It Could Boost Virility Too? Great-Save Me Some

"Is your Thirty-Person Group still recruiting? You seem like my kind of people. Let me join!"

Qingzhu weighed the Gold Soul Coin in her hand and looked at Owl Bro, who was as tall as she was. His cool expression, handsome face, and chivalrous heart matched her dreams of wandering the world as a swordswoman.

"I, Zhu Qing, have roamed the continent with my sword. I always wanted to uphold justice, but in the end, I found that kind of chivalry only in novels and storybooks.

"I never thought I'd meet people as chivalrous as you today. Thirty-Person Group, please let me join!"

Owl Bro sent Jiang Hao a troubled message through their mental link. What do we do? If we let an outsider in and she discovers our secrets, what then? Should I turn her down?

Owl Bro was about to refuse with a smile when Jiang Hao's voice reached him. Didn't we establish this group to bring people in? Our first recruit has come to us. How can you turn her down? Accept her, and give her a position.

With Jiang Hao's answer, Owl Bro stepped forward, smiling. "You're as kindhearted as you are beautiful, young swordswoman. A true champion of justice."

"So I won't hesitate any longer. Welcome to the Thirty-Person Group! We're glad to have you!"

"From now on, you're the captain of the Thirty-Person Group's First Brigade!"

"Everyone, leave the Soul Beast corpses around the perimeter to us. Go back and rest. Tonight, we'll celebrate with a bonfire!"

Owl Bro said this, hauled the seated Fatty Liu to his feet, and headed back to town. On the other side of the forest, numerous Clones gathered to treat those injured earlier. Piles of Soul Beast corpses surrounded them, with yellow, purple, and black Soul Rings floating above.

Jiang Hao left the others and went over as well. Seeing Banner Bro unconscious on a stretcher, he felt a pang of distress. One of my best fighters pushed himself so hard he nearly wrecked his cultivation. Good thing I have this...

Jiang Hao opened his palm, and a Jade Bottle appeared in his hand. "Robbing the Xuanming Sect did have its benefits."

He carefully took out the Black Tortoise Divine Pill and fed it to Banner Bro. "I owe the Xuanming Sect thanks this time. Next time I rob you, I'll try to take a little less. I'll even leave you your clothes. Take good care of Banner Bro. I'm off."

Jiang Hao gave those instructions to the Clones guarding and treating the wounded.

He left, and it was deep into the night by the time he returned to camp.

Jiang Hao darted out of the shadows and pushed open the door. A huge bonfire burned in the middle of the Courtyard. Soul Beast carcasses had been carried over, and several people in cooks' uniforms were carving them up with cleavers.

Among them, Jiang Hao spotted a familiar Clone. "Isn't that Master's Bro? What are you doing here? Changed careers and gone to culinary school?"

Jiang Hao hurried over and looked at the scalpel in Master's Bro's hand. "Right. What's your First Soul Skill?"

Jiang Hao read Master's Bro's memories: after hunting a Soul Beast, he had gained the Soul Skill Dissection Understanding. It gave him a unique talent for biology and complete information on any creature he dissected.

"Not bad. That ability lives up to your title."

"So, what have you found out?"

"I have discovered some things," Master's Bro said.

"Like what, exactly?" Jiang Hao pressed.

"It was a Soul Beast!"

"And?" Jiang Hao pressed again.

"A female one, at that."

"Isn't that obvious? I could see that with my own eyes."

Owl Bro said, "Also, eating its meat can boost virility~"

Jiang Hao said, "That Soul Skill is incredible! Keep practicing. I'm off."

"Oh, and save me a leg from this one. It looks tender. I'd like to roast it."

Master's Bro laughed when he heard that. "I was joking. It's just ordinary protein. But according to my analysis, the reason this meat strengthens the body comes down to the Soul Power mixed into it.

"If possible, I could explore food as a means of delivery, or inject Soul Power directly into meat to increase both its total Soul Power and its purity.

"If that works, we could eventually skip the step where someone eats Soul-Power-infused meat and absorbs it. We could inject purified Soul Power directly to strengthen the body instead.

"I think plenty of people would be interested. It could make us a lot of money."

"Developing injections? Interesting."

