Now that the players' problems had been alleviated and the strength of Liangshan Stronghold had greatly increased, it could be considered on the right track.
Naturally, certain necessary conditions needed to be perfected as well.
At present, Liangshan Stronghold only had a little over a hundred bandits.
However, to truly grow large and powerful, this number of bandits was far from enough.
Qin Shujian already had plans to expand Liangshan Stronghold, though he had not yet put them into actual implementation.
As his words fell, Zheng Fang and the others did not voice any objections.
Clearly, this tier classification left them satisfied.
"Although the Outlander village has been destroyed, there is no guarantee that there are no other Outlander villages in the Liangshan region. What you need to do right now is to thoroughly search a fifty-li radius around Liangshan and ensure there are no omissions whatsoever."
Finally, Qin Shujian issued another order.
Zheng Fang and the others cupped their fists and replied, "Understood, Subordinate complies!"
"Go." Qin Shujian waved his hand.
After that, the rest of the people directly stood up and took their leave.
Inside the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall, only Qin Shujian remained.
*Huu!*
At this moment, Qin Shujian could not help but let out a turbid breath.
Only now could he truly consider himself relaxed.
How could one allow others to snore beside their bed?
Until Novice Village No. 10021 was wiped out, he truly could not sleep or eat in peace.
Fortunately, everything was developing as expected.
Temporarily casting aside improper thoughts in his mind, Qin Shujian began to earnestly calculate the gains from this annihilation of the novice village.
First of all, Liangshan Stronghold had been promoted to a Rank-One Faction, and all the bandits had their realms improved by two tiers.
This also meant that even the most ordinary bandit in Liangshan Stronghold possessed the strength of the Martial Entry Third Stage.
Furthermore, no matter how many times they died, they would not drop below the Martial Entry Third Stage upon resurrection.
One had to know that the previous Stronghold Master, Wu Sheng, without any faction buffs, possessed only the strength of the Martial Entry Third Stage.
From this, one could see the kind of transformation Liangshan Stronghold's strength had undergone.
However, what truly concerned Qin Shujian was his own stats.
Name: Qin Shujian
Identity: Liangshan Stronghold Master
Affiliated Faction: Liangshan Stronghold
Realm: Martial Entry Tenth Stage (Within Liangshan Stronghold's sphere of influence, Realm +2)
Faction Rank: Rank-One Faction
Cultivation Methods: Body Forging Scripture 8th Stage (+) (Force Follows Will, Flourishing Blood Qi, Copper Skin, Iron Bones) (Mortal Grade Mid-Tier), Black Tiger Saber Technique (Unity of Man and Nature) (Mortal Grade Mid-Tier), Changchun Skill 6th Stage (+) (Endless Vitality, Longevity) (Mortal Grade Mid-Tier), Seven-Leaf Flower-Piercing Palm (+) (Entering the Chamber) (Mortal Grade Low-Tier), Five Elements Eight Trigrams Steps (+) (Peak Perfection) (Mortal Grade Low-Tier)
Life Source: 1203
Equipment: Ninth-Grade Sharp Weapon Tiger-Head Saber, Ninth-Grade Armor Tiger-Skin Outfit Set (Tiger-Skin Coat, Tiger-Skin Trousers, Tiger-Skin Belt, Tiger-Skin Thick Boots)
Compared to his initial stats, Qin Shujian's panel was nothing short of magnificent now.
The 8th Stage of the Body Forging Scripture, the 6th Stage of the Changchun Skill...
And—
The Unity of Man and Nature level of the Black Tiger Saber Technique.
If the Peak Perfection level was the limit of a Mortal Grade Mid-Tier Black Tiger Saber Technique, then the Unity of Man and Nature surpassed that limit, reaching a point where the ordinary was turned into the miraculous.
That is to say, in terms of comprehension of the Black Tiger Saber Technique, Qin Shujian had surpassed the person—or NPC—who originally created this saber technique.
