43: Harvest, next step plan!

“The remnant Spiritual Vein was discovered by me! And in this suppression of the Sand Sea Gang, I was the main force and the host, so you should share the spoils with me!”

“Refuse!”

“Shen, my patience has its limits.”

“Go tell my two Grandmaster Martial Artists.”

“... You, how can you stand out? Is it all because of your shamelessness?”

On the main road of Black Ridge City, Shen Li paused, thought carefully about the question, and said quite seriously.

“I always thought that the reason I could stand out was entirely because... I’m very handsome.”

Then he glanced at Wang Teng and said casually.

“At least much more handsome than some people.”

Wang Teng immediately flew into a rage, stomping his feet, watching Shen Li walk away.

“Want to duel?”

“Are you sure?”

Wang Teng was immediately startled; things were different now. This Shen Li was Qi Refining First Layer, then Qi Refining Second Layer when they met a second time, and now he was even Qi Refining Third Layer, mastering a great Cultivation Technique...

He was afraid he couldn't win.

Involuntarily, he began to feel a bit stifled inside.

Then he turned around and asked Qiu Liang.

“Am I very ugly, this Young Master?”

Qiu Liang had been annoyed with this person for a long time, and there had been some grudges before, but out of consideration for appearances, he still said casually.

“It's alright!”

“Compared to that... Shen Li?”

Qiu Liang didn't speak, only saying.

“Young Master Wang Teng, the flying ship isn't ready yet. I need to go repair it. Also, the Yunmai Heshui Formation needs to be repaired; we can't be careless.”

“?”

Then Wang Teng looked at Sun Dashan and asked.

“You say, how do I, this Young Master, look?”

Sun Dashan, however, was a shrewd person and said.

“Lord and City Lord, each has their own charm.”

Wang Teng became interested and asked in a deep voice.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Lord's Heart-Nature is like a raging fire, full of masculine Qi.”

“And Lord Shen is like a jade tree, gentle and refined.”

“Lord and Lord Shen, each has their own unique beauty.”

“Then who do you think is stronger?”

Sun Dashan pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said.

“This matter varies from person to person, after all, everyone's views are different, but presumably, Lord's demeanor is more liked by women?”

Wang Teng laughed heartily.

“And one more... Sun Dashan, right?”

“You are very good, with unique Wisdom Eye.”

“this Young Master, having experienced this battle, feels that the opportunity for Breakthrough already exists. I will return to the market in a few days. After I come back, this Young Master will reward you with a Cultivation Technique.”

Lord Sun repeatedly bowed in thanks.

“Thank you, Lord, thank you, Lord.”

City Lord's Mansion...

Shen Li sat upright in the main seat, his body feeling a bit light.

He took out all his gains from this trip and nodded with satisfaction.

The gains from this trip were considerable, starting with the Black Horn Gang.

The remaining members of the Black Horn Gang numbered about three hundred.

Among them, one hundred were able-bodied young men, and the rest were old, weak, women, and children.

They happened to be suitable for entering the city.

The able-bodied young men, with a little training, could be used for patrol.

The greatest gain was the allegiance of the woman Ruo Liuli.

This person had a demonic bloodline. Although the origin of her Cultivation Technique was somewhat unclear, her combat power was evident and could be utilized.

Of course, it also required a period of observation to determine if this person was a hidden agent of the Yin Nether Sect.

And then there were the gains from the Sand Sea Gang.

First and foremost was the Sand Sea Gang's treasury.

As a gathering place for hundreds or thousands of Martial Artists, it naturally stored many weapons and armor.

They were all brought back and could be used after melting them down.

There were no heaven and earth treasures, but there were some Spirit Stone reserves.

A rough search revealed a quantity of over three thousand.

Indeed, killing and arson bring wealth. If Shen Li had to earn these Spirit Stones one by one, he didn't know how long it would take.

And then there was the White Zombie's Storage Pouch. This White Zombie clearly had a lineage behind him; his cultivation and Cultivation Techniques were self-contained.

