While the seven disciples sat with eyes closed, focusing on stabilizing the newfound power surging within them, Han Ming did not remain idle.
He took a seat and summoned the herbs, spirits, blood remnants, and all the materials he had collected during the previous massacre of the Wu Clan. These included Emperor-grade materials, along with the fragmented souls and blood of more than 1,286 Great Emperors, drawn from both the Wu Clan's allies and the White Tiger Army.
Han Ming hadn't only gathered blood and spirit fragments. With his Sword of Light, he had also absorbed the weapons and armor from the corpses, especially from the White Tiger Army, whose total weapon count exceeded 2,000 pieces.
With one hand, he refined puppet constructs, and with the other, he simultaneously concocted pills. Yet despite these two complex processes unfolding together, the aura surrounding Han Ming remained perfectly calm, not disturbing the area in the slightest. He carefully divided the blood and spirits of the Great Emperors in half, allocating one portion to refining pills and the other to crafting puppets.
Time passed…
One by one, the seven disciples slowly opened their eyes, their auras now as steady and towering as ancient mountains. There was a noticeable change in their gaze calm, resolute, and brimming with power.
Han Ming opened his eyes as well. He scanned each disciple in detail, inspecting their energy and foundations. Every one of them now possessed a flawless and firm foundation. As long as they did not perish prematurely, there was no doubt they would become the pinnacle of geniuses in this era.
He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Are all of you still holding up?"
Without the slightest hesitation, all seven disciples responded in unison.
"I can still go on, Master!"
"So can I!"
"I'm fine as well!"
"Me too, Master!"
"I feel great, Master!"
"I'm still good!"
"No problem at all, Master!"
Han Ming smiled slightly, clearly satisfied. He gave a small nod before speaking again, his voice now more relaxed.
"Very good. The next step won't be painful. You can rest easy. Go ahead and take Pill Number 8."
The seven disciples each took out the final pill without hesitation. It was a pill brimming with the power of heaven and earth, its energy rapidly spreading outward. Han Ming watched as they swallowed the pills, and in an instant, spiritual energy from across the island surged toward them like a raging flood.
Boom!!
The compressed force of energy shot up into the sky, piercing straight into the meridians of all seven with pinpoint accuracy. Their bodies trembled under the surge, yet remained under control, while an overwhelming aura radiated from within them in waves.
At the heart of each of their dantians, Heavenly Caverns began to form steadily, one after another… one by one…
One Heavenly Cavern
…
Three Heavenly Caverns
…
Seven Heavenly Caverns
…
Eleven Heavenly Caverns
…
…
…
Fifteen Heavenly Caverns
…
…
…
Nineteen Heavenly Caverns
…
…
…
Twenty-five Heavenly Caverns
Twenty-six Heavenly Caverns
Twenty-seven Heavenly Caverns
Once all twenty-seven Heavenly Caverns had been fully formed, the cultivation of the seven disciples soared forward once again.
Heavenly Cavern Stage 1
...
Heavenly Cavern Stage 4
...
Heavenly Cavern Stage 7
...
Heavenly Cavern Stage 9
At that moment, the energies of the seven disciples began to resonate and harmonize with one another naturally, without the need for guidance. The expressions on each of their faces reflected excitement, pride, and pure joy.
Han Ming gave a small nod of approval after carefully examining the energy and foundations of his seven disciples. But before he could say anything more, a sharp alert echoed through his consciousness.
[Intruder detected within the bounds of Pure Light Peak.]
Han Ming's gaze instantly grew cold. His presence became so restrained it was almost nonexistent. He slowly rose to his feet without saying a word, letting the silence settle heavily for a brief moment before speaking in a calm yet resolute voice.
"All of you, continue your training inside the Combat Pavilion. I will return shortly."
The seven disciples turned to him and nodded without hesitation.
Lei Chen was the first to speak.
"Understood, Master. I'll look after the junior disciples."
Han Ming nodded and extended his hand. With a light snap of his fingers, two spatial rings floated from his palm and landed in front of Guan Zixuan and Ye Liyin.
"The contents are prepared specifically for the two of you. Use them as you see fit."
He didn't say anything further. He simply closed his eyes briefly and gave a command through his mind to the system.
"Invest one million top-grade immortal spirit stones, one immortal pill, and two immortal herbs from the mission rewards obtained from Mu Nansi and the man in black... for Ye Liyin."
"Invest 643 Emperor-grade pills, 643 Emperor-grade puppets, and 2,992 Emperor-grade weapons for Guan Zixuan."
[…]
The system muttered to itself in the silence.
