Long Zai Tian accepted the surrender, and the system's voice echoed in his mind: [Ding! You have accepted the surrender of Logue Village. You have earned 50 Achievement Points.]
Long Zai Tian looked at the trembling inhabitants and turned to his marshal. "Bai Qi, they surrendered swiftly without a fight. What is your take on this?"
"My opinion, Your Majesty, is that you should destroy their village and enslave them for the glory of Great Qin," Bai Qi replied coldly.
"Hmm, that is exactly what I intend to do," Long Zai Tian agreed.
The elderly goblin stood up from his kneeling position, hoping this nightmare would end. Thanks to the system, Long Zai Tian could understand and speak to those who owed him fealty, even without knowing the goblin tongue. He looked at the old creature and asked, "What is your name, Goblin?"
"Logue, my lord," the goblin stammered.
"So, the village is named after you. Hmm. Show me the heart of the village and the treasury. Now!" Long Zai Tian commanded with firm authority.
"Y-yes, my lord... follow me," Logue replied. He led Long Zai Tian to the Storehouse, where the Emperor found 5,000 copper coins and 30 silver coins. Long Zai Tian swept them all into his storage ring.
Then, Logue led him to the Village Hall, where the Village Heart resided. Long Zai Tian examined the village's properties:
[Village Status]
• Name: Logue Village [Copper-Common]
• Level: Basic (1,000 / 5,000 EXP)
• Village Area: 1 km²
• Village Territory: 5 km²
• Residents: 180 / 400
• Soldiers: 20 / 160
The stats were unremarkable. Before him, three options appeared regarding the Village Heart: [Destroy], [Conquer], or [Relocate].
• [Conquer]: Keep the village in its current location as a subordinate settlement. This grants only 1/3 of the target's EXP to the main village.
• [Destroy]: Completely raze the village. This grants 2/3 of the target's EXP to the main village, as its essence is absorbed.
• [Relocate]: Move the Village Heart to a new location. This grants 100% of the target's EXP to the main village, but the relocated village's own EXP is reset to zero, forcing it to start its development from scratch in the new site.
Long Zai Tian looked toward the blood-colored altar and the statue of the three-horned demon. He decided to Destroy the village. However, before doing so, he planned to move the altar, as it was a crucial component of his future strategies.
He selected the [Destroy] option. Instantly, the buildings of Logue Village began to crumble.
[Ding! You have chosen to destroy Logue Village. You receive 650 EXP.]
After destroying the village, Long Zai Tian ordered Bai Qi to prepare the soldiers for the return. The first light of a new dawn was breaking over the horizon; it was time to head home. He commanded six soldiers to carry the mysterious altar, while the rest kept a vigilant eye on the captive Goblins.
The march lasted for an hour until the gates of the village finally came into view. The residents welcomed them back with cheers after their day-long absence, though the children looked at the Goblins with a mixture of curiosity and disgust.
Li Si rushed to receive the Emperor, greeting him warmly. "A great victory, Your Majesty! May your hands be blessed for guarding us. Everything in the village has been running perfectly in your absence."
"Well done, Li Si," Long Zai Tian replied. "We have returned with nearly two hundred new slaves and a bountiful harvest. We seized five thousand copper coins, thirty silver coins, and a hundred curved short swords. It was an exhilarating battle; Bai Qi will fill you in on the details. For now, I shall head to the manor to rest. You, however, must assign these new slaves to their places—they are excellent labor. Also, have Gao Yuan gather anyone willing to change their profession to [researcher]. We are in dire need of researchers."
"As you command, Your Majesty. I will inform Gao Yuan immediately to prepare candidates for the Researcher position. Do not worry; rest in your Manor, my Lord," Li Si said graciously to Long Zai Tian.
"Hmm, very well, Li Si. But before that, I shall summon today's new residents. Come with me to the [Origin] Platform."
Long Zai Tian and Li Si headed to the [Origin] Platform, where Long Zai Tian initiated the daily summoning. Before them, 24 individuals materialized: 8 capable men, 6 elderly people, 5 children, and 5 women ranging from their youth to their thirties. All of them were of Bronze Rank.
Long Zai Tian greeted them and welcomed them to the village. He then tasked Li Si with looking after them, but only after changing the profession of the eight capable men to Soldiers and handing them over to Bai Qi.
Finally, Long Zai Tian retired to his Manor. He sat upon his bed, clearing his mind and relaxing, preparing to begin a new session of Cultivation....
Long Zai Tian sat with his hands forming a Mudra as he recited his cultivation Mantra. He began murmuring in a low voice, and suddenly, the pure Qi around him condensed, turning pitch black before surging into his body.
He was attempting to break through from the Muscle Altering stage to the Fifth Stage: Bone Forging. Changing his hand seals, he commanded firmly: "Qi... Condense!"
The Qi began to flow from his muscles into his bones, and his skeleton started to glow with a brilliant, radiant black light—a sign of a successful breakthrough into the Bone Forging stage. Long Zai Tian continued cultivating throughout the entire day until he reached the Peak of Bone Forging.
At night, he took a deep breath and stood up. His body felt swollen from the excess energy. He stepped out of the Manor into the night, feeling his power overflowing. He approached the nearest tree and threw a punch.
BOOM!
The force of 10,000 kg smashed into the tree trunk, obliterating it completely. Not satisfied, Long Zai Tian moved to another tree—BOOM!—striking with the same power, if not stronger. He continued this for half an hour, destroying trees until he finally felt satisfied.
After Long Zai Tian had his fill of destruction, he returned to his Manor and fell into a deep sleep. He woke up the next morning at the peak of his energy. His first task was to head to the [Origin Platform] with Li Si to summon new residents.
Twenty-eight people appeared: 12 men capable of fighting, 8 women, 6 children, and 2 elderly men. Among them, only one individual was of Silver Rank, while the others were Bronze. Long Zai Tian welcomed them as usual and entrusted them to Li Si's care. He took the twelve men, changed their professions to Soldiers, and handed them over to Bai Qi.
"Tell me, Bai Qi, how is the training progressing?" Long Zai Tian asked.
"It is going perfectly, my Lord," Bai Qi replied. "They are gaining experience, wit, and strength day by day. They make me proud."
"Hahaha, you have every right to be proud, my friend," Long Zai Tian laughed. "And believe me, you will be even prouder in the future."
"I believe you, my Lord. I have my own aspirations for the future that I wish to achieve under your leadership."
"Then they shall be achieved, Bai Qi. Do not worry."
Bai Qi nodded, and they continued chatting until Gao Yuan arrived, followed by several elderly individuals. Gao Yuan approached, cupped his hands, and bowed. "My Emperor, good morning."
"Hmm, morning. Have you completed the task I assigned to you, Gao Yuan?" Long Zai Tian responded.
"Yes, my Lord. I have prepared these candidates to change their professions to Researchers. Here they are."
Long Zai Tian noticed that they were all elderly people who previously had no specific roles. Good, he thought, at least the elderly are being put to good use this way.
He led them to the [Profession Change] Platform and transformed them all into Researchers. Once the transition was complete, he commanded them to begin researching four specific areas: first, the [Taming] skill; second, [Teleportation Formations]; and third, the skill of [Alchemy], fourth [languages]. After speaking with them briefly, he delegated their supervision to Gao Yuan…