Twenty-one years old.
Practicing both body refining and spirit refining.
Moreover, possessing artifact refining craftsmanship that verged on the level of a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining.
Such a talent would rank among the very best even within the Nine Cauldrons Sect.
Seeing Yaoguang agree, Zhang Jianlin and Qin Yi both breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Their coming in person to recruit him had not been in vain.
Beside them, Lin Sen could not help feeling a pang of envy.
Although he was a veteran high-tier artifact refiner, his years were advancing. In the future, to say nothing of stepping into the realm of Great Cultivators in cultivation, even attaining the title of grandmaster in artifact refining—his greatest area of expertise—was very much in question.
Compared to him, Yaoguang truly possessed boundless prospects.
"Before arriving, we already prepared three general plans for you," Zhang Jianlin said, laying out the three plans one by one. "The first plan is to send you to the main sect for advanced studies. While your body refining has attained the seventh tier, over at the main sect... there are quite a few similar geniuses. If you wish to go there, I suggest focusing primarily on the spirit refining path. The sect provides the strongest support to spirit refining disciples. At the same cultivation level, the resources available to spirit refining disciples are tenfold those for body refining. I am also willing to fight to secure you the equivalent treatment of a true disciple, with an annual stipend of one hundred and twenty spirit stones..."
Yaoguang glanced at them.
In truth, these three proposals were tailored to his profile, each emphasizing body refining, spirit refining, or artifact refining.
Among the three, the one with spirit refining as primary, artifact refining as secondary, and body refining as supplemental offered the greatest financial and resource support.
In contrast, the plan centered on body refining provided the least.
The difference was more than tenfold.
From this alone, one could see which talent the Nine Cauldrons Sect needed most urgently.
However...
An annual stipend of one hundred and twenty spirit stones, plus other perks and various allowances upon achieving breakthroughs...
It was indeed very high.
Yet to Yaoguang, it was still somewhat lacking.
Moreover, spirit refining was underwhelming in combat. His ultimate goal in cultivating was to ensure his own personal safety, making spirit refining ill-suited as his primary focus.
He had no grand, selfless ambition to devote himself to others, let alone sacrifice himself.
Thus...
"I choose this one."
Yaoguang picked up one of the proposals.
"Primary focus on artifact refining, secondary on spirit refining, supplemental on body refining..."
Zhang Jianlin paused slightly, then promptly followed up, "Yaoguang, perhaps you should reconsider the plan focused on spirit refining... Compared to artifact refining and body refining, spirit refining makes it easier to produce results and obtain more resources... Furthermore..."
He swiftly opened a file. "Look at this. This is a combat doctrine centered on spirit refining and supplemented by artifact refining and body refining. You will primarily cultivate the Suppressing Spirit Visualization Method. The divine mind derived from this visualization method can suppress the spiritual nature of dharma artifacts and spirit artifacts to a tremendous degree. In artifact refining, you will specialize in Spiritual Force Deconstruction, understanding the connections and operating principles between spiritual force and dharma artifacts to find openings to disrupt them. In body refining, you will focus on the Xuanwu God-Fiend Body. Once you forge the Xuanwu God-Fiend physique, the astral force field you channel will be powerful enough to withstand attacks from flying swords below the Treasure Weapon grade."
The Star Lord realm was divided into three stages: early Star Lord, channeling the astral force field for enhancement; mid Star Lord, evolving the astral force field from one's own Life Force Field; and late Star Lord, increasing one's own mass to incarnate into an astral god-fiend.
Yet different god-fiend physiques also symbolized different paths.
The Xuanwu God-Fiend was slow and weak in offense, but possessed extraordinary defense.
Among the other god-fiend physiques, some possessed aerial combat capabilities, some boasted extreme speed, and others excelled at destructive attacks.
"Once the Xuanwu God-Fiend physique channels the astral force field, it can already endure all non-Treasure-Weapon attacks," Zhang Jianlin explained. "Add in the influence of Spiritual Force Deconstruction on flying swords and dharma artifacts, as well as the suppression of the Suppressing Spirit Visualization Method, and in the end, even Treasure-Weapon-grade flying swords won't be able to breach your defense. Moreover, given the unique nature of Spiritual Force Deconstruction and the Suppressing Spirit Visualization Method, you can forcefully suppress the power of an enemy's non-Treasure-Weapon flying sword by an entire tier."
