Over three days, under Yao Chen's close supervision and Han Feng's sleepless, mechanical labor, a steady stream of low-grade pills needed by the Haiye organization was refined.
Lin Hai also put the materials on hand to use, refining a considerable number of various jade pendants in batches.
On this day, in a private room on the top floor of the Miteer Auction House in Wutan City.
The space rippled faintly, and Lin Hai's figure appeared.
Haibodong and Yaoye, who had been waiting there for some time, immediately rose and bowed respectfully. "My lord!"
After three days of coordination and preliminary reorganization, Yaoye had lost none of the regal bearing of an Imperial Family princess, but now carried a hint of efficiency and sharpness as well. She had clearly settled into her role with remarkable speed.
The dozens of members behind her had also grown more composed than they had been three days ago. Their eyes were alight with fervor and anticipation as they looked at Lin Hai.
Lin Hai said nothing more and swept his sleeve.
At once, a dense stream of jade bottles and jade pendants flew out of his Storage Ring, arranging themselves in neat rows as they hovered in midair. A rich medicinal fragrance and strange fluctuations of energy wafted from them.
On the left were over a hundred jade bottles filled with all kinds of pills, mainly third- and fourth-grade Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills and Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pills—the best aids for Great Spirit Masters seeking to break through the dual spirit barrier. There were even quite a few Fifth-grade Pills suited to rapidly improving one's cultivation at the dual-spirit stage. Their aromas mingled, nearly condensing into a visible mist. Just one breath made one's spiritual energy churn.
On the right were three piles of jade pendants. One pile was pale white and lustrous: Protective Jade Pendants, which could automatically block a full-force attack from a Spirit Emperor. Another was pale green, its sharpness concealed: Offensive Jade Pendants, which sealed energy equivalent to a Spirit Emperor's full-force strike. The final pile was silver-gray, etched with the most complex runes: Short-Range Random Teleportation Jade Pendants, which could send a person to a random location a hundred li away in a moment of crisis—excellent lifesaving treasures.
Seeing the pills and jade pendants that nearly filled half the private room, every member of the Haiye organization, including Haibodong and Yaoye, drew in a sharp breath. Their hearts pounded and their breathing quickened!
The value of such a vast quantity of precious pills and alchemical artifacts was enough to easily equip an empire's elite army!
And my lord had produced them all in just three short days, as though he were bringing out a pile of ordinary food and stones!
"Distribute the pills according to merit, prioritizing the members of the teams sent out to search, so they can reach the dual-spirit stage as soon as possible. Each person will be issued one Protective Jade Pendant, one Offensive Jade Pendant, and one teleportation pendant. They may claim them only when going out on a mission and must return them afterward. Any loss must be reported." Lin Hai explained the rules succinctly.
"Yes! We will obey your command, my lord!" Haibodong and Yaoye replied in unison, barely suppressing their excitement.
With these resources behind them, they had absolute confidence they could turn Haiye into a secret intelligence network spanning the entire Northwest Continent in the shortest possible time!
Once he had given his instructions, Lin Hai left without a moment's delay, his figure fading away again.
The next instant, he appeared in a valley in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where the Snake-Person Tribe had relocated.
At the entrance to the valley basin in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The space rippled faintly, and Lin Hai appeared silently in front of the entrance, as though he had been standing there from the very beginning.
The Snake-Person warriors on guard were startled at first, but then recognized him. Awe and fervor instantly flooded their faces. They dropped to one knee and bowed their heads, not daring to look directly at him.
(Medusa had shown the guards a spiritual portrait of Lin Hai.)
They knew better than anyone that this seemingly ordinary human possessed the power to reshape the world. He was the "god" who had granted them this new home!
Lin Hai paid no heed to the guards. With a single step, he passed through the invisible spatial barrier and entered the new holy city of the Snake-People.
The scene before him was utterly unlike the outside world.
The space had been greatly expanded. The light was gentle, and the energy concentration far surpassed that of the outside.
New stone houses had been built along the mountainside, arranged in orderly rows. A plaza and training grounds had been laid out in the center.
Although the relocation had been hurried, the Snake-People had worked with remarkable efficiency. Their settlement had already begun to take on an orderly appearance.
Many Snake-People were busy at work. At the sight of Lin Hai, every one of them immediately stopped what they were doing.
Lin Hai's divine sense instantly locked onto a newly built stone hall at the heart of the space, where the energy was most concentrated.
Inside, Queen Medusa stood before a crude animal-hide map, discussing the division of the tribe's territory and its defensive arrangements with several Snake-Person elders.
She remained as coldly beautiful as ever, but the restlessness she had carried in the desert had eased. In its place was a greater sense of composure and focus.
Suddenly sensing something, she raised her head sharply and looked toward the entrance to the hall.
The space rippled like water, and Lin Hai appeared in the middle of the hall.
"Master!" Medusa was startled and immediately bowed.
The elders were even more frightened. They hurriedly dropped to their knees, not daring to raise their heads.
Lin Hai's calm gaze swept over the hall before settling on Medusa.
He could sense that after moving to this space, with its richer energy and more suitable environment, Medusa's aura at the peak of the Spirit Emperor Realm had grown more harmonious. The opportunity to break through seemed to be right at hand.
He skipped the pleasantries and flicked a finger.
A lustrous jade bottle traced an arc through the air and hovered precisely in front of Medusa.
"Pill of Breaking Sect." Lin Hai's voice was as calm as ever. "Take it and break through here. The energy in this place is enough to support your advancement."
Medusa's breath caught. Her strange purple, slit-pupiled eyes locked onto the jade bottle before her, and her heart began to pound uncontrollably!
She reached out with a trembling hand and carefully took the bottle.
As the stopper loosened, an indescribably potent medicinal power, mingled with strange fluctuations of the laws, spilled out. The bottleneck that had trapped her for years immediately began to loosen violently. It felt as if her blood were boiling and screaming!
It was real! And a Pill of Breaking Sect of exceptionally high quality!
She had paid the price of submitting to obtain this pill.
Now that the object of her dreams was truly within reach, the shock left her momentarily dazed.
She clutched the bottle tightly, as if she were holding the future of the entire Snake-Person Tribe.
Taking a deep breath, she quelled the turmoil within her and looked up at Lin Hai. Her icy eyes brimmed with emotions too complex to name, but in the end, they all settled into profound awe and submission.
"Medusa... thanks you for this gift, Master!" Her voice was faintly hoarse. This time, her gratitude was more genuine than ever before.
She understood that this was more than just a pill. It was an acknowledgment of the choice she and the Snake-People had made, a pass that would lead them toward a stronger future.
"Mm." Lin Hai gave a slight nod. "I'm leaving. Focus on your breakthrough."
With that, his figure quietly faded and vanished from the hall, just as it had appeared, without the slightest hesitation.
Only after Lin Hai's presence had completely vanished did the suffocating pressure in the hall abruptly dissipate.
The elders finally dared to raise their heads, their eyes fixed excitedly on the bottle in their queen's hand.
Medusa slowly tightened her grip on the bottle, her nails nearly digging into her palm.
She looked at the elders, her voice once more cold and decisive. "Pass down my order. I will enter seclusion immediately! Seal off the area around the hall. No one is to approach!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the elders replied excitedly before hurrying off to carry out her command.
Medusa turned and strode toward the secret chamber at the rear of the hall.
Sunlight streamed through the stone window, illuminating her breathtaking profile. For the first time, the cold beauty of her face clearly reflected a light called "hope."
Breaking through to the Spirit Sect Realm would come down to this one moment! For her own sake, and for the future of the Snake-Person Tribe!
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