101: recuperate

The destruction of the Green Wave Sect and the acquisition of its legacy meant that the "Purple Lightning Flood Dragon King" Gao De's power was no longer confined to the Deep Pool Water Mansion; he had truly established a solid Foundation in the Dongting Lake region.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name. For Taiwan novels, look for Chaosunchang.]

Deeply aware that it was unwise to act rashly before his Foundation was stable, Gao De devoted the following days primarily to digesting his new territory and integrating his internal forces.

The original mountain gate of the Green Wave Sect was renamed "Qianjiao Cliff," and together with the Deep Pool Water Mansion, they formed the two core pillars of Gao De's power.

Turtle Three Thousand, who oversaw general affairs, was stationed at Qianjiao Cliff, while the loyal and reliable Crab Iron Wall guarded the Water Mansion headquarters.

The more than two hundred surrendered Human Cultivators, after undergoing initial reorganization and deterrence, were gradually incorporated into the system and assigned to different posts based on their respective strengths.

Resource integration and wealth accumulation were the top priorities during this phase.

The three mineral veins left by the Green Wave Sect—one Profound Iron Mine and two low-grade Spirit Stone mines—quickly resumed extraction under the supervision of Demon Soldiers and the management of Human Cultivators.

Gao De specifically instructed that extraction should be done with moderation and not like draining a pond to catch all the fish; for the Spirit Stone veins in particular, he formulated a longer-term extraction plan to ensure a steady, continuous flow.

Turtle Three Thousand also organized a team to conduct a survey near the Water Mansion. To their surprise, they discovered a Profound Iron Mine at the foot of the mountain to the west of the Water Mansion, and even deeper, they found a small associated Red Copper Mine. Although the reserves were not abundant, its value surpassed that of ordinary Profound Iron, making it an unexpected windfall.

Most of the extracted Ores, except for a portion kept for internal use, were traded in the markets for clinking Spirit Stones.

Regarding Medicinal Pills, an old man at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage named Dan Chenzi among the surrendered Cultivators became the Head Alchemist under the new system.

Gao De entrusted him with the Alchemy room and part of the inventory of Spiritual Plants left by the Green Wave Sect, ordering him to lead several apprentices with the primary task of refining "Beast Blood Pills" suitable for the Yao Race, as well as the universal "Qi Recovery Pills" and "Healing Powder."

Initially, due to lack of experience and poor coordination, the pill success rate was quite low, wasting many Materials. However, under the pressure of Gao De's explicit demand for results, Dan Chenzi and the others did not dare to slack off. Their skills grew more refined day by day, and the pill success rate improved steadily.

The refined Medicinal Pills were prioritized for supply to Crab Eighteen, Shrimp No Shadow, and other demon generals, as well as their elite Demon Soldiers, effectively enhancing their overall combat power and endurance.

The occasional surplus of low-grade pills was placed in the market, which also brought back some Spirit Stones.

The five medicine gardens left by the Green Wave Sect were meticulously tended to by Disciples skilled in Spiritual Plants, with the "assistance" of Demon Soldiers.

Although the most precious Spiritual Plants in the gardens had been taken by the former Sect Head, True Person Lan Tao, the stock of basic Spiritual Plants such as "Blood Congealing Grass" and "Qi Gathering Flower" remained considerable. They were the main raw Materials for refining low-grade Medicinal Pills.

Gao De ordered an expansion in the cultivation of several types of Spiritual Plants with short growth cycles and high demand, and he also attempted to acquire seeds or seedlings of rare Spiritual Plants from outside to Cultivate, hoping to gradually restore the vitality of the medicine gardens and lay a more solid Foundation for future pill supplies.

The original Green Wave Market, located at the junction of land and water, reopened under the control of Gao De's forces.

Initially, it was sparsely visited, as passing merchants and Loose Cultivators mostly took a wait-and-see attitude. To attract customers, Turtle Three Thousand took several measures: first, he announced a reduction in the market's transaction tax rate, making it slightly lower than similar nearby markets; next, he vigorously improved security, with Shrimp No Shadow's subordinates responsible for patrols to ensure the safety of the trade routes around the market; finally, he put up for sale some of their own minerals, Medicinal Pills, and water-attribute spiritual Materials unique to the Water Mansion at competitive prices.

