Chapter 615: Military Supplies, Military System
After Qingchi and Ning Zhuo left the City Lord’s residence, they immediately summoned everyone together.
Inside the room, Qingchi proudly displayed the Military Branch to the crowd.
Army Morale was a mass of azure light gathered into the shape of a heart, while the Military Branch had undergone a drastic transformation.
It had turned into a seed, about the size of an adult’s fist, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. From its pointed tip extended numerous slender paper streamers, like the roots of a germinating seed, swaying gently even without wind.
The entire seed was wrapped in layers of paper money, white and yellow, coarse in texture.
Between the overlapping sheets, a solemn human face could faintly be seen.
“So this is the Military Branch? It’s my first time seeing one.” Jiao Ma’s Father widened his eyes, examining it carefully.
“It’s truly been refined. Girl, you did well!”
Faced with her father’s praise, Qingchi instead turned her burning gaze toward Ning Zhuo. “Actually, it was all thanks to Little Ma.”
Qingyan’s brows immediately furrowed. He sensed that this refinement of the Military Branch had caused some kind of breakthrough in the relationship between his daughter and Jiao Ma.
Wen Ruanyu folded his arms, looking entirely unsurprised. “I told you long ago—those two were bound to succeed!”
Qingyan felt the statement was ambiguous and quickly corrected him. “The Military Branch has succeeded.”
“As long as it succeeded, that’s what matters. Wonderful, truly wonderful! Hahaha.” Jiao Ma’s Father was overjoyed.
Ning Zhuo glanced at Qingchi. He had already taken the initiative to withdraw the thread of life from her. That divine ability was best reserved for critical moments, lest others notice something amiss.
He continued, “Since the Military Branch has been refined, let’s test it first.”
Everyone nodded.
Soon, ghost cultivators of the Qing Clan and human cultivators of the Jiao Clan were summoned.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Qingchi stepped before the soldiers.
She took out the Military Branch once more and poured her magical power into it.
The paper-money Military Branch swelled rapidly like an inflated balloon. The outermost sheets spread outward, rising into the air without wind.
One sheet of paper money after another descended, landing upon the cultivators and swiftly adhering to their bodies.
Before long, countless sheets of paper money wrapped around the soldiers, turning them into humanoid paper effigies.
Qingchi immediately felt a tremendous suction force erupt from the Military Branch in her hands, rapidly draining her magical power.
“Little Ma!” Her expression changed slightly as she instinctively called for Ning Zhuo.
Qingyan was about to intervene, but Ning Zhuo stopped him with a single sentence. “No one move. I participated in the refinement. The Military Branch recognizes my magical power as well.”
Moving swiftly, Ning Zhuo placed his hand over the Military Branch and began channeling his magical power into it, greatly easing Qingchi’s burden.
Qingchi let out a breath. “Little Ma, thank goodness you’re here!”
Ning Zhuo remained calm. “Qingchi, focus. This is our first time using the Military Branch.”
Qingchi nodded, savoring the word “our” in her heart, feeling waves of sweetness.
Qingyan: …
However, soon Ning Zhuo’s expression also changed.
His magical power was not enough either.
And this was only the beginning!
Fortunately, Ning Zhuo carried a large quantity of spirit stones and medicinal pills, immediately replenishing himself to maintain his reserves.
This situation persisted for nearly half a day before it finally came to an end.
The paper money attached to the cultivators fell off one after another, disintegrating midair into countless scraps before completely dissipating.
The changes in the soldiers were visible to the naked eye.
They had become leaner. The exposed skin of the Jiao Clan cultivators turned deathly pale, while the Qing Clan ghost cultivators’ skin grew even darker and deeper.
Their bodies now contained much more Yin energy, yet it coexisted harmoniously without the slightest rejection.
Upon careful examination with divine sense, Ning Zhuo and the others discovered that the cultivators’ bodies, souls, and even their three dantians had all undergone modification.
Although the extent of change was not great, the direction of transformation was clearly unified.
“I’ve learned two spells,” one cultivator reported proactively.
“So have I. It’s as if they were directly imprinted into my mind.”
“Why did I only master one?”
There were differences among cultivators; identical nurturing did not yield identical results.
After questioning them, Qingchi learned that the two spells were Paper Armor Technique and Yin Crossing Technique.
As its name implied, the Paper Armor Technique produced layers of talisman paper over the surface when activated, increasing defense.
The Yin Crossing Technique allowed soldiers to adapt and survive in environments dense with Yin energy.
“As long as we continue using the Military Branch to cultivate them, they should comprehend more methods. Among them, there should be techniques for traversing between Yin and Yang,” Ning Zhuo speculated.
