Jiang Yun spent several centuries testing the ideas in his mind one by one in Pengxuan Grotto-Heaven.
During the experiments, he discovered some problems. For example, the exchanges of spiritual materials and Innate Spiritual Roots for Merit Points had not been separately organized. Having task assignments and item exchanges lumped together would cause confusion. To resolve the issues exposed during the experiments, he later established the Exchange Hall, Enforcement Hall, Transmission Hall, and others.
The Enforcement Hall had been established to resolve disputes among the people in the main hall. Some beings from various races with good cultivation and character were selected to take turns serving as enforcers and ruling on everyone's disputes and conflicts. The people of the Enforcement Hall could receive the corresponding Merit Points annually as compensation for their work.
The Transmission Hall had been established with those of ordinary aptitude in mind. They might not easily comprehend the cultivation methods and Divine Path Techniques they exchanged for, in which case they would need masters to teach and guide them regularly. The two parties were linked through Merit Point transactions, allowing both sides to benefit.
There were also various other problems, large and small, and he carefully considered each one and came up with solutions. During this process, he kept the twenty leaders he had originally selected by his side to learn from him. Whenever a problem arose, he would use it to test them and see whether any of them could propose a good solution.
In the end, Jiang Yun assigned them different positions and responsibilities according to their personalities and abilities.
Diyong belonged to the Rat Tribe. He could burrow underground, was good at escaping, and possessed a peculiar technique that concealed his aura and form. He was the most suitable person to oversee the web, responsible for gathering information and surveying the terrain so that the Mission Hall could conveniently issue corresponding tasks.
Yuan Jin and Yuan Tong belonged to the Ape Tribe. They were naturally skilled with staffs and clubs, loved fighting, and had agile minds. Having Yuan Jin work with Ling Mei, who belonged to the Fox Tribe, was a perfect arrangement: one could estimate the difficulty of tasks, while the other was responsible for assigning tasks from the Mission Hall.
Black Wind's true form was a bear, and he had been born with an exceptionally tough body and extraordinary combat power. Although he appeared simple and honest, he also had no shortage of little schemes. Working with You Ming, one skilled in combat and the other in strategy, was more than enough to manage the Enforcement Hall.
Gui Zang was responsible for the Exchange Hall, while Yuan Ling was responsible for the Transmission Hall.
Gui Zang was steady and meticulous, and could handle matters related to exchanges very well. Yuan Ling belonged to the Spirit Deer Tribe and had excellent aptitude and comprehension. He was also well suited to teaching and guiding everyone.
Finally, Jiang Yun sent Huang Ya to the outskirts of the Grotto-Heaven World. He had Huang Ya lead a group of guards in establishing a permanent base, making it convenient for the beings inside the grotto-heaven to leave and carry out the tasks assigned by the Mission Hall. At the same time, they would sweep the area within ten thousand miles of the grotto-heaven at regular intervals to ensure the surrounding security.
After making these arrangements, Jiang Yun decided to return to Spirit Bamboo Valley with Yuan Tong, Chi Mei, Xue Yu, Gui Sun, and the others.
Before leaving, he bestowed upon everyone some Houtian Spiritual Treasures he had collected in the past. He also instructed those staying behind to diligently assist his child attendant Rong Guang, properly manage the grotto-heaven, and cultivate well. Then he led the others toward Spirit Bamboo Valley.
Along the way, Jiang Yun traveled while giving the group some personal instruction and demonstrating Divine Path Techniques. Before they knew it, a long time had passed.
That day, Jiang Yun followed the route in his memory. As he advanced, he saw a towering mountain range in the distance. Many groups of beings had settled around it. Spiritual energy overflowed from the mountains, and even the concentration of spiritual energy in the surrounding Earthly Realm had risen by several levels.
His mind immediately went blank, and he began to wonder whether he had taken the wrong route.
This place should have been only a few hundred li from the Spirit Bamboo Valley in his memory.
When he had repaired the earth veins, he had planted many offshoots of the spiritual bamboo at various nodes within a ten-thousand-li radius. He had already seen many of them along the way, so he should not have taken the wrong route.
He composed himself and continued forward with his subordinates.
The various groups along the road sensed their powerful auras and consciously made way for them, not daring to block their path at all.
When they reached the vicinity of the mountain range, Jiang Yun sensed the aura of the mountain-protecting array he had set up.
"It was only a valley back then. How did it become such a huge mountain now? How strange!" Jiang Yun wondered inwardly.
As soon as he reached the vicinity of the array, he saw it activate and a passage appear. Three round, chubby pandas then happily bounced out from within the array.
"Greetings, Perfected One! Welcome back to the mountain." Gao Shou and Ling Xi ran up to Jiang Yun and happily saluted him.
"Master Perfected One, you're finally back! Hmph, hmph..." Huang Bao followed behind Gao Shou and Ling Xi. The moment he saw Jiang Yun, he dashed over, wanting to leap onto him.
Back when they had been in the Dao Field, Jiang Yun loved holding Huang Bao and lying in a rocking chair to pet the panda whenever he had free time from cultivation. Thus, Huang Bao was especially close to him.
This trip had taken an incredibly long time, and Huang Bao had missed him terribly. After he had left, Huang Bao had often lost his appetite and could not even eat the finest spiritual bamboo. Now that he had just returned, Huang Bao could not wait to squeeze into his arms for comfort.
Over the years, Huang Bao had also advanced from an Earthly Immortal to a Heavenly Immortal. However, he had remained in the Dao Field and never encountered any other beings, so his mind had remained as it was, with little improvement. In addition, because of his bloodline, his growth period was relatively long, and he had still not passed out of infancy.
As for Gao Shou and Ling Xi, the two of them had been cultivating diligently in the Dao Field. With abundant spiritual bamboo and dense spiritual energy, along with the enhancement from the Innate Spiritual Root tea tree in the Dao Field, their cultivation had advanced rapidly. They had cultivated all the way from Heavenly Immortals to perfected True Immortals, and had also laid a very solid foundation. They were now only half a step away from the Mystic Immortal realm.
After praising the two of them profusely and comforting Huang Bao, he introduced the people he had brought back to the three from the Dao Field. Then he led them into the Dao Field.
Upon returning to his bamboo house, Jiang Yun felt a mixture of emotions. He could not help recalling what it had been like when he had first arrived here. It seemed like a memory from an immensely distant past, yet it was still etched into his bones.
Some people use their childhood to heal their entire lives, while others use their entire lives to heal their childhood.
To Jiang Yun, this former valley had been the place where he was born after reincarnating into this world.
Here, he had begun cultivating in a daze, gradually accepting his identity as a Western being. He had then repaired the earth veins and established the Dao Field, learning step by step how to survive in the unfamiliar Primordial Desolation World. Everything here was like a dream from his childhood, allowing him never to forget where he had come from and giving his soul somewhere to belong.
After sighing with emotion for a while, Jiang Yun asked Gao Shou and Ling Xi about the changes that had occurred in the valley: How had the former Spirit Bamboo Valley become such a towering mountain range?
After listening to their answers, Jiang Yun finally understood the cause of the change.
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