Chapter 418: Forming a Team
Chapter 418: Forming a Team
After Wang Hong successfully refined both of these Green Spirit Peaches, his Realm ascended once more, reaching the seventh level of Foundation Building.
He had finally become a late Foundation Building cultivator. The expanse of his dantian sea had expanded by another two feet, now measuring one zhang and eight chi (six meters).
With the enlargement of his dantian sea, his Spiritual Power had become even more robust.
Following his promotion, he quietly recuperated for over a month before emerging from seclusion.
Within the Mountain Valley, Yin Ze and his team had already planted Spirit Grain throughout the spirit fields, and the young shoots were just beginning to sprout.
Wang Hong walked amidst the spirit fields, inspecting the tender sprouts. Suddenly, he noticed a figure lying ahead on the ground, soundly asleep.
Wasn't that Sloppy Old Daoist? Though Old Daoist's life had been saved by the Jade Marrow Pill, he now remained at the Qi Cultivation level.
As Wang Hong approached, he woke Sloppy Old Daoist, who groggily climbed to his feet. Upon seeing Wang Hong, Sloppy Old Daoist hesitated for a moment, uncertain of how to address him.
According to the customs of the Cultivation World, now that he was only at the Qi Cultivation level, he should refer to Wang Hong as "senior" and even perform a formal greeting.
"Uncle Chu, why are you sleeping here?" Wang Hong took the initiative to greet him, relieving Sloppy Old Daoist of his awkwardness."Oh! It's cool here!" Sloppy Old Daoist chuckled. Since losing his cultivation level, he had also lost the nourishment of Spiritual Power, and his body was rapidly aging. He had at most two or three years left.
If he could elevate his cultivation level to Foundation Building within these two or three years, he could extend his lifespan by another ten to twenty years.
Staying in his original Qingxu Sect would naturally provide enough Spiritual Objects to help him recover some of his cultivation level quickly. However, it was a different story now. Although his Storage Bag contained some Spiritual Objects, they were not suitable for his current situation.
Even if he managed to obtain some ordinary Condensing Qi Pills, they wouldn't allow him to rapidly recover to the Foundation Building level within a short period. So, he had accepted his current circumstances.
Wang Hong looked at Sloppy Old Daoist's aging appearance and said, "Uncle Chu, did you see the peach tree next to the Spirit Spring?"
Sloppy Old Daoist followed Wang Hong's pointing finger and looked toward the peach tree growing next to the spring, with dozens of green Spirit Peaches hanging from its branches.
He had noticed the peach tree long ago but was not entirely clear about its specific properties.
"What's special about that peach tree?" Sloppy Old Daoist inquired.
"Uncle Chu, why don't you go over there and pick one to taste it for yourself?"
This Green Spirit Peach had been planted when the Mountain Valley was initially developed, but it grew much slower outside. As a result, it had never been harvested.
Upon hearing this, Sloppy Old Daoist walked over and plucked one of the green peaches from the tree. He examined it briefly, feeling that it was not yet fully ripe.
With a mixture of doubt and curiosity, he took a bite. The taste was quite ordinary, with a slightly astringent texture.
However, after swallowing that mouthful of peach, Sloppy Old Daoist suddenly felt the remarkable power of this spiritual peach.
Once he finished eating the green peach, he was astonished to find that his Realm had directly ascended from the third level of Qi Cultivation to the fourth level.
Sloppy Old Daoist seemed to have found hope at this moment. His eyes sparkled, and his complexion turned slightly flushed as he exclaimed excitedly:
"Nephew Wang! How about selling me these spirit peaches? We can discuss the terms later."
"No need to be polite, Uncle Chu. In the future, you can freely take as many of the peaches from this tree as you like. Consider it a gesture of my goodwill," Wang Hong generously replied. These immature Green Spirit Peaches were only effective for Qi Cultivation cultivators and wouldn't fetch many Spirit Stones if sold, so offering a favor was more meaningful.
