Sage of Humanity
Chapter 865 - 863 The Difference in Military Ranks

Lu Ye couldn't recall the exact amount of his accumulated battle merit, but he had a rough idea.

Throughout the Spirit Stream battlefield, he hadn't come into contact with the concept of battle merit. It wasn't until he entered the Yunhe battlefield and ventured into the secret realm of Ten Thousand Beasts Domain that he first encountered battle merit.

However, the battle merit he gained within the secret realm wasn't substantial, only around thirty thousand points, mainly because the final battle had too many participants, and the rewards were divided.

Subsequently, during his trip to Xianyuan City, he gained three hundred thousand points of battle merit, which he exchanged entirely for soul water.

During his journey to the Soaring Dragon World, he gained two hundred eighty thousand points of battle merit.

Most recently, he gained over one hundred eighty thousand points of battle merit during the Unparalleled Continent trip.

In total, the battle merit he had accumulated so far amounted to approximately eight hundred thousand points.

For any cultivator in the Cloud River Realm, and even the True Lake Realm, this was a significant amount!

Take Yue Shan, for example, who had only accumulated little more than three hundred thousand points thus far. Compared to Lu Ye, the difference was more than twofold.

The amount of battle merit a cultivator obtained directly determined their rank and status within the Bingzhou Guard.

With Lu Ye's current capital, his initial rank had already reached the level of a lieutenant colonel.

This had never happened before!

It should be noted that Yue Shan was currently just a major, and the rank of lieutenant colonel was a step higher. On the front lines, should an emergency arise, Yue Shan would have to obey Lu Ye's commands, even if his cultivation was higher.

Of course, without a direct chain of command, Yue Shan could disobey and submit an appeal to the Justice Department.

The Recruitment Department had the authority to determine a new guard's initial rank, but since its creation, no new recruit had ever attained such a high initial rank!

Under normal circumstances, a Cloud River Level 9 cultivator like Lu Ye would join the Bingzhou Guard at the rank of pentrarch or decarch. Only a few might achieve the rank of major.

However, Lu Ye's initial rank was lieutenant colonel, and the intensity of the color on the battle merit panel suggested it was close to ascending to the next level.

Above the rank of lieutenant colonel was that of a capital commandant, a rank only seasoned True Lake Realm cultivators could reach.

It could be said that the current situation was beyond their routine handling capacity.

Yue Shan rubbed his temples, feeling quite troubled. He hadn't expected such an extraordinary event to unfold right under his nose.

After some thought, he said, "Lu Yiye, wait a moment."

He then tapped on his battlefield marking, sending out a message.

It was clear he was calling someone over.

During the wait, Yue Shan asked curiously, "What have you done to accumulate such an enormous amount of battle merit?"

Normally, the secret realms the Cloud River Realm cultivators ventured into wouldn't yield such huge rewards.

"A bit of opportunity," Lu Ye replied casually. The secret realms he experienced weren't ones others could easily replicate. The rewards he reaped were the result of both luck and risking his life. Not to mention the final battle against the Golden Corpse King in the Unparalleled Continent and the gift from the remnant origin of the Soaring Dragon World that saved his life.

As for Xianyuan City… that was beyond anyone's reach.

"Senior Brother Yue Shan, could you explain the difference in ranks?" Lu Ye inquired.

In the Righteous Blood Sect, Shui Yuan had told him a lot about the Xianyuan Guard but hadn't gone into much detail about ranks, probably assuming Lu Ye would quickly grasp the concept upon arrival.

Thus, Lu Ye didn't know this place could track a cultivator's past battle merit and use it to establish the initial rank.

There was no harm in explaining, so Yue Shan began, "The Bingzhou Guard operates in a military hierarchy, and there are nine ranks from bottom to top: foot soldier, pentrarch, decarch, major, lieutenant colonel, capital commandant, brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general. The twelve Major Checkpoints of the Bingzhou frontline each have a lieutenant general, all of whom are at the peak of the Divine Sea Realm. These lieutenants are also the checkpoint lords, stationed permanently to safeguard Bingzhou."

"When determining the initial rank of new recruits, the two main factors considered are past battle merits and cultivation level, with battle merit being the primary consideration. The color shown on the battle merit panel corresponds to the rank. However, there can be exceptions; for example, if a True Lake Realm cultivator joins the Bingzhou Guard, even without any battle merit, the minimum rank would be decarch because starting a True Lake cultivator as a foot soldier would be inappropriate."

Lu Ye understood, "So, while rank is primarily determined by battle merit, cultivation level can also allow for discretionary promotion."

"Exactly," Yue Shan replied, adopting an expression of approval, "Discretionary promotions are not managed by our Recruitment Department but by the Department of Appointments."

Lu Ye nodded, "What about my situation?"

