Star Gate

Chapter 760: Mass Cultivation (I)

To be honest, overwhelming the strong with a domineering amount of weaker opponents was no longer a viable strategy in this day. It could work against various Solars, difficult when it came to Novas, and almost impossible to succeed against Arcanus!

Two thousand Sunderers against one Arcanus... The latter could just slam down a palm strike and erupt with supernatural abilities to decimate hundreds of people. Two thousand would be dead in the blink of an eye!

The key was that two thousand people might consume many more resources than one Arcanus. What did Li Hao have in mind here? No one understood.

It was very hard for martial masters to take another step forward after reaching late Sunderer. Setting foot into the supernatural as a Sunflare then would take a lot of resources, not to mention that it was possible that not all of them could cross over.

It wasn’t just Hong Yitang and the rest who were confused, not many present understood the young man’s course of action. This wasn’t how one should waste wealth. It was easier for supernaturals to ascend—which of the other factions ripped through their fortune like this to produce large sums of martial troops?

These resources could be invested into creating one or two Arcanus. It was such a more worthwhile proposition than spending it on these people! Even fostering another Nova was much more worth it than one thousand lousy Sunderers.

Thus, not many understood Li Hao’s choice.

......

Meanwhile, Li Hao himself didn’t think much of the people’s criticism. In his eyes, the stronger one was, the less one needed this sort of aid. It was precisely the weak who needed it more with their condition. When the Demon Hunters Army was fully formed, it didn’t matter if they were supernaturals or martial masters. They were his next candidates for turning the locks into characters.

This required the aura; he wasn’t sure if it was possible without the aura. No matter what, these people would be useful in the future. And who said that a horde of ants couldn’t bite an elephant to death? Of course they could!

If not, were the ancients so bored that they raised so many armies just because they could? Did the million strong Battle Heaven Army exhaust countless resources just for fun? With that level of resources, they would easily nurture a few powerhouses. What need was there for an army?

The truth was precisely the opposite, that the strength generated by the connected blood qi of assembled martial masters was beyond the imagination. Anyone would be overcome by this, apart from the truly premier characters standing at the peak of the world.

In this era, those who said armies were useless were those with no vision. The era had just begun and the supernatural just started to awaken. Finding strength in numbers to be already useless... did these people fancy themselves as the ancient Human King?

Using the resources for an Arcanus to train two thousand people... It would be an incredible payout if one of them demonstrated astounding potential. Even if no one did, Li Hao would ultimately prove that two thousand Sunderers wasn’t necessarily worse than an Arcanus.

They would also be more malleable. And if he was lucky enough to find a few gems, then what was an Arcanus worth? Only from filtering through a large sum of candidates could they hope to grow stronger. Talent was also an accumulation of population.

Such were the thoughts in Li Hao’s mind, but he didn’t voice any of them. He looked at the expectant and apprehensive people below. He knew that they knew what he was about to do, and also knew that they were very nervous about wasting resources. His voice was calm, but it rang in everyone’s hearts.

“My master once said that one person being strong makes for a hermit expert! One group being strong makes for the martial world! Everyone being strong is the evolution of life!

“This era is neither fair nor orderly! The strong are always strong and the weak are always weak. That isn’t necessarily wrong either, but when life leaps ahead too much and the strong take their position for granted, they will disconnect from the time period. There, they will drift around like rootless weeds and gradually lose their direction and dao!

“If there is no one catching up to them and no one they can set their sights to ahead of them, so what of immortality if they walk alone in the dark? Perhaps we are yet to reach that time, but that will develop if our current situation continues. Once the gap between cultivation levels is too great, those ahead will eventually lose themselves. There is only darkness when no one follows you and no one guides you!”

The assembly listened quietly. Li Hao was speaking from the heart, some of it his words, others from various books.

“From today henceforth, there is no longer a division between the Silver Moon Guards, Silver Moon provincial army, and the Demon Hunters! There is only one name for all of you—the Demon Hunter Army!” Li Hao’s voice reverberated throughout the courtyard. “An army should have conviction and faith! Without conviction, faith, or goals, such an army would just be a gathering of puppets!

“Perhaps you still feel lost and find our age and world an unknown... I hope you will no longer be lost starting from today. Why do you strengthen yourself? It is not in pursuit of rising above this world, but so that you can be better, that your loved ones can live better lives, that your home and world will be better!

“Perhaps you will think that these are beliefs that I’ve forced upon you, that they are not yours! But I tell you, before you identify your own life goals, these are your beliefs!

“Whether you believe them or not, remember all of this once you are part of the Demon Hunter Army!

