Start with a red name

After Cao Ao and his men completed the last batch of arrests, the 3562 people who had been kneeling on the ground were divided into two groups.

There were 2437 people gathered together, representing "our own people".

There were 1125 "outsiders" staying in one separate group.

Geng Xuan first gestured for those "one of our own" to stand up.

From that moment on, all eyes in the room were focused on the 1125 people who were still kneeling on the ground.

These thousand-plus people were not randomly assigned, but were divided into seven groups according to their cultivation levels at Geng Xuan's request.

Based on their distance from Geng Xuan's location, they are respectively—

Leatherworking: 110 people.

Meat processing: 297 people.

Blood Refining: 375 people.

Bone Refining: 276 people.

Early stage of Marrow Refinement: 42 people.

Mid-stage Marrow Refinement: 19 people.

Late stage of Marrow Refinement: 6 people.

Geng Xuan's gaze swept around briefly, finally settling on the six closest late-stage Marrow Refinement cultivators.

Does higher cultivation level make one more stubborn?

Or perhaps, because I didn't take action this time, they misjudged the Black Wind Gang's capabilities?

Apart from Shen Xiao, the fifth leader who originally came from Wild Wolf Stronghold, none of the late-stage Marrow Refinement cultivators who surrendered this time changed their faction affiliation.

"Now, let's play a game."

Geng Xuan's first words left the more than a thousand people, who were filled with trepidation, stunned.

Some couldn't help but steal glances at him.

"Listen up, all of you, this is just a game for me."

This is truly a matter of life and death for you, and I hope you will take it seriously.

“When my people were ‘persuading’ you, they should have told you that my eyes can see through a lot of things.”

For example, I can see now that although you all verbally agreed to join the Black Wind Gang, you were just going through the motions.

I don't mind; I'm willing to give you more chances.

As soon as he said this, the emotions and "ripples" of the crowd changed significantly.

But most people maintained a basic level of composure.

However, some people's facial expressions gradually became unnatural.

"...Now, the game begins. Please listen to the rules."

Geng Xuan's gaze shifted from the closest Marrow Refining warriors to the last group of 110 people who were only at the Skin Refining Realm.

"The rules are as follows: I will ask you again, starting with skin refining, according to your cultivation level, whether you are willing to join the Black Wind Gang."

Those who can make timely self-adjustments will be selected to become new members of the Black Wind Gang.

For those who cannot complete the adjustments in time, it's simple: someone will escort them on their way.

Just as he said this, Cao Ao led twenty squad members, who were already standing there in neat formation.

Swords were drawn, their imposing presence palpable.

The already tense and apprehensive thousand or so people became restless instantly after learning the true nature of the "game".

However, their power was restricted, and they were still surrounded.

Aside from looking up in astonishment and glancing around, he couldn't do anything else.

"You clever people should have already realized that the higher one's cultivation level, the more opportunities one has."

"Those of you with the highest cultivation..."

At this point, Geng Xuan looked at the six people at the late stage of Marrow Refinement closest to him and smiled:
"Luckily, you have a total of seven chances, so you don't need to rush. It won't hurt to persevere for a few more rounds."

Upon hearing this, the six men were deeply moved, their thoughts churning like waves.

But one thing is for sure: none of them consider this "lucky".

If anyone thinks that way, just take it.

"And you, the weakest..."

Geng Xuan's gaze fell on the 110 bandits at the Skin Refining Realm, and he said, "You only have one chance."

Ignoring the grieving expressions on their faces, Geng Xuan said directly:
"Alright, I'll ask you one more time, are you willing to join the Black Wind Gang?"
You have three breaths.

Three...two...one...

Okay, time's up. Tell me your answers.

The instant he finished speaking, all 110 people knelt down at lightning speed; not one of them remained standing still.

"Captain, I sincerely want to join the Black Wind Gang!"

"I'll join!"

"I……"

Everyone spoke with the utmost sincerity, revealing their truest feelings.

To Geng Xuan, it sounded like nothing but noise.

After the voices of these people had all quieted down, he then addressed the others:

"You don't need to shout out your choices; just understand them in your hearts."

I'm not blind; I can see.

As he spoke, his gaze returned to the 110 people kneeling at the very end of the crowd.

He said softly, "Alright, get up, you've passed."

"???"

The group of cultivators at the Skin Refining Realm felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Immediately afterwards, a sense of suspicion arose in my heart.

Did you pass all the tests just like that?

So... does that mean the so-called "game" is still a scam?
Was it just a formality?
When this thought crossed their minds, many people even felt like they had been "scammed again."

Because just now, they were truly terrified and submitted from the bottom of their hearts.

