Chapter 1161: Myriad Ghost Grotto Expands
The reason Myriad Ghost Grotto saw the most significant improvement among all of Yang Haoran's organizations was precisely because it served as his trump card. The resources he poured into Myriad Ghost Grotto were also the most substantial, and naturally, with such immense support, it became the organization that improved the most under his command.
Of course, Myriad Ghost Grotto was no idle organization under Yang Haoran's command; the value it generated was equally astounding. Whether it was collecting all sorts of intelligence or bringing back various spiritual entities and treasures to Yang Haoran, everything left him immensely satisfied.
If a comparison had to be made, the value created by Myriad Ghost Grotto actually far surpassed that generated by the Medicine God Society for Yang Haoran. However, many of Myriad Ghost Grotto's acquisitions couldn't be directly converted into Soul Pills, and many treasures were temporarily useless, making their true value difficult to manifest. This was unlike the Medicine God Society, which could produce various dānyào that could be sent to the Underworld's Jingran Pharmacy for sale at any time, transforming all sorts of medicines into Soul Pills.
If all the various treasures continuously acquired by Myriad Ghost Grotto were to be monetized, then the value Myriad Ghost Grotto created for Yang Haoran would undoubtedly be superior to that of the Medicine God Society.
It was precisely because of the immense value Myriad Ghost Grotto generated that Yang Haoran was exceedingly satisfied with it, and he held Tang Shi in high regard. Naturally, he wouldn't be stingy with resources for Myriad Ghost Grotto.
At this moment, the combat conference room within Yang Haoran's Guardian District was bustling. Due to strategic needs, the number of people present had significantly increased compared to a year ago. However, everyone there was either a trusted confidant of Yang Haoran or a trusted confidant of his confidants.
As for Yang Haoran's trusted confidants, there was no need to mention them; regardless of their combat aptitude, they all had the right to enter this place. Take Lu Wu, for instance; even though he lacked exceptional combat talent, his entry into the combat conference room was equally unimpeded, with no one daring to stop him.
As for the confidants of Yang Haoran's confidants, their ability to remain in the combat conference room meant that, regardless of their individual strength, they all possessed exceptional talent in combat without exception. What Yang Haoran valued in them was precisely their combat capabilities.
After Yang Haoran arrived at the combat conference room, seeing everyone busy with fervent intensity, he sat down to understand the battle situation. He issued some orders that only he, as the Guardian, was qualified to give, and then discussed with everyone the appropriate countermeasures for the current situation.
By the time Yang Haoran exited the combat conference room, several hours had passed. After he had dealt with all the matters he needed to personally handle, he delegated the remaining tasks to his trusted subordinates.
Thanks to the increasing number of capable individuals in the combat conference room, Yang Haoran felt significantly more at ease than when the room was first established. This afforded him more time for other matters. However, whenever a major issue arose that his trusted subordinates couldn't handle, they would still use a Communication Talisman to request his presence and his personal decision-making.
After Yang Haoran left the combat conference room, he did not return to his private residence. Instead, he secretly made his way to Myriad Ghost Grotto.
Under Tang Shi's leadership, Myriad Ghost Grotto had now truly lived up to its name. The number of spiritual entities had long surpassed ten thousand, and their individual strengths were formidable. Even the weakest newcomers were at the Evil Spirit realm, as this was the minimum standard for joining Myriad Ghost Grotto. Spiritual entities who hadn't reached this threshold, even if they wished to join, would not be accepted.
As for the strongest entity within Myriad Ghost Grotto, it was naturally Tang Shi, its supreme leader. Tang Shi's cultivation realm had now reached the peak of the early-stage Ghost King realm, just a step away from the mid-stage Ghost King realm.
Yang Haoran was not stingy with Tang Shi in the slightest. Every so often, he would bring Tang Shi a substantial batch of Soul Pills. Some of these Soul Pills were distributed among the members of Myriad Ghost Grotto, while a portion, naturally, was used by Tang Shi himself.
It was precisely because of the large quantities of Soul Pills continuously supplied by Yang Haoran that Tang Shi was able to elevate his realm to the peak of the early-stage Ghost King realm in such a short period. One must remember that not much time had passed since he first broke through to the Ghost King realm. Reaching the peak of the early-stage Ghost King realm so quickly demonstrated how many Soul Pills Yang Haoran had invested in Tang Shi, and equally, it showed the immense importance Yang Haoran placed on him.
Apart from Tang Shi, Myriad Ghost Grotto had also gained several other Ghost Kings. Although they were only newly ascended to the Ghost King realm, even novice Ghost Kings were not to be underestimated, representing a considerable force.
As for spiritual entities at the peak of the Evil Spirit realm, Myriad Ghost Grotto now had an abundance of them. However, due to Yang Haoran's current limited resources, it was simply impossible for him to elevate all peak Evil Spirits to the Ghost King realm in a short time, so this matter could only proceed gradually.
