Chapter 81
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Chapter 81: Expanding New Territories
Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.
In February, Yun Ye easily defeated challengers in the ranking, securing his position in the Black Armored Army.
In the circle of Spiritual Law practitioners, he had established himself and had become somewhat of a figure; after all, it was rare for a civilian to turn the tide against adversity, and his story was talked about throughout Baishi Town.
However, Wang Yao was not as fortunate. Despite training in Hongshan for two months, he was defeated by a member of a noble family and was relegated to the Spiritual Law team as a member of Team Nine.
In the Baishi Town government, Teams One to Five belonged to the Black Armored Army, while the Spiritual Law team consisted of Team Six and above, with no upper limit.
Like Team Seven, Wang Yao’s Team Nine was responsible for an area rife with monsters, taking on heavy tasks that greatly drained their lifespans.
At this stage, Wang Yao had become a trustworthy candidate, so Yun Ye provided Spirit-level superior food, allowing Wang Yao to cultivate the Qi Cultivation Technique to perfection, ensuring his vitality.
As for Yun Ye himself, he focused on cultivating his skills, significantly improving his strength.
The basic martial art, Tiger Fist, had reached the Major Achievement realm in a year, and he was not far from perfection.
Both the Bathing Fire Feather Coat and the Song of the Flame Sword Dance had advanced significantly in their Minor Achievement stages, becoming ever more exquisite.
It is worth mentioning that the Bathing Fire Feather Coat lacked combat techniques; its Minor Achievement stage was purely an enhancement of power.
In contrast, the Song of the Flame Sword Dance was a sword technique, and only when used fluently in battle could it be deemed a Minor Achievement, making it significantly more challenging and therefore more powerful.
Next was his spiritual essence; originally at the mid-stage of the second tier, after a year of accelerated training on Spirit Mountain, he had barely entered the late stage of the second tier, achieving a power level of about seven hundred.
Though this increase seemed slight in number, the benefits grew larger as one advanced.
The power at the late stage of the second tier surpassed that of the mid-stage by more than just one level.
Even without considering Spiritual Laws, Extreme Flame, or mysteries, merely fighting with ordinary Spiritual Laws, a late-stage practitioner could defeat a mid-stage one within a few moves.
If the benefits from Spiritual Laws, Extreme Flame, and other enhancements were included, victory would be assured in an instant; even a small change in the base power would amplify tremendously under the horrific multiplier.
It could be said that Yun Ye’s strength had reached the top of the Black Armored Army, second only to various captains.
Such strength could forge new territories and establish a small noble family.
After a year of preparation, everything was now in place.
If he did not begin now, a major disaster might soon arrive, and it would then be too late.
“Bang.”
Yun Ye set down his teacup, a serious expression on his face as he opened the "manual" to read the messages from Yang Shu and his wife, as well as Wang Yao.
Over the past year, discussions around a great disaster had become increasingly frequent due to the disturbances in the Crescent Moon Secret Realm.
Liu Jingyu had mentioned it during a mission with Yun Ye.
The Crescent Moon Secret Realm typically opened every sixty years, and since the last opening had only been around thirty years ago, there should not be such a significant "rift."
The reason for this situation was the impending great disaster, which had destabilized the space.
According to the government’s estimates, the Crescent Moon Secret Realm would open again in about five years, and the great disaster would occur shortly thereafter.
As for what the great disaster entailed, Liu Jingyu had not provided clear details; she might either not know or could not disclose it.
But one thing was certain: the great disaster was a cataclysm, and even the major noble families were on high alert.
Yun Ye must grow his wings before that.
…
Baishi Town.
Yang Shu and his wife sat in the hall, where a document stitched with golden thread lay on the table. It was short, granting the Yang Family the rights to expand new territories.
This document was worth one hundred thousand dark copper.
In Baishi Town, one hundred thousand dark copper was neither a large nor a small amount, but certainly no one wanted to waste such a sum.
