In the blink of an eye, Zhang Sanfeng had been in this world for three years. Last month, he successfully cast the third-level spell "Vine Bind," officially becoming a Junior Mage. (According to the classification of magic levels, an apprentice mage can cast first-level spells, a Junior Mage can cast third-level spells, a Mid-Level Mage can cast fifth-level spells, and a High-Level Mage can cast seventh-level spells.)

The cost of this achievement was a harsh beating from his father and a month-long confinement. Today was his third birthday, marking the end of his confinement. He woke up early, practiced a set of Tai Chi in the yard, and after tidying up, made his way to his father's quarters to join the family for breakfast. The family estate was vast, and it took the three-year-old quite a while to run from his own quarters to his grandfather's. As he ran, he secretly vowed to find some means of transportation in the future.

"Good morning, everyone!" Zhang Sanfeng burst into the dining hall, greeting his grandfather, parents, and four brothers.

"Sit down, our little 'hero'," his grandfather chuckled.

His words sent the whole room into fits of laughter. His mother, adding fuel to the fire, completely ignored Zhang Sanfeng’s reddened face, making the laughter even louder. "A little one saving the damsel in distress—what will you do when you grow up?"

When the laughter died down, his father finally spoke, his tone serious: "Son, I don’t mind the heroic rescue, but injuring Fifth Prince and six of the Shiyuan family’s children so badly was excessive. Your abilities stand out too much among your peers, and you don’t know when to hold back. I hope this month of confinement taught you a valuable lesson."

"A lesson? By slapping me with such a big 'bear paw'? You’re a Sword Saint, after all!" Zhang Sanfeng replied, still angry as he recalled the painful experience. As a martial arts master, he had always been the one delivering blows, never the one to suffer such a loss—let alone one that he couldn't avenge. It was frustrating!

"Little brat, you still have the nerve to talk? Seven five- and six-year-old kids, each with dozens of little holes from your Vine Bind spell, poisoned and bleeding out! If your mother hadn’t treated them in time, they’d either be dead or carrying permanent scars! You’re too cruel! The King was so furious his face turned green. If you weren’t my son, your head would have rolled ten times over by now!" His father snapped.

"You know they were only seven? Only five or six years old? I'm three!" Zhang Sanfeng retorted, refusing to back down. "You only saw their blood, but did you see all the sticks on the ground? If it weren’t for my magic breakthrough in a moment of panic, my head would’ve been smashed into a pumpkin by them before the King even had a chance to act! And, I saved two princesses—both of the King’s children. Why is the treatment so different?"

"The two princesses are the King’s illegitimate daughters; they don’t even have the title of ‘Princess’ and no one cares about them. But Fifth Prince is the only son of the Empress of the Shiyuan family, so naturally, he’s spoiled," his mother explained. "Enough about that. Tell me, how did you manage to do it?"

"Do what?" Zhang Sanfeng feigned ignorance.

"Instantly casting a third-level spell! Only High-Level Mages can do that, and you’ve just become a Junior Mage!" his mother pressed.

Zhang Sanfeng couldn’t reveal the truth about his Taoist practices, so he kept pretending: "How would I know? I just saw a few bad kids swinging wooden sticks at me, and in my panic, I cast that spell. Only later did I find out it was called Vine Bind. Maybe it’s because I’m a genius!"

"And how do you explain the poisonous thorns on your vines? The vines were thin but extremely tough—I had to use a lot of effort to get those kids out, wrapped up like dumplings! I use the same spell, and my version isn’t as destructive. I’m a Mage, after all!" His mother continued to probe.

"Genius! I can only say I’m a genius, Mom!" Zhang Sanfeng shamelessly responded.

"Alright, enough! You can’t expect a three-year-old to explain magical riddles to a Mage!" his grandfather interjected, coming to Zhang Sanfeng’s defense.

"Fine, I was getting a bit impatient. Today is your birthday, so after breakfast, go check out your birthday present!" his mother said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mom!" Zhang Sanfeng happily replied, relieved to have gotten through this round.

"One more thing: although you’re a Mage, the children of the Long family always have the chance to fight in battle. You’ll have to learn military strategy and tactics alongside your brothers," his father added.

"But I’m a delicate Mage! You want me to take weapons onto the battlefield?" Zhang Sanfeng protested. He felt that attending classes was a waste of time, especially military strategy. He had had long discussions with the Goddess of War, Athena, and gained many insights into troop formations. How could he possibly be bad at war? Besides, he had been born into a chaotic world and had studied texts like The Six Strategies and Three Tactics and The Art of War by Sun Tzu. What more did he need from his father? Better to spend time refining his internal energy!

"Who said Mages can’t fight on the battlefield? One of the Four Legendary Generals, Feng Xius from the Serpent’s Kiss Legion, was a Dark Mage," his father said seriously. "Children of the Long family must go to battle. Ever since the founding of the Azure Dragon Legion 600 years ago, there’s been no exception. If you don’t learn properly now, what will you do on the battlefield? How will you command your forces?"

"So, you mean as long as I can command, I don’t need to fight directly?" Zhang Sanfeng asked.

"Exactly. As a Mage, as long as you can command, you won’t be fighting directly very often," his father confirmed.

