Zixiao

"Of course. The superiors required a speed of no less than Mach 2.6, a lethality rating of at least 4.5, and an energy consumption capped at 190. Naturally, I wouldn't joke about those numbers." Yaoguang smiled faintly as he spoke. "The reason it can hit these specifications is that I applied a proprietary technique during the forging process. I call it the Spirit Nurturing Art." He gave a brief, simplified explanation based on the principles of a slightly modified Myriad Spirit Sovereign secret method. "The Spirit Nurturing Art allows sword cultivators wielding this sword to quickly manifest the characteristics of a life-bound flying sword. This boosts its maximum burst speed from Mach 2.2 to 2.8—an increase of nearly thirty percent—and raises its lethality from 4.1 to 5, an increase of more than twenty percent. It also brings various positive enhancements in other aspects," Yaoguang added. If a sword cultivator's life-bound flying sword was destroyed, not only would it take considerable time to nurture a replacement, but their vital qi would suffer severe damage, potentially even harming their foundation. It was no exaggeration to say that if a Great Cultivator using a high-grade spirit artifact had their life-bound sword destroyed, they could forget about recovering for three to five years. If they wielded a Treasure Weapon... Nurturing and recuperating would take at least a decade. Naturally, the advantages were equally glaring: it could amplify a sword cultivator's combat prowess by thirty to fifty percent. "Such a secret method..." Zhao He was both shocked and delighted. "High-tier sword cultivators are inherently in an awkward phase. Restricted by their cultivation, they can only wield spirit artifacts at best. Given their total true qi reserve, swinging a Treasure Weapon twice would completely drain them, and high-grade spirit artifacts can't be sustained for long either. Low- and mid-grade spirit artifacts are their optimal choices. But if they refine a low- or mid-grade spirit artifact into their life-bound sword, what happens when they become Great Cultivators later on? Do they swap it or not? If they swap, they waste three to five years for nothing. If they don't, they're at a massive disadvantage against an opponent's life-bound sword. Your secret method resolves this problem brilliantly!" Yaoguang nodded slightly. "It's just that the combat boost is a bit inferior compared to a genuine life-bound flying sword." A true life-bound sword offered a boost of thirty to fifty percent, whereas Myriad Spirit Sovereign only provided twenty to thirty percent. "You're underestimating the value of this technique," Zhao He countered. "Once a life-bound flying sword is destroyed, it doesn't just harm one's vitality—in severe cases, it can permanently damage one's foundation. So sword cultivators naturally have to keep that in mind during battle. But with your sword, since it isn't an actual life-bound weapon, what do they have to worry about? Fighting all-out without fear of death can easily add ten to twenty percent to their effective battle strength, making it not one bit inferior to a true life-bound sword." As the Hall Master of the War Hall, Zhao He held substantial authority when it came to evaluating flying swords. "It seems fulfilling the higher-ups' requirements won't be an issue," Yaoguang remarked. "Considering its comprehensive performance, this flying sword easily qualifies as a third-generation flying sword. There's absolutely no problem," Zhao He answered without hesitation. Then, as if struck by a thought, he asked, "Can this technique of yours be applied to other flying swords?" "Not for the time being." Yaoguang shook his head. "This was a technique I developed specifically for this flying sword." "Is that so?" Zhao He frowned slightly. Beside him, Yun Lai glanced at Yaoguang and quickly chimed in, "Yaoguang is young and quick-witted. Compared to ours, his refining craft is brimming with unconstrained imagination. Sometimes a sudden stroke of inspiration will lead him to propose unconventional ideas that yield unexpectedly brilliant breakthroughs." Hearing this, Zhao He nodded. In truth, he had reviewed Yaoguang's dossier more than once. He was also quite familiar with Yaoguang's contributions during the breakthrough on the Xianying 60. This young man truly was a grandmaster of artifact refining filled with inventive ideas. Therefore, developing such a specialized technique exclusively for this sword model was by no means out of the question. Zhao He offered praise. "Since you possess such talent, you might as well continue researching along this path. If the high-grade spirit artifacts or even Treasure Weapons you forge in the future can incorporate this technology, the flying swords produced by our Nine Cauldrons Sect will surely be revered by sword cultivators across the realm." Yaoguang nodded at the words. At the same time, his mind eased. A technique like Myriad Spirit Sovereign carried immense weight, and revealing it naturally came with a degree of risk. Fortunately, by tying the technique strictly to this specific flying sword, it wouldn't tempt anyone to take reckless gambles. At the very least, no one would act rashly before unraveling the sword's underlying technology. And by the time they managed to decipher the craft within this sword, years or even decades would have passed. By then, he would possess more than enough power to protect himself. Of course, all of that was merely planning for the worst-case scenario. From the information he had gathered so far, the newly established Nine Cauldrons Sect was far from decaying into corruption, making such underhanded schemes highly unlikely. That was why he had felt comfortable introducing these techniques in the first place. "Alright, let's test the sword first," Zhao He said. Soon, someone walked over—a young man appearing to be in his early thirties. "Having Yun Qing test the sword will probably best showcase its capabilities," Zhang Jianlin remarked with a smile from the side. A look of gratification surfaced in Yun Lai's eyes. Yun Qing was his son, a sword cultivator at the peak of the ninth layer of qi refining. In every