Furnace

The royal court and aristocratic families shared the realm. The division of interests throughout the world depended on the status of each faction's Martial Saints within the Artifact Sect. Yet aside from Chixing and Xuelong, the status of royal families and aristocratic clans across all nations was essentially the same. Artifact Sect disciples. Thus, these aristocratic families never lacked the courage to overthrow a royal house. What they lacked was merely the strength to contend against them. And strength... "I have it," Yaoguang murmured. He sat back in the executive chair, resting with his eyes closed. Yet his consciousness had already focused upon that ancient tree. To be precise... upon the branch representing the [Martial Path], which was growing at a frantic pace. 1%, 31%, 61%, 91%... Before long, the branch broke through the shackles of Fiendgod Body Refining Seventh Stage and reached the Eighth Stage. This stage... "The Heaven and Earth Furnace expands further, transforming into a Furnace Domain." Therefore, the Eighth Stage could be called the Heaven and Earth Domain Realm. Unfortunately, after reaching the Eighth Stage, the required "experience" deficit expanded once again. Even though Yaoguang had actually received three hundred billion Chixing coins, after breaking through into the Eighth Stage and reaching 6%, the growth rate of the [Martial Path] branch still slowed down, projected to halt completely around 7%. "Labor costs take up such a massive portion?" A strange look appeared in Yaoguang's eyes. Immediately after, he realized something. He was no longer a Grandmaster now. He was a Martial Saint. A Martial Saint carried vastly more weight than a Grandmaster. Moreover, Chixing's All-Under-Heaven Martial Meet was a life-and-death struggle between Martial Saints, equivalent to sending a Martial Saint to risk his life. One had to deduct the hazard pay to buy a Martial Saint's life. This was fundamentally different from sheltering the Su family or saving Yue Xingzhou's life; naturally, the labor costs soared accordingly. "Domain Realm." Just as the Fifth Stage Spirit Intent and Sixth Stage Hunyuan served as supplementary realms to the Fourth Stage Martial Saint, the Eighth Stage Domain could likewise be seen as the perfection of the Seventh Stage Furnace Realm. This realm vastly expanded the Heaven and Earth Furnace. Depending on the cultivator's realm and spirit intent strength, its diameter could span several meters, ten meters, tens of meters, or even dozens to hundreds of meters. Every living being caught within this domain would be subjected to the tempering of the "Heaven and Earth Furnace." For Martial Saints who had not broken the limits of the human body, this was practically fatal. Furthermore, the user could freely adjust the furnace's intensity. Even Martial Saints with inhuman physiques would find it excruciating; fighting the shifting forces within the Heaven and Earth Furnace domain would cause their blood and qi to fluctuate wildly, severely impairing their combat strength. "A domain... this truly turns a Heavenly Being into a walking natural disaster." Yaoguang took a deep breath. It was hard to imagine the sheer devastation if an expert of this caliber engaged in wanton slaughter. Wiping out a city of millions... probably wouldn't take much time at all. "In ancient times, such a martial artist would already possess the power to destroy the world." The martial arts novels he had read—low martial, mid martial, high martial—paled in comparison before such a powerhouse. "If the Eighth Stage Domain is already like this, what about the Ninth Stage? And beyond the Ninth Stage, the realm of those hailed as Great Cultivators who qualify to be Artifact Sect elders? Just how mighty would that be? Could it provide baseline personal safety—like withstanding a nuclear blast with one's bare flesh?" Yaoguang looked forward to it all the more. It took a while before he reined in his thoughts. The cultivation realm had been achieved on paper. But his actual strength had only just completed the first round of physical transformation, stepping into the Fourth Stage Martial Saint. He was still far from the Eighth Stage, let alone the elusive realm of Great Cultivators. He shifted his attention from the formidable heights of the Seventh and Eighth Stages to the Dao Fruit condensed upon reaching the culmination of the Seventh Stage Furnace Realm. This time, the Dao Fruit... "Earth Furnace?" Insights into the Furnace Realm and memories of his recent cultivation flashed through Yaoguang's mind... The secret art condensed by a Dao Fruit was influenced by his experiences during that stage. And what had left the deepest impression on him while advancing from the Sixth to the Seventh Stage was using the "Heaven and Earth Furnace" to break through the barrier between a Third Stage Grandmaster and a Fourth Stage Martial Saint. The secret art derived from it followed the same principle. "Channeling the circulation of mountains and ley lines to condense the momentum of the earth, turning it into a furnace to forge oneself..." Because the forged furnace was not the complete Heaven and Earth Furnace, the burden placed on one's spirit intent was far lighter. And by borrowing external forces such as mountains and ley lines to temper the body, its effects were hardly inferior to a true Heaven and Earth Furnace. The specific effectiveness depended on the location chosen by the cultivator. Yaoguang looked over the description of this secret art... After a long while, he gradually caught on. "Is this... an array formation?" Using the momentum of the earth as the formation foundation, the cultivator themselves as the formation eye, and channeling the power of the array to temper one's body? "Though it's leaning more and more toward fantasy, this is... excellent." Only in high fantasy could the aspiration of "soaring past the Northern Sea at dawn and resting by Mount Cangwu at dusk" truly be realized. Yaoguang stood up and walked downstairs. "Young