Gradually, the market regained some of its former bustle. Although it was far from the Green Wave Sect's Peak period, the daily flow of Spirit Stones was already quite substantial, making it a stable source of wealth.

Turtle Three Thousand also used this channel to covertly acquire Materials that might be needed for exploring the Dragon Palace Secret Passage, as well as certain unorthodox books that Gao De had specifically requested.

Internal integration was not entirely smooth sailing.

Friction and gaps between the surrendered Human Cultivators and the original Yao Race subjects were inevitable at first. To address this, Gao De established an ironclad rule: regardless of race, rewards would be given for merit,

and punishments would be meted out for faults, without exception. After severely dealing with several incidents of provocation and covert troublemaking, the situation gradually stabilized. Com-

mon production labor and daily contact made the initial hostility slowly melt away, forming a subtle coexistence based on practical needs.

Meanwhile, Crab Eighteen never relaxed the training of the Demon Soldiers.

With more sufficient Medicinal Pills and material support, the strength of the Demon Soldiers improved significantly.

Gao De would occasionally provide personal guidance on battle formation changes and reward his subordinates with some low-grade Magical Artifacts that he no longer needed, further strengthening their combat effectiveness.

Resources were also prioritized for core members like Crab Eighteen, Shrimp No Shadow, Turtle Three Thousand, and Clam Holding Pearl. Among them, Crab Eighteen and Shrimp No Shadow had already touched the threshold of the Second Tier Mid-stage, only waiting for a suitable Opportunity to attempt a Breakthrough.

Externally, intelligence gathering was mainly handled by Shrimp No Shadow, with a focus on monitoring the movements in the Dongting Lake waters and adjacent areas.

For the distant Qianjiang Dragon Palace and Ancient Thunder Pool, they relied more on the tianji mirror to obtain public information, as they lacked the capability to send subordinates to such dangerous places to collect intel.

He also kept a close eye on news regarding the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce auction in Yizhou Province, and had Turtle Three Thousand quietly accumulate Spirit Stones and Materials that could be used for trading, provided it did not affect their normal operations.

In the gaps between handling these complex affairs, Gao De did not neglect his own cultivation and research.

His cultivation of the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art progressed steadily, and his Bloodline was slowly but firmly purified under the continuous nourishment of the dragon pearl fossil.

His comprehension of that mysterious dragon scale and the Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter was also ongoing.

The dragon scale remained as if in a slumber, showing little progress, but the concepts in the Reversal Scale Dragon Transformation Chapter regarding how to more effectively guide and withstand power impacts were cautiously applied by him to his daily tempering of Demonic Power, which he felt was very beneficial.

He already had a plan in mind: once internal stability was complete and resource accumulation was more substantial, he would once again delve into that deep Dragon Palace Secret Passage to search for further opportunities.

This period of time was the "farming" phase for Gao De's forces to lay a solid Foundation.

On the surface, it seemed calm, without fierce conflicts or adventures, consisting only of day-to-day management, accumulation, and integration.

But Gao De knew that this brief peace was precious; he had to make full use of this time to completely transform the newly acquired territory and population into his own strength, turning the accumulated wealth into the lifeblood that would sustain the vigorous development of his power, so as to calmly face the even more turbulent storms that were destined to come in the future... As the operations of Qianjiao Cliff and the market gradually got on track, Gao De realized that if he truly wanted to win the hearts of these surrendered Human Cultivators and even attract more talented humans to join him, relying solely on martial deterrence and basic resource supply was far from enough.

What they desired was a path to higher Realms and true opportunities on the road to immortality.

Thus, he decided to bring out some hard currency that would drive low-level Cultivators into a frenzy.

On this day, within the assembly hall of Qianjiao Cliff, all the surrendered Human Cultivators, regardless of their rank or duty, were gathered.

Everyone felt apprehensive, not knowing what new orders this Yao King had.

Gao De sat high in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the various human faces below. His voice was calm yet carried an unquestionable authority: "Under my command, merit will be rewarded and faults will be punished, regardless of origin. Since you have surrendered and are working diligently, I will naturally not mistreat you."

He paused for a moment and gave a slight nod to Turtle Three Thousand beside him.

Turtle Three Thousand understood and stepped forward, holding a jade tray covered with red silk.

He slowly unveiled the red silk, and in an instant, several streaks of misty spiritual light, accompanied by a refreshing medicinal fragrance, filled the entire assembly hall.

