109: Chapter 109 Sixty Years of Skyrocketing Prices, the Wasteland of Bones

In the twenty-fifth year, the Hundred Arts Hall began experimenting with Purple Mansion-grade Rune Heavy Artillery.

The first prototype had barely taken shape when it destroyed half the testing ground. The head of the Casting Workshop, face covered in soot, scrambled up and said, "The Materials cannot withstand the pressure."

Wang Mu did not punish him, only telling him to write the cause of the destruction into the textbook.

In the thirtieth year, the first truly functional Purple Mansion-grade Rune Heavy Artillery rolled off the line.

The cannon barrel was cast using remnants from the Green Abyss bone towers and a black scale coating, with a Purple Mansion-grade Spirit-Guiding Formation embedded inside, and dual Flow-Stabilizing and Pulse-Steadying Formations installed on the base.

On the day of the test firing, Wang Shan stood three miles away, fully armored.

As the cannon fire landed, the three-layered heavy shield Formation in the center of the target range was pierced instantly, and the shockwave tore open the ground several fathoms deep.

Wang Shan was silent for a moment, then turned to the head of the Casting Workshop and said, "Get me fifty of these first."

The head of the Casting Workshop's knees went weak, and he nearly collapsed.

Wang Mu reminded him from the side, "Before the fifty units, write the mass production manual first."

That same year, the first batch of Martial Master-grade Crimson Blood Pills was produced.

The Medicinal Pill felt heavy in the hand, with crimson gold pill patterns swirling around its body, specifically designed for Martial Masters to polish their blood energy and repair hidden injuries.

Wang Shan selected three veteran soldiers with old injuries to test the medicine, and after half a month, all three had recovered seventy percent of their Peak training capacity.

The Martial Dao Holy City was filled with excitement.

Wang Shan held the medicine bottle, not scolding anyone for a long time.

In the end, he only said one thing: "Distribute it to the veterans first."

Wang Mu did not object, only adding two rules to the distribution ledger: merit first, and hidden injuries first.

Wang Pingan hung high in the firmament, silently watching the changes over the thirty years.

The two thousand Divine Power points had landed, no longer just figures on a ledger.

They had turned into Spiritual Veins, Blood Energy Pools, Hundred Arts Legacies, Rune Heavy Artillery, Crimson Blood Pills, and into the citizens who could continue to advance.

Outside, the Wang Family Mansion in Galaxy City remained closed.

Wang Pingan remained in seclusion, but the people outside could no longer sit still.

Galaxy City had been very lively these days.

The Wang Family Mansion had been sealed for six days; outsiders only knew that Wang Pingan had sold a batch of spoils and had gone into seclusion, refusing to see anyone.

At the entrance of the resource firm, several new aristocratic Disciples gathered, their conversation circling around until it finally landed back on Wang Pingan.

Someone lowered their voice, sounding suspicious, "He isn't plotting another big move, is he?"

Others scoffed in agreement, "He just reached the First-Order Deity level, and his Divine Kingdom has expanded to sixty thousand square kilometers; this is when his foundation is at its weakest. What could he possibly be plotting?"

Lu Ming sat to the side, tapping his knuckles on the table, his expression unreadable.

But those who knew him well knew that he had been in a gloomy mood these past few days.

After Wang Pingan promoted to the first order, the pressure on the Lu family branch behind Lu Ming had doubled.

They had originally wanted Lu Ming to secure his position in the Grade A Sequence at Xinghe University and use the freshman resource ranking to get closer to the main family in the Central Star Domain.

Wang Pingan had pressed forward all the way, stealing the attention of the mentors and the bets of the resource merchants, even eroding the confidence of the Lu family branch to negotiate partnerships.

Lu Ming's struggle was not merely about pride.

The stronger Wang Pingan became, the worse the resource situation behind Lu Ming looked.

The investment the Lu family gave him would be re-evaluated, and the previously negotiated discounts on legion Materials would be diverted to someone more valuable.

If an aristocratic Disciple lost his investment value, even the way his own kin looked at him would change.