His ability to slay Wei Min was largely thanks to the Unity of Man and Nature Black Tiger Saber Technique.
Afterwards, Qin Shujian looked at the other attributes.
Beneath the affiliated faction, a Faction Rank attribute had been added.
While the original Liangshan Stronghold faction could only grant a Realm +1 buff, it had now become Realm +2, causing his strength to rise significantly once again.
However, what truly made Qin Shujian happy was that his Life Source had reached an unprecedented twelve hundred plus points.
Aside from the Black Tiger Saber Technique, with over a thousand points of Life Source in front of him, plus signs had appeared behind all the other cultivation methods, implying they could be deduced and improved.
Among these thousand-plus points of Life Source, five hundred points were contributed by the promotion to a Rank-One Faction.
The other major share was contributed by Wei Min, the novice village chieftain.
Combining the two, Qin Shujian estimated he had about eight or nine hundred points.
As for the remainder, that was the Life Source obtained from finally slaughtering the players.
"1203 points of Life Source, I wonder what level it can push the Body Forging Scripture to," Qin Shujian mused.
Following that, he directly clicked the plus sign behind the Body Forging Scripture.
*Hum!*
Life Source plummeted by nine hundred points.
The Body Forging Scripture directly advanced to the 9th Stage.
*Pain!*
A heart-piercing agony suddenly surged from deep within his body.
Even with Qin Shujian's resilient willpower, his expression instantly twisted and became unsightly.
This pain was not mere flesh-and-blood injury, but a searing torment originating from his bones, and even reaching into his bone marrow.
Even under his strenuous control, his body still trembled slightly, and in merely a dozen seconds, sweat soaked his clothes.
This excruciating pain only lasted for five minutes.
Yet during those five minutes, Qin Shujian felt as though he had endured a protracted age, leaving his spirit utterly drained.
Immediately afterwards, he spat out several large mouthfuls of pitch-black blood.
Only, unlike before, the blood spat out this time seemed mixed with some kind of tiny residue.
Then, a surging new strength welled up from all parts of his body.
Under the wash of this strength, Qin Shujian's previously fatigued spirit recovered at an extremely rapid pace.
Body Forging Scripture 9th Stage!
Martial Entry Ninth Stage!
At the same time, he gained a brand-new trait: Bone Marrow Replenishment.
Feeling the changes in his body and looking at the stats on the panel, Qin Shujian gained a completely new understanding of his own realm.
Below the Martial Entry Fifth Stage was equivalent to laying the body's foundation. Upon reaching the Martial Entry Fifth Stage, one achieved the level of completing preliminary tempering.
Going further beyond were the steps of deeper and more comprehensive excavation of human potential.
Martial Entry Sixth Stage Flourishing Blood Qi, Martial Entry Seventh Stage Copper Skin, Martial Entry Eighth Stage Iron Bones, Martial Entry Ninth Stage Bone Marrow Replenishment.
All of these were steps to temper the physical body step-by-step to a state of perfection.
"Martial Entry Ninth Stage, Bone Marrow Replenishment!"
A gratified smile appeared on Qin Shujian's face. Every breakthrough made him feel as though he had completed a metamorphosis.
Even though the process was somewhat painful, the outcome always satisfied him.
Seeing that only three hundred odd points of Life Source remained, and both the Body Forging Scripture and the Black Tiger Saber Technique no longer had opportunities for improvement, leaving only the Changchun Skill and other techniques with plus signs behind them.
After careful consideration, Qin Shujian still believed that maximizing his most fundamental power was the most important thing.
Although the Changchun Skill could not currently cause his realm to break through, it could enable him to accumulate a more profound foundation within the same realm.
Therefore, Qin Shujian immediately chose to improve the Changchun Skill.
With a thought, Life Source sharply decreased.
A gentle warmth surged from within his body, and the Changchun Skill directly advanced to the 7th Stage.
Changchun Skill 7th Stage (Endless Vitality, Longevity Level 2)
"Longevity Level 2?"