“Someone once said that the Demon Hunters safeguard justice and hunt demons in the name of justice. I treated it as a joke at first, that it was just words to comfort themselves. But I no longer think that way. Someone has to nurture a heart for good in this time and scrupulously abide by the faith of a soldier. Is it laughable to uphold what is right?

“Is it laughable??” Li Hao cried out in charged tones. “Perhaps you guys think that I am just a wandering hero through the martial world, that I do not know what justice is. Then I tell you, it’s true, I don’t. I just know that humans should possess a conscience, that we should intervene in anything that is not fair, unjust, or against the law! Those who kill for fun or for another’s riches should answer to the law! Those who make light or tread on life should die!

“That is the justice of my heart! While it may not be yours, it is for now!”

Everyone listened quietly. Perhaps they were unable to accept Li Hao’s ideals, or perhaps they didn’t care. It didn’t matter to the young man. The moment one joined the Demon Hunter Army, such would be one’s beliefs and value system.

“What is an army? In my view, it is more than just a war machine! It should adhere to the people’s heart and sparkle with light in the darkness. It should bring hope and step forward in danger. Such are soldiers!

“I have never been a member of the armies of this age, so I do not know what you have learned or values you have been instilled with. I am simply speaking from the heart. I have seen armies that died tens of thousands years ago, yet they still stand guard over their cities by themselves and protect the people’s belongings. They remain faithful to their duties and remember their family who stand behind them.

“Indeed, the armor that you wear belongs to the Battle Heaven Army! I hope that you do not tarnish their spirit!”

The crowd was gravely solemn. The Battle Heaven Army!

“When you put on this armor, you assume the mantle of duty and responsibility! I will be expending a lot of resources to raise your cultivation level and strengthen you. It was not easy to come by them!

“Wearing the armor, absorbing energy, collecting benefits... You must keep one thing in mind—am I the one giving you all of this? No, it is this era that bestows them to you! I hope you can rise to the occasion and become true soldiers to protect the land!” Li Hao looked at them and concluded his speech with, “We hunt demons... for justice!”

“Demon Hunters!” The answering shouts rang through the complex as two thousand people bellowed in unison, venting the emotion that’d accumulated in their hearts.

Justice?

Perhaps!

They might be like Li Hao the first time he encountered the slogan and find it a complete joke. What talk of justice was there in an age like this? But perhaps... hunting demons was a certain kind of faith!

I am of justice, all else are demons!

Some yells were charged with fervor and the veteran Demon Hunters screamed their lungs out. It was very simple to them—anyone who opposed Li Hao was a demon! As for his moniker of Demon Sword Li Hao... they felt that it was those demons who feared him. He should be Divine Sword Li Hao! Those people were the demons!

“Demon Hunters!” The roars reverberated through the vicinity, heralding the first official formation of the Demon Hunter Army. A barrier of light materialized as a mirror fragment enshrouded the surroundings. Those keeping an eye on the complex promptly lost their feed of information.

Powerhouses drew near before long, investigating with a slight frown. The Demon Hunter Army? Li Hao had recruited roughly two thousand martial masters to form that army of his and wanted to hunt demons with it? Who was the real demon here, and who did he think he could hunt with two thousand weaklings?

He had too much time on his hands!

With those resources and that time, he should be thinking of how to fortify himself, not wasting them to enhance these weaklings. None of them had any potential in them!

......

Inside the barrier of light.

Nearly one million mysterious power stones manifested and crumbled away. Currents of extremely dense mysterious power morphed into sword energy and a bountiful harvest of elemental power, dark and light power appeared. The area had turned into a sacred land of cultivation.

Drops of Water of Life appeared in front of everyone and disintegrated into fog and mist, raining down on the assembly!

He Yong and the others watched with shaking hearts. What an incredible investment, this was beyond anything they could imagine! Expending a million mysterious power stones, fortifying it with sword energy, and even a dozen drops of Water of Life... what was this if not madness??

“In the outside world, one drop of Water of Life costs one hundred thousand stones,” Li Hao said calmly. “I tell you this not for you to remember how much in resources have been spent on you, but that every single coin you spend will be extracted back from you in the future.

“Only through pain is there gain. I am just giving you an advance on what you will one day earn, so there is no need to be thankful. What you need to do in the time remaining is to pay back your debt—not to me, but to the justice in your heart!”

No one said a word as a vast quantity of energy flowed into their bodies. Sword and life energy protected their bodies as each soldier quickly grew stronger. The ones from the Silver Moon provincial army, in particular, improved at a furious pace. They were weak to begin with—this was a heavenly pill for them.

While martial masters at late Sunderer also grew stronger, their rate of improvement was limited. it was difficult for them to take another step forward unless they comprehended the aura!