Wang Hong pondered for a moment, speculating on Pan Yuan's past behavior. He was sure that Pan Yuan had no good intentions.
In terms of his current strength, he wasn't afraid of a direct confrontation with Pan Yuan. However, the Cultivation World was filled with numerous mysterious methods, making it impossible to guard against everything. There was no rule stating that life-and-death battles must be fought head-on.
For instance, Wang Hong excelled in using poison, and he had killed many people more powerful than him. If Pan Yuan had other plans after they left, there was a chance things could go south.
In his earlier years, he had set up battlefields and ambushed Foundation Building cultivators. As the art of war says, "Attack others where they are unprepared, make yourself unpredictable."
Since the opponent had planned in advance, why should he follow their plan and let them take the initiative? If someone wanted to plot against him, they should do so on his terms.
Knowing there might be traps, he wouldn't recklessly walk into them. "I'm sorry, Senior Brother Pan, but I've reached a crucial point in my cultivation recently and can't afford any interruptions. I'm afraid I won't be able to assist you this time. Please find someone more suitable."
"Since Junior Brother Wang is busy, let's forget about it. We can discuss it next time," Pan Yuan said with a smile, seemingly unconcerned.
Qiao Yun, on the side, wanted to say something, but Pan Yuan stopped him with a glance. The two bid farewell and left.
"Senior Uncle Pan, are we just letting it go? This kid, relying on the status of a Named Disciple, dares to show such disrespect."
Pan Yuan slapped Qiao Yun across the face.
"Can't you use your brain? What do you mean by the status of a 'Named Disciple'? I can slap you , but I can't do the same to him? A disciple is a disciple; if a disciple is humiliated, it reflects poorly on the master. What can I do to him within the sect?"
"Yes, yes, Senior Uncle, you're right," Qiao Yun said, looking as if he had learned a valuable lesson.
He thought he had gained benefits by attaching himself to a powerful figure, but now, instead of rewards, he received a slap. It was to make him understand that Pan Yuan could slap him anytime, but Wang Hong couldn't be openly slapped.
It seemed not every influential figure was worth associating with.
After dismissing Pan Yuan, Wang Hong found himself frequently approached by fellow sect members in the following days. Some invited him on treasure hunts, others for leisure activities, and so on.
These individuals might be acting on Shadow Kill's orders or might be eyeing his possessions. After all, news had spread about him selling three Foundation Establishment Pills, earning nearly ninety thousand Spirit Stones. Even Foundation Building cultivators didn't possess such wealth.
Recently, the sect distributed Foundation Establishment Pills, leading to a continuous stream of successful Foundation Buildings. Within two to three years after each secret realm opening, over a hundred people would achieve Foundation Building, ensuring the sect had thousands of Foundation Building cultivators.
Newly established Foundation Building cultivators were often strapped for resources. They would meticulously examine roadside weeds, hoping to find overlooked natural treasures.
Regardless of the reasons, Wang Hong silently noted down the names of these people. He decided not to leave the sect for a while, letting these individuals grow impatient. Let the winds blow from every direction; he would stand firm.
If Shadow Kill dared to enter the sect for an assassination attempt, he was eager to test the small Five Elements Formation in his courtyard, modified by the messy old man. He wondered if it could trap a Foundation Building cultivator.
Unlike other recently promoted Foundation Building cultivators, who sought Spirit Stones and resources everywhere, Wang Hong's primary goal was to strengthen his power.
Not only did he need to enhance his personal strength, but also the strength of his subordinates, the Forty-plus People.
The recent incident where Elder Brother forcibly bought Barrier Breaking Pills from his Elixir Pavilion showed that without a Foundation Building cultivator overseeing, business was challenging.
Considering Elder Brother's methods, they were relatively mild. Wang Hong entered the Alchemy room, spending several days refining a large batch of Body Refining Pills and Golden Body Pills.
He then summoned Zhang Chunfeng, instructing him to deliver these elixirs to Azure Void City. In the future, everyone could exchange these elixirs at half price using contribution points, but profiting from resale was strictly forbidden.
Although he wished to give these elixirs for free to his subordinates, he knew that people often failed to appreciate things that came for free. He couldn't let them develop a habit of getting something for nothing; it would be destructive for his loosely formed organization.
While he had faith in the loyalty of his subordinates and didn't intend to manipulate them deliberately, he understood the importance of maintaining authority. If he gave elixirs for free today, what could he give tomorrow? As a former general who commanded tens of thousands, he knew the importance of leading one's subordinates wisely.
When Zhang Chunfeng returned from Azure Void City, he brought back two million Spirit Stones, the total income for this period. Previously, after auctioning the Foundation Establishment Pills and buying the Golden Light Bowl, he had just over four hundred thousand Spirit Stones left, which he hadn't stored in Space.
With these two million, he could upgrade Space once again. After absorbing the Spirit Stones, the land in Space increased by twenty mu, reaching a total of seventy-five mu, and time flow increased to a hundred and four times that of the outside world.
Now, one year outside was equivalent to over a hundred years inside Space.
He planned to plant all the additional twenty mu with second-tier Spiritual Herbs, as the existing space was insufficient. As for third-tier Spiritual Herbs, he currently only had Dragon Scale Fruit and Ink Jade Spirit Lotus. Since the Dragon Scale Fruit hadn't grown yet, he focused on expanding the Ink Jade Spirit Lotus by enlarging the pond to one mu.
Then, he divided the Lotus Root of the Ink Jade Spirit Lotus into sections and replanted each section as a new plant. In total, he now had thirteen Ink Jade Spirit Lotus.
Expanding the cultivation of the Spiritual Herb for Refining Nourishing Essence Pills was urgent. Nourishing Essence Pills were widely used among Foundation Building cultivators, making them easy to sell.
Last time, when he wanted to practice Alchemy, he couldn't even buy the Spiritual Herbs for Nourishing Essence Pills with Spirit Stones and had to reserve them in advance.
Having previously cultivated two mu of Essence Nurturing Grass, with several decades of medicinal age, he could harvest them in about a year according to the time difference in Space.
He replanted another eight mu of Nourishing Essence Pill Medicinal Herbs, adding to the original two mu of Essence Nurturing Grass, making a total of ten mu.
The remaining land was filled with second-tier spirit fruits or Spiritual Herbs. As the planting area was less than a fraction of the land, he filled it up.
Currently, in addition to practicing two cultivation techniques daily, he also set aside time each day to enter Space and read books. The content included Alchemy, various cultivation techniques, and more.
The contribution points required to exchange for cultivation techniques were much higher than the Spirit Herb books he had read before. For instance, the two cultivation techniques he practiced were valued at two hundred and fifty thousand. However, he only exchanged them for reference and didn't have the ability to afford such expensive cultivation techniques.
Every month, he would collect dozens of Alchemy tasks from the Task Hall, earning a few hundred contribution points, considering each task only required the refinement of twenty materials, which wasn't too strenuous.
He used these contribution points to exchange various books each month. Joining the sect's biggest advantage, in his opinion, lay in the accumulated heritage of tens of thousands of years, most of which rested in the Scripture Tower.
Given the current opportunity and the ample time provided by Space, he intended to make the most of it.
[Read at /shanefreak, without ads and support the work.]