“Little Ma, you’re so clever. That must be it. But do we have to expend so much effort every time we nurture them?” Qingchi asked.
Ning Zhuo fell silent.
This was not merely a matter of effort. To sustain this round of cultivation, the spirit stones and medicinal pills he had expended were of considerable value.
“However…” Ning Zhuo looked at the cultivators before him and sighed inwardly. “With the Military Branch in hand, it truly is far more convenient and superior.”
“This expense is absolutely worth it!”
He thought of the Three Generals Camp.
For Liu, Guan, and Zhang to cultivate their subordinates, they had to exhaust themselves in training, and even then they only produced the most ordinary soldiers.
But possessing a Military Branch was a qualitative transformation as vast as heaven and earth!
The cultivators’ souls and bodies had both been enhanced and altered. In this regard, the Military Branch was similar to the Fetal Breathing Spirit Vessel and the Underworld Penal Codex—they all enhanced a cultivator’s foundation.
Though the Military Branch was single in direction, it was comprehensive in coverage. Both body and soul were transformed.
Ning Zhuo’s thoughts drifted to the Red Flower Camp. Did they possess a corresponding Military Branch?
“It’s not that there’s no way to avoid the effort,” Li Xiangshang interjected at this moment.
When everyone turned to him, he continued, “This concerns the next step.”
“Now that the Military Branch has been refined, the next stage is Military Supplies!”
“We must invest large amounts of resources into the Military Branch to let it grow robust.”
“Once it has sufficient foundation, it can complete rounds of cultivation on its own without us continuously pouring magical power into it.”
“In fact, that is the proper way to use it.”
Qingchi asked, “What resources does it require?”
“Basically, anything of value will do. For example, spirit stones,” Li Xiangshang replied.
“Of course, there are also certain special requirements.”
“Since this Military Branch corresponds to the Paper Money Nether Soldiers, there must be unique military supplies suited to it. Fulfilling that portion will allow its foundation to grow faster and more effectively.”
Qingchi frowned. “But I can’t sense any special requirements.”
Li Xiangshang said, “That… is probably because the Military Branch has just been refined and hasn’t been cultivated to a sufficient level yet.”
“Haha. This is also my first time assisting in refining one. I’m not entirely clear on the details.”
Even so, it was enough.
His words gave everyone a clear direction forward.
But therein lay the problem.
Ning Zhuo and the others all frowned.
To refine the Military Branch, they had practically sold off everything they owned.
And that was with funding from the White Paper City Lord and General Luo Si.
Now they still needed more wealth.
Establishing an army was this terrifyingly difficult.
Simply put—it required money.
A substantial sum of cultivation resources was still needed to properly nurture the Military Branch.
But Ning Zhuo had nearly exhausted his entire foundation.
Where would the next sum come from?
Wen Ruanyu said, “Since we’ve come this far, I will report back and hope the City Lord will generously provide further funding.”
After all, if an army were truly established, it would greatly benefit White Paper Immortal City.
Li Xiangshang emphasized, “Once the Military Branch is properly cultivated, it won’t just impart spells—it may also store experience.”
“The combat experience of the new army will be stored within the Military Branch.”
“When cultivating newcomers in the future, that experience can be instilled into them, allowing them to swiftly transform into seasoned veterans.”
“Oh, right.”
“During the Military Supplies stage, Miss Qingchi must also study military treatises.”
“It’s not mainly about mastering numerous strategies, but about deciding what kind of Military System to adopt.”
“When your attainment in the military path is sufficient, you can add new restrictions to the Military Branch. These restrictions originate from military treatises and are fundamental pillars of army construction.”
“Military Supplies and Military System complement one another. If both advance together, that would be ideal.”
Qingchi held her head. “What? I have to read books too?”
Ning Zhuo looked at Li Xiangshang. “I also participated in refining the Military Branch and serve as deputy commander. Can I add restrictions as well?”
“It should be possible,” Li Xiangshang replied, “but it would likely require Miss Qingchi’s consent and cooperation.”
This condition was practically no condition at all.
“Military path attainment…” Ning Zhuo murmured. “It seems I must read more military treatises.”
Qingchi nodded. “Little Ma, then I’ll leave this matter to you.”
“No, you must read as well,” Ning Zhuo said. “I am only the deputy commander. You are the rightful commander.”
Qingchi made a bitter face. “Then can I be deputy commander instead, and you be the commander, Little Ma?”
“Cough, cough, cough!” Qingyan coughed violently.
Ning Zhuo’s face turned solemn. “Qingchi, don’t be absurd. You created the Army Morale. You deserve the position of commander more than I do.”
Qingyan’s tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.
The Qing Clan ghost cultivators in the room, who had grown tense at Qingchi’s suggestion, also relaxed.
