Cultivation: But Not a Game

The military ranks are the same as in Su Yu’s previous life. Upon joining, you start as a reservist, then become a novice, followed by private, non-commissioned officer, commissioned officer, staff officer, general officer, and marshal.

The private rank is divided into three classes, from low to high: second class private, first class private, and superior private.

The non-commissioned officer rank is divided into three classes and is considered a junior officer, from low to high: sergeant, staff sergeant, and master sergeant.

The commissioned officer rank is divided into three classes and is considered mid-level officer, from low to high: second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain.

The staff officer rank is divided into four classes and is considered a senior officer, from low to high: major, lieutenant colonel, colonel, and brigadier general.

The general officer rank is divided into five classes, absolutely high-ranking officers, requiring Earth Immortal level power to take over, overseeing affairs with great authority, from low to high: junior general, lieutenant general, general, senior general, and five-star general.

The marshal is divided into two classes: marshal and grand marshal.

The marshal is rarely appointed. Usually, the highest level in the military is a senior general or five-star general, and only during a full-scale war with other civilizations is one selected from the five-star generals to become a marshal.

So while Han Zhuofei is a junior general, he is already a high-level figure in human civilization.

And Su Yu’s promotion to second lieutenant has marked his entry into the ranks of mid-level officers.

Of course, someone like him, a newly promoted pure newcomer, has no real power and won’t be assigned a unit. Generally, during peacetime, officers have no real power, only status and benefits.

Han Zhuofei upgraded him just for the benefits of commissioned officers.

Second lieutenant benefits: 5000 merit points annually, 1 small achievement, which can be accumulated. If not claimed this year, it can be collected along with next year’s.

First lieutenant benefits: 7000 merit points annually, 1 small achievement.

Captain benefits: 10000 merit points annually, 1 small achievement.

Additionally, each year there is a benefit of a 20% discount on exchanges, which cannot be accumulated.

Furthermore, with the rise in status to second lieutenant, permissions are elevated, and the items available for exchange are better than those for non-commissioned officers and privates.

After the promotion, Su Yu opened the exchange list again and clearly felt the improvement in the level of exchangeable items.

There were only a few Tier Nine Treasures before, which were not very suitable for him. Now, there are over a hundred exchangeable Tier Nine Treasures and flying swords available, including treasures from orthodox, demonic sects, and Buddhist schools, almost all types available.

Su Yu briefly browsed and quickly took a fancy to a Tier Nine Flying Sword.

Heavenly Gang Immortal Sword (Tier Nine): Immortal weapon, precious item, Immortal’s personal sword, Heavenly Gang Immortal power to exorcise demons and monsters.

Attributes: Attack 5800-7000, Attack Speed 3600-4600, Sword Control Speed 3500-4500, Sword Formula Boost 100%, Special Traits: Armor Penetration +8, Heavenly Gang Immortal Power, Spirit Communication.

Armor Penetration +8: Attacks ignore 80% of the target’s defense.

Heavenly Gang Immortal Power: Activates the Heavenly Gang Immortal Power within the sword, increasing attack power and speed by 200%, inflicting 100% additional damage to demons and monsters, lasting 30 seconds, cooling down in 24 hours.

Spirit Communication: The flying sword is sentient and will warn or automatically counter when it senses the owner’s danger.

Requires 30000 merit points + 5 major achievements to exchange.

Su Yu decisively used the annual 20% discount privilege of a second lieutenant, needing only 24000 merit points and 4 major achievements for the exchange.

With over fifty thousand remaining merit points, 3 small achievements, and 4 major achievements, Su Yu hesitated a little but decided to keep them for now.

He now possesses two Tier Nine Flying Swords, one Tier Nine Immortal Banner, two Tier Eight Treasures, plus the Cyan Cloud Cover, and these treasures are fully sufficient. Adding another Tier Nine wouldn’t cause a qualitative change in his strength.

It’s not that Tier Nine Treasures aren’t impressive, but his mana is limited, and even if he adds another Tier Nine Treasure, he cannot wield its full power.

In fact, the most suitable treasure for Qi Cultivation Cultivators is Tier Seven, except for Su Yu whose mana is abnormally high. A normal Qi Cultivation peak mana level can only fully exert the power of a Tier Seven Treasure, even a slightly better Tier Eight Treasure might not be fully utilized, let alone a Tier Nine.

For instance, Su Yu’s Tier Nine Immortal Banner requires a minimum of 20000 mana to activate, with maximum power needing 150,000 mana. Who in the Qi Cultivation realm possesses that kind of mana?

So it’s best suited treasures. One Tier Nine Treasure is enough.

As for the mana improvement after Foundation Establishment, that’s a matter for the future, and it’s not too late to exchange it then.

Of course, for undergoing a tribulation, one must prepare many cannon-fodder treasures, which can be bought on the market with ordinary funds, or retrieved from the Thousand Star Hall guild, where as a president, he has the authority to draw without spending major achievements, as that would be too wasteful.

After exchanging the rewards, the two Tier Nine Immortal Swords completely replaced the Cyan Gang and Purple Thunder Dual Swords. He left the base with a smile, heading towards a massive space rift a dozen kilometers away to test his swords.

The Cyan Gang and Purple Thunder Dual Swords are not obsolete and can be kept as backup.

However, the earliest two Tier Six Flying Swords, Thunderbolt Sword and Wan Jun Sword, have indeed become obsolete and are no longer useful.

This space rift is filled with a large number of fire element Spirit Monsters, with many people leveling up here. As Su Yu reached the entrance of the rift, a flying ship came out from the inside, paused when passing by him, and the people on it waved to him:

"Second Lieutenant Su, are you here to level up too!"

Su Yu was taken aback, are we that familiar?

