Chapter 6: Changes

As he continued his cultivation, Rod was surprised to find that today he was able to absorb elements faster than usual. Without any need to summon them, the elements would spontaneously flow toward him. It seemed he could incorporate them into his body with little effort, compressing and refining them into his own combat energy.

Moreover, he could sense that most of the elements surrounding him were fire elements, quite pure, so he didn’t even need to choose. This saved him a great deal of time. Although he couldn’t understand why this was happening, Rod had a vague sense that it might be related to the formation of his combat energy avatar earlier! Perhaps the formation of the avatar had increased his compatibility with elements! That might be why such a phenomenon occurred! Of course, this was just Rod’s speculation; he couldn’t be certain yet. What was certain was that these changes were only beneficial to him.

Feeling these changes, he set aside his doubts for now and, with excitement, hastened to restore his combat energy. As the combat energy flowed in, the fire elements transformed into it and circulated through his meridians, following a path that completed a full cycle.

With each full cycle, his combat energy grew stronger, and the energy consumed was gradually replenished. A warm sensation spread wherever the combat energy passed, nourishing every part of his meridians. Under these conditions, the internal injuries in his body began to recover slowly but steadily, thanks to the combat energy’s nurturing effect.

His extraordinary recovery ability was on display once again. If anyone could see this scene, they would surely be shocked. Rod, sitting naked on the bed practicing cultivation, was surrounded by a faint reddish glow caused by the dense concentration of fire elements. This glow flickered weakly, making Rod resemble a firefly in the dark night—extraordinarily bright and dazzling.

The wounds that were once densely scattered across his body were also healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. As those wounds gradually healed, the blood that had been seeping out slowly coagulated into scabs that covered them. In a short time, even the smaller wounds had completely formed scabs, meaning they had recovered by more than half. What remained was beyond his control; he could only wait for time to do its work. Of course, recovering to this extent could be considered almost complete, and it wouldn’t affect Rod’s combat abilities or strength.

As for the larger, deeper wounds, although they didn’t heal as quickly as the smaller ones, they had improved significantly compared to before. Anyone who didn’t know would surely never imagine that these wounds had appeared just that night.

As he continued his cultivation, nourished by the abundant elements, Rod gradually became immersed in it, casting aside everything outside and fully sinking into his own world!

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he was awakened by a noisy commotion coming from outside. It was then that he realized his combat energy had returned to the ninth level. After some more cultivation, he felt refreshed and slowly stopped, exhaling a puff of stale air.

When he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashed like something tangible. At that moment, Rod appeared extremely sharp and vigorous. But just after that brief moment, the glint disappeared, and Rod returned to his usual ordinary state.

After reaching the imperial level, he had hidden all his sharpness, so ordinary people couldn’t detect anything unusual in him. This was also the biggest difference from a Golden Warrior. At this level, he felt like returning to simplicity, no different from ordinary people.

The noisy sounds came again, familiar—Skora and the others’ voices. Looking outside, he saw that dawn had arrived, and the sky was gradually lighting up. The fierce battle of the night seemed to be over. The return of Skora and the others told Rod that the battle on the other side was likely going well and had entered a stable phase; otherwise, they wouldn’t have returned so quickly.

His physical and mental states had recovered greatly from the cultivation. Stretching lazily and feeling in good shape, Rod smiled in satisfaction. His wounds had also healed to a certain extent and would no longer cause him any problems! Standing up and rubbing his eyes, he headed outside.

His own tent was right next door. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Skora and Krod’s groups. After a fierce battle throughout the night, both groups looked in terrible condition—worse than when he had returned. Everyone was covered in blood and appeared exhausted, clearly having exhausted all their energy from the previous day’s fight.

“Leader, have you recovered from your training? How are you?” Rod’s appearance naturally drew everyone’s attention. Seeing Rod looking energetic, Skora asked with a smile.

Seeing Rod in such good shape, he felt relieved. It was clear there wasn’t a serious problem, but last night’s events were still concerning. Even though he had been fighting on the other side, he had witnessed that dangerous scene! It had been extremely perilous; he had even worried for Rod. If it weren’t for the distance, he would have rushed over to fight alongside him.

