Strategic Guidelines for the Next Phase

As the injured disciples gradually recovered, the Dao Sword Sect slowly resumed its operations. Thus, a sect that had defeated the most powerful force in the Land of Immortal Legacy rose once more, revealing its true might to the world.

When the disciples of the Dao Sword Sect walked the lands of the Land of Immortal Legacy again, their status had changed entirely. Everyone revered and feared them. Upon learning they were from the Dao Sword Sect, people would approach with smiles, bowing and greeting them.

"Big shots are awesome, big shots work hard, big shots, have a smoke!"

At first, they were unaccustomed to such treatment, but they quickly realized—this reverence was earned through their own efforts, through annihilating the strongest sect in the Land of Immortal Legacy. So, they embraced it without hesitation, proudly proclaiming themselves as the top sect of the land.

With the entire Dao Sword Sect back in motion, the Dan Peak's Chief, after indulging in a few days of leisure, also returned to work. Because the next phase of battle still depended on him.

First, what was this next phase of battle?

The Chief speculated that the Boundless Sword Sect, having taken over Zhican Valley's remnants, would launch a full-scale pill war against the Dao Sword Sect. The next battle would be fought with pills.

But why did it depend on him?

Aside from his exceptional alchemy skills, it was mainly due to his soilless cultivation of immortal herbs and spirit plants. The question was whether his water-based spirit plant technique could keep these herbs alive, whether they could grow rapidly, and whether they could be used normally once matured.

With Zhican Valley destroyed by the Chief, its alchemists either taken by the Yuan Organization or the Boundless Sword Sect, the Dao Sword Sect would face a severe pill shortage for a long time.

A sect of this size without pills would inevitably encounter problems. Given enough time, the sect itself might collapse.

His current mission was critical—both for the impending war and the survival of the Dao Sword Sect. Time was of the essence.

...A pill war.

Two sects—one purely focused on sword dao, the other primarily sword dao—were about to wage a "pill war."

Hmm... Qin Ran wasn't sure what others thought, but whenever he reflected on it, he found it absurdly amusing.

"What are you laughing at over there?" Not far away, Long Qiqi stood with her hands on her hips, scolding him. "Have you even succeeded in cultivating the key herbs for the Origin Recovery Pill?!"

Perhaps due to overwork or her newfound role as a mentor, the dark little loli's temper had worsened day by day. Now, she dared to berate Qin Ran openly, acting like the undisputed boss of Dan Peak.

Qin Ran glanced at her. Feeling guilty (since he was the one overworking her), he didn't argue and replied meekly, "We don’t have seeds for the Auxiliary Origin Grass, Spirit Coin Seed, or Five-Leaf Heart Herb. Those three haven’t been cultivated yet. The rest are successful."

"No seeds?!" Long Qiqi fumed. "What have you been doing? The Dan Peak Chief can’t even secure a few seeds?!"

"I’ve already reported it to the Sect Leader. It might genuinely be difficult..." Qin Ran said. "I’ll go push for it again."

"Aside from the seeds for basic pills, there’s another matter you need to focus on..." Long Qiqi pointed around and said, "Alchemists! Don’t expect me to slave away like a dog refining pills for you anymore!"

Qin Ran’s spirit herb greenhouse finally lived up to its name.

Inside, rows upon rows of bamboo shelves were packed with spirit herbs of various sizes and growth stages.

Their roots were submerged in murky water—a mixture of Qin Ran’s Dan Water and essential nutrients for plant growth. It was a fusion of water-based spirit plant techniques and scientific cultivation methods.

Under these conditions, the herbs absorbed nutrients from the Dan Water and grew at a pace far surpassing traditional Spirit Soil cultivation.

Qin Ran swept his gaze across the greenhouse, feeling both accomplished and utterly drained.

The accomplishment was obvious—these herbs were all nurtured through his techniques. The exhaustion, however, came from the fact that every single one relied on his Dan Water and his own energy.

In a way, the water-based spirit plant technique was also a cultivation method.

The spirit planter contributed their own energy and Dan Water to nurture the herbs.

During early growth, the herbs absorbed nutrients and spiritual energy from the Dan Water through their roots. But once leaves sprouted, they primarily drew energy from sunlight and ambient spiritual energy while their roots anchored and stabilized the surrounding qi. At this stage, the herbs would begin replenishing the Dan Water.

As the herbs matured, the Dan Water would accumulate more and more spiritual energy. When fully grown, the spirit planter would reclaim the Dan Water along with its stored energy.

Of course, depending on the herb, the returned energy varied.

But regardless of the eventual gains, Qin Ran was currently in a state of pure expenditure—pouring his energy into the greenhouse without immediate returns. Every drop of Dan Water here was his own.

Thankfully, his foundation was solid, or he would’ve collapsed long ago.

"You don’t need to refine pills... I can’t possibly handle an entire sect’s demand alone. I have other plans for this," he replied to Long Qiqi.

"Tch!" She snorted coldly, turning away with a stack of plant records taller than herself.

The spirit herbs in the greenhouse were usually tended by her and Zhang Junyi. But Zhang Junyi, having stabilized his Foundation Establishment, needed to seek a unique natural water source for his Dan Water. Two days ago, Chasing the Wind had taken him out on this quest.

