Chapter 31: Ningguang

"It's alright. I am also filled with curiosity about this new world. I eagerly anticipate the day the Jade Chamber can float high above this world, radiating its unique brilliance."

Ningguang's platinum-blonde hair was elegantly swept up with a luxurious black and gold hairpin, giving her a noble and refined appearance.

She wore a beautiful qipao, intricately woven with gold, white, and black, perfectly accentuating her graceful figure.

At this moment, a confident and elegant smile graced her face, as if everything was completely under her control.

For Ningguang, with ample personnel at her disposal, the backing of Lu Jingming's connections, and no shortage of funds, she believed that if she couldn't establish a firm foothold in Shrek City under such conditions, she would be unworthy of the title Tianshu Ningguang.

"Hmm, with you in charge of this, I'm completely at ease." Lu Jingming was full of confidence in Ningguang's abilities.

From what he knew of her, with her exceptional business acumen and extraordinary wisdom, establishing a presence in Shrek City was merely a matter of time. In due course, Haiyuan City's Chamber of Commerce would undoubtedly flourish and shine brightly in this land.

Next, Ningguang would lead a portion of the Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact) and travel with Zhang Lexuan and Keqing to Shrek City. 

Jingliu, considering the potential risks along the way, decided to personally escort them to Shrek Academy. Jingliu would also temporarily stay in Shrek City and return with Zhang Lexuan and Keqing a year later.

"Xiao Ming, you must take good care of yourself. With big sister away for a year, you need to watch your health.

Also, don't overdo your training; make sure not to exhaust yourself," Zhang Lexuan said with reluctance in her eyes, gently holding Lu Jingming's hand. She gave him countless instructions, her gaze filled with care and concern.

"I know, Sister Lexuan. I'm not a child anymore," Lu Jingming replied with a slight, amused smile. Zhang Lexuan had diligently cared for him since he was young, her concern so meticulous that sometimes she worried excessively, forgetting that he was now a two-ring Great Soul Master.

Although Lu Jingming was still young, Soul Masters were vastly different from ordinary mortals. Thanks to the nourishment of soul power, his physical development far surpassed that of his peers.

At least in terms of height, he didn't look like an eight-year-old child at all, though his slightly youthful face still retained some childishness, indicating his true age.

This was a significant difference between Soul Masters and ordinary people; in the miraculous world of the Douluo Continent, the advancement of soul power could greatly accelerate a Soul Master's physical development.

After reassuring Zhang Lexuan, Lu Jingming turned his gaze to a tall, burly middle-aged man. This man wore a uniquely designed black soul tool armor, exuding a calm and resolute aura.

"Luwu, from now on, you will follow Ningguang's command. Her instructions are equivalent to my orders, do you understand?" Lu Jingming said with a serious expression.

This middle-aged man, named Luwu, was once merely an ordinary guard in the City Lord's Mansion, not even having stepped into the threshold of becoming a Soul Master.

Eight years ago, when the City Lord's Mansion suffered a fierce attack from rebellious nobles, the situation was precarious.

Many chose to flee in the face of life-or-death decisions, but Luwu remained steadfast, never abandoning his post, resolutely choosing to live or die with the Lu family. This unwavering loyalty to the Lu family was as firm as a rock.

Later, when Lu Jingming began forming the Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact), there was a need for a group of loyal individuals, unafraid of death, to participate in a highly challenging experiment with Herta.

Luwu unhesitatingly stepped forward first to volunteer. Through Herta's miraculous and complex surgery, he successfully fused with the genes of a ten-thousand-year soul beast, the Winged Black Tiger, thus embarking on a completely different life path and becoming a fusion warrior.

This choice not only granted Luwu the powerful high-level martial soul of the Winged Black Tiger but also propelled him to become a remarkable Soul King level expert.

Although due to special reasons, he could not cultivate and improve his soul power like conventional Soul Masters, and his soul power level remained at Soul King, Luwu was already deeply satisfied.

After all, his previous martial soul was merely an ordinary wooden stick, and he didn't even possess innate soul power; becoming a Soul Master was once an unattainable dream for him.

Now, Lu Jingming had given him this opportunity, allowing him to transform from ordinary to extraordinary, becoming an existence that other common people looked up to. How could he have any reason to be dissatisfied?

Furthermore, fusion warriors had their own unique path to advancement. By continuing to undergo Herta's fusion surgeries and acquiring stronger soul beast genes, they had the opportunity to become even more powerful.

It was precisely for this reason that Luwu, who was already unwavering in his loyalty, became one of the five current commanders of the Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact) due to his outstanding performance and absolute loyalty to Lu Jingming.

Most of the other members of the Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact) had similar experiences. They were either former guards of the Lu family, deeply indebted to them and willing to follow Lu Jingming, or fishermen carefully selected by Chang Li, or some low-level Soul Masters with dim prospects on the path of cultivation.

For them, joining the Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact) and becoming fusion warriors was undoubtedly a new path of hope.

However, this path also meant inextricably binding their future to Lu Jingming.

Their advancement was entirely dependent on Herta's technological support; once they left Herta, they would hardly have any possibility of further breakthroughs in their lifetime. But the people Lu Jingming chose were all grateful individuals, and every member of the Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact) was fiercely loyal to Lu Jingming, making betrayal very difficult.

In fact, if Herta hadn't dedicated a large amount of her energy to other research fields, leaving her unable to fully concentrate on fusion surgeries, the upper limit of the Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact)'s strength would be far beyond the Soul King level.

Moreover, the cultivation of fusion warriors not only required Herta to personally perform the surgeries but also had extremely high resource requirements.

Obtaining a large number of suitable soul beast genes was already difficult. Furthermore, ordinary people wanting to instantly become Soul Masters needed to consume massive amounts of nutrients after surgery to sustain the soul beast genes within them, until the soul beast genes completely integrated with them, at which point they would autonomously absorb elemental energy from heaven and earth to replenish their consumption.

Otherwise, the powerful soul beast genes within them would mercilessly drain their life force, leading to their demise. And these precious nutrients all required immense wealth to acquire.

Given the limitations of numerous factors, after successfully forming a five-hundred-strong Millelith (Liyue's armed forces in Genshin Impact), Lu Jingming had to temporarily halt the recruitment of new members.

At this stage, a force of five hundred was already sufficient to meet Haiyuan City's needs.