The reconstruction of numerous mortal villages in the Qing Mao Mountains was accomplished in complete secrecy, and within a month's time.
When mortals inquired about their missing neighbors, they were informed that they had departed without explanation. This elaborate ruse was carried out with the complicity of nearly every gu master, leaving others with no choice but to accept the implausible explanation, no matter how little sense it made.
In the midst of this "serene" month, 001 was entrenched in a grueling task that demanded his undivided attention, unwavering diligence, and utmost composure - cultivation!
He had only recently ascended to the peak stage of rank-3, and now he was on the verge of breaking through to the next level, once shattered, he would attain a rank-4 aperture, granting his aperture the power to produce Yellow Golden primeval essence.
As the minutes ticked by, 001's body began to shake with the strain of the cultivation. His muscles tensed and sweat dripped down his face, it was clear that he had been on the precipice of collapsing, but to him, the suffering was worth it.
And just like hitting a large rock with multiple wedges, the moment the last crack came into place, all the cracks almost instantly linked up like a spider's web, shattering the thin wall like a pane of glass and revealing a new, clear barrier.
Upon reaching rank-4, 001's body suddenly collapsed, falling into a deep slumber. However, a dark aura enveloped his body, instantly waking him. After taking a moment to stretch his limbs, he stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. He stood there for about half an hour, lost in thought as he contemplated his next moves.
As he gazed toward the clan treasury, he absorbed the reality that he now had complete control over the clan and could use its resources as he pleased. He could even rent Gu for free and break previous contracts, such as the one with the Xiong clan leader, with his "permission" of course.
While cultivating, 001 had also ventured into expanding his wolf production into a full-fledged farming business. He applied the knowledge he had gained from the Awakening Lab to upgrade the wolves as they reproduced.
As a result, the number of Thousand Beast Kings among his wolf population was no longer a rarity. In fact, it was getting closer to being equal to the number of Hundred Beast Kings.
While it was true that creating wolves artificially did not guarantee that they would possess Gu, it did enable them to hunt down wolves that possessed Gu and take them back to their masters.
As for the book obtained from the Blood Path Gu Master, it had not been destroyed and was instead kept by the clan. Using the knowledge contained within it, 001 began to upgrade his heart. However, reaching rank-4 would require 121 hearts with a 100% success rate, which was a stretch. Fortunately, he could purchase hearts from mortals at a low cost. While the success rate for the Human Blood Heart Gu was 80%-70%-50%-20%, even an unlucky outcome was still likely within the range of 509 hearts.
To balance the population, he had to come up with a plan to introduce a random influx of people that would lead to overpopulation, which unfortunately would take about 9 months to execute.
In addition, he had already contacted a caravan in advance to bring Yellow Golden Relic Gu. He was willing to pay a premium price of 600,000 per piece, more than double the market value.
For the most part, life was enjoyable, of course, except for the sporadic unexpected occurrences that happened every other day. However, as he gradually learned how to "balance" things, these incidents became less frequent.
"This must be one of the reasons why this world remains underdeveloped. Even if a brilliant mind appeared, the world would attempt to suppress them. Only by comprehending this thing's thought process can one harness it for their own gain."