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"My confidence?" Yaoguang pondered the question. His mind flashed through his understanding of body refining, qi refining, and spirit refining. Only after a long moment did he speak. "In ancient times, body refining, qi refining, and spirit refining were not distinguished so strictly. The reason so many specialized disciplines were divided up comes down to changing needs. The invasion of the Moon Demon Empire forced people to obtain the greatest combat power in the shortest possible time, which led to tailoring and refining distinct cultivation systems based on what each person excelled at." He paused, his thoughts flowing freely. "Perhaps at the stage of a Great Cultivator, these career paths and specializations are minutely delineated. But what about the Golden Core realm? Are the boundaries between body cultivators, sword cultivators, spell cultivators, and spirit cultivators still so clear-cut? And what about higher up? When a cultivator collapses their fountainhead of power into a black hole, does it make any difference whether it began as body refining, qi refining, or spirit refining?" A slight smile crossed his face. "It's like a shopping mall filled with all sorts of wonderful goods. You want every single one, but when funds are limited, you can naturally only buy the one that offers the best value for money. But if money has become nothing more than a number and you can buy out the entire mall, would you still need to agonize over that choice?" The moment those words left his mouth, not only Zong Lian but everyone else present was struck speechless. For a long while, Zong Lian said nothing. The young woman beside him, however, let out a laugh. "So Holy Lord Yaoguang's mindset has already soared above Great Cultivators, locking his sights onto the Golden Core realm—or even the Void Piercing Realm! What sheer confidence. His ambitions are truly higher than the heavens." "That isn't confidence. That's arrogance, pure and ignorant," the young man next to her chimed in. "Perhaps his understanding of the cultivation world is still stuck centuries in the past," said the young man who had introduced himself as Chen Shu, seemingly losing all interest in sparring with him. "He thinks that with his talent, he can reach the Golden Core realm effortlessly. But how could he know how vastly different a modern Golden Core is compared to one from several centuries ago? Pit any ordinary modern spell Great Cultivator against an ancient Golden Core, and that Golden Core likely wouldn't survive a single innate spell." Saying that, he frowned slightly. "Hasn't the Cangwu Alliance been holding meetings in recent years to redefine the concept of Foundation Establishment? Naming the most ancient form First-Generation Foundation Establishment, the modern version Second-Generation Foundation Establishment, a Dao Base as Third-Generation Foundation Establishment, and an Immortal Base as Fourth-Generation Foundation Establishment? Has that still not passed?" "I doubt it. I heard they want to revise Foundation Establishment into the Nine Layers of the Core Dao, moving the process of core formation forward to improve and integrate it into the current Foundation Establishment realm. That way, they can avoid the problem of forming a core too late to prolong one's life. After all, even with so many people working toward that direction, the lifespan of Foundation Establishment still struggles to break past the three-hundred-year cap." "Integrating the core formation process directly into Foundation Establishment? Doesn't that mean Foundation Establishment cultivators could enjoy four to five hundred years of life, just like those who formed cores?" The core disciples quickly began conversing among themselves. Hardly anyone paid any further attention to Yaoguang after his grandiose proclamation. Seeing this, Zong Yan grew anxious. He could tell that his fellow disciples were likely doing this on purpose, but... He had witnessed Yaoguang's talent with his own eyes. While he dared not speak for the Golden Core realm, stepping into the realm of a Great Cultivator at the Star Lord level was definitely no pipedream. Just as Zong Yan fretted over how to break the silence, Zong Lian spoke. "Having ambition is good, but... in life, one should not aim too high without keeping one's feet on the ground." The sect master of the Hundred Refinements Sect looked at Yaoguang. "When I first arrived in the Cangwu Realm, I