The First Team

Bai Yang was very satisfied. His slaves were doing a decent job of taking the initiative.

Even under complete control, whether they worked of their own accord made a huge difference to their efficiency.

The first four levels of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade included four Guidance Technique exercises called Nine-Layer Primordial, along with an equal number of footwork techniques.

Bai Yang took a quick look. The footwork techniques were nothing special.

For someone with ordinary aptitude, being able to train to the so-called Conception-level using these techniques was already quite impressive.

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

At most, he was slower. But that had nothing to do with his understanding of the technique; it was a difference in cultivation.

As for Nine-Layer Primordial, that was more interesting. Looking at the last two words now, Bai Yang couldn't help finding them amusing.

It was such a good name. What a waste.

The basic principles behind these four Guidance Technique exercises were much the same as those of Mist Sword.

At the apprentice level, there really weren't many variations to be found.

Bai Yang practiced them a few times and quickly understood that.

They had some effect, but their efficiency was still limited.

If he wanted to, he could make a few changes and incorporate them into Mist Sword for the others on Mount Hua to practice.

But that really wouldn't be as useful as something like a Gravity Chamber.

Thor Blade Technique's method of exerting force, on the other hand, was relatively simple and practical.

Bai Yang ordered An Zhengxin to spar with him using the first level of Nine-Layer Thunder Blade. He wanted to grasp the secrets of its force in actual combat.

An Zhengxin naturally obeyed and went through all eighteen moves of the first level.

Bai Yang kept his sword in its sheath and clashed with An Zhengxin's long blade one move at a time, feeling out the differences in their styles as they fought.

The first level's hidden force was the simplest. After thinking it over for a moment, Bai Yang managed to use it with his swordsmanship.

This time, An Zhengxin felt a huge difference, despite the clash being the same.

The sheath in his master's hand had not only replicated the changes in the hidden force of Nine-Layer Thunder Blade, but had added plenty of other things as well.

Before he could make sense of them, the long blade in his hand had already been knocked away.

An Zhengxin was bewildered. He had no idea what had happened.

A moment later, he felt a faint numbness in his wrist. He couldn't muster any strength at all.

His master had secretly used hidden force during their exchange to numb the joints in his wrist, greatly weakening his combat power without him even realizing it!

Even though he was completely under his master's control, he couldn't help feeling admiration and respect. There was no suppressing it.

Bai Yang, as his master, naturally received his thoughts.

He could only laugh helplessly. He hadn't expected his slave to be so astonished by him.

They continued sparring, moving on to the second and third levels of Nine-Layer Thunder Blade...

Bai Yang kept mastering new hidden-force techniques, and the multiplier of his striking power continued to rise.

At the same time, the other nine slaves were making good progress with their work while he sparred.

Meanwhile, the number of slaves in his mind and the memories he received kept increasing.

By daybreak, twenty-nine War Generals sat quietly in the middle of the temporary camp.

They watched their master and An Zhengxin fight one last battle.

An Zhengxin's eyes were bloodshot, his emotions running high.

His long blade displayed unprecedented power as he fought Bai Yang with everything he had.

Suddenly, he gave a shout. "Break!"

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

Bai Yang seemed to turn into a wisp of smoke, dodging the attack without making the slightest movement.

He struck the back of the blade as it passed. The entire weapon plunged deep into the hard stone underfoot.

An Zhengxin could hold on no longer. Completely exhausted, he collapsed.

But his face was full of smiles. The fourth level of Nine-Layer Thunder Blade!

After all these years! With his master's help, he had finally learned it today!

In fact, Bai Yang had mastered the techniques of the fourth level of Nine-Layer Thunder Blade early the previous night.

But even after he relayed them to An Zhengxin through their mental link, An Zhengxin still couldn't understand.

With no other choice, Bai Yang had kept fighting him. After all, An Zhengxin was only one step away.

There was nothing wrong with making his subordinate a little stronger.

There had actually been thirty-four War Generals among those who attacked him the previous night.

He read each of their memories, had them transfer their savings into a shared account, and then executed five of them—men so vile and guilty of so many crimes that they deserved no mercy.

He would never be short on people. He had no need for scum like that.

The remaining thirty, with An Zhengxin at their head, would be reorganized and reshaped into his first team.

After dealing with An Zhengxin, Bai Yang turned his attention to the others. For any slave who could be made stronger right away, he was willing to spend a little time helping them.

And so began Bai Yang's delightful journey through the Wilderness Zone.

He barely had to do anything. Surrounded by his group, he headed toward Kunshan.

Along the way, his thirty subordinates spread out, greatly expanding the area in which they searched for prey.

They communicated through the Mental Network linking master and servants, making their work astonishingly efficient.

Countless monsters were doomed. Whether their meat was rich in nutrients or their genes had something valuable to offer,

these longtime hunters reported their findings to Bai Yang of their own accord.

Then the whole group would rush to their lairs and begin a feast of flesh and blood.

Bai Yang ate with great satisfaction, and his transformation into a monster accelerated rapidly.

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

He suppressed his cultivation and refused to advance, directing all the nutrients toward his Monster Body.

He waited for it to undergo a qualitative change after reaching a critical mass, and emerge from its cocoon.

When he used to hunt monsters in the Wilderness Zone, he couldn't be bothered to cut up and collect materials from some of them.

Those things were only good for making money, and money really didn't matter to him.

But with a large group of subordinates, things were different.

There were plenty of people willing to handle it for him, so he let them get on with it.

Later, Bai Yang would sometimes get carried away and cover an entire area in one go.

Using Psychokinesis, he snapped the necks of hundreds of Advanced Warrior-level monsters at once, helping his subordinates earn a little money.

Everyone watched, dumbstruck. This was far simpler and faster than being a Spirit Reader!

This was their master! So mysterious and powerful!

Bai Yang usually favored close-quarters combat out of habit, but now that his Psychokinesis had grown stronger, doing something like this was no trouble at all.

An Zhengxin was especially full of admiration. "Master! Even ordinary Primary War Gods fear a Beast Tide. They could be swallowed up by the horde.

"But with a power like yours that can directly attack living creatures, no number of weak monsters could threaten you!"

After they reached Kunshan, Bai Yang decided to establish a semipermanent base there, one that could overlook the entire Magic City region.

He left An Zhengxin behind to take charge, then set off for Jiangnan Base City with five Advanced War Generals and their various spoils.

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