Harmony

"Far as the horizon, yet right before your eyes?!" Hongyan's pupils contracted violently! Right before his eyes?! He stared abruptly at Yaoguang, his mouth opening and closing as if to speak. In the end, he forced out a strained, trembling smile. "Sect... Sect Master Yaoguang... stop... stop joking... Where is... where is that esteemed person, truly?" "There never was any mysterious Artifact Saint. From the beginning, there has only ever been one." Yaoguang smiled faintly. "Me." Hongyan involuntarily stepped forward. Yet before he could finish that single stride, his body halted in spite of himself. His gaze swept over Yaoguang again and again for a full dozen breaths before his thoughts began to settle. Even so, it remained impossible for him to accept the reality laid out before him. "How could that be possible... To achieve Void Shattering in a mere century and enter the top ten of the Dao Lord Candidate List already marks you as a genius of celestial talent. Across the history of Beihai Star, practically no prodigy can compare with you. With such splendid achievements on the path of cultivation, how could you possibly have enough time left to delve into the Dao of artifact refinement to..." "To such an extent?" Yaoguang finished the thought for him. He smiled faintly. "Could it be that mastering one dharma opens the way to myriad dharmas? When a person's talent reaches a certain height, learning other arts can advance by leaps and bounds just the same." As he spoke, he waved his hand. The Swimming Dragon Sword, which had transformed into a high-grade Dao artifact, alongside the Boundary-Crossing Ruler and Heaven-Sealing Stele, both refined into high-grade Dao artifacts long before, materialized by his side simultaneously. Looking upon the Dao artifacts Yaoguang had summoned, Hongyan's gaze was instantly arrested. Facts spoke louder than words. No matter how exaggerated the words might sound, as long as irrefutable evidence existed, he, Hongyan... "High-grade Dao artifacts! All three are high-grade Dao artifacts!" Hongyan stepped forward, receiving the Swimming Dragon Sword while inspecting the Boundary-Crossing Ruler and Heaven-Sealing Stele, his entire body trembling slightly. The void power within these high-grade Dao artifacts harmonized flawlessly with Yaoguang... One might have been custom-forged by an artifact master tailored to his natal Dao arts, but three Dao artifacts in absolute alignment with his own being... Only he could have forged them himself. Only a cultivator himself truly and deeply understood what Dao arts he practiced and what manner of Dao artifact he required. "It's true?!" Hongyan inspected and studied the Dao artifacts for a long while before finally raising his head in shock toward Yaoguang. "These high-grade Dao artifacts... were truly forged by you? You really are that mysterious Artifact Saint qualified to attempt refining pinnacle Dao artifacts?!" "I believe these three high-grade Dao artifacts serve as sufficient proof," Yaoguang said. Hongyan looked at the artifacts... After another dozen breaths, the Artifact Saint finally regained complete calm. He asked abruptly, "May I inquire how Sect Master Yaoguang forged these Dao artifacts?" Yaoguang smiled, knowing the Artifact Saint wanted to deduce his level of craftsmanship through his methods of refinement. Without hesitation, he directly explained several techniques from forging these artifacts that could be put into words. As Yaoguang described them, Artifact Saint Hongyan quickly grew spirited, chiming in from time to time to share his own concepts of artifact refinement. The two exchanged views, focusing initially on the refinement of high-grade Dao artifacts. Although Hongyan was merely an ordinary Artifact Saint who had never forged a single high-grade Dao artifact, he had long cultivated his own theories regarding their creation, and no matter what ideas he put forward, Yaoguang kept pace with ease. The Taiyi Immortal Sect primarily practiced the Grand Dao of Stars, the Grand Dao of Flowing Light, and the Grand Dao of Li Fire. Artifact Saint Hongyan's natal Dao art was derived from the Grand Dao of Stars, supplemented by an auxiliary Dao art from the Grand Dao of Li Fire. Naturally, the Grand Dao of the Void was a mainstream pursuit in every sect, and Hongyan possessed considerable comprehension of it as well; his Dao arts simply had not attained the near-perfection of his stellar arts. At first, Hongyan and Yaoguang spoke mostly of the void path, but as the discussion progressed, it shifted to the Grand Dao of Li Fire, and after another moment, turned toward the Grand Dao of Stars. With the Starlight Glazed Body as his foundation, Yaoguang unfolded his conceptual approach to forging high-grade Dao artifacts of the stellar path, completely captivating Artifact Saint Hongyan. By the end, the dialogue had turned almost entirely into Yaoguang teaching and Hongyan listening. At most, Hongyan occasionally voiced questions from his heart. Anyone arriving unawares would have thought at first glance that a student was consulting a master on scholastic questions. This one-sided, near-instructional exposition continued for three days before gradually drawing to a close. Hongyan's eyes shone with profound revelation, and his heart surged with unspeakable joy. A supreme fulfillment—the sensation of hearing the Dao at dawn and dying content at dusk—welled within him. Yet as he slowly recovered from that profound satisfaction and digested what he had gained over the past few days, he suddenly realized something else. For a time, boundless emotion overcame him. "Can there truly exist in this world someone as near to omniscient and omnipotent as Sect Master Yaoguang..." He rose to his feet and bowed solemnly toward Yaoguang. "Thank you, Sect Master Yaoguang, for your guidance over these three days. I am thoroughly convinced of your refinement attainments, without the slightest shred of doubt remaining." Yaoguang nodded slightly upon hearing this. It had not been in vain to spend three days conversing with him despite the risk of exposure. "You should know that I am a