Chapter 248: A Plan for Future Strength
Old man Fei had also guessed that it wouldn’t be easy to recruit Jiang Chen into the sect. This matter had to be approached slowly.
He wasn’t in a rush to recommend Jiang Chen to the sect head yet.
After all, he’d been exiled from the heart of the sect’s power for decades. Although he was now valued by the sect head, he couldn’t appear to be too enthusiastic in the beginning. That might actually be met with rebuffs.
After returning to his manor, Jiang Chen organized all of the spirit medicine ingredients he’d gained from the maze realm. There was actually quite a bit to go through.
For the next month, Jiang Chen spent almost all his time and concentration on this. His unique eye for appraisal had left him with a rather sizable haul.
The last time he’d gone into closed door cultivation, he’d used all of the spirit medicines available to him. However, there was still a substantial amount of ingredients that weren’t appropriate for use at the time.
It’d be a while before he found a use for the remaining ingredients.
“It’d be a waste to just store the spirit ingredients I don’t have a use for, and I’m always short on ingredients I do need. It seems that there’s a constant interplay between ingredients and their sufficiency that’s at work here. There are many good items over at the Myriad Treasures Palace. Let’s go and see if I can find some spirit ingredients that I need.”
Apart from raising his own strength in this current stage, Jiang Chen was also well aware of the importance of helpers.
His eight personal guards all had good potential, but needed time to grow and develop.
Although Gouyu had broken through to the spirit realm, he had no wish for a woman to charge headfirst into danger for him.
Of course, he naturally had an idea of whom he wished to develop.
He had many trump cards right now, and many targets worth training.
Take the Swordbird Army for instance, if he could raise them all into spirit rank creatures, then the might of those hundreds and thousands of Goldwing Swordbirds would be no trifling matter.
The same was even more true for the Goldbiter Rats. The Rat King’s own strength was heaven defying, and even on par with Ye Chonglou. Even setting him aside, some of his descendants were also quite strong, comparable to the level of a human earth spirit realm pract.i.tioner.
However, Jiang Chen didn’t want to expose the existence of the Goldbiter Rats if he didn’t have to.
Trump cards weren’t meant to be uncovered unless he was forced into an uncompromisable position.
Aside from the Goldbiter Rats and the Goldwing Swordbirds, the ones with the most potential were actually the two baby Silvermoon Monsterapes.
Jiang Chen had used some special methods to test the bloodline heritage of the two babies that he’d brought out of the maze realm.
Although he couldn’t make a definite conclusion, he was relatively certain that they possessed uncommon potential.
Most importantly, these Silvermoon Monsterapes were born into the spirit rank, and were already at the first level spirit realm as babies.
They were simply too small and hadn’t had an opportunity to develop their fighting capabilities before they’d been kidnapped by Jiang Chen.
From his brief glance through the accompanying spirit ingredients in their cave, Jiang Chen could glean a hint of their bloodline characteristics. Thus, he’d already drafted a plan to develop these Monsterapes.
“The Silvermoon Monsterapes within the maze realm were the equivalent of human earth spirit realm pract.i.tioners. But, the actual level of their training was at fourth level spirit realm. This obviously speaks to the fact that their bloodlines hadn’t fully awakened. Since even divine rank Monsterapes exist in the world, these spirit rank Monsterapes should be at the lowest level of existence.”
The thought of cultivating these Monsterapes to the divine rank hadn’t crossed Jiang Chen’s mind. With his current abilities, it’d be impossible to do.
However, if he could think of a way to awaken their bloodlines, then the amount of potential stimulated would absolutely not leave them merely at the spirit rank.
“Ai, it seems like I’ve gained a lot, but still don’t have enough in areas where I truly have need.”
Although Jiang Chen had many channels of earning money and gaining resources, he had even more areas in which he needed to use them.
He’d first have to aid all the Goldwing Swordbirds to break through to the spirit realm. That would be a monumental expenditure all by itself.
Raising two Monsterapes would be even more of a bottomless pit. Jiang Chen was unable to calculate how much this would be.
“What a pity that I forgot to extort a hefty sum out of old man Fei. Now that he has a somewhat high position in the sect, he’s definitely a rich guy. I’ll have to make sure to get some handsome concessions out of him next time I see him.”
Jiang Chen actually didn’t need to swindle anything out of old man Fei at all. The worth of the recipe for the Renewal Purity Pill was on the scale of several cities. Once it went into ma.s.s production, the profits would be enough for Jiang Chen to dismiss worries about his expenditures for the next couple of years.
However, even if old man Fei lived in defiance of conventions, he didn’t dare do so without Jiang Chen’s approval.
After all, although Jiang Chen had pa.s.sed down the recipe to him, he hadn’t said that old man Fei could do anything he wanted with it.
Old man Fei was well aware of what he could or could not do.
“I should consider thoroughly making use of that Renewal Purity Pill next time I see old man Fei to address the immediate needs at hand.”
Jiang Chen had now decided to make a trip to the Myriad Treasures Palace and trade the large amounts of spirit ingredients left for some necessities.
The Monsterapes wouldn’t be raised in a day or a night, so Jiang Chen was in no hurry.
But that flock of Goldwing Swordbirds had been through thick and thin with Jiang Chen, so he naturally wouldn’t give up on them.
He’d been worried about causing a stir when he came to the capital, and had only brought a couple with him, leaving the vast majority on the outskirts.
When Jiang Chen remembered this matter, he decided to pay Tian Shao a visit before heading to the Palace.
