Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8353: Isolated _1

Setting the Jade slip aside, Zhao Hai shifted his gaze toward Yan Bei. A wry smile touched his lips as he remarked, "It appears our commanding officer holds quite a grudge against me. His reply was incredibly curt. Still, one can't entirely blame him. The Sect Master did grant me a command token, after all, giving me authority that technically eclipses his own."

Yan Bei let out a freezing snort. "The fact that this specific location is under siege while others remain untouched is a massive red flag. The enemy clearly intends to use this spot as their primary breach. We were decent enough to alert them, yet they chose to ignore us. They truly have no idea what they are doing."

Zhao Hai shook his head, his voice turning somber. "Let it go; we should simply concentrate on our own responsibilities. Big brother Yan, I have a significant stock of spiritual herbs here that you should use for your Cultivation. I plan to enter seclusion for several days to analyze the Fang clan’s cultivation technique. To be honest, studying their methods has provided me with some fresh enlightenment."

Nodding in agreement, Yan Bei looked at Zhao Hai with admiration. "I honestly did not anticipate that your mantra emblematic gesture had reached such a sophisticated level. From how you executed it, I suspect you have fully fused the spiritual array Sect’s cultivation technique into your own gestures, haven't you? It is truly impressive."

Zhao Hai shook his head modestly. "It isn't much. My incantation gesture is far from finished. In truth, it has already diverged significantly from the Grandmaster's original version. Initially, I learned this gesture to practice the blood sea god-killing technique without falling into a berserk state. I later realized the gesture could adapt into infinite forms. To achieve that, however, I must integrate the strengths of every school. Currently, my technique is still a long way from reaching that peak."

Yan Bei laughed bitterly while shaking his head. "If your technique is considered inferior, then the rest of us are truly hopeless. Regardless, let’s drop the subject. Go ahead with your seclusion. I will also go into closed-door cultivation for a while; otherwise, the gap in our strength will only continue to widen." After saying this, Yan Bei exited Zhao Hai’s quarters and headed back to his own room.

Yan Bei’s living quarters were nestled beside another massive, towering tree. He had grown quite fond of this arrangement. The room was not only cozy but also carried a subtle, mind-calming aroma. Such an environment was rare, making it Yan Bei's preferred place for Cultivation.

Once Yan Bei had departed, Zhao Hai smiled and stepped into his quiet room. He began a silent study of the Fang clan’s cultivation technique and their specific array applications. Zhao Hai felt a genuine sense of curiosity regarding their methods, as he had never encountered such a unique way of utilizing arrays before.

This period of seclusion lasted only three days before Zhao Hai emerged. Since the Fang clan’s cultivation technique was rooted in the spiritual array Sect’s foundation, he didn't require much time to grasp its core. He only needed to understand the underlying flow. Regarding the practical application of their formations, a single spark of inspiration allowed Zhao Hai to calculate infinite variations. His understanding already surpassed that of the Fang clan themselves, even without fully mastering every detail of their manual.

Upon finishing his session, Zhao Hai left Yan Bei undisturbed and turned his attention to the puppet-making machine. His goal was to design a fully automated production line for puppets. This system would merge magical arrays with standard mechanical engineering. By doing so, it wouldn't look suspicious and could be shared with other Sects. The vital, top-secret components would remain hidden from outsiders.

While some were aware of the spiritual array Sect’s secrets, the only ones besides Zhao Hai and Yan Bei were Li Ruohai. Others had only grasped the basic outer Sect techniques and lacked the knowledge of how to anchor a ghost into an array. Li Ruohai was unlikely to share this with the corpse demon Sect, as he intended to use it as a trump card against the demonic corpse old man. Thus, Zhao Hai wasn't worried about the Yin spirit array secrets leaking.

Naturally, Zhao Hai had already submitted this method to his own Sect. He was confident that once the leadership understood how to use a Yin soul to power a formation, they would lock the information down. If the Dark Ghost Sect ever obtained such a method, their formation capabilities would explode, which would be disastrous for the Suicide Sect.

