31: Soul Stone Mine

“There are three Soul Stone Mines near the fortress, one of which is a very small Soul Stone Mine that is very close to the fortress and has always been mined by our fortress.”

“That Soul Stone Mine is within the patrol range of the Sixth Group. A few days ago, for some unknown reason, the Shadow Demon Clan and the Otherworldly Ghost Clan jointly ambushed that Soul Stone Mine, and the former group leader was killed.”

Lin Tiankui roughly explained the situation.

“Shadow Demon? Otherworldly Ghost?” Xun Xiuyuan asked, puzzled.

Lin Tiankui realized that this group leader had only arrived in the Abyss today, so he continued.

“These are common knowledge. Qianlong City faces the Shadow Demon Clan among the Strange Beast. Jiaolong City faces the Otherworldly Ghost Clan among the Strange Beast. Qiulong City faces the Man Xiong Clan among the Strange Beast. And Flying Dragon City faces the Fierce Bird Clan among the Strange Beast.”

“Our fortress is located at the junction of Qianlong City and Jiaolong City. Out of a total of one hundred fortresses, we are the easternmost one of Qianlong City.”

“Further east is Jiaolong City's No. 1 Fortress, but for some unknown reason, Jiaolong City's No. 1 Fortress has been understaffed for many years, so our fortress is under immense pressure and often has to face incursions from both clans.”

Xun Xiuyuan understood a little.

“If that Soul Stone Mine is lost, will it have a big impact on us?”

“Of course, it will be significant. Otherwise, we wouldn't be in the camp; we'd definitely be searching for Soul Stones in the mine. Everyone in the Sixth Group, except for me, is a seventh-rank, and their demand for Soul Stones is particularly high.”

“If we only rely on our wages, we won't know when we'll be able to advance.”

Xun Xiuyuan understood: “Our group has a thousand people. How many Shadow Demons and Otherworldly Ghosts would need to be dispatched to take our Soul Stone Mine?”

Xun Xiuyuan knew nothing about these true Strange Beast, so he could only ask this way.

Lin Tiankui's face darkened: “Now there are less than eight hundred; more than two hundred people were sacrificed in the last Strange Beast invasion, and the reinforcements have not yet arrived.”

He then continued to answer: “Roughly the same number. They are strong in individual power, and we are strong in cooperation. With equal numbers, it's a toss-up.”

Xun Xiuyuan had a rough idea: “If we want to retake the Soul Stone Mine, can we act independently, or do we need to report to the commander for approval?”

When Lin Tiankui heard Xun Xiuyuan's question, his heart stirred. This group leader seemed quite imposing; he just arrived and already wanted to retake the Soul Stone Mine.

“The commander only directs unified operations during Strange Beast attacks on the city; he does not impose many restrictions on regular patrols and the actions of each group.”

“You have just entered the Innate Realm and have not fought against Shadow Demons. Acting rashly would be very dangerous!”

Xun Xiuyuan smiled at Lin Tiankui: “You don't agree to go to war to retake the Soul Stone Mine?”

“Of course, I agree! If the deputy group leader wasn't allowed to give this order, I would have already led people there. I'm just worried about your safety!”

Xun Xiuyuan smiled. His experience as a soldier in his previous life told him that in the military, if you weren't fierce, no one would respect you.

“Gather everyone. We're going to take back the Soul Stone Mine now. How can we let others occupy what is ours?”

Lin Tiankui took the order and went to make arrangements.

He thought to himself: This new group leader is quite to his liking; why come to the Abyss if not to fight?

The actions of the Sixth Group quickly spread.

The people of the Seventh Group discussed it animatedly after seeing it.

“This new Sixth Group leader is fierce! He's going to retake the Soul Stone Mine, isn't he?”

“Newcomers don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. How easy is it to fight Shadow Demons? There are three Innate Realm Shadow Demons, and we don't even know if they're bait. Rushing in like this probably won't be optimistic.”

“The commander should stop them, right? He can't just watch the Sixth Group go to their deaths. The Sixth Group has already suffered significant casualties in the last battle; now there are probably not even eight hundred people.”

Lu Yuwen also received the news and reported it to Lu Wenxiu.

Lu Wenxiu couldn't fathom Xun Xiuyuan's background and didn't know if he had offended anyone, so he didn't want to get involved.

“For now, ignore the matters of the Sixth Group. Let's see how the situation develops.”

At this moment, in a large hall of the Sixth Camp, hundreds of people were gathered.

Xun Xiuyuan sat on the high platform, looking at the warriors below.

Lin Tiankui sat beside him, stretched out his hands, and pressed them down, and the noisy hall immediately became very quiet.

Xun Xiuyuan glanced at Lin Tiankui; his deputy group leader had high prestige within the group.

That makes things easier; he only needed to deal with him.

“I just took office today, so I won't say any flowery words. I have decided to retake the Soul Stone Mine.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a round of discussions broke out below.

“This group leader wants to make a contribution as soon as he arrives. Will he make us cannon fodder?”

“Exactly, and he looks so young, as if he has no experience at all.”

Xun Xiuyuan wasn't accustomed to indulging them. He directly invoked the power of heaven and earth to exert pressure, and suddenly everyone in the entire venue felt as if they had fallen into water, unable to breathe, feeling stifled and uncomfortable. An invisible pressure affected everyone.

Including Lin Tiankui, who was sitting next to him.

Lin Tiankui looked at Xun Xiuyuan in shock. How high was this mental power? This pressure was comparable to that of the Immaculate Realm.

In fact, Xun Xiuyuan's mental power of 1020 had already surpassed the limit of the Innate Realm and stepped into the threshold of the Immaculate Realm.

In less than a minute, Xun Xiuyuan withdrew his pressure and said faintly, “Any more opinions?”

Only then did the soldiers below confirm that the pressure just now was released by Xun Xiuyuan. They were not dissatisfied; instead, they became excited.

“The new group leader is so strong! Following a group leader like this, we'll definitely have meat and soup in the future.”

“Yes, I'm just a fence-sitter. Wherever the group leader points, I'll fight.”

Everyone started discussing again, but the direction had already changed.

Xun Xiuyuan knew these people's thoughts too well. The best way to deal with them was to show his strength.

As long as you're strong, they'll obey. There's no scheming; it's that simple.

“Deputy Group Leader Lin, you organize the attack route. I will follow. Once we reach the location, I will be responsible for slaying the opponent's Innate Realm experts.”

Lin Tiankui immediately frowned: “Group Leader, the opponent has three Innate Realm Shadow Demons.”

Xun Xiuyuan heard this and turned to look at everyone: “I, Xun Xiuyuan, keep my word. In every battle, I will lead the charge, and when we retreat, I will cover the rear. Now, follow Deputy Group Leader Lin's command for subsequent actions.”

“Yes.” Upon hearing Xun Xiuyuan's words, all the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Returning to his office, Xun Xiuyuan took out a ningshen crystal and used his mental power to cleanse it, allowing it to release energy to temper his own mental power.

Soon, a ningshen crystal was largely depleted. Xun Xiuyuan could feel his mental power growing, and his perception became more acute, but when he looked at the panel, there was no change.

Looking at the remaining ningshen crystals, he wondered why one was supposed to last two days, but it was almost used up.

Regardless of whether the panel data changed, it was enough that he could feel his strength increasing.

A moment later, Lin Tiankui came in holding a set of armor: “Group Leader, this is battle armor; it can provide some protection.”

He used a detection skill on the armor. Hey, it really was useful.

Fifth-grade Battle Armor: Unworthy of a name, trash.