My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

The entire scene fell into dead silence; all the soldiers watching were dumbfounded, speechless with shock.

They looked at Li Xuancang and no longer dared to treat him as a newcomer.

Zhou Xing and his companions stood tall and proud, their faces beaming with pride.

"what!"

Zhou Mang, lying on the ground, was enraged and his eyes were bloodshot.

He was surrounded by mocking and shocked gazes, which felt like thorns in his back.

He had been stationed on the border for five years, and among his sergeants, he had always been arrogant and domineering. He had never suffered such humiliation before.

Today, he was knocked to the ground by a mere rookie who had just climbed up from the ranks of conscripts. He lost all face and will never be able to hold his head high again in this lakeside military camp.

Overwhelming anger and humiliation instantly overwhelmed his reason.

"Ah—I'll kill you!"

Zhou Mang, looking like a madman, got up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot.

With a clang, he drew his sword from his waist, a flash of cold light, and charged at Li Xuancang without regard for anything else.

The blade moved with ferocious force, carrying a fierce and malevolent aura, aimed directly at Li Xuancang's heart, intending to kill him.

He had lost his mind and only wanted to kill the kid in front of him who had humiliated him on the spot to vent his anger.

"careful."

The onlookers were stunned by this sudden counterattack. No one expected that Zhou Mang would dare to disregard military discipline and fight desperately with a knife in public.

Li Xuancang's expression turned cold, and killing intent surfaced as he longed to kill Zhou Mang right there.

"presumptuous!"

Suddenly, a furious shout exploded, sweeping across the entire scene.

A shout resounded so loudly that it made everyone's eardrums ache and their hearts pound. Everyone turned to look.

Zhao Changlin, dressed in fine black armor and with a robust physique, strode into the training ground.

He was surrounded by a faint aura of killing intent, and his gaze was as sharp as a knife. Just by standing there, he made the atmosphere in the room freeze.

Zhao Changlin commanded one hundred regular border troops and was the second most powerful general after the battalion commander at the lakeside post station.

He was in charge of military discipline, training, and military merits, and his authority was extremely high; no one dared to disobey him.

Zhou Mang's attacking motion, aimed at him with his sword, froze in mid-air. Cold sweat soaked his clothes, and his burning rage was instantly extinguished by fear.

His hand holding the knife trembled, and he dared not extend it even half an inch further.

Public brawls, knife attacks, disobeying military discipline, provoking superiors...

Each of these offenses is a serious crime in the military, punishable by caning for minor offenses or, in severe cases, immediate execution to uphold military law.

Zhao Changlin strode over, his cold gaze sweeping over Zhou Mang, his eyes filled with fierceness and disgust.

"Zhou Mang, as a squad leader in the army, you have been guarding the border for many years. Knowing that military discipline is strict, you dared to openly fight in the training ground and attack your colleagues with a knife. Who gave you the guts?"

His stern rebuke was like a knife, striking Zhou Mang relentlessly.

Zhou Mang was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt down on the ground. His sword clattered to the ground, and he trembled all over, not daring to lift his head.

"My lord, I know I was wrong. I acted rashly and lost my temper..."

Zhou Mang knew he couldn't argue with Zhao Changlin, so he quickly knelt down and tried to defend himself.

Zhao Changlin sneered, his tone becoming increasingly stern.

"The military camp is a place of battle, and military discipline is paramount. Li Xuancang was promoted to squad leader based on his ability and military achievements. I personally promoted him. Do you have any objections?"

Everyone in the military camp knew that Li Xuancang had been promoted to squad leader by himself. How dare Zhou Mang question his promotion? Wasn't he just slapping himself in the face?

Faced with Zhao Changlin's questioning, Zhou Mang shoved his head to the ground, not daring to utter a single word in reply.

The more he says now, the more mistakes he will make. He can only plead guilty and accept punishment, which may allow Zhao Changlin to show leniency.

"You were jealous and provoked them in public first. After being defeated, you did not repent but instead fought desperately with a knife, thus violating military law."

Zhao Changlin was determined to deal with Zhou Mang and use him to establish his authority.

"I've long heard of your habit of abusing your seniority, bullying new recruits, and robbing them of military merits. Today you've gone even further, showing utter disregard for military law. What use are you?"

Zhao Changlin listed Zhou Mang's crimes in detail, and Zhou Mang was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly and begged for mercy.

"My lord, spare my life! I will never dare to do it again! Please have mercy!"

He knew in his heart that the centurion in front of him was always ruthless and merciless, killing without hesitation and showing no mercy.

Zhao Changlin glanced coldly at Zhou Mang, who was lying on the ground, and sternly pronounced his verdict.

"Considering your many years of service on the frontier and the hardships you have endured, you are spared the death penalty this time, but will be severely punished with twenty strokes of the military rod and a three-month salary deduction."

"If there is a next time, and military discipline is violated, the offender will be executed without mercy."

A severe beating of twenty strokes of the military rod would be enough to leave one with torn skin and wounds, confined to bed for half a month.

Three months' salary is a significant amount of money, so this punishment is undoubtedly severe.

Zhou Mang's face was ashen, filled with remorse, yet he dared not utter a single word of rebuttal, and could only reply in a trembling voice, "Your subordinate...accepts the punishment."

Zhao Changlin waved his hand, and two personal guards stepped forward and dragged the limp Zhou Mang away.

After dealing with Zhou Mang, Zhao Changlin turned to look at Lin Yan, the sternness in his eyes fading slightly, replaced by a hint of approval.

"You've done very well; I'm glad I promoted you."

Li Xuancang's performance surprised even Zhao Changlin.

He saved Li Xuancang on a whim.

He was appointed as a corporal because there was a vacancy in the military.

Li Xuancang possesses the courage to fight the demonic hound and the strength to severely injure it, making him perfectly suited to serve as a squad leader.

Unexpectedly, in just a short time, Li Xuancang once again made a stunning move, slaying a Black-spined Demon Wolf and returning home, which made Li Xuancang look at him in a new light.

"In chaotic military camps, the strong are respected, but military discipline must not be abandoned."

"From now on, focus on training your troops and accumulating military merits. As long as you are brave in killing enemies and guarding the border, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

For the first time, Zhao Changlin took Li Xuancang seriously and wanted to recruit him into his service.

Wherever there are people, there is a social dynamic, and the military camp is no exception.

The lakeside post station had five hundred soldiers and five centurions. Zhao Changlin was just one of them, and he also needed his own team to support him.

Li Xuancang rose through the ranks from a lowly soldier, came from a respectable family, and possessed great potential, making him a worthy candidate for recruitment.

Seeing that Li Xuancang was so highly regarded by Zhao Changlin, the others were so envious that they wished they could take his place.

Li Xuancang, however, did not appear overly excited. He clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Your subordinate will keep in mind your teachings, sir."

Zhao Changlin nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, his voice icy, once again intimidating everyone present.

"Anyone who dares to openly fight or violate military discipline in the future will suffer the same fate as Zhou Mang."

After saying that, he turned around and strode away from the training ground.

The entire room was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

The way everyone looked at Li Xuancang changed; some admired him, some were jealous, and some resented him...

Li Xuancang possesses formidable strength and is highly regarded by Zhao Changlin, indicating a promising future for him.

From now on, no one will dare to provoke them easily.