Chapter 271: Planning for the Crimson Fox Girls

Zhang Haoxuan said, "Alright, I'll do my best to save more money for you and manage it well."

Tang San said, "For now, that will do. The really important point is keeping the entire thing a secret. Even if the entire organization puts pressure on you, you absolutely can’t tell the truth. Otherwise, we’ll have a lot of problems in the long run."

Zhang Haoxuan said, "Okay. Then I'll buy the materials now, and once I return, we can start setting up."

Tang San nodded. "I'll choose a good location first and wait for your return."

Zhang Haoxuan hurried off.

However, Tang San didn't immediately choose a location to set up the formation. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the eighteen Crimson Fox girls.

"Come here," Tang San beckoned them.

Immediately, the Crimson Fox girls gathered around him, chirping and laughing, bringing a fragrant breeze. Fox race women were known for their beauty and innate charm, a characteristic common to all fox clans.

The eighteen Crimson Fox girls surrounded him, each wearing a faint smile, and bowed to Tang San, saying, "How are you, Master?"

Looking at them, Tang San's gaze was exceptionally clear. He said, "I've heard some of you have already broken through to the second order. Who will show me your bloodline abilities?"

The oldest, Red One, said, "Master, let me do it."

As she spoke, a faint red light rose from her body; her jet-black hair instantly turned dark red, and her long fox tail rose, emitting a faint red halo. Around her body, there was a somewhat ethereal feeling.

Red One gently swayed her body, and the sense of ethereality instantly intensified.

Tang San narrowed his eyes, sensing around with his spiritual power. "Refraction. Is this the effect of a second-tier bloodline ability?"

Indeed, the Red One before him was not actually before him at all. She had refracted her image about a meter from her actual location, creating that sense of ethereality. It wasn't powerful, but it was very practical. It could easily mislead an opponent, especially during ranged attacks. Of course, against Tang San's formidable spiritual power, such tricks were futile.

"Yes. Master, you’re amazing. You figured it out immediately!" Red One nodded in agreement.

"Yes Master, you’re amazing! How did you figure it out?"

"Master, you seem to have become more handsome, a bit different from the last time."

"Master, you've grown taller."

"Master, that Golden Tree is so magical; I'm about to evolve, too."

With Zhang Haoxuan gone and Tang San looking young as he did, the Crimson Fox girls instantly became lively.

"Everyone, quiet down." Tang San waved his hand, and an invisible pressure burst forth from him, instantly quieting the Crimson Fox girls.

"I could see Red One's change because my spiritual power is strong enough. Your illusion is useless in front of me, because I can lock onto your life energy signature with my spiritual power."

Red One asked, somewhat confused, "Master, what does that mean?"

Tang San said, "I'll explain to you in detail later. I will be around a lot more these days as I set up the array. The most important ability of your Crimson Fox bloodline is the illusion, which gets better as your cultivation level increases. However, even though you can somewhat defend yourselves, your actual combat abilities are close to zero. I've thought about possibly enhancing your power lately, but that's another discussion. Your foundation is really weak, especially regarding physical strength.

"You need to improve your bodies, so you must continue cultivating next to the Golden Tree, absorbing its life energy to strengthen yourselves and solidify your foundation. As the life essence of the Golden Tree becomes more concentrated, the benefits it brings to you will also increase. After cultivating for a year, your foundation should be solid. I'll find a way to enhance your overall abilities further.

"Now, you can also cultivate your mental abilities. Today, I will teach you a method called the Purple Demon Eyes. Starting tomorrow, every day before dawn, you must climb to the top of the nearby mountain and cultivate facing the rising sun. The climb will also serve as physical training and help you absorb more life energy."

After spending days nurtured by the Golden Tree, the Crimson Fox girls had shown noticeable improvements in their health, and they were no longer as frail as when they first arrived. It was now time to enhance their new abilities. Their spiritual power and the illusion abilities of their Crimson Fox transformation were closely linked, so Tang San decided to teach them the Purple Demon Eyes. They would become essential assets to him in the future. Furthermore, once the Crimson Fox girls reached a certain level of cultivation, he planned to ask Zhang Haoxuan if they could join the Redemption Society to learn and better understand the world.

Red One took the lead and said, "Thank you, Master."

Tang San waved his hand and said, "You must study seriously. If you have any questions, ask me right away. No one should be left behind. You must also work hard for those who haven't reached the second order."

Immediately, he imparted the method of cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes to the girls and personally demonstrated the energy circulation pattern.

Zhang Haoxuan returned with the materials needed to create the array in only half a day. Before his return, Tang San had already chosen the locations and roughly outlined the eighteen Spirit Summoning Arrays, but it was up to Zhang Haoxuan to do the actual execution. This was also an opportunity for the mayor to gain hands-on experience. Meanwhile, the Crimson Fox girls observed from the sidelines.

These eighteen Spirit Summoning Arrays were the foundation of the Sky Swallowing Array designed by Tang San. Tang San went to the peaks surrounding the valley to set up a series of illusion arrays. These illusion arrays would later be connected to the Sky Swallowing Array within the valley, maintained by the energy provided by the array to form a cyclical system. The two types of arrays were interlocked, creating an integrated closed-loop system that would allow the array to exist for a long time.

The magic of arrays lay precisely in this: no matter how complex its structure, a single array typically produced only one effect. However, to truly harness the power of nature and even unleash immense might, it was necessary to have a design where different arrays interlocked with each other and complemented each other.

Since purchasing the Crimson Fox girls, Tang San had also been considering how to arrange their future. Humans occupied such a weak position in this world that changing anything through their own power would require producing a God King. And even if Tang San did become a God King, it was not guaranteed that he could change things on a fundamental level all by himself. Therefore, he also needed support, and he had to cultivate his own forces.

With the Crimson Fox girls' weak foundation and not particularly strong bloodlines, how could they become powerful on their own? After multiple discussions with Zhang Haoxuan about arrays, as well as his own research concluding that arrays in this world were rather primitive, Tang San decided to guide the Crimson Fox girls down this path. With his expertise in arrays, teaching them would be no issue.

The Spirit Summoning Array, a relatively simple array, would be the starting point.

Over the next week, Tang San came daily to set up arrays and guide the Crimson Fox girls in cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes and in array formation.

To his satisfaction, the girls' intelligence was not an issue; they could grasp the basics, and now it was just a matter of time. The Crimson Fox bloodline did not grant them much power, but their bloodline traits gave them a natural aptitude for spiritual power cultivation.

After setting up the eighteen Spirit Summoning Arrays and through hands-on practice, Zhang Haoxuan had essentially mastered the layout of this array. Then, he learned about setting up illusion arrays from Tang San. And when it came to these illusion arrays, Tang San specifically guided the Crimson Fox girls because they were naturally adept at illusions. Combining their illusion abilities with such illusion arrays could greatly benefit them.