Five Years

Half a day later. A chorus of wild howls and clamor erupted across the Longyuan Society. "Holy sh*t! Su Yaoshuang! Are you trying to defy the heavens?! From now on, you're my big boss! Even the president has to take a back seat!" "An exclusive interview with Hall Master Yaoguang?! Even if it's only text, who do you think Hall Master Yaoguang is?! He's the man who led Zhenhai Institute to confront the Great Sun Sword Sect's sky-patrol warships twice and won both battles—and glorious victories at that, straight-up capturing their warships! How on earth did you land an interview with a figure like that?!" "Boss Su, tell me the truth! You aren't Hall Master Yaoguang's illegitimate daughter, are you? Are you just hanging out at our Longyuan Society to experience normal life?" Members of the Longyuan Society crowded around Su Yaoshuang, staring at her as if looking upon a deity. "All right, Gao Longfei, quit spouting nonsense," admonished Society President Long Yuwu. "Who are we to speculate and make wild guesses about the personal life of someone like Hall Master Yaoguang? Besides, as far as I know, Hall Master Yaoguang isn't old at all. His talent is simply so overwhelming that he achieved greatness after greatness at such a young age." Turning toward Su Yaoshuang, she immediately beamed. "Brilliant work, Shuangshuang! You've truly given me an enormous surprise. I won't pry into how you secured the interview, but this is undeniably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our 'Listen to the Dragon's Roar' column! An exclusive interview with Hall Master Yaoguang! The publicity is massive. If things go well, we might actually become the number one 'warfare' column in Longxiang City—or even the entire Jiuxiao Domain!" "Hall Master Yaoguang is... really a very amiable person. I merely brought it up, and to my surprise, he actually agreed..." Su Yaoshuang offered a brief explanation. Not wishing to dwell on the subject, she continued, "Should we edit the piece right away and publish it?" "Edit it? Why edit it? Not a single word spoken by Hall Master Yaoguang can be cut. Publish everything in full!" As Long Yuwu spoke, a thought seemed to strike her, and she added, "You didn't ask anything harmful to Hall Master Yaoguang's or the sect's image, did you?" "No. Although I haven't graduated yet, I'm still half a professional. I naturally know what to ask and what not to ask," Su Yaoshuang replied at once. "Excellent. Publish it! Let's format it and put it up right away!" Long Yuwu said, unable to contain her eagerness. Then she added, "Give the higher-ups a heads-up and apply for top-tier promotion. I'm certain they won't refuse." ... Just as Long Yuwu expected. Before long, despite being text-only and relatively short, the interview went viral across the Virtual Spirit Realm. When Yaoguang saw it, he had Su Yaoyu log into the Zixiao Institute's official account and leave a like beneath the post. After all... It was an interview regarding the commercial release model of the Zixiao-15 flying sword. In a way, it served as an advertisement for the sword, so it was only natural for the Zixiao Institute to like it. Yet that simple interaction sent the "Listen to the Dragon's Roar" interview completely viral beyond its original sphere. Its popularity surged past Longxiang City and swept through the Jiuxiao Domain, igniting excitement across the entire Nine Cauldrons Sect. Yaoguang himself had no idea how wildly popular he was within the Nine Cauldrons Sect's Virtual Spirit Realm. In his own view, he had kept quite a low profile. What he did not realize was that this very modesty only deepened his mystique. Especially when juxtaposed with the accomplishments he had produced in just a few short years... It was nothing short of legendary! Taking over the Zixiao Institute when it was on the verge of demotion, he immediately launched the Zixiao Type 12 series of flying swords, catapulting the institute to soaring heights. In the Cangwu Realm's market, he secured a major order from the Golden Divine Temple, breaking a million in revenue. Soon after, Nine Cauldrons Sect cultivators relied on the sharp edge of the Zixiao Type 12 series to crush the Xuanming Sect in the East Sea Archipelago, slaughtering their high-tier sword cultivators until none dared show their heads. After that... The Zixiao-13 flying sword burst onto the scene, shattering the technological bottleneck that had prevented the Nine Cauldrons Sect from forging third-generation low-grade flying swords. Not long after the Zixiao-13 appeared, the Zixiao-15 quickly followed, rapidly outfitting the Qingfeng Institute and the Shenwei Institute before an intense clash erupted against the Xuanming Sect in the East Sea Archipelago. In that battle, the final tally reportedly reached a score of three hundred to zero! Over three hundred Great Cultivators from the Xuanming Sect were slaughtered down to the last man, while on the Nine Cauldrons Sect's side... Not a single life was lost. From then on, the legend gradually crossed into myth. Yaoguang led the Zhenhai Institute to intercept the Great Sun Sword Sect and captured the Chunyu. Not long ago, facing aggressive provocations from the Great Sun Sword Sect and the Vajra's intrusion deep into the heart of the Jiuxiao Domain, he led the Zhenhai Institute in a thunderous counterattack, capturing the Vajra as well. He truly realized the slogan shouted by the Nine Cauldrons Sect decades ago: "We have no swords, we have no ships, but our foes deliver them right to our door." As for the subsequent feat where the allied battle institutes, including Qingfeng and Shenwei, relied on Zixiao flying swords to pin down and destroy the Great Sun Sword Sect's Shenshan Institute, it almost seemed less remarkable by comparison. Good news had arrived in such abundance that people had grown numb to the shock. Under these circumstances, everyone's longing, curiosity, and reverence for Yaoguang had reached their peak. When word suddenly broke that an exclusive interview with Hall Master Yaoguang