Advancement

Two months later. Atop a mountain peak outside Longxiang City, Yaoguang freely merged his power into the heaven and earth of the Cangwu Great World, savoring the sheer might coursing through his physical body—a strength that felt as though it could cleave mountains and sunder rivers... Well. This state was not actually that strong. Compared to this moment, the battle not long ago in Jiuxiao City—where he had channeled arrays of formations to direct attacks from hundreds of sword cultivators, spell cultivators, and spirit cultivators—that had been true power. "In body cultivation, I've reached the Star Lord realm as well," Yaoguang remarked inwardly. However, having already experienced far greater states of power, his breakthrough to Star Lord did not bring much pleasant surprise. At most... it meant his survivability had seen another bump. Besides, everyone across the Nine Cauldrons Sect currently treated him like a treasured jewel, and he could mobilize over a hundred Great Cultivators at will. Let alone having only just broken through to the Star Lord realm, even if he cultivated the Astral Demon God Body and reached the third tier equivalent to the late Star Lord realm, it would still fall far short of matching that level of force. "Times really have changed," Yaoguang sighed with emotion. Individual combat between cultivators was thoroughly a thing of the past. He shifted his attention slightly to check his inner spirit world. The ancient tree had not sprouted a new branch from the advancement of [Martial Path]. It seemed the next branch would have to wait until he reached the Dharma Idol or Star God realm. "Congratulations, First Seat, on ascending to Star Lord." As Yaoguang descended, three people stepped forward together to greet him. Qin Yi, Bailu, and a fourth-tier Great Sword Cultivator who had established a Dao Foundation—Tang Fenghua. Tang Fenghua was not merely a fourth-tier Great Sword Cultivator who had ignited True Fire on the foundation of his Dao Foundation, but also a direct disciple of Nine Cauldrons Sect Master Li Qingshan. His presence served as a direct bridge of communication between Yaoguang and Sect Master Li Qingshan. This alone demonstrated how highly the Nine Cauldrons Sect regarded him. "Just a newly advanced Star Lord," Yaoguang replied casually. He then glanced at Tang Fenghua. "I've always felt that Great Cultivators like you who have established a Dao Foundation should focus wholeheartedly on building your foundation and advancing it to an Immortal Foundation, preparing for a push into the Golden Core realm. As for serving as my personal guard, Wang Feng and the others are more than enough." "I know my own limits. Being able to elevate my foundation to the Dao Foundation level was entirely due to Master's guidance and support. An Immortal Foundation... is beyond my wildest hopes. Rather than waste precious resources on me, it's better to make way for younger, more talented cultivators. As for myself... heading to the front lines keeps me from idling about in an unearned position and letting Master down." Tang Fenghua smiled. "Besides, First Seat Yaoguang, you rarely venture outside anyway, so I still have plenty of free time for cultivation." Yaoguang glanced at him. This direct disciple of the Sect Master carried himself with polite modesty, showing not the slightest hint of arrogance despite hailing from the main sect and having the Sect Master as his backer. Whenever danger arose, he charged on the front lines. In truth, all thirteen of Li Qingshan's disciples were like this. Aside from three who had not yet cultivated to the third tier, the remaining ten had fought on the front lines in places like the East Sea Archipelago and Shiwan Dashan. Six had already fallen in battle, and of the other four, one assisted Li Qingshan with sect affairs while the rest were stationed on external postings. Compared to the others stationed outside, protecting Yaoguang was indeed a relatively leisurely assignment. Yaoguang then descended the mountain and arrived at the mountainside. Here, a cluster of buildings sprawled among lush greenery. Down at the base of the mountain, buildings stood densely packed; at a glance, they could easily accommodate a population of a hundred thousand. This was the Zixiao Institute, relocated outside the city and expanded once again. Although this expansion focused primarily on upgrading quality and capability, and the number of artifact refiners had not increased by much, the space had to be reserved in advance. Right now, spirit artifacts were hard to sell due to