Translator: TheBrokenPen Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys Lu Ye’s name was beginning to become the very epitome of fear. How the Redoubt of Wrath and Clan Feng outposts fell, no one actually knew. In fact, certain parties believed that this was malicious slander or baseless accusations made against Lu Ye. Yet the Thousand Demon Ridge had spies and agents everywhere and whatever blame they were directing at Lu Ye turned out to be less baseless than what most expected. However, the rest of the Grand Sky Coalition had no intention to get entangled with the finer details—or rather, ruthlessness—in the actions Lu Ye took to accomplish the proverbial end. All that mattered was his triumph. Lu Ye had succeeded in bringing two enemy outposts down on their heels in just a matter of days and that was good enough for everyone in the Coalition. Once again, another period of strife sparked between both sides as Cultivators from the Grand Sky Coalition and the Thousand Demon Ridge began flinging filth and mud at each other, volleying threats and curses bad enough for another all-out war to feel imminent. With time, people began to realize that the insectoid infestation that had gone awry did not originate from the Crimson Blood Sect wormhole. It was instead the Redoubt of Wrath wormhole from whence the raging insectoid horde was pouring out. That easily tore to shreds all slander and accusations hurled against the Crimson Blood Sect although that did little to quell the unrest between both sides. Cultivators from the inner-ring areas of the Battlefield sprang into action with tremendous alacrity. The ones from the Redoubt of Wrath and Clan Feng were the fastest to arrive. They were said to have begun their expeditious journey back home the moment they got wind about the invasion and the first thing they did as soon as they came back was to assist the surviving acolytes with the rebuilding of their respective outposts. More cultivators from other sects and orders eventually showed up. Fortunately, they were not merely here to watch. They took an active part in helping to deal with the infestation, which had grown strong enough for these inner-ring area Cultivators to earn Contribution Points by killing them. But one could hardly expect zero friction when Cultivators from both sides met. It did not take long for the extermination to mutate into a three-way internecine battle royale where Cultivators of the Eighth- and Ninth-Orders—including a select few who were trained in Heaven-grade cultivation disciplines—waged war against each other while not forgetting to cut down a few insectoids in the process. Whether it was the Grand Sky Coalition or the Thousand Demon Ridge that emerged as the victors of this little war, Lu Ye could hardly care less. What he did know was that the insectoid infestation was finally dealt with by the third day of his return to the outpost. Someone must have managed to get inside the nest and remove the Nuclei of Life from the insectoid nest. The fourth day since the Crimson Blood Sect host returned to the outpost came. The golden phosphorescent dome that shrouded the Crimson Blood Sect outpost was operating in a dormant state. Lu Ye was sitting on the steps of the Sanctum of Providence, reading the books that Lady Yun had assigned him with utmost concentration. Before him in the square were mounds of spoils that everyone had looted during the invasions they conducted. Being busy with the insectoid infestation for the past few days, only today did he finally find the time to go through everything. Everyone had contributed in one way or another. That was why Lu Ye wanted everyone to surrender what they looted so that he could review everything and think of a proper and fair way to distribute the spoils. “It’s all here now, Brother Lu Ye,” He Xiyin came to him and reported. Lu Ye muttered a wordless grunt. He lifted his head and peered at the mounds of items, although he quickly frowned with dismay. A lot of the spoils were items of little consequence and importance—pots and pans, chairs and stools, and so forth. The corners of his eyes twitched with annoyance as he fought to keep his vexation in check. [ What the hell are these?! ] Coiled up like a shrimp in an unnoticed corner just outside the Sanctum of Providence was a sullen and forlorn Feng Yue. The arms that hugged her shoulders tightened and squeezed more firmly for she had recognized articles of furniture that looked awfully familiar. Articles of furniture that originated from her own chambers. [ What a bunch of brigands an d — ] “What is this?! Since when are you lot a bunch of common thieves and robbers?!” Lu Ye bellowed, feeling the kick of a headache coming. “What in Heaven’s name are we supposed to do with these unimportant knick-knacks!? Seriously, pots and pans?!” He began to have the strangest feeling that the finite size of the Storage Bag’s inside was what stopped his men from bringing back even the beds from the outposts they invaded. Chen Yu