Start with a red name

Firstly, only through such real and intense clashes can the true nature of the "Black Wind Army" be revealed.

He wanted to observe closely how the "Black Wind Army" operated from top to bottom, without his direct intervention, according to its already well-established and spontaneous system.

Although the top-to-bottom operation still seems a bit clumsy.

Overall, Geng Xuan was very satisfied with the result.

On the other hand, he was also quietly protecting and supporting them.

To prevent the enemy from deploying an excessive force to infiltrate the battlefield.

As he had predicted, Dong Guan did not fully adhere to battlefield etiquette. Outside the fierce naval battle, there were also some sneaky figures trying to infiltrate his fleet.

Without exception, each of these figures possessed formidable individual strength.

At the very least, they are at the peak of the Marrow Refining stage, and there are many who have reached the second stage of perfection.

However, no matter how discreet their actions were, the concentration of red names above their heads, far exceeding that of others, marked them clearly in Geng Xuan's field of vision.

Meeting him was like meeting your nemesis.

The vast majority of them met a swift and decisive end at his hands, silently sinking to the bottom of the dark, desolate water.

—The sheer intensity of these people's infamy is so great that they are far ahead of the Iron Cavalry generals under Dong Guan, who are known for their ruthless killing and whose cultivation and strength are on par with them.

Later, Geng Xuan learned from Yang Qian that these people all came from "Yingfeng Hall," a military force independent of the army and directly led by Dong Guan.

Many tasks that are inconvenient or do not require the deployment of troops are handled by the "Shadow Wind Hall".

In terms of "average kills per person", they are certainly superior to the cavalry generals who are subject to too many military regulations.

Including the one with the strongest red name, the highest cultivation level, and the perfect cultivation of the fourth realm, who is most likely the "Shadow Wind Hall Master".

As he suddenly emerged from the deeper, dark, and desolate waters, instantly pressed against his back and lightly touched the back of his head with his right index finger, this infamous figure, who was notorious in certain circles of the Xuanyou and Erzhou states, also turned into a corpse and sank to the bottom of the water.

Only four people were selected because their red name concentration was significantly lower than the average level of this group, which greatly dragged down the "Shadow Wind Hall" group, and that's why they received his special attention.

They were not killed, but captured alive.

These four people include a person named Xiao Yu who has reached the third realm of perfection, a person who has reached the second realm of perfection, and two people who have reached the first realm of perfection.

These are the four people who are currently sitting in the courtyard with Liu Mu, Tan Ze, and others.

Upon seeing Geng Xuan enter, Liu Mu immediately cupped his hands and said:

"My lord, after our guidance and persuasion, they have all decided to abandon the darkness and embrace the light."

The four men immediately knelt down and expressed their loyalty and submission.

It's not just about physical submission.

In Geng Xuan's eyes, their emotions, thoughts, and the changes in the ripples emanating from their bodies all supported this judgment.

Be consistent in word and deed.

Geng Xuan was somewhat surprised by the result.

Compared to the prisoners captured alive in the naval battles and the night battles at the fifteen post stations, this 100% conversion rate was simply too high.

However, Geng Xuan quickly understood.

He killed all the other members of "Shadow Wind Hall," leaving only these four alive.

This means that they have undergone an extremely rigorous selection process.

Furthermore, these people's cultivation, status, and vision far surpass those of the other prisoners.

They were also closer to Dong Guan.

Instead, it gives people a more realistic understanding of Dong Guanneng, without an overly strong sense of awe or worship that is like an imprint on their minds.

To put it bluntly, the closer one is to Dong Guan, the stronger one's abilities and the broader one's vision. Once one recognizes one's true situation, it is easier to switch sides and one will have less psychological burden.

With these four individuals joining the team, this recruitment drive has officially come to an end.

Yesterday's battle, in Geng Xuan's mind, finally brought an end to the story.

"Now, the top-level combat strength of the 'Black Wind Army' is finally barely respectable."

……

Naval warfare:

The enemy suffered over 4,800 casualties, while the Black Wind Army suffered over 2,500 casualties.

Battle of the Fifteen Post Stations:

The enemy cavalry suffered a total of nearly 5,500 casualties (killed in battle, seriously wounded and dealt with, captured and eliminated if conversion failed), while our own iron cavalry numbered over 1,800.

Geng Xuan solved it personally:

Sixteen people from Yingfeng Hall.

In the naval battles and the lightning raids on fifteen post stations, a total of over 14,700 people died on both sides.

