Chapter 400 - 384: Planning
The next morning, Li Yuan walked into a side hall of the administration office.
Ji Wenchuan was already waiting inside. Two rosters and a stack of shop reports were spread out on the table.
"Pavilion Master, the Sect requisitioned another batch of people last night." Ji Wenchuan opened a roster and pointed to a long list of crossed-out names. "Twelve from the patrol team are gone, two warehouse deacons left, and even half of the registrars from the eastern district were transferred away. As of now, less than fifteen percent of the original Primordial Yang Sect staff officially assigned to the marketplace remain."
Li Yuan picked up the roster and glanced through it.
There were more vacancies than he had expected. The Sect was pouring all its attention into the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest and the outpost. As long as no major chaos erupted in the marketplace, this rear base was something they could no longer spare any thought for.
"The patrol team has the biggest shortfall?"
"We’re short by nearly seventy percent." Ji Wenchuan nodded. "The Wang family did offer to send people to fill the gaps, but I’ve held off on agreeing, waiting for your decision."
Li Yuan closed the roster and placed it back on the table.
"Let the Wang family supplement the patrol team, but don’t let them monopolize it. Pick a few reliable Loose Cultivators from the southern district and form mixed groups with the Wang family’s people. Have the Ji family send two people to fill the warehouse deacon positions, and for the registrar side, have Xu Zhang recommend a few veterans from the Mingyuan Commerce Association to assist."
Ji Wenchuan took notes as he listened, then looked up a moment later to confirm.
"The four factions—the Wang family, the Ji family, the Loose Cultivators, and the Commerce Association—will all be interwoven. No single one will be able to dominate the others."
"Correct." Li Yuan stood up and walked to the window. "Change the rules for the warehouse inventory flow as well. From now on, the entry and exit of all Tier Two materials and above must be co-signed by two or more people, with at least one of them not being from the Wang family. Rotate the patrol routes every three days, and only release the route maps half a day in advance. All shop taxes will be standardized according to the new regulations; abolish the old rules."
Ji Wenchuan quickly recorded these adjustments on a new document, then put away his paper and brush.
"I’ll go make the arrangements right away."
After the door to the side hall closed, Li Yuan stood by the window for a moment.
The more personnel the Sect pulled away, the more actual control of the marketplace fell into his hands. This wasn’t a result he had deliberately sought, but a natural outcome of the developing situation. ’But since the power is already in my hands, there’s no reason to give it back.’
He turned, walked out of the administration office, and headed toward his stone house along the main street.
The marketplace’s affairs were settled. There was still much to do. Shattering his pill and re-forming it would require ample Spirit Medicine and supplementary materials. The environment for Core Formation with Spiritual Power also needed to be re-planned. Although the effect of the Mozhou Spirit Vein’s entry had been made permanent, the control authority over the Spirit Vein itself could still be used via the special equipment slot. It might come in handy during the subsequent Core Formation.
Inside the stone house, the door and windows were tightly shut.
Li Yuan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, peering inward at his Dantian.
A Middle Grade Demon Qi Golden Core floated in the center of his Dantian. Its pitch-black surface shimmered with a dark luster, and each pulsation sent out a faint ripple of Demonic Qi. The Essence, Qi, and Spirit Three Elements were condensed within it, forming the core nexus of his entire Cultivation.
He tried to mobilize the residual Spiritual Power within his Dantian.
The initial fusion effect of Spirit and Demon was indeed present. At their point of contact, the Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi no longer repelled each other, instead showing a superficial level of integration. But this integration was extremely limited. The Spiritual Power lingered around the periphery of the Golden Core, completely unable to permeate its interior.
The Golden Core was formed from condensed Demonic Qi. The Essence, Qi, and Spirit Three Elements were unified using Demonic Qi as a medium. Within this system, Spiritual Power was merely a peripheral subordinate. To drive the power of the Golden Core, Demonic Qi had to be the primary force.
Li Yuan then tried to draw out a wisp of Demonic Qi from the Golden Core and channel it into the meridians of his right index finger, attempting to cast the simplest Fireball Technique.
The Demonic Qi dispersed halfway through.
The Spiritual Power circulation path for the Fireball Technique was completely incompatible with the flow characteristics of Demonic Qi.
The casting path for Spiritual Power Magic was precise and orderly, with the Spiritual Power in each meridian operating at a specific frequency and direction. The nature of Demonic Qi, however, was far more violent and chaotic. It wouldn’t obediently follow the routes designed for Spiritual Power Magic.
Demonic Qi required Demon Cultivator Magic to be controlled. Demon Cultivator Magic was completely different from Spiritual Power Magic, specifically designed for the characteristics of Demonic Qi.
He didn’t know a single Demon Cultivator Magic.
’However, I can convert Demonic Qi into Spiritual Power.’
After the conversion, Spiritual Power-based Magic like the Fireball Technique, Void-rending Slash, and Teleportation Skill could be used as normal, without any hindrance.
It just added an extra conversion step in the middle, making the casting speed a beat slower.
As for power, it normally couldn’t compare to Magic cast with a true Spiritual Power Golden Core. After all, his current Spiritual Power foundation was still at the level of Foundation Establishment Perfection.
But thanks to the vast reserves provided by the Demon Qi Golden Core, along with the buffs from numerous entries, the Magic cast with this converted Spiritual Power could probably surpass that of a normal Early-stage Golden Core cultivator.
Li Yuan withdrew his inner gaze and opened his eyes.
’The matter of a Demon Cultivator Cultivation Technique is not urgent. The Demon Qi Golden Core was just a stepping stone for shattering and re-forming my core; it’s not my final combat form.’
It was impossible for the Primordial Yang Sect’s Scripture Pavilion to have a Demon Cultivator Cultivation Technique, and the low-level ones from the Dark Abyss Association were too crude to be worth wasting time on.
’After my Spiritual Power Golden Core is formed, it won’t be too late to slowly search for one through other channels.’
’My Lifebound Spiritual Artifact is also not a priority. Ji Huaiyuan’s forging skill is far too lacking. The material and craftsmanship requirements for a Golden Core Stage Magical Artifact far exceed his current abilities. The Artifact Embryo is still within my body. I’ll deal with it when I find a suitable Forging Master in the future.’
The most pressing matter was to prepare for shattering the pill.
The safeguard for shattering the pill, granted by the permanent "Demon Pill Creation" entry, was his most crucial trump card. Without this protection, proactively shattering a Golden Core was tantamount to suicide. After the pill was shattered, his Dantian would fall into a temporary state of emptiness, and he would have to re-solidify a new pill with Spiritual Power in the shortest time possible.