367: Mining! Mining!

Lu Chen didn't really care whether Chi Yao succeeded or not.

The reason he cultivated Chi Yao was, firstly, to repay her for saving his life;

Secondly, he wanted to use Chi Yao to attract attention while he extensively mined blood essence ore.

During the day, besides sitting in the rock cave to Cultivate Qi, Lu Chen would also spread a wisp of his Divine Sense, like an invisible net, permeating deep into the earth. His goal was clear: to find top-grade mineral veins and rare Ore cores.

Even Immortals of the Nine Heavens, even True Immortals, would never dare to use their Divine Sense to probe the mining districts.

The blood essence ore contained not ordinary Spiritual Qi, but a more primitive, chaotic high-level energy, which had a natural corrosive and repulsive effect on a Cultivator's Divine Sense.

There was once a Golden Immortal who forcefully probed, resulting in a backlash to his Divine Soul, causing him to go mad on the spot.

But Lu Chen was different.

His Divine Sense could pass through unimpeded, not because it was so powerful, but because—this world was a sandbox he had personally created.

No matter how unruly the blood essence ore, it dared not reject its creator; even the Four Great Divine Beasts, upon sensing Lu Chen's Divine Sense, would have to bow down and submit!

With a slight thought, the Black Tortoise Divine Beast in his grotto-heaven materialized from the Void Realm, its divine light contained, its aura gentle.

Lu Chen did not give an order, only locked his gaze on the depths of the Seventh Mining District.

The Black Tortoise understood his intention, let out a low growl, its body suddenly shrinking to three feet in length, its carapace glowing with a faint light, its four claws like divine weapons. Like a pangolin, it burrowed into the mineral vein, ignoring the ordinary blood essence ore on the surface that glowed with a dark red luster.

Those were merely the 'flesh' of the mineral vein, with limited value.

The Black Tortoise went straight to the molten core of the earth, where billions of tons of pressure and chaotic energy converged, to excavate an even rarer existence—source marrow crystal.

This substance was entirely like liquid gold, with what seemed like a galaxy flowing within it. It was the core crystal formed after the blood essence ore had undergone millions of years of earth-fire tempering and Chaos precipitation.

Its energy level far surpassed that of blood essence ore. It could not only help Cultivators Breakthrough Realm Bottlenecks but was also the 'lifeline' that maintained the operation of a Small World.

The Black Tortoise's movements were precise, like a craftsman carving jade, taking only the core without damaging the geological structure.

On the surface, the mining tunnels of the Seventh Mining District remained, and the miners worked as usual;

In reality, the deepest part of the mineral vein had long been hollowed out, and pieces of source marrow crystal had all been collected into Lu Chen's grotto-heaven, piled up like mountains.

After the Scarlet Flame Army captured the Sixth Mining District.

Lu Chen then went to the Sixth Mining District, and with a sweep of his Divine Sense, discovered a new Ore—Black Evil Stone.

This stone was ink-black in color, with faint red patterns within. Although its energy was not as pure and high-grade as source marrow crystal, it inherently carried a sharp Evil Qi, which resonated extremely well with artifact spirits.

It was especially suitable for weapons like the dragon fiend spear to absorb, helping them transform from Spiritual Artifacts into true 'Dao Soldiers'.

Without needing to say more, the Black Tortoise began to eat again, swallowing everything into its belly.

As Chi Yao led the Scarlet Flame Army on campaigns, successively capturing the Third, Fifth, and Eighth Mining Districts, war raged.

Under the cover of this Chaos, Lu Chen almost completely emptied the core resources of all high-grade mineral veins in the nine major mining districts.

Within his grotto-heaven, there were over ten thousand pieces of source marrow crystal, millions of catties of Dragon Fiend Stones, and blood essence ore piled up like hills—enough to support his Cultivation needs for the next few centuries.

With the material reserves complete, it was time for Lu Chen to leave.

After all, Lu Chen's training mission was, firstly, to reach Nascent Soul, and secondly, to last five hundred years.

What was most important for Lu Chen now was to find a secluded place to Cultivate for five hundred years.

