Chapter 63: Gradual Beginnings

With his appearance marred, Chen Mo felt too embarrassed to face Nalan Yanran and could only slink back to his room to tend to his bruised face.

"Ouch, she really went all out, knowing full well I didn't use Dou Qi to resist."

Enduring the pain, Chen Mo took out his Alchemy Cauldron and prepared to concoct a potion to treat his external injuries.

The night passed.

At dawn, when Chen Mo went to find Yun Yun, the maid informed him that Sect Leader Yun had already returned to the Yunlan Sect.

He then went to look for Nalan Yanran, only to discover that she had also returned to the Yunlan Sect with Yun Yun, entering seclusion to prepare for the three-year deadline that was just half a month away.

In the end, within the vast imperial capital, Chen Mo was left alone.

"Sigh, is this what they call 'free-range parenting'?" Chen Mo sighed and said to the maid beside him, "Summon Ye Liangchen to see me."

"Yes!" The maid withdrew.

Not long after, inside Chen Mo's room.

"Your subordinate, Ye Liangchen, pays his respects to the Grand Pavilion Master," Ye Liangchen knelt on one knee and spoke respectfully.

After speaking, Ye Liangchen looked up and noticed the swelling on Chen Mo's face, asking with concern, "Grand Pavilion Master, your face?"

"Ahem."

"Ye Liangchen, I have a challenging task for you. Are you confident you can complete it?" Chen Mo cleared his throat and then spoke in a serious tone.

"Yes, I would go through fire and water for the Pavilion Master, even if it means death ten thousand times," Ye Liangchen replied almost instantly. For a lowly mercenary like him, being able to join the Lofty Cloud Pavilion and reside in the magnificent Nalan Mansion was an honor.

Moreover, as the Grand Pavilion Master's reputation grew, the name of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion became increasingly well-known in the imperial capital. As a member of the Pavilion, he felt a sense of pride.

Now that the Grand Pavilion Master himself was entrusting him with a task, he felt even more duty-bound.

"Good," Chen Mo was pleased to see Ye Liangchen's sense of belonging rise from 50 to 65. "It's not as serious as death. The task I'm assigning you is to establish a branch of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion in the imperial capital. I've already chosen the location."

Chen Mo took out a map of the imperial capital from his Storage Ring and pointed to the western part of the city.

Compared to the bustling and lively inner city, the western part was more secluded, making it suitable for the development of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion.

After all, the imperial capital was the political center and military stronghold of the Jia Ma Empire, making it unsuitable for overt expansion.

"You are to purchase a shop here at a high price," Chen Mo instructed Ye Liangchen in detail.

Finally, Chen Mo asked Ye Liangchen what weapon he used.

"Reporting to the Grand Pavilion Master, your subordinate uses a saber."

"A saber?" Chen Mo rummaged through his Storage Ring and found a Profound Low-Rank Dou Skill manual he had obtained from the Storage Ring of the bandit leader he had killed.

"This is a Profound Low-Rank saber technique. Take it and practice," Chen Mo handed the Dou Skill manual to Ye Liangchen.

"Thank you, Grand Pavilion Master, for your generosity!" Upon hearing it was a Profound Low-Rank Dou Skill, Ye Liangchen was overwhelmed with gratitude. After all, as a Dou Grand Master, he had only been practicing a Mid-Level Yellow Rank Dou Skill.

Seeing Ye Liangchen's sense of belonging rise from 65 to 80, Chen Mo was delighted.

It had to be said that in his previous life, many employees lacked a strong sense of belonging to the company, largely because bosses only preached motivation without addressing salaries.

"Alright. Go now. And summon Zhang Han next," Chen Mo said.

Ye Liangchen left like the wind.

Not long after, Zhang Han entered, his mood tinged with excitement.

He had heard from Ye Liangchen about the Grand Pavilion Master bestowing a Profound Low-Rank Dou Skill.

"Zhang Han, I have a challenging task for you. I wonder if you have the confidence to complete it."

"Yes, I am willing to go through fire and water for the Grand Pavilion Master, even if it means death ten thousand times."

Chen Mo's mouth twitched. The sense of belonging had increased, but where did you learn such lines?

Chen Mo assigned Zhang Han to establish a branch of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion in Wutan City.

Zhang Han was a swordsman, so Chen Mo also rewarded him with a Profound Low-Rank Dou Skill.

After giving instructions to several people, Chen Mo used a red pen to draw several circles on the map of the Jia Ma Empire.

After finishing the drawing, Chen Mo suddenly thought of a question.

If I were to woo the princess of the Jia Ma Empire, would the entire empire fall within the influence of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion?

Soon, the system provided an explanation.

First, the host's strength must surpass anyone in the Jia Ma Empire.

Second, the host must replace the ruler of the Jia Ma Empire.

Additionally, the system, unusually, gave Chen Mo a piece of advice.

To become invincible, don't always think about taking shortcuts. You need to draw lots.

Alright, it seems exploiting the system's bugs is impossible.

Seeing that the Storage Ring was almost empty, after all, expanding influence was very costly.

"It seems I need to visit the Miteer Auction House!"

"Someone, prepare the carriage!"

Chen Mo's current status in the Nalan residence was comparable to Nalan Jie.

Therefore, the maids did not dare to disobey his orders.

Soon, a luxurious carriage was arranged at the entrance of the Nalan residence, accompanied by a team of Dou Master-level guards.

The group arrived at the Miteer Auction House in grand style.

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Knowing that Chen Mo was coming to auction items, the auction house specially arranged for Ya Fei to receive him.

"Mr. Chen Mo, we meet again!"

...

Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Under a waterfall.

A thin, shirtless young man sat cross-legged, his eyes tightly shut, gritting his teeth, enduring the impact of the rushing water from above.

His wheat-colored back had already been reddened and injured by the turbulent water. Through the misty curtain of water, one could faintly see the blood seeping from his back, yet he remained unmoved.

After a long time, his tightly shut eyes suddenly opened. The young man picked up the Mystic Heavy Ruler beside him and stood up, uttering cold words. The ruler in his hand was suddenly raised, and a scorching temperature appeared on its surface.

"Flame Partition Wave Engulfing Ruler!"

With the young man's cold shout, the surrounding energy of heaven and earth suddenly surged. Countless visible energies, like tides, madly poured into the ruler in his hand.

As the energy poured into the ruler, the temperature it emitted grew higher and higher, and the strange temperature within the ruler was fully ignited at this moment.

With a downward slash, the fiery ruler, carrying its scorching heat, cut through the void, heading towards the river below.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Wherever the ruler passed, a massive water column shot up into the sky, one after another, rushing into the distance. At the moment the water column rose, the river briefly dried up, revealing the sandy riverbed.

Boom!

With an even more intense explosion, a large boulder in the center of the river was instantly turned into powder as the water column surged.

Soon!

The mist of water fell from the sky, and the figure holding the black ruler walked out from under the waterfall, ignoring the dripping water. The young man's gaze looked into the distance.

There stood a great mountain.

A mountain that many people needed to look up to.

This mountain carries a promise made by a young man.

A three-year promise that many find laughable.

The three-year deadline is approaching.

Nalan Yanran, are you ready?

And you, Chen Mo!!!