"Impossible, absolutely impossible." Shi Polu immediately refused as soon as Gu Yu finished speaking. What a joke! No handling fee? How could that be?
"Why not?" Gu Yu's face fell immediately when he heard Shi Polu's rejection.
“Gu Yu, although my Dragon Clan may seem to have no shortage of resources, we are actually quite short of them. In particular, the Dragon Clan leaders are defending against the invasion at the Southwest Origin Gate. These people consume a lot of resources every day, especially Origin Stones. Everyone thinks I'm stingy and says that my Dragon Clan is only interested in profit and even makes money off the students. But do you know what? For every resource I obtain, one less person might die in the Dragon Clan's defense at the Southwest Origin Gate. Do you understand?” Shi Polu said.
“However, I’m not exchanging Origin Stones for myself, but also for the growth of the Dragon Division students,” Gu Yu said.
"Gu Yu, let me ask you this: why don't you just give the resources directly to the Dragon Division?" Shi Polu stared intently at Gu Yu. "You have your own selfish motives. If you really had no background, I would fully support you in establishing the War Division. But you don't. If you weren't a member of the Dragon Group, I would have wiped you out right now. I know all your little schemes."
Gu Yu is a member of the Dragon Group. Isn't establishing a war division just building up his own power?
“Even if I have selfish motives, they are not entirely for my own benefit,” Gu Yu retorted.
"That's why I'm going to disregard everything, but the handling fee is non-negotiable. Even if you use your Dragon Group status to pressure me, it won't work," Shi Polu said.
"Alright!" Gu Yu looked at Shi Polu's firm attitude. It seemed there was no room for negotiation. Indeed, the Dragon Tribe needed resources, and the heroes resisting the invasion of the Source Gate in the southwest needed resources. Gu Yu couldn't favor one over the other. However, he really didn't have any Source Stone mines right now! If he did, why would he be stingy? What would it matter if he gave half of one to the Dragon Tribe?
"Haven't you noticed anything unusual during this time?" Shi Polu suddenly asked. He didn't believe that Gu Yu had come to him just to talk about the handling fee.
"I think you know perfectly well who the tycoons are and who has no background. But I've noticed that Zuo Lengfeng is different," Gu Yu said.
"Could it be because he has a grudge against you?" Shi Polu looked at Gu Yu. He had worked with Zuo Lengfeng for many years. This man was indeed sometimes unfair in his actions, but he couldn't see anything else wrong with him.
“He has concealed his cultivation level. According to my estimation, he is not simple,” Gu Yu said. The festival was one thing, but if Shi Polu and the Dragon Clan did not know about his concealed cultivation level, then something was fishy.
"He's concealing his cultivation level?" Shi Polu frowned instantly upon hearing this. He had no idea that Zuo Lengfeng was hiding his cultivation level. "Is it true?"
“If you had arrived a moment later last night, I probably would have been dead!” Gu Yu said after thinking for a moment. If he was not mistaken, Zuo Lengfeng’s true cultivation level was at least near-Emperor, even if he was not at the Emperor Realm. After all, the aura of an Emperor was something that only those at the Emperor Realm could possess.
"Then how much can you sense he's hiding?" Shi Polu asked.
“At the very least, he’s a quasi-emperor,” Gu Yu said.
"What did you say?" Shi Polu's eyes widened immediately. What was the concept of a Quasi-Emperor? His Dragon Tribe's Minister, Long Aotian, was a Quasi-Emperor. If Zuo Lengfeng was truly a Quasi-Emperor and was hiding his cultivation, then there was only one answer: the traitor was Zuo Lengfeng.
Why would a near-emperor, a powerful figure in the world, hide his strength? Therefore, the only answer is that Zuo Lengfeng is a spy.
Gu Yu and Shi Polu exchanged a glance. If it were a King Realm, it would be fine, but it was only a Quasi-Emperor Realm. The Dragon Tribe was difficult to deal with now!
"I need to report this to my superiors. This is a major matter. I've known for a long time that there was a spy in my Dragon Division, but I didn't know he was so powerful," Shi Polu said. Qinglong sent Gu Yu to reorganize the Dragon Division, not just to deal with those financial magnates. Years ago, two of the three Source Gates that were opened were bombarded by nuclear weapons and were basically destroyed, but some survived. They have been plotting something. According to the latest news, some Source Gates are allies, and the survivors of those two Source Gates are definitely contacting their allies.