And the Seventh Heaven was the most suitable place.

It was once the ruins of an ancient divine war, where Laws were broken and Spiritual Qi was depleted. It was a dead end for Mortals and an even greater predicament for Cultivators—without energy, unable to recover, making every step difficult.

Because of this, very few people would set foot in this place.

And Lu Chen stored so many Ores precisely to extract their energy for Cultivation.

This way, it was both safe and allowed for Cultivation.

Now, the Scarlet Flame Army's momentum was growing day by day, and it would sooner or later alarm the Immortal Court.

Once a True Immortal descended, they would surely thoroughly investigate the mastermind.

Lu Chen did not want to be targeted.

This night, the moonlight was like a stream, and candlelight flickered in the Seventh Mining District's council rock cave.

Chi Yao practically rushed in, her eyes burning with the flames of victory: "Brother Feiyu! We won! The encirclement of the five major mining districts was completely shattered, we killed three thousand enemies, captured five thousand, and seized countless provisions and weapons! The Scarlet Flame Army now has one hundred thousand men—two months ago, we only had one thousand men hiding under Soul-Severing Cliff, drinking Ore soup... This is simply like a dream!"

Lu Chen listened quietly, but his expression showed no joy. He knew that victory was most likely to breed arrogance, and scale was most likely to mask danger.

"Chi Yao," he said slowly, "sometimes developing too quickly is not a good thing. The larger the army, the harder to manage; the more centralized the power, the faster the Corruption. You must immediately carry out a thorough reorganization of the Scarlet Flame Army."

He stood up and drew a hierarchical structure on the ground with charcoal: "Establish a five-level system: ten people form a squad, with a squad leader; a hundred people form a company, with a company commander; five hundred people form a regiment, with a regimental commander; a thousand people form a division, with a division commander; ten thousand people form an army, with an army commander. But a command chain alone is not enough—at each level, a 'Red Heart Instructor' must be appointed."

"Instructor?" Chi Yao asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Lu Chen's gaze was sharp, "they will be core members of the Red Heart Society, the most loyal and most knowledgeable about the 'Scarlet Flame Program'. They do not directly command combat, but they are responsible for daily morning meetings to preach: Why do we fight? For whom do we fight? Not for seizing food, not for revenge, but for abolishing slave status, for everyone to have a name, for free farming! This ensures the army always operates on the track of its beliefs, preventing generals from hoarding troops and alienating the masses."

"Secondly," Lu Chen continued, "implement equality between officers and soldiers. Officers must not privately seize spoils of war, must not beat or scold soldiers, and must eat from the same pot as the soldiers. All spoils of war must be made public and uniformly distributed by the Red Heart Council—with priority given to the old, weak, sick, and disabled, and double compensation for the wounded. Only then can morale be stable and high."

He also emphasized: "Strictly forbid alienation from the masses. Whenever a place is captured, the Scarlet Flame Army must help the local Red Slaves reclaim barren land, repair houses, and establish schools."

Chi Yao listened intently; she loved this moment the most. She frantically absorbed Lu Chen's knowledge and wisdom, gripping her pen, continuously taking notes.

Every word and every sentence Lu Chen spoke, she absorbed and savored well.

Lu Chen's tone grew solemn: "Furthermore, be wary of three major hidden dangers in the future."

"Firstly, complacency after victory. If you win today, you might slack off in training and indulge in pleasure tomorrow. You must adhere to daily drills and monthly assessments; those who fail will be demoted."

"Secondly, the influx of opportunists. With a hundred thousand people now, there are bound to be those who fish in troubled waters. Some come to survive, some for power. You must establish a 'Red Heart Review System'; all new recruits must undergo three months of observation and be jointly vouched for by veteran soldiers before being granted Scarlet Flame Armor."

"Thirdly, the Corruption of high-ranking officials." Lu Chen's gaze was sharp, "Today's comrades might become new Overseers tomorrow. You must establish a 'Supervisory Council' that allows grassroots soldiers to anonymously report Corruption and oppression by cadres. Once verified, no matter how high the position, they will all be severely punished—absolutely no leniency!"