My Beasts Grind Proficiency For Me

Master Xuan Song of the Three Friends of Dawn was a gaunt, middle-aged man with black hair and a long beard, dressed as a Daoist. He sat high upon a Meditation Cushion, looking down upon the returning Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"You have done well. The information you’ve gathered is very useful."

All the Foundation Establishment Cultivators held their breath, maintaining reverent postures even when Master Xuan Song’s gaze was not upon them.

It was a time when manpower was needed, so Master Xuan Song did not deliberately make things difficult for these Independent Cultivators. Soon, one of his disciples came forward, carrying a stack of Jade Tokens on a Jade Disc.

These Jade Tokens were all Identity Tokens for the Thousand Islands Alliance.

These Identity Tokens contained special Restrictions. As long as the Independent Cultivators used their own Magical Power for Refining the tokens, they could then claim the status of members of the Thousand Islands Alliance.

Of course, their official status would only take effect after the Three Friends of Dawn sent a sealed list of their names to the headquarters of the Thousand Islands Alliance.

The Independent Cultivators held the Tokens in their hands. Some were so moved that tears welled up in their eyes. To have reached Foundation Establishment as Independent Cultivators meant they had endured countless hardships. Now, with the backing of the Three Friends of Dawn, they had finally secured a proper status, and it was natural for them to be overcome with emotion.

"Now that the Demon Tide is upon us, you must all resist the Demons alongside our Dawn Island."

Master Xuan Song swept his gaze over everyone present.

"If anyone deserts in the heat of battle, I won’t hesitate to strip them of their status and take their life."

Seeing the Independent Cultivators all shudder in fear, Master Xuan Song nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, dismissing them. Only after all the Independent Cultivators had departed did an irrepressible look of worry surface on his face.

The three of them had used a shortcut during their Core Formation. After stepping into the Golden Core Stage, their Cultivation had stagnated, and they had long since abandoned any hope of Nascent Soul Formation. They had instead focused their minds on worldly pleasures and nurturing the next generation.

Dawn Island’s resources were considered exceptionally rich within the Thousand Islands Alliance, and quite a few Golden Core Cultivators had their eyes on it. It was only through the solidarity of the Three Friends of Dawn that they were able to hold it securely.

If Dawn Island suffered heavy losses in this Demon Tide and couldn’t pay its dues on time, those other Golden Core Cultivators would definitely make a move.

Master Xuan Song felt as if he were walking on thin ice.

"Master, of those two Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators, one is exceptionally skilled in Body Refining Techniques, and the other is a Sword Cultivator. I’m afraid their backgrounds are not so simple."

Master Xuan Song’s disciple said.

Some of the Independent Cultivators who had gone to investigate the Demon Tide had already been bribed by him and had recounted everything that happened in detail. In fact, several unbribed Independent Cultivators had also secretly reported to him about Iron Head’s and Yinjiao’s performance.

"Those two are not spies. A spy would never jump out and draw attention to themselves."

Master Xuan Song said after glancing at his disciple. He knew his disciple was likely afraid that, upon seeing the impressive Talent of these two Independent Cultivators, he might be moved to take them as disciples himself, which was why he had spoken ill of them.

"However, you absolutely cannot let your guard down. There are many people who wish to see Dawn Island fall. Also, keep a closer eye on those two. They might be the lucky ones who’ve discovered a predecessor’s Cave Mansion."

The disciple’s heart settled, knowing his master had no intention of taking on new disciples. The thought of potentially finding a predecessor’s Cave Mansion made his heart burn with fervor.

’Those two Independent Cultivators are so powerful. If their skills really came from a predecessor’s Cave Mansion, then that Cave Mansion must be extraordinary. Perhaps it was even left behind by a Nascent Soul True Monarch.’

The Central Continent had a long and storied history, with countless predecessors’ Cave Mansions buried beneath the earth. From time to time, there were rumors of lucky individuals unearthing one of these Cave Mansions and having their Cultivation soar to the heavens.

The sea region where the Thousand Islands Alliance was located had once been part of the Central Continent, only to be swallowed by the ocean. Because they were deep underwater, exploring them was much more difficult than on the Central Continent, and there were likely even more undiscovered Cave Mansions there than on the continent itself.

"Don’t make a move before the Demon Tide has passed."

Master Xuan Song said.

In the past, there had been other lucky individuals who had found a predecessor’s Cave Mansion. As long as they revealed the slightest clue on Dawn Island, they would disappear without a trace. The ones who made the move were always the Three Friends of Dawn and their disciples and grand-disciples.

Even if a few rumors spread, they were easily silenced.

’But the Demon Tide is here, and this is a time when we need people. If any trouble were to break out now, it would be quite a hassle.’

The Demon Tide finally arrived. The once crystal-clear sea was polluted by a foul, corrupting qi, becoming unbearably murky. A pungent, fishy stench filled the air.

Flying into the air, one could see pillars of Demon Qi soaring to the heavens, rising from the sea in the distance.

Iron Head and Yinjiao were leading over thirty still-shaken Qi Cultivation Independent Cultivators, stationed on a reef platform only about a hundred yards in diameter.

Dawn Island’s Spirit Clam farm was several miles behind them.

There were eighteen other such reef platforms. On most of them, a single Tier One Array had been hastily deployed to help relieve the pressure on the Spirit Clam farm behind them.

Yinjiao sat cross-legged on a Meditation Cushion. He was not cultivating by breathing in and out of spiritual energy, but simply resting with his eyes closed. The Spiritual Mechanism on this temporary reef platform was barely enough to maintain the Tier One Array. If he and Iron Head were to also absorb the Spiritual Mechanism at full power, the Array would become nothing more than a useless decoration.

Meanwhile, Iron Head was directing the Independent Cultivators to adjust the Array, alter the terrain, and reinforce the reef platform to prevent the entire thing from being smashed apart by the Demons and sinking into the sea.

The entire reef platform had only been temporarily raised from the sea using an Earth Shifting Skill, and it had many weak spots. None of these weaknesses could escape Iron Head’s keen eyes.

"They’re coming!"

Yinjiao’s eyes snapped open.

The Independent Cultivators were already as skittish as startled birds. They were just laborers temporarily conscripted by the Three Friends of Dawn. On normal days, they only caught Demon Fish with faint traces of Demon Qi near Dawn Island and did odd jobs on the island itself. Whenever a Demon Tide was imminent in the past, they would always flee back to the Central Continent, so they had almost no experience with Magical Combat.

The mere sight of the Demon Qi rising in the distance was enough to make their legs tremble.

If not for Iron Head and Yinjiao’s presence, they would have scattered like birds and beasts the moment they heard the Demons were coming.

Yinjiao suddenly raised his head and looked toward the sky.

The first to arrive in the Demon Tide were not Demon Fish, but Demon Birds.

A flock of massive Demon Birds, each ten feet long, suddenly burst from the clouds, diving toward all the reef platforms on the sea’s surface. The majority of them were drawn to the Spirit Clams in the farm.

The Spirit Clams, rich with Spiritual Mechanism, were supreme delicacies in their eyes. However, the remaining Demon Birds were still more than enough to pose a huge threat to the reef platforms.

Iron Head activated the Array. The Array absorbed Spiritual Qi, drew up a massive amount of seawater, and formed a Water Shield that enveloped the entire reef platform.

He only activated the Array’s defensive functions to conserve Spiritual Qi.

The Cultivators stationed on the other reef platforms, however, lacked such expertise in Arrays. They could only crudely activate all of their Arrays’ functions at once. In an instant, Spiritual Lights of every color flared, and the shrill cries of the Demon Birds echoed across the sea.