Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit-Chapter 56 - 37 Discuss

"Your personality—"

Wuu Guangquan saw Shi Zhen urging him on, shook his head slightly, skipped the pleasantries, and got straight to the point: "A few days ago, people from Biqing Cliff reached out to us, inviting Wusheng Sect to merge into their ranks. After I refused, they suggested trading food for the Iron-repellent Ore and Spirit Stones produced in the Black Prison."

Biqing Cliff.

This was a major sect located in Linhe County, which neighbored Shi’an County. According to intelligence gathered by Wusheng Sect spies, Biqing Cliff had only recently conquered the entirety of Heng Mountain and Linhe County.

Such power.

Far exceeded the small Wusheng Sect.

It was merely because of Shi’an County’s unique geographical terrain—

To the north and west, it was blocked by the Lishui River, with waterways crisscrossing the land.

To the east and south, mountain roads created natural barriers with treacherous paths.

This made it difficult for the large forces of Biqing Cliff to invade Shi’an County. Moreover, due to previous internal chaos and frequent infighting, they hadn’t had the opportunity to extend their hand here,

thus allowing the Lishui Gang, Wusheng Sect, and Golden Sun Sect the chance to survive.

"Biqing Cliff lies far and deep in the mountains."

"To the south, Iron Leaf Island is eyeing them menacingly. If the two tigers fight, in my view, we can afford to trade with Biqing Cliff. This way, we won’t rely too heavily on the Golden Sun Sect."

The Great Elder, Chuu Sanyang, offered his opinion.

Chuu Sanyang, appearing around fifty years old, was the oldest among those present. He wore a sleeveless, fitted robe, revealing strong and muscular arms.

Though he looked fierce,

he was, in fact, the most mild-mannered of them all.

Because of his mastery of the "Fire Control" abnormal skill and his background as a blacksmith capable of forging exceptional weapons sharp and durable enough to cut strands of hair, he was nicknamed the "Iron Arm Master."

He managed the Weapons Workshop within Wusheng Sect.

Although his strength was not comparable to the other elders, his position was significant, firmly securing his seat as the Great Elder.

"Uncle Chuu’s words make sense."

The Third Elder, "Deathmask" Cao Zheng, nodded in agreement, but he soon added, "We have plenty of Iron-repellent Ore. Selling it to either the Golden Sun Sect or Biqing Cliff doesn’t matter much. But Spirit Stones, when worn, are immensely beneficial for inner strength cultivation and abnormal skills. I don’t agree with selling Spirit Stones to Biqing Cliff."

Cao Zheng, who oversaw the Abnormal People Bureau, specialized in studying abnormal people and had done significant research on the peculiar Spirit Stones.

Even though current understanding of Spirit Stones was very limited,

Cao Zheng firmly believed in their vast potential,

unwilling to sell them off at a bargain.

"The sect’s Spirit Stones are scarce, and there are plenty of internal traitors. It’s not surprising Biqing Cliff knows we possess Spirit Stones."

"But why must they specifically trade for Spirit Stones?"

The Second Elder, Lvu Qing, a rugged man with sharp features, had a large nose that, upon closer inspection, twitched unconsciously every now and then.

Though peculiar in appearance,

it didn’t faze the others in the room, as they were used to it.

Cao Zheng raised an eyebrow at this and said, "Could it be that Biqing Cliff has figured out the true use of Spirit Stones?"

"That’s impossible, right?"

Everyone froze.

All eyes turned toward Wuu Guangquan at the head of the room.

Only to see Wuu Guangquan gesture toward "Vajra" Chen Shengji next to him.

The latter, a solid and imposing figure like a mountain, snorted and said, "Elder Cao isn’t wrong. Biqing Cliff has already worked out the use of Spirit Stones. They specifically came after them this time. At first, they tried to trick me, offering food in exchange. But suspecting the rarity of Spirit Stones, I refused. When they realized they couldn’t fool me, they offered to trade a secret technique for refining Spirit Stones in exchange for half of the Spirit Stones produced from the Black Prison. For the first batch, they want no fewer than fifty Spirit Stones delivered within a month."

Within Wusheng Sect,

under Sect Leader Wuu Guangquan, there were two Vice Sect Leaders: "Sky Shattering Cannon" Hel Mingli and "Vajra" Chen Shengji.

Though the latter appeared physically intimidating, he had a sharp mind and unwavering loyalty to Wuu Guangquan.

As a result,

responsibility for trading with the Golden Sun Sect and negotiating with Biqing Cliff always fell to Chen Shengji.

"It’s real then!"

Cao Zheng’s face lit up with excitement, and he urged, "Then what are we waiting for? We must get our hands on that secret technique!"

Nearby,

Shi Zhen couldn’t hold his seat either and blurted out, "Elder Cao is right. Spirit Stones, when worn, benefit both inner strength and abnormal skills. If they can be directly refined, I might even break through to the Innate Realm!"

