Foreshadowing

The arrival and settlement of Wan Liugui and the others set the operations of Nine Cauldrons Peak onto the right track. Yaoguang was in no rush to focus on nurturing them right away. Instead, he summoned Xu Nianhua and had him discreetly transport a portion of Pure Yang Great Pills and Void Dao Pills back to the Jiuxiao Sect under Wan Liugui's protection. With his fortune of hundreds of millions of Pure Yang Great Pills, fostering the elites of the Jiuxiao Sect was effortless. It was also the most direct way to give back to his sect. Having assigned the task, Yaoguang concentrated all his energy over the following period on refining the Boundary-Crossing Ruler. Striving for perfection and ensuring absolute success, he spent another three full years bringing the Boundary-Crossing Ruler to an optimal state before guiding it to enter the Dao. With such a massive investment of effort and time, this supreme treasure did not disappoint, smoothly completing its transformation into a Dao artifact. ... On the main peak of Nine Cauldrons Peak, shrouded by formations. Yaoguang's figure flashed continuously. Each flash spanned dozens of li. Crucially, the frequency of these flashes was astonishingly swift. Within a single breath, he shifted several times. This degree of mobility was more than double what it had been before. Furthermore, the reason each flash covered only dozens of li was not that he was limited to that distance, but simply because the main peak was only so large. In truth, given the current state of his grotto-heaven, channeling the full extent of his grotto-heaven power to stir void ripples—combined with the affinity between his Child of the Void trait and void power—could allow him to flash thousands of li in an instant. Of course, intensely drawing upon the power of his grotto-heaven in this manner was like a mortal sprinting a hundred-meter dash; the toll on him was immense. Even though he had reached the peak of the Void Piercing Realm and honed his grotto-heaven to perfection—effectively pushing his "stamina bar" to the maximum possible for his current stage—executing several hundred consecutive Void Flashes in one breath was still his limit. *Whoosh!* With another Void Flash, Yaoguang reappeared in the center of the square. Looking down at the Dao artifact in his hand—shaped like a ruler, yet capable of effortlessly stirring ripples through the void—a faint smile graced his lips. "If I unleash Void Flash at full power, I can cover a million li in one breath. Ordinary Void Refining cultivators would be left eating my dust. With this, the foundation of my combat system has finally begun to take shape." Stowing the Dao artifact away, he thought, 'Of course, it is merely an embryonic form. To construct a truly complete combat system, in addition to an offensive Dao artifact like the Swimming Dragon Sword, a movement Dao artifact like the Boundary-Crossing Ruler, and a domain-control Dao artifact like the Heaven-Sealing Stele, I still need four more: defensive, mind, auxiliary, and flight Dao artifacts... Only then will I truly be armed to the teeth.' The gap between Void Piercing and Void Refining, or between Void Refining and Void Shattering, was not insurmountable in theory. Yet while instances of Void Piercing cultivators defeating Void Refining opponents across realms were rare, they still occurred from time to time. By contrast, a Void Refining cultivator overcoming a Void Shattering expert was practically unheard of. The reason lay in the fact that a Void Shattering cultivator's equipment was vastly superior to that of a Void Refining cultivator. For a Void Refining cultivator, carrying one or two Dao artifacts would not necessarily provoke fatal greed. However, if they carried four or five, or even six or seven Dao artifacts, there would inevitably be other Void Refining cultivators willing to take reckless gambles for a massive score. For Void Shattering cultivators, however... The more Dao artifacts, the better. Carrying numerous Dao artifacts was simply a testament to their overwhelming might, inspiring even greater deterrence. After all, Void Shattering cultivators represented the absolute ceiling of combat power on Beihai Star beneath Dao Lords. And Dao Lords cared little for Dao artifacts. So long as they were willing to spend the time, they could craft as many as they pleased. 'Come to think of it, I can craft not only ordinary Dao artifacts, but high-grade and peak Dao artifacts as well...' Yaoguang pondered for a moment. 'Perhaps... I can already start preparing the materials to forge a peak Dao artifact. As for the type... let us begin with the void category. Regardless of which Great Dao I choose as my intrinsic Dao, comprehending the Void Great Dao remains indispensable.' With that in mind, he waved a hand to open the formation surrounding Nine Cauldrons Peak. Then, taking to the air in a streak of light, he headed straight for the main peak of the Immortal Lineage. Compared to Nine Cauldrons Peak, the mountain cluster belonging to the Immortal Lineage was bustling beyond measure. As the lineage responsible for overseeing all sect affairs—large and small—and maintaining the sect's daily operations, the flow of cultivators coming and going was endless. Moreover, the vast majority possessed Crimson Golden Cores, Radiant Sun Golden Cores, or Incandescent White Golden Cores. Among them were outer and inner disciples, as well as outer and inner deacons. Guiding his light through the skies, Yaoguang's gaze swept over the various peaks. These peaks handled logistics, law enforcement, mission dispatch, maintenance of regional establishments, identity transitions, and everything in between. After scanning them briefly, Yaoguang landed directly upon the peak responsible for mission assignments. As his light descended, the eyes of the passing disciples and deacons immediately fell upon his junior sect master regalia. In an instant, they hastily backed away, parting to clear a path. Yaoguang did not waste time either, striding quickly into the peak's main hall. The chief person in charge of the main hall was swiftly alerted and personally led an entourage out to greet him, ushering him into the interior. Only after Yaoguang's figure disappeared did a flurry of hushed discussions erupt. "Even the chief manager came out to receive him