Looking at the attributes of the Changchun Skill, Qin Shujian's gaze flickered slightly.
Show your support!
Chapter 34: Limit of Martial Entry
Chapter 34: Limit of Martial Entry
Name: Qin Shujian
Identity: Liangshan Stronghold Master
Affiliated Faction: Liangshan Stronghold
Realm: Martial Entry Tenth Stage (Within Liangshan Stronghold's sphere of influence, Realm +2)
Faction Rank: Rank-One Faction
Cultivation Methods: Body Forging Scripture 9th Stage (Force Follows Will, Flourishing Blood Qi, Copper Skin, Iron Bones, Bone Marrow Replenishment) (Mortal Grade High-Tier), Black Tiger Saber Technique (Unity of Man and Nature) (Mortal Grade Mid-Tier), Changchun Skill 7th Stage (Endless Vitality, Longevity Level 2) (Mortal Grade Mid-Tier), Seven-Leaf Flower-Piercing Palm (Entering the Chamber) (Mortal Grade Low-Tier), Five Elements Eight Trigrams Steps (Peak Perfection) (Mortal Grade Low-Tier)
Life Source: 3
Equipment: Ninth-Grade Sharp Weapon Tiger-Head Saber, Ninth-Grade Armor Tiger-Skin Outfit Set (Tiger-Skin Coat, Tiger-Skin Trousers, Tiger-Skin Belt, Tiger-Skin Thick Boots)
Looking at his own attributes, Qin Shujian's gaze lingered on the realm.
"Martial Entry Tenth Stage?"
The 9th Stage of the Body Forging Scripture had already raised his own strength to the level of the Martial Entry Ninth Stage.
Now, with the premise of a +2 bonus, his realm only stopped at the Martial Entry Tenth Stage.
This also let Qin Shujian know that the Martial Entry Tenth Stage was a bottleneck of his current realm; wanting to break through further would require another metamorphosis.
After all, the realm bonus from the sphere of influence could only cross minor realms, not directly cross a major realm.
Additionally, when the Body Forging Scripture was deduced to the 9th Stage, it directly transformed from Mortal Grade Mid-Tier to Mortal Grade High-Tier.
In this way, the Body Forging Scripture rose in one bound to become the technique with the highest grade he possessed, overshadowing even the Mortal Grade Mid-Tier Black Tiger Saber Technique.
The Changchun Skill had also already been promoted to Mortal Grade Mid-Tier when it was deduced to the 6th Stage.
As for his Life Source, it had truly returned to pre-liberation levels.
The four-digit Life Source now only had single digits left.
However, Qin Shujian was not discouraged.
"My true personal realm is Martial Entry Ninth Stage, and under the faction bonus, it directly reaches the level of Martial Entry Tenth Stage. There should be no one in the Liangshan region who is my match anymore."
Thinking of this, a sharp glint seemed to flash in his eyes.
"A territory with a radius of fifty li was not small for the original Liangshan Stronghold, but for the current Liangshan Stronghold, it is ultimately still a bit too small."
"How can shallow waters nurture a true dragon?"
---
The next day.
At the peak of Liangshan.
This was the first time Qin Shujian stood at the peak of Liangshan, overlooking the entire Liangshan territory.
Looking out into the distance, aside from Liangshan itself, everything else in sight was a lush, verdant scene.
Having come to this world for so long, this was his very first time looking at all these things with a natural mindset.
Along with the elevation of his realm, all aspects of his physical body had undergone a terrifying metamorphosis, including his eyesight.
A territory with a radius of fifty li—neither big to say big, nor small to say small.
With Qin Shujian's eyesight, he could clearly see several villages situated far apart from one another.
At this moment, standing at the peak of Liangshan besides Qin Shujian were Zhang Tieniu and Wang Tiezhu.
These two NPCs, who were originally Liangshan bandits, were already regarded by Qin Shujian as confidants.
