A Gift

"Realm Lord." Hearing Xiang Tianheng's words, Yaoguang looked somewhat surprised. The Nine Cauldrons Sect was exceptionally sensitive regarding territory. This touched upon the sect's overarching strategic direction. After all, other "remnants" of the Artifact Sect inevitably remained in this world. If those people stepped forward claiming to be orthodox successors of the Artifact Sect and seized territories that originally belonged to it, constant turmoil would follow. For that reason, they took an unyielding, aggressive stance on any claims to the Artifact Sect's former territories, refusing to surrender a single inch. The moment someone dared to stake out a mountain and proclaim themselves ruler, the sect would crush them with thunderous force. Even now, when they clearly lacked the strength to swallow the East Sea Archipelago and the Shiwan Dashan—and were even bogged down by those two regions, forced to pour in vast amounts of manpower and resources every year—the Nine Cauldrons Sect had never compromised an inch on their claims of ownership over those territories. This was the very foundation of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's existence. Under such circumstances, the Nine Cauldrons Sect was actually willing to bestow this subsidiary world, which had originally belonged to the Artifact Sect, upon him as his personal territory, appointing him as the lord of a realm. Such treatment... Was exceedingly rare. Compared to territorial sovereignty, the inherent value of a subsidiary world itself was almost secondary. "Congratulations, Realm Lord Yaoguang," Xiang Tianheng said with a smile. Yaoguang pondered for a moment, ultimately deciding to accept the gift. Perhaps the material value of a world was not staggering, but this world held a special significance for him. Furthermore, the Su family... Were, in the end, in that world, branching out and establishing themselves. A world of their own counted as a territory for them, as well as a fallback retreat. Taking the documents, Yaoguang nodded. "Thank you." "You have earned this." The smile on Xiang Tianheng's face widened. "Besides this modest gift, we have also brought First Seat Yaoguang an order." He handed another set of documents to Yaoguang. Yaoguang glanced at it. "One thousand modified Zixiao Type 12 flying swords? A procurement price of 1,800 spirit stones?" At this purchase price, the Zixiao Institute's profit margin would only be around twelve percent. "We understand that this procurement price is somewhat low, but... the procurement department's budget for the year has already been exhausted..." As Xiang Tianheng spoke, he pointed to a set of figures on the paper. "As compensation to First Seat Yaoguang, we are willing to sell the raw materials required for refining the flying swords to the Zixiao Institute at cost price." Yaoguang looked over the figures. Purified minerals, engraved formation patterns, pre-refined components... The prices were indeed significantly lower. With a quick calculation, the final profit margin on the modified Zixiao Type 12 would surge past eighteen percent. It was even higher than the profit from the standard Zixiao Type 12. "We understand the Flying Sword Department's difficulties. A purchase price of 1,800 spirit stones will suffice," Yaoguang agreed readily. "The upper echelons are extremely interested in the tactical concepts you proposed for the modified Zixiao Type 12, so they hope you can forge a batch of these modified flying swords as soon as possible. Sect Master Zhao will oversee their deployment to the East Sea battlefield to validate this tactic," Xiang Tianheng said. "Oh? You plan to put it into practice so quickly?" Yaoguang was slightly surprised. Compared to conventional tactics, the approach he had proposed was markedly different. "In truth, this kind of tactic is already part of the Wuji Astral Palace's strategic planning. Moreover, their setup is even more refined. It encompasses not just sword cultivators and flying swords, but also incorporates spell cultivators and arrays to round out their operational system, executing coordinated, multi-layered strikes. Consequently, the higher-ups held discussions long ago, concluding that adaptable, combined-arms battlefields will be the primary form of sect warfare in the future." Xiang Tianheng's expression turned slightly solemn. "The era of individual cultivators fighting alone or forming small squads has passed. Whoever fails to keep pace with the new future represented by combined operational systems will be eliminated in the