Yang Shu vividly recalled the strange expression of the government clerk when he expressed his desire to obtain the expansion qualifications.
The clerk was just a servant, too afraid to offend the father of a Black Armored Spiritual Law practitioner, so even if he thought Yang Shu was foolish, he could only endure it with great difficulty.
“It’s truly remarkable. In the past, we couldn’t even approach the government. But after our family produced a revival of Spiritual Roots practitioner, everything changed. Now, everyone treats us with immense respect. This world is indeed realistic.”
Yang Shu picked up the document.
This hundred thousand dark copper was merely for obtaining the qualification, an amount he could never have saved in several lifetimes, while now it represented merely a year’s earnings for the Yang Family.
Being weak in this world is a original sin.
Once you are powerful, various resources naturally come to you.
This is the way of the cultivation world, where individual strength overshadows everything. There’s no need for brainwashing; otherwise, if Confucian culture were present, the contrast would be even greater.
At that point, Yang Shu would understand what it means to be full of righteousness and morality, yet only see “devouring people” throughout!
“Shier has arrived; it’s time to depart.”
Shuzhu, dressed in simple clothing, closed her "diary."
“Alright, let’s go!”
Yang Shu took a deep breath, exhaling a breath of turbid air as he grabbed the document and walked out of the hall with Shuzhu.
Outside the Yang Family’s gate, carts of supplies were already prepared. Yang Shu waved his hand, and the convoy began to move toward the city gate in an orderly fashion.
The Yang Family’s plan to expand new territories attracted significant attention. However, like the government clerk, many watched with bewilderment.
Just because they had a revival of Spiritual Roots practitioner, they wanted to expand new territories?
That was more like giving money to the government.
As for whether any noble families saw the Yang Family as dependent…
Of course, they noticed.
If Yun Ye’s operations were purely a joke, no one believed he was foolish enough to waste money recklessly.
But even if they could establish a foothold, what would that matter?
A great disaster was approaching!
During this period, even the Seven Great Families could only hide in Baishi Town, relying on the government’s treasures for protection!
Expanding new territories was a joke; within a few years, it would be reduced to ashes.
Moreover, even if they managed to hold onto new ground for a few years, it would still be in the developmental stage and wouldn’t yield returns to the Yang Family. Instead, it would require a continuous influx of funds…
Attempting to expand new territories during this time was simply foolish, only families unaware of the great disaster’s truth would do such a thing.
So, although some smaller noble families might pay attention to the Yang Family, none of the Seven Great Families cared about them, completely forgetting them after a passing mention.
This was normal; their levels were entirely separate from the Yang Family, with no points of intersection.
…
If Baishi Town is set as the central point,
then Hongshan is to the west, and Duanqiao River is to the east.
Yang Shu chose a location in the southeast, an area mostly surrounded by a tributary of Duanqiao River.
The locals from the nearby village called this land "Water Calamity." It was very fertile but continually plagued by monster invasions due to its proximity to the tributary, making it uninhabitable.
Yun Ye’s reason for selecting this land was simple: a year ago, Yun Wen and three captains had just dealt with the Thousand-eyed Demon, and in the aftermath, a significant number of monsters had been eliminated from the surrounding area.
With so many deaths at once, it would take a long time for them to recover, meaning the pressure to eliminate monsters would be lower in this area compared to others.
This aligned well with Yun Ye’s requirements. Although he only had about five years of developmental time, the impact of the same territory would differ vastly in Yun Ye’s hands compared to others.
The convoy moved grandly toward this Water Calamity.
In addition to vast amounts of supplies and tools, there were approximately three hundred people accompanying the Yang Family—farmers, craftsmen, and architects, but most were impoverished.
Countless impoverished souls struggled for survival in Baishi Town. They needed only a meal and faced no difference whether they died today or tomorrow.
Throughout history, families expanding new territories never lacked manpower.
Given the decent treatment the Yang Family offered, this would only be more so.
