Chapter 117: The Laid Back Leader and His Five Toolmen
Inside the pavilion, Lu Bu sat at the head seat, his gaze sweeping over the five people present with various expressions. Xiao Yan, Hu Jia, and Wu Hao seemed indifferent, showing no particular reaction. However, Xiao Xun'er and Nalan Yanran were visibly displeased. No matter how they looked at Lu Bu, they found him irksome taking over the faction leader position was one thing, but changing the faction's name?
"Saint Gate... Lu Bu, isn't that a bit too ambitious?" Xiao Yan asked with a faint smile.
Xiao Yan had little interest in managing such matters. Handing it off to someone else was fine by him. He didn't care much about being the leader since his sole focus in coming to the inner courtyard was to cultivate and grow stronger.
"Too ambitious?" Lu Bu raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "Xiao Yan, for others, maybe. But for you, this should be the bare minimum."
"What do you mean?" Xiao Yan's face darkened as an inexplicable sense of unease welled up within him.
Hu Jia and Wu Hao were also curious. The term Dou Saint carried a weight that made it hard for them to breathe. But for Xiao Yan, it was only the basic requirement?
"Let me sell you some information for free…" Lu Bu said with a sly grin. "Jie… the Hall of Souls that kidnapped your father their hall master is a peak level, four star Dou Saint."
Hearing this, everyone's faces changed drastically. Hu Jia and Wu Hao exchanged glances, both struggling to believe Xiao Yan was up against such a terrifying powerhouse. And the Hall of Souls? What kind of force was that? Why had they never heard of it before?
Xiao Xun'er and Nalan Yanran glared angrily at Lu Bu. This bastard! What's the point of bringing this up?
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, went pale instantly, his complexion a sickly white. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his face as his breathing became labored. His entire aura grew unstable, crimson Dou Qi flickering around him erratically.
Lu Bu raised a hand, signaling for Hu Jia and Wu Hao to remain calm. Meanwhile, Xiao Xun'er and Nalan Yanran worked to soothe Xiao Yan, helping to stabilize his agitated state.
After a long while, Xiao Yan finally calmed down, his body drenched in sweat, lips dry and cracked, as though on the verge of dehydration.
"Jie… I thought you might die of fright," Lu Bu remarked with a gleeful, schadenfreude laden grin.
"You bastard… give me some warning next time!" Xiao Yan snapped, angrily chugging water from his pouch.
Lu Bu shrugged nonchalantly, his expression shamelessly amused.
"Ahem… since the faction's name has already been announced, it can't be changed now. Let's focus on the next steps," Wu Hao interjected, steering the conversation back on track. The idea of Dou Saints was far too distant for him to contemplate.
"Alright." Lu Bu rapped his knuckles on the table, his tone serious. "We're all here to cultivate, and the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower have you heard of it?"
"Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower?" The term was unfamiliar to the five. They had spent the entire morning settling other matters: calming the other new students, dealing with the White Gang, and overseeing Fu Ao's reconstruction of the damaged dorm. With so much to handle, they hadn't had a chance to explore or gather information.
"Hmm. The Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower houses the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked 14th on the Heavenly Flames list. It's also known as a cultivation accelerator," Lu Bu explained.
"The tower's function is to use formations to extract the Fallen Heart Flame's power, which then tempers Dou Qi, significantly accelerating cultivation speed…"
Lu Bu then provided a brief overview of the inner courtyard's structure, including the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, the importance of Fire Energy, the arena, the Strong Ranking, the Dou Technique Pavilion, and the trading areas. He also mentioned the risks of fire poison and explained why he had been able to hire Han Yue earlier to deal with the White Gang.
After listening to his explanation, the five fell silent. They had realized during the Fire Energy Hunt that Fire Energy was important, but they hadn't expected it to be this critical.
Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with deep thought. His purpose in coming to the inner courtyard was, in fact, the Fallen Heart Flame. Yet, Lu Bu had casually revealed its location?
It didn't make sense. Lu Bu was the type to always take advantage, especially of him. There was no way Lu Bu would be so straightforward and generous.
As the five digested the information, Lu Bu continued, "So, Fire Energy is the currency here. To maintain a faction, what we need most is financial resources."
The five nodded. Having all led or managed groups before, they were well aware of this fact.
"Xiao Yan and I will handle alchemy to earn Fire Energy," Lu Bu declared. "Wu Hao, I want you to pick some people and train them to guard and protect this area… That'll be your main responsibility for now."
"Understood!" Wu Hao agreed immediately. His prior experience in the Enforcement Team made this a task he could handle effortlessly.
"Hu Jia, you'll oversee finances. The Fire Energy within Saint Gate will be under your management."
"Nalan Yanran, you'll handle internal affairs. Take stock of our members and keep track of new recruits. Anyone who wants to join in the future will need to be vetted by you and Hu Jia."
"Alright." Nalan Yanran nodded, her demeanor composed.
"As for Xun'er," Lu Bu added with a faint smile, "you'll coordinate relations with the senior students. Your goal is to ensure we don't have unnecessary conflicts with the other factions unless, of course, they provoke us first."
"Understood." Xiao Xun'er's tone was cool, though her gaze was still laced with displeasure as she looked at Lu Bu.
"And finally, Xiao Yan…" Lu Bu's grin turned teasing.
Xiao Yan frowned. "What?"
