45: Future Development

Gu Yuchuan looked down at them from his high position. Their expressions were extremely respectful, filled with an irrepressible joy. As expected, for those who are relatively upright, favors are always the best way to earn their loyalty, far more effective than any form of torture. He believed that these few would not betray him in the future and would carry out his orders with great diligence.

Gu Yuchuan suddenly thought of a possibility. In the entire outer periphery of the Cloud Sea Marsh, he might be the only demon capable of Artifact Refining. Why not open a shop? Although those demons didn't know the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, the Cloud Sea Marsh was very wealthy, and they possessed many good items. Using Magical Artifacts to gather these treasures around him would be a stroke of Genius.

He looked at his subordinates; this matter should be handled by the two newcomers. "Song Chuan, Pei Yu, I have a task for you. Spread the word recently that an Artifact Refining workshop will soon open in our Bright Stream, selling Low Grade Magical Artifacts. All demons are welcome to come and purchase. Bai Ming, I'll leave the construction of this workshop to you. Make the layout grand and keep it far away from the Spirit Stone Mine and the green jade mine to avoid any potential issues. Alright, the three of you go and get to work."

After they left, Gu Yuchuan looked at Bai Li again. "Bai Li, lately I've been feeling restless, as if something is about to happen. Take a look at the stars and see if there's anything coming."

Bai Li's expression turned much more solemn. "Great King, I actually observed the stars yesterday. Our Bright Stream appears to be developing steadily, but the entire Cloud Sea Marsh is restless, as if a calamity is about to occur. Furthermore, your Luck is unstable, Great King, showing signs of both catastrophe and Opportunity. Every time I check your Luck, I get this feedback—it's as if the opportunities and calamities surrounding you have never vanished. I honestly don't know if it's a good or bad thing."

Gu Yuchuan understood what was going on. He was constantly simulating, which meant constant danger and Opportunity. This was unavoidable and was also the reason he could cultivate so rapidly.

"Fine, focus your energy on cultivation for now. As you've seen, the three of them are all Cultivators at the Mid Qi Refining Stage, while you are still only at the Qi Refining Third Layer. This is certainly not ideal. I will privately give you a yellow bud pill; keep this to yourself and don't let the others know. Now that our Flood Dragon Palace and Bright Stream have stabilized, changes in Luck are even harder to control. With your cultivation at the Qi Refining Third Layer, it must be difficult for you to observe these shifts. So, cultivate well and achieve a Breakthrough soon."

Bai Li accepted the yellow bud pill. "Rest assured, Great King, I will cultivate diligently. It's just that I feel a great deal of guilt. As your subordinate, I haven't been able to share much of your burdens, yet I keep receiving your rewards. It truly feels inappropriate."

Gu Yuchuan immediately flicked his tail to stop him. "Enough, there's no need to say such things. As long as you can foresee a threat to our Bright Stream even once, all the support I've given you will be worth it. Unlike the others, you aren't someone who does daily chores, so it's impossible for you to be useful every single day. Put your mind at ease, don't feel pressured, and just cultivate well. Your role is of immense importance."

In reality, it was true. Any major power needed a talent capable of observing Luck. Such a person could not only prevent the schemes of others but also identify whether any Geniuses were being born within the organization. They were absolutely vital talents. Encountering even one was a stroke of immense Luck. This was why Gu Yuchuan continued to nurture Bai Li; he was truly worth the investment.

Returning to his Immortal Cave, he decided to check his status panel. Now that he had two more subordinates and had established the Flood Dragon Palace, the panel had undergone changes.

[Name: Gu Yuchuan.]

[Race: Green Snake.]

[Bloodline: High-grade Demon Beast: Horned Snake.]

[talents: Beginner Invisibility; Poison Fang Enhancement; Level Two Devour; Beginner Water Control; Clone; Soaring on Clouds and Riding the Mist]

[Divine Abilities: Green Scale Armor, Ink Profound Spiritual Light, Poison Mist]

[Cultivation: Demon Soldier Ninth Layer (Ninth Layer of Qi Refining).]

[Simulation Count: 2]

[divine dragon points: 150]

[Force: Bright Stream (Flood Dragon Palace)]

[Force Rank: Unranked]

[Force Wealth: One Spirit Spring, one section of a river, one Miniature Spirit Stone Mine (10 Spirit Stones daily), one Miniature Green Jade Mine (10 pieces daily), one Linlang Pavilion (Under construction, Artifact Refining workshop)]

[Subordinates: White Jade Koi Bai Li (Mid-grade Demon Beast, Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation); Half-Demon Fox Demon Bai Ming (Mortal Beast, Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation); Five-Colored Clam Pei Yu (Low-Grade Demonic Beast, Fifth Level of Qi Refining cultivation); Crucian Carp Song Chuan (Mortal Beast, Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivation)]

Although his subordinates were still just a handful of minor players, they were sufficient for now. What he needed to do now was forge a defensive Magical Artifact. Otherwise, having only a green snake poison needle wouldn't be respectable enough, and Linlang Pavilion wouldn't be able to open successfully.

He did indeed have a forging blueprint for a Low Grade Magical Artifact called the heart-protecting mirror. It could form a white shield around the body and was capable of blocking attacks from the Mid Qi Refining Stage, making it a decent artifact. Its primary refining Materials were Jade Marrow and Green Stone, but he didn't have much Jade Marrow and likely couldn't refine many.

He sat down in the secret Artifact Refining room. Having the experience of a successful refinement, he didn't rush this time. Instead, he studied the blueprint. Refining a defensive artifact was somewhat more difficult. The first step was still melting, and the second step was still Fusion, but the third step—shaping—was harder. He needed to carve a defensive rune onto it to give it its defensive capability.

Gu Yuchuan used his magic power to carve the rune on the ground a full ten times until he had truly mastered it before beginning the actual refinement. Unfortunately, the first attempt still failed. The feel of carving on the ground was completely different from carving on a semi-finished artifact. He failed to grasp the timing and failed immediately.

However, having reached this stage, he wouldn't fail too many more times. Sure enough, on the third attempt, he successfully refined the heart-protecting mirror. In one go, he refined six heart-protecting mirrors until he ran out of Jade Marrow. Then he refined ten green snake poison needles. The day passed just like that. With these items placed in Linlang Pavilion, he could support an opening. When the time came, these would turn into great wealth, making his cultivation no longer an issue and putting Foundation Establishment within reach.

However, he also knew that Linlang Pavilion might not be able to open in the short term, because multiple Simulations had told him that the powerhouses of the Yao Race and Human Race were about to go to war.