372. Zhang Shu Trains the Troops and Skims Their Pay

Practice mindfulness and spirituality.

Protected by the Dharma Form, the Living Soul Spirit Departure, and a human figure emerged from within it— the Human Soul itself. Compared to the Human Soul that had just coalesced a year ago and was still somewhat scattered, the current Human Soul phantom is now completely clear and much more solid.

It is no less than the result of fifty years of arduous study.

This is thanks to the Mirror Stone.

Lu Qingfeng has experienced sixteen lifetimes, gaining profound insights. With over nine thousand years of cultivation, his realm is exceptionally high. His cultivation, rooted in the Immortal Dao Nature Dao, encounters few obstacles.

Even if it is slightly obscure.

After a brief Enlightenment, he immediately understood.

In this way.

There is no need to comprehend realms further; one only needs to experience the slight differences between the Nature Dao and the Immortal Dao of Immortality while strengthening the 'Human Soul'.

Within a year.

It has reached the point where it can condense the Earth Soul.

In my mind.

Memories flashed by, some from games, some from reality.

Thousands of things, thousands of scenes, thousands of people.

With numerous thoughts and experiences spanning nine thousand years, the deeper Lu Qingfeng pondered, the more he became engrossed in them, experiencing a dizzying headache and a rapid depletion of his spiritual energy.

Like an air bladder, it suddenly deflates.

Lu Qingfeng was greatly shaken and lost his composure.

"Whoosh!"

He was panting heavily.

The soul was pierced by pain. Among the celestial Living Soul, the Human Soul had already shifted from a solidified state back to a phantom, becoming even more scattered. Clearly, it had been overexerted in such a short time.

Daring not to dwell on it any longer, he quickly summoned his Human Soul back to his body, drawing upon the soul power within the Mirror Stone to restore his spirit.

After a while.

A bit of color finally returned to his face.

"Call!"

"The practice of Nature Dao cultivation is indeed perilous."

Lu Qingfeng opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Today I finally witnessed the strangeness of the Nature Dao.

If it weren't for the awareness that had been raised in his mind, and the tempering of his character through years of cultivation, an ordinary Nature Dao would have been immersed in endless memories, constantly trying to understand and exhausting his mind, until his soul was exhausted and he perished.

"Good fortune may be the harbinger of misfortune, and misfortune may be the harbinger of good fortune"

Lu Qingfeng shook his head.

I originally thought that all those experiences were a unique advantage for his cultivation of the Nature Dao and the condensation of the Earth Soul. But now it seems that what he gained in those nine thousand years is also what he lost in those nine thousand years.

This time.

But it is unknown how long they will have to stay in the Soul Condensation Realm.

"When the Earth Soul is condensed, the soul's Daoist Domain does not need to be completed in one go."

"Just now I almost turned all sixteen of my past lives into Daoist Domain. However, my Human Soul, though formed, is still too weak to bear it."

"It would be better to first condense the Earth Soul and establish the foundation of the Daoist Domain temple, and then gradually enrich it through Earth Soul cultivation. Although it will take a long time, time is the one thing I have no shortage of."

Lu Qingfeng shook his slightly dizzy head, having formed a general idea. However, his thoughts were not yet clear, so it was naturally not advisable to continue cultivating, let alone break through to the Earth Soul level.

Coincidentally.

Outside the quiet room, Ao Le came to summon—

Training supplies have arrived!

Yuan Lake is dotted with numerous islands.

Seal Mountain Island is just a small island in the middle, with a radius of no more than twenty miles. To the south of Seal Mountain Island, there is a cluster of islands, with hundreds of islands of all sizes scattered like a long ribbon, hence the name 'Long Mountain Archipelago'.

This day.

On the Long Mountain Archipelago, Lu Qingfeng rode Golden Tiger, Ao Le rode White Dragon, and Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi were on either side. Apart from the two thousand Min River Water Army guarding the various passes of Yuan Lake, the remaining one thousand Min River Water Army were deployed in various places on the Long Mountain Archipelago.

Above the archipelago, amidst the mountains.

Thousands of spirits stood crookedly. Most of them were at the first level of cultivation, practicing Fate Dao method of unknown origin. Their spirit bodies were not completely refined, and many parts of their original bodies were still preserved.

Like the head.