regard, he was irreproachable. "Let's go to our War Hall's testing grounds," Zhao He said. True gold fears no fire, so Yaoguang naturally followed. Since Yaoguang could not fly on a sword, Zhao He took him along as the group took to the air, heading straight toward the War Hall. Along the way, Yun Qing began familiarizing himself with the flying sword's properties. Seeing his movements shift swiftly from unfamiliar to practiced, he clearly possessed extraordinary talent along the path of the sword. The War Hall was the mightiest organ of force in the Jiuxiao Domain. Because of its proximity to the East Sea Archipelago, it was garrisoned not only by hundreds of Great Cultivators, but also by over ten thousand high-tier cultivators. However, Zhao He had no intention of giving Yaoguang a grand tour. There were many classified matters within the War Hall that Yaoguang had no clearance to see, and having him view them would only bring the hassle of signing numerous non-disclosure agreements. *** Yun Qing spent the entire afternoon testing the sword. Although thoroughly testing a weapon was not the work of a day or two, after this single afternoon of inspection, Zhao He realized that Yaoguang had not exaggerated the flying sword's performance in the slightest. "Hahaha! In my view, with such outstanding performance, this sword is essentially a done deal!" Zhao He laughed heartily. "The research timeline was set for a year, yet barely half a month has passed and you've already delivered such an immense surprise. Once the verification clears, the order will be finalized shortly, and the rewards due to you certainly won't be lacking." "Then I'll await Hall Master Zhao's good news," Yaoguang said. "I have a premonition that this sword is destined to make a name for itself across the East Sea. So, for such a prestigious flying sword, have you thought of a name?" Zhao He asked. "I'm counting on this sword to help the Zixiao Institute turn its fortunes around. So, following its model designation, let's call it the Zixiao Type 12 flying sword," Yaoguang replied. "In fact, for a flying sword destined for fame, you could name it after yourself. From now on, it would serve as your calling card," Yun Lai suggested from the side. Having a flying sword bearing one's own name soar through every corner of the world was the dream of every grandmaster of artifact refining. "I did consider that, but decided against it in the end. This sword... hasn't reached the limit of my artifact refining craft yet," Yaoguang said. Zhao He's eyes lit up slightly at his response. "Then we will eagerly anticipate First Seat Yaoguang developing an even newer, fourth-generation flying sword!" Yaoguang gave a slight nod. "I will do my utmost." *** That night, Yaoguang set out and returned to the Zixiao Institute. Returning alongside him was Grandmaster Yun Lai. Yun Lai looked around and said with a smile, "Barring any accidents, the order for these three thousand flying swords will fall into your Zixiao Institute's hands. But... you have so much ground here and so few artifact refiners. You need to speed up recruitment." Hearing this, Yaoguang quickly caught on. With development on the Xianying 60 finished, work on the subsequent Xianying 70 likely wouldn't be initiated so soon. Yun Lai would be free for a while. Yaoguang smiled and said, "Although the Zixiao Institute is on the verge of rapid expansion, we lack a cornerstone figure to oversee the core operations. Would it be possible to invite Grandmaster Yun Lai and your team to join us and coordinate the institute's affairs?" "My team hardly qualifies as a cornerstone..." Yun Lai demurred with modest words. Yet after some polite pleasantries, he agreed to bring his team over to the Zixiao Institute. To secure them, Yaoguang offered a three-year contract with a base salary of five hundred spirit stones plus a one-percent profit share. Grandmasters of artifact refining were treasures to every refining institute; retaining them required paying a substantial price. *** Over the following days, Yaoguang had Yun Lai help expand the Zixiao Institute's production capacity while he took the purchased Indestructible Golden Body Pills to advance his cultivation. A pill priced at six hundred spirit stones per bottle was naturally beyond anything a Heavenly Being Pill could match. In just ten days, Yaoguang's Heavenly Being body reached great accomplishment. Moreover, as long as he continued consuming Indestructible Golden Body Pills, he would achieve culmination within one or two months at most. Relying on his realm that had already met the requirements, he would step directly into the Star Lord realm when the time came. On the third day after Yaoguang reached the eighth layer of body refining, Zhao He arrived with good news. The main sect's War Hall had approved the Zixiao Type 12 proposal, setting a procurement price of four hundred spirit stones per sword. Compared to the Longyuan—the current mainstream flying sword among high-tier sword cultivators—the Zixiao outperformed it across every parameter. It was hardly surprising that it fetched this price. Yaoguang even felt the price was slightly lower than he had anticipated. However, considering that the Nine Cauldrons Sect's ultimate purpose in procuring these flying swords was to stabilize the East Sea Archipelago, and the Jiuxiao Domain was closest to that region, he accepted the quote. With the Resources Department coordinating alongside the War Hall, the first phase order for six hundred flying swords and the corresponding funds were issued shortly after. A full two hundred and forty thousand spirit stones! Unfortunately... The transaction was not yet complete, and the two hundred and forty thousand spirit stones did not belong to him just yet. Otherwise, such an astonishing influx of spirit stones would have caused his [Merchant] experience to skyrocket. Spurred on by the prospect of those two hundred and forty thousand spirit stones, Yaoguang promptly dove into the production of the Zixiao Type 12 flying swords. With all the artifact refiners at the Zixiao Institute working at full tilt, the six hundred flying swords were fully forged in a mere two months.