It's just that this corpse-raising method was useless to him. Since it was a complete system, he would find an excuse to sell it.

This kind of thing touches some red lines, so it's better to sell it in the market.

The rest... were the remnant Spiritual Veins.

What is a remnant Spiritual Vein? It generally refers to a defective, damaged Ninth Grade Spiritual Vein.

Among complete graded Spiritual Veins, there is a main vein. If the main vein is not damaged, it can continuously absorb Spiritual Qi and replenish the Spiritual Vein.

But clearly, the main vein of this Spiritual Vein was broken.

It's like a Dragon Vein; if it's broken... its effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

This kind of Spiritual Vein cannot absorb Spiritual Qi from the earth or air to restore its quality, and the stored Spiritual Qi cannot be stored normally, constantly overflowing and dispersing.

It no longer has the power and function of a Ninth Grade Spiritual Vein, hence it is called a remnant.

This type of Spiritual Vein generally has two uses: forcibly mining it to turn it into Spirit Stones, a one-time deal.

The other is to plant it into the ground, allowing the Spiritual Qi to overflow and transform the surrounding Spiritual Qi level, which can provide for people to Cultivate.

However, the intensity of this remnant Spiritual Vein can only support Cultivators at Qi Refining Sixth or Seventh Layer.

Two choices:

First, with this scale, if fully mined, it could yield nearly a thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and perhaps some Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

Second, the Spiritual Vein's overflow and dispersion speed is still acceptable, with approximately several decades of usability remaining.

Without much thought, Shen Li chose the latter.

Because the Spiritual Vein could not only provide him with Cultivation but also transform Black Ridge City, and even subtly transform the physiques and even Lifespans of ordinary people and Martial Artists.

These were things the former could not provide.

Ultimately, he was the City Lord of Black Ridge City and needed to look far and high.

Draining the pond to catch all the fish was not what he wanted.

After he had dealt with all matters, Wang Teng swaggered back.

Eating a fruit, he said.

“I feel that Qi Refining First Layer is almost at Perfection. I benefited greatly from this battle, so I'm thinking of returning to the market to Breakthrough.”

Shen Li asked.

“How is your Heart-Nature? Has the pill poison dissipated?”

“Hmm, in this duel, by continuously absorbing and consuming Spiritual Qi, my body has become much more unblocked, and the pill poison has also been burned away, stabilizing somewhat.”

“As for Heart-Nature... this Young Master won't be much worse than you.”

Wang Teng pouted.

Shen Li nodded and continued.

“There are indeed a few matters I need to trouble Brother Wang with.”

“Shen, are you really treating me like your errand boy?”

“If Brother Wang does it, when Brother Wang returns, I will promote Brother Wang to Black Ridge City Garrison Commander.”

“What Garrison Commander? Isn't that just guarding your gate?”

Shen Li counted on his fingers.

“That's different, Brother Wang. You are currently just my personal bodyguard and cannot act without me.”

“Nor can you command anyone.”

“But with this order, all the guards in Black Ridge City, besides obeying my commands, will also obey your command.”

“Except for a few individuals, everyone will need to obey your orders.”

“This is a good thing, being second only to one person, above ten thousand, and acting with power!”

Wang Teng nodded with satisfaction.

“This is more like it. Tell me, what do you need me to do?”

“First, purchase some spiritual rice seeds.”

“Second, the Yunmai Heshui Formation is not primarily for killing, so I would like to ask Brother Wang to acquire a powerful killing array.”

“Third, the relics of this evil Cultivator White Zombie indeed need to be dealt with, as only Brother Wang's Wang family can openly sell such items.”

“Fourth, I need some miscellaneous books, things related to the Loulan Ancient Kingdom.”

“Fifth, Black Ridge City is too large, but the population is too small. I hope Brother Wang can act as an intermediary to relocate some common people and Martial Artists here.”

“Sixth, find a complete system of... Dao Soldier methods.”

“Too troublesome...”

Wang Teng scratched his scalp.

“Go yourself...”

Shen Li's mouth dropped open.

“Then why did you agree?”

“Just kidding.”

“......”