Chapter 153: First Battle (Two updates)_1 Given the huge interest in the spiritual mines, when the Taoist Court mediation failed, there was no choice but to follow the common rules. The Qian Family and the Monster Hunters would engage in a fierce battle at the Nameless Peak spiritual mine. Whoever won would get to take control of the spiritual mine. The Qian Family was now on the offensive, whereas the Monster Hunters were on defense. The atmosphere among the Monster Hunters had gradually become more tense. Elder Yu ordered that all Monster Hunters were forbidden from hunting monsters in Big Black Mountain in the near future, and he assembled most of the Monster Hunters who were between the seventh and ninth level of Qi Refinement to guard the mine tunnels at Nameless Peak. On one hand, the Monster Hunters were preparing for the imminent attack from the Qian Family and, on the other hand, they were working to expedite the extraction of the spiritual mine. It would be best to hold onto the spiritual mines, but with the Qian Family’s vast influence and numerous cultivators, it was uncertain whether the Monster Hunters would be able to hold out until the end. Since it was not known when the spiritual mine would fall, the idea was to extract as many spirit stones as possible before that happened. Late-stage Qi Refinement practitioners were to enter the spiritual mine, and Mo Shan, being at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, was no exception. Mo Hua also wanted to go in, but Mo Shan wouldn’t allow it, and neither would Elder Yu agree. Previously, during the spiritual mine’s capture, Mo Hua was on the outside where there were rocks and trees to hide behind; in case of danger, there was a chance to flee if the situation turned dire. Now, inside the mine tunnel, there was virtually nowhere to escape. If the Qian Family cultivators were to break in and melee ensued; with swords, divine sense, and spiritual power flying chaotically, no one could guarantee Mo Hua’s safety. Therefore, Elder Yu was originally adamant about not allowing Mo Hua, a minor cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, to stay inside the spiritual mine. That was until Mo Hua offered to help by Drawing Formation. “I can draw the Golden Armor Formation, it can even be used by those in the late Qi Refinement stages!” Mo Hua said. Upon hearing this, Elder Yu could hardly refuse. In a large-scale battle between cultivators, the effectiveness of formations becomes quite apparent. Moreover, this Golden Armor Formation sounded much more powerful than the “Iron Armor Formation.” With the reinforcement of the Golden Armor Formation, the likelihood of holding the mine tunnels would greatly increase. Even if they couldn’t hold it in the end, they could at least delay the inevitable for longer, thus harvesting more spirit stones. This was a spiritual mine, after all, even a small one could provide for many Loose Cultivators’ living expenses for a long time. Elder Yu was tempted. Several Monster Hunters also praised the Golden Armor Formation to Elder Yu, mentioning how Mo Shan had encountered a Kui Wood Wolf during Monster Hunting and was spared from injury because his Rattan Armor was painted with the Golden Armor Formation. With a sigh, Mo Shan reluctantly took out the Rattan Armor painted with the Golden Armor Formation. Elder Yu examined it closely and tested the armor’s defense, his eyes lighting up with approval. He immediately decided to allow Mo Hua to stay. Thus, Mo Hua stayed inside the spiritual mine. Elder Yu instructed the other Monster Hunters to take good care of Mo Hua and thought to himself: “If any undiscerning bastard dares to hurt a single hair on Mo Hua’s head, I’ll strike them down with a single blow!” In the days that followed, Mo Hua started to draw Golden Armor Formations for the Monster Hunters. With Mo Hua’s current Divine Sense intensity, enhanced control from the Heaven Yan Jue, and the increased recovery speed of Divine Sense from the Meditation Technique, around ten First-grade Golden Armor Formations could be painted in one day. The Spiritual Ink used for these Golden Armor Formations was temporarily supplied by Mo Hua. Elder Yu agreed to convert the cost of the Spiritual Ink into spirit stones and add it to the compensation for Drawing Formation, to be given to Mo Hua in the end. Elder Yu had been frugal in the past due to a lack of spirit stones. Now that he had possession of a small spiritual mine, he would not let Mo Hua suffer any loss. Elder Yu, wanting Mo Hua to focus on Drawing Formation, even opened up a small mine tunnel, setting it up to be warm and comfortable, assuring Mo Hua to communicate any needs. Mo Hua stayed in the small mine tunnel, drawing formations, and managed to paint about thirty Golden Armor Formations in three days. Later, the Qian Family cultivators began their assault on the mountain. Mo Hua, lying at the entrance of the tunnel, watched the large and powerful group of Qian Family cultivators below, and feeling worried, asked Elder Yu, “Can we defeat the Qian Family?” “We can fight, but it won’t be easy, and the outcome is hard to predict,” Elder Yu responded. “Have we fought them before?” Elder Yu nodded, “A few times. The Qian Family was overly oppressive, and we fought back. As the fight escalated into a brawl, things became unmanageable. We suffered more losses that time, the Qian Family won, but they didn’t get much of an advantage either.” Confused, Mo Hua asked, “Where is the Qian Family stronger than us?” After pondering, Elder Yu said, “Each has its advantages in a head-on fight, but