Bitter Realm: Have the Four Realms been united today?

Chapter 42 Openly repairing the plank road while secretly advancing the Chencang pass

His inquiry into cultivation talent at this moment was merely an attempt to create the illusion that he was capable of cultivation, providing a reason to demonstrate his power without arousing suspicion.

Unless someone's innate talent is so poor that they are destined to be unable to cultivate, other levels of good or bad make no difference to him.

After lunch, the study was once again filled with the tranquil fragrance of ink.

Yue Tianji continued to explain the essentials of military strategy to Xuanming, occasionally correcting his spelling of a few characters.

The boy was engrossed in his studies until the sound of Jing Yunfeng's steady footsteps broke the silence.

He brought a battle report from the north.

Yue Tianji took the thin piece of paper and quickly scanned its contents.

A moment later, he gently pushed the letter in front of Xuanming, his tone calm but unquestionable: "Come with me north tomorrow to join the Soul Emperor."

Xuanming's heart tightened suddenly, and a chill ran down his spine.

He instinctively feared the imposing emperor and was even more apprehensive about the rumored bloody battlefield.

However, he dared not show it on his face, but obediently lowered his head and replied in a low voice, "Yes."

Seeing his obedience, a barely perceptible hint of inquiry flashed in Yue Tianji's eyes.

He lightly tapped the letter with his fingertip: "Take a look."

Xuanming hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out and took the piece of paper that seemed to smell of gunpowder.

The letter was concise and clearly described how the Huang Army was advancing rapidly, defeating several small forces in the north, and its military might was now aimed at the territories of the Tiange, Wanxie Alliance, and Tushen Sect.

"These three parties... are they the true targets of the Soul Emperor's trip?" Xuanming raised his head, trying to read deeper information from Yue Tianji's calm face.

"Not bad." Yue Tianji nodded slightly. "The Heavenly Pavilion, the Myriad Evils Alliance, and the God-Slaying Sect have been entrenched in the North for many years. They are deeply rooted and their strength should not be underestimated. They have always been very wary of Huan Chen Bu Wu."

"Most of the forces that the Soul Emperor eliminated this time were secretly supported by these three parties, and their purpose was to hinder our army's northward advance."

"It must have been a brilliant plan devised by you, sir, that allowed you to deceive everyone and make the Soul Emperor's advance so successful this time," Xuanming said cautiously, following up on the conversation.

"Your talent is not bad, and you have grasped the art of military strategy quite quickly," Yue Tianji said, his gaze fixed on him, his tone calm yet carrying an invisible pressure. "You should be able to deduce the strategy I will use."

Xuanming's heart skipped a beat, wishing he could turn back time and take back that superfluous compliment.

"I have only been studying military strategy with you for less than two days, and my knowledge is too shallow to possibly understand your brilliant strategies!" he hurriedly explained, trying to bluff his way out.

Yue Tianji remained silent, simply watching him quietly, his deep eyes seemingly able to see through all pretense.

Xuanming gradually gave in under his gaze, realizing that he couldn't avoid this ordeal.

He sighed inwardly, having no choice but to settle for second best and try to gather as many clues as possible.

"Even if the teacher wanted to test his students, shouldn't he have explained the question clearly? There's no information at all, how are we supposed to guess?"

"Oh?" Yue Tianji raised an eyebrow, easily seeing through his bargaining intentions. "The question, didn't I already explain it?"

Xuanming was completely helpless, knowing that struggling any further would be futile.

He lowered his head resignedly, his voice muffled, unconsciously carrying a hint of grievance and complaint that even he himself was unaware of:

"I have not thought things through and my knowledge is shallow. Furthermore, you are unwilling to be lenient. If my guess is wrong later, please forgive me."

Yue Tianji nodded slightly, picked up the teapot, and slowly poured two cups of tea. He gently pushed one of the cups towards Xuanming, a barely perceptible smile flashing across his eyes.

Xuanming pondered intently, his fingertips unconsciously tracing lines on the tabletop.

Since Yue Tianji hadn't stopped him beforehand, Xuanming still habitually shared his thought process.

"Since the three factions of the Heavenly Pavilion are wary of the Soul Emperor, those forces they support should occupy the essential routes leading to the three regions, and these should mostly be strategically important locations that are easy to defend and difficult to attack."

He looked up at Yue Tianji and, seeing that the other party's expression was normal, continued his deduction: "Under normal circumstances, these forces are both a shield for the three parties and can also act as eyes and ears."

"As long as Huan Chenbu shows any signs of heading north, the three sides will surely be aware of the troop movements and promptly send reinforcements to rely on the terrain to block the Soul Emperor."

"However, the Soul Emperor's advance this time was unusually smooth, without encountering strong resistance, indicating that Huan Chenbu's arrival was completely unexpected by all three parties."

"Sir, you must have used a feigned attack while secretly advancing, successfully misleading the three parties into believing that Huan Chenbuwu is unable to march north in the short term."

Seeing Xuanming's questioning gaze, Yue Tianji nodded slightly, confirming his speculation, and gestured with his eyes for him to continue.

Seeing that the test was not over, Xuanming had no choice but to continue racking his brains to devise a plan to mislead the three parties.

However, Yue Tianji did not provide any information about the three parties. He had no basis for his speculation and could only grope in the fog.

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed quietly, and Xuanming was still clueless.

He couldn't help but look up at Yue Tianji with a pitiful expression, hoping that the test would end there or that he would receive some hints.

But Yue Tianji remained unmoved, simply pushing the slightly cool tea towards him: "No need to rush."

Xuanming had no choice but to pick up his teacup, tilt his head back and drink it all in a huff, resignedly continuing the "question and answer" session.

The study was silent, time flowed slowly in the stillness, and Yue Tianji remained silent throughout.

Two quarters of an hour later, Xuanming's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said with some excitement, "Two days ago, when I accidentally injured the Soul Emperor, Huan Chenbu was fighting against the Battle Hall and the Demon Cave."

"As you said yesterday, the Soul Emperor's northward journey is a predetermined plan. The purpose of sending troops out overnight is to seize the initiative before the news of the War Hall's destruction spreads."

He spoke more and more fluently, as if clearing away layers of fog: "If I'm not mistaken, you deliberately concealed your strength, making Huan Chenbuwu and Zhantang evenly matched, leading all three parties to mistakenly believe that the war was at a stalemate and that the Soul Emperor was unable to divide his forces."

"After the three parties relax their vigilance, we will annihilate the War Hall in one fell swoop with lightning speed, and then quickly march north to catch them off guard."

At this point, he frowned again: "But in order to prevent the three parties from reacting, Huan Chenbu must annihilate the two sides of Zhan Tang quickly and decisively, without any delay."

"But if too much strength is hidden, it will inevitably arouse the suspicion of the three factions of the Heavenly Pavilion and the two factions of the War Hall..."

He looked up at Yue Tianji, his eyes filled with confusion: "How exactly did you manage to prevent the five parties from suspecting anything while simultaneously enabling Huan Chenbuwu to swiftly annihilate the enemy?"

Knowing the secrets of the heavens, Xuanming's ability to deduce the general outline of the plan from these scattered clues far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Asking him to delve deeper into the details would be asking too much of him.