As long as he obtained the flight tokens, these Goldwing Swordbirds would be able to legally cross the borders without the slightest restriction.
There were almost a thousand of them, but Jiang Chen believed that this wouldn’t be a problem at all for the Dragonteeth Guard.
When he arrived at the door of the Dragonteeth Guard headquarters, he happened to b.u.mp into Tang Long, who’d been in high and vigorous spirits lately.
“Young master Chen, what are you doing here?” Tang Lang quickly walked up in greeting when he saw Jiang Chen, surprise and joy written all over his face.
“Old Tang, is your General Tian in?”
“Oh yes, absolutely!” Tang Long hastened to nod. “General Tian has left instructions that if young master Jiang comes by, no notifications are needed. You can go right inside. Young master, let me take you in.”
“Alright.” Jiang Chen smiled faintly and didn’t dampen Tang Long’s enthusiasm.
Those on duty with Tang Long were all greatly agitated and in awe when they saw Jiang Chen. When they saw how familiar Tang Long was with Jiang Chen, looks of admiration and envy appeared in their eyes.
The current Jiang Chen was the legend of the Skylaurel Kingdom, and the idol of all the youngsters.
The world of martial dao wors.h.i.+pped the strong and the talented.
Jiang Chen undoubtedly fulfilled this image. A young genius fighting against insurmountable power by himself — this completely fulfilled the fantasies of many martial dao pract.i.tioners.
Jiang Chen didn’t put on airs as he followed Tang Long with a slight smile on his face.
Tian Shao was equally overjoyed to see Jiang Chen. “Young master Chen, what brings you here today? Please have a seat, sit!”
“Old Tian, I’ve come to ask for your help this time.”
“Young master Chen, you torture me with this kind of talk. The young master’s affairs are my affairs. What’s this talk of asking for me for help?”
Tian Shao wasn’t being polite. He was a straightforward man and only Jiang Chen was worthy of him saying such words.
Ordinary people wouldn’t have the right to make Tian Shao speak words as these.
“So I have a flock of Goldwing Swordbirds…” Jiang Chen thoroughly explained the matter.
Tian Shao mused silently for a moment after listening, “Young master, flight tokens are a small matter, but to generate a thousand of them can be a bit tough. With my level of authorization as a general, dozens or hundreds are no problem, but numbers going into the thousands will need approval from vice director Zhou.”
“Zhou Kai?”
“Yes indeed. Young master Chen, vice director Zhou has always wanted to strike up a friends.h.i.+p with you. I’m sure that there will be no problem with this matter if you bring it up to him.” Tian Shao smiled. “How about I take you to him right now? The vice director is in anyways.”
Jiang Chen didn’t reject him and nodded, “Sure.”
Zhou Kai was now truly the first vice director in the Dragonteeth Guard now. Without his great rival Yang Zhao, he was riding on the crest of success and had swept away all his previous negativity and dejection.
He was finally grasping some of the power and image that a first vice director should have.
Therefore, Zhou Kai felt a large amount of grat.i.tude towards Jiang Chen. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have voluntarily joined the entourage to propose marriage.
When he saw Tian Shao bring in Jiang Chen for a visit, Zhou Kai was startled and almost overwhelmed by this honor.
Even Zhou Kai found his feelings a bit odd. After all, he was the first vice director of the Dragonteeth Guard, his position high and his influence great. Jiang Chen’s true ident.i.ty was just a second rank n.o.ble with no true power at all.
Yet his att.i.tude had unwittingly placed Jiang Chen in a superior position.
“Vice director Zhou Kai, young master Chen has some matters here in which I cannot make the decision. Therefore, I must prevail upon the vice director to decide…” Tian Shao explained the matter.
Zhou Kai didn’t hesitate at all after listening, “What’s not to allow for a small matter like this? Tian Shao, I approve, hurry and oversee the creation of the flight tokens. Young master Chen, is there anything else?”
Jiang Chen hadn’t thought that Zhou Kai would be so accommodating and smiled, “I feel embarra.s.sed with one matter already. Vice director Zhou is a decisive man alright. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s any matters in which I can help with in the future.”
Jiang Chen had never been one to be stingy to his friends.
Since Zhou Kai was this quick on the uptake, he was obviously someone who Jiang Chen could be friends with.
Zhou Kai was inwardly gleeful when he heard Jiang Chen’s words. He’d been looking for a good opportunity to enhance his relations.h.i.+p with Jiang Chen, and hadn’t thought that this opportunity would come so quickly.
He was naturally quite happy to be able to do something for Jiang Chen and have the latter owe him a favor.
“I have long since heard of young master Chen’s reputation. Our Dragonteeth Guard has forged a friends.h.i.+p with the young master via conversations through our fists.”
Jiang Chen chuckled, “I asked for vice director Zhou’s forgiveness as well. I haven’t always handled things well in the past.”
“Say nothing of the sort young master, our Dragonteeth Guard has always been a rational organization. Those things were all a result of that dumb animal Lu Wuji. He provoked you and created trouble for the guard, it has nothing to do with you.” Zhou Kai hastened to say.
“Haha, vice director, let’s forget about past grudges. I happen to have two jugs of good wine here, shall we have a drink? Drink away that past?” Tian Shao interjected.
This suggestion hit the right chord with Zhou Kai. “Good, good. Young master Chen is a genius and I’ve always wanted to find an opportunity to strengthen our relations.h.i.+p.”
“Come, come young master Chen! No matter how busy you are today, you must have a few drinks with the vice director.” Tian Shao hauled on Jiang Chen’s arm and walked outside.