"Thank you very much, Nephew Wang! Great kindness needs no words. If there's ever a place where this old bones of mine can be of help, feel free to ask!" Sloppy Old Daoist expressed his gratitude. Previously, it was Wang Hong who had saved his life while he was unconscious. He didn't know what kind of pill had been administered to him, but it not only saved his life but also healed his previous hidden injuries.
Now, with the gift of Green Spirit Peaches, Wang Hong had once again shown him great favor.
In the past, he had been a Golden Core cultivator. Now, to regain his cultivation level, he just needed to find enough Spiritual Objects. The Green Spirit Peach had given him hope.
After some more conversation with Sloppy Old Daoist, Wang Hong took his leave.
Currently, in the Mountain Valley, there were over a thousand subordinates, including more than two hundred Foundation Building cultivators.
With their current strength, they could only use the Devilish Vine at the periphery as cover and remain hidden in the Mountain Valley without venturing out to avoid attracting attention from outside Demonic Beasts.
Otherwise, if they were to draw a large group of Demonic Beasts, it would be challenging for them to defend this place.
Fortunately, Wang Hong's Space contained an abundance of second-tier Spiritual Herbs, making them self-sufficient. They had enough to sustain themselves within the Mountain Valley for decades.
In the future, what they would lack the most was Spirit Stones. The growth of Spiritual Objects in the Space required a significant amount of Spiritual Energy, which needed constant replenishment. If not managed well, they could run out.
Additionally, they lacked various types of ore materials, which the Space couldn't produce. These materials were essential for refining tools and setting up formations.
Of course, with their current reserves, they could sustain themselves for some time.
As long as they could delay and be self-sufficient for a period, they could eventually venture outside the Mountain Valley to act. After all, once the Demon Clan conquered the Qingxu Sect, they wouldn't all stay here.
At this moment, Wang Hong gathered several of his subordinates to discuss their future plans.
Yin Ze reported to Wang Hong with a ledger in hand, saying, "We currently have 1,700 people within the valley, but there are only a little over 200 Inner Valley cultivators, all of them at the Foundation Building level."
"Outer Valley has 1,500 cultivators, with 50 at the Foundation Building level, and the majority possessing late Qi Cultivation strength. We obtained twenty corpses of third-tier Demonic Beasts from the recent battle, which are currently being dissected and processed. The valley's warehouse still holds 100 high-grade Spirit Stones, 3 million low-grade Spirit Stones, Nourishing Essence Pills..."
After hearing Yin Ze's report, Wang Hong commented, "Our overall strength is still too weak at the moment, and it needs improvement. However, Inner Valley has only 200 people, while Outer Valley has 1,500. If we raise the strength of Outer Valley as well, it could easily become unwieldy over time. It's better to form separate teams from Outer Valley, with each team consisting of 100 members and including Inner Valley members as the core."
"I volunteer! I think I can lead a team!" Skinny Monkey was the first to respond.
"I want to lead a team too!" Wen Lan said.
"East Master, count me in!" Hu Jian, responsible for Outer Valley affairs, also expressed his desire to lead a team.
Then, Xu Lun, Zhao Ning, Ling Shuai, He Yuan, and others also stepped forward, eager to lead their own teams.
"I'm currently planning to recruit five squads, led by Skinny Monkey, Zhao Ning, He Yuan, Ling Shuai, and Wen Lan. Hu Jian, you'll continue managing Outer Valley, and Xu Lun, you'll handle logistics. Zhang Chunfeng will be the overall instructor and commander for these 500 people."
Since Zhang Chunfeng had returned, it was only fitting to assign him some responsibilities.
"During training, observe the performance of your subordinates carefully. If anyone doesn't meet the standards, they can be eliminated, and we can recruit replacements from Outer Valley."
Wang Hong intended to train all of these individuals to become Foundation Building cultivators. However, he would not waste his efforts on those with exceptionally low character or potential.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]