was just like you, believing I was an extraordinary genius second to no one. But only after truly joining the Artifact Sect did I realize just how many geniuses exist out there. Of all those who can stand here and take root, who among them isn't a genius?" He tapped lightly on the armrest of his chair. "You don't need to rush to a conclusion. Stay here at the Hundred Refinements Sect for now. Then go take a look at the Nine Cauldrons Sect's testing office. Once you've seen it, you can reconsider your future direction—whether to join the Nine Cauldrons Sect, join the Hundred Refinements Sect, or... persist in your decision and establish your own branch." Hearing this, Yaoguang vaguely grasped Zong Lian's intention. Rather than having him establish an independent branch, Zong Lian preferred that he stay in the Hundred Refinements Sect. Yet if establishing his own branch failed, Yaoguang could still choose to join the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Thus, Zong Lian could not say it too bluntly. At the very least, he would only state it plainly once he was certain Yaoguang harbored no desire to join the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Yaoguang said nothing further. For the time being, he settled into the Hundred Refinements Sect. Early the next morning, Zong Yan and Ji Pingtian came to find him. "Holy Lord Yaoguang, do you plan to visit the Nine Cauldrons Sect's branch today, or..." "Just call me Yaoguang," Yaoguang said. "On the way here yesterday, I noticed a pill shop with quite a comprehensive selection. Let's go take a look." "You mean Zhengxian Tower? That's a branch of a massive international conglomerate based in the Immortal Alliance. They do have an extensive array of medicinal pills. There are only four branches in the entire Jiuxiao Domain. However..." Zong Yan paused. "The prices are steep, and they only accept spirit stones." "We can take a look first," Yaoguang replied. With that, Ji Pingtian and Zong Yan accompanied Yaoguang to the multistorey tower. The moment he entered Zhengxian Tower, Yaoguang once again sensed changes in his surroundings. Even the air here seemed to possess a calming, mind-clearing effect. Moreover, the interior space was noticeably larger than it appeared from the outside. *The effect of a formation,* Yaoguang thought to himself. "Hello, how may I help you today?" Soon, an attendant dressed in smart attire with fair, flawless skin came forward to greet them. At first glance, Yaoguang had assumed she was a Sixth Layer Qi Refining cultivator. The Sixth Layer of Qi Refining allowed one to return from the acquired state to the innate state, significantly optimizing one's appearance, skin, and physique, which matched the woman before him. Yet when he sensed her carefully, that was not the case. It made sense, though. She appeared to be in her twenties. A Sixth Layer Qi Refining cultivator so young would easily qualify to compete for a spot as a formal disciple of the Nine Cauldrons Sect; why would she be working here as retail staff? "I'd like to see pills for Body Refining Seventh Layer and above," Yaoguang said. "Of course. Right this way, please." With a smile, the woman led Yaoguang toward the high-grade medicinal pill section. Beside them, Zong Yan seemed to notice Yaoguang's curiosity. Activating a trace of spirit intent, he transmitted, "Cultivators with specific career aspirations often practice specialized techniques. Just as a Third Layer Qi Refining cultivator who refines qi into spirit to develop the divine sense typical of the Fourth Layer can apply for jobs in the energy sector, the service staff at Zhengxian Tower are required to possess an innate body. Many cultivators take medication years in advance and use divine sense to stimulate the medicinal properties dormant in their bodies, forcing their physical form to revert from the acquired to the innate state." He paused. "Afterward, they only need to keep taking the medication to prevent their innate body from degrading." Yaoguang glanced at the woman... With his Sixth Layer strength and Ninth Layer realm in the Divine Path, he quickly discerned the truth. Though the medication maintained her innate body, it had also corroded her physical constitution. Not only was her path of cultivation ruined, but her lifespan would be drastically cut short. "Is the pay at Zhengxian Tower that high?" Yaoguang asked. "An annual salary of a hundred thousand." "A hundred thousand? Compared to ordinary people's