How many ghost servants one could control simultaneously ultimately depended on Lei Dong’s own power. It hinged on the strength of Lei Dong's Xin Nian, often referred to as Shen Nian, or spiritual force—a mysterious and subtle power. Although it rarely engaged directly in combat, its applications were numerous and ingenious. At the first layer of the Qi Refining stage, Lei Dong’s mastery over Xin Nian was only rudimentary, certainly not powerful. He believed controlling three or four ordinary Yin Souls simultaneously would present no major issues, but three or four Level One Ghost Soldiers might be beyond his current capacity.

There were many ways to enhance one’s Xin Nian. The primary method was to advance one’s cultivation realm; reaching the second layer of the Qi Refining stage would undoubtedly cause a significant surge in Xin Nian. Secondly, one could focus specifically on training the Xin Nian, tempering and strengthening it without elevating the cultivation realm. Thirdly, one could wear magical items that amplified or magnified the Xin Nian.

Numerous auxiliary techniques existed for cultivating Xin Nian, but according to the rules of the Yin Sha Sect, only the very first spell was free; all others required exchange with Contribution Points. Thus, Lei Dong temporarily shelved these ambitions and confined himself to the cultivation chamber to diligently practice his vital energy maintenance.

Time slipped by quickly, another half-month passing. The massive expenditure of vital blood essence from the Blood Sacrifice finally allowed Lei Dong to fully recover. Of course, it was mere recovery. The past month and more had been incredibly arduous just for this one ghost servant, and his cultivation had nearly stagnated. Fortunately, the sacrifice was a Spirit Ghost, which helped balance Lei Dong’s psychological state considerably.

During this period, Chen Ge and Wei Hua also returned from completing missions. During a brief reunion, Lei Dong explained the various difficulties encountered while practicing the Ghost Control Art. He counted himself incredibly fortunate to have captured a Spirit Ghost after three months.

Chen Ge grew solemn upon hearing the severity of the difficulty, but when he learned that the Spirit Ghost, after the Blood Sacrifice, possessed combat power equivalent to that of a first-layer Qi Refining cultivator, he and Wei Hua erupted in elation. Their slight previous dissatisfaction with Lei Dong’s absence from missions vanished instantly, replaced only by earnest pleas for him to rest well. They promised that once recovered, they would assist Lei Dong in capturing another Spirit Ghost.

Naturally, their willingness to help stemmed from recognizing the potential of Lei Dong’s Ghost Control Art. If Lei Dong could operate with two Ghost Soldiers, their team’s safety on missions would increase significantly. Although they could save up Contribution Points to learn the Ghost Control Art themselves, hearing how complex it was and how much practicing the Blood Sacrifice delayed cultivation made them temporarily reconsider. They decided it was best for Lei Dong to handle it alone for now, allowing them to save their Contribution Points for learning other powerful spells.

Consequently, as soon as Lei Dong’s body healed, Chen Ge officially solidified the three of them into a small team and accepted a mission suitable for their level. Because it was a team mission, each person would receive ten Contribution Points upon completion, suggesting the task held a moderate level of difficulty. However, while the Yin Sha Sect was a renowned demonic sect, it wasn't foolish enough to push its disciples—especially new ones—into fire pits just to die.

After all, new disciples like Chen Ge and Lei Dong, despite their current low cultivation, bore the burden of the sect’s future inheritance, potentially growing into pillars of strength. Killing them off carelessly would only weaken the sect’s future power. The Yin Sha Sect wasn't dim-witted enough to deliberately dismantle its own foundations only to be bullied by the righteous sects later.

Therefore, missions tailored for new recruits, though varying in difficulty, rarely posed such a high risk of fatality. The objective was to temper them and acclimatize them to the sect’s system of growth via contribution, not simply to kill them. Moreover, many missions were specifically designed and calibrated by the sect regarding their difficulty.

Chen Ge’s assigned mission involved retrieving a sect token located in a mountain hollow over three hundred li north of the Myriad Ghost Cave. To further temper the disciples, the token was guarded by a demonic beast at the second layer of the Qi Refining stage. For three new recruits at the first layer of Qi Refining, provided they had learned reasonably normal spells and coordinated well, dealing with the specially assigned demonic beast should not present insurmountable problems. Furthermore, Chen Ge and his two companions had all learned spells considered relatively powerful within the Qi Refining stage.

Chen Ge’s Nether Fire Pellet was a potent direct offensive spell, while Wei Hua specialized in the formidable defensive spell, the Mystic Yin Shield. Coupled with Lei Dong’s Ghost Control Art, these two spells were signature techniques for Yin Sha Sect disciples during the Qi Refining stage, almost mandatory learning. However, in the very early stages of Qi Refining, various constraints often limited them to only choosing common spells. With the three of them each mastering one of these key techniques, their combined power naturally increased significantly.

