Chapter 6: Harvest (Part 1)

Guo Shier asked, “How many?”
The Great Sage replied, “There are about two hundred thousand captives, with over seventy thousand of them injured. Most are professionals below the rank of Mad Master; those above the rank of Sage are extremely rare. Because we set up arrays that restrict the use of magic gates, only professionals at the level of Great Sage or above can open the gates to escape.”
It was then that Guo Shier remembered the magic gates. He had been using teleportation arrays lately and hadn’t used interdimensional gates in a long time, so he didn’t realize it right away. No wonder they couldn’t capture high-level professionals—only a bunch of low-ranking soldiers. Likely, the Gu Nan family wouldn’t kill them either. In the future, they might be used as laborers in the mines or for exchanging captives.
Luo Zhan laughed and said, “No wonder professionals at the level of Great Sage can serve as elders. Heh, a Great Sage-level professional, if they open a magic gate, can at least save a squad of people—unless they’re severely injured or being chased by altar-level experts.”
The command hall was very noisy. The professionals of the Gu Nan family were excited. Conquering this city meant that the Red Gold mines would fall into their hands, making this battle a victory. Of course, the entire Red Gold Continent was still in turmoil, and the Red Gold mines were just one region.
On the Red Gold Continent, two ancient families were still at war. So even after occupying this place, they would send more troops to attack further.
Guo Shier wasn’t needed for the ongoing battles. His mission was temporarily complete, and he was assigned to live in this city. It was only now that he learned its name: Jin City.
After wandering around Jin City, Guo Shier began to get a rough idea of it. It was a large city with a population of several million, mostly ordinary people who worked in the mines. Unlike professionals, these people could be discarded by the Gu Jin family at any time, and the Gu Nan family wouldn’t massacre them either. To the ancient families, they were just tools with no threat.
So even if the Gu Jin family retreated, these people would still hide at home. Once the situation stabilized, they would serve the Gu Nan family. If the Gu Jin family regained Jin City, they would continue to serve them without any problems or retaliatory killings—there was no point in that.
Jin City was about the same size as ordinary large cities from his previous life, except its buildings weren’t as tall—usually only five or six stories high. They were built of rock and reinforced with runes, looking sturdy and solid.
Guo Shier planned to stay here for a while, as Luo Zhan was about to advance in rank.

The Gu Nan family arranged a residence for Guo Shier and the others—originally the old ancestor of the Gu Jin family, Jin Qing’s home. It was a two-story stone building located by a small river in the south of the city, with a modest courtyard, and the market was not far away.

Upon returning to their residence, Guo Shier and the other two entered the building, while Nan You left temporarily for some business.

Eagle Demon said with a smile, “Lao Luo, congratulations.” He knew that Luo Zhan was about to be promoted.

Luo Zhan replied with a smile, “I’m the slowest… What’s there to congratulate me on? Hehe.” He spoke humbly, but the joy on his face couldn’t be concealed.

Guo Shier took out two pouches of talismans and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, Uncle Luo, here are 100 soul beads each. I still have more—100 soul beads in total, enough to last for a few years. You can use more at first, but later you’ll have to use only small amounts, and it needs to be combined with my soul fluctuations to eliminate potential risks.”

Old Shuai stepped forward and said, “Your own soul is the key. Once your soul grows, you’ll be able to use more soul beads. Remember, don’t force yourself to use them—it’s not good for you!” His expression was very serious, showing his concern for these people.

Guo Shier said, “I know.”

Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan also nodded repeatedly. Both knew Old Shuai was extremely powerful. Eagle Demon said, “Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.”

Old Shuai said, “If it weren’t for this kid’s soul fluctuations, I wouldn’t approve of you using soul beads. The risks involved… hehe, are quite serious, especially at the advanced stages of the altar construction. But this kid’s soul fluctuations can effectively integrate the soul and eliminate risks, so it shouldn’t be a big problem for you.” With that, he retracted his head.

Guo Shier asked, “Uncle Luo, are all the materials ready?”