Who would be the first to enter the Ghost King realm depended entirely on Tang Shi, the supreme leader. Yang Haoran was only responsible for providing the resources to Tang Shi. How these resources were to be allocated, and who should be cultivated first, was left entirely to Tang Shi's discretion. Yang Haoran did not interfere, nor did he even inquire.
However, Yang Haoran believed that given more time, the number of Ghost Kings in Myriad Ghost Grotto would certainly multiply, at which point Myriad Ghost Grotto's strength would reach an even more terrifying level.
With one hand in his pocket and a lit cigarette held between the fingers of the other, Yang Haoran strolled through Myriad Ghost Grotto. His actions appeared aimless, but in reality, he was observing every change within Myriad Ghost Grotto, missing not even the slightest alteration.
The moment Yang Haoran arrived at Myriad Ghost Grotto, Tang Shi immediately put down everything he was doing and respectfully followed behind him. As soon as Yang Haoran's gaze lingered on any particular spot, Tang Shi would immediately speak up to answer his unspoken questions, without Yang Haoran even needing to ask.
Due to the massive increase in Myriad Ghost Grotto's members, the grotto had to be expanded. Putting aside other considerations for now, just the matter of member residences urgently required expansion. If members didn't have their own rooms, or even a basic place to stay, then where would they rest after returning to Myriad Ghost Grotto from completing their missions?
Therefore, in order to ensure that every one of his subordinates had their own private living space, and also to add facilities and venues that Myriad Ghost Grotto previously lacked, Tang Shi decided to expand the grotto. However, before the expansion began, he naturally sought approval from Yang Haoran, his master, commencing construction only after receiving his consent.
The area Yang Haoran was currently strolling through was precisely the newly expanded section of Myriad Ghost Grotto. One of the reasons he had taken the time to visit Myriad Ghost Grotto today was to see what the expanded grotto looked like.
“Heh heh, this expansion is quite good. I thought you would take some time, but I didn't expect you to complete the expansion in just half a month, without even making any noticeable commotion. ”
Yang Haoran's gaze swept across his surroundings. He took a drag from his cigarette, then chuckled softly as he spoke. Although at this moment he had only seen the tip of the iceberg of the expanded area, even that mere glimpse left him very satisfied.
“To avoid causing any trouble for my master, your subordinate was extremely careful during the expansion, setting up several restrictive barriers. I dared not be negligent in the slightest. ”
Tang Shi immediately replied, his attitude immensely respectful.
The expanded Myriad Ghost Grotto had not only doubled in size, but also significantly increased its various facilities compared to before, adding several areas and venues that had not existed previously.
The area Yang Haoran was currently looking at was one that had not existed before. This area was quite large, circular in shape, with neat rows of stone chairs surrounding it, and a raised flat platform in the center.
From its appearance, this place didn't seem like a training ground. Instead, it resembled a martial arts arena, with the stone chairs around the platform likely serving as spectator seating.
Sure enough, Tang Shi's subsequent words confirmed that Yang Haoran's conjecture was correct. The moment Yang Haoran's gaze fell upon this area, Tang Shi immediately began to explain it to him.
“This area is our Myriad Ghost Grotto’s exclusive combat arena. Although we had training grounds before the expansion, we lacked a proper arena. To enrich the lives of my subordinates and to motivate them, I decided that from now on, we will hold internal combat tournaments for them at regular intervals, and then issue certain rewards based on their rankings. ”
Hearing this, Yang Haoran smiled and nodded, then took a drag from his cigarette and casually said:
“Heh heh, quite good. ”
Yang Haoran chuckled faintly, not commenting further on this approach. He then shifted his gaze to another area, where a series of tightly shut stone doors stood. He counted them; there were eight in total, arranged neatly. Their size and carved patterns were identical.
Since the stone doors were tightly shut, and aside from a gourd carved on each, there were no other markings or annotations, it was difficult for an ordinary person to guess what lay inside.
Tang Shi followed Yang Haoran's gaze, then once again respectfully began to explain.
“Behind these stone doors are the alchemy chambers, where our Myriad Ghost Grotto’s Pharmacists refine dānyào and prepare medicines. Currently, we only have two Pharmacists in Myriad Ghost Grotto, so your subordinate has temporarily opened only eight alchemy stone chambers. Two alchemy stone chambers are already in use, and the other six are spares. However, all the necessary facilities in these six alchemy stone chambers have already been fully prepared by your subordinate, so as soon as Myriad Ghost Grotto acquires new Pharmacists, these alchemy stone chambers can be put into use at any time. ”
A lifelike gourd was carved on each of the eight stone doors. Just a moment ago, Yang Haoran wasn't certain what this gourd symbolized, but now, after Tang Shi's explanation, he immediately understood.
Yang Haoran was aware that Myriad Ghost Grotto had two Pharmacists, as Tang Shi had reported this to him long ago. However, these two Pharmacists were not living ones, but deceased ones.
If they were living Pharmacists, how could Yang Haoran possibly keep them in Myriad Ghost Grotto? He would have sent them to the Medicine God Society long ago. There was absolutely no need to have Pharmacists cultivated in both the Medicine God Society and Myriad Ghost Grotto.
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