"Do you know what those villages are for?" Qin Shujian asked without turning his head, his gaze still gazing far into the distance.
"These are all native villages of the Liangshan territory. Every year, they make fixed tribute payments to us in exchange for the villages' safety," Wang Tiezhu deliberated for a moment and said. "We also occasionally go to those villages to purchase supplies."
Hearing this, Qin Shujian understood in his heart.
According to Wang Tiezhu's words, these villages were essentially paying a fixed protection fee to Liangshan Stronghold every year, while Liangshan Stronghold provided these villages with a certain degree of protection to prevent them from being persecuted by other factions.
More importantly, the Liangshan territory was actually very remote.
The bandits of Liangshan Stronghold required a certain amount of grain every day, and over time, the total grain consumed was not a small amount.
Going out to purchase it required bearing a certain amount of risk.
As for going to plunder other villages and strongholds, it likewise meant bearing losses.
Under such circumstances, occasionally doing some trade with these villages was actually the safest course of action.
Of course, purchasing was just what Wang Tiezhu said. Whether it was specifically forced buying and selling, opinions would vary.
However, judging by Qin Shujian's thoughts, the original Liangshan Stronghold would not persecute the villages within its own territory too severely.
One had to know that unless someone was a fool, very few people would do such a thing as killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Having once again gained a thorough understanding of the Liangshan territory, Qin Shujian turned back to look at the two men, saying in a deep voice, "I give you three days to investigate the situation of the Chaotic Stone Forest. I need to know the specific strength of those three factions.
If conditions permit, I hope you can also thoroughly investigate all the other territories bordering the Liangshan territory."
"Could the Stronghold Master..."
Wang Tiezhu looked at Qin Shujian in disbelief, as if he had thought of something.
There was shock in his eyes, but also irrepressible joy.
The promotion of the faction seemed to have raised the intelligence of the original bandits by a notch.
Judging by the past Wang Tiezhu, he would never have thought of this much.
Yet now, Qin Shujian had merely revealed a hint of an intention, and he had already figured out most of the crucial joints and points.
Qin Shujian said calmly, "A fifty-li territory is ultimately too small. This place could only accommodate one Wu Sheng and one weak Liangshan Stronghold.
But now, it can no longer hold the current Liangshan Stronghold, nor can it hold you and me."
When he previously sent people to investigate the surrounding situation, he actually already had this kind of thought in mind.
Only, at that time, the hidden danger of the novice village hadn't been resolved, and although his strength wasn't weak, it couldn't be considered all that strong either.
Now, having swept away the novice village and numerous players in one fell swoop, and with his own strength reaching the peak of the Martial Entry stage in one bound, Qin Shujian believed he was already qualified to extend Liangshan Stronghold's reach beyond this mere fifty-li territory.
The Lion-Tiger Plain, Chaotic Stone Forest, Endless Mountains, Xining Rebel Army, and Undead Plain—these five places.
In Qin Shujian's view, starting with the Chaotic Stone Forest was considered the best option.
This was because the Xining Rebel Army alone, judging by the two words "rebel army," suggested it likely involved quite a few complicated matters.
As for the other places, he didn't have much understanding of them either.
On the contrary, Zhang Tieniu had previously investigated the Chaotic Stone Forest and gathered some information about bandits, which finally made him decide to start with the Chaotic Stone Forest first.
Meals must be eaten one bite at a time.
The road must be walked one step at a time.
The players within the sphere of influence had been completely wiped out.
Both his comprehensive strength and individual strength had been elevated in a short period to the limit of what could be improved in the short term.
Qin Shujian considered himself to currently possess a pretty good opening hand.
With this hand of cards, as long as he didn't deliberately play randomly, he was confident he wouldn't end up losing the whole game.
As for his initial wish, Qin Shujian also watched it step-by-step become a reality with his own eyes.
As long as he always walked ahead of the players, he would never need to worry about the players being able to threaten him.