Mu Junxiong, Lvu Qing, and the others all shared a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

Upon hearing this, Wuu Guangquan exchanged glances with Chen Shengji and Hel Mingli before letting out a helpless smile and said to Cao Zheng and the others, "I’d like that too. But with the first batch of five hundred mine slaves over three months, most died or were injured, yielding only seventeen Spirit Stones altogether. The second batch of one thousand mine slaves has been mining for four months and is nearly wiped out, producing only forty-six Spirit Stones. Each of you has already received two stones, and the rest combined don’t even make fifty."

If they agreed to Biqing Cliff’s terms,

Wusheng Sect’s Spirit Stone reserves would have to be completely handed over, and further mine slaves would need to be sent for mining.

The problem, however, was that,

Black Prison mine slaves now numbered fewer than ten thousand.

This kind of manpower-draining, life-costing method of extracting Spirit Stones was simply unsustainable.

After all, Iron-repellent Ore was the backbone of Wusheng Sect’s industry.

If the mine slaves were all dead,

who would mine the Iron-repellent Ore?!

On the other hand,

if no one mined Spirit Stones, the secret technique they obtained would be meaningless.

After Wuu Guangquan’s words, Cao Zheng and the others calmed down. Indeed, the current predicament boiled down to a shortage of manpower.

Without people,

everything else was in vain.

"Actually—"

"There is a way."

After raising the issue and seeing the group deep in thought, Wuu Guangquan spoke again.

"What way?"

Shi Zhen was quick to ask.

Wuu Guangquan turned to Cao Zheng and said, "Elder Cao, you’ve been studying Spirit Mountain and Spirit Stones. You should know that as long as people remain outside the Spirit Mountain Cave, they won’t be affected or mutated. Even if they enter the cave, as long as their inner strength has reached the Fourth Layer or they are abnormal people, they won’t be harmed."

The Fourth Layer of inner strength

or being abnormal people—

In the former case, the transformation of inner breath into inner strength greatly enhanced physical resilience, and the presence of inner strength provided protection, allowing one to stay in the cave for prolonged periods without suffering mutations.

As for the latter?

Abnormal people were born of mutations. Once they awakened successfully, it was as though they had built immunity, making them naturally unaffected by such influences.

Just like Chen Shaohu back then—

after awakening his "Fire Control" abnormal skill, all mutation-related symptoms disappeared from his body and never returned.

"Exactly!"

Cao Zheng, catching on to Wuu Guangquan’s idea, said excitedly, "We’ve captured some Lishui Gang prisoners, and the Abnormal People Bureau also has its share of abnormal people. A few months ago, I even moved a group of over thirty Lishui martial artists of various grades, ranging from the First Grade to the Fourth Grade, into Spirit Mountain Cave for observation. To date, those in the First, Second, and Third Grades have suffered various symptoms and casualties. But the three Fourth-Grade ones are perfectly fine."

As they pieced things together,

the group present guessed what Wuu Guangquan intended.

Second Elder Lvu Qing was the first to suggest, "In that case, let’s mobilize disciples of Fourth Grade and above from the sect to mine in the Black Prison."

"The Black Prison is damp and perpetually shrouded in mist,"

"and it’s Spirit Mountain we’re talking about."

"I’m afraid—"

The Great Elder, Chuu Sanyang, frowned deeply, his face heavy with concern.

This was also what worried Wuu Guangquan.

The Black Prison’s environment was, indeed, harsh.

The Fourth-Grade disciples of Wusheng Sect had painstakingly climbed in rank precisely to avoid being sent to Black Prison labor.

Issuing an immediate change in policy, forcing them to go, especially to Spirit Mountain—a place where 1,500 mine slaves had perished in just six months—might spark fear and resentment, potentially causing division and disloyalty.

The Fourth-Grade disciples formed the backbone of Wusheng Sect.

Handling this poorly could lead to disastrous consequences.

However,

Wuu Guangquan had put significant thought into this. The reason he summoned the vice sect leaders, as well as the elders, was to discuss the plan beforehand and align their positions: "I propose that Shengji and Mingli take turns guarding Spirit Mountain. The elders can divide into five groups and take turns leading disciples into the mountains. Coupled with some incentive measures, this should quell their dissatisfaction."

With vice sect leaders and elders leading by example, freeweɓnovel.cøm

combined with rewards,

the impact and resistance should be minimized.

The only lingering question was—

would these high-ranking, privileged elders be willing to endure the suffering of the Black Prison themselves!

"I have no problem."

The Great Elder, Chuu Sanyang, who had earlier voiced concerns, was the first to step up: "I’ve endured all kinds of hardship before. The Black Prison may have a terrible environment, but as long as I’m not personally mining, it’s fine. If we obtain enough Spirit Stones to refine, I’d have a shot at achieving the Innate Realm. Wouldn’t living over a hundred years be wonderful?!"

With Chuu Sanyang taking the lead,

"I have no problem."

"I agree as well."

His words ignited enthusiasm in Lvu Qing, Cao Zheng, and the others. What initially felt like coercion and manipulation—a task they approached with wariness—was now met with spirited resolve.

All nodded their consent.

Seeing consensus take shape, a crestfallen Mu Junxiong, who had silently worried about prolonged exposure to Black Prison wreaking havoc on his skin, reluctantly swallowed his grievances and loomed silently with the majority.

...