Chapter 26: The Battle Begins (Part 1)


    Han Ming grabbed the barrel of wine the innkeeper had just brought over with one hand, took a couple of swigs, and inwardly cheered. This was exactly what he needed to stimulate his mind. Today’s events required a bit of passion to handle properly. If this were the human world, such behavior would undoubtedly be suicidal. But this was a different realm, where strength reigned supreme. No matter how many soldiers the other side had, it didn’t matter. Even if some powerful figure showed up later, he could always just leave. Who could stop him?


    Han Ming smiled at Li Chengfeng and asked, “Brother Li, do you know why I’m being so extreme today?”


    Li Chengfeng also chuckled. “To be honest, I really don’t know. Do you have some grudge against those soldiers?”


    Han Ming shook his head, his eyes sharpening. “If today, instead of me, it were an ordinary person facing this situation, what do you think their options would be?”


    Li Chengfeng pondered for a moment before replying, “Two options. Either hand over your storage bag, admit your mistake, and submit, or foolishly resist. If you’re lucky, you might drive off the first wave of soldiers, only to be defeated by the next, stronger wave. In the end, you’d still have to hand over your storage bag, admit your mistake, and likely end up in jail.” After saying this, Li Chengfeng’s eyes lit up, as if he had already guessed Han Ming’s thoughts.


    Han Ming nodded. “Exactly. No matter who encounters this situation today, the outcome is the same—they’d have to admit defeat. I’m a poor man with no influence or wealth. As a poor man, I’m expected to endure all this silently. No matter which path I choose, the result is the same. But unfortunately for them, today they’ve run into me, and I’m a stubborn man. I want to see just how far they’re willing to go for such a trivial matter before they give up!”


    Han Ming slowly stood up. “Brother Li, let’s move to a different spot to drink.”


    With that, he gripped the edges of the stone table with both hands and, with a loud *crack*, tore the entire table from its base. He strode to the center of the hall and slammed the table down, driving the stone legs deep into the granite floor, firmly anchoring it in place.


    Then he returned to his original spot, tore his stone stool from the ground in the same manner, and carried it over to the table, embedding it into the floor as well.


    This display left everyone in the room utterly shocked. Just how much strength did it take to do something like that? Everyone could see clearly that the stone table wasn’t just placed on the ground—it had been carved from a massive block of granite that was originally part of the floor. The table and stools had been meticulously sculpted from the excess stone that protruded from the ground. This was done because the inn was frequented by rough mercenaries who often shouted, slammed tables, and occasionally flipped them over.


    Han Ming’s feat demonstrated terrifying strength. The stone table was connected to the massive granite floor. While someone with great strength might be able to break the stone legs connecting the table to the floor, to rip it out entirely by sheer brute force…


    Cold sweat broke out on everyone’s foreheads. No one present could have done that. Just how strong would someone have to be to snap such thick stone legs?


    Han Ming sat on the stone stool, crossed his legs, and lifted the wine barrel, smiling at Li Chengfeng. “Brother Li, come on over.”


    Li Chengfeng stared in astonishment at Han Ming’s actions, realizing that the young man was deliberately testing his strength. Not one to back down, Li Chengfeng gripped the edges of his own stone stool and tried to lift it. At first, it didn’t budge. Determined, he channeled his inner energy, and faint cross-shaped marks appeared on his forehead. His arm muscles bulged, veins popping as he let out a loud shout. With a loud crack, the stool broke free, and he carried it over to Han Ming, embedding it into the floor before sitting down and taking a few hearty gulps from the wine barrel to calm his rapid breathing.


    The difference in strength was clear.


    Han Ming had moved both the table and the stool without breaking a sweat, while Li Chengfeng had struggled with just the stool. It was worth noting that the stone legs of the table were thicker than those of the stool.


    “Well done!” Han Ming praised.


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    Li Chengfeng shook his head with a wry smile. “Brother Han, that wasn’t very fair, putting me on the spot like that in front of everyone.” Though he said this, he understood Han Ming’s intentions. By inviting him to move the stool and join him, Han Ming was signaling that if Li Chengfeng was willing to sit with him, he was also willing to face whatever challenges lay ahead together. If Li Chengfeng had refused, he could have walked away, as the trouble they were stirring up was no small matter. This was a test of courage.


    But Li Chengfeng was no coward. Han Ming’s actions had sparked his competitive spirit. He knew that when Han Ming said “well done,” he wasn’t complimenting his strength but his resolve.


    The two of them sat in the center of the mercenary inn’s hall, drinking and eating under the watchful eyes of the crowd, calmly awaiting whatever was to come.


    Meanwhile, the city of Wildlands was abuzz. News of Han Ming’s bold confrontation with the military at the mercenary inn had spread like wildfire. Those who loved drama couldn’t resist sharing the story, and it quickly became the talk of the town.


