Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 133: Zhao Yun's Entry Upgrade Quest!
Cao Yan and Zhao Yun stood side by side under the eaves.
One was gentle and refined, like a clear breeze and a bright moon; the other was heroic and imposing, with sharp, piercing eyes.
If outsiders saw this, I wonder how many young girls it would captivate.

Cao Yan took advantage of his contact with Zhao Yun earlier to trigger his attribute replacement task.

Previously, due to the ongoing battle, Cao Yan couldn't attend to this matter, and since Zhao Yun didn't have any urgent entries to replace, the matter was delayed.

Zhao Yun's stats are: Dragon's Gallant Silver Soul (Gold), Loyal and Righteous Protector of His Master (Purple), Hundred-Step Shot (Purple), Swift as the Wind (Purple), Born Cavalry General (Purple)
One gold and four purple entries, no gray entries... To be honest, Cao Yan really didn't know which one to replace.

"Perhaps, I can only replace it for Zilong when I combine the golden attribute?" Cao Yan was pondering this.

The system suddenly prompted,
After several major battles, Zhao Yun gained a clearer understanding of his own abilities and also knew his limits.

In an effort to break through his limits, he practiced diligently every day, delving into martial arts, but recently he has hit a bottleneck.

[Triggering an attribute upgrade quest!]

[Mission Description: Zhao Yun's potential is far greater than what he has shown. He is currently stuck in a rut and facing a bottleneck, and needs the host's help to break through this obstacle as soon as possible!]

【Task completion conditions: 1. Zhao Yun creates his own martial arts (the host's assistance level cannot exceed 30%, otherwise the current task will fail)
2. When Zhao Yun faced tens of thousands of enemy troops alone, he accomplished the feat of "seven entries and seven exits".

3. Make Zhao Yun understand the core spirit of martial arts: "Use force to stop war and quell conflict."

[Rewards for completing the task:]
Zhao Yun: One random purple attribute will be upgraded to "Seven In, Seven Out (Gold)".

Host: Obtain 1 purple affix (random), 1 special blueprint (random)

[Mission failed: Zhao Yun has lost the opportunity to upgrade his attribute.]

Cao Yan was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, "Not only can it replace, but it can also upgrade entries? Is this even possible?"

They're on Cao Cao's side now, so forget about the Battle of Changban.

However, opportunities can be created, so it's not a big problem.

The conditions for completing the first and third tasks seem to be met right now, and Cao Yan thought he could give it a try.

Cao Yan reached out and adjusted his cloak, then suddenly asked, "Zilong, I've noticed you've seemed somewhat lost lately. Would you be willing to tell me what's on your mind?"

Zhao Yun frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then replied, "Actually, it's nothing... It's just that a few days ago, an old soldier confided in me, saying that now that the world is at peace, how should we, as warriors, conduct ourselves?"

Cao Yan turned to Zhao Yun and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Zhao Yun replied somewhat blankly, "I...I don't know...When I left the village, I only wanted to use my martial arts skills to right wrongs for the people. After meeting you and my lord, I vowed to create a peaceful and prosperous world for all. Once the world is at peace...I might lay down my arms and return home, or find a quiet place to live out the rest of my life? It seems I don't know anything else besides killing..."

Looking at the confusion in Zhao Yun's eyes, Cao Yan slowly said, "When Cangjie created the characters '止' (stop) and '戈' (weapon) together, he was telling the world that the true way of martial arts is not for fighting, but for pacifying fighting."

Zhao Yun looked up at Cao Yan, his eyes thoughtful.

Cao Yan continued, "We have both seen too much war, with people displaced and families torn apart."

If a martial artist only knows how to kill, how is he any different from a beast?

True martial arts is not just about stopping war with war or killing with killing.

When the world is at peace, the guns in our hands will no longer be weapons of killing, but rather a shield to protect that peace.

Zhao Yun nodded thoughtfully: "But now that the world is at peace, what do we still need to guard against?"

Cao Yan smiled and said, "The world is never static, and the Han Dynasty has never lacked enemies around it."

“Yes, there are also the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan people…” Zhao Yun’s eyes lit up.

“Of course, our goal has never been to live in seclusion. This world is vast! So vast that we may never be able to conquer it even if we spend our entire lives.” As Cao Yan spoke, he squatted down and drew a world map on the ground from memory.