In the next moment, they had been ready to reject the idea in unison.
Ning Zhuo’s timely statement eased the atmosphere.
Jiao Ma’s Father, however, secretly felt regret.
Ning Zhuo swept his gaze around before fixing it on Jiao Ma’s Father. “During the Military Supplies stage, how much can the Jiao Clan contribute?”
Jiao Ma’s Father’s heart skipped a beat. After some thought, he named a figure.
Ning Zhuo shook his head. “Not enough.”
He immediately doubled it twice.
Jiao Ma’s Father shook his head outright. “We can’t produce that. The family simply can’t.”
Ning Zhuo did not relent. After reasoning and bargaining, he pressed until Jiao Ma’s Father turned pale and clenched his teeth in agreement.
Everyone stared in slight shock, thinking: Jiao Ma shows no mercy even toward his own father.
Next, Ning Zhuo turned to Qingyan.
Even as a Golden Core cultivator, Qingyan felt his heart skip.
“Our new army is led by the Qing Clan. I am merely the deputy commander. Since my clan has contributed so much, by reason the Qing Clan should contribute even more,” Ning Zhuo said.
Qingyan’s expression grew grave. “How could our Qing Clan be as wealthy as your Jiao Clan…”
He gritted his teeth. “But you are right. Our family should contribute more!”
In the end, Qingyan also agreed to provide a large sum.
Yet even with contributions from both clans, it was but a drop in the ocean for Military Supplies.
According to Li Xiangshang, this stage would cost many times more than refining the Military Branch!
Fortunately, upon learning that the Military Branch had been successfully refined, the White Paper City Lord waved his hand and immediately allocated funds. The scale of support delighted everyone, and they inwardly praised the City Lord’s magnanimity and vision.
With the City Lord’s strong backing, the Military Supplies stage finally had the foundation to proceed.
The contributions of the Qing Clan and Jiao Clan alone could not even sustain the initial tenth.
Ning Zhuo had already suspended his personal cultivation, dedicating himself fully to nurturing the Military Branch.
This rare opportunity brought him considerable gains.
In his spare time, he no longer cultivated his soul but instead diligently studied military treatises, striving to comprehend a Military System.
Even his body cultivation was delayed by more than half.
This was not due to laziness. Rather, he had lent the Fetal Breathing Spirit Vessel to Li Xiangshang.
Li Xiangshang’s innate talent, Rotten Fish Filling the Ranks, provided tremendous assistance in nurturing the Military Branch.
Yet Li Xiangshang alone could not sustain it.
After a private discussion, Ning Zhuo learned that whenever Li Xiangshang activated this talent, his entire body would begin to rot.
Medicinal treatment was largely ineffective.
What truly sustained him was his own bodily foundation.
Thus Ning Zhuo thought of the Fetal Breathing Spirit Vessel. Using this treasure for body cultivation borrowed the power of heaven and earth, allowing heaven and earth to nourish one as an infant, fundamentally strengthening bodily foundation—perfectly suited for Li Xiangshang.
Li Xiangshang was overjoyed upon using the vessel and repeatedly thanked Ning Zhuo.
As for Qingchi, under Ning Zhuo’s urging, she scarcely had any free time, burying herself in military treatises.
First, nurturing the Military Branch concerned the survival of both clans—she dared not slack off. Second, reading alongside Ning Zhuo and discussing together greatly stimulated her enthusiasm.
“Ning Zhuo, I think I’ve comprehended a Military System,” Qingchi suddenly said one day.
After discussing with her, Ning Zhuo confirmed that she had truly grasped it and was not mistaken.
This made him look at her talent in a new light.
Objectively speaking, Qingchi’s talent was astonishing. Though young, she had already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
More crucially, her combat talent was extraordinary, possessing battle strength comparable to a Golden Core cultivator!
Though she was poor at refining artifacts, her comprehension of military strategy surpassed Ning Zhuo’s by a significant margin.
Even he had not comprehended one, yet she had.
“What Military System is it?” Ning Zhuo asked.
“Orders Executed Without Prohibition!” Qingchi said proudly, pointing to a passage in the military treatise. “I had an epiphany when I read this.”
Ning Zhuo looked and saw the passage read—
Soldiers who obey the general’s command completely shall be rewarded; those who defy orders shall be executed!
With sufficient Military Supplies and now a Military System, the nurturing of the Military Branch advanced by a great stride.
Externally, the participating soldiers displayed a completely different spirit and bearing. Coupled with the weapons and armor specially selected by the City Lord, the new army’s performance in city defense astonished everyone.
At this point, the news that White Paper Immortal City was about to possess an army could no longer be concealed. It spread rapidly throughout the city, causing a tremendous stir.