forthcoming inter-sect competition..." At this point, he gave a helpless sigh. "And as for the three most critical pillars of combined warfare—spirit cultivators, arrays, and artifact refining—none of ours have managed to rank among the world's finest." At present, the only discipline the Nine Cauldrons Sect could truly take pride in was body cultivation. And, of course, the Golden Core expert who had survived from the era of the Artifact Sect. Were it not for that, the Nine Cauldrons Sect—whose strength fell short of the Great Sun Sword Sect despite holding territory several times larger—would have been forced long ago to withdraw into a single defensive stronghold. Hearing this, Yaoguang nodded. As eras advanced, associated tactics naturally had to evolve with the times. In just a few centuries, the cultivation system of the Cangwu Great World had advanced from the ancient cultivation era to the new cultivation era, and was now poised to transition from the new cultivation era into the era of combined dual cultivation. A great transformation unseen in a millennium. Beside them, Zhao Siliang looked at Yaoguang, mused for a moment, and said, "Speaking of which, we do not have much time left... The representatives of the Ten Great Immortal Sects who govern the Cangwu Alliance... Well, the Ten Great Immortal Sects no longer exist as they once did, but the Cangwu Alliance assembly established back then to counter the Moon Demon Empire still persists today. According to their internal deliberations, more than half of the Golden Core experts... have tacitly agreed to achieve the unification of the Cangwu Great World through conflicts below the Golden Core realm, so that all the might of the Cangwu Great World can be consolidated to confront future crises like the Moon Demon Empire." Yaoguang's heart stirred upon hearing this. As his status and standing rose, he naturally gained access to information about the current state of affairs across the Cangwu Great World. Across the five continents, aside from the Liuguang Continent, where the Wuji Astral Palace reigned supreme, the other four continents were locked in unending conflict. On the Yaoyang Continent, the Myriad Beasts Sect and the Immortal Alliance contended; on the Lengyue Continent, the Taiyin Sect and the Fatian Pavilion fought; on the Heiyan Continent, the Golden Divine Temple clashed with numerous large and medium sects. As for the Tianxing Continent, where the Nine Cauldrons Sect was situated, it went without saying that peace had never existed. In the East Sea Archipelago, the Nine Cauldrons Sect battled the Great Sun Sword Sect, the Astral Sea Sect, the Shouyang Sect, the Great Yue Dynasty, the Xuanming Sect, and the Ancient Immortal Sect. Toward the Shiwan Dashan, the Brahma Divine Kingdom, the Taixuan Dynasty, and the White Jade Sect were likewise locked in continuous dispute. The situation was the same for other sects. The Brahma Divine Kingdom, the Brahma Cult, and the Brahma Gate contested orthodoxy, fighting relentlessly. The Shouyang Sect had split into two over the dispute between sword and spell arts, and the White Jade Sect was plagued by internal war among fractured clans. Those farther away were in no better shape. The only distinction lay in the intensity of the strife. He had originally assumed this was merely a turbulent reshuffling following the war against the Moon Demon Empire. Now it appeared... That was not the full story. "The Six Great Immortal Sects all wish to become the masters of Cangwu and stand at each other's throats. Some large sects are unwilling to fall behind, playing both sides, while small and medium sects resign themselves to being pawns, choosing sides early in hopes of claiming a share of the spoils in the future..." Reaching this point, Zhao Siliang spoke with heavy emphasis, "Small and medium sects can afford to be pawns, but large sects—and especially forces of the Ten Great Immortal Sect caliber like us, who still hold a seat within the Cangwu Alliance—have no room to yield. We must grow strong. Only by being strong ourselves can we deter the wolves circling us, making them think twice before acting, and secure peaceful development. Only then can we avoid the fate of the Liusha Sect, the Yang God Sect, and the Pill Sect—carved up and completely eradicated." Noticing the heavy atmosphere, Xiang Tianheng smiled and remarked, "Our Nine Cauldrons Sect is nothing like those factions such as the Liusha Sect. The sect's foundation is far deeper than it appears on the surface." With that, he glanced at Yaoguang