"This is..." Zhao Yun vaguely guessed what it was, but he was too shocked to imagine it.

Cao Yan pointed to a small area, no bigger than the palm of his hand, and said, “Look, this is the Han Dynasty. Above it are the grasslands and deserts inhabited by nomadic peoples such as the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan.”

Zhao Yun pointed to Africa, Europe, and the Americas, and asked in utter shock, "What about these places...?" Cao Yan grinned and said, "They're all barbarians, waiting for you and me to conquer them!"

Zhao Yun's mouth gaped open into an "O" shape as he stared intently at the simplified world map.

After a long pause, he asked, "How did you find out about these places?"

“You don’t need to know how I found out. You just need to verify whether what I’m saying is true.” Cao Yan patted Zhao Yun on the shoulder and said, “As I said before, the world is constantly evolving and progressing. We must be prepared to deal with changes and challenges at any time. Even if the Han Dynasty is at peace, there will still be many external enemies. Warriors will never be useless.”

But as the saying goes, "Use force to stop war and quell conflict!"

Zhao Yun still didn't quite understand, so he asked again, "Do the enemies in other places understand this principle? If not, how can we stop the fighting?"

Hearing this, Cao Yan's smile widened even more: "They don't understand, but our people do! We can educate them, and over time, they will gradually understand!"

Zhao Yun slowly widened his eyes, looked at Cao Yan, and asked in surprise, "You mean..."

"The sun and moon remain unchanged, forever shining upon the Han Dynasty!" Cao Yan placed his hands on Europe, Africa, and the Americas respectively, his eyes filled with fervor: "Wherever my eyes fall, all is Han land!!!"

"!!!"

Zhao Yun was stunned.

Then it caught fire!!!

Turn them all into our own people?!

So, "stopping war with force" can be understood in this way?

At this moment, the blankness in Zhao Yun's eyes disappeared, and his gaze had never been so firm!

A system notification sounded in Cao Yan's mind: [Congratulations, host! You have successfully completed the third condition for Zhao Yun's mission! Although the reasoning is somewhat unorthodox, it does offer another perspective on "stopping war with force."]

Cao Yan was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm. He turned to Zhao Yun and asked, "Zilong, I heard you've been working on a new spear technique lately. Have you made any progress?"

Zhao Yun nodded: "Yes. I have been researching how to combine spear techniques with horsemanship to create a spear technique more suitable for cavalry combat. However... I have never been able to grasp the essentials."

A sly glint flashed in Cao Yan's eyes: "Oh? Have you ever thought about combining the 'thrust' and 'sweep' techniques of spear fighting with the impact of cavalry?"

Zhao Yun was taken aback: "Thrust, sweep, and impact? How do you combine them?"

Cao Yan walked into the courtyard, picked up a twig, and demonstrated: "Look, when cavalry charge, if they only thrust with their spears, although the power is great, the attack range is limited. If, at the same time as thrusting, you flick your wrist slightly, making the spearhead draw an arc, you can increase the attack range and find an opening when the enemy is defending."

Zhao Yun frowned in thought: "This... seems to make some sense. But how exactly should it be done?"

Cao Yan handed the branch to Zhao Yun: "Try it. First, thrust out with your spear, and then, just as the spearhead is about to touch the enemy, gently turn your wrist to the left, making the spearhead draw a semi-circle."

Zhao Yun did as instructed, but found his movements extremely awkward and impossible to execute smoothly.

He couldn't help but shake his head: "No, this way you can't exert any strength at all."

Cao Yan smiled and said, "You're forcibly twisting your wrist, so naturally you can't exert any force. You need to use the momentum of the warhorse at the moment of the thrust to concentrate all your strength into your wrist and draw an arc in the motion."

Zhao Yun suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! I've been thinking about using the strength of my wrists, but I've overlooked the momentum of the warhorse. I still don't fully understand the function of the double stirrups."

The two went to the backyard and led out their warhorses.

Zhao Yun practiced with his spear again, and this time, his movements were much smoother.

With the help of the double stirrups, Zhao Yun could completely free his hands and generate power from his feet.

This charge,
Zhao Yun's spearhead traced seven strange arcs.
Like a serpent flicking its tongue, nimble yet full of murderous intent!
"The Seven-Probe Serpent Spear is complete!"

(End of this chapter)