immediately explained, “Well, it’s because we’re terribly lacking in a lot of these items, sir. The men had noticed how these articles of furniture were made of such good materials and workmanship. The chairs and stools could be kept inside the Sanctum of Providence so that they could be used when we need to sit down and discuss things.” That seemed to make sense. “Very well then. Separate the more trivial items first. Whoever wants first dibs on them, be my guest.” Scores of Cultivators swarmed forward and surrounded the mounds of goods with the eagerness reminiscent of insectoids on the scent of Spiritual Power. Despite the seemingly disorganized clutter, everyone just took whatever they wanted. Chen Yu had some of the stools carried and placed inside the Sanctum of Providence. In just a matter of minutes, the relatively mundane items in the mounds were gone. He Xiyin came to Lu Ye and handed him something that looked awfully like a ceramic pillow. Only this one was made of jade. “I’ve saved something for you, Brother Lu Ye.” “All right.” Lu Ye gave a curt reply. He spent most of his time in the training chambers, but Chen Yu had a tiny little cottage built for him in one of the nicest spots in the compound and it was just beside Hua Ci’s. Lu Ye had never been there before. Hence, he has not begun furnishing it yet. Unbeknownst to everyone dividing the spoils, Feng Yue was staring at the jade-hewn pillow. Deep inside, she was screaming, [ That’s mine! That jade pillow! It’s mine, you filthy scoundrels! ] Now that the mundane and trivial scraps had been separated and distributed, it was time to look on to the main event: Spirit Artifacts, Spirit Pills, Spirit Stones, and various other kinds of supplies useful for any Cultivators. It was a shame that the several hundred Redoubt of Wrath acolytes had perished inside the wormhole. The Crimson Blood Sect host was unable to recover any loot from them so the entire trove of treasures there must have fallen into the hands of one of the Cultivators who came from the outer-ring areas. As for the loot here, most of it originated from Clan Feng. Almost every enemy acolyte slain accounted for at least one Spirit Artifact, allowing an abundance of Spirit Artifacts that numbered up to the hundreds. The rest were mostly Storage Bags which were still magically sealed. These two, in almost equal portions, easily made up the lion’s share of the loot. Only a scarce few of the Storage Bags were in an opened state when they were recovered, and the contents inside had already been emptied. That posed a big conundrum. In their sealed state, there was no telling what could be inside the Storage Bags. Even if Lu Ye were to distribute the Storage Bags to everyone, the contents inside, once opened, might not be able to fully satisfy everyone and this could sow jealousy and discord among the rank and file. To that end, Lu Ye had everyone divided into ten large groups. With seventy people in each group, they would be allowed to step forward one after another and make their selection of spoils they wished. Cultivators could either pick a Storage Bag or a Spirit Artifact, two Talismans, or up to twenty Spirit Stones, with the same amount of Spirit Pills being an option as well. With everyone making their own decisions, it was up to their own luck and observation whether their picks would turn out to be rewarding or not. The groups took turns coming forward. A few of the Cultivators chose to try their luck with the Storage Bags while some preferred the safer method of just going for Spirit Artifacts. Those who were short on Spirit Pills naturally went for their much-needed commodity while others opted for more Spirit Stones. With the rules in place, the distribution of spoils would be as fair and just as one could get with everyone being able to procure whatever supplies that needed replenishing. The supplies dwindled quickly for two rounds until they noticed that there would not be enough for a third. The leftovers Lu Ye had temporarily taken away for safekeeping. They could be distributed again in the future if and when enough spoils have been amassed for another go. “Before the start of our skirmishes, I pledged to reward the ten best performers with Spirit Stones. The top three would get a nonuple-enhancemed Spirit Artifact. Chen Yu!” “Yes, sir!” “How goes the calculation of Contribution Points?” “It’s done, sir! We have the names of the best ten performers here!” “Let’s hear it.” “In the first place!” Chen Yu announced very loudly, “CHEN YU!” Chen Yu rubbed his nose sheepishly as he called his own name, although he quickly moved on to the rest of the nine. The results were hardly anything of marvel to Lu Ye, although he had to admit being surprised to find Yi Yi’s name not only in the list but in second place just after Chen Yu! “Those whose names have been announced as the ten best performers in this time’s skirmishes can speak to Hua Ci about your rewards! What about squad performance?” “It’s here as well, sir.” “And the