"Your job is to cultivate like crazy and reach Dou Zong as fast as possible. After all, our faction's name Saint Gate isn't just for show. If you can't at least reach Dou Zong, won't you embarrass us?"
"…You really don't hold back, do you?" Xiao Yan muttered through gritted teeth, glaring at Lu Bu.
Lu Bu spread his hands, feigning innocence. "I'm just keeping things honest. If you're unhappy about it, prove me wrong."
With the responsibilities assigned, Lu Bu leaned back in his chair, looking very much like a laid back overseer while his "toolmen" began planning the faction's future.
"Miss Xun'er, form a team to collect medicinal herbs and handle resource gathering," Lu Bu instructed.
The three girls exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. None of them raised objections to Lu Bu's assignments.
In truth, Lu Bu had initially considered letting them choose their own roles, but… that wouldn't work! If Xiao Xun'er and Nalan Yanran were put in charge of finances, wouldn't that mean the faction's treasury would ultimately fall into Xiao Yan's hands?
Lu Bu wasn't interested in running the faction, but he absolutely wouldn't hand it over to Xiao Yan without a fight!
"We'll all have to work hard for a while to get Saint Gate up and running. Once we've accumulated enough Fire Energy, we can hire people to take over the day to day operations, leaving us free to focus on cultivating. It won't take long many in the Inner Academy desperately need pills to purge their fire poison," Lu Bu explained.
The five nodded in understanding. Managing others meant carrying a heavier workload in the beginning; they all understood this principle.
With that settled, Lu Bu adjusted the storage ring on his finger, and with a swoosh, the room filled with a large assortment of icy blue and snowy white medicinal herbs. He also placed two scrolls in front of Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Yan, the task of refining medicine will be left to you for now. These are the recipes for Purifying Ice Spirit Liquid and Purifying Cold Spirit Liquid. The former is a fourth tier recipe, while the latter is third tier. Let's see how much you can produce…" Lu Bu said with a smirk.
Xiao Yan, Xiao Xun'er, and Nalan Yanran all frowned simultaneously. Wasn't he supposed to refine pills alongside Xiao Yan? Why does it look like he's throwing the entire job onto him/Xiao Yan/Xiao Yan gege?
"Don't look at me like that," Lu Bu said with an exaggerated shrug. "Surely you don't think our faction is the only one to come up with the idea of refining medicine to earn Fire Energy, do you?"
"There are other factions doing the same thing in the Inner Academy. I need to go out, gather information, and search for additional herbs. And don't forget those herbs you're using? I provided them!"
Hearing this, the five exchanged sheepish smiles. It was true: Lu Bu had personally covered the initial costs of getting Saint Gate up and running.
What they didn't know, however, was that all the herbs were plundered from the Eight Gates faction. Most of them were low grade, too insignificant for Lu Bu to absorb himself. He'd decided to use them instead of letting them go to waste.
In reality, Lu Bu's so called "search for herbs" and "intelligence gathering" were just excuses. With Xiao Yan working hard as a free laborer, why would he bother to lift a finger himself?
"One more thing," Lu Bu added, rapping his knuckles on the table for emphasis. "The strongest person in the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking is at the Dou Wang level!"
"If you don't want to fall behind… work hard!"
His words landed heavily. The five immediately grew serious. Dou Wang… in their twenties… The Inner Academy truly lived up to its reputation as a place teeming with hidden talents.
"Well, let's get to work, my comrades!" Lu Bu said with a light clap, smiling as he stood.
The three girls and Wu Hao got up and left to handle their respective tasks, leaving only Lu Bu and Xiao Yan in the room. Just as Lu Bu was about to leave, Xiao Yan stopped him.
"Lu Bu, about these pill recipes…" Xiao Yan said, waving the two scrolls in his hand. After a brief pause, he added, "The recipe for this third tier Cold Spirit Liquid… it's from my teacher, isn't it?"
"It is." Lu Bu's tone turned sour as he scoffed, "Your old geezer of a teacher loves playing tricks. All he ever gives me are useless, obscure recipes!"
Xiao Yan chuckled awkwardly. Back in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, his teacher had indeed given Lu Bu less than stellar recipes. However, his expression soon grew stern as he recalled how much worse Lu Bu had scammed him in the past.
Straightening his back, Xiao Yan suddenly felt more justified and confident in his tone.
"And this fourth tier Ice Spirit Liquid recipe? I don't recall my teacher having that one," Xiao Yan said, tossing the scroll lightly in his hand, his curiosity evident.
"I created it myself," Lu Bu replied curtly, his tone laced with irritation. "Do you think a mere three or four tier alchemist like you could understand the genius of a seventh tier alchemist creating a recipe?"
"…"
Xiao Yan's face darkened, his chest tightening as if he'd been punched in the gut. He nearly choked on his own frustration, barely managing to steady himself.
Seeing Xiao Yan's aggrieved expression, Lu Bu laughed heartily, clearly enjoying the moment. With a satisfied smirk, he turned to leave, only to have Xiao Yan grab his arm.
"Lu Bu, I need to ask you something. You came to Jia Nan Academy… was it also for the Fallen Heart Flame?"
As he spoke, Xiao Yan's eyes turned a pale white, his vast soul power slowly emanating within him. He hadn't had the chance to address this matter earlier, but now was the time to get a straight answer from Lu Bu.
Lu Bu's eyes narrowed slightly. This kid… no, this old man… Was he trying to pick a fight?
(End of Chapter)
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