Luo Zhan nodded. “The time for nurturing them isn’t quite enough yet, but they’re ready to be used.” Many materials needed to be nurtured within the soul to align perfectly with it during altar construction, and he had been working on this for a long time.

Guo Shier nodded. “There are a few more materials here, all purified by Old Shuai. Uncle Luo, constructing the altar is crucial—take care of it yourself. Eagle Demon and I will guard nearby.”

The small stone building had two floors. Luo Zhan went to a modest room on the second floor. The floor was covered with thick animal skins, and the surroundings were clean, with no clutter. It was a meditation room similar to a quiet chamber. Luo Zhan smiled and said, “I’ll construct my virtual altar here. Hehe, I hope it will succeed.”

Guo Shier felt a hint of uncertainty in his words and said, “Uncle Luo, if you don’t have confidence yourself, even if you manage to construct an altar, the results will be limited.”
Luo Zhan’s face turned slightly red; he truly lacked confidence. Having followed Guo Shier for so long, if not for his consistently low strength, he wouldn’t have trained so obsessively. Yet constructing a virtual altar exceeded his expectations. He had thought reaching the rank of Junior Great Sage Master would be sufficient, but after going through various trials, he had actually reached the rank of Senior Great Sage Master. Now that he could construct his own virtual altar, he felt a bit lacking in confidence.
Guo Shier’s words made him pause. He nodded and said, “Yes, Shier. I’ll work hard!” He understood that the only ones who truly cared about him in this world were these two people before him.
Eagle Demon said, “I’ll wait downstairs. Call me if you need anything. Keep it up, Old Luo.”
Luo Zhan nodded firmly and smiled, “Soon, we’ll be on the same level.”
Eagle Demon grinned and said, “Old Luo, that’s not certain. I’m also using Soul Beads. I’ll be able to construct a physical altar soon. Hehe, I just need Shier’s help to sort out the soul fluctuations. Once my soul improves a bit more, I can start.”
A hint of envy appeared in Luo Zhan’s eyes as he said, “Good. Let’s work hard together.”
Eagle Demon nodded and turned to go downstairs.
Guo Shier said, “You probably won’t need my help at first. After you construct the virtual altar, I’ll help you sort out your soul.” The Soul Scripture was a powerful tool; even Old Shuai had reaped great benefits from its fluctuations. Otherwise, his soul wouldn’t be so strong, nor could he use so many Soul Beads.
Luo Zhan said, “Hmm, it will take about twenty days… maybe longer. I’m not sure.”
Guo Shier said, “There’s no need to rush. Build a solid foundation.” He turned to leave, reached the staircase, and then turned back, saying, “Uncle Luo, once you’ve finished constructing the altar, if we still have the chance to return to our hometown… you can show off a bit, haha.”
Luo Zhan shook his head with a smile. In truth, he was also very eager. When he first met Guo Shier, he was just a Symbol-Warrior. Now, he had advanced to this point, able to construct his own virtual altar—something he never imagined he could achieve.
Guo Shier went downstairs. Eagle Demon was sitting in the living room and asked, “Shier, are you going out?”

Guo Shieru sat cross-legged and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, I plan to… wait until Uncle Luo reaches the Void Form Altar, then we’ll leave… We’ve been out for too long. Alas, even the chance of going to the Ancient Xilong Continent is slim now. I don’t know… if we still have a chance to go back.”
Eagle Demon also fell silent. Like Guo Shieru, he had only realized along the way just how vast and enormous this world was—far beyond what they could comprehend.
After a while, Eagle Demon said, “Shieru, don’t rush. One day, we will reach the true peak of our profession. By then… finding our way home might be easier.”
“The true peak of our profession…”
Guo Shieru couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Their current level was already considered the pinnacle of their profession, but it was by no means the absolute peak. Sometimes he felt like he was climbing a mountain—reaching one peak only to find another even higher ahead, forcing him to keep climbing, only to see yet another higher peak in the distance, seemingly with no end in sight.
“Have I reached the edge of the peak?”
Eagle Demon shook his head. “I don’t know.”