Lu Ming slammed his task token onto the table, "His staying behind closed doors this time is likely to fill the deficit in his Divine Kingdom."

Someone nearby immediately agreed, "Swallowing the Violent Green Abyss, rushing to become a First-Order Deity, and then expanding to sixty thousand square kilometers—his Spiritual Veins and Blood Energy Pools must have been drained dry."

Lu Ming said with certainty, "The first order is not the end; the half-year review looks at sustained growth. The more urgently he moves now, the easier it will be for his Divine Kingdom to drag him down later."

He said this to others, and also to himself.

As long as Wang Pingan stopped, as long as the deficit in Wang Pingan's Divine Kingdom was exposed, Lu Ming would still have a chance to turn things around.

Outside the Wang Family Mansion, there were more hidden agents than in the past few days.

There were scouts sent by resource merchants who wanted to know if Wang Pingan was short on Spiritual Vein Materials.

There were aristocratic spies who wanted to confirm exactly how much damage Wang Pingan's Divine Kingdom had sustained.

There were also two alien hidden agents mixed into the logistics team, hoping to use discarded cargo boxes to deploy scouting spores.

Wang Zhenyuan stood in the shadows of the mansion, holding three spatial marks between his fingers.

The first hidden agent had just crossed the outer Formation when their shadow was pinned by a Formation nail, and they slid silently into the darkness.

The second hidden agent was disguised as a university mover, hiding a Divine Thought transmission Talisman at their waist, which Wang Zhenyuan crushed into powder from a distance.

The third alien hidden agent was the most cautious, releasing only a grain-sized gray spore insect.

As soon as the spore insect flew to the edge of the Formation, it was enveloped by gray-black Formation light, and the controller in the distance was reverse-marked along with it.

Wang Zhenyuan did not act on the spot.

He suppressed all three lines, deliberately creating the illusion that the Wang family was still in seclusion recovering from their injuries.

Inside the mansion, another sixty years had passed in Wang Pingan's Divine Kingdom.

Over those sixty years, one hundred C-grade Small Spirit Veins had fully stabilized, large areas of spiritual fields had been cultivated in the new plains, and the peripheral cities had completed their relocation and construction.

Around the Immortal Dao Ancestral Court, the Purple Mansion cultivation area had expanded into nine mountain gates, and outstanding Disciples of the academy could enter for rotation-based cultivation based on their merit.

In the Martial Dao Holy City, one hundred auxiliary Blood Energy Pools churned day and night, with the main combat army, Auxiliary Army, and reserve army taking turns to enter the pools, their blood energy intensity increasing with each batch.

The Hundred Arts Hall had fully mastered the Purple Mansion and Martial Master-grade Legacies, and the Alchemy Pavilion could stably produce Origin-Stabilizing Pills, Mansion-Protecting Pills, and Crimson Blood Pills.

The Formation Hall had completed the mass-production modification of the legion heavy artillery pressure-bearing Formations, long-distance communication Formations, and first-order pulse-steadying Formations.

The Casting Workshop had recast the Immortal Martial heavy armor three times, adding a black scale coating to the outer layer, embedding blood-pattern power-guiding Formations in the inner layer, and reserving slots for Talismans on the shoulders and back.

The Talisman Institute had standardized the military Talisman packs, with every main combat soldier equipped with Pulse-Protecting Talismans, Miasma-Clearing Talismans, Armor-Piercing Talismans, and Qi-Returning Talismans.

The Purple Mansion-grade Rune Heavy Artillery had expanded from one unit to two hundred.

Each heavy cannon was equipped with three maintenance teams and two sets of spare Formation Plates, allowing the Artillery Battalion to move beyond the limitations of a single fire point and become a First-Order Assault Battalion capable of advancing with the army.

Wang Shan had specifically revised the military regulations for this batch of heavy artillery.

Anyone who dared to treat the Artillery Battalion as mere decoration would be punished by having to pull the cannons for three years.

