" Will we be able to hold the front lines with such a small number? If discovered, the enemy will completely overwhelm us by pure numbers." Su Menqi analyzed the situation carefully. There were no visible benefits.
" I have a plan in mind. You need to help with the training plan first. We will have the next talk after you manage to list all the candidates. Make sure of their strength and ability to adapt to the situation. We start the training after my arrival. We can't waste any time."
Su Menqi looked like she wanted to say something, but chose not to. She left the compound.
.....................…
The crimson lord world-
" what are your plans for supporting the battle troops." The Keeper asked, Long tao.
" I have two months to prepare for the battle. Do we have any more Asmium.". The Keeper provided large chunks of it to Long tao.
" What do you plan to do with these. It can't be made into weapons." The Keeper was the one who introduced the metal to Long tao.
" I am making training equipment with these. The squad will be using them for the next two months. It will help them train faster." LonG tao's plan was legitimate by all means. There was one small problem, though.
" Those people don't have an abundant Qi capacity like you. They will go through Qi deficit multiple times if they train with it." Long Tao didn't think about this aspect. He needed to devise a plan for them.
.................
"How is the progress with our herb garden.". " The harvest s quite large. It has all the varieties of plants you collected throughout your mission. They can help you with your alchemy practice."
" We need to start experimenting with these plants. I need your help with categorizing them according to their properties." The Keeper helped Long Tao in making the list of herbs. " what are you going to do with these herbs."
" I considered your advice. The soldiers will go through a Qi deficit multiple times during their cultivation. We need to create a Qi replenishing pill with the cheapest herbs available. I have managed to refine many Qi replenishing pill recipes before. Its time to experiment with those recipes with new ingredients."
The first objective was at this moment was confirmed—a Qi pill that would help the soldiers in their training. Long Tao started concocting pills. The first few experiments were instant failures. One could hear multiple explosions occurring in the pill room."
"It's not easy to create a new pill recipe. Most of the trials you conducted resulted in an explosion. The reason is the incompatibility between the ingredients. You need to formulate a way to have a stable mixture. Use should use the stabilizers present. See which one I the most effective."
Long Tao tried it out. The explosions got milder as time went by. He tried multiple varieties with the recipes he managed to formulate. After a lot of trials, the first successful pill was in his hand.
Long Tao tried the pill out. The Qi replenishing ability not as good as the traditional recipes. " The results are not good enough. What am I missing?"
"Why don't you refer the journals to find the plants which could promote the effect of the materials used in the pills." Long Tao went through the pile of books.
Out of a long list of materials, five were available with long tao for this recipe. The experiments started again. Long Tao tried using different proportions of all these promoters.
..................….
'Boom,' a loud explosion occurred in the pill room. The Keeper went in to find out Long Tao covered in black sludge, lying on the ground. ' I suppose its another failure."
" On the contrary, I succeeded." A blue pill was clutched tight within Long tao's palm. He finally managed to create a stable recipe.
" Congratulations on creating a brand new recipe." The Keeper had to appreciate Long Tao's devotion to research.
..................….
Tamar-
The situation was quite chaotic. The war was officially declared. The garrisons were preparing for battle training. Each commander took control of training his troop. The whole city was fired up for the forthcoming battle.
Scout teams were already sent by either side to spy on their enemies. Every day numerous spies were being caught and lost as well. The war had already started to show its effect.
..................….
The Black-buck's dwelling-
Long Tao ordered a meeting of all the members as soon as he arrived. " have you manage to list out the potential members for our squad."
Su Menqi stepped forward and handed a list over. " I found a total of 120 applicants who were skilled enough to participate in our training regime. We can start eliminating them through the training period and keep around the best soldiers."
" What about their cultivation realms?"
" the lowest one is at the 7th level of Qi master." Lon Tao was satisfied with these results. Su Menqi did an excellent job." Have these people assembled in the training ground tomorrow morning? The training camp for ar will begin." The meeting was adjourned.
Su Menqi stayed behind to chart out the training plan. " I have an instruction for you. It feels like you ar eon the verge of breaking through to the Qi general level. Your aim for these two months is first to achieve a break-through. You can join the training after that."
Su Menqi nodded in agreement. "These are some equipment I have prepared for the training." Long Tao took out hordes of equipment. There were armors, gloves, shoes, and helmets. " try these out." Su Menqi picked one up and felt the weight of them.
" Try using your Qi now." As soon as she released her Qi, She was surprised by the addition of extra weight.
.....................….
The next morning-
One hundred thirty-nine people were standing on the training grounds of the black-buck dwelling. Long Tao soon made an appearance.
" All of you are present here to participate in a special training which is designed by me. This secret training will help me select 50 members who will be taking part in the war as a member of my squad. For the next two months, the chosen people will go through a rigorous regime to improve personal strength and teamwork."
Long Tao laid out the training equipment. " each one of you will be wearing these suits for the test. There will be a strength, stamina, and skill test conducted by me. Do your best."
The testing began. Soon people were being eliminated out of the camp. After around five days of continuous training, the top 69 were listed out. It included the top 50 and the previous 19 members of the black-buck squad.
" The training of hell begins."
