Arrival

With the passage of time, the Zixiao Institute began producing flying swords at full capacity. Yaoguang once again returned to a life of raking in gold hand over fist. Moreover, as personnel expanded once again, Yaoguang reduced his own workload to a bare minimum. Aside from guiding the production line to ensure smooth operations, he only intervened when inscribing the proprietary formation patterns. Everything else, including matters large and small, trivial or significant, he entrusted to Master Yun Lai's management. Through their time together, this master-level figure, who had been the first to join the Zixiao Institute, had earned his trust. It was while the Zixiao Institute was bustling in full swing that Kong Xuan returned from the Yaoguang Realm. ... Inside the courtyard where the First Seat resided. Yaoguang looked at the hundred or so people before him and instructed Xiang Guangming to see to their lodging, while keeping the core dozen or so individuals behind. His courtyard was spacious enough that accommodating over a hundred people was no trouble at all. "So... the Family Head didn't come?" Yaoguang asked, looking at Lin Xia. "The Chairman said that he's getting old and doesn't wish to leave his homeland to endure hardships far away," Lin Xia replied respectfully. "Guarding that little plot of yours in the Yaoguang Realm is enough for him, and he leaves all matters here entirely in your hands. Furthermore, before we departed, the Chairman gathered the entire Su family and publicly announced that from that day forward, you are the Su family's new head." Family head. Yaoguang was indifferent to the title. If anything, he would have preferred Su Chiming to come over and help handle all sorts of trivial matters. However... since the elder had already cited his advanced age and reluctance to part with his native soil, Yaoguang could hardly force the issue. "Next time you return, take a bottle of Longevity Pills back with you," Yaoguang instructed Kong Xuan. Kong Xuan paused in surprise before hurriedly complying. Lin Xia's gaze toward Yaoguang was filled with shock as well. A Longevity Pill! That was a Treasure Pill-grade medicine! Worth tens of thousands of spirit stones. During the few months Kong Xuan had returned, he had briefed them on the general knowledge of the Great World of Cangwu. Naturally, they knew what tens of thousands of spirit stones signified. That was an immense fortune that even high and mighty Great Cultivators would need decades of fasting and penny-pinching to accumulate. Such an enormous sum, if spent on a single individual, was enough to cultivate them right up to the threshold of a Great Cultivator. And now, he was casually giving it away... "Thank you, Family Head," Lin Xia bowed and said. Yaoguang said nothing, merely sizing Lin Xia up. Though she was already in her early thirties, both her spirit and her complexion resembled those of a woman in her twenties. The reason... "She really did reach the fourth level of qi refining." He glanced at the dossier Kong Xuan had brought. Using a spirit-testing instrument, Kong Xuan had tested the aptitudes of everyone in the Su family and those closely associated with them. As it turned out, the one with the highest talent was neither Yue Xingzhou, who had become a Grandmaster, nor Leng Jun, Su Yaoxue, Su Hua, Lü Tianhe, and the others who had demonstrated solid talent in the Martial Path—it was Lin Xia. Her aptitude score was as high as 79! A top-grade medium spiritual root. Compared to her, the best among the Su family lineage was Leng Jun, whose aptitude was only 58. That fell under the category of a heterogeneous spiritual root, not even reaching a lower spiritual root; in the qi refining majors of academies anywhere, students like that would be advised to drop out. As for the others, Su Yaoxue, who had shown decent martial talent, scored 55. After her, Su Yaoyu, Su Yaoshuang, Su Yaoqin... Not one had a score above 40. In other words, when it came to qi refining, these individuals could essentially give up. Of course, if they were truly unwilling to give up and pushed themselves to the limit, reaching the second or third level of qi refining by the time they turned sixty was still feasible. This level of talent meant that even if millions of spirit stones were poured into them, there would still be no hope of ever becoming a Great Cultivator. Yaoguang looked at the dozen or so core figures of the Su family present and made arrangements