There are indeed surviving spies in the Dragon Clan, but they have never been able to find them. I believe that Gu Yu from the Azure Dragon Sect came for this spy. But what is a quasi-Emperor level spy doing in the Dragon Clan? I can't figure it out.
"What are your thoughts now?" Shi Polu asked Gu Yu.
"Thoughts?" Gu Yu rolled his eyes. "Can you even take down the quasi-emperor? In my opinion, we should just keep him calm for now and turn a blind eye! Maybe we can follow the clues and catch others! Perhaps we can even find out why he was a spy for the Dragon Clan?"
"That's the only way for now." Shi Polu nodded. A spy for a quasi-emperor—this is a big fish!
"Then I'll be going now!" Gu Yu turned to leave.
"Gu Yu, no, Chief Gu, the quota for entering Kunlun Source Gate will open in a month and a half. I don't want those wealthy families, powerful clans, and sects to get too many," Shi Polu said. In previous years, those who entered Kunlun Source Gate were mostly from wealthy families, powerful clans, and sects. But those who could truly resist the invasion of Source Gate and fight on the front lines were ordinary people. They had no background and no cultivation resources. If more of them could enter Kunlun Source Gate, their strength would increase a lot, and they could even obtain enough cultivation resources from Source Gate.
Of course, if we go too far, the financial magnates, aristocratic families, and sects won't get a single spot, that won't work either. A rabbit will bite when cornered, and these guys will cause trouble when pushed too far. So we can only let them get fewer spots. You know, out of tens of thousands of people in the Dragon Division, only a hundred can enter the Kunlun Origin Sect.
Everyone thought that the country and the Dragon Clan were controlling the number of slots, but that wasn't the case. It was the Source Gate that was restricting it. After all, entering the Source Gate and entering its depths were two different things. The Kunlun Source Gate only had resources and opportunities in its depths. However, there was a restriction on entering the depths: those who entered could not have a cultivation level exceeding the third cone, and the number of people could not exceed one hundred.
"Don't worry, I know," Gu Yu replied. The next second, he turned and left. The war department had just been established and was intricate and complex. He needed to reorganize it properly.
"Big brother, you're back." Qian Duoduo asked when she saw Gu Yu suddenly appear.
"Mm!" Gu Yu nodded.
"How did the talks go?" Qian Duoduo asked, leaning closer.
"Not so great. I'll give you twelve clusters of life essence. Go and exchange them for 10,000 low-level source stones. Consider those two clusters of life essence as a handling fee," Gu Yu said.
“Okay.” Qian Duoduo said happily. For him, whether or not a deal was reached was not important. What mattered was that he wouldn’t lose out.
Contribution:
Talent: 108
Combat strength: 20 elephants
Triple boost: (Contribution points once, lasting three minutes)
Source Qi: (1 wisp for every 10 contribution points)
Source space: 150 cubic meters (1 cubic meter for every 1000 contribution points)
Source Soldier: (One contributor, maximum 10)
Gu Yu exchanged 140 cubic meters of source space in one go. Recently, his contribution points have been depleted very quickly. Although it seems like a lot, it will probably be gone again soon.
Strangely enough, Gu Yu provided source stones to the war department, which could be considered as giving to and helping others, but he did not receive any contribution points, which made Gu Yu very unhappy.
The complex and intricate nature of the military forces makes them difficult to reorganize, as Gu Yu is not particularly skilled at this. If he were, he would have already established his own power base in his previous life.
thump thump……………
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Gu Yu frowned.
"Chief Gu, this is Lu Yun. Li Zhiran and I have come to pay a visit," Lu Yun said from outside the door.
"Lu Yun? Li Zhiran?" Gu Yu frowned. He had heard Qian Duoduo mention these two people, but he didn't know them personally. What were they doing here? To cause trouble? That seemed unlikely, as these two were only 12th-grade Grandmasters.
“Chief Gu, we’ve come to surrender.” Lu Yun added, hearing Gu Yu’s questioning voice.
"Surrender?" Gu Yu stepped forward, opened the door, and sized up the two of them. "Come in! Tell me, how exactly are you surrendering?"
Since you've come here, and you're not here to cause trouble, then you're a guest, and we don't leave guests outside.