These people had all sorts of complicated thoughts swirling in their minds, but they didn't hesitate at all in their actions. They quickly got up and were about to leave this place under everyone's watchful eyes and blend into the crowd around them.

But just as they were about to leave, their steps suddenly froze.

They were then surprised to find that not everyone stood up.

Of the 110 cultivators at the Skin Refining Realm who were kneeling on the ground, only 62 actually stood up.

There were also 48 others who remained kneeling on the ground, motionless, still in the same position as before.

Originally, no one was aware of it.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the forty-eight people kneeling on the ground had stopped even the slightest rise and fall of their bodies caused by breathing.

These forty-eight people, under the gaze of thousands of eyes, without any warning, silently and permanently stopped breathing.

brush--

cold sweat.

In an instant, it had spread to all sixty-two people.

My head was spinning from the excessive mental tremors, feeling like I was in a dream.

What they saw had a profound impact on their mental well-being.

However, in terms of action, everyone moved quickly to the side without pausing for a moment.

Beside them, the new and old members of the Black Wind Gang, who had also witnessed everything, were no less shocked than they were.

It's a long story, but from the time Geng Xuan announced that these people had passed the test to the time they got up and left, only a few breaths had passed.

Those who passed the test got up and left alive, while those who failed were precisely struck by his "Heart-Shattering Roar," a technique at the Master level, turning them into vivid corpses kneeling on the ground.

Geng Xuan didn't actually let those menacing squad members beside him, who seemed ready to kill at any moment, take action. Instead, he resolved the issue directly with the "Heart-Shattering Roar".

His gaze then shifted to the 297 flesh-refining bandits kneeling even closer.

Many of those kneeling on the ground were either secretly or unabashedly turning their heads to observe the situation of those in the Skin Refining Realm behind them.

Some left alive, while others died and remained, which obviously had a huge impact on their mental well-being.

When they saw Geng Xuan look at them immediately, some of them were nearly scared to death.

Geng Xuan didn't give them any more time to react before asking the same question.

"Are you willing to join the Black Wind Gang?"

"You have three breaths."

"Three...two...one..."

"Okay, time's up. Give me your answers now."

All 297 members of the Flesh Refining Realm Sand Bandits heeded Geng Xuan's warning and refrained from making any more incoherent statements to express their loyalty.

One can only express one's attitude through the most respectful actions.

Soon, Geng Xuan's voice reached their ears.

It was like celestial music.

"Alright, get up, you've passed."

The members of the Flesh Refining Realm quickly stood up.

As he walked quickly outside, he secretly glanced at the outside of his eyes.

Sure enough, while most people got up and walked out without any apparent abnormality, dozens remained kneeling respectfully on the ground, their movements unchanged.

To be precise, it was 43 people, or 43 bodies.

While the numbers may seem similar, proportionally, the number of "stubborn" individuals has decreased by more than half.

Geng Xuan then looked at the 375 Blood Refining Realm bandits.

Having already learned of what had happened to the first two groups, many of them were so terrified by these seemingly calm gazes that they wet themselves.

One of the bandits broke down and cried out:
"Captain, Captain, I really want to join the Black Wind Gang, but I'm just naturally a little slow on the uptake. Can you give me a little more time?"

Geng Xuan's answer, however, made the bandit even more devastated.

Upon hearing this, he glanced at the ninety-one corpses still kneeling on the ground, now dead, and said, "Isn't this very unfair to them?"

As he spoke, he repeated his previous actions, posing a question that would determine the life or death of the 375 Blood Refining Realm bandits.

"...Three...two...one...Alright, time's up, give your answers now."

The bandits had no other choice. As he finished speaking, it was as if an invisible force was pressing down on them, leaving them no choice but to kneel respectfully on the ground.

Even knowing they might die, they could only submit to their fate in this humble manner.

—Not entirely—

Amid this near-consistent emotional state and the shifting "ripples," two distinct anomalies suddenly emerged.

One person used the strength of both knees to try to stand up directly.

One person was still kneeling on the ground, but he raised his head and glared angrily at Geng Xuan, opening his mouth to say, "I'll go to you..."

Judging from his appearance, he's probably about to unleash a torrent of profanity, cursing Geng Xuan's immediate family members or even his ancestors for eighteen generations.

However, their acts of bravery all came to an end there.

Whether they were about to get up or about to open their mouths to "greet," they all silently collapsed to the ground.

No one admired their courage and heroism.

Their deaths only left a deeper imprint of thought on the hearts of all the living.

"Alright, get up, you've passed."

The bandits at the Blood Refining Realm quickly got up.

Meanwhile, only 26 people remained in the same spot, dying before surviving and failing to keep up with their pace.