Good fortune: 535,807 points

Black Luck: 1320 points

Including more than 3,000 servants, the total number of new recruits was more than 4,600.

Including the four who have now joined and pledged allegiance.

Bai Yun: 140 points.

……

In addition, a total of over 12 people received the "Lucky Blessing," consuming 5648 "Lucky Points."

Compared to the past, Geng Xuan made a small change in the specific process of bestowing blessings this time.

That is, more preferential treatment was given to all senior leaders.

Even after he gradually relinquished control, the "Black Wind Army" was still able to maintain its overall upward momentum, and they deserve great credit for that.

Giving them some preferential treatment is understandable.

However, on the other hand, it is also the prescription that Geng Xuan has given to the current "Black Wind Army".

Compared to Dong Guan, the gap in the strength of the middle and lower ranks of the army was indeed vast.

But in Geng Xuan's view, all of this was still tolerable.

The real problem lies in the precipitous gap in power at the top.

Although he has a lot of good fortune at his disposal, he can freely promote individuals he finds pleasing in unconventional ways.

However, Geng Xuan was unwilling to arbitrarily disrupt the increasingly完善的福赐规则 (blessing rules).

This appropriate adjustment within the rules represents the greatest compromise he has made after careful consideration.

Benefiting from this adjustment, Song Mingzhu and Tie Lang were pushed to the level of the third realm perfection even before they had a firm foothold in the second realm perfection.

In addition, Hu Yuan, Zhang Kai, and Guo Nan, who had reached the first realm perfection, also made great strides into the second realm perfection.

Five people, including Ruan Ruizhe, Yu Qiuhe, Cao Ao, Tao Bin, and Baima, have also advanced from the peak of Marrow Refining to the Perfection of the First Realm.

From then on, including Liu Mu, Tan Ze, Yang Qian, Xiao Yu, and others who had joined and submitted to the cause.

The Black Wind Army now finally has a barely acceptable echelon of combat power above the peak of the Marrow Refinement stage.

Liu Mu is the only one who has achieved perfection in all four realms.

The four who have reached the Three Realms Perfection are Song Mingzhu, Tie Lang, Tan Ze, and Xiao Yu.

Nine people have achieved the second stage of perfection, including Hu Yuan, Zhang Kai, Guo Nan, and Yang Qian. Fifteen people have achieved the first stage of perfection, including Ruan Ruizhe, Yu Qiuhe, Cao Ao, Tao Bin, and Baima.

In addition, the "Black Wind Army" has 29 peak Marrow Refinement cultivators, 115 late-stage cultivators, 376 mid-stage cultivators, and 2067 early-stage cultivators.

According to information Geng Xuan obtained from Yang Qian, Liu Mu, and others, without considering the low combat capability caused by an unstable foundation.

The Black Wind Army, even in the early stages of the Marrow Refining Realm, already possessed the fighting strength and numbers to rival Dong Guan.

However, they can only be compared at the early stage of Marrow Refinement. In the middle and late stages, and at higher levels, there is still a significant gap in the number of people on both sides.

Even if he continuously pours in tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of points of good fortune, this huge gap is not so easy to bridge.

—For a cultivator, forcibly advancing to a higher realm requires anywhere from tens to hundreds of points of good fortune, depending on their previous accumulation and the level of their realm.

From another perspective, Dong Guan, who controls the vast majority of the cultivators in the Xuan You and Er Zhou states, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, is essentially holding tens of millions to hundreds of millions of "fortune assets."

In other words, if Geng Xuan only wanted to rely on luck to force his way out, even if he spent all of his more than three million luck points, he would not be able to build an army that could rival Dong Guan in both size and quality.

On the one hand, it is necessary to "use war to sustain war," constantly transforming the troops under Dong Guan's command into good fortune, and into nourishment for the growth of the "Black Wind Army."

On the other hand, we must build momentum like a snowball, constantly attracting new forces to join us.

—Because this process itself involves huge "consumption," a Bone Refining Realm expert who kills without hesitation would generally only contribute forty or fifty points of good fortune to him.

This bit of good fortune allowed a person to complete the accumulation of the Skin Refining level and break through to the Flesh Refining realm.

To "fatten" someone to the Bone Refining Realm through sheer luck, you'd need seven or eight points of luck totaling thirty or forty.

In other words, under normal circumstances, it takes seven or eight Bone Refining Realm cultivators to create a new Bone Refining Realm cultivator.

This is even with the generally high concentration of red names among these Bone Refining Realm cultivators. If the average person only provides around twenty points of red luck, then the number of Bone Refining Realm cultivators who die would have to double to create a new one.

