fortune couldn’t possibly be better!
"Now that Wen Ze mentioned it, I also realize that this does seem like an illusion effect from one of the formation’s variations. Everything seen has a certain phase shift from its actual position," Hua Xiong said as he ran a distance away. The entire army remained the same, without any changes. "It really seems to be the case..."
Hua Xiong banged his head against another large rock. He no longer knew how to face his comrades, not even knowing whether his abilities came from his Legion Talent or the formation, and still continuing his training. It was utterly humiliating.
"Cough, cough, Zijian, I suspect that your Legion Talent, the one that enhances the strength and resilience of your soldiers, may not actually be a Legion Talent," Yu Jin said, tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I’ve been observing for a long time, and compared to the Iron Vanguard and the Vanguard Dead Warriors, that ability is more likely... to be a War Soul!"
Both Hua Xiong and Liu Ye were dumbfounded. How could that be possible?
"The difference between a War Soul and other abilities, from what I’ve gathered, lies in the aspect of willpower. In addition to special effects, a War Soul ability should also grant extreme resilience against death," Yu Jin explained with a conflicted expression.
Hua Xiong began to recall how his soldiers had continued fighting despite sustaining mortal wounds on the battlefield. It did seem somewhat similar to the Iron Vanguard and the Vanguard Dead Warriors, who resisted death through sheer willpower, though not as powerful.
"War Soul..." Hua Xiong was initially surprised but then felt it was rather fitting.
These soldiers had followed Hua Xiong through countless hardships, always fighting alongside him in life-and-death situations. Over time, those who were too afraid had perished, leaving behind only those who truly revered him. These remaining soldiers had fought through every battle with him, embodying his will. It wasn’t impossible for them to have developed a War Soul.
"You don’t seem too surprised," Liu Ye remarked, curious.
"Because once Wen Ze pointed it out, I realized it was quite possible, and it makes sense. All my subordinates truly revere me and have fought alongside me even when facing the Vanguard Dead Warriors. They’re qualified!" Hua Xiong said quietly, his tone somewhere between confidence and certainty.
"You should say that you are the one who’s qualified," Liu Ye patted Hua Xiong’s shoulder and laughed. "So it seems the only talent I couldn’t understand is your true Legion Talent. I have faith in you, Zijian!"
"Thud!" Hua Xiong struck the ground with his head, shattering another large stone. "Move aside, I need to train my Legion Talent!"
"Sigh, what a tragic fate," Liu Ye muttered as he walked away. Yu Jin, however, continued training his troops. His 120,000 Qingzhou soldiers possessed a unified military formation, something he was most proud of. A mere Legion Talent, with such limited coverage, could never compare. The fanatical spirit of his 120,000 men was Yu Jin’s true pride!
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