winner is?” “Squad He Xiyin!” He Xiyin was standing amongst the crowd with a silly grin on her face. Lu Ye gave her an approving nod, with a few more encouraging words, “Good work! But don’t let that be enough! In the meantime, members of Squad He Xiyin can come to see me for that special reward. Anything that is within my power to give, I will give it. Now or anytime in the future. All right?” “In addition to that, due to the rich returns from our skirmishes, this time, Hua Ci and I have agreed to distribute an additional twenty Contribution Points as a bonus! Consider this a gift from our sect!” Everyone cracked into smiles and cheers. This insectoid attack had turned out to be an extremely rewarding experience and the notion of an added bonus was a much-welcome gesture. Twenty Contribution Points apiece for more than seven hundred Cultivators. That would make the whole figure almost twenty thousand Contribution Points. Many began to realize that it was a blessing that they could join the Crimson Blood Sect. Just one insectoid attack and everyone trotted into the sunset triumphantly with their pockets full. One could expect more fruitful days in the future! “Finally, I hereby announce that we’re going to induct another two hundred fresh initiates! The list of names of those who qualify shall be selected from the best performers of this time’s skirmishes! It will be announced shortly! In the meantime, queue up at the Sanctum of Providence to collect your Contribution Points from Hua Ci!” It was a long line that snaked all around the square outside the Sanctum as every single Cultivator took their turn going inside the Sanctum to collect their Points and stepped out looking absolutely pleased and delighted. It took hours before Hua Ci was finally done dishing out the twenty-Contribution-Point reward. The rest of the Contribution Points were used to purchase additional enhancements for the outpost’s Divine Opportunity Column, making the total number of amplifications of ambient Spiritual Qi now at nineteen. That made the ambient Spiritual Qi that now pervaded the entire compound of the outpost easily double that of outside. Purchasing more enhancements in the future would be harder, the next one being a whopping ten thousand Contribution Points. Then again, the total Contribution Points that the Crimson Blood Sect had gained from the invasions on both enemy outposts—if one were to include the amounts distributed to everyone plus what was used to purchase the paraphernalia needed for the defensive ward—was somewhere between eighty to ninety thousand. Which was more than double what Lu Ye and Hua Ci garnered during their exploits in the Battle Royal of the Legates. In other words, invading and raiding was the only viable way of increasing the ambient Spiritual Qi in the outpost quickly. But attacking enemy outposts was a more herculean task than it appeared. The string of successes this time was owed to the insectoid horde that Lu Ye had manipulated to his favor. The strength of the Crimson Blood Sect alone would have made the feat impossible. But what if Lu Ye were to propose another alliance with the Atheneum of Finality? Maybe they could wipe Mount Kalachakra off the map this time? It would not be that easy, though. With the entire Thousand Demon Ridge now on full alert, a full-scale invasion on Mount Kalachakra would trigger a reprisal heavy enough to force both the Atheneum of Finality and the Crimson Blood Sect to call off the invasion. Worse, they might even find their own outposts under attack. But if Lu Ye could come up with something to destroy defensive wards quickly, then he could quite literally do anything! To that end, Lu Ye realized that perhaps it was time he focused more effort on his study and training in the use of Glyphs. Three of the six-man Squad He Xiyin came looking for Lu Ye two days later with their request: they wanted a training chamber of their own. That was a wish that Lu Ye readily agreed to. Using his authority as legate of the outpost, he allocated three of the training chambers to be exclusively theirs. He even constructed the magical circles of Glyph: Gathering Spirits in each of the chambers to ensure maximum efficiency. The roll of names of the two hundred associate independents eligible to be inducted as initiates did not take long to be announced. The entire outpost had been waiting with bated breath and those who found their names on the roll could have not been anymore overjoyed. The outpost had not only just survived its first insectoid attack but they also had almost anything that they needed—Spirit Pills, Spirit Stones, Contribution Points—while the ambient Spiritual Qi in the atmosphere of the outpost had now been further intensified. All these helped to make the Crimson Blood Sect outpost an ideal environment to foster growth and improvement. But in spite of the merriment was a certain figure whose presence in the outpost was not only a subject of controversy but also an icon of uncertainty—Feng Yue.