A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

On his way to the core camp, Zhao Daxuan carefully examined the Nine-Flavor Spirit Pill in his hand.

Each one is no more than half the size of a longan seed, and is entirely red. It has a warm and smooth feel when you hold it.

A long and gentle blend of medicinal fragrance wafted over, unlike the overwhelming scent it had when the medicine was still unfinished, but the fragrance still invigorated the spirit and lasted longer.

These Spirit-Nourishing Pills look extraordinary. In order not to waste their medicinal effects, I must strengthen my subordinates today!

Upon arriving at the core camp's training ground, his men were already assembled, standing ramrod straight, awaiting roll call.

The most conspicuous was Li Erlong, who stood at the head of the group. He was wearing the complete set of equipment he had received yesterday: a heavy chainmail suit in a deep, dark color, a heavy shield held tightly in his hand, and a long, heavy horse-slaying sword at his waist.

His attire had already drawn all eyes to him on the entire training ground, but he merely smiled slightly, held his head high, and seemed oblivious to the stares around him.

Ignoring the smug Li Erlong, Zhao Daxuan looked at the others.

After a night's rest, they were back to their peak condition.

Moreover, after several days of intense training and high-nutrition supplementation, they all now have rosy complexions, are full of energy, and even seem to have become a bit more robust.

Zhao Daxuan nodded in satisfaction. "Keep the training intensity at its maximum today!"

Seeing the change in everyone's expression, Zhao Daxuan chuckled, "Don't worry, I've prepared some good stuff for you all today, I guarantee you'll like it."

"Let's begin today's weighted long-distance run. Just like yesterday, the first place winner will receive a complete set of sword and shield soldier equipment."

Then, looking at Li Erlong who was about to put down his shield, he continued, "Li Erlong, don't put down your equipment, just run like that."

Upon hearing this, Li Erlong's hand, which was halfway down, froze. He looked at Zhao Daxuan with a mournful face. Seeing that he was being ignored, he gritted his teeth and could only pick up the heavy shield again and run with the group.

In today's weighted long-distance running training, some of the soldiers under my command started to fall behind after running more than 20 laps. In the end, Zhao Fubao persisted until the 28th lap, outlasting the last competitor before collapsing from exhaustion.

After Zhao Fubao happily received the complete set of equipment, Zhao Daxuan made sure everyone rested for half an hour before announcing the next training session.

"As swordsmen and shieldmen, having great strength is the foundation for your ability to perform this type of soldier well. Therefore, strengthening strength training is also an important part of the process."

Zhao Daxuan looked around, and everyone who was under his gaze returned a firm expression. "Next is strength training. Everyone will choose a stone weight that matches their strength limit to hone their power."

So Li Erlong led everyone to each pick a stone lock, and at his command they began to lift the stone locks to hone their strength.

It wasn't until the lunch signal came that Zhao Daxuan ordered a break. Li Tiezhu's food was delivered on time, and today, as Zhao Daxuan had instructed, he added an extra serving of mutton for everyone.

While everyone was wolfing down their food, Zhao Daxuan took out a wooden box containing the Spirit-Nourishing Pill from his pocket and handed it to Li Erlong beside him.

"Distribute these to everyone, one pill per person."

Li Erlong took the wooden box, puzzled. After opening it, he smelled the lingering fragrance of the medicine and his eyes lit up.

"My lord, what is this?"

Zhao Daxuan smiled slightly, "The Nine-Flavor Spirit Pill is made by using medicinal herbs that are over fifty years old as the main ingredient, along with eight other auxiliary ingredients. Taking it can replenish the body's essence and accelerate recovery."

Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell silent. Zhao Daxuan not only paid for their daily meals with fish and meat out of his own pocket, but also brought out such precious pills. These ruthless men, however, gradually had tears welling up in their eyes because of Zhao Daxuan's words.

Li Erlong suddenly lowered his head, staring intently at the Spirit-Nourishing Pill in his hand. After a long while, his eyes slowly changed from disbelief to a burning determination.

He raised his head, gritting his teeth, "Sir...from now on, wherever you point, I'll go!"

"Yes, we'll shoot wherever the adults point!"

Other members of the tribe also spoke up.

Zhao Daxuan grinned. "Don't even think about saying anything nice. I'll go easy on you this afternoon, so hurry up and take it. I'm going to go back to intensity this afternoon!"

As soon as Zhao Daxuan finished speaking, although a chorus of groans came from below, the eyes of the crowd were filled with joy.

After distributing one pill to everyone, Li Erlong took one himself last. The effects of the Yunling Pill were very obvious; as soon as it entered his stomach, he felt a warm and comfortable sensation.

Within fifteen minutes of taking it, Li Erlong felt a wave of heat emanating from his body, a surge of heat coursing through his body. The Spirit Nourishing Pill was being absorbed at an unprecedented speed, and Li Erlong's energy was recovering at a rate far exceeding anything he had ever experienced before.

Even though he's only rested for less than half the usual amount of time, he feels like he's almost back to his peak.

The training intensity this morning was far greater than yesterday, but after taking the Spirit Nourishing Pill, everyone was full of energy within half an hour.

In the afternoon, Zhao Daxuan's men upgraded their weighted clothing, adding a weight to each of them. Then, Li Erlong led the team in practicing the sword and shield infantry formation.

Although Zhao Daxuan's training squad of sword and shield soldiers numbered only a hundred, their fierce and indomitable spirit overshadowed the thousands of people on the training ground, attracting frequent glances from other teams.

Someone muttered, "What kind of drugs have those guys been on lately? They're so strong!"

The person next to him curled his lip, "I heard they're going to guard the northernmost village in a little over ten days, they're definitely going to train like crazy now."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately had an expression of sudden realization. "I see, that explains it. I wonder how many people were left after they finished their duty."

"I estimate that all those teams stationed in the northernmost villages over the years have suffered heavy casualties, and some have even been completely wiped out."

After the words were spoken, everyone fell silent, a sense of sorrow rising in their hearts, like the feeling of "the rabbit mourns the fox's death," while secretly praying that they wouldn't have to go out to guard the village this year.

When he returned to the Zhao family residence in Dongcheng that evening, the first thing he said to Lin Zhiqing was, "Zhiqing, your Spirit-Nourishing Pills are really too powerful. Make more, I need them every day from now on."

Lin Zhiqing had anticipated this, and with a slight smile, she took out five wooden boxes, twice the size of those from the morning, from the room and gently placed them in front of Zhao Daxuan.

"My lord, I went to buy some equipment for brewing pills today. Now the brewing speed is much faster, and I can brew 500 pills a day! But the few medicinal herbs you gave me last night have all been used up."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan's face lit up with joy. If they could refine so many in a day, it would be more than enough to meet the training needs of his soldiers.

He still has a box of medicinal herbs, which should last him a long time.

Over the next few days, everyone prepared for the mission that would take place in about ten days.