"Do you know the purpose of our expedition?"
"Do you know your own identities?"
"Do you know the meaning of the word 'expedition'?"
"Do you know what to do when encountering danger?"
"Do you know your own strength?"
"Do you know..."
The great battle was over.
Zhang Yang and the other Ming Long Army members returned to the ship, their bodies stained with blood.
The blood belonged to pirates and themselves. Though they looked battered, they exuded an imposing aura!
Zhang Yang, with a stern expression, bombarded the assembled Hunyuan realm experts with questions.
With each question, their hearts sank, and their sense of shame grew.
Everyone wished for a hole in the ship to burrow into.
Anything to escape Zhang Yang's reprimand.
But!
In truth, Zhang Yang's actions were not meant to humiliate them.
Instead, it was out of kindness, wanting them to understand that one must never be soft-hearted when facing enemies, nor should they ever consider compromise.
Though the descendants of the Ming King acted with gentlemanly conduct in the world, such conduct depended on whom they were dealing with!
When faced with pirates who committed every evil, attempting to negotiate with them would only lead to greater atrocities, never peaceful coexistence!
"We know we were wrong."
"We won't do this again. When action is needed, we will act."
"This was an exception. Next time, we will be at the forefront."
Gradually, the Hunyuan realm experts could no longer withstand Zhang Yang's questioning and began to admit their mistakes.
At this moment, they didn't try to argue their case; they genuinely realized their errors.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhi and the other two smiled.
"I must say, this Zhang Yang fellow has a natural aura that commands submission."
"It seems there will be no problem with Zhang Yang inheriting my position."
"Hahaha, I'm finding Zhang Yang more and more to my liking. He can take my position in the future too."
The fact that these Hunyuan realm experts, who had hesitated to act, now apologized and admitted their mistakes filled the Ming Long Army soldiers with satisfaction!
At the same time, they felt proud of their actions that day!
In the battle against the pirates, the Ming Long Army had displayed their spirit and the majesty of the Ming King.
"It's good that you know you were wrong. I hope you remember this: I helped you solve this problem this time, but I hope next time you can find your own solutions instead of relying on the Grand Elder and the others for everything."
"What if, when we reach the Far West, the Grand Elder and the others are tied down by enemy experts? Will you then wait for the enemy to invite you for drinks?"
"Remember, an expedition is war, and war is cruel. If you don't have this mental preparation, you can return to Central Island now and live your leisurely, peaceful lives, only engaging in martial arts sparring!"
"But! If you all hold such thoughts, not only in this life, but even in your next life, and the life after that, you will only be able to cower on Central Island! Perhaps after a long time, Central Island won't even belong to you anymore."
Zhang Yang's lengthy speech was resonant and impactful.
It instantly awakened the Hunyuan realm experts, and their faces, filled with shame, now showed determination.
"We are not cowards. We can also fight for the royal family! Situations like today will never happen again. Thank you for waking us up today."
Instantly.
The Hunyuan realm experts bowed down to Zhang Yang.
At this moment, they were truly convinced.
The battle against the pirates that day had taught them a profound lesson.
"Life is your own. If you want to live well, you must rely on yourself. When facing danger, only you can save yourselves!" Zhang Yang said.
The Hunyuan realm experts nodded repeatedly, indicating they understood.
At this moment, Zhu Zhi also walked over and interjected.
"All of you should seriously consider what Zhang Yang just said. To be honest, your performance today has greatly disappointed me."
"Grand Elder, don't worry, it will never happen again." The Hunyuan realm experts assured him.
Then, they each fell into silence, reflecting on their actions.
With the pirates blocking their path dealt with, the ship continued its voyage towards the Far West.
It must be said, these Hunyuan realm experts had a high level of awareness.
During the subsequent voyage, the ship encountered other pirates.
On these occasions, the experts proactively stepped forward to eliminate the pirates, no longer showing the timidity of the first encounter.
In response to this.
Zhu Zhi was very satisfied.
Only through tempering in blood and fire could these individuals grow quickly.
Finally.
Seven days later, they finally reached the Far West.
The temperature here was very low, and all that met the eye was thick snow and ice.
As Zhang Yang and the others disembarked, they looked at the desolate, vast expanse of white snow with awe.
"Is this the wilderness of the Far West? It's truly vast, as if there's no end in sight."
"Look at the snow on the ground, it's at least half a meter deep. Crossing this snowy terrain seems to be quite a challenge."
After disembarking.
The group stepped onto the snow and headed towards the hinterland of the Far West.
They needed to traverse the outermost snowy region to reach the Thorn Marsh, the heart of the Far West.
Zhu Zhi took out a map, pinpointed their direction, and the group set off.
Night fell.
A blizzard suddenly swept across the snow-covered ground.
The area was completely open, with no trees to shelter from the wind and rain, not even a blade of grass.
Fortunately, they were all Hunyuan realm experts and could resist the blizzard using their vital energy.
Fortunately, the blizzard did not last for a very long time.
When the blizzard subsided, Zhang Yang sat cross-legged on the ice and snow, preparing to meditate and rest for the night.
"Everyone, rest where you are. We'll continue advancing at dawn," Zhang Yang said.
The Ming Long Army members, in turn, imitated Zhang Yang's posture and sat down to rest.
Although they lived a life of comfort on Central Island, the Ming Long Army members possessed strong adaptability and harbored no complaints.
If Zhang Yang could do it, so could they.
As for the Hunyuan realm experts, they found it somewhat difficult to adapt.
Life on Central Island had been too good. Suddenly having to sleep in such an environment was incredibly uncomfortable.
However, they dared not voice their discomfort and could only comply, thinking that if they endured it, the night would pass quickly.
But.
How could the climate and environment of this no-man's-land be so peaceful?
Just as they were beginning to self-motivate and resign themselves to a difficult night, the blizzard returned.
Zhang Yang immediately awoke from his slumber, using his true energy to resist the biting wind.
The Ming Long Army also startled awake and followed suit.
However, the other Hunyuan realm experts were not as quick to react.
Some, who were sleeping deeply, were directly blown over by the blizzard onto the snow, immediately covered by ice and snow.
"Damn it!"
"What kind of hellish place is this? How can we sleep here! We should have just pushed through the snow!"
"Exactly! Resting in a place like this is simply torture!"
Everyone complained.
Clearly, they were dissatisfied with Zhang Yang's decision.
Because since they had set foot on the snow, Zhu Zhi and the other two had ceased to speak, leaving Zhang Yang in charge.
Initially, these Hunyuan realm experts had not shown much resistance.
But as Zhang Yang decided to rest on the snow and they were further disturbed by the blizzard, they began to feel resentful.
When the blizzard finally ended.
Zhang Yang opened his eyes. In the darkness, his eyes were exceptionally sharp.
Staring at the group, he said in a low voice.
"What? Can't handle it already? Is this environment so difficult to accept?"
This...
Although Zhang Yang did not erupt in anger, his low tone made the Hunyuan realm experts shrink their necks.
However.
A few leaders, feeling particularly unconvinced, stepped forward to object.
"It's not that we can't accept it, but we believe your command is flawed. We should have just crossed the snow and then rested properly, shouldn't we?"
"Why did you insist on stopping our journey at night and making us suffer in this environment where blizzards occur from time to time?"
"Exactly. We're not complaining about the harsh environment, but if there's a better way, why must we spend the night here?"