In the final military exercise, the three thousand main combat troops were expanded into a ten-thousand-strong Immortal Martial heavy armored legion, with an additional twenty thousand Auxiliary Army and one hundred thousand reserve troops completing the new training regimen.

Among the ten thousand main combat troops, the number of Purple Mansion Cultivators and Martial Masters had surged to five thousand.

The remaining five thousand were all elites in the Foundation Establishment and Blood Condensation stages, clad in new-style heavy armor and equipped with rune long weapons, armor-piercing blades, and protective Talisman packs.

Wang Shan stood on the high platform of the drill grounds, looking at the neatly arrayed Immortal Martial heavy armored legion below, remaining silent for a long time.

He usually loved to roar, but at this moment, he had become quiet.

Wang Mu arrived from the Ancestral Court, flipping through the military supplies ledger, "Ten thousand sets of heavy armor, three thousand sets of spare armor, two hundred Rune Heavy Artillery, and enough Crimson Blood Pills to support high-intensity combat for twenty years."

Wang Shan grinned, "That sounds good to my ears."

Wang Mu closed the ledger, his tone flat, "If you fight recklessly, it will all be burned through in three years."

The smile on Wang Shan's face vanished, "You really know how to ruin the mood."

Wang Mu handed over the military supplies ledger, "Ruining the mood can save lives."

Wang Shan took the ledger, uncharacteristically not retorting.

Above the firmament, Wang Pingan withdrew his time authority.

Six days outside, sixty years in the Divine Kingdom.

Sixty years ago, the Divine Kingdom had just entered the first order, Spiritual Qi was thin, the Blood Energy Pools were bottoming out, the Hundred Arts Legacies were insufficient, and there was a huge gap in the legion's equipment.

Sixty years later, the Spiritual Veins were stable, the Hundred Arts had ascended in dimension, the total number of Purple Mansion Cultivators and Martial Masters had reached five thousand, and the First-Order Immortal Martial heavy armored legion had truly taken shape.

Wang Pingan opened the Divine Kingdom interface to confirm the various data.

[Divine Kingdom Area: 60,000 square kilometers]

[Population: Over 5.4 million]

[Purple Mansion Cultivators and Martial Masters: 5,076 people]

[Main Combat Army: 10,000 people]

[Auxiliary Army: 20,000 people]

[Reserve Army: 100,000]

[Hundred Arts Hall: C-grade basic skills fully formed]

[Body Refining (F), Qi Refining (E), Foundation Establishment (D), Purple Mansion (C), Golden Core (B), Nascent Soul (A), Soul Transformation (S)]

[Body Forging (F), Bone Refining (E), Blood Condensation (D), Martial Master (C), Martial Ancestor (B), Martial Saint (A), Martial God (S)]

This had shed the thinness of its initial promotion, becoming an Immortal Martial Divine Kingdom capable of continuously sustaining first-order warfare.

Wang Pingan exited the Divine Kingdom, and the light screen in the secret room was still on the Xinghe University task page.

Wang Cang had been waiting outside the door, and hearing the stone door open, he quickly walked in, holding the new ledger.

"Dao Child, in the six days outside, the scouting outside the mansion has doubled, and Senior Wang Zhenyuan has intercepted three infiltration attempts."

Wang Pingan opened the ledger, "What about Lu Ming?"

Wang Cang scoffed, "He is still spreading news about the deficit in your Divine Kingdom, saying that the half-year review will expose your bottom line, and those aristocratic Disciples from the Central Star Domain are also waiting to see the show."

Wang Pingan closed the ledger, "They are looking too far ahead."

Wang Cang was stunned.

Wang Pingan stood up, "I am going to the Freshman Management Hall now to accept a first-order alien Divine Kingdom coordinate."

Wang Cang's eyes lit up, "Accepting a mission just six days after coming out of seclusion?"

Wang Pingan walked outside, "The Divine Kingdom has been raised; it is time to feed."

The Formations outside the mansion were removed layer by layer.

Wang Zhenyuan walked out from the shadows, not a speck of blood on his gray robes, his tone calm, "There are people watching on the road; should I clear them?"