cultivator of the void path, and the Dao Contention along the void path is the fiercest of all. To prevent that intensity from escalating, many Void Dao Lords strike down Void Shattering cultivators capable of attempting Dao Integration. As for an Artifact Saint at the Void Shattering realm... there is even less need to say; what faction does not wish to possess an Artifact Saint to tailor Dao artifacts for them?" Yaoguang explained. "If both abilities and talents were seen in a single person, it would inevitably cause a sensation across all of Beihai Star. Those Void Dao Lords who are currently watching from the sidelines would act almost without exception. When that time came, the threats I would face would far exceed a single Void Dao Lord—it would mean near-certain death. For safety's sake, I had no choice but to conceal my identity as an Artifact Saint. I hope Artifact Saint Hongyan can understand." "I understand. I fully understand your predicament, Sect Master Yaoguang. Concealing your refinement attainments is the height of prudence; it was we who were overly presumptuous." Hongyan spoke, then immediately inquired, "Regarding the refining of the pinnacle Dao artifact for Dao Lord Penglai this time, how confident are you, Sect Master Yaoguang? If you require assistance, do not hesitate to ask; whatever lies within my power, I shall do my utmost to fulfill." "I have some measure of confidence, though I cannot say how much time it will require. Furthermore, if extra materials can be prepared just in case, the certainty of forging this pinnacle Dao artifact will naturally be greater," Yaoguang said. Had this been three days prior, Artifact Saint Hongyan would have dismissed such words with contempt. Yet these three days of discussion had given him a profound understanding of Yaoguang's refinement attainments. With the craft Yaoguang possessed, so long as the materials were of sufficient quality, forging a pinnacle Dao artifact was entirely possible. Should his cultivation catch up in the future and he successfully integrate with the Dao... An immortal artifact might remain uncertain, but a quasi-immortal artifact would certainly be well within his grasp. Therefore, the Artifact Saint answered without hesitation, "The immortal artifact material from our Taiyi Immortal Sect has already been brought along. I will have the Sect Master deliver it at once." "Then you have my thanks. With two sets of materials, even if flaws appear in the first attempt, the second refinement will surely succeed without a hitch," Yaoguang said with a smile. "I shall have the Sect Master send the material over immediately," Hongyan said. Yaoguang nodded slightly. "I will arrange the funds at once. Since I do not possess enough Pure Yang Great Pills and Void Dao Pills on hand, how about settling the transaction with Dao artifacts?" Hongyan did not reply right away. Instead, he pondered for a moment before speaking. "In truth, before arriving, we discussed three possible plans with the Sect Master... I need not mention the first two, but the third... was that if I confirmed Sect Master Yaoguang truly possessed the ability to refine pinnacle Dao artifacts, we would offer this material as compensation to invite Sect Master Yaoguang to forge a pinnacle Dao artifact on our behalf..." "That works," Yaoguang said. "The Taiyi Immortal Sect has numerous Void Shattering cultivators pursuing the stellar path, and I recall several have cultivated the Starlight Glazed Body. How about I use that Dao art as the foundation to forge a pinnacle Dao artifact?" He added, "In fact, once an artifact reaches the pinnacle Dao artifact tier, the restrictions imposed by specific Dao arts become far less pronounced." After all, a pinnacle Dao artifact was equivalent to channeling a projection of the Grand Dao, amplifying an entire category of Dao arts rather than being bound to a single technique like ordinary or high-grade Dao artifacts. Hongyan smiled and nodded. "That would be ideal." "In exchange for a pinnacle Dao artifact... I am still getting the better end of the deal. The market price of immortal artifact materials hovers around a hundred billion, but under normal circumstances, trying to buy one even with a hundred billion is exceedingly difficult." "Sect Master Yaoguang is too polite. Our pinnacle Dao artifact is, after all, equivalent to a custom-made creation." Hongyan paused, then seemed to think of something. "When Sect Master Yaoguang attempts Dao Integration, will you require additional Dao protectors? If there is a need, Dao Lord Dihui of our Taiyi Immortal Sect would surely be willing to lend his aid." As a mere Void Shattering cultivator, he naturally lacked the authority to make decisions for a Dao Lord. However... For a craftsman like Yaoguang—who had reached the Dao Lord Candidate List in under two centuries and possessed the skill to forge pinnacle Dao artifacts... Anyone could see what manner of future awaited him once he stepped into the Dao Integration realm. Establishing goodwill early was by no means a bad idea. Naturally... Risks remained. If Yaoguang failed Dao Integration, such investments would amount to pouring water into sand. Yet as with any investment, where was a guaranteed profit to be found? Compared to the returns it promised, such a risk was well within acceptable bounds. "If the need arises, I shall seek aid from Dao Lord Dihui," Yaoguang replied courteously. For now... His only Dao protector was Dao Lord Penglai. As for the rest, even Dao Lord Juntian was not within his consideration. Though he served as Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, the foundation of trust between them was simply not deep enough. Hongyan nodded. With that settled, the two stepped out of Nine Cauldrons Peak and headed straight for the Huangtian Great Hall. Within the hall, Zhen Xuanyuan was chatting leisurely with True Monarch Taiyuan. The moment the two returned to the main hall, True Monarch Taiyuan stood up, his gaze fixing upon Artifact Saint Hongyan. The Artifact Saint nodded, smiling. "Sect Master, please hand over the 'Star Abyss Realm' to Sect Master Yaoguang."