"Alright, we will all follow the orders of the Grand Commander!" The smaller commanders all agreed. They didn't want to leave a bad impression on Taishan in their final moments, and Guan Hai indeed accelerated their path to joining Taishan. Because of this, they were happy to recognize Guan Hai as their leader in these last days.
"Then it's settled, brothers. We'll surround but not attack, waiting for Taishan to come and fight us. Once they arrive, we'll all surrender together!" Guan Hai shouted.
"Agreed! We will follow the Grand Commander's orders!" The smaller commanders shouted in excitement. To them, a bright future was within reach. As for whether Taishan would kill them, after observing the lives of Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao, and Liao Hua, they believed that as long as they surrendered, they would be fine.
When Chen Xi received this intelligence, he was speechless. Guan Hai was digging his own grave. If they had waited just a month, they would have been dealt with anyway—why rush it? He had even considered recruiting Guan Hai, after all, he was someone who took over thirty rounds for Guan Yu to defeat. But in this world, with Guan Yu's current strength, Guan Hai wouldn't last a single round if he didn't possess the power of "Internal Energy Released."
"Sigh, what a pity. Guan Hai is doomed," Chen Xi sighed. "A brave general who charges into battle, but once his brain fails him, he's finished."
"Just another Yellow Turban remnant," Jia Xu sneered.
"But it's a pity for a Yellow Turban remnant who reached the level of 'Internal Energy Released,'" Chen Xi said, shaking his head.
"Internal Energy Released?" Jia Xu was stunned. "Since when did warriors at that level become so common? How did even the Yellow Turbans have one?"
"This is a golden age for warriors; there's no helping it. You'll see more and more warriors at that level in the future," Chen Xi shrugged. He couldn't help but recall that even someone like Cao Hong could hold his own against Ma Chao in the later stages, going fifty or sixty rounds before retreating. It seemed that warriors with "Internal Energy Released" wouldn't be rare in the future.
"This shouldn't be!" Jia Xu frowned. "You may not know, but I've come across records from the imperial palace about warriors through the ages. 'Internal Energy Released' is supposed to be the pinnacle of a warrior's abilities, and there shouldn't be so many. In fact, since the Qin and Han dynasties, there has only been one—Xiang Yu. No one else has reached that level!"
Chen Xi was stunned. "That doesn't make sense. How could there have been no one with 'Internal Energy Released' for centuries?"
"The palace records state this clearly. That's also why Wang Yue, a mere swordmaster, became an imperial teacher—he was the first to reach 'Internal Energy Released' since Xiang Yu. After him came Tong Yuan, and then Huang Hansheng (Huang Zhong)," Jia Xu slowly revealed the hidden information he had uncovered in the palace archives.
"This doesn't make sense. There are already many warriors at that level now. How could it be that none appeared for over four hundred years?" Chen Xi frowned. From what he knew, reaching 'Internal Energy Released' was difficult, but not to the point where no one could achieve it for centuries.
"This is a fact. More accurately, even Lü Bu has just taken the first step beyond the peak of 'Internal Energy.' Others, including Wang Yue and Tong Yuan, merely reached the pinnacle of 'Internal Energy.' However, they developed many secret techniques, ultimate skills, and forbidden arts to enhance their strength," Jia Xu explained, combining his knowledge from the palace records with information from Lü Bu.
"So you're saying that Tong Yuan and Wang Yue might be able to defeat Lü Bu in battle, but in terms of true mastery, they're not at his level?" Chen Xi was stunned. This defied all logic!
"Yes, that's exactly the case. Lü Bu disdains secret techniques and such. His goal is to break through the limits and reach an even higher level. To him, secret techniques are nothing more than distractions—he seeks stable and balanced combat power, not temporary bursts of strength," Jia Xu said solemnly.
Chen Xi silently reflected on this.
"But what about the previous centuries? How could so many legendary generals have failed to break through?" Chen Xi wondered, frowning. Even the Yuntai Twenty-Eight Generals under Liu Xiu (Emperor Guangwu) should have had a few who reached 'Internal Energy Released.'
"According to the Han dynasty records, none of them did. In fact, most of the great generals of the early Han barely reached the level of 'Refined Qi into Steel,'" Jia Xu said, his expression becoming increasingly strange.
"Really? What about later? If that's the case, then Xiang Yu seems highly unusual. And isn't our current situation even more illogical?" Chen Xi asked, curious.
"The Divine Stone appeared twice, not just once, Zichuan. The 'Annals of Emperor Guangwu' records, 'At night, a meteor fell in the camp, during the day, a cloud encircled the mountain, and the meteor fell, dissipating a foot from the ground, causing the soldiers to prostrate themselves in fear,'" Jia Xu revealed a fact that Chen Xi had never known.
"Isn't that a record of the Battle of Kunyang?" Chen Xi muttered. He remembered it as a battle where a small force of ten thousand faced an army of four hundred thousand and won through seemingly impossible means—comets, meteor showers, and even a great flood wiped out the enemy...
"Wait, are you saying that meteor had the same effect?" Chen Xi finally grasped what Jia Xu was implying.
"Yes, that meteor had an effect. When it fell, it partially melted, releasing energy that elevated the Yuntai Twenty-Eight Generals to the peak of 'Refined Qi into Steel.' It also granted Emperor Guangwu's ten thousand soldiers 'Internal Energy.' However, unlike the previous Divine Stone, this one solidified with a shell instead of slowly dissipating," Jia Xu explained the details recorded in the archives.
"And what happened to the Divine Stone afterward?" Chen Xi asked curiously.
"No one knows. It wasn't in the palace, and there's no further record of it in the archives," Jia Xu sighed. The imperial palace's forbidden grounds had been thoroughly searched, but to no avail.
"If the current Divine Stone disappeared like the previous one, that could explain the current situation. It's clear that the second stone's effects were much stronger than the first. This is a major issue..." Chen Xi mused, his thoughts drifting far and wide.