Chapter 1071: Being Known Throughout the Ages (IV)

Those outside the mine looked around blankly when they heard the laughter. Jiang Li glanced curiously at the New Martial cultivators around him. What was... going on? Weren’t those Silver Moon martial masters healing from their wounds? Why were they laughing instead?

Had they forgotten that they’d lost a battle? Were they laughing so loudly to comfort themselves? Or did they really have such big hearts that losing to Divine Nation meant nothing to them? Had Li Hao fully recovered?

The priest thought it over. If Great Li had set out with as much confidence as their king had brought to bear against the ancients, but then lost the battle, their army wouldn’t have dared make a peep for several days. Morale and spirits would be very low. But Skystar... seemed to have found its footing again.

Zhang An glanced at the mine, feeling both gratified and another complicated mix of emotions that they had recovered so quickly. The complex look in his eyes deepened as he looked at the students not too far from him.

“New Martial is in the past, at least in this world!” he transmitted to the stronger students. “Even if it still exists, it is not the New Martial that belonged to the Human King! All of you are imperial descendants, you should understand this. This is both a new era and a new world! When it comes to me, I am old and unwilling to change...

“Being a mercenary is not a viable long-term path. You are all smart people, so make the decision you need to make! This is a good time to, since this is our first real large-scale battle!” The dean continued, disregarding what his students might be thinking. “The new martial dao is quite interesting and bears a lot of potential!

“Li Hao is not strong yet—he’s only on par with an Apex of our time. He may not even be as strong as your primary bodies. He’s suffered a setback with Divine Nation, yes, but he has a big heart. At the very least, he’s quickly recovered and made adjustments. There is much to learn from those who practice the aura of invincibility if they do not collapse after it is broken!”

Li Hao had enjoyed smooth sailing ever since setting foot into the world, but he’d suffered quite a loss this time. The greatest blow of all had come when his aura of invincibility was shattered.

However, not only did the young man adjust his mindset in such a short period of time, but so did the Silver Moon martial masters. They were starting anew. It was only then that Zhang An felt that the students needed to make a decision about their future.

“Teacher, we...”

“There’s no need to worry too much. Li Hao won’t reject you guys just because of one setback. We were audience members this time. If you are willing to become part of the Silver Moon group, you will no longer sit on the sidelines! But even if you join this era, do not forget the spirit of New Martial!

“You will fight for this era and for yourselves. So long as you are willing, you can still become part of this current society. Leave everything in the past and cease thinking that we are not of these times!

“The choice is yours. Li Hao has promised to make new bodies for everyone. If you are willing, then choose a body of the new humans. If not, then choose one of New Martial. If you choose one of New Martial, fight for New Martial. If you choose one of this age, then truly become part of their society, alright?”

None of the student puppets spoke. They sank into deep thought.

Zhang An concluded his speech and didn’t ask what they were thinking. The day they chose their new bodies would be the day of their decision. There... was no need to craft bodies for them if they didn’t wish to be part of this age. And if they chose a body of the new era, then they should embrace these times and fight for the Star Era.

It was also time for him to make a decision.

Zhang An took a deep breath and looked into the depths of the mine. There was laughter and conversation traveling from it. This battle had showcased a great deal and was possibly an enormous opportunity for Li Hao.

It was time for everyone to make a decision. Were they with Li Hao, a neutral New Martial party, or an enemy?

Li Hao, you know this just as well, don’t you?

Zhang An looked at the sky and started laughing. No one knew what he found so funny. Next to him, Jiang Li found the man strange and puzzling!

It was a group of very odd fellows!

......

Inside the mine.

Having vented their emotions through a hearty round of laughter and amusement, the group poked fun at each other. What’d happened with Divine Nation was fully set aside.

“We suffered a bit of a loss earlier,” said Li Hao. “I thought about the main reason why and think that it was because our targets were too scattered! The spontaneous attacks from the four nations have thrown us for a loop.”

The young man silently looked at the group for a bit and suddenly said, “I want to sue for peace!”

“......” The assembly stared at him.

We’re happily taking in how much we’ve improved by, what are you talking about?

Suing for peace??

Everyone was so surprised they didn’t know what to say. For a powerhouse that sought to reign supreme and become the future Dao Master, this was abject humiliation!

“Apart from Divine Nation, we can easily destroy the other four nations.” Sky Sword couldn’t help himself either. “Why do we need to sue for peace?”

“Firstly, I don’t want there to be large-scale war at the moment,” the young man responded. “It’s too much of a burden on the people and a waste of money! Secondly, it doesn’t matter if we destroy them or not. If they win, they’ll occupy the central plains. If we win, what, are we supposed to move into their swamps and deserts?

“Thirdly, Skystar Dynasty is in the middle of a transformation and many aspects of society are waiting to start up again. Therefore, I’d like to bide my time for a while,” Li Hao concluded softly. “I’d like to complete our internal reforms before turning our attention to the four nations.

“I was unwilling to accept defeat or admit to my fears before because I thought I could do it all! But reality is not the case, so I’m going to sue for peace!”

