Chapter 498: 3%

Standing within the Bloodline Purification Formation, Cang Xu felt a wave of emotion wash over him.

He remembered clearly how he had poured his heart and soul into constructing this formation, exhausting every possible method only to face insurmountable obstacles.

After leaving the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and temporarily joining Jian Gui's crew alone, the other survivors had managed to complete the Bloodline Purification Formation.

"The Commander never disappoints us. Miss Zi Di is also incredibly dependable!" Cang Xu thought to himself.

He stood in the center of the formation.

The fishman youngster stood at the periphery, channeling his Bloodcore with mental focus to generate a crimson energy stream.

This energy flowed into the formation's panels, causing the entire alchemy formation to erupt with a blood-red radiance. It coalesced into a three-dimensional magic formation centered around a seven-pointed star.

The formation was compact, occupying only a quarter of the alchemy chamber's space.

Cang Xu was bathed entirely in the crimson glow. The faint tension on his face gradually faded as time passed.

Finally, he closed his eyes slightly, quietly sensing the changes within his bloodline.

He felt nothing.

When the crimson energy depleted and Cang Xu stepped out of the formation, he offered only one assessment: “This was far more bearable than enduring the Undead Bloodline Detection Spell.”

The fishman youngster explained, "After this purification, your Hanging Corpse Tree bloodline concentration is now 3%. At this level of saint level bloodline concentration, it hasn't reached a stage where you can immediately perceive it."

“You'll only feel it distinctly during your next meditation.”

Cang Xu's Hanging Corpse Tree bloodline had been less than 1% before; reaching 3% now was a tremendous leap forward.

“You should be able to cultivate to the silver level now,” the fishman youngster stated.

Even a slight increase in a saint level bloodline could bring powerful changes to a low level transcendent.

Cang Xu struggled to contain his excitement.

His lack of talent had been a lifelong torment, was now, at last, improving!

As an iron level, he had been blending in with Jian Gui's crew, constantly relying on the Deceptive Disguise spell to pass as a silver level magician. The psychological pressure had been immense!

“The problem now is that we've exhausted the undead materials we had available for absorption,” the fishman youngster explained.

Since leaving Mystifying Monster Island, the survivors had diligently gathered undead materials in secret.

Only half of their painstakingly collected resources remained.

It wasn't that the fishman youngster was reluctant to use these materials—they simply couldn't be utilized.

The Hanging Corpse Tree's bloodline reached the saint level. While not occupying the absolute apex of the bloodline hierarchy, it undoubtedly belonged to its upper echelons.

The most ideal targets for bloodline absorption were the subordinate lifeforms one tier below the Hanging Corpse Tree; those connected to its bloodline. These were primarily gold level entities.

The next tier down, silver level, was still considered ideal.

The lowest tier was iron level transcendents. Absorption from these yielded very poor results.

Most undead materials collected by the survivors were low level; gold level materials were exceedingly rare.

“We desperately need suitable undead materials now!”

The fishman youngster and Cang Xu exchanged glances, both falling silent.

Acquiring these undead materials was no easy feat.

The current state of the undead faction was one where everyone wanted to hunt them down.

Even if undead materials were produced, they were strictly controlled by local factions. What trickled into the market were often borderline materials.

The world's largest source of undead materials was undoubtedly the Ghost World.

In this alternate plane, undead roamed everywhere.

But Cang Xu, who had ventured into the Ghost World, made it clear to the fishman youngster: only those at the saint level possessed the qualifications to explore the Ghost World and withstand its dangers. Beyond that, even the combination of Jian Gui and his ghost ship struggled through it with great difficulty and constant peril!

Though Jian Gui had the ghost ship, he dared not covet the Ghost World under normal circumstances. Only when driven to desperation did they risk teleporting into the Ghost World to seek refuge.

This alone demonstrated the advantage held by the orthodox undead faction.

The leader of the orthodox undead faction was Founder You Shen, a legendary figure. His personally trained disciples, known as the Twelve Saints, include several at the saint level!

With such powerful figures exploring the Ghost World and bringing back vast undead resources, they could sustain the orthodox necromancers like Jian Gui.

However, other necromancers weren't without their own means of acquiring undead materials.

For rogue magicians and wandering practitioners, their primary method was self-creation.

After a lifeform died, its flesh could be fashioned into zombies, its bones into skeleton warriors, and its spirit transformed into ghosts.

Previously, the surge in undead forces commanded by Jian Gui and others had been obtained through extensive hunting in the White Hair Trench.

