Zhou Yuan got promoted, rising from Archery Decurion to Divine Arm Squad Leader.
A single exploration of the Secret Realm propelled him to the top of the ranks, with the next step being an official appointment and promotion to Centurion.
Military Sima Cai Cheng was a competent leader, not only acting as a meat shield at the forefront but also distributing military merits fairly during rest periods.
However, he had his own biases, clearly favoring the Divine Armored Squad a bit more.
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But the members of the Divine Arm Squad, including Zhou Yuan, couldn't accuse Cai Cheng of abusing his power to favor his direct subordinates.
This was because seven Divine Armored warriors, with varying degrees of injuries, were receiving medical treatment in the infirmary.
Some had fractured arms, others had flesh wounds from blades, and one brave warrior who had withstood a heavy blow from the Demon Chieftain with his shield had a swollen wrist and a fractured forearm.
Fortunately, the Golden Sore Medicine produced in the Secret Realm had miraculous effects; otherwise, these Divine Armored warriors would have struggled to quickly regain their combat effectiveness.
Military Sima Cai Cheng, as the direct leader of the Divine Armored Squad, did not immediately step forward to offer condolences. Instead, he stood to the side of the warehouse, seemingly waiting for someone.
From a distance, Zhou Yuan saw a dignified general in armor, draped in a black cloak, appearing in the corridor of the mansion.
The general seemed to sense Zhou Yuan's gaze, squeezing out a slight smile on his cold face and nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
"Zhou Yuan, show respect to the Colonel. He is a warrior with qi flowing throughout his body, his perception far surpasses that of us ordinary folk.
Your archers have sharp eyes, don't let the Colonel misunderstand."
"Understood. Is the Military Sima waiting for the Colonel to finish his visit before comforting the Divine Armored warriors?"
"You're quite perceptive. Yes, it should be so. The Colonel is a warrior, and the Divine Armored have fought fiercely to provide spiritual sustenance. Both emotionally and logically, the Colonel should personally offer his condolences.
My timing is not important; at most, I can soothe their emotions, but the Colonel can offer them tangible benefits."
Military Sima Cai Cheng was right. After the highest-ranking officer in the camp appeared, the injured Divine Armored warriors were elated and invigorated.
The Jingan Colonel was very considerate of his subordinates, generously granting fifteen days of leave for the lightly injured and two months of paid leave for the severely injured.
The man with the broken arm immediately knelt, requesting to return to the city to be with his wife and children.
The result was predictable; he was naturally granted permission and could return to the city to recuperate in peace once his condition stabilized, using a carriage from the Military Supply Office.
After the Jingan Colonel finished his visit, he nodded towards the warehouse before leaving with his personal guards.
Once the tall and imposing Colonel had departed, Zhou Yuan asked in confusion.
"Military Sima, since the Colonel is such a formidable warrior, why doesn't he personally attack the Secret Realm?"
For the Colonel, attacking the Secret Realm would be easy, but the spiritual energy consumed would also need to be replenished by the Secret Realm's spiritual resources."
"Our Jingan Army is not a noble clan; the spiritual resources produced by the Secret Realm must be regularly and quantitatively submitted to the court.
The remaining spiritual resources must be reserved for the Colonel's training and wartime reserves, not for attacking and replenishing energy."
Cai Cheng's explanation made Zhou Yuan understand that Transcendent warriors cannot generate spiritual energy on their own; they need to replenish it after each battle.
In regions where spiritual resources are abundant, it's not a problem, but in areas with limited resources, they can't afford these resource-consuming giants.
For instance, although the Jingan Army has a Warrior Colonel stationed, they cannot easily deploy this powerful force.
"Come with me, I'll go comfort the soldiers, and you can come along to show your face.
Once the brothers know you have a sense of camaraderie, you can apply to the clerk for a new residence."
Under the guidance of Military Sima Cai Cheng, Zhou Yuan visited the injured Divine Armored warriors.
During the visit, he received many compliments, with everyone saying they wanted to fight alongside him again once they recovered.
It was clear that the Divine Armored warriors had a high demand for good archers.