personally? That must be a major figure on par with a Void Piercing elder!" "You've been in our Heavenly Dao Sect for six years now, yet you lack even this basic common sense? That was the attire of the junior sect master! He achieved Void Piercing before even turning three hundred, an esteemed figure poised to become a deputy sect master in the future! His status is far above that of a normal Void Piercing elder." "You're not much better yourself—fancy not recognizing Junior Sect Master Yaoguang!" "Junior Sect Master Yaoguang?! You mean the legendary figure who swept through all eighty-eight true disciples of the sect six years ago and broke through to Void Piercing right on the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform?!" "That's him! After breaking through to Void Piercing, this junior sect master spent three years consolidating his foundation, immediately sold a Dao artifact for astronomical cultivation resources, and then entered seclusion for another three years. Heaven only knows how powerful he has become! Perhaps his grotto-heaven has already passed the nascent stage and entered the fusion stage." Strands of divine mind intertwined among the numerous disciples and deacons. Every eye that watched the figure being welcomed inside by the chief manager was filled with respect, admiration, and yearning. However, having stepped into the inner hall, Yaoguang naturally could not hear their discussions. Inside the inner hall, he had barely rested for a moment when Shu Chunqiu, the Immortal Lineage elder responsible for coordinating all sect missions, came forward to greet him with a warm smile. "Junior Sect Master Yaoguang, if you have any sect missions to post, simply send word to me. I could easily have led people to Nine Cauldrons Peak to record it for you. Why trouble yourself to make the trip in person? If this delays your precious cultivation time, I would become a sinner of our sect." "Elder Shu is too polite; how could I impose on you so?" Yaoguang replied, wasting no time on pleasantries and cutting straight to the chase. "I require a considerable number of materials and would like Elder Shu to record them, so we may mobilize all elders, disciples, and deacons to keep an eye out and gather them." "Please, Junior Sect Master Yaoguang, speak freely." Shu Chunqiu waved his hand, unfurling a scroll. Evidently, he intended to record Yaoguang's mission requirements personally. Without hesitation, Yaoguang swiftly listed the various materials he wished to procure. Some of these materials were already known by name on Beihai Star, while others were entirely unrecorded on the planet, existing only within Yaoguang's personal "database." Moreover, while all of them were materials used in crafting Dao artifacts, none were primary components. Their average prices ranged merely between one hundred thousand and one million Pure Yang Great Pills. This was because Yaoguang intended to re-refine them once they were gathered. Otherwise... Directly purchasing high-grade Dao artifact materials was not only exorbitant, but also far too conspicuous. If he encountered Artifact Saint-level masters who possessed the ability to forge Dao artifacts, they might very well discern something. Even so, when Yaoguang reeled off the names of over a hundred materials in a single breath, bringing the total procurement budget to eight hundred million, Elder Shu Chunqiu, Void Piercing cultivator though he was, could not help asking, "Junior Sect Master Yaoguang, the items you seek through these missions... appear to be artifact-crafting materials? Specifically, materials for forging Dao artifacts? Could it be that you are... an artifact craftsman whose attainments have reached the pinnacle?" "I have indeed conducted some research into artifact crafting," Yaoguang said. "Now that my cultivation has reached Void Piercing, I intend to try my hand at refining a Dao artifact." Revealing a measured amount of his capabilities was a calculated move to prepare for drawing in his first core faction once he became a deputy sect master. Issuing missions to purchase Dao artifact materials was a suitable method—it naturally invited speculation from observant individuals. His words caused Shu Chunqiu's pupils to contract sharply. "Refining a Dao artifact?!" Although he had already formed conjectures based on the materials Yaoguang requested, hearing that Yaoguang truly intended to craft one himself still caused him to lose some composure. "Junior Sect Master Yaoguang... y-you can refine Dao artifacts?!" Yaoguang neither confirmed nor denied it, merely stating, "Let us gather the materials first before discussing anything else." A jolt ran through Shu Chunqiu. Indeed, the cultivation requirement for crafting a Dao artifact was the Void Piercing Realm, which granted a true spirit and the power of a grotto-heaven. Only by drawing upon grotto-heaven power could one bear Dao charm and forge it into a Dao artifact. It had only been six years since Yaoguang broke through to Void Piercing. No matter how extraordinary his artifact crafting attainments were six years ago, he likely hadn't had the opportunity to attempt crafting a Dao artifact. Now that his Void Piercing realm was stabilized, whether he could actually refine a Dao artifact naturally depended on gathering the materials and attempting it. "Good! Excellent!" Shu Chunqiu promptly replied, "Junior Sect Master Yaoguang, I shall set the priority of your missions to the absolute highest immediately, striving to gather these materials for you as swiftly as possible so you may test your hand." Without realizing it, this Void Piercing elder had begun using honorifics. "Thank you, Elder Shu. Anyone who possesses the relevant materials may come directly to Nine Cauldrons Peak to find me." Yaoguang smiled and did not decline the Void Piercing elder's goodwill. Shu Chunqiu then enthusiastically recorded the missions for Yaoguang, attending to every single step in person until all several hundred procurement tasks were successfully posted. Seeing all the missions issued, Yaoguang cupped his hands and offered a polite invitation: "When Elder Shu has free time, you are welcome to visit Nine Cauldrons Peak. We shall receive you with the highest honors." "When time permits, Chunqiu will certainly pay a visit in person," Shu Chunqiu solemnly cupped his hands in reply.