"The Ghost World is beyond our reach for now. Beyond market purchases, most necromancers rely on their own hands to provide for themselves." Cang Xu shot a meaningful glance at the fishman youngster.

The fishman youngster let out a sigh of realization. "No wonder the entire world targets the undead faction. Within their ranks, all living things can be turned into undead materials. In a sense, the whole world is brimming with undead resources!"

Cang Xu shook his head slightly. "Transforming into undead requires negative energy. Higher level undead often demand corresponding necromancy magic." Only advanced necromancers can cast such spells."

"Actually, other magic schools are no different. Take pyromancy, for instance. For a long time in history, countless fire magicians hunted fire dragons across the land, seeking their scales, eyes, and dragon roots to craft superior spellcasting materials."

The fishman youngster nodded in agreement, “Cang Xu, you're right. The fundamental reason the undead school faces persecution and suppression lies in its involvement with the mysteries of the soul!”

The fishman youngster was himself a bona fide necromancer.

The undead inheritance he had access to included some of the intermediate level content. The resources he commanded and the knowledge he possessed far surpassed those of most necromancers in the world.

At this point, the fishman youngster suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind Cang Xu's earlier words.

He stared at Cang Xu, expressionless: “Cang Xu, are you planning to target these sea beasts and the believers of the Charming Blue Goddess? To kill them all and turn them into undead materials?”

Cang Xu immediately sensed the fishman youngster's displeasure and hastily lowered his head, “Lord, you mentioned this yourself. I never suggested it.”

Cang Xu understood his commander well.

After following Jian Gui for some time, he had come to grasp Jian Gui's true nature.

And having spent even longer alongside the fishman youngster, he naturally understood the latter's disposition even more deeply.

It was precisely because of this that he chose to follow the fishman youngster, regarding the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps as his true allegiance. It was also why, when the fishman youngster had rescued him earlier, he felt a deep sense of guilt and a desire to repay the debt.

The more talented a person was, the harder it was to recruit and make them truly loyal. Even if they served under someone, winning their hearts remained difficult.

The fishman youngster's ability to unite Zi Di and Cang Xu stemmed from more than just the core interest of the Bloodcore.

His many shining qualities in human nature earned the admiration of magicians and schemers like Cang Xu, who chose to trust the fishman youngster, obey his commands, and follow him.

In truth, Cang Xu was an exceptionally talented individual!

His limited personal achievements stemmed entirely from the constraints of his bloodline, which capped his life level ceiling far too low.

This was a world of the strong, without transcendent ranks of sufficiently high level, one commanded no respect. Even amassing staggering wealth could be easily seized; the Wisteria Merchant Alliance stood as the prime example.

Within the current Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, Tripleblade clearly possessed the talent to lead a mercenary band and the richest experience. Yet, constrained by his own limitations, merely an iron level cultivation, he couldn't step directly into the limelight. He could only arrange personnel and manage affairs behind the scenes.

In Snow Bird Harbor.

He stared intently at the financial statements in his hands; his brow furrowed for a long moment before he finally set them aside.

Leaning back in his chair, he let out a deep sigh.

Ever since the last shipment of potions was intercepted by a gold level force, their distribution channels have suffered greatly, shrinking significantly.

Bu Quan truly lived up to her reputation as an alchemy genius. Even though potions weren't her strongest suit, she had flawlessly completed the task Tripleblade assigned her, boosting potion production by another significant margin.

But the transportation problem remained unsolved.

Using alternative delivery methods was far too costly. The most economical solution was caravan transport.

Tripleblade wrote to Zong Ge and Zi Di explaining the situation and suggesting halting training due to the tight timeline. He hadn't received a reply yet.

Nevertheless, Tripleblade had already ordered Men Shi and Chi Lai to remain stationed at the docks. Even if training continued, it would be conducted at leased facilities within Snow Bird Harbor.

Simultaneously, Tripleblade contacted the Mercenary Guild, securing numerous assignments to distribute among his mercenary group.

His seasoned experience allowed him to select suitable missions for the right individuals.

Consequently, their mission completion rate far exceeded that of typical mercenary companies.

Yet the rewards from these tasks fell far short of covering the Dragon Lion Mercenary Company's expenses.

“Sigh, I hope Chi Lai's visit to the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord yields results!” Tripleblade mused to himself as he looked towards the city government palace.

Inside the Snow Bird Harbor city government palace, the city lord was personally attending to an important guest at the dinner banquet.

Hearing that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' Chi Lai was seeking an audience, he smiled lightly, "Let him in."