These meat shields, unable to enhance their own defenses, wished the archers could grow an extra pair of arms to quickly kill the Secret Realm demons.
As a result, the members of the Divine Arm Squad might feel neglected, as previously, when Zhou Yuan was not around, people didn't know that archers could rapidly shoot with a three-stone heavy bow.
Now, Zhou Yuan had raised the expectations of the Divine Armored warriors, and the previously protected Divine Arm Warriors would also face internal competition pressure.
"Rest assured, brothers, I'll be stationed in the Secret Realm frequently in the near future.
You have the brave shield, and I have the swift heavy bow; we should support each other as brothers."
Men who have fought on the battlefield together naturally have a foundation of camaraderie, and everyone chatted happily, arranging a banquet before letting him leave.
When Zhou Yuan entered the administrative hall for auditing, he learned that he not only had a new residence but also gained the authority to customize weapons and modify armor.
Considering the Divine Armored Squad's meat shields were very competent, he needed to reduce weight and increase flexibility.
He chose a half-body armor and a round helmet to protect his head, canceling the leg skirt armor and arm rings, leaving only a pair of iron-plated bracers.
"Squad Leader Zhou, do you have any specific requirements for weapons? We'll do our best to equip you with a fine bow."
The Metallurgy Supervisor, having reviewed the military merit records from the recent Secret Realm assault, knew that this person was extraordinary and needed better weapons to leverage his Divine Archer skills. The source of this chapter is novelping(.)com.
"Metallurgy Supervisor, I wonder if there are any four-stone heavy bows in the camp.
The Demon Chieftain's body is like iron, and the three-stone heavy bow struggles to kill it quickly. I'd like to try a four-stone bow."
"Squad Leader Zhou, you're joking; we really don't have that."
The Metallurgy Supervisor was almost choked by Zhou Yuan's words. What is the concept of a four-stone heavy bow? One stone is 120 pounds, so four stones are 480 pounds.
Nearly five hundred pounds of weight, equivalent to two armored strongmen; is someone who can single-handedly draw such weight still human?
Even with high demands in the camp, they only equipped Divine Arm Warriors with three-stone heavy bows.
Anything beyond that is the domain of warriors, which the Metallurgy Office can't handle, and they don't have Secret Realm treasures.
Therefore, Zhou Yuan ultimately couldn't obtain such a powerful weapon as a four-stone heavy bow.
However, the Metallurgy Office mentioned that while they didn't have a four-stone heavy bow, they did have a 5-Stone Ballista.
If Zhou Yuan didn't mind it being too heavy and too long, they were willing to dismantle the ballista arms for him to use.
Considering that his Bow Control skill was maxed out, but his precision attribute was only 3 points, he was temporarily not suited for single-handedly operating a ballista, so he declined the Metallurgy Supervisor's suggestion.
"If you truly want a four-stone bow, Squad Leader Zhou, we can have a master craftsman make one.
But strong bows are difficult to craft, and you might have to wait several years."
"Don't trouble yourself; several years is too long. I'll just use the three-stone bow."
When Zhou Yuan arrived at his new residence, led by the clerk, more than thirty Divine Arm Warriors were already waiting for him.
"Young master, the brothers have foregone visiting the Flower House just to admire your prowess.
Come, we've booked a table at the tavern to celebrate your promotion and to hear your advice on archery."
"You flatter me, brothers. My skills rely entirely on natural strength, incomparable to your exquisite archery."
"Don't be modest. In our Divine Arm Squad, if you're capable, you're capable; if not, you're not.
We can't match the bravery of the Divine Armored, our skill lies in 'shooting.'
You're better than us, we respect you, and we ask you to guide us in honing our swift archery."
The Divine Arm Squad is ultimately a small circle of battle-hardened men who value archery and worship Divine Archers.
With his Divine Archer skills, Zhou Yuan easily integrated into this small group, transforming from an unknown newcomer into a recognized comrade-in-arms.
"Great, we brothers should indeed drink and chat, exchange skills, and collectively uphold the name of the Divine Arm."