Shi Lang did not lower his posture standing in front of the first general, he did not care what the outcome will be, but one thing was sure, he will achieve his goal.

The other generals stopped clamoring when they heard the statement from the young man. The name of retired general Stevenson was too big of a mountain pressing down on their hearts. That man would have been the first general if only he had a family background to support him.

Only the insiders knew that when Stevenson won the battle against the fleet of smart civilizations inside the Terran territory, he was about to be promoted and on the other hand was General Edwards, who had just cleaned up a sector of space pirates and raked a lot of merits. However, the biggest merit he had was the support of a military family.

The Edwards all were military men, ever since the civilization had invented the gene serums, they were at the top. At that time the young scion of the Edwards was up and running for the general rank, so how can he settle for anything less than the first general. The cabinet happened to be the people who also climbed their way up because of their family background.

While Stevenson had nothing to support himself. He was alone, with no family, and no background. They voted for him to be the head of the Federation Star Academy, the place where they trained the young people.

Shi Lang looked at the changed expressions of the people and said, “You all might be thinking that your bureaucratic life was so smooth till now? Do you know why you did not see any ‘insignificant person in the office till day? That is because the principal did not want what happened to him, to happen to his students.”

Jenkins stood behind him and looked at the people in front of him and realized, turned out this was the reason why he was given the rank of major general and not his merit. He cast a gaze at his father and asked, “You and Principal Stevenson might be retired or sitting at the helm of the military, but if you are comparing all of us, with Shi Lang, then you are wrong.”

He would not have talked to his father in such a tone ever, but he was now a cultivator and the pressure in his mind did not exist. General Edwards ignored his son and looked at Shi Lang as he said, “You know, the news of your post as an ambassador will soon be published and the masses will bless you. Do you think you can stand against the masses?”

Shi Lang smiled and said, “Allow me to tell you something, the happenings in this room might not have been seen by the masses ever before, but at the moment as I live broadcast the content of our conversation to the world what will be the public opinion? General Edwards, instead of worrying about me, worry about yourself.

Those who stand at the peak should not forget, that the summit is not very wide, where you can walk around as you want, one fumble and you might fall into the abyss of despair. As a bonus, you will be followed by the people sharing your rope line.”

The generals were shocked, they did not expect this guy to be broadcasting live. However, when they were about to come forth and fight, they all heard a calm voice, “You want to be a high-ranking soldier, right?”

Shi Lang shook his head and said, “I just want to be what I deserve and not something decided by you all. I do not want this for myself, or any of my military family members. Who knows, what you might do to someone who is strong enough to bypass your monopoly.”

The first general raised his eyebrow and said, “Oh, is that so. Then do you know the protocol you will have to follow in order to win what you want?”

Shi Lang replied calmly, “I know the protocol, and I accept it. First General, I, Major Shi Lang, challenge you for a mock battle.”

Mock Battle between the seniors and the juniors in the military was a rare occurrence and was used to test the level of the young blood by having them face off against the battle-hardened once. The implications for the mock battle were different. The concept was unfair to the senior rank, if they fought against the enemy too hard, then they were seen as bullies, and if they tried to take things easy, they will be seen as looking down on the people.

However, in the end, none of the young people has ever won the battle to say that they were wronged by the higher-ups.

General Edwards chuckled and said, “Very well, I accept your challenge, but the losing party will have to give up something, have you thought about that?”

Shi Lang nodded and said, “Naturally. If I lose I will give up my uniform and right to live on the home planet.”

The moment he announced the stakes, everyone looked at him as if he was having a psychotic breakdown. Quinn said, “Major…”

She was interrupted by General Edwards, “Accepted.”, with a sneer on his lips.

Shi Lang nodded and asked, “What are your stakes?”

The first general was taken aback, and then he started laughing in a hysterical manner. He calmed down after a few minutes and asked, “Do you really think I will lose to you?”

Shi Lang shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Even if it is just a simple formality, you have to bet something, or who will ever take the first general as an idol. You have an image to maintain, Sir.”

General Edwards had a cold light flicker in his eyes and said, “Very well, then I stake my position in at the General Council.”

Another bomb exploded inside the room. Jenkins looked at his father in shock and then at his friend. He could not believe that these two people will go to such an extent to beat each other. Shi Lang nodded and asked, “When will the mock battle begin?”

General Edwards thought and said, “Oh well, this seems too simple, does it not?”

Shi Lang raised his eyebrow and waited for the man to continue, General Edwards said, “How about we make it a team moke battle. You can pick your team, they will not be implicated, and I will pick my team, they will pay the same price as me. What do you think?”

Shi Lang did not expect such a thing and neither did the other generals. They were not afraid of facing a few kids, but they were hesitant, after all, it was their position at the peak of the federation.

Shi Lang said, “How many people are you talking about?”

“How about 11, just like the old team sports. Eleven people and we will have a grand mock battle.”, replied the general.

Shi Lang thought about it, he was not sure where he can gather these eleven people from, he was about to refuse when he heard Rosa speak, “I volunteer with you, Major Lang, also, Sir, I would like to pledge the same stakes like Major Shi Lang.”

The second half of the sentence was meant for the first general. Shi Lang was surprised, but he did not even have the time to tell the lady to not act hastily and heard another voice in the room, “Ditto, I am in too.”

Darcx was the speaker this time, he was followed by Quinn and even Jenkins. Shi Lang was surprised, he did not know what to say at this moment. These guys have all pledged the same thing as him.

General Edwards cast a gaze at his son, but the others did not register any fluctuations on it, it was as if he did not care at all. He said, “Now that your team has volunteered, I will give you twenty-four hours to recruit more people, and since you are young, I will allow your friends to participate whether they have pledged the same stakes as you or not. They can join in to gain experience.”

The team thought that this man was looking down on them, they were all fired up. The reason they jumped in was to prove in front of the First general that their friend was not alone and that he must not be looked down upon.

Shi Lang nodded and said, “Then I would like your permission to leave, and I hope you will not send the military police behind us to apprehend my team for barging in here.”

The man chuckled and said, “Go, go, your apprehension can wait for a day.”

Shi Lang and the rest of the team saluted the generals and then left the room. As soon as they went out, the room was in chaos, the generals started to question the intention of the first general, and the man leisurely said, “This is the way we will reassure our footing in the new federal military. The era of cultivation is upon us once again, and we need to be at the forefront to grasp the maximum benefits, and it can only be done when we defeat these young guys. Humph, they can clamor all they want, the result is already set.”

…

While the generals were looking forward to the mock battle Shi Lang was walking out of the building with a big frown on his face. He said, “You idiots just made the plot thicken.”