Like a tail.

Like an arm.

Etc.

They were all oddly shaped.

Only a few second-realm spirits possess robust Qi and Blood, and are either docile or irritable. They all have a bloody smell on them and have committed considerable killings.

They saw Golden Tiger and White Dragon in the sky.

Upon seeing Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi, two powerful Third Realm experts in their eyes Qi and Blood was overwhelming, they immediately bowed down, shouting in unison—

"Greetings, Suicune! Greetings, Great God!"

The Golden Tiger is dazzling, White Dragon shines.

The divine light emanating from Lu Qingfeng and Ao Le made them appear so imposing that one could not discern their presence, only their awe-inspiring presence.

Among the archipelago, in the waters.

Thousands of aquatic creatures occasionally surfaced, revealing that they too possessed cultivation. Their Qi and Blood were abundant, similar to the spirits and monsters on the island, with most at the first realm and a few at the second.

However, only a very small number of people were able to refine the demonic body.

The vast majority of them retain their original body shape, such as that of a fish, shrimp, crab, or snake, to facilitate survival in the water.

Although these aquatic creatures of Yuan Lake are in the water, it is clear at a glance that their numbers far exceed those of the spirits and monsters on the island.

One by one, they poked their heads out, unwilling to be outdone. Their Qi and Blood surged, emitting a cacophony of respectful sounds—

"Greetings, Suicune! Greetings, Great God!"

The sounds were chaotic and deafening; within a radius of hundreds of miles Long Mountain Archipelago, all sorts of strange noises mingled together, creating a buzzing sound.

The waves surged and rolled up in thousands of layers.

It is located on Changshan Island, the largest Long Mountain Island.

Forty-eight generals, dressed in various armors and wielding various weapons, stood solemnly.

Look up at the sky.

He immediately knelt down and shouted—

"We, your humble servants, pay our respects to Your Majesty, Your Highness, and the two generals!"

These were the generals Lu Qingfeng had ordered his men to search for and train troops in various military units throughout the South Pass Circuit. Having come to Yuan Lake, they implicitly accepted their allegiance to Lu Qingfeng, the newly appointed Yuan Lake Water Lord, and thus their demeanor was extremely respectful.

Certainly.

Although they were called generals, only two of the forty-eight were actually lieutenant generals. The remaining forty-six were only at the rank of colonel, equivalent to a county-level officer.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Not to mention that the Yuan Lake Water Palace is newly established and has no foundation whatsoever. Just take Lu Qingfeng, the son-in-law of the Min River Dragon Palace, for example. Although he is a genius, he is only a cultivator who has just entered the second stage of the Nature Dao.

In the South Pass Circuit, anyone who can become a general, even if only a subordinate general, is a famous general in the area, whose reputation resounds throughout the land.

Lu Qingfeng selected the best of the best.

These generals are all proud and arrogant. How could they possibly join the ranks of Lu Qingfeng, a good-for-nothing Water Lord who has climbed up to the Dragon Palace as a son-in-law?

Therefore.

The forty-eight generals were mostly mediocre. They barely met Lu Qingfeng's requirements, and even then, it was only a meager effort.

"I would like to trouble the two generals to compile a list of the spirits in the mountains and the aquatic creatures in the water. First, assign them to different groups based on their cultivation level and ethnicity."

Lu Qingfeng rode the Golden Tiger and landed on Long Mountain Island. He turned to look at Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi.

"Yes."

Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi immediately accepted the order.

From the Min River Water Army deployed in all directions, those skilled in writing were summoned, and they went either into the mountains or into the water to keep busy.

Lu Qingfeng and Ao Le then took in Golden Tiger and White Dragon, and went to the forty-eight generals.

"You have all had a long and arduous journey. My water palace is not yet completed, so please forgive my neglect."

Lu Qingfeng clasped his hands in a fist salute to the generals.

"Your Majesty is too kind."

"We are all soldiers, and a grand mansion is not as comfortable as a military camp."

One of the forty-eight generals spoke up.

Lu Qingfeng looked at the person.

The man appeared to be only in his early twenties, but a long scar ran down his forehead, across his left eye, and across most of his left cheek, completely ruining his otherwise handsome appearance and making him look somewhat ferocious.