Geng Xuan also paid special attention to the bandit who had just broken down and begged him.

The bandit seemed to have never expected to survive, and he was so excited that he started snotting from his nose.

After that, the same method was used.

Of the 276 people who reached the Bone Refining Realm, 264 survived and passed the test, with "only" 12 dying in this game that gambled their lives.

Of the 42 people in the early stage of marrow refinement, 39 passed the test, and 3 died.

Of the 19 people who reached the mid-stage of the Marrow Refinement realm, 18 passed the test, and 1 died.

When the seventh chance came to the six late-stage Marrow Refinement cultivators, the final result was that all six passed the test without taking any damage, and none of them died.

In total, of the 1125 participants in the "game", 992 successfully completed it, and only 133 were eliminated.

The clearance rate was nearly 90%, which was much higher than Geng Xuan had expected.

The bandits were indeed very pragmatic.

Geng Xuan looked at the bandits who had just "passed the test" and were looking at him with awe, and laughed:
"Congratulations, from now on we're brothers."

Upon hearing this, the bandits grinned, making a gesture as if they wanted to laugh along.

But because his smile was so stiff, it looked rather eerie. Only at this moment did the account of tonight's operation against Wild Wolf Gorge, which existed only in Geng Xuan's mind, finally come to a complete conclusion.

……

This battle.

Black Wind Gang's number of participants: 2037.

Disability: 105 people.

91 dead.

^^
The total population of Wild Wolf Gorge is 4222.

The elite force stationed at Wild Wolf Stronghold consists of 181 men.

Combat deaths: 549.

Executions: 71 people.

133 people died because they didn't finish the game.

The Black Wind Clan has recruited 3429 new cultivators.

Ordinary people assigned to Wild Wolf Village: 221 people.

^^
Total number of deaths: 844.

Gained 28696 points of good fortune.

Black Luck 1650 points.

Baiyun 108 points.

……

After that, Geng Xuan spent nearly three hours completing two major tasks in succession: "blessing the team with good fortune" and "reorganizing the team".

Compared to the time at Wild Wolf Village, Geng Xuan was much more "rational" this time when bestowing blessings.

However, due to the surge in the number of people, the consumption also exceeded that of the Wild Wolf Stronghold.

It turns out that of the original 1946 members, 1436 only received the lowest level of luck, four points.

300 people were lucky at 8 o'clock, 150 people were lucky at 4 o'clock, 40 people were lucky at midnight, and 10 people were lucky at 32 o'clock.

A total of 12144 points of good luck were consumed.

The 3249 newly recruited individuals were given different "lucky treats" based on their level of cultivation and status, with the aim of both attracting and motivating them.

More than three thousand people only received the lowest level of luck, two points.

However, because the total number of people was too large, this batch of newcomers also consumed 9158 points of Geng Xuan's luck.

The total cost of this blessing reached an astonishing 2 points. The nearly 1302 points of blessing gained in this night battle were quickly reduced to only 7394 points.

……

The expenditure was enormous, but the gains were equally enormous.

The Black Wind Gang now has a total of 5375 members. During this blessing ceremony, more than 1,000 people achieved a breakthrough in their cultivation and entered a higher realm.

Among them, the most dazzling was Xiang Jinxiu, the former second-in-command of the Wild Wolf Stronghold, who, with the help of two lucky blessings, completely completed the leap from the late stage of Marrow Refinement to the peak of Marrow Refinement.

From then on, the Black Wind Gang's peak combat strength was no longer two, but three!

In addition, four other individuals at the mid-stage of Marrow Refinement, after receiving numerous blessings, also completed their current level of accumulation and broke through to the late-stage of Marrow Refinement.

Taking this opportunity, even more people will break through to the middle stage of Marrow Refinement, and even the early stage of Marrow Refinement.

Geng Xuan roughly estimated that, considering only the combat power at the Marrow Refinement level, this was after the blessing.

There are as many as 210 people, with 3 at their peak, 14 in the later stages, 50 in the middle stages, and 143 in the early stages.

Below the Marrow Refining stage, the number of people who break through to the current realm is even greater.

However, this also brings up a problem.

That is, among the thousands of people who made breakthroughs on the spot, the vast majority had unstable foundations.

Because the vast majority of those who break through to the next realm do so after enjoying multiple blessings of good fortune.

Before they could fully digest everything that had been forcibly stuffed into their bodies, he stuffed them with even more good fortune.

Only a minority of cultivators are truly at the threshold, just one step away from a breakthrough, and who complete this final leap with the help of good fortune.

However, Geng Xuan did not take this "hidden danger" seriously.