Wang Pingan did not stop, "No need, let them follow."

Wang Zhenyuan nodded, following far behind.

The news of Wang Pingan going out again quickly spread across the long streets of Galaxy City.

Many of the watching spies immediately followed, and when the news reached Lu Ming's ears, he was sitting in a teahouse near the Freshman Management Hall.

The teacup in Lu Ming's hand paused in mid-air, "He is going to the Management Hall?"

The aristocratic Disciples beside him were also stunned, "He isn't going to accept another mission, is he?"

Lu Ming's expression darkened, "Just entered the first order, the Divine Kingdom hasn't even stabilized, yet he dares to accept a first-order alien Divine Kingdom mission?"

Someone whispered a guess, "Maybe he is just checking permissions."

Lu Ming stood up, "Let's go take a look."

Inside the Freshman Management Hall, many freshmen were there to handle tasks.

When Wang Pingan stepped into the hall, the surrounding discussions quickly quieted down.

Lu Ming stood to the side with a few aristocratic Disciples, his expression even worse than before.

Wang Pingan did not look sideways, walking straight to the authentication counter and placing down his Grade A Sequence badge.

The Grey-Robed Deacon looked up, and upon recognizing him, his expression immediately became respectful, "Student Wang, what business do you need to handle?"

Wang Pingan tapped the table, "Bring up the Grade A Sequence First-Order High-Risk Coordinate Library."

The Grey-Robed Deacon's hands paused, "Are you sure you want to see the high-risk library?"

Wang Pingan's expression did not change, "I am sure."

Many people in the hall gasped.

First-order coordinates were already more dangerous than demigod coordinates, and the high-risk library was a task pool prepared for veteran First-Order Deity students.

The alien Divine Kingdoms inside were mostly characterized by complex terrain, special troop types, and extremely strong Divine Core defenses.

The Grey-Robed Deacon did not try to dissuade him; Grade A Sequence had the authority, and he could only follow the rules.

The light screen rose, and rows of alien Divine Kingdom coordinates appeared before Wang Pingan.

[Flame Lizard Valley: Area 38,000 square kilometers, first-order fire-element alien Divine Kingdom.]

[Cold Tide Ice Lake: Area 42,000 square kilometers, first-order ice lake Divine Kingdom, team of two recommended.]

[Iron Feather Eagle Nest: Area 35,000 square kilometers, high air combat danger, carrying a flying legion recommended.]

Wang Pingan's gaze swept over these coordinates without stopping.

Lu Ming stood not far away, finally unable to restrain himself, "Wang Pingan, a thirty or forty thousand square kilometer first-order Divine Kingdom is enough for you to eat; if your appetite is too big, be careful you'll vomit it all back out with interest."

There was fire in those words, and also impatience.

He did not want Wang Pingan to win again.

If Wang Pingan continued to win, the Lu family branch would completely give up competing with him for resource popularity.

Wang Pingan still did not turn his head to look at him.

Ignoring someone was often more stinging than a counterattack.

Lu Ming's face turned green, and the few people beside him did not dare to interject.

Wang Pingan continued to scroll down.

A coordinate stopped in the middle of the light screen.

[Name: Skeleton Wasteland]

[Type: First-Order Undead Divine Kingdom]

[Area: 100,000 square kilometers]

[Danger Label: Bone Sea Troop Tide, Undead Resurrection, Divine Core location unknown, three first-order student squads have previously failed to retreat.]

[System Suggestion: At least three First-Order Deities teaming up, carrying purification, firepower coverage, and sustained supply Systems.]

Upon seeing this line of information, the Grey-Robed Deacon's expression changed drastically, "Student Wang, this coordinate is not suitable for a single person to accept."

The hall fell silent.

Lu Ming also stared at those words.

One hundred thousand square kilometers.

A first-order Undead Divine Kingdom.

Three squads failed to retreat.

This clearly exceeded the scope of ordinary high-risk tasks.

Wang Pingan raised his hand and directly tapped on "Skeleton Wasteland".

"This one."