From absorbing the essence of the sun and moon to achieving divine mastery in martial arts

The military vehicle bumped along the way and finally stopped at the gate of the military camp in Shenghai Zhongjie.

That massive iron gate, like the fangs of a giant beast, exuded a chilling and sinister aura.

Inside the gate, rows of barracks stood in perfect order, like silent steel behemoths lying prostrate on the ground.

The air was filled with a unique smell of dirt, gunpowder, sweat and steel mixed together, rough and pungent.

From the training ground in the distance, the sounds of uniform shouts and the sharp clash of swords and guns echoed, each sound seemingly striking one's heart and causing one to unconsciously tense up.

This is the barracks of the Eighth Army of the New Army, a place filled with the atmosphere of killing and iron-bloodedness.

Cang Lian and the other four got off the car one by one. As their feet touched the solid ground, a chilling atmosphere immediately enveloped them.

At this moment, the huge square in the center of the military camp was already packed with people.

Most of them were young people between sixteen and thirty years old, dressed in various styles, but without exception, they all had an air of being pampered and privileged, clearly scions of prominent families from all over Shenghai.

As soon as Cang Ye got out of the car, his tall and straight figure and innate arrogant temperament immediately attracted countless eyes in the square.

"Isn't that Cang Ye from the Cang family?"

"Why is he here too? Isn't he one of the Cang family's key heirs?"

"Brother Ye!" A young man in a suit immediately greeted him with a fawning smile. "What brings you here? Your arrival changes the whole atmosphere!"

His words were immediately met with a chorus of agreement.

"Yes, Brother Ye, you're one of the top martial arts geniuses of our generation. Wouldn't it be a waste of your talents to come here?"

"Brother Ye, please take care of me in the future!"

The scions of prominent families gathered around, their faces filled with surprise and excitement, their words brimming with undisguised flattery.

In their view, Cang Ye's arrival signifies the Cang family's extreme importance attached to this "investment".

Others who didn't rush forward to flatter him merely glanced at him from afar, their eyes flashing with a hint of jealousy and scrutiny, before whispering amongst themselves.

Faced with the commotion, Cang Ye simply nodded slightly, his face showing a perfectly measured calmness. He didn't engage in much conversation with them and walked straight to the front of the crowd.

Just then, three figures appeared on the high platform in the square.

Cang Lian had actually seen two of them before.

It was the same woman in a crisp military uniform who had visited the Cang family last time, looking so dashing, and the same old man who had always stood beside her, exuding an aura of profound strength and authority.

Later, Cang Lian learned that the woman's name was Chu Zhaoxue, the daughter of the commander of the Eighth Army of the New Army, and the leader of the newly formed personal guard battalion.

Besides Chu Zhaoxue and the old man, there was also a middle-aged man in military uniform.

He looked to be in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and with a refined appearance, but his eyes, peering through the lenses, carried a chilling and piercing aura.

He walked slowly to the front of the stage, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the square. The once noisy square instantly fell silent.

"I am Yan Jitong, Chief of Staff of the Eighth Army of the New Army." His voice was not loud, but it carried a strong penetrating force. "The lady next to me is Major General Chu Zhaoxue, daughter of the army commander! Welcome, everyone, to the Eighth Army camp!"

The simple introduction, however, sent a jolt through everyone's hearts.

With the chief of staff personally in charge and the army commander's daughter overseeing the operation, the scale of this "Personal Guard Battalion" was far higher than they had imagined!

"Now!" Yan Jitong picked up a list, his voice turning cold and formulaic. "I will announce your destinations!"

"Cang Ye!"

The first name he uttered was Cang Ye's.

"His family, demonstrating great righteousness, made a special donation to our army to purchase thirty Maxim heavy machine guns and ten mortars, relieving the Eighth Army's urgent need!"

Yan Jitong's voice rose slightly, "By decision of the military headquarters, Cang Ye is hereby granted the position of 'Major General Advisor' and will immediately enter the New Army Military Academy for further study! One year later, when our army expands, the position of brigade commander of the First Mixed Brigade will be vacant! Congratulations!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room erupted in uproar!

Major General Advisor?

Will I become a brigade commander a year from now?

This is a rocket-like promotion!

Countless jealous, envious, and shocked gazes instantly focused on Cang Ye.

Cang Ye's face remained completely expressionless, as if all of this was rightfully his.

He simply bowed slightly to the platform as a gesture of respect.

"Cang Xin! Cang Rong!"

"Their family donated funds to build a rear field hospital for our army. Following a military decision, both men were awarded the rank of captain and immediately assigned to the military intelligence and special service agencies, responsible for intelligence screening and infiltration! Congratulations!"

Two more gasps of surprise rang out.

Military intelligence and special agents were the core departments of the new army, wielding immense power.

"Guo Mu!"

"His family donated 300 of the latest German-made rifles to our army through a special donation! By decision of the military headquarters, he was awarded the rank of major and appointed as the battalion commander of the Independent Reinforced Battalion of the First Division of the New Army! Remember, I have given you the skeleton of this battalion, but you need to fill it with flesh and blood yourself! After a year of study at the Army Officer School, you can take up your post!"

Yan Jitong read out each name in a voice devoid of any emotion.

Behind each name lies a clearly priced "special donation" and a gilded, glittering position.

These scions of prominent families all wore smiles that were either smug or excited.

They didn't come here to serve in the military; they came here to "gild their resumes."

Cang Lian, like most of the other young people in the square who had no connections, simply stood there quietly, watching this blatant transaction.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the command building at the highest point of the military camp, in a combat room with a wide view.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the high command of the Eighth Army silently watched everything that was happening in the square below.

They are like gods, looking down upon the transactions and games of the human world.

"Ha, these aristocratic families are really...rich!" A burly officer with a full beard exclaimed in a gruff voice, holding an enamel mug.

"They are indeed wealthy, so they need the support of these aristocratic scions!" A steady and powerful voice rang out, and the speaker was Chu Mingzhang, the commander of the Eighth Army of the New Army.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as straight as a pine tree, his deep gaze piercing through the glass, as if he could see into the desires of everyone in the square.

"These scions of prominent families represent a portion of the future of our new army; they are the seeds. What we must do is plant these seeds in the soil of our new army. Through the militarization of military academies and the thorough indoctrination of political ideology, we will strip away all the family imprints from them and recast them into 'military and political cadres' loyal to our new army!"

"One or two years later, when they return to their respective families, they will become our deepest roots in Sheng Hai. By then, we will no longer need guns and cannons to deeply penetrate and control these powerful families, but a single command."

An officer wearing gold-rimmed glasses added with a smile, "The commander's words are strikingly similar to the actions of the 'Tatar Emperor.' He demanded that the princes of the north and the living Buddhas of the west send their sons to the capital, ostensibly for 'further education,' but in reality, to 'place hostages under house arrest.' We are following suit in this way, using this method to ensure the long-term stability of the lands occupied by the new army."

Chu Mingzhang nodded and said in a deep voice, "We do need the influence of powerful families in the local area to manage the territories we've conquered. But this support must be under our control. They use money and their sons to exchange for an opportunity to co-govern with us. And we use this opportunity to choose whether to let them become our help or... fertilizer on our path forward."

"I have told those established families that you are not investing in the future, but rather, you yourselves are part of the future of my new army."