As he spoke, Zhang Jianlin spread out a map. "A spirit cultivator who has just formed an Origin Spirit can project a divine mind across a radius of hundreds of li. If the Origin Spirit achieves great attainment, that range can even span thousands of li. In other words, within thousands of li centered on you, the potency of all spirit artifacts will be suppressed by an entire stage. Meanwhile, you yourself will possess formidable defense, fully capable of standing firm on the front line. That means wherever you stand, an exclusion zone for flying swords spanning thousands of li will form, outright neutralizing the threat of opposing sword cultivators."
"I understand,"
Yaoguang nodded slightly.
However...
He had no intention of cultivating the Xuanwu God-Fiend Body.
"The Suppressing Spirit Visualization Method can be cultivated, and Spiritual Force Deconstruction can be learned. But... rather than standing on the front line like an immobile suppression bunker, I prefer cultivating a god-fiend physique with overwhelming offensive power, such as the Vermilion Bird Heaven-Burning God-Fiend Body."
Yaoguang smiled faintly. "By running the astral magnetic field and one's own force field through rapid cyclical inversions, one can manifest the intensely destructive Vermilion Bird True Flame Domain. Coupled with the Suppressing Spirit Visualization Method and Spiritual Force Deconstruction, any flying sword charging into the Vermilion Bird True Flame Domain would first have its spiritual nature weakened, its spiritual force disrupted, and its structure destabilized, before being warped, shattered, and incinerated by the domain. Wouldn't that yield an even better result?"
Zhang Jianlin froze for a moment upon hearing this before saying, "The power of the Vermilion Bird True Flame Domain isn't that immense..."
"Which is why I need a god-fiend physique stronger than the Vermilion Bird God-Fiend Body," Yaoguang said. "And I must master spirit cultivation arts and secret techniques targeting dharma artifacts and flying swords that surpass both the Suppressing Spirit Visualization Method and Spiritual Force Deconstruction."
"Times have changed. The era of a single individual holding an entire battlefield is gone; today, everything revolves around coordination,"
Qin Yi said in a deep voice from the side. "If you can ensure your safety with the Xuanwu God-Fiend Body while standing on the front lines, using the spirit-suppressing power from the visualization method and Spiritual Force Deconstruction to destabilize the opposing dharma artifacts and flying swords, you will inevitably create tactical openings for other sword cultivators. When our sword cultivators strike then, won't they destroy the enemy's life-bound flying swords and inflict severe wounds far more efficiently? Coordinating the two will intercept flying swords far more effectively than cultivating the Vermilion Bird God-Fiend Body on your own."
Having said that, he solemnly added, "As the saying goes, you have to stay standing to deal damage."
"I will consider it," Yaoguang said.
He believed that once he raised his Martial Path realm higher, an astral god-fiend physique that combined offense and defense would eventually emerge.
"Furthermore, whether the stipend and allowances listed here match those of a true disciple is unimportant. What matters is that I hope to have an artifact refining workshop of my own," Yaoguang added.
"You intend to focus primarily on artifact refining from here on?" Zhang Jianlin asked.
"Yes. I sense that a breakthrough in my artifact refining is imminent. Once I make that breakthrough, I expect I will receive better compensation. At that point, it won't be too late to shift my focus back to body refining and spirit refining," Yaoguang replied.
"That is indeed a prudent choice. However, artifact refining no longer operates under a workshop model. Instead, distinct refining institutes are established according to different specializations... What is Your Excellency Yaoguang's area of expertise?" Qin Yi inquired.
"My expertise..."
The insights Yaoguang received from Artifact Refining were fundamentally comprehensive.
However, regarding the Nine Cauldrons Sect...
Body cultivators were the most numerous.
Theoretically, that was the largest market.
Yet that market faced intense competition, and on the other hand... body cultivators were rarely wealthy.
Besides, battle armor was not an absolute necessity for them.
Sword cultivators, in contrast, each nurtured a life-bound flying sword. It was an artifact bound to their very essence; one could even say the sword was the cultivator's life. Once a life-bound flying sword was destroyed, the sword cultivator suffered grievous trauma to their vitality that took three to five years to recover.
