Investiture of the Gods: Childhood Sweetheart Daji, Starting with Quasi-Saint Cultivation

The border of Beihai is a desolate wasteland.

Su Yunbai reined in his horse, looking at the twenty Su family guards behind him, their faces resolute yet unable to conceal their exhaustion from the long journey, and felt somewhat helpless.

His adoptive father, Su Hu, insisted that he bring these people along, saying that "one must always have someone to serve him; one cannot do everything himself and lose face."

The reasoning is correct.

But for a quasi-saint like him, quelling the rebellion in the North Sea was just a matter of a few thoughts, a distance of a thousand miles.

Now, to accommodate the speed of these guards' march, we have to ride horses obediently, which took almost half a day.

"My lord, our army's front-line camp is fifty li ahead," a captain of the personal guard rode forward to report.

Su Yunbai nodded, looking at these loyal guards who were at most ordinary martial artists, and began to ponder.

We can't really let them fight to the death with the demon race and unorthodox cultivators, can we?

That's no different from sending someone to their death.

However, it would indeed be beneath him to personally handle everything as the "special envoy," and it would also be too inefficient.

We need to train some of our own people.

With a thought, he called upon the system in his mind.

"System, does the shop have any cultivation techniques or quick-learning packages that I can give to others? I want to train this group of guards."

[Ding! Host requirements detected. Scanning for cultivation programs that can be granted in batches, have low barriers to entry, and can be developed quickly...]

[Scan complete. Recommended: "Iron-Blooded Battle Soul Manual" (Human Race Military Edition) + 20 Basic Body Tempering Pills.]

[Package Description: The "Iron-Blooded Battle Soul Technique" is a low-level body-refining method, perfectly suited to the battlefield's killing intent. Cultivation is rapid, with extremely low aptitude requirements; only abundant blood and strong will are needed to begin. Combined with basic body-tempering pills, it can create a robust physique and blood comparable to a Foundation Establishment stage body cultivator within a month. When forming an array, the blood and qi are linked, allowing for a brief resistance against low-level spells and demonic beasts.]

[Package Price: 8000 Intimacy Points.]

Su Yunbai's eyes lit up.

Not bad! Mass-producing Foundation Establishment stage body cultivators, although their individual strength isn't particularly high, twenty of them forming an array!

It's usable at the top level, at least enough to deal with grunts, maintain order, and run errands.

"Redeem this package!"

[Ding! Exchange failed. Host's current intimacy points: -975. Insufficient balance.]

Su Yunbai: "..."

I almost forgot about that.

I just took out a loan to buy a life-saving package, and now I'm nearly a thousand yuan in debt.

"System, can I buy on credit? Or... borrow some more?"

Su Yunbai tried asking.

This system seems quite intelligent; it's even negotiable.

[Ding! Detected that the host has a stable source of intimacy points (bound to the character Su Daji) and a good credit record (only one instance of debt).]

This system offers a "small-amount credit loan based on intimacy points" service.

[Loan amount available this time: 10000 Intimacy Points.]

[Loan Interest: 0.5% daily, compounded daily. Overdue payments will incur hefty "emotional late fees" and may trigger random penalty tasks (such as: reciting love poems in public, making an embarrassing confession to the bound character, etc.).]

[Do you need a loan?]

Su Yunbai's lips twitched.

0.5% daily interest?

Interest compounding? That's even worse than loan sharking!

And what the hell is that punishment mission?

Reciting love poems in public? System, you're ruthless!

But looking at his honest-looking guards behind him, waiting for his orders... never mind!

"Borrow! Borrow 8000 points! Just buy that package!" Su Yunbai gritted his teeth.

[Ding! Loan successful. 8000 Intimacy Points awarded.]

[Ding! Successfully redeemed the "Iron-Blooded Battle Soul Technique" (Human Race Military Edition) + 20 Basic Body Tempering Pills. Consumed 8000 Intimacy Points.]

[Host's current intimacy level: -8975 points (Principal -975, Loan -8000).]

[Daily interest: 44.875 intimacy points. Please remember to repay on time.]

