The Core Group

Bai Yang was quite satisfied—the slave's initiative was decent enough.

Even under complete control, whether someone actively worked or not made a massive difference in efficiency.

Within the first four layers of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade, there were four chapters of a Guidance Technique called [Nine-Layer Primordial], along with an equal number of movement techniques.

Bai Yang skimmed through them; the movement techniques were unremarkable.

For an ordinary person's talent, being able to train all the way to so-called "Conception-level" with this would already be impressive.

Though he had never met Thor himself, Bai Yang was confident that he wouldn't lose to him now.

At most, he'd fall short in speed, but that wasn't a matter of technique comprehension—it was a gap in cultivation realm.

As for that [Nine-Layer Primordial], it was more interesting. Bai Yang looked at the last two characters now and found them laughable.

Such a good name, wasted.

The basic principles of these four Guidance Technique chapters were largely the same as those in Mist Sword.

At the apprentice stage, there really wasn't much room for variation.

Bai Yang practiced a few times and understood this point.

There was some effect, but the efficiency was still very limited.

If he wanted, he could make slight modifications and incorporate it into Mist Sword for others at Mount Hua to practice.

But it really wasn't as significant as something like the Gravity Chamber.

The Thor Blade Technique's force application method, on the other hand, was simpler and more practical.

Bai Yang ordered An Zhengxin to spar with him using the first layer of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade, intending to grasp the force application tricks through real combat.

An Zhengxin naturally obeyed, performing all eighteen moves of the first layer.

Bai Yang, still with his sword sheathed, clashed against the long blade one strike at a time, sensing the differences between them in battle.

As for the simplest hidden force of the first-layer blade technique, after a moment's thought, he executed it with his swordplay.

This time, An Zhengxin felt a stark difference in the same collisions.

The master's scabbard not only mimicked the hidden force variations of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade but also added many other elements.

Before he could discern them, his long blade was already knocked from his hands again.

An Zhengxin was bewildered, completely unable to understand what had happened.

After a moment, he felt his wrist faintly numb, unable to muster any strength.

The master had secretly used hidden force during their exchange to paralyze his wrist joint, drastically reducing his combat effectiveness without him even realizing it!

Even though he was fully controlled, a natural sense of admiration and submission arose in him, utterly irrepressible.

Since he had these thoughts in his mind, Bai Yang, as the master, naturally received them.

He found it both amusing and exasperating—he hadn't expected his slave to be this shocked.

The two continued sparring, moving through the second layer, the third layer of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade...

Bai Yang steadily mastered new hidden force techniques, his power multiplier constantly increasing.

Meanwhile, the other nine slaves were working smoothly. As he sparred, the number of slaves and the memories in his mind kept climbing.

By dawn the next day, twenty-nine warlords sat quietly in the middle of this temporary camp, watching the master and An Zhengxin engage in their final battle.

At this point, An Zhengxin's eyes were bloodshot, his expression intense.

The long blade in his hand displayed unprecedented power as he fought Bai Yang in a fierce blaze.

Suddenly, he shouted: "Break!"

Gripping the blade with both hands, he slashed forward with all his might.

Bai Yang moved like a wisp of smoke, evading the strike with seemingly no effort.

He casually tapped the back of the long blade, driving the entire sword deep into the hard stone of the ground.

An Zhengxin could hold on no longer and collapsed in exhaustion.

But his face was full of smiles—the fourth layer of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade!

After so many years! Today, with the master's help, he had finally mastered it!

In truth, Bai Yang had already practiced and mastered the techniques of the fourth layer of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade on his own early last night.

But after he transmitted it back to An Zhengxin through the mental link, the man still couldn't comprehend it.

Left with no choice, Bai Yang continued sparring with him, since he was only one step away anyway.

There was no harm in making his subordinate a bit stronger.

Last night, a total of thirty-four warlords had surrounded him.

He read all their memories one by one, had everyone transfer their savings into a shared account, and then executed five of them—vicious scumbags beyond redemption, utterly unforgivable.

He would never lack for people in the future—this sort of trash he truly had no use for.

The remaining thirty, with An Zhengxin at their head, after being reorganized and remolded, would become his first core team.

After dealing with An Zhengxin, for the others, any slave who could become stronger instantly, he was not stingy and was willing to spend a little time helping them.

From then on, Bai Yang's joyful journey through the Wilderness Zone began.

He barely had to do anything; a crowd of people surrounded him as they advanced toward Kunshan City.

Along the way, the thirty subordinates spread out, greatly widening the range of their prey search.

Through the master-servant Mental Network connecting them, their efficiency was astonishingly high.

Countless monsters met their doom—whether they were rich in nutritious flesh or had something valuable in their genes.

These slaves, seasoned hunters all, took the initiative to report to Bai Yang.

Then the group would charge into the monsters' habitats and begin a feast of flesh.

Bai Yang ate with great delight, and the degree of his monsterization soared rapidly.

If he truly wanted to become a War God, he could have done so long ago.

He suppressed his cultivation, refusing to advance, and channeled all nutrients into his monster body.

He waited for the moment when quantity would trigger a qualitative change, and he would break out of his cocoon.

Originally, when he hunted monsters in the Wilderness Zone, he couldn't be bothered to dissect and harvest their materials.

These things were just for exchanging money—truly unimportant to him.

But with a large number of subordinates, the situation changed.

There were plenty of people willing to help handle it, so he just let them do as they pleased.

Later on, Bai Yang would occasionally act on a whim, covering an entire area at once.

Using Psychokinesis, he would snap the necks of hundreds of Advanced Warrior-level monsters simultaneously, helping his subordinates earn some money.

The onlookers were stunned—this was far simpler and faster than a Spirit Reader!

This is our master! So mysterious and so powerful!

Bai Yang usually subconsciously favored close combat, but as his Psychokinesis rose with the tide, doing something like this was no trouble at all.

An Zhengxin was even more reverent: "Master! An ordinary Primary War God would still fear a Beast Tide, risking being swallowed by the swarm.

But with your power that directly affects living beings, no amount of small monsters could threaten you!"

After the group arrived in Kunshan, Bai Yang wanted to establish a semi-permanent stronghold here, one that could directly overlook the entire Magic City region.

He left An Zhengxin in charge of the situation there, then took five Advanced War Generals and various spoils, preparing to return to Jiangnan Base City.

After all, Luo Feng and Yang Wu had already been waiting for him for several days.