As soon as Lu Yun and Li Zhiran entered the room, they were both stunned and confused.
"Sorry, I accidentally made this while cultivating, and I haven't had time to clean it up yet," Gu Yu said.
“Chief Gu, since I’ve come to surrender, I won’t stand on ceremony. I’m willing to join the War Department and merge my Yunmen into it,” Lu Yun said.
"Join my battle division?" Gu Yu frowned as he looked at Lu Yun. There's a saying that if someone is being overly helpful, they're either up to no good. Yunmen is the fifth-ranked gang in the Dragon Division. If a fight breaks out, and Gu Yu doesn't intervene, with the current strength of the battle division, they probably won't be able to defeat Yunmen at all.
"Is there something you need from me?"
"Chief Gu, I won't hide it from you. I need a quota to enter the Kunlun Source Sect, and I need at least ten," Lu Yun said.
"Hehe..." Gu Yu chuckled. His guess was right after all; there's no such thing as a free lunch. "The Lu family of the Southwest, right?"
“That’s right.” Lu Yun nodded. This wasn’t a big secret; he, Lu Yun, came from the Lu family in the southwest.
“Okay, but I have conditions.” Gu Yu said, looking at Lu Yun. In his memories from his previous life, the Lu family of the Southwest had done everything in their power to resist the invaders. Their patriarch, Lu Zhennan, with his Emperor Realm cultivation, led a hundred members of the Lu family to defend the Southwest against hundreds of millions of alien invaders for three days. In the end, they all died in battle, with no survivors. Although the Lu family failed, they were true heroes of humanity. Faced with the invasion, they did not choose to retreat or surrender, but instead fought to the death. Gu Yu admired this.
"What are your requirements?" Lu Yun asked, having already anticipated that Gu Yu would make a request.
"I don't care what happens to your Lu family, but I demand that from now on you become my subordinate, no longer obeying your Lu family, but only obeying me. Can you do that?" Gu Yu asked Lu Yun.
“I…” Lu Yun hesitated. He had thought about the requests Gu Yu might make, but he had never thought of one like this. Wouldn’t this make him betray his family?
“Lu Yun, I believe you are reliable, and I know your Lu family has no connection with the GZ Alliance. Otherwise, I wouldn't have talked to you so much. Besides, I know your purpose in entering the Kunlun Origin Sect—to find Dragon Marrow.” Gu Yu looked at the hesitant Lu Yun and said, “For cultivators, a full blood aperture represents talent. Initially, some people don't know this and blindly pursue higher realms. In the end, they find they can't break through, and it's too late to go back and fill their blood apertures. However, it's not without a way. Dragon Marrow is the only thing in this world that can help others fill their blood apertures, but unfortunately, there are no true dragons in this world; it only exists in the Kunlun Origin Sect.”
However, while dragon marrow can fill blood apertures, it cannot fill every blood aperture. Lu Zhennan should have filled eighty-one blood apertures. If he wants to break through to the Emperor Realm, he needs dragon marrow, specifically nine Emperor Realm dragon marrows. However, each person entering the Kunlun Source Gate can only bring out one dragon marrow at most. Therefore, you need at least nine slots, and they all need to obtain Emperor Realm dragon marrow and successfully bring it back. Am I right?
“That’s right.” Lu Yun nodded. This was indeed his purpose for this trip. It wasn’t a big secret; eighty percent of the people who entered Kunlun Yuanmen were there for the Dragon Marrow.
"Then, I can make a guarantee for you. I guarantee I'll get you nine Emperor-level dragon marrows, and you'll become my subordinate," Gu Yu said. The War Department had been established, but it also needed core figures, and he didn't have any suitable candidates. Since Lu Yun had come, and Gu Yu admired the Lu family, then Lu Yun would be the one. Otherwise, picking and choosing would be troublesome and a waste of brainpower. "If you become my subordinate, your Lu family will gain another Emperor-level expert. It's not a loss."
"Really?" Lu Yun looked at Gu Yu seriously after hearing his words. Even if he were given ten spots, he might not be able to get back nine Emperor-level Dragon Marrows. But now Gu Yu guaranteed that with his strength, if he found Dragon Marrows, who could beat him?