And to achieve this state, aside from relying on the bug-like improvements of the Life Source, he also had to rely on the numerous bandits of Liangshan Stronghold to reap a massive amount of Life Source for him.
Seeking all kinds of support!
Chapter 35: Shackles
Chapter 35: Shackles
Loyalty and Righteousness Hall.
This time, there were only Qin Shujian and Zheng Fang present.
"The military advisor has been at Liangshan Stronghold for quite some days now. I wonder what your thoughts are on Liangshan Stronghold?" Qin Shujian asked casually.
Zheng Fang's expression turned serious as he cupped his fists and replied, "The Stronghold Master possesses towering strength. Under the Stronghold Master's leadership, Liangshan Stronghold will inevitably surpass its past self."
"Speaking of which, it seems the military advisor's learning forms a school of its own. Is it a family cultivation method?"
"To not hide it from the Stronghold Master, when this old man was young, I was once an outer sect disciple of a certain sect. Unfortunately, my natural aptitude was dull, and as I grew older, I simply left the sect. Afterward, I settled down in Linchuan Market.
I originally thought my life would just go on like this,
never expecting a famine to break out, and then running into the ravages of war."
Speaking of the end, Zheng Fang shook his head helplessly.
"A sect?"
Qin Shujian accurately caught a keyword from the other party's words.
As if perceiving Qin Shujian's doubt, Zheng Fang gathered his thoughts and then explained, "Within the borders of the Dazhao nation, there are numerous factions and sects.
As for sects, they are factions established by a group of extraordinary powerhouses.
Any single sect possesses many terrifying powerhouses.
Someone like this old man, at the fourth or fifth stage of Martial Entry, can only be considered at the very bottom within a sect."
"Then do you know what realm lies beyond Martial Entry?"
"I do not."
Zheng Fang shook his head and said, "With this old man's qualifications, I am not yet qualified to touch upon the level beyond Martial Entry. However, it is said that after breaking through the limit of the Martial Entry Tenth Stage, a terrifying metamorphosis will occur.
As for the specifics, this old man is unclear."
Saying this, Zheng Fang let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"It is a pity this old man only learned the most ordinary Changchun Skill within the sect, and the limit of this skill is the Martial Entry Fifth Stage. If there are no accidents, I probably have no chance to glimpse the mysteries beyond Martial Entry.
On the contrary, the Stronghold Master, at such a young age, has already reached this realm and is expected to break this limit."
Hearing this, Qin Shujian did not speak immediately.
Through his brief conversation with Zheng Fang, he had acquired quite a bit of information.
At first, he had thought that other NPCs only needed to kill players to improve their realm, but later he discovered that they had to kill players within at least three minor realms of themselves to improve.
Yet listening to Zheng Fang's words now, Qin Shujian discovered that other NPCs trying to improve their realm were also constrained by another shackle.
Namely—
Cultivation methods!
Actually, Qin Shujian had already discovered some of this problem himself.
That was, before wanting to improve one's realm, one had to first improve the primary cultivation method, thereby raising the realm.
However, other NPCs did not possess the ability of Life Source deduction.
This meant that cultivation methods like the Body Forging Scripture and the Changchun Skill, which hit their limit at the 5th Stage,
meant those who practiced these methods could only ultimately raise their realm to the corresponding level.
To break this shackle, one needed to obtain higher-level cultivation methods.
Though he hadn't truly questioned Zheng Fang about this, and had merely deduced it from a few scraps of conversation, Qin Shujian could be extremely certain that his guess was not wrong.
Because of this, Qin Shujian realized all the more just how formidable his ability to improve cultivation methods using Life Source truly was.
As long as he had enough Life Source,
he did not face any shackles.
Beyond the Martial Entry Fifth Stage, and even the levels beyond Martial Entry itself,
nothing would obstruct his path forward.
And the premise to all of this was having a sufficient amount of Life Source.
"Military advisor, how much do you know about the current situation of the world? And what was the famine you mentioned earlier about?"