100: 100-Day Foundation Building and "Ark" 2.0

Time flowed like water, slipping away quietly.

In the blink of an eye, one hundred days had passed since the Blood Fiend Cult was destroyed and the Mutual Aid Society officially established its foothold in Lijian Valley.

These hundred days were a time of rapid development and transformation for Lijian Valley.

Under the strategy of "sustainable robbery," "blood crystals" and similar evil objects collected through various channels were processed by the Research Hall's increasingly mature "purification devices" and turned into pure "source crystals."

These "source crystals" were like the best fuel, continuously injected into the "ark" network.

The "ark" of today was long past its former self.

Its coverage had expanded from the initial valley entrance area to the entire Lijian Valley and the surrounding mountain forests for nearly a hundred li!

Although the energy intensity decreased further out, the Spiritual Qi concentration in the core area was now stably more than double that of the outside world!

Moreover, its purity far exceeded that of the external Spiritual Qi tainted by the "spirit net."

Cultivating here, the increase in efficiency was secondary; the most important thing was that sense of peace and security.

Spiritual power flowed in steadily, without the slightest feeling of obstruction or being drained by some invisible force.

This had immeasurable benefits for low-level Disciples in consolidating their foundations and achieving a Breakthrough.

In these hundred days, the ten Disciples of the first "Internal Testing Group" had generally increased their cultivation by one to two levels, each becoming a backbone of the War Hall and the Research Hall.

Meanwhile, the screening and training of the second and third "Internal Testing Group" cohorts were already underway in full swing.

The strength of the entire Mutual Aid Society was growing steadily like a rolling snowball.

Zhao Iron Pillar's War Hall was now strong and well-equipped; the sounds of daily drills were deafening, and combined with "Mind Net" communication and some simple coordinated Formation techniques that Wen Youyi had tinkered with, their combat power far exceeded that of ordinary Outer Sect Disciple groups.

Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li managed the internal affairs and agricultural work in an orderly fashion; the spiritual fields in the valley were crisscrossed with paths, various low-level spiritual plants were growing gratifyingly, and the warehouses were piled high with supplies, no longer reflecting the embarrassment of the past.

Senior Brother Zhang's Research Hall had achieved even more remarkable results.

In addition to continuously improving the "purification devices" and "ark" nodes, they had also successfully improved the "Five Elements Bewilderment" defensive Formation based on inspiration from the sporadic "source code" that Wen Youyi had deciphered from the chaotic jade slip, and developed several new types of offensive and auxiliary Magical Artifacts driven by "ark" energy.

The entire Lijian Valley presented a scene of prosperity and vigorous development.

And at the core of all this—Wen Youyi—was currently standing at the core node of the "ark" network, preparing to carry out an important upgrade.

What he held in his hand was none other than that complete, starry-colored star core crystal obtained from the black box!

After a hundred days of research and preparation, combined with the "source code" fragments regarding energy aggregation and spatial stability deciphered from the chaotic jade slip, Wen Youyi decided to use this complete star core as the core to carry out a thorough upgrade of the "ark" network!

He called it—the "ark" 2.0 project!

"Everyone, are you ready?" Wen Youyi sent a message to all core members via the "Mind Net."

[We are ready!] Everyone responded in unison, filled with tension and anticipation.

Wen Youyi took a deep breath, adjusting his state to the best possible condition.

He held the starry crystal with both hands and slowly guided it into the center of the core node's Formation.

At the same time, he mobilized all his Mental Energy, guiding the existing energy of the "ark" network to build a more complex and stable energy circulation structure according to the trajectories of those deciphered ancient "source code"!

"Hum—!"

The moment the complete star core crystal made contact with the Formation, a surge of Star Power, far more majestic, pure, and vast than any before, erupted like a sleeping Dragon awakening!

The ground of the entire Lijian Valley trembled slightly!

All "ark" nodes erupted with brilliant yet gentle starlight at the same time!

The original pale silver halo rapidly transformed into a deep, starry color!

The flow speed of energy within the network soared instantly!

The Spiritual Qi concentration in the core area climbed at a visible rate, directly surpassing three times that of the outside world, and it was still slowly growing!

Even more magically, everyone felt that the space within the "ark" coverage area seemed to have become more "solid" and "stable"!

An indescribable sense of security arose spontaneously.

The upgrade process lasted for a full hour.

When the last trace of energy fluctuation calmed down, what appeared before everyone's eyes was a brand-new "ark" network!

The node lights were restrained, like stars in the night sky, quiet and deep.

The network energy flowed as a seamless whole, carrying an ancient rhythm.

The Spiritual Qi in the core area was rich and pure, making one feel refreshed and relaxed with every breath.

"We succeeded! We succeeded!" Senior Brother Zhang's voice trembled with excitement.

He could feel that the stability and potential of the upgraded "ark" network had increased by more than several times!

Wen Youyi felt the even closer, more intuitive connection with "ark" 2.0, and a tired yet incredibly gratified smile appeared on his face.

One hundred days of cultivation finally bore fruit.

Lijian Valley now finally had a hint of a true "base," with a relatively reliable "firewall."

However, he also clearly knew that all this was just the beginning.

The gaze of the "web weaver" had not drifted away, the threat of the "Scavenger" still existed, the situation of the distant "Co-frequency Person" was unknown, and what they had glimpsed of the truth behind this massive "Ranch" was likely only the tip of the iceberg.

The road ahead remained long, and the challenges remained arduous.

But looking at the group of like-minded partners growing by his side, and feeling the vibrant land beneath his feet that they had built with their own hands, Wen Youyi's heart was filled with infinite fighting spirit and confidence.

He looked up at the seemingly endless firmament, his eyes flashing with an unyielding light.

"Chapter 100... The story is just getting to the point."

(End of chapter)