Teasing Evelyn every day left Lucian feeling refreshed, both physically and mentally.
Having a wealthy young lady around certainly had its perks. She was generous to a fault, and, admittedly, having such beautiful scenery around him every day wasn’t half bad either.
Looking at the gift box Evelyn had given him, Lucian carefully opened it.
The battle saber inside was magnificently crafted.
The blade was approximately ninety centimeters long, five centimeters wide, and less than one centimeter thick. The hilt was around thirty centimeters long, and a crystal was embedded at the junction between the hilt and the blade.
Having crammed himself with knowledge about weapons over the past few days, Lucian immediately recognized the crystal embedded in the saber.
It was an Otherworldly Beast Crystal, something that could only be produced by Otherworldly Beasts of Rank 2 or higher.
Different Otherworldly Beasts produced crystals with different attributes, and when one was embedded into a weapon, it could greatly enhance the weapon’s power.
This favor from that wealthy young lady just keeps getting heavier and heavier.
There was also a scabbard tucked into the back of the box. It was decorated with intricate black-and-gold patterns and fitted with two straps.
Carrying the saber with this scabbard would probably look pretty damn cool.
Lucian carefully set the saber box aside before sitting cross-legged on the floor.
It was time to properly examine the true gains from his breakthrough.
Inside his Martial Soul Space, something had changed dramatically.
After breaking through into the Martial Artist Realm, the feedback from his Martial Soul revealed that his Shadow Soldiers were no longer limited to 100.
There were now 1,001 Shadow Soldiers.
And every single one of them possessed the strength of a Martial Artist.
But that wasn’t the most astonishing part.
Standing at the very front of the army was a special existence—a Shadow Military Lord.
According to the information he received through his Martial Soul, a Shadow Military Lord would be born every time Lucian broke through a major Realm.
In other words, whenever he reached a new major Realm, his Shadow Legion would gain another commander-level existence to lead his ever-growing army.
Besides absolute obedience to Lucian, the Shadow Military Lord also possessed an independent consciousness.
Its strength was far greater than that of ordinary Shadow Soldiers. Under Lucian’s command, it could directly control and coordinate the entire Shadow Legion.
It also possessed a special ability known as Shadow Soldiers.
As the Military Lord, it could temporarily merge countless Shadow Soldiers into its own body, causing its strength to increase exponentially.
As the Lord of Shadows, Lucian could then merge the Shadow Military Lord into himself, temporarily boosting his own strength. Alternatively, he could keep the Shadow Military Lord permanently merged with himself, making its power a direct part of his own strength.
In other words, the Shadow Legion wasn’t limited to overwhelming enemies through sheer numbers.
It could also pursue an extreme solo-combat strategy.
And that wasn’t all.
Every time Lucian broke through another major Realm, the number of Shadow Soldiers would increase once again.
The sheer amount of information left Lucian completely stunned.
Want to fight? I’m an army all by myself.
Want a group battle? Fine. Look at my overwhelming Shadow Legion.
Want a one-on-one duel? Fine. I’ll still overwhelm you with my Shadow Legion.
Imagining himself already standing on a battlefield, Lucian couldn’t help but laugh gleefully.
With 1,001 Shadow Soldiers cultivating around the clock, he could clearly feel his Spiritual Seed growing stronger at a steady pace.
This feels way too good!
In the past, when he had only 100 Shadow Soldiers and hadn’t even reached the Martial Artist Realm, his desire to venture into the Thousand Mountain Forest and hunt Otherworldly Beasts hadn’t been particularly strong.
But now?
He had 1,001 Shadow Soldiers.
And he had officially stepped into the Martial Artist Realm.
His desire to enter the Thousand Mountain Forest and hunt Otherworldly Beasts had become extraordinarily intense.
After all, the Otherworldly Beasts of the Thousand Mountain Forest weren’t merely resources that could help him become stronger.
To Lucian, they were also...
delicious food.
With so many Shadow Soldiers cultivating nonstop, the amount of nourishment they required was bound to be terrifying.
And the countless Otherworldly Beasts roaming the Thousand Mountain Forest were practically walking mountains of resources.
Lucian’s eyes gleamed.
It looks like I really need to make a trip to the Thousand Mountain Forest.
Moreover, Lucian was simultaneously cultivating three different Cultivation Techniques: the Eternal Night Demon Codex, the Floating Pagoda Mysterious Skill, and the Shadow Kill Secret Canon.
His strength was developing in every aspect.
The Shadow Kill Secret Canon also contained numerous techniques for concealment, evasion, and escape. So even if Lucian encountered an Otherworldly Beast that he couldn’t defeat, escaping from it shouldn’t be too difficult.
However, before venturing into the Thousand Mountain Forest, he still needed to understand exactly how powerful his Shadow Soldiers were.
With that thought, Lucian immediately summoned one of them to test its combat data.
The Shadow Soldier stepped forward and punched the strength-testing machine.
Bang!
The machine trembled violently.
A number flashed across the display.
3,000 kg!
Holy crap!
Although it couldn’t compare to Lucian’s own strength, this figure was still ridiculously exaggerated.
A first-stage Martial Artist Shadow Soldier actually possessed the combat strength of a ninth-stage peak Martial Artist from the Great Zhou Empire.
And Lucian had 1,000 such Shadow Soldiers!
That’s freaking awesome!
Lucian recalled the Shadow Soldier into his Martial Soul Space, then turned his attention to the special existence standing at the front of the Shadow Legion.
The Shadow Military Lord.
With a thought, he summoned it.
A tall, imposing figure emerged from the darkness and knelt respectfully before him.
"Master!"
The voice did not carry the gravelly rasp of an undead ghoul or the hollow reverberation of a mechanical construct. It sounded crisp, deep, and steady, echoing inside Lucian’s Sea of Consciousness like an oath sworn on the edge of a blade.
Lucian stood up and paced slowly around the kneeling figure.
This Shadow Military Lord stood nearly two and a half meters tall. Its entire body was clad in pitch-black, full-plate armor that seemed woven from solid shadows. The surface of the dark plating bore faint, abyssal inscriptions that subtly shifted under the room’s artificial lighting. Two burning, violet-tinted pinpricks of light flickered beneath the visor of its barbed helmet. In its hand, a heavy, jagged two-handed greatsword rested silently against the floor, its dark blade humming with a suppressed, predatory chill.
Most importantly, Lucian did not feel like he was looking at an empty puppet. He could sense a distinct, sharp intellect flowing through the telepathic tether linking their minds. This commander could evaluate tactical terrain, execute pincer maneuvers, and prioritize targets without needing Lucian to micromanage every single swing of its blade.
"Stand up," Lucian said.
The armored behemoth rose smoothly to its feet. There was no clinking of chainmail, no heavy thud of metal soles upon the polished wooden floor. It moved with the absolute, unnatural silence of an executioner gliding through a dream.
Lucian gestured toward the military-grade strength tester bolted into the corner of his private training chamber.
"Punch it. Don’t hold back. Use your pure physical force."
The Shadow Military Lord inclined its helmet slightly. It took a single fluid step forward, twisted its waist, and whipped its right armored fist directly into the crimson strike pad.
BOOM!
The reinforced alloy housing let out a metallic groan that shook the air in the room. The thick internal springs compressed completely, bottoming out against the steel backplate with a sharp, concussive crack.