“It’s fine. I’ve recovered most of the way. Nothing serious. How about you guys? Did the battle go well?” Rod waved and smiled as he spoke.

“Come on, let’s go inside and talk. Let the others rest first!” After glancing at the people behind him, Rod gave orders before leading the two of them to the room where he had been training earlier.

“Hehe, glad it’s okay. What could possibly happen to us? Last night was an absolute massacre! It’s been a long time since we had such a thrilling fight!” Hearing Rod’s words, Skora became excited and spoke loudly. He also followed him into the empty tent. The three of them gathered in the room and began discussing last night’s battle.

It was the first time he had led a team into battle, using his own strategies to fight. It was completely different from previous battles! The entire night of fighting not only didn’t tire Skora but also left him excited.

Although he had had thrilling battles under Rod’s leadership before, how could those compare to fighting while leading his own team? After all, back then he was just a member of the team. Now it was different—he was fighting based on his own judgment, able to fully utilize his ideas and abilities.

“Well, that’s good. Brother Kerode, how about your side?” Seeing Skora’s excited expression, Rod gave a knowing smile. Of course he understood why Skora was so excited—Skora was capable and thoughtful. Fighting under someone else’s command would never be as satisfying as leading one’s own team. Perhaps that was why he had always been an adventurer on his own. Now that he could act freely, he was undoubtedly overjoyed! Then Rod turned his attention to Kerode beside him.

This usually rather quiet middle-aged man, this Saint-level powerhouse, this enigmatic figure—although he spoke little, Rod could sense from their daily interactions that he was no ordinary person. He was strong, capable, and thoughtful; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been given the task of leading a team alone this time.

“Not bad, but the losses are significant, and coordination isn’t perfect yet!” Hearing Rod’s question, Kerode gave a wry smile and said helplessly. Although last night’s battle wasn’t as intense as those in the previous days, the powerful magical beasts hadn’t decreased at all! It was his first time leading a team into battle, and due to his lack of familiarity with tactical systems, the casualties were indeed high, which made him feel ashamed once again.

“What about the losses?” At the mention of losses, Rod’s expression also darkened. This was indeed the biggest problem—right now, they were too fragile to afford such losses.

“On my side, out of a hundred people, eight brothers were seriously injured after one night of battle and can no longer fight. Thirteen were sacrificed. Only seventy-nine are still able to fight!” When the topic came up, Skora’s expression also darkened instantly. Although the battle went fairly well, the casualty numbers were hard for him to talk about.

“On my side, out of ninety-five people, five were seriously injured, six were sacrificed, leaving eighty-four!” Kerode then reported his side’s situation.

Hearing these numbers, both Rod and Skora’s expressions changed slightly, showing surprise. The casualty figures indeed exceeded their expectations—not because they were high, but because they were low. After just three days of training, being able to minimize casualties while leading a team alone was a clear indication of his ability!

Especially Skora, whose expression was particularly strange and complex. It was normal for his casualties to be slightly higher than hers, after all, he admitted his own abilities were inferior to hers. But as for Krod, he started with fewer men than her, and after fighting all night—she had noticed—that his performance was no worse than hers, yet his casualties were much lower. This figure made her feel ashamed and embarrassed.

She gave Krod a meaningful look; indeed, he was no ordinary person. This made Rod even more convinced of his judgment. He then smiled slightly in relief and said, “My side has suffered heavy losses—ten brothers dead, five injured. Now only seventy-two are left! It seems we’re still a bit behind the two seniors!”

“Come on, boss, stop saying such things. Can we even live like this? Everyone knows how the battle went on your side. Your achievements are obvious to all. We simply can’t achieve such results!” Rod’s words immediately drew out Skora’s outcry. The west side was the most dangerous and hardest to defend, with pressure and intensity far beyond what the east and central areas could compare to.

For a moment, the atmosphere among the three of them became more harmonious. Considering the current casualty situation, Rod was quite troubled, but fortunately, it was still within acceptable limits, so they wouldn’t be completely devastated.

They gathered around and began discussing what to do next. How to proceed under these circumstances, what actions to take, and how to help them maximize their strength while minimizing losses—these were the urgent issues at hand.