2597 A New Captain

"A man by the name of Duan Ling Tian has recovered the identity token of our fallen captain, Huang Ji Bing. Henceforth, I, Chen Xuan Ba, exercise my authority as the Commander of the Black Dragon Army, and appoint him as one of our captains as I have promised. He will now command the platoon that previously answered to Captain Huang Ji Bing!" Chen Xuan Ba, the Commander of the Black Dragon Army, announced in a deep booming voice that was imbued with Celestial Origin Energy.

It took only a second for the announcement to spread throughout the camp. Everyone who was in the army base heard his announcement clearly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As soon as Chen Xuan Ba finished his announcement, three blurry figures charged out of the three nearest captain's tents and came to a halt before Chen Xuan Ba and Jian Qiu Ping.

"Commander, sir!" The three immediately greeted Chen Xuan Ba as they sized Duan Ling Tian up.

An old man with a kindly face was the first to greet Duan Ling Tian. "Captain Duan Ling Tian, I'm Hu Ji, a captain like yourself. I look forward to working with you from now onward."

A young man with an emotionless face chimed in with a quick nod and curt introduction. "Zhao Dong Xing."

A middle-aged man with a perpetual grin on his face explained, "Don't mind him, Captain Duan Ling Tian. Captain Zhao is known for being taciturn. You'll get used to him after a while." Then, he said, "By the way, I am Chai Wen Yu, also a captain of the army. I look forward to learning from you."

"I'm Duan Ling Tian. I look forward to working and learning from the three of you," Duan Ling Tian answered with a smile.

"Hey, you three. Duan Ling Tian is just a Violet Moon Heavenly Celestial so don't bet on him being able to hold on to this position for long. There's no need for all of you to be so courteous to him. With his cultivation base, he's just at the level of a centurion," Jian Qiu Ping said from a distance to his three colleagues.

"Violet Moon Heavenly Celestial?" Hu Ji, the old man, frowned at Jian Qiu Ping's words. A fleeting indifferent expression flashed across his kindly face.

At the same time, Chai Yu Min's smile froze on his lips as a glint of contempt flitted through his eyes.

Only Zhao Dong Xin looked at Duan Ling Tian with mild surprise. He showed no other response.

After that, Hu Ji and Chai Yu Min bade Chen Xuan Ba farewell and strode back to their tents without sparing another moment for Duan Ling Tian. It was clear they thought it was a waste of time to continue talking to him.

Zhao Dong Xin nodded at Chen Xuan Ba and Duan Ling Tian as a sign of him taking his leave before returning to his tent.

"Captain Duan," Chen Xuan Ba said as he pointed at a tent at the north, "That tent used to belong to Captain Huang. From now on, it'll belong to you."

Duan Ling Tian's eyes followed Chen Xuan Ba's finger, and what he saw made his eyes brighten in delight. After all, the only reason he had shown up at the Black Dragon Army's camp was due to his need for a good cultivation environment. How could he not feel delighted seeing his tent located in the middle of the best cultivation place in the army camp?

One could search through every inch of the area surrounding Bloody Specter City and still would not find any site as good as the Tranquil Alcove, which was where the City Governor of Bloody Specter City cultivated. This place was very close to Tranquil Alcove and would be conducive to one's cultivation. At the very least, Duan Ling Tian was satisfied with what he had for now.

"Captain Jian," Chen Xuan Ba turned to look at Jian Qiu Ping and said flatly, "You're in charge of helping Captain Duan adjust and acquaint himself with the soldiers under his care. Treat it as a house-warming rite."

"Yes, sir!" Regardless of how unwilling Jian Qiu Ping was, he could not answer with anything but a short obsequious yes.

However, as soon as Chen Xuan Ba returned to his tent, Jian Qiu Ping dropped his facade and looked at Duan Ling Tian contemptuously. "I really don't understand what goes through the commander's mind. You won't even be able to hold on to your position for long with your cultivation base. Honestly, what's the point of getting acquainted with Captain Huang's subordinates." These were his honest thoughts.

"What do you mean, Captain Jian? Are you saying you intend to disobey Chen Xuan Ba's orders?" Duan Ling Tian asked as he looked at Jian Qiu Ping indifferently.

Jia Qiu Ping's expression darkened as he glared at Duan Ling Tian. Then, he begrudgingly showed Duan Ling Tian the way. After all, he could only run his mouth at most. He would not dare to disobey Chen Xuan Ba's orders.

"Listen up, Duan Ling Tian. You're part of the Black Dragon Army now. This means you must always refer to our commander as Commander Chen. Addressing him using his name is a major show of disrespect!" Jian Qiu Ping admonished Duan Ling Tian haughtily as the latter trailed after him.

Jian Qiu Ping was angered again when he noticed Duan Ling Tian ignoring him. His expression turned stormier as he stopped talking so he would not make a fool of himself. He led Duan Ling Tian to the barracks where Captain Huang's soldiers were located in silence.

There were eleven divisions in the Black Dragon Army. One of them was where the commander and captains' tents were located. Unless they had left the camp, they would usually be found cultivating in their tents.

Apart from that, each of the ten divisions housed 1,000 tents. The soldiers were segregated into groups of thousands, each commanded by a different captain.

Currently, Jian Qiu Ping was leading Duan Ling Tian to the division where soldiers formerly under Huang Ji Bing's command stayed.

...

Meanwhile, the camp was in an uproar after Chen Xuan Ba made his announcement.

"Duan Ling Tian? Captain?"

"That Duan Ling Tian is sure lucky for coming across Captain Huang's identity token. Just because of that, he's instantly made a captain."

"Well, we don't know how strong he is. If he's weak, he won't stay captain for long."

"That's true!"

"I don't think he's weak. After all, he managed to locate Captain Huang's identity token. He must be somewhat skilled."

"I agree. After all, when Captain Huang had first gone missing, many of our captains went out to search for the identity token around the area where he was last seen, but none of them could find it!"

"I have a feeling Duan Ling Tian is not a simple person."

At this moment, all the conversations in the army base revolved around Duan Ling Tian. Some wondered if Duan Ling Tian had the strength to hold on to his position. Some believed he had to be skilled to be able to locate Huang Ji Bing's identity token.

"In any case, if he turns out to be weak, he's going to be replaced very soon!"

"That's true. Among our centurions, three have already become Golden Celestials. Moreover, one of them is very likely to replace his superior after he comes out of closed-door cultivation. It seems like Captain Jian won't be able to stay captain for long!"

"If the other two centurions didn't go into closed-door training, I'm sure they would be gearing up to challenge this new guy."

"I can't wait to see this!"

Many of the soldiers of the Black Dragon Army were eagerly anticipating the centurions who were Golden Celestials to challenge the newly-instated captain, Duan Ling Tian.

"I wonder how strong the new captain is?"

"If he's weaker than our former captain, we, as his subordinates, can kiss our heyday goodbye."

"I really hope he doesn't disappoint us…"

Many of the soldiers who were formerly under Huang Ji Bing's command had gathered as well, expressing their concerns.