Cultivate in peace.

    Array protects, Life Soul leaves the body, a human shadow is born within the soul—it is the Human Soul. Compared to one year ago when it had just condensed and was somewhat dissipated, the Human Soul''s silhouette is now completely clear and substantially more solidified.

    Equivalent to the work of fifty years of arduous cultivation.

    This is the contribution of the Mirror Stone.

    Lu Qingfeng, with his rich experiences from sixteen lifetimes, has profound understandings. With more than nine thousand years of cultivation, his realm is extremely high. Since his Nature Daoist Skill originated from the Immortal Dao, he faces little obstruction.

    Even if there are some obscure aspects. sea??h thё Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    With a bit of Enlightenment, he immediately gains complete insight.

    As such,

    there is no need to further reflect on realms; he need only appreciate the slight difference between Nature Dao and Immortal Dao while strengthening the ''Human Soul''.

    Within a year,

    he has reached the limit where he can condense the Earth Soul.

    In his mind,

    scenes from the past flit by, from games and from reality.

    Thousands of events, thousands of views, thousands of people.

    Numerous thoughts and various experiences—after nine thousand years, the deeper Lu Qingfeng delved into his memories, the more he felt engulfed by them, feeling dizziness and brain swelling, with his Divine Soul rapidly draining.

    Like a balloon, suddenly deflated.

    Lu Qingfeng''s spirit was greatly shaken, and he fell out of his meditative state.

    "Huff, huff!"

    He gasped heavily.

    The Divine Soul was in pain, and in the sky, the Life Soul''s Human Soul went from a solid state back to a mere shadow, even slightly dispersing. Clearly, there was too much expenditure in a short time.

    Daring not to dwell on memories or insights any longer, he quickly called back the Human Soul into his body, absorbing the Soul Power from the Mirror Stone to recover his Divine Soul.

    After a good while,

    color finally returned to his face.

    "Hu!"

    "Nature Daoist Skill cultivation is indeed perilous."

    Lu Qingfeng opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

    Today, he had truly witnessed the bizarre nature of Nature Dao.

    Had he not been alert just now, if he did not have years of cultivation to strengthen his mind, any ordinary Nature Dao cultivator would have been immersed in endless memories, continuously reflecting and consuming their spirit until their Divine Soul was exhausted and they met with Silent Annihilation.

    "Good fortune lies on the flip side of disaster, while disaster lurks within good fortune."

    Lu Qingfeng shook his head.

    He had initially thought that his various experiences would be an unique advantage for his Nature Daoist Skill cultivation and the condensation of his Earth Soul. But now it seemed, his success and failure both lay within those nine thousand years.

    This time,

    he did not know how long he would remain in the Soul Condensation Realm.

    "It''s not necessary for the Earth Soul to condense all at once in the Daoist Field within the soul."

    "Just now I nearly tried to turn the experiences of my sixteen lifetimes into a Daoist Field in one fell swoop. Yet the Human Soul, still frail, couldn''t bear it."

    "It''s better to first condense the Earth Soul, set the foundation for the Daoist Field, then slowly enrich the Earth Soul''s cultivation later. It may take longer, but what I have most is time."

    Lu Qingfeng shook his slightly throbbing head, having a rough idea. But as his thoughts were not yet clear, it was naturally inappropriate to continue cultivation and especially not fitting to breakthrough the Earth Soul level.

    Coincidentally,

    outside the quiet room, Ao Le came calling—

    The military supplies for training have arrived!

    ...

    In the midst of Yuan Lake, there are numerous islands.

    Yin Mountain Island is just a small island with a diameter of no more than twenty li. To the south of Yin Mountain Island lies a sprinkling of islands that form clusters, resembling a long ribbon, hence they are known as ''Changshan Islands''.

    On this day.

    Upon the Changshan Islands, Lu Qingfeng rode a Golden Tiger, Ao Le rode a White Dragon, Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi stood by their side. Save for the two thousand Min River Navy stationed to guard the strategic points of Yuan Lake, the remaining thousand were arrayed throughout the Changshan Islands.

    Atop the clusters of islands, among the mountains,

    thousands of creatures stood in queer, contorted formations. Most possessed cultivation of the First Realm, with their origins in the mysterious Life Daoist Skills they practiced. The creatures'' bodies were partially refined, retaining many of their original forms.

    Such as heads.

    Such as tails.

    Such as arms.

    And so on.

