NOVEL NEXT Chapter 85: First-Rank Faction!
"Open the Faction Panel!"
As soon as it was successfully enabled, Zhao Feng immediately issued the command. He was eager to see what this panel could actually do. This was directly tied to his future!
"Faction Panel opened."
Faction Leader: Zhao Feng
Members: 5
Faction's Main Cultivation Technique: None [After selecting a Cultivation Technique as the faction's main technique, it can be transmitted directly through the panel. Restrictions can be set to prevent dissemination, and the Faction Leader can revoke the technique at any time.]
Level: 1 [Recruit over 500 members to upgrade to a Level 2 Faction.]
"Items possessing Spiritual Energy can be exchanged for a cultivation boost, accelerating the faction's cultivation speed."
"The loyalty values of subordinates can be viewed."
"A Level 1 Faction grants 100 Free Attribute Points per month to be bestowed upon subordinates."
"The leader of a Level 1 Faction receives a 100% cultivation speed boost."
[Note: Only those with a loyalty value of 80 or higher can be granted Free Attribute Points!]
With the Faction Panel successfully opened, a series of prompts appeared before Zhao Feng.
"View loyalty values."
Zhao Feng immediately checked them. What he saw was:
Wei Quan: Loyalty 90
Zhang Han: Loyalty 85
Luo Hua: Loyalty 81
Liu Wang: Loyalty 82
Zhuang Wei: Loyalty 83
These are truly my brothers-in-arms. Their loyalty is genuine. Seeing these values, Zhao Feng's heart settled. These five Junhou were his sworn brothers, men with whom he had weathered countless battles. Such a bond was naturally beyond words.
A Level 1 Faction, with 100 Free Attribute Points each month specifically for my subordinates. This is fantastic. A smile grew on Zhao Feng's face as he considered the monthly points. And this was just a Level 1 Faction. What would it be like at Level 2, or Level 3?
"Pledge your loyalty to me," Zhao Feng declared. "I will grant you gold and silver on top of the stipends from the Imperial Court, ensuring wealth and prosperity for your families."
With a wave of his hand, five boxes appeared directly in front of the men. A quick glance revealed that each box contained at least fifty taels of gold. However, the five of them were not dazzled by the wealth but were utterly astonished by the fact that it had appeared out of thin air.
"My lord," Wei Quan's voice trembled, "can it be that you are an immortal? Summoning objects from nothing?"
The others stared in matching awe, looking at him as if he were a deity. How could such a feat be possible if not by immortal means?
Zhao Feng ignored their astonishment. The more mysterious and powerful he appeared now, the more devoted they would become.
Items with Spiritual Energy can boost cultivation speed. I wonder if jade articles count? Zhao Feng pondered.
He immediately retrieved several jade articles from his Portable Space.
"Spiritual Energy items detected. Can be used to grant a cultivation speed boost to subordinates," the panel prompted.
Looking at the jade articles before him, Zhao Feng could see the value they could be converted to.
These jade articles actually contain Spiritual Energy. It seems the jade the King of Han failed to take with him have now become my treasures for building this faction, he thought. With hundreds of these pieces, I can accelerate their progress when I bestow a Cultivation Technique upon them in the future.
For now, however, Zhao Feng decided it was time to give the five men before him a much bigger reward.
"Besides gold and silver, I can also grant you power beyond that of ordinary men," Zhao Feng said in a deep voice.
With another wave of his hand, he chose to bestow the Free Attribute Points, granting each man 20 points to their Constitution. Constitution enhancement was the easiest attribute to feel. As the five men watched, they saw five halos of light descend and merge with their bodies.
"My arrow wound… it's healing," Zhang Han exclaimed, clutching a spot on his chest in utter amazement. He could clearly feel a soothing sensation where the old injury was, as if it were slowly being repaired.
"Mine too," Luo Hua said excitedly. "It feels like my old wounds are healing!"
"I have enhanced your Constitution slightly. This is only the first time. From now on, you will receive enhancements from me every month. Of course, this is not limited to Constitution, but also Strength and Speed," Zhao Feng explained with a slight smile.
Upon hearing this, the five men knelt once more. "We swear to follow our lord to the death!"
"Furthermore," Zhao Feng declared solemnly, "I will bestow upon you a Cultivation Technique, allowing you to increase your strength through cultivation."
"A Cultivation Technique?"
The five men stared at Zhao Feng, their faces masks of disbelief.
"Set [Intermediate Internal Skill] as the faction's main Cultivation Technique," Zhao Feng immediately commanded the system.
He currently had only two techniques: the [Dragon Elephant Scripture], which he cultivated himself, and this [Intermediate Internal Skill]. The former was far more powerful, so Zhao Feng naturally kept that ace up his sleeve.
"Transmit the first layer of the technique."
Zhao Feng immediately transmitted the technique's first layer to the five men. In a mere instant, they all felt a sudden pressure in their minds, and the mnemonics for a new cultivation method settled into their memories.
"It's really a Cultivation Technique."
"My lord!"
"Thank you, my lord, for your generous gift!"
All five of them were overcome with excitement.
"Cultivate according to this technique. As long as you practice it day after day, you will all gain strength," Zhao Feng instructed. "The first realm of this technique is the Postnatal Realm. Once you complete the cultivation of this first layer, you will reach the Postnatal Realm Peak. Of course, if you don't understand anything, you can ask me."
This Intermediate Internal Skill was a Basic Cultivation Technique, not particularly profound. It only had two layers: Postnatal and Innate. In contrast, Zhao Feng's Dragon Elephant Scripture was two levels higher than that.
"Yes, my lord!" the five men acknowledged immediately, the looks of excitement still plastered on their faces.
After instructing them for a while, the five men withdrew.
Their loyalty values toward me are quite high. No wonder that throughout history, generals who built their own power base could so easily rebel. The soldiers only recognized their general, not their sovereign!
From the behavior of Zhang Han and the others, Zhao Feng fully understood why kings throughout history were always so wary of their generals stationed far from the capital. It was all because the army recognized only the general, not the king. It was all because the general commanded the troops and amassed his own power. Although Zhao Feng was currently only a Capital Commandant, the reverence his subordinates showed him was a clear sign of the prestige he commanded.
After cultivating tonight, my All Attributes score should be able to break through 1,000, Zhao Feng thought to himself.
Thus far, Zhao Feng's strength had primarily come from collecting attributes. He had been practicing the Dragon Elephant Scripture for less than half a month; attributes were his main source of power, and the technique was merely supplementary. As long as his All Attributes score broke through 1,000, he could fully master the first layer of the Dragon Elephant Scripture, and his stats would surge dramatically.
As Zhao Feng began to cultivate, his internal energy circulated according to the technique. His cultivation speed was twice as fast as usual.
This is a perk of being a Faction Leader—a 100% increase in cultivation speed. Previously, a full day of cultivation would increase my All Attributes by over ten points. Today, that number will be much higher. Zhao Feng thought with delight.
He continued to cultivate, striving to break the 1,000-point threshold for his All Attributes!
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