His words were hard to accept, although some found them palatable.

“Commander,” Lin Hongyu said after a moment of silence. “If it’s peace that you wish, the four nations will not easily agree to withdrawing...”

“We’ll need to pay a price!” Li Hao nodded. “Whether it’s mysterious power stones or Water of Life, these things are more valuable than anything else!”

“But...” Yuan Shuo could help but interject. “We may not be afraid of the four nations. Compromising like this and paying them tribute, do you not want your reputation anymore?”

No one had anticipated that Li Hao would want to negotiate for peace. He should rather break than bend! He should rather be shattered jade than a complete piece of tile!

That was the sovereign of their imagination, the Li Hao and Demon Sword of their hearts.

Previously highly excited, the group now suffered so deeply that it hurt.

“I need some time, so please give me that time.” Li Hao smiled. “This is life. If we wish to be the best, we must suffer through the most bitter. It’s just one defeat, I can accept that. I, Li Hao, can bow my head!

“If the four nations are willing to give me some time, they’ll end up paying back everything they take from me today. What do they want with all this fighting? Isn’t it resources for now? Then I’ll give it to them!

“Of course, we’ll also demonstrate our might while we’re at it. We’ll... beat them to the point of having them where we want them before I offer peace.” Li Hao grinned. “I have too many things I want to do—rolling out education, raising crops, popularizing martial dao, systemizing the army, recruiting talent, cleaning out the ruins, limiting the three great organizations, and suppressing the various overlords...

“I am not a god, I am just Li Hao!” sighed the young man. “And all of you are just martial masters wandering the martial world, you are not omnipotent! It’s too hard to do all this in a short period of time!

“We’ve already battled Great Li and Divine Nation, they know our strength! If we threaten Barren Dynasty and Watercloud Dynasty next, they won’t be willing to fight to the bitter end with us. The only exception is if the four sides reach an agreement to act together. Only a joint alliance of the four can withstand us!

“If we give them vast quantities of resources, they’ll need time to digest their gains as well. It will be up to them to see who digests and improves faster. Victory and defeat are not determined in a short period of time.”

Although Li Hao made sense, his words were still unacceptable to the group.

“We fought from the north to the central region and swept the four corners,” raged He Yong. “We didn’t bow our heads to New Martial, but now we have to bow to the savages of the four directions?! Do we want to have any morale left in Skystar after this?”

“I know this is hard to accept, but I think that we must retract our fist first before punching it out with more strength. As for morale...” Li Hao grinned. “So long as ours remain, the rest can be fostered again. One victory will be sufficient to raise our spirits! I overestimated myself before and thought too highly of our morale. In fact, I thought too highly of Skystar’s strength as a whole, which is what led to our setback.”

Suing for peace!

The group still didn’t make a sound.

“I’ve read many history books in which mighty emperors suffer some losses in the beginning. They either sue for peace, marry to ensure peace, endure hardships for eventual revenge, or forfeit land and compensation. Of course, some of them eventually end up on the chopping block, but some rise again with more ferocity than before!

“So long as we do not grow dispirited because of this and just quietly improve ourselves, then none of this is a problem.” Li Hao started counting off of his fingers. “We have too many matters to take care of! There’s the revival of the Battle Heaven Army, the revival of Evenround Martial’s students, cleaning up the ruins in the central region, building various academies, and spring planting season soon... The dynasty will be hollowed out if there’s too much unrest at this moment. The four nations won’t care, but we need to.”

Despite Li Hao’s words making sense, the group still remained silent.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Director General Zhao ultimately said. “Of course, there needs to be limits to our negotiations for peace. We can’t harm our foundations or let the enemies have too many gains. We also can’t open talks without fighting a single battle.

“Whether it’s a win or a loss, we need to let Watercloud and Barren Dynasty know that we’re not easy targets to pick on! They’ll be satisfied with some easy concessions if they’re afraid of us. Otherwise, they’ll have large appetites!

“The other factor to consider is Divine Nation. We can sue for peace with the other three, but Divine Nation is the strongest, so they need to be brought to heel!”

“That’s right!” Li Hao nodded with a smile. “In addition, we can permit Great Li to continue making camp at Ash Mountain. Other than not providing them with provisions, I can give them whatever else they need! And of course, while we want a truce, the small skirmishes must continue!

“This will restrict them on one hand and also train new troops for us on the other! The battles on the border must continue and our infrastructure must commence! Any questions, everyone?”

What can we say when you’ve already said so much?

“Then I’m going to the south,” He Yong forced out begrudgingly. “I’ll fight Watercloud. I’m the southern commander at the end of the day!”

“Sure.” Li Hao smiled. “I’ll send people to all four corners! You can go to the south. Director General Zhao can take the north. The west is a bit tricky... They won’t stop easily once they recover. They might even ignore our request for talks.

“But let’s go out first! Let’s take care of Great Li first while everyone and Jiang Li are still here.”

The group looked at each other without saying anything else. It was unexpected that Li Hao would suddenly decide to back away from the battlefields.