Trust

"Shelve the dispute." Yaoguang understood what those words meant. It simply meant setting it aside for now. The East Sea Archipelago... Hundreds of islands had already been forced to have their disputes shelved. If this trend continued, the Nine Cauldrons Sect's hopes of reclaiming the East Sea Archipelago were bound to remain far out of reach. Even so, he could distinguish which carried more weight: an island situated on a spiritual pulse node equipped with a Rank 4 Spirit Gathering Formation, or an island that merely expanded maritime territory by a radius of a thousand li. The Nine Cauldrons Sect... They sought to inherit the original territory of the Artifact Sect. Yet the Artifact Sect had once been one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, unimaginably formidable. Insisting on nominally occupying the Artifact Sect's domain without possessing the power to back it up naturally left the Nine Cauldrons Sect besieged on all sides, struggling with every step. Barring any unforeseen developments, the East Sea Archipelago would be lost, the Hundred Thousand Mountains would be lost, and even portions of coastal and southern territories would slip from their grasp. Only when their territory shrank to a size their current strength could fully defend would they truly attain stability. Fortunately, the Nine Cauldrons Sect possessed a Golden Core cultivator. None of the neighboring sects, nor anyone within the Nine Cauldrons Sect itself, dared to stir up trouble and undermine their stability. Had it been another sect... Outside factions would long ago have backed another faction—or several—within its ranks, plunging it into turmoil, civil strife, and schism. "The Nine Cauldrons Sect mobilized so much force for this confrontation around Posuo Island, and every sect in the East Sea Archipelago is watching," Yaoguang said. "If we cannot even suppress the Xuanming Sect, other sects will surely mock us, and worse, it will only embolden them to push for more." "In the East Sea, the only rival that has ever posed a lethal threat to us is the Great Sun Sword Sect," Zhang Jianlin said, pausing briefly. "No matter how much other factions act up, all they can ever gain are minor advantages; they can hardly stir up true waves. Therefore, the threat of the Great Sun Sword Sect... takes precedence over all else. As for the rest, what must be let go must be let go." "That may be true, but if the Nine Cauldrons Sect never shows a firm stance, a pack of wolves will eventually swarm to devour the tiger. Even if we repel the Great Sun Sword Sect, we may not survive the aftermath," Yaoguang countered. Zhang Jianlin shook his head, about to end the discussion, but a moment later, realization struck him, and his expression shifted. "What are you trying to say?" "Isn't there still a month before the Great Sun Sword Sect begins its exercise?" Yaoguang smiled. "Perhaps we can resolve the dispute over Posuo Island and settle matters with the Xuanming Sect before that exercise starts." "Resolve the Xuanming Sect before the Great Sun Sword Sect begins its exercise?" Zhang Jianlin was taken aback, then asked, "Do you mean mobilizing all the sect's great sword cultivators in full force?" He immediately shook his head. "That's unrealistic. There are too many fronts the Nine Cauldrons Sect must defend. The number of sword cultivators and spell cultivators we can actually mobilize is very limited. If we get bogged down by the Xuanming Sect and trapped in a quagmire, every neighboring sect will grow restless. Even the Wuji Astral Palace, who might not have initially marked us as their first prey, would swoop in for a share of the spoils." "Not by doing that." Yaoguang retrieved several jade talismans from his workbench, placed them into a box, and handed it to Zhang Jianlin. "Take these to Hall Master Zhao, and have him present them to the main sect if possible. Perhaps this will help them make up their minds." "This is..." Zhang Jianlin took the box, looking at him in confusion. "An upgraded version of the Zixiao Type 12 flying sword," Yaoguang said. "An upgraded version!?" Zhang Jianlin's pupils constricted. "So quickly!? You... finished it!? Didn't Grandmaster Wei Yan and Grandmaster Lu Yuan say progress was still a ways off?" "This is an alternate version I completed on my own. Because it has a prominent flaw, I didn't bring it out earlier. But if the sect has the resolve to back it with enough Origin Spirit Great Cultivators, that flaw can turn into a