    Each one was a peculiar sight.

    Only a few Second Realm creatures had robust vitality, some docile, some aggressive. They all wore traces of blood, hinting they were no strangers to slaughter.

    Upon seeing the Golden Tiger and White Dragon in the sky,

    upon witnessing the Third Realm powerhouses like Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi, whose presence was overwhelming in their eyes, they immediately kneeled down and called out in unison—

    "Greetings to the Water Lord, greetings to the great deities!"

    The Golden Tiger gleamed brilliantly, the White Dragon radiated light.

    Lu Qingfeng and Ao Le were cast in waves of Divine Light, obscuring them and displaying only their majesty.

    Between the archipelago, in the waters,

    countless members of the Water Clan occasionally poked their heads out, and they too harbored cultivation. Their vitality was as robust as the island creatures, primarily of the First Realm with a minority of the Second Realm.

    Only a very few had fully transformed their bodies.

    The majority retained their original forms—whether it be fish, shrimp, crabs, snakes, etc.—to better survive in the watery realm.

    These Yuan Lake Water Clan members, while in the water, were visible in numbers far exceeding the island creatures.

    Heads poked out one after another, not to be outdone, their vitality and blood shaking, emitting a cacophony yet filled with a respectful clamor—

    "Pay respects to the Water Lord, pay respects to the great deity!"

    Their voices were a tumultuous roar, reverberating through the hundreds of miles surrounding the Changshan Islands, as a blend of strange sounds merged into a droning buzz.

    Waves surged, rolling up thousands of tiers.

    And situated on ''Changshan Island,'' the largest island of the Changsha Islands,

    Forty-eight generals, each clad in various colors of armor, holding an array of weapons, stood solemnly.

    Looking up at the sky,

    Then immediately kneeled down, passionately shouting—

    "Your humble officers, pay respects to our Majesty, to the young master, to both generals!"

    These were the military leaders good at commanding and training troops whom Lu Qingfeng had his people search for throughout the armies in Nanguang Dao in the mortal world. Having come to Yuan Lake, they implicitly vowed to serve under Lu Qingfeng, the newly appointed Yuan Lake Water Lord, thus their postures were exceedingly reverent.

    Of course.

    Though called generals, among these forty-eight people, there were only two lieutenant generals. The remaining forty-six, at most, held the rank of a Colonel in the army, or a Level 1 official in a county town.

    There wasn''t much choice.

    Not to mention that the Yuan Lake Water Palace was newly established, with absolutely no foundation to speak of. Solely considering Lu Qingfeng, the Dragon Palace Prince Consort of the Min River Dragon Palace, although a prodigy, was merely a cultivator who had just entered the Second Realm of the Nature Dao.

    In Nanguang Dao, anyone capable of becoming a commander in the military, even if just a lieutenant general, is a renowned general whose fame resonates within a small area.

    Among those Lu Qingfeng selected were the cream of the crop.

    These generals were all full of pride and arrogance. How would they willingly join Lu Qingfeng, who clung to the Dragon Palace as a son-in-law, a straw bag Water Lord?

    Therefore.

    These forty-eight leaders were mostly unremarkable. Barely meeting Lu Qingfeng''s requirements, and that was a stretch.

    "Kindly trouble the two generals to compile a list of the mountain spirits and the Water Clan creatures within the water. First, divide them by cultivation level and lineage, assigning each to command."

    Lu Qingfeng rode the Golden Tiger, descending upon Changshan Island, then turned to address Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi.

    "Yes."

    Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi immediately took the order.

    From the Min River Navy arrayed in all four directions, they summoned those versed in administrative affairs, either heading into the mountains or into the waters, bustling about.

    Lu Qingfeng, along with Ao Le, recalled the Golden Tiger and the White Dragon, and approached the forty-eight generals.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, traveling here has surely been exhausting. This Water Palace has not yet been built; please forgive my neglect."

    Lu Qingfeng greeted the generals with a fist salute.

    "Your Majesty speaks too seriously."

    "We officers are accustomed to the military life; grand mansions actually don''t compare to the comfort found in military camps."

    Among the forty-eight generals, one spoke up.

    Lu Qingfeng looked towards this person.

    This man appeared to be in his twenties, but his face bore a scar from a blade strike, starting from the forehead, cutting past the left eye, and extending over a large portion of his left cheek. It entirely ruined his somewhat handsome visage, making him look quite fierce.