for them. If qi refining didn't work, they could still practice martial arts. Especially people like Lei Yun, Pang Long, and Aili, who were naturally suited to serve as drivers, assistants, and chefs, managing the trivialities of his daily life. As for Su Yaoyu and the sisters... Yaoguang's gaze fell upon them. Compared to Lin Xia, Leng Jun, and the other members of the Su family, his relationship with them was slightly closer. "Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister are still young. Prepare yourselves to study for the entrance exams to Longxiang Taixue Academy and follow the path of spirit refining. I will give you a certain degree of support, but whether you can be admitted to Longxiang Taixue Academy and eventually enter the Nine Cauldrons Sect in the Jiuxiao Domain will depend on your own efforts," Yaoguang arranged. "Yes," Su Yaoshuang and Su Yaoqin replied obediently. "Yaoyu, you've been learning how to manage corporate affairs from Lin Xia all these years. How much have you learned?" Yaoguang asked. "The Eldest Miss is very diligent and is fully qualified to step out on her own," Lin Xia said. "Then start by joining the Zixiao Institute's finance department," Yaoguang said, pausing for a moment before adding, "And brush up on knowledge related to Artifact Refining and spirit refining." Their talent was simply too poor. Since the path of qi refining was closed to them, their only alternative was to try spirit refining. With the knowledge of the [Divine Path] he possessed, as long as they worked hard enough, it was not impossible for them to achieve something in spirit refining. Of course, only Su Yaoyu received such treatment. As for Su Yaoshuang and Su Yaoqin, he would provide financial support, but not to an excessive degree. "For now, pick your rooms here. We'll dine together later," Yaoguang instructed, then turned to Xiang Guangming. "Go invite Professor Qin over for me." "Understood," Xiang Guangming replied respectfully. After Xiang Guangming left, Yaoguang went to his room and dialed Zi Qiangwei's communicator. "Lord First Seat contacting a humble formation master like me in person—what orders do you have for me?" Zi Qiangwei teased. Because of this formation master's network of connections, going through her was tantamount to speaking directly to the upper echelons of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Consequently, Yaoguang had indeed been treating her somewhat like a spokesperson lately. "Ahem, business has come knocking. If I recall correctly, does the sect sell Holy Spirit Fluid to improve cultivation aptitude?" "You want to buy some?" Zi Qiangwei's eyes lit up. She knew full well just how much wealth Yaoguang had accumulated. "Yes." Yaoguang nodded. He truly had far too many spirit stones on hand. If spirit stones didn't circulate, they were practically meaningless. Right now, he would continue to take from Nine Cauldrons and spend on Nine Cauldrons. "I'd like to buy three portions of Holy Spirit Fluid. Inquire about the price for me." "No need to inquire, I can tell you right now: the internal price for Holy Spirit Fluid is two hundred and sixty thousand apiece." Zi Qiangwei added by way of explanation, "Heavenly treasures capable of altering an individual's qi refining aptitude always command this kind of price. The figure I gave you is already the internal discount." Yaoguang nodded. In truth, he could also have chosen to visit Dengxian Tower to purchase Nine Revolutions Spirit Pills. The primary ingredient for that pill was Holy Spirit Fluid; each cost less than two hundred thousand, and the efficacy wasn't much worse than the raw fluid. However... He had no intention of letting Dengxian Tower pocket such a vast sum. *Alchemy really is the fastest way to make money. Although the primary ingredient of the Nine Revolutions Spirit Pill is Holy Spirit Fluid, once successfully refined, a cauldron yields at least three pills. If one's alchemical skill is superb, a single batch can even produce five or six pills. That equates to an investment of under three hundred thousand yielding over a million...