As the army set off, Chen Xi decisively activated his spiritual talent, using its abilities to resonate with all the soldiers. Sitting on the war chariot, Chen Xi held his folding fan and waved it through the air, casting a pale white light over the entire army.
Once Chen Xi activated his artificial legion talent, the morale of the entire army sharply increased, and their belief in victory deepened.
"What is this...?" Zhao Yun observed as a pale white light covered his silver-blue legion talent, and a sense of invincibility emerged within him.
"Legion talent?" Guan Yu glanced back in Chen Xi's direction, filled with astonishment. "Zichuan is indeed extraordinary. A legion talent that can cover all the soldiers... I really was a frog in a well before."
"The strategist actually possesses such power," Xu Chu muttered, feeling somewhat embarrassed as an Inner Qi Expert. Then, thinking of Hua Xiong, who was even more unfortunate than himself—an exceptional cavalry commander and trainer but without a legion talent—Xu Chu felt somewhat better.
Speaking of which, Hua Xiong was indeed a tragic figure, possessing a fragmentary version of the Xuanxiang-level formation, having legion talent, and military soul, but due to his lack of intelligence, he remained unaware of it all.
Guo Jia, utterly shocked by what he witnessed, exclaimed, "You even have a legion talent? Is there any justice in this world?"
Chen Xi glanced at Guo Jia and scoffed, "Hmph. You thought my leadership skills were a joke? My legion talent is definitely among the top five in the world. Don't underestimate me. Xuande didn't bring me along just to stand around. If I'm the main commander, leading the generals, I need to have some substance."
"This isn't just substance. This is beyond reason!" Guo Jia was clearly frustrated. "I thought you couldn't have legion talent without reaching Inner Qi Separation. Do you have Inner Qi Separation?"
"Of course not. But who said Inner Qi Separation is a prerequisite for legion talent? How do you explain the fact that Zhongkang doesn't have one?" Chen Xi smirked. "At its peak, my legion talent can cover three to five thousand men. Impressive, right?"
Guo Jia took a deep breath and calmed himself, saying, "What I meant was, how can you possess a legion talent? Isn't the prerequisite for it Inner Qi Separation, along with leadership ability? You don't meet either of those criteria."
"Alright, enough joking around. This is indeed a legion talent, and it's mine. As for how it came about, I can only say it was a fluke. I learned it from Zhou Gongjin. That guy is truly a genius," Chen Xi sighed, thinking that Zhou Yu would be furious if he knew how quickly Chen Xi had picked up on his technique.
"You can learn something like that? Teach me. Maybe I can pick it up too," Guo Jia said, his interest piqued. After all, this was a legion talent, and having one would be fantastic.
Chen Xi, seated in his chariot, carefully examined Guo Jia from head to toe before sighing, "Unfortunately, it seems you don't have the aptitude. I estimate that only Zhou Gongjin, Cai Zhaoji, and I have the potential for this. But Cai Zhaoji doesn't count, so it's just the two of us."
"You're kidding, right? Tell me, I refuse to believe it," Guo Jia grumbled. Although he had only met Cai Yan a few times and never met Zhou Yu, he considered himself exceptionally talented and couldn't accept being inferior to others.
"I'll explain the principle to you. Listen carefully. The so-called legion talent is essentially the unification of the soldiers' will with the commander's. This is why, after basic training, soldiers still need to undergo further integration under their commander. The more seasoned the troops, the easier it is for them to synchronize with their commander, making it easier to activate a legion talent, and the more effective it will be," Chen Xi began his long-winded explanation.
Although Guo Jia and Chen Chi were already aware of some of this, Chen Xi's clear explanation made everything more comprehensible.
"Next, it's quite simple. Once the Qi is connected, the commander's will is injected into it, influencing the soldiers, creating a collective will. This will, through the effect of Qi, manifests different results—this is the essence of a legion talent," Chen Xi explained, sharing his thoughts and verified theories.
"Hm, that does make sense. Now I understand how you obtained a legion talent," Guo Jia said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Speaking of legion talents, we must also mention battle formations. Once you understand the structure of a legion talent, you can more or less understand how elites are formed. Similarly, you can probably guess what battle formations are. That's why I say that among us, only Zhou Gongjin and I can achieve this. It's difficult for others," Chen Xi smiled.
"Indeed. You two possess the ability to synchronize the will of others with your own, while others can't. It's a shame I'm not skilled in music. Even if I were, I probably couldn't reach that level. Cai Yan's mastery of the zither is truly terrifying," Guo Jia sighed.
"So, this is the true nature of battle formations?" Chen Chi said with a bitter smile. "The so-called formation changes are just the manipulation of Qi, producing desired effects. Elites, through certain training, naturally imbue their Qi with specific effects, while some commanders can't have a legion talent simply because their leadership doesn't reach the level required for such changes. To think it's all so simple once you explain it."
"Exactly. It's all simple once you understand it. Who knows, maybe after some time, I'll develop a grand formation like the 'One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten' Ultimate Formation," Chen Xi shrugged.
Guo Jia burst out laughing, then waved it off. "Don't kid yourself. That's impossible. It may sound simple, but achieving it is probably something only a handful of people in the world can do. The Xuanxiang-level formation meets all the requirements, but the demand on leadership is too high. And Zichuan, creating such a formation isn't as easy as you think. It would take years of experimentation."
"Oh, I forgot to mention, there's something called the scientific method. When I have time, I'll work with Zilong to develop a formation for the White Horse Cavalry. They're perfect for my concept. With such high speed, if they also have immense attack power... Tsk tsk tsk, they'll be unstoppable," Chen Xi confidently declared.
In reality, both Guo Jia and Chen Xi had avoided a crucial topic—military souls. However, both had their suspicions.
If legion talents were the combination of will and Qi, and formations were the manipulation of Qi—Xuanxiang being the ultimate form of this—then Guo Jia and Chen Xi vaguely suspected that military souls might be the ultimate manifestation of will.
This could explain why troops with military souls were often remarkably resilient in the face of death.