the Qian Family has more spirit stones, better Spiritual Artifacts, and they can afford to hire help.” Mo Hua said, “So with the Golden Armor Formation, do we have more of an advantage?” Elder Yu nodded, “Yes, that’s right.” He didn’t know exactly how powerful the Golden Armor Formation was, but even a slight edge could impact the battle. Then the Qian Family began their assault on the mountain in a grand and open manner. The Qian Family had always looked down on Monster Hunters, believing them to be impoverished and pathetic. With their wealth of spirit stones, the Qian Family cultivators generally had one higher level of cultivation than the Monster Hunters. For this reason, they did not choose to attack at dawn or in the dead of night, nor did they opt for a surprise attack. Instead, they moved into the mountain in broad daylight, brazenly and openly. They wanted to give the Monster Hunters a taste of military deterrence. But as soon as the battle started, they realized something was amiss. Thirty Qi Refining Ninth Level Monster Hunters looked mightily impressive, leading the charge. At first confrontation, they began their onslaught. The Qian Family Cultivators’ swords and blades could only leave scratches on their Rattan Armor. The Golden Armor Formation was a First Grade Nine Pattern Formation, and ordinary swords, even when wielded by Qi Refining Ninth Level Cultivators, had difficulty breaking through the Rattan Armor enhanced by the Golden Armor Formation. With the enhancement of the Golden Armor Formation, the Monster Hunters had no fear, needing only to hack wildly with their blades, drawing blood with every stroke. The Qian Family Cultivators couldn’t parry the blows and were forced to retreat in defeat. As they retreated, they soon had nowhere left to retreat to. Seeing no way to win, the Qian Family could only flee in embarrassment, their Cultivators scattering in defeat. They came with a fierce momentum, but to their surprise, they were routed. The Qian Family felt humiliated, and not long after, they returned for another attempt. This time they came fully prepared, all wearing Rattan Armor, with some Qi Refining Ninth Level Cultivators even clad in Iron Armor. Iron Armor, purely made from fine iron, was not only expensive but also extremely hard. The two sides clashed again. Then the Qian Family Cultivators found that the Monster Hunters’ Rattan Armor seemed a bit different from theirs… The Monster Hunters’ Rattan Armor was extremely hard, and it took significant effort to hack through it. Their Rattan Armor, on the other hand, was like paper, torn through with just a few slashes. Even their Iron Armor was about the same as the Monster Hunters’ Rattan Armor… But since the Iron Armor was heavier, it made movement difficult, and thus they became easy targets. About a dozen Qian Family Cultivators in Iron Armor, not watching their backs, became playthings for the Rattan Armor-wearing Monster Hunters and were taken down after a few rounds. Their Iron Armor was stripped away as well. The Qian Family nearly spat blood. That was a complete set of Iron Armor, after all. Crafting a set required a vast amount of fine iron, and now it had been completely plundered! But they could not give up fighting for the Spiritual mines, for those were Spirit Stones gleaming bright! To deal with the Monster Hunters’ Rattan Armor, the Qian Family spared no expense and bought twenty genuine First-grade blades. These blades were extremely sharp, able to cut through ordinary Rattan Armor with a single strike. Handpicked Qian Family experts, equipped with these First-grade blades, engaged the Monster Hunters once more. The First-grade blades indeed proved effective, able to cut through the Rattan Armor with a single strike, and with two or three, the armor was almost completely split. But then, the Qian Family quickly discovered an even bigger problem. The number of Monster Hunters wearing Rattan Armor was increasing! There were only thirty at first. Then each day brought more, each day more, until now, almost every Monster Hunter was wearing that troublesome Rattan Armor. Everyone had one! The Qian Family Cultivators felt their scalps tingle. They only had twenty blades. Yet there were more than two hundred sets of Rattan Armor to contend with! How were they supposed to fight this? And then they were, unsurprisingly, defeated again… The successive defeats caused the Qian Family Cultivators’ morale to crumble, forcing them to pause their assault and catch their breath. Elder Yu was overjoyed beyond expectations. The effect of the Golden Armor Formation was much stronger than he had originally thought. He had anticipated a grueling battle, where even if they emerged victorious, the casualties would be significant. But unexpectedly, not only did they win, they won with ease, and the Monster Hunters suffered very few casualties. This allowed Elder Yu to breathe a sigh of relief, then he felt a bit puzzled and asked Mo Hua: “How come this Golden Armor Formation is so tough?” It was so tough that First-grade blades needed several strikes to break through. The armor they were wearing was just ordinary Rattan Armor, not First-grade Iron Armor crafted from fine iron. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎 Mo Hua responded as if it were obvious, “Because the Golden Armor Formation is a First-grade Formation Method.” “A First-grade Formation Method…” Elder Yu nodded in understanding, “No wonder.” A First-grade Formation Method, how could it not be strong? Then Elder Yu suddenly came to a realization, his heart pounding. “First-grade?!”