"One! Two! Three! Repeat them after me!" Standing on the platform was Krune, swinging his hammer in a set action. Repeating the same action were all students of the Imperial Academy, their expressions full of vigor.

After all, for anyone that dared to not give their all, they were forced to kneel. For Krune, it took a quick thought to exert his dominance by fully activating his Star Hammer.

In any case, those that trained in his teachings noticed a visible growth in their strength. Plus, Krune was only strict. He didn't abuse them nor show any partiality.

Well, to be more specific, he was partial towards training, making everyone train to their limits. As for himself, he trained even harder than everyone, leading everyone by example. So, none could actually complain.

Then again, they were glad to have such a knowledgeable instructor guiding them, one that was impartial and wholeheartedly imparted them precious knowledge.

So, before they realized it, they were also worshipping Krune as their idol.

"Performing these set of actions is what stirs up our body's potential the most. It also leads to a slightly faster growth of our stamina," Krune said while continuing with the training exercise. "Keep this up for a couple of years, and the difference would be glaringly obvious."

After an hour, he motioned everyone to stop training, making them rest while the servants delivered soup to everyone. "This is a new recipe I made. It allows the muscles to relax faster and ensures your muscles remember the training better. A lot of herbs were used in every bowl, so don't you dare waste even a single drop of it."

After saying that, he also drank the same soup, sighing when he could feel his physique improve with the passage of time. Thanks to his Mental Energy, he had a pretty accurate grasp of the development.

On top of that, he also used Mental Energy to sense the physique of everyone, understanding how their respective County Arms affected their physique, growth, and so on.

With that, he devised training manuals. He was still working on perfecting them, though, planning to give them out as graduation presents.

These manuals would be what formed the foundation of the respective families, allowing them to train their County Arms with the utmost efficiency.

With the passing of every day, the Demons were amassing their power, recruiting more Yin Beasts and Nightmares into their fold while also creating more Demon Arms. Their goal was to turn every Nightmare into a Demon.

That way, their power would enter a new realm. On the side of the Empire, Daxia Ting was mobilizing the army and the Imperial Meisters to hunt every single Nightmare and Yin Beast that made an appearance.

As for the collected Yin Beast materials, they were being used to forge weapons, armors, and other war items. On top of that, every family was busy collecting Nightmare Cores in an effort to make new Imperial Arms.

The Imperial Family also gave out countless tasks to various families of power, rewarding them with Nightmare Cores. This was to allow them to create Imperial Arms and strengthen the Empire as a whole.

After all, with war approaching them, saving the Nightmare Cores was only a waste. The Emperor was constantly fuelling the development of every city and town.

As for the villages, they were either relocated or were combined together to make towns. This way, they wouldn't be as fragile against attacks.

"There are a lot of talents" Krune muttered after six months passed in such a fashion. "But some are clearly a cut above the rest. I must make units accordingly."

After obtaining permission from the Emperor, he selected the elites among the County Arms users, forming what he called the 'Invincible Golden Battalion.' It was comprised of the elites who had the potential to reach the power scale of Imperial Arms through their County Arms.

Krune paid them more attention, making them train even more vigorously than the others. From time to time, he used Mental Energy to heal their sore muscles, giving them slight boosts. They were also given superior nourishing medicines, with each being costly enough to bankrupt medium-sized merchant families.

"Director, the shipment from the Liu Clan has arrived," a servant arrived, informing Krune. Behind him, a large carriage arrived, carrying a lot of materials within.

"You can leave now." Krune nodded, pulling the carriage towards the entrance once the servants left. He then transported all the materials into a secret underground room that he had built under his manor.

The materials consisted of the teeth, hair, horns, claws, and skin of the Yin Dragon. These days, it wasn't even bothered about handing out its body parts, treating it as a casual matter.

After all, it was living in luxury, lazing around, having an entire team to groom it, including cleaning its butt and wiping its shit.

It had zero complaints and lazed around comfortably. Moreover, albeit slow, it was still growing stronger, evolving into something beyond a mere beast. However, as to what might happen to it, Krune couldn't say with assurance yet.

Smirking, Krune activated his Star Ring, causing three rings to manifest around him. He then expanded them until they enveloped the entire room, turning blue as they began to spark with bolts of lightning.

Krune then summoned his Star Hammer, absorbing the lightning arcs produced by the rings as fuel to pound the materials. He refined them and began to process them one after another.

While he was working on the materials, his assistants trained the others. They were the students that he judged with enough potential to become teachers of the County Arms Division. He was also teaching them with more knowledge than others so that they would be ready to take his place eventually.

Eight months later, he filled the room with sets of armors, accompanied by a sword for each set. They would be what the troops of the 'Invincible Golden Battalion' would don for battle. The sets of armor he created would be passed down as relics among the families that gain qualifications to don them.

With self-repairing capabilities and the ability to adjust to the wielder's body, they were strong enough to not even be scratched from weapons, possessing defense only inferior to the Yin Dragon.

Upon finishing them, Krune directed his gaze at the suitcase with more than 700 Nightmare Cores, grinning.. "My soul as a blacksmith is calling for me."