strength," Yaoguang explained with a smile. "I'll take it over immediately," Zhang Jianlin said solemnly. "If the higher-ups approve even this obviously flawed design... I'll need to request substantial funding," Yaoguang said in earnest. "Perhaps, through the continuous process of refining these flying swords, I can optimize them further and allow them to evolve into dharma treasure-grade flying swords." "Dharma treasures!?" Zhang Jianlin drew a sharp breath. "You... can make a push for Artifact Refining Grandmaster?" "I've merely delved deeply into this particular series—a bit of an unorthodox path. It pales in comparison to a true Artifact Refining Grandmaster." Yaoguang waved his hand dismissively. The title of Artifact Refining Grandmaster... It carried far too much weight. In alchemy, artifact refining, or formation arts, anyone reaching the grandmaster level was considered a pillar of their sect. They were even assigned at least one Great Cultivator as a personal bodyguard. The reason Great Cultivators had to guard them in person... Was that such talents were prime targets for rival factions seeking to win them over or turn them. If they could not be swayed or turned, they faced ruthless assassination by enemies. Top-tier grandmasters—figures of peerless national stature—were often guarded round the clock by an entire squad of Great Cultivators. Thus, Yaoguang had no desire to take on the mantle of Artifact Refining Grandmaster too early. The danger would multiply exponentially. "Unorthodox or not, as long as you can craft dharma treasure-grade flying swords, you are an Artifact Refining Grandmaster!" Zhang Jianlin declared resolutely. "Whether I can actually refine one remains to be seen," Yaoguang said, waving a hand. "Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, the sect will spare no effort in supporting you!" Zhang Jianlin said emphatically. "The sect... lacks such top-tier talents far too desperately!" Yaoguang understood this well. To this day, the Nine Cauldrons Sect lacked the capability to craft second-generation dharma treasure flying swords. The few second-generation dharma treasures they possessed had all been purchased from the Myriad Beasts Sect at exorbitant prices—frequently costing one to several hundred thousand spirit stones. Yet even though the Nine Cauldrons Sect knew the prices were absurd, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and pay. Apart from the Myriad Beasts Sect, no other sect would sell strategic materials like second-generation dharma treasure flying swords to the Nine Cauldrons Sect. At that moment, Zhang Jianlin seemed to realize something and quickly added, "Right! You're indeed taking an unorthodox approach... still quite far from a true Artifact Refining Grandmaster..." Catching himself, he felt his phrasing was off and hastily corrected, "No, no, I don't mean you can't become an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, it's just..." "I understand," Yaoguang replied. Zhang Jianlin looked at Yaoguang, and seeing the sincerity in his expression, his eyes stung with emotion. After a long moment, his voice choked slightly as he said, "Our Nine Cauldrons Sect... has been established for barely eighty years. Everything is waiting to be rebuilt, yet we are surrounded by a pack of wolves, every single one waiting to tear a piece of flesh from us—just as they carved up the Liusha Sect. You must know what kind of lives the people of the Liusha Sect have endured these past sixteen years. Far from cultivating, they can't even secure basic food and warmth..." He reined in his emotions. "We know we must fight the Xuanming Sect, fight the Ancient Immortal Sect, fight the Astral Sea Sect, and fight the Great Sun Sword Sect. If we don't fight, our future will only grow bleaker. But... we lack far too much. Everything belonging to the Artifact Sect was shattered and crippled during the invasion by the Moon Demon Empire. Had Sect Master Li not preserved that spark of vitality for the Nine Cauldrons Sect at the critical hour, our plight would hardly be better than that of the Liusha Sect..." Yaoguang said nothing. Nor did he know what to say. Fortunately, Zhang Jianlin's lapse had merely been triggered by the prospect of Yaoguang potentially becoming an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, and he quickly regained his composure. He made a solemn pledge to Yaoguang: "If you truly have touched the threshold of refining dharma treasures, the Nine Cauldrons Sect will spare no effort