"Bang, bang, bang, bang…"
In the empty training ground of the Seventh Legion, the roaring metallic clash of thunderous rain echoed. Chaotic and crisscrossing energies kicked up a sky full of dust from the ground, deep scratches stirred up shattered stones everywhere, and amidst the rapidly swirling flashes of blades and swords, two young women could be seen fighting. The rapidly wielded weapons were indistinguishable, but judging by the distance of their confrontation, they were using long weapons.
Lin was sparring with Zhi Feng in weapon combat, which could be considered an extra training session Lin specially arranged for Zhi Feng. After all, Zhi Feng was currently the closest person to her, and if her strength couldn't keep up and something Lin didn't want to see happened, it would be unacceptable.
"Bang!"
The weapon in Lin's hand suddenly shook while entangled with Zhi Feng! A sudden impact instantly vibrated Zhi Feng's entire body, as if all her bones and muscles were dislocated in an instant. Zhi Feng couldn't help but retreat three steps backward. When she stabilized, a sharp spear tip was pressed against her throat.
At this moment, Lin held the weapon with one hand, gripping the end spike, holding it level. The weapon, now still and frozen before Zhi Feng, finally revealed its true form: a three-meter-long shaft with a metal spear tip at one end, and crescent-shaped blades on both sides connected to the spear tip by two small branches, forming a well-shaped character. This weapon was called a heavenly halberd in ancient China, and Zhi Feng also held an identical weapon.
"Big Sister, I lost again." 570
Zhi Feng smiled and conceded defeat. Lin also smiled and with a flick of her wrist, the halberd shaft slid back into her hand. This was actually Zhi Feng's most proficient weapon, and Lin had merely chosen the same weapon as Zhi Feng to guide her. However, Lin was extremely surprised by Zhi Feng's choice of weapon. Although anything could happen in the fantasy 2d world, the heavenly halberd was indeed too rare.
The heavenly halberd was usually a ceremonial object in the army, rarely used in actual combat. However, it was not that it couldn't be used in actual combat; it simply demanded too much from its wielder.
The heavenly halberd itself is a heavy weapon, unlike lighter long weapons such as spears. The heavenly halberd is complex to use, has many functions, and requires immense strength and skill, combining the functions of both light and heavy weapons. To use a heavenly halberd, one must possess both skill and strength, and also have extremely high mastery in both, to unleash the weapon's power. It can both contend with heavy weapons and spar with light weapons. This weapon, if used, is wielded by strong individuals, but few know how to use it.
All those capable of wielding such a weapon effectively on the battlefield were renowned and formidable generals, such as Lu Bu, Xiang Yu, and Xue Rengui in Chinese history. However, Lin never expected that Zhi Feng would also use this weapon.
"But what I find even more surprising is that Big Sister also knows how to use this weapon, and she's much more skilled than I, who have been learning and training since childhood. But Big Sister, you seem to be using it for the first time."
Zhi Feng said with some confusion, as Lin had seemed very surprised when she first saw her weapon.
"Yes, it's my first time using it."
Lin stood the heavenly halberd upright beside her, the shaft landing on the ground, causing the ground to tremble slightly and dust to fly. From the shaft to the head, it was entirely forged from a single piece of metal, indicating its considerable weight. Lin smiled and replied:
"I have an unparalleled innate ability to master any weapon. Whether it's Imperial Arms, various exotic weapons, or any object that isn't even a weapon, I can wield it as if it were an extension of my arm, unleashing its maximum power as a weapon."
Regarding Lin's strength, Zhi Feng could only prostrate herself in admiration from every aspect. The closer she got to Lin, the more she felt this despairing power. Whether it was talent, effort, or inner spirit, all the factors that contributed to Lin's displayed strength were so perfect.
To have her most cherished skill, honed with desperate effort since childhood, easily surpassed by someone using it for the first time, and with overwhelming superiority, was truly a form of despair. However, Zhi Feng had never placed herself on the same level as Lin for comparison; the more powerful Lin appeared, the deeper her reverence for Lin grew.