suppression by the Wuji Astral Palace, but who knew what the future would bring? Besides... Even if spirit artifacts were hard to sell, what if the Nine Cauldrons Sect started selling Treasure Weapons one day? Treasure Weapons had always been in demand with no supply available on the open market. If the Nine Cauldrons Sect dared to sell them at a competitive price, many factions would rush to place orders with them, even at the risk of offending the Wuji Astral Palace. When Yaoguang returned to his residence, he found Zi Qiangwei already waiting for him. The moment she saw Yaoguang, she stood up. "First Seat Yaoguang, the first batch of fifty low-grade Treasure Weapons delivered has passed verification. Not only do all parameters of the flying sword meet the standards of third-generation flying swords, but their spiritual energy consumption is also far lower than ordinary third-generation models. The Artifact Refining Hall and the War Hall are both thoroughly satisfied with its performance." "Oh, as long as they're satisfied." Yaoguang nodded, not surprised in the least. A third-generation flying sword, even a low-grade Treasure Weapon, cost at least a hundred thousand spirit stones when bought from the Myriad Beasts Sect. Now, for just thirty thousand spirit stones, one could obtain a third-generation flying sword no worse than the ones from the Myriad Beasts Sect that cost well over a hundred thousand... On the first order of three hundred low-grade flying swords alone, the Nine Cauldrons Sect would save tens of millions of spirit stones. Of course, knowing how exorbitant the Myriad Beasts Sect's markup was, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had purchased fewer than a hundred third-generation flying swords to date; most Great Cultivators made do with first- and second-generation flying swords produced by the sect itself. Even so, Yaoguang had still effectively saved tens of millions in funding for the sword cultivator division. If those tens of millions of spirit stones were invested into high-level sword cultivators endowed with superior or peak spirit roots, the sect could cultivate dozens of Foundation Establishment experts within three to five years. "Here is the final payment for the first batch and the deposit for the second batch." Zi Qiangwei handed over a golden leaf. "Mm. The Zixiao Institute managed to produce fifty flying swords in two months... Though that's mainly due to a manpower shortage. If we could get two or three more teams of Artifact Refining Grandmasters transferred here, we could finish all three hundred within half a year." Yaoguang took the golden leaf, which was worth at least two million spirit stones. "Two or three teams of Artifact Refining Grandmasters..." Zi Qiangwei said helplessly, "Every Artifact Refining Grandmaster has their own critical research assignment. Some are crafting dharma treasures to enhance the combat power of body cultivators, some are tackling technological hurdles on sky-patrol warships, and others are focusing on Star Gate construction and exploring new worlds. Those with free time... are simply too few." Yaoguang was naturally aware of this. Forging flying swords was only one discipline within the broader field of artifact refining. It was only because flying swords were so crucial to sword cultivators that they seemed especially prominent. In truth, besides flying swords, there were more than a dozen other branches in artifact refining. Even within flying swords themselves, there were various specializations. Some flying swords specialized in speed, some in lethal power, some possessed agile maneuverability suited for sword combat, while others were exceptionally stable and immune to divine mind interference, and so forth. In fact, all this knowledge... Yaoguang possessed in his own mind. However... his time and energy were limited. Just as having martial arts techniques meant his body still had to practice and test them, this knowledge had to be put into practice before it could be applied. At present, his primary focus remained flying swords. Thinking of this, he said directly, "Transfer all the Artifact Refining Grandmasters working on flying swords over here. Even if they are conducting research now, they're only working on second- and third-generation flying swords, right? Yet the top immortal sects are already using fourth-generation flying swords. Even if our grandmasters make a breakthrough, it won't mean much. Rather than doing that, we would be better off concentrating our efforts on a single flying sword series, advancing it to fourth-generation, or