The Gu Family

"It seems like a bug. I'll use Pure Light to deduce this cultivation method that I couldn't even start, and after innovating it, it will naturally reach the beginner level."

He couldn't help but think of the movement technique he still hadn't mastered.

Perhaps...

He shook his head.

Gu Jinlai quickly dismissed the thought.

Firstly, the Eight Extremes Swimming Dragon Body Technique no longer suited his current combat style. Secondly, with only one strand of Pure Light remaining, he couldn't afford to waste it.

He glanced at the remaining Pure Light, then at the Great Sun Nine Refinements Visualization Method and the Great Sun Demonic God Body Refining Method.

Gu Jinlai pondered for a moment, and the last strand of Pure Light landed on the light sphere of the Great Sun Demonic God Body Refining Method.

Instantly, Gu Jinlai felt as if he had spent eight or ten years immersed in this body refining method.

How to quickly refine demonic beast blood, how to strip away the demonic nature from the blood, how to strengthen himself with bloodline power – everything was explained clearly and handled with practiced ease.

Demonic Beasts, Mid-tier Demonic Beasts, High-ranking Demonic Beasts, Great Demonic Beasts, Mid-tier Great Demonic Beasts, High-tier Great Demonic Beasts...

He knew exactly how to temper his physique at each stage.

Great Sun Demonic God Body Refining Method: Beginner → Minor Accomplishment.

"It's a shame that, like the Great Sun Nine Refinements Visualization Method, these types of cultivation methods only allow me to understand these techniques more thoroughly and practice them more efficiently, making my movements smooth and natural. They can't create something out of nothing to grant me corresponding Spiritual Awareness or physique."

Gu Jinlai closed his eyes and felt it carefully.

To increase his combat power, he still needed to focus on swordsmanship, secret techniques, and movement techniques.

As a border city of Chizhou, Chifeng City's situation was similar to that of Changjun City, complex and intricate.

However, compared to Changjun City, which had a total population of over three million, Chifeng City had only about 400,000 people. Including its eight counties and towns, the total population was just over 1.3 million.

The city was comprised of a Spirit Refining City Lord belonging to the Purgatory Sect, three major families, and six local sects.

The Gu Family was one of the three major families.

Two at Core Condensation.

Nine at Gang Condensation.

Twenty-eight at Qi Refining.

The two Core Condensation experts were the family head, Gu Changfeng, Gu Jinlai's elder brother, who was seventy-four years old.

The other was his eldest son, Gu Haoran, who was forty-nine.

At this time, at the training grounds of Gu Family Town, less than thirty miles from the city, a crowd had gathered, and flags were fluttering.

There were as many as three thousand people here.

Although nearly two thousand of the three thousand were recently recruited and had not been training for long, due to the training system of veteran soldiers leading new recruits, the three thousand soldiers looked imposing.

Given the importance of the matter, Gu Changfeng handed over the household trivialities to Gu Haoran and personally led his men to Gu Family Town to train the soldiers, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Currently, in a house on the side of the training grounds, Gu Changfeng was taking stock of the money and provisions.

Beside him were his second son, Gu Daoyuan, and his sixth daughter's husband, Zhan Shaoheng.

"Three hundred elites of the Changfeng Army, eighty fierce warriors, and forty Centurions have been incorporated into the three thousand men. We are using a system of veteran soldiers leading new recruits to quickly equip these three thousand men with the ability to fight, and we will select one thousand outstanding individuals from them for elite training," Zhan Shaoheng said.

"Is there enough silver?"

"All the treasures sent by Second Uncle were sold, yielding 1.44 million taels... After recruiting personnel, purchasing armor, warhorses, and grain, more than half was spent. There are still 480,000 taels remaining, which should be enough to cover a year's expenses," Gu Daoyuan said, pausing slightly. "However, our Gu Family's annual surplus after deducting various expenses is less than 200,000 taels. If we are to maintain these three thousand troops and train one thousand of them into elites, next year... there might be a deficit of 300,000 taels."

300,000 taels.

This figure...

"It's alright. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten itself out. As long as we grit our teeth and get through this period, once the thousand elites and two thousand soldiers are trained, why worry about not being able to generate revenue?" Gu Changfeng said with a steady tone.

"I have a friend who serves as a protector in the Purgatory Sect. Recently, there have been rumors circulating within the Purgatory Sect that are quite unfavorable to Second Uncle... and we are making such a big move here..." Gu Daoyuan hesitated.

