"Train with me."
Chu Lingguang not only guided the men in their Spear Technique, but he also taught the Water Ghosts practicing the Underwater Breathing Technique how to master the skill and stay underwater for longer.
In the process, he mastered the Underwater Breathing Technique himself.
"The secret to the Continuous Arrow Technique is to merge your own breath with the arrow shafts, allowing you to clearly perceive the arrow’s trajectory. This enables every arrow you loose to follow the exact path of the one before it, thereby achieving Double-Star Linked Pearls, or even Three-Star Linked Pearls, Four-Star Linked Pearls, and so on!"
SWISH! SWISH!
Chu Lingguang was practicing archery on the training grounds.
Standing beside him was an Archer he had recently promoted to Centurion, a man named Fang Boyan. During a previous drill, Chu Lingguang had discovered that his Archery had reached the level of Hundred-step Piercing Willow and that he possessed the fundamentals for the Double-Star Linked Pearls technique.
SWISH! SWISH!
Fang Boyan followed suit, loosing a volley of arrows. With Chu Lingguang’s help, he had risen from a low-ranking Archer to a Centurion, now responsible for training a troop of Archers.
"I’ve done it! My Lord, I will never forget your kindness for as long as I live!"
Seeing that his Archery had finally reached the stable realm of Double-Star Linked Pearls and that he had been promoted to Centurion, Fang Boyan was moved to tears of gratitude and kowtowed to Chu Lingguang.
(By helping Fang Boyan improve his military rank and Archery, you have gained 1211 Favor Points.)
A line of text appeared before his eyes.
"Train well, and don’t disappoint me."
Chu Lingguang clapped Fang Boyan on the shoulder, then left the archery range. He took a squad of men and began to patrol Black Bear Island.
His days were now incredibly busy.
He would lead all the troops to the Martial Arts Arena at dawn to practice the Spear Technique. After the training session, he would dispatch men to patrol the seas and maintain the safety of the shipping lanes. Sometimes he would lead the patrols himself, even personally escorting merchant vessels on their voyages.
In his spare time, he would lead a small squad on a patrol around Black Bear Island.
He had always been known for his diligence and hard work, always leading by example. In just one short month, Black Bear Island was transformed.
The common folk felt a great sense of security waking up each morning to the sounds of soldiers training in the Martial Arts Arena, and more and more merchant ships began to dock at Black Bear Island.
Every day, ships from Black Bear Island could be seen patrolling the shipping lanes.
Sometimes Chu Lingguang led the patrols himself; other times, Xuanyuan Jinkang or Zhang Baofu would take men out to sea. If they encountered pirates, they would attack. If not, they would offer escorts to any passing merchant ships.
And so, the days passed.
Chu Lingguang punished many, causing the old shirkers to harbor resentment, but also giving many ambitious young men a reason to hope.
His collection of Favors grew steadily, and everything was flourishing.
"Lord Chu, here’s a grouper I caught. It’s for you, if you’ll have it."
Three months after taking up his post, Chu Lingguang was a great deal tanner. He was leading Li Santong and fifty men on a patrol of Black Bear Island when, as they passed the harbor, a yellow-toothed fisherman carrying a five- or six-pound grouper hurried after them.
"Lord Chu, this is fruit from our home."
"My Lord, our Erhu says he wants to practice the Spear Technique with you."
"Lord Chu, this is wine I brewed myself."
...
In addition to the fisherman, many other merchants and common folk who lived on Black Bear Island and ran stalls at the harbor rushed forward to speak with Chu Lingguang as he led his soldiers past. Some had even prepared gifts for him.
"I do not lack for food or clothing, but I appreciate everyone’s kind intentions. Now, if you’ll excuse me!"
Chu Lingguang clasped his hands in a salute to the crowd, then quickly led Li Santong through the harbor. The crews of the merchant ships docked there, who were preparing to unload cargo or go ashore, saw how beloved he was by the common folk and couldn’t help but murmur amongst themselves.
Though Chu Lingguang had only been in command on Black Bear Island for three months, the change in the soldiers was remarkable. The island’s long-term residents had all seen it with their own eyes.