"Well, in that case, I think I’m already capable of commanding. No need to learn any further," Zhang Sanfeng said proudly. Over the years, besides practicing his martial arts, he had spent a lot of time reading, especially books on history and warfare. He thought the level of military strategy in this world was generally mediocre. Most tactics seemed to revolve around simple formations clashing, occasionally using some feigned retreats. He didn’t think much of it.

"You’re bragging, aren’t you? You know anything about war? My war horses can climb walls!" his father retorted disdainfully.

"Not necessarily. He borrowed a lot of military strategy books from me, so maybe he really knows something," his grandfather said with a smile. "Here’s an idea: after you finish breakfast, we’ll do a war game in my strategy room. The loser will go to class. How’s that sound, huh? Fair enough?"

"Fair! Grandpa’s absolutely fair!" Zhang Sanfeng eagerly agreed. Against someone like his father, who only knew how to charge forward, he could easily win with a few tricks.

"What? If I lose, I still have to go to class?" his father hesitated.

"Yes! Don’t even ask! If you can’t beat a three-year-old, it’s time you get some lessons!" his grandfather snapped.

Zhang Sanfeng’s four brothers, who had been tortured by their father’s training and classes, joined in, urging Zhang Sanfeng on. They quickly finished their breakfast and followed their father to his grandfather’s strategy room.

In the war game, Zhang Sanfeng and his father each entered a small room in the strategy room and began directing troops on the same battlefield map. His grandfather’s role was to relay battlefield information.

"I’ll now announce the battlefield situation," his grandfather said. "The battle takes place in the Karst Hills, the base of the Azure Dragon Legion. The date is September 1st. Both sides have 50,000 light cavalry, 100,000 infantry, and 5,000 heavy cavalry. The infantry can choose their own troop types. The objective is either to annihilate the enemy’s forces or capture their camp. Begin."

Zhang Sanfeng carefully studied the map. The two camps were over 50 miles apart, with three main roads in between. The entire battlefield was covered by dense forests, which favored cavalry movements. Zhang Sanfeng chose 50,000 archers, 30,000 pikemen, and 20,000 sword-and-shield infantry. He ordered the light cavalry to march along the nearest road for 15 miles, then conceal themselves in the mountains with ten days’ worth of supplies. At the same time, he ordered his 100,000 infantry to chop down trees to create rolling logs and dig traps in front of their camp. Zhang Sanfeng’s camp was positioned on higher ground with a small river nearby, offering a defensive advantage. His father’s camp was downstream, at a lower elevation.

It took three full days for Zhang Sanfeng’s father to arrive. Clearly cautious of a potential ambush, he moved carefully. This time, he brought 100,000 soldiers, leaving only 50,000 at the family’s headquarters. Upon arrival, he set up camp carefully and launched a tentative attack the next day. Zhang Sanfeng had deliberately left the flags of all his troops visible, creating the illusion that his entire army was present.

Sure enough, his father took the bait and assumed that Zhang Sanfeng’s forces were trapped. The probing attack lasted for two days, after which Zhang Sanfeng’s father brought in an additional 45,000 troops and began preparing for a full-scale assault. His father’s attack plan was straightforward—two feints and one main attack. Against this, Zhang Sanfeng cleverly used his infantry in combination with rolling logs and traps to hold off the enemy for three days. By the fourth day, Zhang Sanfeng’s 30,000 ambushers successfully destroyed his father’s main camp.

"This can’t be! Didn’t you tell me his army was trapped here?" his father yelled angrily at his grandfather.

His grandfather, unfazed, explained, "I only told you that his camp had enough tents for 150,000 soldiers, and that his troop numbers and banners were intact. In fact, your scouts could only gather this information. His camp was near water, but you only surrounded three sides of it. While the main army crossing the river would be hard to miss, a few messengers could easily slip through." He paused for a moment before adding, "He had already hidden 30,000 light cavalry in the mountains. You never ordered a thorough search of the mountain ridges. You were too careless."

"I didn’t think he was this crafty! Damn it, where did he learn all this?" his father grumbled.

"Probably from books," his grandfather smiled. "If that’s true, then he’s probably a natural-born genius in military tactics. I think I need to keep a close eye on this little grandson of mine."

Zhang Sanfeng didn’t feel particularly proud of the “boring” victory. He didn’t think the confrontation was anything special. In contrast, his four brothers were ecstatic, eagerly shouting about going to class with their father. His father, embarrassed, kicked them out of the room in frustration and quickly left. Only Zhang Sanfeng, his mother, and his grandfather remained.

"My little Five, you truly are the pride of your mother!" his mother said, smiling. "This little hawk is a birthday gift from your father and me. Later, your aunt will send someone to take you to the palace. She has a birthday gift for you too! Stay with Grandpa for a bit. I have some business to handle at the merchant guild. Father, I’ll be off now!" She said to Zhang Sanfeng gently.

"Go ahead," his grandfather nodded. "I need to have a good talk with this little guy."

"Goodbye, Mom!" Zhang Sanfeng said, playing with the black-feathered hawk his mother had given him.

After his mother left, Zhang Sanfeng stared at the hawk, still clumsy in flight. An audacious idea suddenly flashed in his mind.