His words were interrupted by Gu Changfeng: "It is precisely because my second brother is in a difficult situation that we must help him stabilize the situation here."

"Yes."

"You must remember, the Gu Family lineage shares prosperity and suffers losses together. The reason our Gu Family has developed so rapidly over the years and become one of the three major families in Chifeng City is entirely due to your second uncle's position as an elder in the Purgatory Sect. Now that our Gu Family is rising, we must also reciprocate your second uncle, to ensure that Lin Xiao of the Purgatory Sect dares not act with impunity when targeting him," Gu Changfeng said emphatically.

"I understand." Gu Daoyuan nodded.

At this moment, a disciple from the Gu Family entered with two other people.

Upon clearly seeing who had arrived, Gu Changfeng was startled. "Buwang, and Nanxing, why are you here?"

He then gestured with an open hand, "Please, have a seat."

"Patriarch Gu."

Su Nanxing bowed, then fell silent.

"Patriarch..."

Nian Buwang stepped forward, glancing around the room.

Gu Changfeng understood. With a wave of his hand, Gu Daoyuan and Zhan Shaoheng closed the doors and windows, standing guard outside.

Nian Buwang untied the bundle from his body and handed over a box about a foot square. "The Ancestor asked me to deliver this. He specifically instructed me to personally give it to you, the Patriarch, and that you are to handle it personally."

Gu Changfeng opened the box and saw several secret manuals inside. After flipping through them for just a moment, his expression changed.

"These cultivation methods..."

He instinctively wanted to ask about their origins, but then realized that this matter should not be known to too many people. He immediately said, "I understand my second brother's intentions."

"Additionally, from now on, the Ancestor will send a million taels of silver each year. His intention is that with an annual income of one million taels of silver, the Gu Family's three thousand elites can be supported."

"A million taels of silver!? Second Brother, how... how did he achieve this?"

Gu Changfeng's eyes widened.

The Gu Family's annual surplus was only two hundred thousand taels.

An annual income of a million!?

How astonishing!

"The Ancestor has converted to being a Celestial Master and mastered a new method of artifact forging. He can forge three sets of armor per month, and the forged battle armor weighs no more than eighty jin, yet its defensive power rivals High-grade Treasure Armor."

Nian Buwang continued, "Whether the family should form three thousand elites or allocate some funds to focus on cultivating Qi Refining clan members, equipping them with treasure armor and divine weapons to form arrays and kill enemies, is up to the Patriarch to decide!"

"High-grade Treasure Armor!?"

Gu Changfeng was dumbfounded.

Was High-grade Treasure Armor that easy to forge?

Three sets a month!?

Even if he rested for two months a year, that would be thirty sets!

If thirty experts in the True Qi and Gang Condensation realms were equipped with such treasure armor and formed a battle array with a thousand elites to encircle and kill, let alone Core Condensation experts, even one or two Spirit Transformation experts trapped within could be encircled and killed.

The saying that a Spirit Transformation expert could fight a thousand enemies referred to ordinary soldiers.

Facing elites, they could only fight and retreat, stretching the battle line to avoid being surrounded.

In a chaotic battle of hundreds or thousands of people, there wasn't much room for maneuvering. Attacks came from all directions, and Spirit Transformation experts had to maintain their True Qi protection at all times. Once they couldn't break through a defense formed by dozens of Qi Refining and Gang Condensation experts wearing High-grade Treasure Armor, their True Qi would quickly be depleted, and they would die of exhaustion.

"Three sets of High-grade Treasure Armor per month must be the result of my second brother giving his all."

After a long while, Gu Changfeng took a deep breath. "His current situation must be extremely perilous. After falling in his cultivation, he had no choice but to use this method to help our Gu Family rise as quickly as possible, lest the Gu Family be persecuted by the Purgatory Sect because of him..."

After speaking, he looked at Su Nanxing. "A Celestial Master who refines Qi into Spirit Transformation, he must be very weak right now, correct?"

Su Nanxing recalled Gu Jinlai carrying two thousand jin and moving as fast as flying, his every saber strike creating sonic booms...

He didn't know how to answer.

"You don't need to say anything, I understand, I understand everything. I will complete the training of the elites as quickly as possible."

Gu Changfeng solemnly promised, "At the latest, within a year, I will complete the army's training and bring him home. By then, Lin Xiao and the Purgatory Sect will not dare to harm a single hair on his head."

(The one-year period has arrived!)