even fifth- and sixth-generation levels! If the generational gap truly reaches that extent, will the various types of flying swords they're researching still matter?" "Fifth-generation flying swords, sixth-generation flying swords..." Yaoguang's words left Zi Qiangwei stunned on the spot. To say nothing of sixth-generation swords, even regarding fifth-generation flying swords, only faint whispers had emerged from the Wuji Astral Palace. Neither the Immortal Alliance nor the Myriad Beasts Sect had shown much progress. Yet Yaoguang... Had he already set his sights on such a level? "Troops are valued for their quality, not their numbers," Yaoguang said. "Right now, the Nine Cauldrons Sect shouldn't be seeking all-around development. Instead, we should concentrate our energy on pushing a single direction to the absolute limit. Once we hold an absolute lead in that area, it won't be too late to balance out the rest." "First Seat Yaoguang, are you... are you truly already laying the groundwork for fourth- and fifth-generation flying swords?" Zi Qiangwei's voice trembled slightly. Yaoguang did not answer immediately. Instead, he went inside and brought out a jade talisman. "This is my concept for upgrading the Zixiao-13 into a fourth-generation flying sword. While the design isn't completely finished, fully realizing the Zixiao-13's upgrade is only a matter of time." He paused, then added, "This is also why I told you not to place too large of an order for Zixiao-13 flying swords." "I understand." Zi Qiangwei took the jade talisman and said solemnly, "I will have the Artifact Refining Hall verify this information and convey your intentions, First Seat Yaoguang." "Mm." Yaoguang nodded. Although the Zixiao Institute had completed its qualitative upgrade and expansion, Treasure Weapon-grade flying swords were far more complex than spirit artifact-grade ones. Ordinary artifact refiners were barely capable of acting as basic assistants. Because of this, it had taken the Zixiao Institute two full months of working around the clock to produce just fifty flying swords. At this rate, finishing three hundred swords would take an entire year. Completing a contract worth tens of millions within a year would leave any other refining institute ecstatic, but to Yaoguang... it was too slow. The rate of earning money was far too slow; it wasn't even as profitable as forging spirit artifacts for the Golden Divine Temple. This was precisely why he had brought out the unfinished designs for the fourth-generation improved Zixiao-13. He needed to draw more teams of Artifact Refining Grandmasters to assist him and boost production efficiency. Moreover, what he said was true. With time, his mastery of formations would soon advance. Once his formation skills caught up with his artifact refining and filled that final gap, designing fifth- and sixth-generation flying swords would be well within reach. ... In the quiet chamber. "Formations," Yaoguang murmured. With the delivery of the first batch and payment settled, he had several hundred thousand spirit stones flowing into his pocket. In an instant, he had accumulated a substantial amount of [Merchant] experience. His gaze lingered on [Divine Path] for a moment, and he tentatively gave it a boost. He quickly reached a conclusion. "It will take around five to six million more spirit stones to raise my realm to the Dharma Idol level." Cultivation along the path of the Origin Spirit leaned toward the mind and perception; once the realm of comprehension was reached, boosting one's cultivation was straightforward. Furthermore, once his Origin Spirit realm advanced to Dharma Idol, the branch would also blossom and bear fruit, producing an innate divine ability. That would undoubtedly be of tremendous aid to his application of the Origin Spirit path. "Five to six million isn't a massive gap, but with the economic blockade and market suppression, relying solely on the Nine Cauldrons Sect's internal circulation to earn and accumulate that many spirit stones is rather difficult." Pondering this, Yaoguang had no choice but to shift his gaze to the [Formations] branch. In the final analysis, breaking through the impasse had to come from this direction. With a thought, the branch belonging to [Formations] climbed rapidly, instantly breaking through the stages of Apprentice, Formation Master, and High-Rank Formation Master, arriving at Formation Grandmaster. Yet upon reaching Formation Grandmaster, its ascent visibly slowed. In the end... it halted after progressing by merely 41%—the level of a Rank 5, One-Star Formation Master.