Jiang Hao had planned to send his Clones to the Sun Moon Empire to study alchemy. Instead, Master's Bro wanted to leap straight into a modern economy. If a fight broke out, everyone could pause while he gave himself a couple of shots.

"And my Martial Soul has another trait: dissection. When I kill a Soul Beast and dissect it with my scalpel, I can learn the basics of which Soul Skill absorbing its Soul Ring would grant.

"So I plan to stay here. It's close to the forest, which makes research and experiments convenient. I'll also need funding—a lot of it. I don't want my experiments halted or delayed because I run out of money."

Master's Bro spoke without pausing his work, continuing to dissect the carcass.

"Good! Approved," Jiang Hao said. "From now on, half our resources will go toward buying Soul Tools, and the other half will go to you."

The sudden beast tide had struck their headquarters and brought a problem lurking beneath the surface to light.

Jiang Hao himself was strong enough to face anyone without fear. After all, he had Clones. If he couldn't win one-on-one, he could always gang up on his opponent.

But his Clones needed to spend long periods operating outside, and their safety was a serious problem.

A group of two-ring Soul Grandmasters was out there now. Any one of them could lose to someone stronger, and eighty percent of Jiang Hao's soul Clones had useless Martial Souls and virtually no combat ability. Their safety mattered all the more. He had to give them ways to defend and protect themselves.

"Stay here from now on. Discuss it with Owl Bro; he'll allocate the Gold Soul Coins you need."

Jiang Hao left. Around the bonfire, the crowd was still celebrating, devouring the Soul Beasts they had killed that day.

Owl Bro sat drinking and laughing with several Soul Masters who had helped surround and kill the beasts.

Fatty Liu cheerfully hugged a barrel and poured wine down his throat. "Captain Xiao, this wine of yours is something else. It's got a real kick!"

Grinning, Fatty Liu took another hearty swig. "Let our trading company stock it, and I'll sell it with you. We can work out the profits—thirty percent for me, seventy for you."

Owl Bro smiled. He had developed the strong liquor after reading memories of his previous life through the Moon Reading and making repeated attempts, using his Soul Skill to find and fix flaws. He had distilled it to a high alcohol concentration through its physical properties. Usually, they used it to disinfect ordinary people's wounds.

But it went over especially well with Soul Masters. Ordinary, low-proof liquor did nothing to liven things up for them.

The elder from the Earth Dragon Sect beside them was enjoying it just as much. He drank cup after cup, and his whole face flushed before he had even had much. "Young man, this is good wine. When I leave, could you bear to part with a few bottles and sell them to me? I'd like the old fellows back at the sect to try it."

"Of course, of course! Now, quickly—someone help Miss Zhu to a guest room to rest!"

As everyone talked, Qingzhu, who could not hold her liquor, had two cups before her head fell onto the table with a thud.

P.S. Thank you all for supporting this little author! If anything bothers you, leave a comment. I'll read it!

Special thanks to all you dear Clones for your excellent suggestions. Coming in the next update: new Martial Soul varieties!

Dear Yu Xiaoqi suggested fish-related Martial Souls to steal the Buddha's thunder: the Frozen Swordfish Martial Soul and the Holy Light Wooden Fish. Together, they can produce a Martial Soul Fusion Skill: False Justice Buddha Light Frozen Great Hand Seal.

Dear Mole suggested cookware Martial Souls. Pot-type cookware Martial Souls will be added to the Martial Soul pool and worked into the story.

Following a suggestion from dear Humble Fox, the protagonist will later hunt a dragon-type Soul Beast, and three or four dragon-attribute Soul Masters will be added to the Clone pool, including Flame Dragon.

Flame Dragon can form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with the already planned Gangzi and Owl Bro, making the three of them pillars of the Thirty-Person Group. The protagonist will also gain Dragon Transformation from his Clones, further strengthening his close-combat ability.

I think I've read all the comments, and those are the suggestions so far. I'll add more if any come in.

Thank you all for your generous support! Please send monthly votes, recommendations, and five-star reviews! If you can, tap the button to urge me to update, too~ Your Majesties who've read this far, if you have any good ideas, leave them in the comments below.