Having glimpsed these essential truths, one can understand that "good fortune and blessings" can never become a regular means of spiritual practice.

It is an emergency measure that can only be used under specific conditions.

……

After accepting the allegiance of Xiao Yu and the other three, Geng Xuan entrusted Liu Mu, Song Mingzhu, Tie Lang, and others with the specific arrangements for the next phase of the "Black Wind Army".

He then went to another location on the island.

Thousands of people gathered in a large open space.

They didn't make much of a commotion; from a distance, you could only see anywhere from a few dozen to a hundred of them, huddled together tightly.

They sat with their heads close together, exchanging hushed conversations.

Some acted as storytellers, while others acted as listeners.

However, in Geng Xuan's field of vision, he could see ripples that seemed to rise and fall like waves.

Each and every one of them was a burning, feverish brain, as if it were about to burst into flames.

These are all “children of the wolf clan”.

Those storytellers were the earliest members of the "Black Wind Army" who grew up alongside them from the beginning of "Wild Wolf Gorge" and have come all the way to the present. For various reasons, they did not leave with Hake and the others.

Those who listened were the auxiliary troops, almost entirely composed of "Canglang people," whom the 20,000 iron cavalry had recruited during the process of swallowing up fifteen post stations.

Previously, one thing after another happened, and Geng Xuan simply didn't have time to talk to them in detail.

It is only known that their cooperation during the Black Wind Army's attack, and their almost 100% success rate in recruiting new members, were related to the actions of Hak and others.

Now that everything else is settled, Geng Xuan finally has time to get to know things properly.

"Ah, the divine child has come."

"And the Holy Maiden!"

"..."

Upon seeing Geng Xuan's arrival, someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise and immediately alerted those around him.

Instantly, pairs of eyes, gleaming with fervor, focused on Geng Xuan.

The crowd quickly quieted down.

Only burning emotions, like torches, and ripples, like waves, filled Geng Xuan's vision.

After hearing those soft whispers and calls, Geng Xuan paused for a moment, turned to look at Bai Ma beside him, and smiled:

"Saint?"

After leaving Liu Mu, Xiao Yu and others, Geng Xuan made a special trip to the emergency rescue camp to call Bai Ma, who had just been pushed to the first realm of perfection and was currently in seclusion to hone her skills.

Bai Ma, who had been smiling because she was about to meet her fellow tribesmen, suddenly became complicated after hearing Geng Xuan's words.

Shy and awkward.

And anxiety.

She hurriedly defended herself:
"This...this is just them making things up, it could never be Hark's guidance!"

During his time with the "Black Wind Army," Baima also grew rapidly.

Not only his cultivation level and strength, but also his insight and knowledge are improving rapidly.

Even her least favorite areas, "politics" and "people's hearts," have seen a significant improvement compared to when she was first "abducted" from the tribe by Cao Ao and his men.

Seeing her like this, Geng Xuan comforted her instead:

"Don't worry, I trust both you and Hack very much."

Hearing this, Baima breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, her heart soon jumped into her throat again.

"However, would you like to consider their proposal?" Geng Xuan asked.

“Consider…consider what?” Baima stammered, realizing what was going on.

“To become a saintess,” Geng Xuan said.

"ah?!!"

Baima exclaimed in surprise, and then fell completely silent.

He stared wide-eyed at Geng Xuan, unable to utter a single word.

Geng Xuan nodded slightly and said, "It's decided then."

"You...you've decided just like that? Is this...is it really that hasty?" Baima stammered.

Geng Xuan's eyes showed a thoughtful expression as he said:

"Not satisfied? You want a grand coronation ceremony?"

Bai Ma was startled and quickly waved her hands, her hands almost leaving afterimages.

"No...no, you misunderstood, that's not what I meant...I meant, such an important decision, are you just making it so hastily? Why don't you...reconsider it carefully?"

After stammering for a while, Baima continued, "Moreover, I don't know what this saintess should do. I'm afraid I'll let you down."

Geng Xuan smiled at Bai Ma, and after she stammered out her words, he said:
“I think you’re quite suitable. As for how the saintess should act… just do it the way you are now, that’s perfect.”

"Is this how I am now?" Baima looked bewildered.

“Yes, saving lives and healing the wounded, rescuing people from certain death and giving them a new life... If there really is a saintess in this world, I think no one is more professional than you right now,” Geng Xuan said.

"..." Baima opened her mouth, not knowing how to explain.

"Alright, it's decided then." (End of Chapter)