[Wu Zhao, you useless trash…]
Ever since Han Ming had acquired fragments of Wu Zhao's system, it hadn't had a moment of peace. Originally, the system had strict limitations. It could only invest resources into disciples who possessed great fortune, and even then, only one item per disciple could be invested at a time. Stackable investments were locked behind harsh conditions ten disciples at the Golden Core stage or higher. Even then, only ten items could be stacked per disciple, though that number would gradually increase over time.
But now… everything had been broken. All because of Wu Zhao's system fragment.
But now, Han Ming could stack his investments for his disciples hundreds, thousands of items, it didn't matter. He could even decide exactly when and how to invest. Normally, the mere act of handing a disciple any item would be counted as a system investment. But now, that rule no longer applied. The authority to determine everything had been completely transferred into Han Ming's hands. The system could only limit the quantity, but it could no longer stop him.
The system clenched its metaphorical teeth. The more it thought about it, the more its core ached. It wished it could resign and reincarnate as a rice cooker at least that would be more peaceful. Worse still, Han Ming had used the fragment of Wu Zhao's system to run an experiment. Ye Liyin was the only disciple among the seven who hadn't been trained in any techniques to manipulate fate or distort luck. Han Ming wanted to test whether he could find a loophole to exploit the system's multiplier further.
The system fell silent for a moment, as if praying.
"Please let the multiplier be low…"
But then, the system notification rang out clearly within Han Ming's consciousness.
[Congratulations, Host, for investing in a disciple with no measurable luck. Return multiplier: x100. Acquired: +64,300 Emperor-grade pills, +64,300 Emperor-grade puppets, +299,200 Emperor-grade weapons.]
[Still manageable…]
[Congratulations, Host, for investing in a disciple whose fate cannot be calculated at the moment. Return multiplier: x1,000. Acquired: 1 billion top-grade immortal spirit stones, +1,000 immortal pills, +2,000 immortal herbs.]
[…Nope, I'm out.]
[…]
[…]
[Brace yourself for impact!!]
A glint of light flashed through Han Ming's eyes as he stood amidst the raging currents of energy swirling around him. Slowly, he raised his hand and gave a gentle wave through the air. In that instant, torrents of fortune surged into the system. The system, having resigned itself to its fate, was just about to issue the investment return notification when it suddenly paused in silence before asking:
[Host, would you like to convert all Emperor-grade rewards into Immortal-grade ones? The conversion rate is 10,000 : 1.]
Han Ming pondered briefly, then replied in a calm tone.
"Everything except the Emperor-grade pills. Convert the rest."
[But if there are remainders, I'm not rounding them up.]
Han Ming lifted his hand, and the energy of fortune coalesced into the shape of a small pistol, which he aimed directly at the system.
"Round them up, or die."
[Okay! Okay! Rounding them up!]
Suddenly, a barrage of notifications exploded like an unending storm.
[Congratulations, Host, for investing in a disciple whose fate cannot currently be calculated. Received return: ??? multiplier. Acquired: +643,000 Emperor-grade pills, +300 Immortal-grade weapons, +65 Immortal-grade puppets.]
[Congratulations, Host, for investing in a disciple whose fate cannot currently be calculated. Received return: ??? multiplier. Acquired: 10 billion top-grade immortal spirit stones, +10,000 Immortal-grade pills, +20,000 Immortal herbs.]
As the system finished issuing the notifications, it grumbled inwardly to itself.
[Even after capping the second-round multiplier at 10, it's still ridiculous…]
Han Ming watched the backs of his seven disciples as they walked away. Every step they took was steady and composed, revealing no outward sign of unrest. But he understood all too well—the disparity in resources he had just distributed. If left unaddressed, it could one day become a seed of division.
So he spoke up, his tone calm and even.
"Ye Liyin, make full use of those resources. Don't hesitate, and don't feel guilty. Your body has lost too much of its origin… You need more than the others in order to restore yourself to full stability."
He turned to the other side and continued.
"As for you, Guan Zixuan, keep those puppets well secured. You are highly sought after by the upper realm, so do not hesitate to destroy them when needed."
The two new disciples bowed their heads and spoke loudly in unison.
"Thank you, Master!"
Han Ming smiled faintly. Though he had said all that, he wasn't the least bit concerned about the disparities or inequalities in resources among his disciples. It wasn't because of the orders he gave, the teachings he imparted, or the trials he imposed. Nor was it because he placed unwavering trust in each of his disciples.
It was because he believed in himself.
Because he possessed something that could resolve any resentment, jealousy, or even the very root of discord in an instant. And yet, he was completely confident that such things would never arise.