had dropped—and this was no baseless rumor, but an interview officially verified by the Zixiao Institute... It was as though everyone had found a communal outlet for their excitement, and they swarmed in droves. Countless individuals left comments expressing their profound gratitude toward Yaoguang for making all this possible, swelling with immense pride that the Nine Cauldrons Sect possessed a world-class flying sword like the Zixiao-15. ... Yaoguang kept an eye on the fervor in the Virtual Spirit Realm for a short while, then paid it no further attention. At present, he had returned to the Third Sky-Patrol Research Institute. As sect after sect came to visit the Nine Cauldrons Sect, the situation across the East Sea settled into calm. In the Shiwan Dashan, the Brahma Divine Kingdom also behaved with far more restraint. After all, they were busy contesting orthodox Brahma lineage with the Brahma Cult and the Brahma Gate; unless necessary, they would not provoke the Nine Cauldrons Sect on their own initiative. In any case, they already occupied the Shiwan Dashan and had no immediate ambition to seize more territory. Under these circumstances, Yaoguang analyzed the Vajra warship and worked on the design of a new generation of sky-patrol warships, while occasionally returning to the Zixiao Institute to craft commercial-edition Zixiao-15 flying swords as well as improved internal-use Zixiao-16 flying swords. Aside from these bustling duties, his most critical task was preparing to refine that sealed Crimson Golden Core into an external core. For the moment, however, his cultivation along the path of qi refining was still weak, so he could only carry out the preliminary preparations required before refining the external core. Time... Flowed methodically by in this manner. Everyone had their own responsibilities to shoulder. Everyone had their own duties to keep them occupied. The entire Nine Cauldrons Sect maintained this thriving, spirited momentum. In the blink of an eye, five years of striving had passed. ... At the testing grounds of the Third Sky-Patrol Research Institute. Within this field shrouded by layers of reinforced formations, what was being tested was not the offensive array power of a sky-patrol warship. Rather... It was Yaoguang's own defensive capability. *Whoosh!* Sword light tore through the air. The improved Zixiao-16 flying sword in Tang Fenghua's hand—a weapon that met the standards of a fifth-generation flying sword—resembled a flashing streak of light, darting before Yaoguang with unimaginable velocity. Because this thrust was so blistering fast, the sword tip compressed the air beyond the air's capacity to conduct energy. As a result, as the flying sword shot right in front of Yaoguang, it left no trace behind in the air. Until... *Hum!* Yaoguang reached out boldly and caught the sword with pinpoint precision. Only after he held it fast, letting it vibrate violently, did the sonic boom caused by its passage through the void finally erupt. Yet before the shockwave could cause any damage to the surroundings, the surrounding formations swallowed all of its kinetic energy. With the kinetic energy devoured by the formations, the flying sword held tightly in Yaoguang's grip lost its struggle, lying completely still in his grasp. Yaoguang tossed the sword back toward Tang Fenghua in the distance. "Again!" "I can't go on," Tang Fenghua said, his face somewhat pale as he shook his head. "I can't break through." Looking at Yaoguang, his eyes were tinged with respect and awe. "Are you... about to become a Star God?" "I'm still a bit short of reaching Star God," Yaoguang said. "You're not a Star God, yet you can block my flying sword head-on? And make it look so effortless?" Tang Fenghua found it hard to believe. One had to understand that the improved Zixiao-16 flying sword in his hand was an undeniable fifth-generation flying sword. When it came to flying swords... For every two generations higher a sword was, it allowed a lower-tier cultivator to fight across cultivation tiers. According to the widely accepted classification within the Cangwu Great World, when unarmed, Foundation Establishment cultivators were divided into five tiers of combat strength. Tang Fenghua, who had achieved Dao Foundation establishment and cultivated to the late Foundation Establishment stage, possessed combat strength equivalent to tier four. With this fifth-generation flying sword, he was theoretically capable of dueling tier-five Great Sword Cultivators who had attained Immortal Foundation establishment, reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, and wielded third-generation flying swords. If his side held an overwhelming advantage in Origin Soul amplification, the traits of the Zixiao series flying swords would even allow him to prevail. Yet with such strength, his full-power strike had been easily caught by Yaoguang—and Yaoguang... Was still not a Star God?! "In my recollection... a tier-five Great Sword Cultivator wielding a third-generation high-grade Treasure Weapon flying sword already possesses the ability to injure a first-generation Star God... After all, sword cultivators are renowned for their ferocious, piercing attacks..." Tang Fenghua was somewhat perplexed. "Although I haven't stepped into the Star God realm, due to certain special factors, the strength of the stellar forcefield I can currently deploy is indeed comparable to that of a first-generation Star God," Yaoguang explained with a smile. "Not yet a Star God, yet able to wield a Star God-level stellar forcefield..." Tang Fenghua looked at Yaoguang, his eyes gleaming. "It seems you will certainly blaze a new trail, Hall Master, and walk the path of a fourth-generation Star God." "A fourth-generation Star God... Forget a fourth-generation Star God; even for a first-generation Star God, I suspect I might not see hope within ten years." At this point, Yaoguang sighed. "There is one detail you probably haven't noticed... Hall Master Wu Qingying's alchemy has yet to make a breakthrough to this day."