Speaking of which, among the Forty-Eight Imperial Arms, there really isn't a halberd-shaped Imperial Arm. Otherwise, we could send people to search for it.
Lin said with some regret, and Zhi Feng shook her head repeatedly upon hearing this.
"No need, no need, Big Sister. Imperial Arms might just be something I'm not meant to have. More importantly, Big Sister, is this soldier training method really okay? Making soldiers fight fully armed death row inmates bare-handed..."
"Relax, relax. I've already given orders that no fatalities are allowed. Even with weapons, given the physical quality of the remaining soldiers, an ordinary strike with a blade can at most injure the muscle layer. Don't worry."
At this moment, a series of bloody and thrilling life-and-death duels were taking place in the death row prison. Each duel was between a new recruit from the Seventh Legion and a death row inmate.
The new recruits of the Seventh Legion were all bare-chested, showcasing their lean, well-proportioned, and strong muscles, engaging in life-anddeath combat with death row inmates armed with swords and knives. The atmosphere was incredibly fervent, with cheers, shouts, and roars echoing throughout the entire prison, which could hold 100,000 people, as if it were not a prison but an imperial gladiatorial arena.
That's right, Lin's second phase of practical training was to have soldiers who had learned 'Inch Punch' engage in one-on-one life-and-death combat with death row inmates bare-handed. This time, the death row inmates were fully armed, while the soldiers fought bare-cheasted and bare-handed.
Of course, the conditions could not favor the death row inmates. Soldiers were required to kill the sword-wielding death row inmates bare-handed, while the death row inmates could not kill the soldiers, only incapacitate them. If a death row inmate succeeded, they would be immediately released, their crimes pardoned, and they would gain freedom.
Each small squad formed a circle. Soldiers not yet in the arena wore armor and carried swords, strictly guarding against prisoners breaking out and escaping, while also cheering on their comrades in the arena.
Overcoming their fear and panic of being at a weapon disadvantage, a soldier lunged forward, actively charging at the sword-wielding death row inmate in front of them. The death row inmate, eyes red with a desperate craving for freedom, also roared and fearlessly raised their sword, charging towards the soldier.
"Good! That's it, kill him!"
"Go! Watch out for vital points, don't get a hot head and forget all your training, giving it back to the general!"
"Life and death are trivial, if you're not convinced, just do it! I don't want to clean up your corpse!"
Life, passion, and bloodlust—this thrilling and brutal training unexpectedly ignited a fervent enthusiasm among the soldiers, much like gladiators in ancient Rome. However, here there was no distinction between slave gladiators and noble spectators; everyone was both a spectator and a gladiator, without high or low status. Successful individuals enjoyed the praise and recognition of their companions and comrades, while the few failures were automatically scorned by the group, sent to the treatment room for simple care, and then prepared to be eliminated from the legion.
"Crack!"
With a sound of bone breaking, the agile and decisive soldier, ignoring the tearing sword wounds on their body, grabbed the death row inmate's sword-wielding arm, decisively broke its bone, and then delivered a powerful punch to the death row inmate's temple.
"Good!!!"
"Well done! Get him!!!"
The new recruit on the field did not let go of the death row inmate, whose vital point had been severely struck. He followed up, knelt on the unconscious death row inmate's back, and with both hands, gripped the death row inmate's head—
"Snap!"
The crisp sound of a neck bone breaking was like a spark falling into hot oil, instantly igniting the passionate cheers of the surrounding soldiers, as if welcoming a bullfighter who had successfully killed a bull. A military doctor, who had been waiting nearby, immediately stepped forward to clean, treat, and stitch the victorious soldier's wounds. The thoroughly dead body on the ground was dragged away like trash by a nearby soldier, thrown onto a small mountain of corpses, waiting to be collectively cremated and buried after the training concluded.
Cheers and howls filled the death row prison, which should have been silent and desolate. Amidst the flickering firelight and howls, blood and savagery were being unleashed here...
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