annual income of twenty to thirty thousand, that is quite good. But relative to her Fourth Layer Qi Refining cultivation, isn't that rather low?" "She receives the purchasing quota for one spirit stone per year." Zong Yan paused before continuing, "The Nine Cauldrons Sect strictly controls the outflow of spirit stones. Working for these 'foreign' enterprises is one of the rare avenues for low- and mid-tier cultivators to acquire spirit stones." As they conversed, the woman led Yaoguang to the display shelves. "The most economical pill for the Seventh Layer of Body Refining is the Heavenly Being Pill. Formulated specifically for tempering a Heavenly Being body, a single pill can save a Seventh Layer body cultivator a month's worth of standard body-tempering effort..." The woman introduced the pill with a professional smile. Yaoguang glanced at the tag... Good grief—a bottle cost thirty spirit stones! Yet that was just the beginning. Pills that merely enhanced body-tempering efficiency were comparatively cheap; after all, body-tempering progress could always be ground out slowly over time. Pills that enhanced comprehension of the Heavenly Being realm and aided in breaking through bottlenecks were truly expensive—several times more costly than standard body-tempering pills. "Wait... is that... an Indestructible Golden Body Pill?!" Yaoguang's gaze suddenly locked onto a particular pill. "Zhengxian Tower even sells this sort of pill?!" The records left behind by the Chixing Jiang family noted that a Seventh Layer body cultivator had once used a single bottle of Indestructible Golden Body Pills to elevate their physical toughness by an entire tier in just one month. "Of course. Furthermore, compared to older Golden Body Pills, our Indestructible Golden Body Pills offer a twenty-percent boost in efficacy," the woman replied with a smile. "Zhengxian Tower even carries Five Qi Origin Pills capable of conditioning the physical body to perfection, provided you can afford the price." Only then did Yaoguang look at the price tag for the Indestructible Golden Body Pill... Six hundred spirit stones. The Chixing Jiang family hadn't paid tribute to their main house for over forty years, yet they had accumulated fewer than eighty spirit stones in total. And that was despite controlling half a world. Although the Artifact Nurturing Realm was not a spiritual nexus and naturally had very low spirit stone output, this still showed just how precious spirit stones were. Over the years, Yaoguang had consumed quite a few spirit stones driving the Five Emperors Soul Refining Furnace to craft Soul Nurturing Pills. He now had fewer than thirty spirit stones left. With that, he couldn't even afford a single bottle of Heavenly Being Pills. Pondering, Yaoguang searched the pill section for a moment and quickly located the Soul Nurturing Pills. "This..." When he saw the retail price of Soul Nurturing Pills in Zhengxian Tower, he froze slightly. Comparing the two, buying Soul Nurturing Pills directly was actually cheaper than the cost of consuming spirit stones to drive the Five Emperors Soul Refining Furnace to refine them himself! Noticing Yaoguang's look, Zong Yan quickly realized the source of his astonishment and explained, "As I mentioned, every industry has shifted toward large-scale industrialization, and alchemy... is no exception. As one of the six top factions, the Immortal Alliance possesses alchemy techniques far superior to ours, driving production costs down to rock bottom..." At this point, he paused. "Recently, the Nine Cauldrons Sect opened its markets, and large volumes of foreign goods flooded in. We can easily purchase vast amounts of cheap pills, dharma artifacts, talismans, and formation plates from the Immortal Alliance, Wuji Astral Palace, Great Sun Sword Sect, and Astral Sea Sect..." Hearing this, Yaoguang snapped back to reality. This dynamic... It felt remarkably familiar. Were factions like the Immortal Alliance, Wuji Astral Palace, Great Sun Sword Sect, and Astral Sea Sect trying to dismantle the Nine Cauldrons Sect's manufacturing system through these cheap commodities? No wonder the Nine Cauldrons Sect had repeatedly proclaimed the need for trade protectionism. Yaoguang browsed the pill section for a long while. Only when the woman's smile began to grow stiff did he take two spirit stones that Zong Lian had provided for his use from Zong Yan, pool enough to purchase a single bottle of Heavenly Being Pills, and take his leave.