They hired a large horse carriage from Myriad Ghost City, and the three sat cross-legged inside the spacious vehicle, heading towards the mission location. The carriage moved slowly, and the road conditions worsened the further they traveled, meaning the mere three hundred li journey was estimated to take over two days. If they had ridden horses, the trip would likely have taken only a single day. However, since they were facing a second-layer Qi Refining demonic beast, they opted for the carriage collectively to conserve their energy and spirit.

Unable to tolerate the jolting of the carriage and the slow pace, Wei Hua, accustomed to a life of comfort since childhood, grumbled, "If only we all had flying magical artifacts. A mere three hundred li distance, we could fly there in just two hours. Senior Brother Chen, I still have some Spirit Stones; why won't you let me buy a flying artifact?"

"Junior Brother Wei, stop daydreaming. It’s not like we didn't ask the price. Even the worst flying artifacts cost five or six Spirit Stones, and the slightly better ones easily run into the dozens or hundreds. We don’t have many Spirit Stones, so we should conserve them. There will be many more places we need to use them in the future," Chen Ge replied, somewhat dejected. He had confidently believed the hundred Spirit Stones he brought up the mountain would be enough for him to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, after accounting for necessary bribes and expenditures, the remaining stones could barely afford him a decent set of lower-grade gear. He couldn't even purchase a single mid-grade magical item, no matter how many Spirit Stones he spent. Poor Chen Ge, used to extravagance as a young master at home, now understood the necessity of budgeting in this environment.

Lei Dong also gasped at the prices mentioned; dozens or hundreds of Spirit Stones, even for decent flying artifacts—the cost was utterly exorbitant. The low-grade Spirit Ghost he had captured after immense hardship was only worth ten Spirit Stones...

"This is all because our aptitude isn't excellent enough. I heard Ding Wan Yan has greatly favored the Old Ancestor; her magical items are already complete, most of them mid-grade, focusing on top-grade flying swords. Heavens, what a difference in destiny!" Wei Hua spoke of Ding Wan Yan with deep jealousy coloring his tone.

"Junior Brother Wei, speak carefully. If those words reached Sister Ding’s ears, it might cause trouble," Lei Dong cautioned, frowning slightly and lowering his voice.

"Junior Brother Lei is right. I heard Sister Ding advanced to the third layer of the Qi Refining stage a few days ago; she is not someone we can afford to provoke," Chen Ge strongly agreed with Lei Dong. It was best to avoid provoking a heaven-defying existence like Ding Wan Yan if possible.

She was only three months shy of completing one year since entering the sect, and Ding Wan Yan had already broken through to the third layer of the Qi Refining stage. This news cast a silence over the three. Currently, Chen Ge and Wei Hua were situated around the middle of the first layer of Qi Refining. As for Lei Dong, due to his preoccupation with the Ghost Control Art these past few months, his cultivation hadn't even reached the middle point of the first layer yet. The disparity in aptitude had manifested right from the start; Ding Wan Yan was truly soaring.

"Senior Brother Chen, Junior Brother Wei, I have a suggestion," Lei Dong said after a moment of thought. "Both of you brought Spirit Stones when you came up the mountain. Instead of saving them now, it would be better to exchange them for more Yuan Nurturing Pills or bottleneck-breaking elixirs and enter deep seclusion to advance your cultivation realms. Maximize how much you can improve. If you hit a bottleneck or run out of Spirit Stones, then start taking missions slowly to accumulate contributions. By then, you should be at the third or fourth layer, making missions easier and thus more efficient."

Lei Dong’s words caused Chen Ge to ponder for a long time before slowly nodding. "That is indeed the logic. Wei Hua, let’s each give twenty Spirit Stones to Junior Brother Lei. If we don’t buy frivolous things and only exchange for elixirs, we should manage to cultivate up to the fourth layer without major issues. After we complete this mission, we’ll return to deep cultivation and stop running around."

"Good, no problem." Wei Hua, perhaps even more generous than Chen Ge, immediately took out twenty Spirit Stones from his storage belt.

Chen Ge quickly produced twenty Spirit Stones as well and handed them all to Lei Dong, saying solemnly in a low voice, "Junior Brother Lei, do not refuse this. I trust that with your intelligence and insight, you understand that your senior brother is making an investment for favor. I do not seek for you to follow my lead, but only that if you and I support each other on the path of cultivation, and should you achieve great things one day, don't forget those of us who helped you at the beginning."