An uncontrollable wave of gasps immediately erupted from the crowd!

On the jade tray, five jade bottles were neatly arranged.

Each jade bottle was crystal clear, and the outlines of the perfectly rounded Medicinal Pills within were faintly visible.

What drew the most attention was the slightly larger jade bottle in the center; inside was a pill the size of a longan, perfectly round and emitting a faint blue-gold luster, which instantly captured everyone's gaze!

"Is that... a foundation establishment pill?!" An elderly Cultivator at the Late Stage of the Qi Refinement Stage asked with a trembling voice, hardly able to believe his eyes.

He had been stuck at the Peak of the Qi Refinement Stage for decades, and his Lifespan was nearly exhausted. A foundation establishment pill was his only hope. In the past, this precious pill required immense merit and luck to obtain within the Green Wave Sect, yet now it was being brought out so casually by this Yao King?

Not just the foundation establishment pill, the other jade bottles clearly contained "Essence Condensing Pills," "Barrier Breaking Pills," and other precious Medicinal Pills that were extremely helpful for Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators to break through minor Bottlenecks!

Gao De took in everyone's reactions and slowly spoke: "These five bottles of pills are the reward criteria for this time. From this day forward, any Cultivator under my command, whether responsible for the mineral veins, Alchemy room, medicine gardens, market, or patrol guards, can exchange for 'Essence Condensing Pills,' 'Barrier Breaking Pills,' and other cultivation aids as long as they work diligently and accumulate a certain level of merit. If one shows major meritorious performance, such as improving Pill Formulae to increase the pill success rate, discovering new mineral vein clues, or performing distinguished service in guarding or external affairs..."

His gaze swept intentionally or unintentionally over those few Qi Refinement Peak Cultivators who were breathing heavily, "...then you can be rewarded with a 'foundation establishment pill' to help you break through the Bottleneck! Furthermore, within the treasury, there are still Cultivation Techniques and scriptures, Magical Artifacts and Talismans, all of which can be exchanged for according to merit."

These words were like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves!

Many Cultivators who were originally just biding their time due to the situation suddenly had a burning light in their eyes.

A foundation establishment pill!

That was the ladder to the heavens they dreamed of! This Flood Dragon King was actually willing to give them as rewards to Human Cultivators of a different race! Even if the Yao Race couldn't use these pills, they could still be sold for a significant amount of Spirit Stones.

"My Lord... are these words true?" Dan Chenzi asked with a dry voice. Although he was already at the Foundation Establishment stage, he still had Disciples under him, and he himself desired pills for further progress.

Gao De snorted coldly: "I am a man of my word! Turtle Three Thousand will formulate detailed merit regulations and post them publicly. Everything will be done according to the rules; those with merit, even if they were formerly Green Wave Sect Disciples, I will not be stingy with rewards! But if anyone feigns compliance while secretly opposing or betrays us from within..." A cold killing intent flashed and vanished, making everyone's heart turn cold, "...the annihilation of both form and spirit shall be their end!"

With both kindness and authority applied, the effect was immediate.

After this gathering, the work efficiency and atmosphere of Qianjiao Cliff underwent a complete transformation.

Whether it was the Disciples managing the mineral veins, the Spiritual Plant Cultivators tending the gardens, or the market managers, everyone became much more proactive.

Some even began to voluntarily offer up certain unorthodox techniques or secret formulas they knew, in hopes of exchanging them for merit.

The Merit System formulated by Turtle Three Thousand was soon posted, with clear clauses and distinct rewards and punishments.

Although the merit points required for a foundation establishment pill were extremely high, they were not out of reach, and various small merits could be accumulated.

This painted a visible and tangible incentive for the Human Cultivators.

Gao De knew very well that these pills were of little use to himself, and what was left in the Green Wave Sect's treasury, as well as what he could obtain in the future, would surely far exceed this.

But using these "ordinary resources" to motivate the Human Cultivators under his command to work hard, stabilize his rule, and even attract outside talent was a very profitable bargain.

This would not only more quickly transform the Green Wave Sect's legacy into tangible output and strength but also gradually build a more cohesive and dynamic power system.

The accumulation of wealth lies not only in Spirit Stones and Materials but also in how to use these resources to transform manpower into the most effective capital.

Gao De's move was precisely an attempt to harness this even more complex power.