to help you take that step! You will receive everything you desire!" Yaoguang nodded. "I will await your good news." ... Zhang Jianlin departed with the documentation for the upgraded Zixiao Type 12 flying sword. Alone in the room, two words slowly slipped past Yaoguang's lips. "Dharma treasures." Only they represented the true apex of equipment in this world. For sword cultivators who relied heavily on their life-bound flying swords, the quality of their weapon had an enormous impact on their strength. The reason the Nine Cauldrons Sect claimed to be second only to the Six Great Immortal Sects was that their number of Great Cultivators was not significantly lower than that of fellow large sects like the Great Sun Sword Sect, Shouyang Sect, Taiyi Cult, Tianyi Cult, and Sacred Fire Gate. However... The Artifact Sect had been too thoroughly devastated by the Moon Demon Empire, leaving everything truly waiting to be rebuilt from scratch. Pills, dharma artifacts, flying swords, and formations all lagged behind the world's standards. While sects like the Great Sun Sword Sect had already developed low-grade and mid-grade dharma treasure flying swords to the third generation, and top-grade dharma treasure flying swords to the second generation, the Nine Cauldrons Sect lacked the capability to produce top-grade dharma treasures altogether. Furthermore, lacking sufficient top-tier pills, the Nine Cauldrons Sect's Great Cultivators were somewhat "malnourished," their quality slightly inferior to those of other large sects. While other large sects boasted a 20 to 30 percent rate of Dao Foundation establishment, the Nine Cauldrons Sect managed only around 10 percent. Under such conditions, Great Cultivators from other sects could often fight two or even three Nine Cauldrons Sect Great Cultivators at once. Most critically, sword cultivation was an extreme path; a hairline advantage could skew the casualty ratio to a staggering degree. Twenty years ago, when the Nine Cauldrons Sect and the Great Sun Sword Sect had each deployed forty sword cultivators for an exercise in the East Sea, the final outcome was... Forty to seven! At the cost of "sacrificing" just seven great sword cultivators, the Great Sun Sword Sect had annihilated the Nine Cauldrons Sect's entire detachment. "Over the past century or two, under the impact of the Moon Demon Empire's system, cultivation methods have changed, and the artifact refining industry naturally kept pace with the times. Dharma treasures that were already powerful have been continually optimized to become even stronger." Yaoguang was quite familiar with this history. Dharma treasures from two to three hundred years ago were known as first-generation dharma treasures. Only those fully compatible with modern cultivation systems were called second-generation dharma treasures, while those capable of boosting the combat effectiveness of modern systems were third-generation dharma treasures. The Zixiao Type 12 flying swords Yaoguang crafted were properly classified as third-generation spirit artifacts, and the upgraded version was a top-grade third-generation spirit artifact. However, the markets for dharma artifacts and spirit artifacts could never truly take center stage in the wider world. Thus, when people spoke of second-generation flying swords, they generally implied second-generation ordinary dharma treasure flying swords. "Only a monopoly yields sky-high profits. The Myriad Beasts Sect dares to sell a single second-generation dharma treasure flying sword for one or several hundred thousand spirit stones, yet its production cost can hardly exceed ten thousand. Even if the market isn't vast, the profit margin is so immense that the resulting experience for the Merchant class will far surpass fulfilling spirit artifact orders worth hundreds of thousands of spirit stones." Yaoguang turned his gaze toward his Artifact Refining branch. Zhang Jianlin's visit today had been to take delivery of the fourth batch of six hundred flying swords. With this delivery completed, Yaoguang had gathered all the experience required to elevate his Artifact Refining craft to a new pinnacle. "I intentionally leaked a bit of information just to see how the Nine Cauldrons Sect treats someone showing the potential of an Artifact Refining Grandmaster. If they truly are as tolerant and open-minded as they claim, and prove worthy of continued cooperation..." Then he would step into the dharma treasure market and re-equip the entire Nine Cauldrons Sect.