The entire war base housed a staggering one hundred thousand cultivation caves. After Zhang Fan and his companions selected five adjacent caves, they bid farewell to True Immortal Mu Shan and parted ways.
Inside the cave, Zhang Fan produced the war token and, with a surge of spiritual energy, easily refined it. The rhombus-shaped token then displayed the words 'Five-Star General' in large characters. Zhang Fan realized with a jolt that the war base constantly collected and updated information on its warriors. Although his previous strength assessment had only registered him as a Four-Star General, his performance in the battle against True Immortal Tie Hou had undoubtedly showcased the power of a Five-Star General. Thus, without requiring another assessment, the war base had automatically updated his status.
Clutching the black war token, Zhang Fan felt a cool sensation. Though only palm-sized, it weighed no less than ten thousand jin. It was forged from precious Han Tie Jing Jin, a material even cultivators of the Spirit Transformation realm would find difficult to destroy.
After spending nearly a full day within the cave, Zhang Fan had digested all the intelligence obtained from True Immortal Mu Shan. He then summoned Nan Zun, Xue Mo, and the Pang brothers.
"Pang Qing, you and Nan Zhou will spar on the arena. Pang Yun, you will fight Xue Mo," Zhang Fan instructed.
Though puzzled, none of them questioned Zhang Fan's arrangements. They obediently stepped onto the arena and began their sparring matches. In terms of raw power, both Pang Qing and Pang Yun were only One-Star Warriors, while Nan Zun and Xue Mo were Two-Star Warriors. Naturally, the Pang brothers were outmatched. However, Zhang Fan had not arranged these fights for them to win, but rather to teach them how to better cope with crises and prolong battles when at a disadvantage.
...
The war base was vast, but within its confines, all were cultivators of the Spirit Transformation realm, and information spread at an incredible speed. In just one day, with the exception of teams already venturing into the star river, over seventy percent of the cultivators had heard rumors about Zhang Fan. The news of his immediate victory over Tie Hou upon entering the war base, and his acquisition of ten immortal treasures, naturally drew envy, and more often, jealousy, from many. Consequently, as soon as Zhang Fan appeared on the dueling arena, a considerable number of cultivators noticed him. Within mere minutes, over a hundred Spirit Transformation realm cultivators had gathered around him. Most of them came simply to make his acquaintance, harboring intentions of forming connections. However, some regarded Zhang Fan with peculiar gazes, observing him from a distance without approaching, their minds clearly churning with unspoken thoughts.
"Fellow Daoist Shi Jue, I've heard you defeated True Immortal Tie Hou a few days ago and won ten immortal treasures. How about we spar a match?" a middle-aged man clad in silver armor emerged from the crowd, fixing his gaze on Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan glanced at the newcomer. Through the mutual resonance of their war tokens, he could sense that this individual was rated as a Five-Star General, with his aura indicating the late stage of the Spirit Refinement realm. A humorous thought crossed Zhang Fan's mind: here comes another one seeking a beating.
"Very well. The stakes will be twenty immortal treasures. Do you dare?" Zhang Fan's eyes locked onto the silver-armored man, his voice cold.
"Twenty immortal treasures?" Zhang Fan's words utterly stunned the newcomer. Although the man's cultivation realm was higher than Zhang Fan's, he lacked absolute confidence in defeating him based on pure strength. Facing a wager of twenty immortal treasures, he dared not gamble and sheepishly fled the scene.
Zhang Fan smiled. "Esteemed cultivators, I am new to the war base, and I imagine many of you wish to spar and exchange moves with me. I will accept challenges from any Five-Star General, but the stakes must be twenty immortal treasures."
Zhang Fan's declaration immediately caused a stir amongst the crowd. Five-Star Generals were not uncommon within the war base, and Zhang Fan's bold pronouncement struck many as exceedingly arrogant. Throughout the entire war base, Warriors ranked from One-Star to Three-Star constituted the vast majority, accounting for over ninety percent of the total personnel. Among the remaining ten percent, more than ninety percent were at the Four-Star to Six-Star General level. By these proportions, there were thousands of General-level cultivators in the war base. In this light, True Immortal Tie Hou's assertion that Five-Star Generals were not particularly noteworthy was indeed accurate; one could easily find a handful with little effort. Yet, Zhang Fan dared to claim he could accept challenges from all Five-Star Generals, with a wager of twenty immortal treasures. This statement rapidly spread throughout the war base, as even for Six-Star Generals, twenty immortal treasures represented a substantial amount of military merit.
Within the war base, immortal treasures, immortal medicines, and various rare and exotic treasures could all be converted into military merit. Conversely, one could also choose to expend military merit to acquire immortal treasures, though the war base operated on a rather exploitative basis. For instance, the most ordinary immortal treasure could fetch three thousand military merit within the war base, but to exchange for the same ordinary immortal treasure using military merit, one would need at least three thousand nine hundred, an increase of at least thirty percent from the original value. Nevertheless, many were willing to exchange immortal treasures for military merit, as their primary objective in this star-field battlefield was not to collect immortal treasures but to enhance their strength. Possessing a few well-suited immortal treasures was sufficient. In comparison, military merit offered far greater utility, not only allowing for the acquisition of immortal medicines and spirit elixirs but also divine abilities and secret techniques, which were of greater value to cultivators heading into battle.
"Master is scamming people again. I wonder if anyone will fall for it this time," Nan Zun, who was on the dueling arena, clearly overheard Zhang Fan's words, a faint smile playing on his lips. While most cultivators perceived Zhang Fan's actions as utter arrogance, Nan Zun believed his master was still being too conservative. Any cultivator below the Spirit Transformation realm, whether a Five-Star or Six-Star, would essentially be defeated.
"Master is harvesting leeks again. If any more foolish individuals come to deliver immortal treasures, no matter what, I'm going to ask Master for one," the Blood Demon Flood Dragon thought to itself. Although Nan Zun and the Blood Demon Flood Dragon were engaged in combat, the Pang brothers' strength was indeed a tier below theirs. Even without exerting their full effort, they were still dominating the Pang brothers.
...
"Tie Hou, that Ten Absolutes True Immortal has issued a declaration: he can accept challenges from all Five-Star Generals, but the stakes must be twenty immortal treasures," True Immortal Chi Huo found True Immortal Tie Hou soon after receiving this message. True Immortal Tie Hou was in his cave, meditating and adjusting his state of mind. Over the course of the day, his emotions had gradually calmed. While the loss of ten immortal treasures still stung, it hadn't completely demoralized him. However, his momentarily placated emotions erupted once more at True Immortal Chi Huo's words. His eyes widened in disbelief. "You're not joking, are you?"
"Why would I joke? It's already spread everywhere outside. I estimate that all Five-Star Generals in the war base will receive this news today. Hurry and have True Immortal Chi Hu make his move. First come, first served!" True Immortal Chi Huo urged.