Well, I'm almost nine thousand in debt.

Su Yunbai felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

The interest I get from Daji every day, the meager "longing and ties" I collect, is probably just enough to pay off the interest.

We need to find a way to open source it!

Suppressing his heartache, Su Yunbai waved for his guards to dismount and gather around him.

"Brothers," he said, scanning the crowd, "this journey north is fraught with peril."

Our opponents are no ordinary rebels; many are charlatans and heretics. With your current skills, you're unlikely to achieve anything.

The guards' expressions hardened, but not one of them flinched. They shouted in unison, "We are willing to die for our young master!"

"There's no need to die for him."

"I want you to live, and to become stronger. Now, I will teach you a cultivation technique and bestow upon you elixirs. The process will be somewhat painful, but if you endure it, within a month, each of you will possess a physique and strength comparable to a low-level cultivator!"

Everyone was stunned at first, then overjoyed! The young master was going to impart immortal techniques?

This is an incredible opportunity!

Without further ado, Su Yunbai sent out twenty barely perceptible beams of white light from the system-exchanged "Iron-Blooded Battle Soul Technique," which instantly entered the foreheads of each of his guards.

"boom!"

A massive flow of information and cultivation methods exploded in their minds.

At the same time, each person suddenly had a brown pill the size of a longan, emitting a medicinal fragrance, in their hand.

"Take the pills and circulate your qi and blood according to the method in your mind! I will protect you!" Su Yunbai shouted.

"Yes!" The guards did not hesitate and immediately swallowed the pills and sat down cross-legged.

The pills entered their stomachs and instantly transformed into torrents of intense heat, rushing towards their limbs and bones.

Immediately afterwards, the Iron-Blooded Battle Soul Technique automatically activated, guiding this torrent to violently wash over the meridians and temper the flesh and bones.

"Ugh!"

"Ho—"

Suddenly, a suppressed groan of pain echoed across the wasteland.

There were twenty strong men, all with flushed faces, bulging veins on their foreheads, and muscles twitching uncontrollably!

Black, fishy-smelling grime seeped from the pores; that was impurities from inside the body.

The scene was quite "horrific," somewhat resembling a mass food poisoning.

Su Yunbai stroked his chin, looking at it with amusement. This crash course seemed to have an unpleasant process.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the medicinal effects were gradually absorbed, and the groans of pain subsided.

The guards opened their eyes one after another, their gazes bright, feeling the surging energy within them.

The strength far exceeded that of the past, and the body was noticeably lighter and more resilient; he was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.

"I feel like I could kill a bull with one punch!"

"I feel so energetic!"

"Young master! This...this is amazing!"

Su Yunbai nodded in satisfaction.

The effects were immediate, although I'm still some distance from reaching the Foundation Establishment stage of body cultivation!

But with the physical foundation laid, the next step is to train and hone one's skills through combat, step by step.

"This is just the beginning."

"You have the techniques and the foundation, but true strength must be honed in battle. When you reach the North Sea, you'll have plenty of opportunities to fight to the death."

"We will obey your command, young master!" The guards responded in unison, their morale soaring.

"Now, I'll give you your first task."

"Go to the river ahead and fetch me some water. Also, wash yourself clean; you stink."

"Huh?" The guards were taken aback, and only then did they smell the sour smell of the impurities expelled from each other's bodies, and their old faces immediately turned red.

"Hahaha!" Su Yunbai couldn't help but laugh as he watched them rush towards the river in a flurry of activity.

The first step in building a team has been taken.

Although we've taken on even heavier debts, it's all worth it when we see these promising and disciplined guards.

He looked towards the North Sea, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Grand Tutor Wen, I have arrived.

Yuan Futong, and the demons and monsters behind you, are you ready for a surprise?

He patted the horse's neck: "Let's go, buddy, let's meet our 'allies' and 'enemies'."

He was accompanied by twenty bodyguards who had just undergone a "painful baptism," and were soaking wet but full of energy!

Su Yunbai and his group once again sped towards the war-torn front lines of Beihai.