At first, some had suspected Chu Lingguang was just putting on a show, like a new official who starts with a burst of energy that quickly fades. They thought that once his initial fervor died down, things would go back to the way they were.
But his fervor had now lasted for three months straight.
Whenever Chu Lingguang was on the island, he would lead the men in practicing the Spear Technique at the Martial Arts Arena every morning. When he was away, he would delegate the training to others.
Black Bear Island wasn’t large; its total population was only a few tens of thousands.
Everyone could hear the sounds of Chu Lingguang training his troops and see him on his patrols around the island.
The number of merchant ships docking at the harbor grew by the day, and the common folk were reaping real, tangible benefits.
Slowly, everyone came to realize that Chu Lingguang was different from the previous Island Masters. He was not only strict and thorough in enforcing military discipline, but he also governed effectively and led from the front. He was a truly good official.
More and more people on the island began to sing his praises.
After leaving the harbor, Chu Lingguang continued to lead his men on a patrol around the island. On the way, he checked his status panel.
Favor Points: 24,113
Favors: None
Mixed Element Skill (0/10,000)
Great Cang Heart Method (91,245/120,000)
Underwater Breathing Technique (500/500)
Celestial Profound Technique (33,141/60,000)
Sky-splitting Hand (14,713/20,000)
Iron God Leg (12,311/30,000)
(Remaining Lifespan: 201 years)
In the past three months, Chu Lingguang had offended many people, but he had also received a huge amount of Favor Points from his subordinates and the common folk. Typically, a single good deed would earn him gratitude—and points—from multiple people at once.
The people of Black Bear Island had suffered for a long time, and now that a good official had finally appeared, they were unstinting in their gratitude toward Chu Lingguang. Add to that the many ambitious soldiers who now saw hope for promotion—some of whom had even achieved cultivation breakthroughs under Chu Lingguang’s guidance—and their gratitude was truly heartfelt.
As a result, over the past three months, Chu Lingguang had not only gained tens of thousands of Favor Points but had also acquired three new sets of Cultivation and Martial Arts. Their mastery caps ranged from a low of twenty thousand to a high of sixty thousand points.
With the help of the Great Cang Heart Method, Chu Lingguang’s training in these three new sets of Cultivation and Martial Arts progressed by leaps and bounds. It was as if he were using a cheat; success came naturally. Although he hadn’t broken through to a new realm, his aura grew stronger with each passing day.
Eunuch Liu had mentioned several times that he found Chu Lingguang increasingly difficult to read. He felt that Chu Lingguang was like a terrifying Sea Demon lurking on the ocean floor, and he feared that even if his own full power were restored, he might not be able to keep him in check.
Furthermore, as his mastery of the Celestial Profound Technique deepened, Chu Lingguang’s lifespan increased, finally surpassing two hundred years.
’The Great Cang Heart Method helps me improve my cultivation speed. I must raise it to the Perfection realm as soon as possible.’
Chu Lingguang spent all of his twenty-thousand-plus Favor Points on the Great Cang Heart Method.
Favor Points: 0
Great Cang Heart Method (115,358/120,000)
’I hope that as the Great Cang Heart Method’s level increases, I can awaken those forty-six resonant powers sooner,’ Chu Lingguang thought.
For the past three months, he had been busy enforcing military discipline and training his troops. In his spare moments, he never forgot to try and awaken those forty-six resonant powers. Unfortunately, the effects of the Great Cang Heart Method seemed to be entirely channeled into his other Cultivation and Martial Arts, and it appeared to have lost its effectiveness in awakening those resonances.
Chu Lingguang was worried he had hit a bottleneck and would be unable to break through.
"My Lord, terrible news! Lord Zhang’s ships were attacked by pirates! Both Lord Zhang and Lord Zhao have been injured!"
Just then, a soldier ran up to report.
"Oh? Where are they now?"
Chu Lingguang asked.
"They just reached the harbor. Many of our brothers are wounded, and Lord Zhao’s ship sank."
the soldier replied.
"How dare they."
Chu Lingguang broke into a run, heading for the harbor. He knew this was the pirates’ response.