Under such circumstances, a fine flying sword was worth going bankrupt for a sword cultivator to purchase.
Thus, refining swords offered the highest return on investment.
"Flying swords,"
Yaoguang answered, then added, "Not the civilian flying sword market, but the life-bound flying sword market."
"Life-bound flying swords?!"
Qin Yi and Zhang Jianlin exchanged glances.
That was the highest-end market.
It represented the very pinnacle of the flying sword industry, virtually monopolized by the Six Great Immortal Sects.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Yi said, "Generally speaking, during the disciple stage, one primarily cultivates and studies and cannot hold an official post. However, since you intend to specialize in artifact refining, and your craft borders on that of a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining... if you are willing to go to the main sect, I can pull some strings to secure you a nominal post in one of the flying sword refining institutes. But if you are willing to stay in the Jiuxiao Domain..."
He chuckled softly. "The previous First Seat of the 'Zixiao' Sword-Forging Institute, a local Jiuxiao Domain brand, was dismissed after repeatedly failing to fulfill quotas assigned from above. The First Seat position is currently vacant. I can petition the Sect Master to have you take up the post of First Seat at the Zixiao Institute."
"I will stay in the Jiuxiao Domain," Yaoguang answered without hesitation.
From the side, Zhang Jianlin offered a gentle reminder. "The nurturing efficiency of the main sect is still considerably higher than that of a branch sect. We usually recommend that our most outstanding disciples head to the main sect..."
"It makes no difference. In a minor world, I was able to cultivate to the seventh tier of body refining, the sixth tier of spirit refining, and advance my artifact refining to the threshold of a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining. That proves my capacity for self-study is decent enough. Whether I go to the main sect or not is the same. Furthermore... the branch sect's Virtual Spirit Realm database is linked to the main sect's. If there is anything I don't understand, I can simply enter the main sect through the Virtual Spirit Realm to inquire."
Yaoguang continued, turning his gaze back to Qin Yi. "Besides, there's no need to make it so complicated. When I join the sect, there's no need to register me under the disciple registry. I can join directly as a candidate appointed to the post of First Seat of the Zixiao Institute."
"But if you do that, you will forfeit the various benefits, allowances, and perks that come with being a disciple..." Zhang Jianlin pointed out.
"If I can turn the Zixiao Institute into a thriving success, the eventual dividends belonging to the institute's First Seat will far exceed the perks and allowances of a true disciple," Yaoguang said with a smile.
"In the life-bound flying sword market... the Nine Cauldrons Sect holds no real competitive edge..." Zhang Jianlin noted tactfully.
"Then we will establish our own brand advantage,"
Yaoguang said calmly. "In theory, a life-bound flying sword can be nurtured starting from the seventh tier of qi refining. However, a stronger life-bound flying sword isn't necessarily better. The stronger the flying sword, the slower the nurturing efficiency and the greater the consumption to wield it. A qi refining seventh-tier sword cultivator might need only one or two years to nurture a low-grade spirit-artifact-tier life-bound flying sword. But for a high-grade spirit artifact... they might not succeed even after eight or ten years. The key lies in our market positioning."
Seeing how confident Yaoguang was, Zhang Jianlin refrained from pressing further.
He merely turned to Qin Yi. "If the Zixiao Institute fails its assessment four years from now... won't it be downgraded from a branch-level refining institute to a municipal-level refining institute?"
"Yaoguang is not a true Grandmaster of Artifact Refining yet, after all. It is precisely because the Zixiao Institute faces a downgrade that appointing him as First Seat will be easy for the Sect Master to process,"
Qin Yi said, his eyes gleaming with interest as he looked at Yaoguang. "It all depends on whether you have the confidence to take your artifact refining craft a step further within four years."
"Four years is enough," Yaoguang answered definitively.
"Excellent! I'll take you to meet the Sect Master right away."
Qin Yi's face lit up with delight.
Keeping someone like Yaoguang—who was destined to become a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining in the future—within the Jiuxiao Domain was naturally a great boon for their Jiuxiao Branch Sect.
Chapter 137