again. "However, if you can truly get this operational system off the ground, our entire Flying Sword Department will owe you our gratitude." Yaoguang nodded. "I will do my best." "Haha, then we shall await your good news." Saying so, Xiang Tianheng glanced at Zhao Siliang and Zhang Jianlin. Catching the cue, Zhang Jianlin promptly said, "Grandmaster Yun Lai, Grandmaster Wei Yan, why don't you take Sect Master Zhao to tour the production workshop again? We are truly curious how the Zixiao Institute achieved such efficiency. With four Artifact Refining Grandmasters and a hundred high-rank artifact refiners, in theory you should only be producing eighty to a hundred flying swords a month..." As he spoke, he and Zhao Siliang led the others out. The rest of the group also seemed to realize that Xiang Tianheng had important matters to discuss with Yaoguang in private, and they tactfully followed along. Once everyone had departed, Xiang Tianheng retrieved a jade box from his person. "This is something the Hall Master personally instructed me to deliver to you. Open it and take a look," he said with a smile. Puzzled, Yaoguang took the jade box and opened it. A circular current of vapor resembling a purple nebula swirled ceaselessly inside a nearly transparent pill. The moment Yaoguang's mind was bathed in this purple radiance, his divine mind stirred restlessly, showing signs that it was about to condense completely into an Origin Spirit. *Not good!* Caught completely off guard, Yaoguang pushed everything else aside and forcefully suppressed the state of his divine mind, dreading that an accidental breakthrough might occur. Fortunately, Xiang Tianheng walked the path of qi refining rather than being an Origin Spirit cultivator. He only felt Yaoguang's divine mind surging with tremendous power and had no idea what was actually transpiring within him. He even assumed that the pill's effects had granted Yaoguang some sudden epiphany in spirit refinement. He laughed immediately. "This is a Spirit Transformation Pill. Your foundation is even deeper than I anticipated! With this Spirit Transformation Pill, I estimate it will not be long before you condense an Origin Spirit and step into the realm of a Great Cultivator!" Yaoguang remained silent, concentrating his mind to keep his realm under control and avert a breakthrough. "Whew!" Only after a good while did he finally suppress that mental state. Looking at the pill he had resealed inside the box, he felt somewhat helpless. "Why would the sect... give such... such a precious pill to me?" "Artifact Refining Grandmaster Dong Liu studied your design schematics in detail. The design concepts you applied to this flying sword are already extraordinarily advanced. He surmises that the sole reason you have not refined it into a dharma treasure lies in your cultivation. Once your spirit refinement realm breaks through, your artifact refining skills will inevitably take another leap forward, enabling you to forge treasure artifacts and become a true Artifact Refining Grandmaster," Xiang Tianheng explained. The Nine Cauldrons Sect was indeed full of capable individuals. Yet... Right now, he did not want this. Still, refusing a Spirit Transformation Pill was clearly contrary to common sense. Although relations between him and the Nine Cauldrons Sect were harmonious at present, that did not mean he was willing to disclose his greatest secret. Even if doing so would maximize his benefits. Ultimately, it was his sense of insecurity at work. And what he had pursued all along the way was security. *I need to delay a bit longer...* Yaoguang thought. At the very least, he needed to elevate his Martial Path to the Star God realm and his Divine Path to the Dharma Idol realm first. "Please convey my gratitude to Hall Master Xu. Tell him I thank him," Yaoguang said. "Haha, rest assured, I will pass along the message." Xiang Tianheng then produced another pouch. "This is a personal reward from our Artifact Refining Hall. The quantity is not great, but it represents our sentiment. I hope you will not look down on it." Seeing the pouch he had brought out, Yaoguang's heart stirred. "This is..." "A storage bag." Xiang Tianheng nodded. A genuine smile instantly surfaced on Yaoguang's face. In the Cangwu Great World, storage bags were by no means commonplace items. Every single storage bag was an artifact on par with a dharma treasure, and those with substantial space were even regarded as strategic materiel. Compared to the Spirit Transformation Pill, Yaoguang was far more pleased with this storage bag.