At the Four Great Clans' compound.
Chen Qianqiu lay coiled in the center of the great hall, idly toying with a fist-sized piece of adamantine. His sharp claws scraped sparks from its surface with an earsplitting screech.
Lor Diarra stood respectfully below him, holding a small notebook and recording something.
"The Spirit-Nurturing Sect has a solid foundation. We should make full use of their support capabilities. They'll provide just the right counterbalance to the Four Great Clans."
Chen Qianqiu tossed the adamantine ore into his mouth and crunched it apart like a sugar bean.
"I intend to implement a military farming system here."
"A military farming system?"
Lor Diarra stopped writing and raised his head in confusion. This was yet another term he had never heard before.
"Simply put, soldiers in wartime, farmers in peacetime."
Chen Qianqiu gave a brief explanation, tracing several circles on the ground with the sharp tip of his tail.
"Normally, split up the Spirit-Nurturing Sect's support disciples and assign them to the Breaking Clan's teams."
He tapped the circles on the ground with a claw and laid out his analysis clearly.
"The Breaking Clan has strong attacks but fragile bodies. With the Spirit-Nurturing Sect's healing and enhancements covering that weakness, their efficiency in hunting Soul Beasts will definitely improve, and casualties will decrease."
"Besides, letting the Spirit-Nurturing Sect's people get a taste of bloodshed will greatly improve their practical combat skills."
Lor Diarra nodded repeatedly.
"As for wartime..."
Chen Qianqiu reorganized his thoughts.
"Draw personnel from the Breaking, Defense, Speed, and Strength Clans to form mixed teams, add support from the Spirit-Nurturing Sect, and establish fixed squads. Each squad must have someone from the Defense Clan to take damage, someone from the Breaking Clan as the main attacker, someone from the Speed Clan for scouting and kiting, someone from the Strength Clan as a secondary attacker, and one support disciple from the Spirit-Nurturing Sect."
"Five to a team. In their free time, they must undergo mandatory squad coordination training. You'll oversee this personally. Make absolutely sure discipline and efficiency are maintained."
"As you command."
Lor Diarra bowed his head in acknowledgment. He had never heard of such an approach and would need time to digest it after returning.
As they spoke, the Soul Master whom Chen Qianqiu had sent to find scholars hurried inside.
"My lord, I've found all the people you requested in the nearby cities and paid them in full. They're waiting outside the hall now. Would you like to meet them?"
"Let them stay outside. There's no need for them to come in."
Chen Qianqiu spoke casually, then turned to Liu Yan beside him.
"Liu Yan, although you've only just joined us, you have management experience. I have a task for you."
"Please tell me, my lord."
Liu Yan sounded somewhat pleasantly surprised.
"I need you to write down everything you and your students personally experienced, leaving out no detail, and direct and guide those people outside in turning it into complete articles praising Spirit Hall."
"Moreover, you must use that as a foundation to establish a theory school in the compound and draft a curriculum outline. This school's primary task is to hold classes on ideology and moral character!"
"I've even worked out the outline for you: 'One Hundred Ways to Understand Spirit Hall's Policies for the People,' 'On the Great Historical Significance of Free Martial Soul Awakening for the Continent's Commoners,' and 'The Underlying Logic of How Nobles and High-Ranking Sects Exploit Commoners'!"
Both Lor Diarra and Liu Yan froze at his words.
Chen Qianqiu snorted coldly. After following the Clear Sky Sect for so many years, the Four Great Clans had nothing but paste in their heads. They needed a strong dose.
I'll wrench these crooked things straight, no matter what it takes!
"As you command, my lord. Do you have any other requirements? I will see them fulfilled!"
"Everyone in the Breaking, Defense, Speed, and Strength Clans, regardless of age, is to get their ass into class whenever they aren't working!"
Chen Qianqiu added unhurriedly:
"There must be closed-book examinations at regular intervals. If even one person in the four clans fails, their entire clan's task quota will increase the following month."