Now, Long Qiqi was left alone to manage the entire greenhouse.

...If Zhang Junyi took as long as she had when searching for her Dan Fire—half a year—she was in for a world of suffering.

After inspecting the herbs and finding no issues, Qin Ran left the greenhouse and flew toward the Master Peak.

Arriving at Sect Leader Gu Yueming’s cave abode, he casually took a seat as if it were his own home.

Pouring himself a cup of tea, he took a sip and asked, "When’s your memorial ceremony?"

Gu Yueming opened his eyes, glanced at Qin Ran’s actions, and didn’t react. "The year’s end is approaching. We’ll hold it then. Mortals honor their ancestors; we honor our fallen heroes."

"You’ve got quite the vision..." Qin Ran sighed.

Honoring the disciples who died in battle would greatly boost morale, solidify the Sect Leader’s authority, and ensure the sect’s vengeance and fighting spirit remained alive. It was a clear display of a leader’s ambition.

"Wasn’t it you who told me to aim for the top of the Land of Immortal Legacy?" Gu Yueming chuckled.

The words struck Qin Ran as dangerous, and he fell silent for a moment.

After another sip of tea, he spoke again. "The ceremony is one thing. I came to discuss something else."

"Go ahead."

Qin Ran studied Gu Yueming—a face with white hair yet youthful vigor, kind and wise. Every person who climbed to a leadership position was far from simple.

"Several months have passed, and there's still no movement from the Boundless Sword Sect. We can now confirm that they won't be attacking again anytime soon." Qin Ran analyzed with Gu Yueming. "The Boundless Sword Sect is busy absorbing the resources of Zhican Valley, so we must also seize this time to strengthen ourselves."

"Mm." Gu Yueming nodded, playing the role of the attentive listener, signaling Qin Ran to continue.

Qin Ran cleared his throat and went on, "First, the matter of spirit herbs.

"My 'Water-based Spirit Cultivation Technique' has succeeded. From now on, Dan Peak can cultivate spirit herbs and plants using spiritual water, eliminating our dependence on Spirit Soil. However, we need a large quantity of seeds—all kinds of spirit herb seeds. Whatever I request, you must prepare them as quickly as possible."

"That won't be a problem," Gu Yueming replied.

With the confirmation secured, Qin Ran moved to the next topic. "Second, the issue of alchemists.

"We have the spirit herbs, but they won't refine themselves into pills. The Dao Sword Sect still needs many alchemists. Given that both sects are now in a period of peaceful development, my idea is to take this opportunity to train our own alchemists—starting from scratch.

"Though it will be difficult at first and will consume many resources, the end result will be alchemists we can trust. So, I need you, Sect Leader, to help Dan Peak recruit disciples specifically for alchemy training—preferably those with an affinity for water."

Gu Yueming thought for a moment before responding, "Resources aren’t an issue; we have enough for you to train alchemists. But there are two concerns: one, whether you’ll be too overburdened, and two, how the Dao Sword Sect will manage before these alchemists are fully trained?"

Qin Ran caught the underlying implication—mentioning his workload was really about questioning his growing authority.

He replied, "The initial training of new disciples can be handled by the Chief Alchemy Hall’s stewards and Long Qiqi’s master-disciple pair at Dan Peak. Later, I’ll take over. And I won’t need to train all of them—just three or four will suffice.

"As for the second concern, Sect Leader, you can first recruit some alchemists from outside. We’ll supply the spirit herbs from Dan Peak, and they can refine the pills for us. That should tide us over."

"Agreed," Gu Yueming nodded.

"Now, these were internal matters," Qin Ran took another sip of tea before continuing. "Next is our strategy against the Boundless Sword Sect."

"Oh?" Gu Yueming straightened in his seat.

"It’s the same as with Zhican Valley—a powerful force crumbles from within," Qin Ran stated plainly.

"The Boundless Sword Sect has absorbed Zhican Valley’s alchemists, creating two distinct factions within their ranks. The arrogant, newly arrived alchemists look down on the rough, barbaric swordsmen, while the sect’s proud swordsmen disdain the weak, powerless alchemists.

"Even if Jian Wuming has the ability to unite these two factions, I can ensure he fails. So, while the Boundless Sword Sect was once formidable, they’re now easier to deal with than Zhican Valley ever was."

"Excellent!" Gu Yueming clenched his fist in excitement.

With matters settled, Qin Ran stood to leave. After taking two steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask Gu Yueming, "Was the Boundless Sword Sect’s Guardian Mountain Formation also arranged by the Tianji Sect?"

"The Boundless Sword Sect is, after all, the top sword sect in the Land of Immortal Legacy. Naturally, their Guardian Mountain Formation was set up by the Tianji Sect," Gu Yueming replied.

Qin Ran understood and nodded before stepping out.

Standing outside Gu Yueming’s cave abode, he gazed down at the entire Dao Sword Sect, his eyes calm and unreadable.

He thought to himself, Once this job is done, I’m getting out of here… The night is dark, the road is slippery, and people’s hearts are far too complicated.