It took several days to finalize the new puppet assembly line. Zhao Hai recorded the blueprints and his personal concerns onto a Jade slip, forwarding it to Lei Gang, who then handed it to Ha Jing. Zhao Hai didn't worry about how Ha Jing and the others would use it. As a mere disciple of the Blood Slaughter Sect, he had fulfilled his duty. If the higher-ups failed to grasp the importance, there was nothing more he could do.

With the puppet project finished, Zhao Hai shifted his focus back to the Western Defense line. He remained deeply concerned about the situation there. Although the recent Fang clan raid involved few people and seemed like a mere probe, Zhao Hai sensed it was the opening move. It signaled that the 13 Clan Alliance had officially commenced their offensive against the Western front.

He had previously sent a warning to the Western Defense line's commander, but the man had disregarded it entirely. There was even doubt cast on Zhao Hai's honesty. This made Zhao Hai incredibly frustrated, especially since he knew exactly who the commander was.

The individual appointed by the Sect Master to lead the Western Defense line was a master at the Foundation Establishment level. Usually, cultivators of this rank were Elders. Indeed, he held an Elder title within the main hall, though it was largely a ceremonial role without real administrative duties.

His appointment as commander was tied to his status as an in-name disciple of the Sect Master, Dao Qianzhan. He had remained a detached Elder because his primary focus was breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Though the gap between Foundation Establishment and the Nascent Soul realm appeared small, it was a wall that stopped countless cultivators. They were entirely different tiers of existence. At his current power level, Zhao Hai did not fear a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, against a Nascent Soul expert, he would suffer a certain defeat. The Nascent Soul realm was often equated to godhood; those within it were fundamentally different from ordinary cultivators, which was what made them so formidable.

As for the current commander, his status as an in-name disciple and his lack of involvement in Sect affairs were due to his preparations for the Dharma condensation stage. He had accepted this command for two reasons: first, to temper his mental state through practical experience, and second, to accumulate Sect contribution points. He hoped to trade these points for resources that would improve his chances of a successful breakthrough.

Because of this, the commander was incredibly vain. He was deeply annoyed that a mere disciple in the profound Qi realm possessed a token from the Sect Master. That token allowed the disciple to override his authority. Consequently, he dismissed Zhao Hai’s intelligence out of hand, refusing to even believe the warnings were genuine.

Zhao Hai found the situation maddening. He couldn't simply brandish the Sect Master’s token to force the commander into action. Doing so would only breed resentment and might make the Sect Master and Elders think he was criticizing their choice of leadership. Thus, Zhao Hai was forced to wait. What angered him most was the lack of communication; he was receiving no updates from the other islands. He was being systematically isolated on the Western line.

This isolation caught Zhao Hai off guard. He hadn't made any enemies here, aside from the disgruntled commander. Why would everyone else shun him? He found the behavior baffling and was determined to find the root cause.

Ultimately, Zhao Hai resorted to deploying his spell bugs to scout the other islands. He needed to know why he was being blacklisted. There had to be a catalyst, and he intended to uncover it.

Deploying the spell bugs was a simple task for him. He had already left some on various islands but had been hesitant to use them. The upper realm was full of powerful experts, and even if the bugs were as small as dust, he feared detection. However, the current circumstances left him no choice.

Before long, Zhao Hai’s spell bugs were scattered across every island in the Western Defense line. He commanded them to be extremely cautious, attaching only to weaker cultivators. Once they latched on, they remained completely dormant to avoid detection. This allowed Zhao Hai to listen in while minimizing the risk of being caught.

After a few days of surveillance, the truth came to light. The isolation was the result of the new commander quietly voicing his displeasure regarding Zhao Hai. Since there was currently no Island Lord present at the Western Defense line, the commander held absolute sway over the region. Naturally, no one wanted to cross the man in charge by associating with a stranger. They weren't willing to risk their standing for Zhao Hai, leading to his total social exclusion.

The revelation left Zhao Hai at a loss for words. He couldn't wrap his head around how such a petty, narrow-minded individual had managed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, let alone be put in command. It was truly beyond comprehension.