* Yaoguang thought to himself. Still, judging from the price alone, the Nine Revolutions Spirit Pill definitely belonged to the rank of Treasure Pills. No one in the Nine Cauldrons Sect could concoct such Treasure Pills. Therefore, even though the sect held reserves of materials like Holy Spirit Fluid, they could only watch helplessly as Dengxian Tower reaped all the profits. Pondering this, his reply was nonetheless decisive: "I'll take them." "Generous boss!" Zi Qiangwei praised sincerely. "I'll head to the Logistics Hall right away. Someone will get in touch with you shortly." "I'll await your word," Yaoguang replied. Not long after ending the call with Zi Qiangwei, Qin Yadong was brought over by Xiang Guangming. Upon learning that Yaoguang wanted to enroll two people, he agreed without the slightest hesitation. "Leave this to me. The spirit refining major, correct? I'll make sure it's handled flawlessly for you, First Seat Yaoguang," Qin Yadong promised earnestly. Given the Zixiao Institute's booming, untouchable prestige in Longxiang City at present, Yaoguang condescending to ask for their help was practically an honor bestowed upon them. "Thank you for your trouble. However, I have one request," Yaoguang said. "Treat them like ordinary students. So long as they don't face unfair treatment, there is no need to grant them any special privileges." Qin Yadong started slightly. After a moment's thought, given his interactions with Yaoguang over this period, he grasped the underlying intent. First Seat Yaoguang was an intensely rational person. Evidently, if these two truly demonstrated talent in spirit refining, he would support them. If they turned out to be mud that couldn't stick to the wall... letting them live as ordinary people free from worries of food and clothing wouldn't be a bad thing either. "Understood!" Qin Yadong nodded. "I will enroll them as ordinary students." He quickly followed up, "They are newcomers and might struggle to keep up with the curriculum at first. As it happens, my daughter Qin Ya is also studying there, just two years older than them. Shall I have her help them acclimate to the academy environment?" "Handle it as you see fit, just so long as there's no special treatment," Yaoguang said. Qin Yadong understood. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he soon took his leave. Soon afterward, representatives from the Logistics Hall came to finalize the transaction with him. Lately, the modified Zixiao Type 12 had made waves across the Nine Cauldrons, and many had heard of its First Seat's renown. Faced with such an affluent customer, the Logistics Hall proved exceptionally eager, pitching all manner of high-grade goods. In the end, Yaoguang not only purchased three portions of Holy Spirit Fluid, but also bought over three hundred thousand spirit stones' worth of various cultivation supplies. These cultivation materials were of lower grade, meaning their quality was scarcely inferior to those from places like Dengxian Tower; they merely lacked the brand prestige of such heavyweight factions. Half a month later, the Holy Spirit Fluid was delivered. Having spent those two weeks preparing themselves, Lin Xia, Leng Jun, and Su Yaoxue did not hesitate. Under Zi Qiangwei's gaze—which practically screamed "what a reckless waste of heaven's treasures"—they consumed the precious items worth two hundred and sixty thousand each. A dozen days later, Lin Xia, whose aptitude had been reshaped by the Holy Spirit Fluid, entered the domain of upper spiritual roots with a score of 83. Leng Jun and Su Yaoxue reached 71 and 70 respectively, both stepping into the realm of medium spiritual roots. From these shifts in numbers, it was evident that the poorer one's initial aptitude was, the more pronounced the Holy Spirit Fluid's effects were. With their aptitudes elevated, Yaoguang specially hired a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator to instruct the three in cultivation. Everything fell back into smooth rhythm. Furthermore, as batch after batch of flying swords was delivered to the Golden Divine Temple and racked up distinguished military exploits against rival elders' private armed forces, the renown of the modified Zixiao Type 12 resonated across the Black Flame Continent. With such publicity, more interested factions flocked to the Nine Cauldrons Sect seeking to purchase them. Everything was heading in a positive direction. ... As the modified Zixiao Type 12 flying sword conquered territory across the market for upper-grade spirit swords, inevitably... someone grew unhappy. Completely unbeknownst to the Nine Cauldrons Sect, in response to repeated invitations from the Xuanming Sect, a sky-patrol fleet from the Wuji Astral Palace departed the airspace formerly held by the Northern Alliance, steaming directly toward the East Sea Archipelago.