    The first to hear the news rushed to the inn, curious to catch a glimpse of Han Ming and Li Chengfeng sitting in the center of the hall. They whispered excitedly among themselves.


    Even some idle nobles, hearing of the commotion, dropped whatever they were doing and hurried over. Some who lived farther away even hired private airships to join the spectacle. These wealthy individuals, always seeking excitement, often paid mercenaries to capture beasts for their private arenas. But beasts were nothing compared to humans. Hearing that someone had openly challenged the military and driven off two waves of soldiers, they couldn’t resist coming to see for themselves. Like flies drawn to a carcass, they flocked to the scene.


    The news spread further and further, eventually reaching the ears of Wildlands’ city lord, Li Zhan.


    At that moment, Li Zhan was leisurely chatting and drinking tea with Baldur, the first-rank War Madness general and commander of Wildlands’ garrison.


    “Brother Li, in two weeks, the Imperial Military Academy and the Magic Guild’s Magic Academy will be coming to Wildlands to recruit students. I wonder how many talented youths our city will produce this time. Your son should be returning to participate, right? I know Chengfeng has always wanted to enter the Imperial Military Academy. He’s been training abroad since he was ten, and it’s been thirteen years now. He surely won’t miss this opportunity. With Chengfeng’s exceptional talent, he should have no trouble getting in,” Baldur said with a smile to the middle-aged man across from him—Li Zhan, the lord of Wildlands.


    Speaking of his son, Li Zhan couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. In his last letter, Li Chengfeng had mentioned that at just twenty-three years old, he had already reached the level of a fourth-rank grand warrior. Such talent was unmatched in Wildlands. Li Zhan smiled modestly. “He has some talent, but ‘exceptional’ might be an overstatement. He should be arriving in the next couple of days.”


    Baldur laughed heartily. “Brother Li, you’re too modest.”


    As the two continued their leisurely conversation, a soldier rushed in but hesitated to approach. Baldur frowned slightly, displeased, and sent his personal guard to inquire. After a brief exchange, the guard returned and whispered something into Baldur’s ear.


    Baldur’s brow furrowed. “Is this true?!”


    The guard nodded slightly. “The news has already spread throughout half of Wildlands.”


    City Lord Li Zhan calmly sipped his tea. “Trouble?”


    Baldur smiled at Li Zhan. “Just a minor issue. Some of my incompetent men have made fools of themselves. I’ll need to go handle it personally.”


    Li Zhan nodded with a smile. “Of course. I didn’t have anything urgent to discuss anyway. Go ahead.”


    Baldur nodded, strode out of the city lord’s manor, mounted his warhorse, and rode off with a few subordinates, heading straight for the now-crowded mercenary inn.


    Before Baldur arrived, Deputy Commander Kael had already surrounded the inn with soldiers. Who would dare openly defy the military? Was this person insane?


    After dispersing the bustling crowd, Kael led a few trusted subordinates into the inn. As soon as he entered, he saw Han Ming and Li Chengfeng sitting in the center of the hall, drinking and chatting as if nothing had happened. His anger flared. When he first heard the news, he had worried that his men had offended some powerful figure. But now, seeing that it was just two young upstarts, he was both relieved and furious. How dare they sit there so brazenly, waiting for him?


    “Kael, your men have really made a name for themselves today. I heard they were driven out by two wet-behind-the-ears kids, scrambling back for reinforcements, only for those reinforcements to turn tail and run. Now you’re here. I wonder how this will end, haha!”


    The speaker was a rotund man dressed in luxurious robes. He was a distant relative of the empress and, as such, had no fear of the military.


    “Yeah, Kael, how are you going to handle this? We came all this way to cheer you on, haha!” another onlooker chimed in.


    Kael cursed inwardly. These idle nobles had nothing better to do than flock to any spectacle. Today, they had come to watch the military’s humiliation. Did they really think the military was so easy to bully? But he couldn’t show his anger. The military was powerful, but he was only the second-in-command of a city garrison. In the empire, he was nobody. He couldn’t afford to offend these idle nobles, each of whom had powerful backers.


    Forcing a smile, he thanked the crowd and walked into the inn with a dark expression.


    Seeing Kael’s arrival, Li Chengfeng’s playful expression turned serious. He whispered to Han Ming, “That’s Deputy Commander Kael of Wildlands’ garrison. His aura is steady, and his movements are precise. Judging by the energy he’s radiating, his strength is likely above mine—probably a sixth-rank grand warrior. He won’t be easy to deal with.”


    Han Ming smiled, watching Kael approach. “I’ll handle him. You take care of the other small fries. Deal?”


    Li Chengfeng laughed. “Naturally!”