But he smiled and nodded:

"Yes, just here for a bit while I’m free."

They exchanged greetings and flew off, leaving Su Yu standing dazed for a while until he realized and touched his chin with a smile:

"I’ve become famous so quickly!"

Entering the space rift, he immediately set aside the recent episode and conjured the stars and Heavenly Gang as he unleashed the two Tier Nine Flying Swords. With a gesture, the dual swords converged and pounced on the nearby fire element spirit.

The dual swords combined into fine Sword Qi and intertwined back and forth, instantly slicing the level eighty fire element spirit in half for an insta-kill.

The two fine sword lights continued to cut into the group of fire spirits, becoming indistinct in the flames, yet countless damage numbers floated up, with no visible sword light, only the fire spirits being chopped into pieces one after another.

"Strong!"

At this moment, Su Yu could already feel the thrill of Qingchan using two Tier Nine Flying Swords to level up.

It’s like cutting grass with unparalleled ease, known only to those who use it.

A week flew by with him soaking here, occasionally someone would come to train, nod at him or greet him and chat a few words, as if everyone knew him.

Not until a month later did the military set up a large formation above the Fire Domain and establish a base, finally notifying him that he could explore inside the Fire Domain.

Before entering, Su Yu sent Cheng Shayu a message asking:

"Brother Cheng, is there any restriction on resource acquisition within the Fire Domain by the military?"

Cheng Shayu quickly responded:

"You mean the remnants of the Demon Immortals within the Fire Domain, right?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Rest assured, since the military has decided to open the Fire Domain for exploration, it means there won’t be restrictions. As long as you have the ability to kill these Demon Immortal remnants, you’re free to. The Demon Immortal’s blood within can be collected if possible, and any law monsters derived from the Demon Immortals can be slain without any restrictions."

"Oh."

Su Yu nodded, still somewhat puzzled, and asked:

"The Demon Immortal relics still possess self-awareness, indicating the Demon Immortal hasn’t completely died; isn’t it valuable? Doesn’t the general have any demand for it?"

Cheng Shayu shook his head and said:

"That is just a new trace of consciousness derived from the Demon Immortal. The true Primordial Spirit of the Demon Immortal has long collapsed; after years of sealing and erosion by the realm’s power, about half of the remnants have been completely obliterated. Even if the remaining half were fully assembled, it wouldn’t be sufficient to reconstitute the Primordial Spirit of the Demon Immortal. This is of no significant use to the general."

"Oh!"

"If you have the ability to dispose of a Demon Immortal remnant, you can at least gather twenty to thirty points or even more of the Power of Law, which is of substantial use to you."

Su Yu immediately asked:

"How many Demon Immortal remnants are left inside now?"

"Only four remain."

"Oh!"

Cheng Shayu laughed and said:

"You don’t need to worry; with your Dragon Transformation power, you can almost handle one alone and completely monopolize one Demon Immortal remnant."

"One, huh..."

Cheng Shayu raised an eyebrow:

"Are you perhaps thinking of taking two? That’s almost impossible."

"Though the Demon Immortal remnants are dangerous, your group is quite powerful; a casual union of twenty or thirty elite Loose Immortals can forcefully eliminate it. Fifty Loose Immortals divided into two groups, one group of fifty Qi Cultivation cultivators, and you will each get one."

"Hmm..."

He also understood the logic, but if there’s only one Demon Immortal remnant...

But he has no choice; there are only four Demon Immortal remnants, others surely won’t give them up.

If they couldn’t do anything about it, it’d be fine, but the problem is they indeed can forcefully eliminate it.

"No choice."

Others have the strength, so indeed it’s impossible to monopolize.

He can only dispose of one Demon Immortal remnant and then hunt more law monsters to accumulate additional Power of Law.

Closing the communication, Su Yu flew out from the base, heading straight for the Fire Domain entrance.

By now, many were already waiting; as he flew to the entrance, a group of people approached, led by Shi Qing, who nodded at Su Yu and gestured to the other side:

"Can we talk?"

Su Yu nodded, took the initiative to walk to the other side, and heard Shi Qing say:

"I assume you know the situation beneath the Fire Domain; the most valuable thing inside is the Demon Immortal remnants, but with only four left, most will inevitably miss out. We’ve discussed it on our side: one group of fifty Qi Cultivation cultivators will deal with one, and two groups of fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators each another. You can transform into a True Dragon of over two hundred levels, qualifying you to secure one Demon Immortal remnant."

Hmm...

It’s exactly the same as Cheng Shayu described, the same distribution plan.

With his Dragon Transformation Divine Techniques, he can enjoy one exclusively, which frankly is very considerate; Su Yu had no complaints and nodded:

"No problem, you can act whenever you wish."

"By the way, what if the Qi Cultivation group can’t deal with this Demon Immortal remnant?"

Shi Qing thought for a moment and said:

"Then everyone shall rely on their skills, collaborate in the assault, and distribute the spoils based on luck."

"Agreed."

Having agreed, Shi Qing returned to confer with the crowd, then forty-nine Loose Immortals split into two teams and once the staff opened the Fire Domain entrance, everyone rushed in.

Su Yu entered last, immediately feeling the familiar heat surging towards him.

Quickly discerning the direction, he headed straight for the area where he previously found the Demon Immortal remnant.

This Demon Immortal remnant is the most valued treasure within the Fire Domain; now with his Dragon Transformation Great Divine Techniques cooled down, he decided to handle it first, lest he wander outside and get the Demon Immortal remnant taken away secretly.

This is entirely possible, after all these are mere arrangements. If he’s absent, and others snatch it quickly, with a team of dozens of Loose Immortals sharing the gains, he surely couldn’t get it back.