Even the people involved themselves didn't take it too seriously.

If they were given the choice again, everyone would choose to trade an unstable foundation for an immediate breakthrough.

It's just that their foundation is unstable, and their control over strength and technique is rougher in actual combat.

In the future, it will only take more time to solidify this fragile foundation.

……

The reorganization follows the same old rules: the original teams are broken up, and the veterans and newcomers are "mixed together" and then reorganized into new teams.

Originally, in each squad, the "component content" of Wild Wolf Village was at least more than 50%, and in some cases even reached 70% to 80%.

After this reorganization, the "Wild Wolf Village component" of each squad was diluted to less than 20%.

After this reorganization, the Black Wind Regiment, which originally had only 200 squads, expanded to 550 squads, 110 platoons, and 11 battalions.

Furthermore, because of the large number of people who have broken through in cultivation, from each squad down to the company and battalion, although the number of people has decreased slightly compared to before the reorganization, their strength has actually increased.

……

……

"Phew, finally done."

After completely finishing the reorganization, Geng Xuan couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Whether it was bestowing good fortune or reorganizing the team, Geng Xuan demonstrated extremely high efficiency.

In pursuit of efficiency, the blessing of good fortune is carried out in batches, with only a rough confirmation of the recipients of each batch. There is simply no time to accurately pinpoint each person's thoughts and achievements.

During the reorganization, he maximized the effectiveness of the Grandmaster-level "troop deployment technique".

In that state, Geng Xuan no longer saw specific people, but rather clusters of independent yet intertwined and disturbing "ripples".

The more than 5,000 members of the Black Wind Gang gathered together were like 5,000 tangled balls of yarn of different colors crammed together.

What he had to do was to sort the different yarn balls into different "color boxes" according to their colors in the shortest possible time.

"Squad", "Squad", and "Brigade" all use the same "colored frame", only the size of the frame is different.

Even with Geng Xuan's efficiency at this level, it still took him several hours to get everything done.

If we include the process of "persuasion" and recruitment, it takes even longer.

The mental and physical exertion required was even greater than when facing an attack from more than ten peak Marrow Refinement cultivators at the same time.

Having just escaped from the front lines of battle and thinking he could finally relax, Geng Xuan suddenly found himself surrounded by an even heavier net.

Geng Xuan gradually realized that the idea that he would have a leisurely life after breaking free from the front-line battle was simply wishful thinking.

His "battle" and "battlefield" have quietly changed.

Thinking of this, Geng Xuan couldn't help but let out another long sigh. He had no mind to pay attention to anything else and walked to a secluded corner to stand up as the "Heaven and Earth Stake".

The world suddenly became quiet.

Excessive mental and physical exertion can be quickly recovered in the "Heaven and Earth Stance" state.

Meanwhile, not far away, under the leadership of Song Mingzhu, Tie Lang, Xiang Jinxiu, Cao Ao, and others, the Black Wind Gang, with a scale of over five thousand people, continued to operate in an orderly manner.

She was not at a loss because of his letting go.

Cao Ao, along with Tao Bin, Bai Ma, and the rest of the emergency team, were conducting interviews one by one.

This time, they are recruiting 272 new members for the "emergency rescue team".

—At the suggestion of Tao Bin, Bai Ma and others, Geng Xuan's original plan to expand the emergency rescue team to only 100 people was directly increased to 300 people.

In addition, Xiang Jinxiu, who has just reached the peak of Marrow Refinement, will lead a large team of nearly 500 people, along with the more than 200 ordinary people, back to Wild Wolf Village.

Song Mingzhu and Tie Lang, along with ten other brigades, took full control of Wild Wolf Gorge and gathered all available resources within the gorge.

—The Black Wind Clan is rapidly expanding in size and its cohesion is constantly growing, which is certainly gratifying.

However, the logistical pressure on the Black Wind Gang has also increased dramatically, and this pressure will only increase further as the gang is expected to expand in the future.

Wild Wolf Gorge is not rich in resources, and Geng Xuan does not have the bad habit of eating people.

The resources he obtained from the Iron Arrow Mountain villa seemed plentiful, but they were increasingly insufficient in the face of the rapidly expanding Black Wind Gang.

……

Geng Xuan, in the "Heaven and Earth Stake" state, switched to the "Earth Listening Technique" mode.

He "heard" that Xiang Jinxiu and her group had returned to Wild Wolf Village, and the village, which had been empty for several hours, was now under renewed control.

From the mountain gate to the summit platform, and to the settlements where relatives and family members were settled, the Black Wind Gang's squads could be seen everywhere.

Wild Wolf Village quickly returned to "normal".