    No need to recall, he immediately recognized—

    This was one of the two lieutenant generals who had come to Yuan Lake, a man from Changzhou Prefecture on the Southern Pass Road, named ''Zhang Shu''. When talked about in detail, he did not have significant heroic exploits. Yet with no background, he purely through military service, within a short eighty years, rose from an unnoticed foot soldier to the rank of a lieutenant general.

    His talent was evident.

    "A hero without a profound record."

    That would be Zhang Shu.

    Regrettably, the General of Changzhou Prefecture who normally promoted Zhang Shu died in battle, and the superiors were changed. The new General of Vigor valued his bravery and wisdom highly. Nevertheless, Zhang Shu could not stomach the new superior''s nature of ''favoring pedigree over merit'' and was unwilling to be under his command.

    Just the other day, he was contemplating his next move.

    Conveniently, envoys from the Yuan Lake Water Lord came seeking to recruit, and Zhang Shu, resigning his General Seal, led his thirty life-and-death subordinates to Yuan Lake.

    "Worthy of the famous General of Dang Bandits from Changzhou Prefecture."

    Lu Qingfeng commended him openly.

    Zhang Shu stood correctly, neither servile nor overbearing.

    "Being new to Yuan Lake, I have only three thousand Navy troops, thus the notion of training troops came to mind. I have asked the generals to come here, initially for troop training. Later on, there may be some minor battles, or perhaps none."

    "Since you have arrived, I will dispense with formalities."

    Lu Qingfeng did not delve into long speeches, he gestured towards the Changshan Islands, getting straight to the point, "The mountain spirits, the Water Clan within these waters—they are the Yuan Lake Navy''s source of troops. Each of you is to command your own forces, conducting drills respective to the islands and waters. Previous military positions notwithstanding, whoever can train more elite troops, I shall not be stingy with rewards."

    …

    Training troops.

    This was the first strategy that Lu Qingfeng considered after arriving at Yuan Lake, pondering over cultivation resources and the Dutian Xuanming Strategy.

    There''s no need to develop remarkable elite forces; merely performing the surface work well enough to request a substantial amount of resources from the Dragon Palace would suffice.

    Training troops comes with enormous consumption.

    Soldiers training and cultivating, a variety of provisions is indispensable. Using this as a reason, it''s possible to apply to the Min River Dragon Palace for resources, keeping all that Yuan Lake produces for personal use. Just as a few months ago, as Lu Qingfeng petitioned to the Dragon Palace, seeking support for the necessary training resources.

    The Min River Dragon Lord, who would not spare precious treasures or even the position of ''Yuan Lake Water God,'' naturally would not begrudge the mere provisions and military pay for training troops.

    Though the expenditure is huge, for the Min River Dragon Palace with its dominance over the Min River, resources are abundant and inexhaustible.

    And Lu Qingfeng, by simply skimming off the top, could not only satisfy his early-stage cultivation needs but also could refine the Dutian Xuanming Strategy and cultivate Daoist Soldiers.

    "No need to focus overly on appearances."

    "Beyond the Dutian Xuanming Strategy, disregarding the Green Cloth Warriors and Moving Mountain Warriors, I still have methods for refining the Water Dao Soldiers, Fire Crow Daoist Soldiers, and the Hundred Battle Daoist Soldiers. It wouldn''t be an issue to train a few elite Navy troops by leveraging their strengths. Moreover, aided by the Divine Dao Incense Fire, Dragon Palace resources, and Yuan Lake''s destiny, quickly cultivating these three types of Daoist Soldiers shouldn''t be too difficult."

    Normally, these three Daoist Soldiers ranked as Lower Grade Daoist Soldiers, but after Lu Qingfeng''s enhancements, they could match medium-grade ones, on par with the original Dutian Ghost General and the Xuanming Yin Soldiers. Once created, with Lan Feihu and other Third Realm Life Dao Generals leading them, they would be unrivaled across the Three Realms, and even capable of contending against Fourth Realm Cultivators.

    If the act of training troops proves too costly, and the Dragon Palace deities and officials raise objections, merely presenting these three types of Daoist Soldiers, or even just the methods to refine them, would dispel any dissent.

    Of course.

    Whether training troops or refining Daoist Soldiers, all serve merely as a cover for Lu Qingfeng''s personal cultivation and refining of the Dutian Xuanming Strategy.

    Priorities must not be confused.

    …