"I would never lie to you. Besides, why would I lie to you? Just to make you my subordinate? I think if I promised this to a King Realm expert, even a King Realm expert would be willing to be my subordinate." Gu Yu said, spreading his hands. He wasn't talking nonsense. Compared to struggling to break through his cultivation level due to the blood aperture, what's wrong with being a subordinate?
You must know that dragon marrow is something that even the most powerful people in the past could not obtain. After opening the meridians, filling the blood apertures has become an insurmountable barrier for everyone. Gathering nine dragon emperor marrows is somewhat hopeful, but to fill ninety-one to ninety-nine blood apertures, you need nine dragon god marrows, which is simply impossible. If it weren't for the great war between the two gods and demons, which led to the extinction of the dragon race, who would dare to even think about dragon marrow?
"I agree," Lu Yun replied. Gu Yu was right; exchanging him for another Emperor Realm expert in the Lu family was well worth it.
Although Lu Yun's abundant blood essence gives him a chance to break through to the Emperor Realm, it will take an extremely long time. With the impending chaos and the increasingly dire situation, there's no time for him to grow. In the eyes of the strong, geniuses are nothing but a joke; if you're not given a chance, you're just a pathetic wretch.
Throughout history, how many of the most promising talents have actually succeeded? This world is not lacking in geniuses, but rather in strong individuals.
“Very good. I hope you remember your decision. If one day you betray this decision, I will not hesitate to punish you.” Gu Yu said with a sharp look in his eyes. “From today onwards, you will be loyal to me and to the War Department. I will make you a strong person as well. Your Cloud Gate will be the Cloud Hall in my War Department, and you will be the Hall Master of the Cloud Hall.”
"Okay." Lu Yun nodded.
At this moment, Gu Yu's gaze fell on Li Zhiran. Although this woman was wearing a veil, it could not hide her beauty, especially her figure, which was curvaceous and perfect.
“Chief Gu, I’ve also come to surrender,” Li Zhiran said.
“Okay.” Gu Yu nodded. Li Zhiran’s backing was neither a powerful family nor the GZ Alliance, but a sect. Gu Yu could accept the sect’s actions in his previous life.
When the Source Gate invaded, humanity's camp split into four factions: the pro-war faction, the defensive faction, the surrender and coexistence faction, and the escape faction.
The pro-war faction is led by the Dragon Clan, who insist on taking the initiative and fighting the Source Gate invaders to the death.
The defensive faction, led by numerous sects, advocates that all humanity retreat to one place, build an impregnable wall, and have all cultivators jointly protect it.
The surrender and coexistence faction is led by the GZ Alliance. They advocate surrendering to the Source Gate invaders and becoming their slaves and lackeys, or to put it bluntly, becoming traitors. Of course, they call it compromising for the sake of peace.
The escape faction, led by numerous scientists, proposed building a spaceship to take humanity to the vast universe.
Gu Yu could accept any of the options, whether it was fighting, defending, or fleeing. However, he was deeply opposed to surrendering and coexisting. The invaders from the Source Gate employed a strategy of exterminating all humans. Even if they surrendered, they would become livestock to be raised and eventually be slaughtered one by one.
“I also need ten spots to enter the Kunlun Source Gate.” Li Zhiran was slightly taken aback when she saw Gu Yu answer so readily.
“Okay.” Gu Yu nodded. “However, I also require you to leave the sect behind you and obey only my orders from now on.”
“This…” Li Zhiran also hesitated. She was born and raised in the sect. The sect was her home. To leave the sect and obey Gu Yu would be to betray the sect.
"You don't have to choose to join," Gu Yu said to Li Zhiran, who was hesitating. To be honest, he didn't have much of an opinion on whether Li Zhiran could join the war department.
"If I leave the sect and join the War Department, taking orders from you, can I be like him?" Li Zhiran suddenly asked. If her Jade Maiden Sect could have another Emperor Realm expert, it would be a great thing for the sect. In the chaotic world, her Jade Maiden Sect would have more chances of survival. For the future of the Jade Maiden Sect, it would be worthwhile for Li Zhiran to make some sacrifices.
"First of all, I have to tell you that dragon marrow, especially royal-level dragon marrow, is not something you can find everywhere. It's not that I'm unwilling to make a promise to you, but I'm not confident that I can encounter eighteen royal-level dragon marrows," Gu Yu explained.
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