Hiss-
Lor Diarra sucked in a cold breath inwardly and silently lit a candle for the Four Great Clans.
It was hard to imagine just how despairing the sight of rough men like Tai Nuo and Niu Gao studying and memorizing books late into the night by lamplight to avoid being worked to death would be. It was sheer torture.
Once the internal affairs had been settled, the great hall fell quiet for a moment.
Lor Diarra glanced at Meng Shan, who was desperately trying to make himself inconspicuous, and lowered his voice in warning.
"My lord, now that Meng Shan is in our hands, Silves will surely react soon. Even the Heaven Dou Empire may make a major move. Should we prepare some defenses in advance?"
Chen Qianqiu lowered his enormous head slightly. He knew very well that while the Heaven Dou Empire's army might not be worth fearing, if that old fellow Xue Ye truly hardened his heart and brought out that old poison master Dugu Bo to cooperate with the Silves Kingdom's army, he would probably come off worse under an attack from both front and rear.
A head-on clash would still be somewhat taxing for him as he was now...
"Defenses? Rather than defend passively, we might as well take the initiative and muddy these waters."
Chen Qianqiu rose, his enormous wings suddenly spreading and whipping up a violent gale.
"Since we can't fight enemies on two fronts, we'll cripple one of them first! Lor Diarra, go fetch Yang Wushuang."
A short while later, Lor Diarra brought Yang Wushuang to the great hall. Yang Wushuang had been busy studying Dugu Bo's deadly poison lately and had not slept properly for days and nights.
"My lord, I've made some progress."
"That isn't why I called you. Come with me to the Silves royal capital first."
Chen Qianqiu wasted no words. His draconic body shot skyward. He extended two dragon claws like tempered steel, one on either side, and clamped Lor Diarra and Yang Wushuang firmly in his grasp. With a powerful beat of his wings, he became a streak of black lightning tearing through the curtain of night, heading straight for the Silves royal capital.
Meanwhile, in the royal palace of the Silves Kingdom's capital.
Bang-!
A priceless set of glazed-glass tea ware was hurled viciously onto the floor and shattered.
Meng Tian, king of Silves, paced furiously back and forth through the great hall like an enraged lion, his eyes bloodshot.
"Unfilial son! A useless fool who ruins more than he accomplishes!"
Meng Tian trembled with rage, his chest heaving.
"It would be one thing if he just died out there, but he actually brought such a terrible disaster upon the kingdom!"
Meng Tian felt little for this second son, Meng Shan, who knew nothing but eating, drinking, and pleasure-seeking. He had more than one son.
What truly enraged him was the secret edict from Xue Ye on the royal desk.
Emperor Xue Ye had dressed his decree in lofty words, ordering him to immediately muster the armies of the entire Silves Kingdom and take the initiative to wipe out that mysterious force, washing away the kingdom's humiliation and avenging his own son.
"Bullshit! It's all bullshit!"
Meng Tian kicked over the desk before him and growled through gritted teeth:
"That old fox Xue Ye wants to kill with a borrowed knife! Silves has grown stronger by the day over these years, with powerful troops and sturdy warhorses. The Heaven Dou Imperial Family has probably been wary of me for ages! Now he's using this pretext to force me to send Silves's elite troops out as Heaven Dou's stepping stones!"
Meng Tian was no fool. He understood all too well that this was a naked war of attrition.
Once Silves's elite troops had been spent, the Heaven Dou Empire would step in to clean up the mess. Then Silves would forever be a soft persimmon for Heaven Dou to squeeze as it pleased, remaining a vassal kingdom for all its days.
"But if I don't go..."
Meng Tian's brows knotted tightly. He clearly could not bear that price.
Just then, the bright moonlight outside the great hall abruptly vanished.
Meng Tian was about to look up when a terrifying, suffocating pressure enveloped the entire palace, as though the abyss itself had descended.