No need to recall, I recognized it instantly—

This is Zhang Shu, one of the only two lieutenant generals who joined Yuan Lake this time. He comes from Changzhou Prefecture in South Pass Circuit. To be precise, he doesn't have any particularly outstanding battle achievements. However, without any background, he has risen through the ranks in just eighty years, from an insignificant soldier to a lieutenant general.

His talent is evident.

A skilled warrior achieves victory without making a great feat.

This refers to Zhang Shu.

Unfortunately, the Mighty Martial General of Zhang Shu of Changzhou Prefecture, who had always promoted Zhang Shu, died in battle, and his superior was replaced. The new Mighty Martial General saw that Zhang Shu was quite brave and resourceful, and he also valued him highly. However, Zhang Shu could not stand his superior's character of 'valuing birth and despising commoners' and was unwilling to let his subordinates take orders.

I was thinking about my next destination the other day.

Just then, the Yuan Lake Water Lord sent someone to recruit him, so Zhang Shu resigned his General's Seal general and led thirty Life and Death to Yuan Lake.

"As expected of the famous Bandit-Quelling General in Changzhou Prefecture."

Lu Qingfeng praised loudly.

Zhang Shu stood upright, neither humble nor arrogant.

"I have just arrived at Yuan Lake and have only three thousand naval troops. Therefore, I have decided to train them. I invite all generals to come here. The initial phase will be for training. There may be some battles later, or there may not be."

"Since you are all here, I will not stand on ceremony."

Lu Qingfeng didn't bother with detailed explanations, but pointed to the Long Mountain Archipelago and went straight to the point, "The spirits in these mountains and the aquatic creatures in the waters are the source of our Yuan Lake Naval Forces. Each of you will command your troops and train them on the islands and in the waters. Regardless of your previous military rank, whoever trains the most elite troops will be rewarded handsomely by me."

Training troops.

This was the first strategy that Lu Qingfeng came up with after arriving at Yuan Lake, considering cultivation resources and the Dutian Dark Nether Strategies.

There's no need to train any elite troops; just do the bare minimum to obtain a large amount of resources from the Dragon Palace.

Training troops is extremely taxing.

Soldiers need all kinds of supplies for training and cultivation. On this basis, they can apply to the Min River Dragon Palace to keep all the produce of Yuan Lake for their own use. Or, as Lu Qingfeng submitted to the Dragon Palace a few months ago, they can ask the Dragon Palace to provide funds for the training of soldiers.

Since the Min River Dragon Lord spared no expense on various treasures and the position of 'Yuan Lake Water God,' he would naturally not be stingy with mere training supplies and military pay.

Although these consumptions are enormous, they are more than enough for the Min River Dragon Palace, which stands majestically on the Min River.

Lu Qingfeng only needs to deduct from this amount to not only satisfy his own early cultivation needs, but also to refine the Dutian Dark Nether Strategies and cultivate Dao Soldiers.

"There's no need to be too superficial."

"Besides the Dutian Dark Nether Strategies, and disregarding the Azure-Turban Strongman and the Mountain-Moving Strongman, I also have three other Dao Soldiers training methods: the Water-Element Dao Soldiers, the Fire Crow Dao Soldiers Hundred-Battle Dao Troops. By selecting their strengths, training several elite naval forces will not be a problem. Furthermore, with the help of Divine Path Incense Offerings, Dragon Palace resources, and the fortune of Yuan Lake, it will not be too difficult to quickly train these three Dao Soldiers."

The three Dao Soldiers were originally Lower Vehicle Dao Soldiers, but after being strengthened by Lu Qingfeng, they can be compared to mid-grade Dao Soldiers, and are on par with the original Dutian Ghost Generals and Dark Nether Yin Soldiers. Once they are forged, they will be led by the Third Realm Fate Dao generals such as Lan Feihu, and will be invincible in the Third Realm, and may even be able to contend with the Fourth Realm cultivators.

If the training of troops is too costly and the gods and ministers of the Dragon Palace have objections, all objections can be eliminated by presenting these three Dao Soldiers, or even the method of refining these three Dao Soldiers.

Certainly.

Whether it's training troops or refining Dao Soldiers, it's all just a cover for Lu Qingfeng's own cultivation and the refining of the Dutian Dark Nether Strategies.

Priorities should not be reversed.