Yue Shan spread his hands, "Your initial rank is too high; we can't handle it here. I've already sent a message to Veteran Shi. He will probably take you to the Department of Appointments, the only place capable of promoting beyond the major rank. Remember, future promotions will also require a visit to the Department of Appointments."

"Understood," Lu Ye nodded.

As they spoke, a short old man with a red nose suddenly appeared and sized Lu Ye up, "Is this the kid?"

Yue Shan and the others quickly saluted, "Veteran Shi!"

Lu Ye followed suit, "Lu Ye of the Righteous Blood Sect, greetings senior."

The old man with the red nose might be short, but given the respect Yue Shan and the others showed him, he was undoubtedly a Divine Sea Realm cultivator.

"Righteous Blood Sect..." Veteran Shi stroked his chin and chuckled, "Always producing little monsters. How intriguing. Follow me."

With that, he turned and left.

Lu Ye quickly followed.

Once they exited the main hall of the Recruitment Department, Veteran Shi soared into the sky and propelled Lu Ye with his spirit force. In an instant, Lu Ye experienced what it felt like to move at lightning speed.

Even with his wings and Move-Like-The-Wind spirit runes, he could not match the old man's casual flight speed.

Within just a dozen breaths, Veteran Shi brought Lu Ye to another large hall.

This was the Department of Appointments in Haotian City, the place Yue Shan had mentioned for rank promotions.

The Department of Appointments was much busier than the Recruitment Department, with people coming and going—cultivators from the Bingzhou Guard seeking to promote their ranks.

The hall was spacious and simply arranged. Behind each table sat a cultivator, each with a battle merit panel. Bingzhou Guards stepped forward in sequence to submit their inscription tablets, placing the battlefield markings on the panels to have their ranks assessed and their tablet information updated.

The process was very efficient.

Veteran Shi clearly had no intention of waiting in line. He led Lu Ye directly to a side room and pushed the door open.

Inside, a woman was waiting. She glanced up, "Is it him?"

Veteran Shi nodded, "This is the kid. Do what you need to." He then sat to one side, pulled out a smoking pipe, and started to puff away.

The woman glared at him, then turned to Lu Ye, "Let's see your battle merit."

Lu Ye stepped forward and placed his hand on a battle merit panel.

Just as in the Recruitment Department, the panel's color shifted continuously, from white to blue, then to green, and finally settled into a deep yellow.

Despite knowing this result was coming, Veteran Shi still couldn't help but sigh, "So young and already a master of slaughter. Truly extraordinary."

The woman remarked, "The battle merit checks out, but the cultivation level is a bit low." No Cloud River Realm cultivator had ever affected the panel's color so dramatically.

"What's the Department of Appointments' decision?" Veteran Shi asked.

"We follow protocol, what else?" the woman smiled.

Veteran Shi nodded slightly.

During their conversation, the woman retrieved an inscription tablet, infused it with her mental consciousness and spirit force, then handed it to Lu Ye, "This is your guard token, symbolizing your identity. Keep it safe and do not lose it."

"Understood." Lu Ye took it.

Every member of the Bingzhou Guard possessed a guard token. While battlefield markings recorded various information, if a cultivator fell in battle, their marking would dissipate.

With a guard token, it was at least possible to confirm the identity of the deceased.

The guard token also supported communication, facilitating troop mobilization within the Bingzhou Guard, unlike the battlefield markings, which required mutual exchange of marking imprints for messaging.

"What are you still standing here for?" Veteran Shi asked when he saw that Lu Ye hadn't left.

"Where should I go?"

"Anywhere you wish, just don't leave Haotian City." Veteran Shi waved him off, "Someone will notify you when it's time to move out."

Lu Ye understood and quickly left.

After he departed, the woman sighed, "After all these years, still fixated on the Righteous Blood Sect—it's somewhat excessive."

She seemed to have heard something.

Veteran Shi replied, "What can you do? Thang Yifeng doesn't like mundane affairs and won't come to Haotian City, so it's no surprise his disciples get bullied."

"If he's indeed sent to the Sky Gate Checkpoint…" the woman was visibly concerned.

"Why worry about that?" Veteran Shi took a drag from his pipe, "If Qian Wudang spoke up to pull this kid out, haven't you wondered why?"

The woman's expression shifted, "You mean to say..."

"Hmph, you know the relationship between Qian Wudang and Fan Xiangyi, and Fan Xiangyi is close with that little girl from the Righteous Blood Sect. They wouldn't neglect a disciple of the Righteous Blood Sect. Locking the kid in prison was their ploy, probably intending to arrange his placement after those people left. But since he was already targeted, it may not be easy for that crazy woman to take him to the Sky Gate Checkpoint."

"I see!" the woman understood, "You truly have a broader perspective."