Inside Wild Wolf Gorge, the various sounds that were originally chaotic and disordered gradually became fewer and fainter.

This means that more squads have begun to take turns resting whenever they have a spare moment, under the arrangement of Song Mingzhu and others, and the sorting out of Wild Wolf Gorge by other squads has become more and more orderly.

Time slips away quietly in the process.

Before we knew it, the “long” night had passed, and it was already the morning of December 29th.

Geng Xuan, standing like a wooden stake, was bathed in the hazy glow of the early sun.

Centered on him, the "earth-listening spider web," extending as far as sixty miles away, suddenly broke through its original constraints and continued to spread and expand into the distance.

They stopped when they were about a hundred miles away from Geng Xuan.

The reason for this sudden change is that the "Earth Listening Technique" has completed the accumulation of the Grandmaster level and entered the perfect state.

After only a brief experience, Geng Xuan decided to continue focusing his main efforts on comprehending the "Heaven and Earth Stake".

at this time.

"clatter--"

"Da da da--"

"Da da da da da-"

The first sound of horses' hooves entered Geng Xuan's heart from the eastern edge of "Earthly Spider Web".

Then came the second, the third, the fourth...

Then they became so dense, like raindrops, that Geng Xuan could no longer discern the exact number of them.

But based on his experience, such a commotion could not be achieved without a caravan of more than a thousand horses moving at high speed.

Geng Xuan's heart immediately tightened slightly.

Because this large cavalry had a very clear target: the direction of Wild Wolf Gorge where they were located.

"Could it be that more than a hundred points of bad luck have 'lured' the Xuan You Iron Cavalry here ahead of time?" This was the first thought that came to Geng Xuan's mind.

However, after Geng Xuan carefully examined the hoofbeats that entered his mind, he confirmed that the hoofbeats were caused by the Canglan horse, not the Xuanyou horse.

"They must be bandits from the desert, coming from Wild Wolf Gorge."

Just as Geng Xuan was about to leave the "Heaven and Earth Stake" to find Song Mingzhu and the others and inform them of the matter.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves reached Geng Xuan's mind from the southern edge of the "earth-listening spider web".

Upon closer examination, Geng Xuan gradually discerned the similarities and differences between this Azure Mist cavalry team that appeared from the south and the Azure Mist cavalry team on the east side.

The similarities are that they both ride Azure Horses and their destination is Wild Wolf Gorge.

The difference is that the cavalry that appeared on the east side was larger and more orderly.

The cavalry that appeared on the south side covered a wider area, but had fewer horses, and was less than a thousand in number.

Compared to the cavalry on the east side, they appeared more scattered and disorganized.

"...The cavalry unit to the east should belong to a certain faction."

Only a large bandit group like Wild Wolf Stronghold could possess a cavalry force of this size.

"...The cavalry in the south is probably a group of bandits traveling together, not even an alliance."

Since they were all in Wild Wolf Gorge, they simply gathered together.

Thinking of this, Geng Xuan's nervousness immediately dissipated, and he began to feel somewhat expectant.

He immediately ended his cultivation, withdrew from the "Heaven and Earth Stance" state, and went to find Song Mingzhu and Tie Lang.

Because of Dong Guan's planning, the bandit group has been driven towards Wild Wolf Gorge and the other seven "cesspools".

With the added allure of over a hundred points of dark luck and calamity, Geng Xuan was almost certain that from now on, even if the Black Wind Gang stayed in Wild Wolf Gorge and didn't go anywhere, a steady stream of sand bandits would be drawn to them.

Since entering Xuanzhou and taking control of the Black Wind Clan in the Little Stone Forest, each expansion of the Black Wind Clan has brought with it both good fortune and corresponding calamities.

Geng Xuan only used two moves to deal with these endless streams of bad luck and calamities.

The first is to "actively eliminate the threat," and the second is to "wait for the rabbit to run into the tree stump."

The raid on the Iron Arrow Mountain villa, the infiltration of Wild Wolf Stronghold, and the night watch over Wild Wolf Gorge were all proactive attacks to avert disaster.

Before the calamity of misfortune could entangle him, he led the Black Wind Gang to "shatter" the calamity.

During their stay at the Iron Arrow Mountain Villa, two waves of bandit gangs heading north both stumbled right into the "net" of the villa, passively waiting and waiting for their prey to come to them.

Without doing anything, under the "favorable" environment, as long as there is a short period of time to brew, bad luck will push the corresponding calamity to descend.

Now, with bandit cavalry approaching Wild Wolf Gorge from the east and south almost simultaneously, Geng Xuan suspects that this "invisible hand" must be behind it all. (End of Chapter)