Master, are you heading out? Should I arrange a car?" Aili asked. "No need, I'll just take a stroll." Yaoguang waved his hand, stopping Lei Yun, who had intended to follow him. Leaving the courtyard, he looked around briefly before heading toward Mount Yunjing. Since he needed to sense the mountains and ley lines, he did not walk fast. It took him half the night to circle Mount Yunjing, an area of less than six square kilometers. Finally, he stopped on the other side of the mountain. Stimulating his spirit intent, he gradually entered that state of "substituting one's heart for the heart of heaven," seeking out the flow of the mountains and ley lines, and activated the Earth Furnace secret art, immersing himself fully into the landscape. At once, he felt as though he had become a towering mountain; his breath, pulse, and blood flowed in sync with the mountain's rhythm. He was like an embodiment of the earth itself, his consciousness immersed in timeless antiquity and weathered ages, observing as a detached bystander the shifting permutations of all worldly things day after day—watching sunrise and sunset, the ebb and flow of tides, and the relentless turning of oceans into mulberry fields. One hour, two hours, three hours... Yaoguang cultivated from midnight straight until the following morning. It wasn't until waves of clamor drifted over from nearby that he finally broke away from this meditative state. By this time, he noticed quite a few early-rising hikers had gathered on the mountain. Situated near the city center of Tiannan's provincial capital, this park had always been a favorite recreation spot for citizens. When Yaoguang opened his eyes, he even caught two teenage girls, who looked like students from the university town downhill, secretly snapping photos of him. Catching his gaze, their faces flushed red, and they quickly scurried off. "A whole night has already passed." Yaoguang was somewhat surprised. Although immersing himself into the mountains and ley lines did not mean completely losing perception of the outside world—on the contrary... a certain obscure intuition had actually grown extraordinarily keen. For instance... he could sense a massive reservoir of malice radiating from the direction of the royal capital. However, the perception of time held by mountains and the earth was vastly different from that of mortals. What was a mere fleeting trance in the realm of earth and stone was an entire night to mankind. Regaining his focus, Yaoguang soon felt a deep hunger in his stomach. This was a clear signal that the blood cleansing and marrow washing process had drained massive reserves of energy, demanding urgent replenishment. Right then, he swallowed a Snow Ginseng Pill he carried with him, feeling into the progress of his blood cleansing and marrow washing. A few minutes later, he reached a conclusion. "The effect... is immediate." Yaoguang calculated roughly. At this rate, three to five months would be enough to fully complete his blood cleansing and marrow washing cultivation. And that was solely relying on the momentum of the mountains and ley lines alongside basic nourishment. If he took dedicated blood-refining elixirs, applied specific cultivation techniques, and found areas where the earth's natural momentum was even more pronounced, that timeframe would shrink further. "Elixirs can be bought with money—and money is nothing more than a string of digits if not spent. Techniques, I already have. As for the momentum of mountains and ley lines..." Yaoguang thought of the wondrous principle behind this secret art. Array formations! Since the Artifact Sect possessed artifact-refining methods, it naturally possessed methods for setting up formations. Formation masters also surveyed the trends of ley lines... "Famous mountains and great rivers." Yaoguang understood clearly. The more renowned a mountain or river, the more prominent its ley lines would surely be. "Chixing's capital, Chixing City, was built against a mountain, yet the imperial court was erected atop Mount Zhaoxing. And in the Snow Dragon Federation, their royal capital is likewise situated at the foot of Mount Jiulong..." Previously, Yaoguang hadn't understood the subtle mysteries of arrays and geography, but in retrospect... The reason these two hegemons chose to establish their capitals around these mountains was undoubtedly to harness the momentum of the mountains and ley lines for some purpose. "Never mind Mount Taihuang or Mount Jiulong; within Dayu, the most famous peak is Mount Yuhuang, a mere eighty li from the royal capital. As for Tiannan... Mount Yunding is quite renowned, and only a hundred li from the provincial capital." Yaoguang pondered for a moment, but had no immediate intention of visiting. It wouldn't be too late to check them out after dealing with the Liao family. If all went smoothly... he would cultivate in secluded peace atop Mount Yuhuang in the future. ... When Yaoguang returned to the villa, Yue Xingzhou was already waiting in the living room. Seeing Yaoguang return, this Grandmaster of the Yue family stood up immediately. "Lord Yaoguang." "So early? Have you had breakfast?" Yaoguang asked. Early? You're planning to overthrow the royal Liao family, and you can still sleep peacefully? Do you have any idea what kind of seismic shockwave the news of a teenage Martial Saint like you triggered across aristocratic circles yesterday? Well, those upheavals indeed shouldn't matter much to Yaoguang. Still... "I have eaten," Yue Xingzhou answered hurriedly. "Last night, the family head and heads of several allied aristocratic families discussed things until four in the morning. Their intention is... they would like to pay a visit to you, Lord Yaoguang... Do you think that would be suitable?" "Then let them come," Yaoguang remarked. "A video call is indeed not as secure and straightforward as talking face-to-face." After saying that, he added, "How many families?" "All of them," Yue Xingzhou said emphatically. "All of the other nine great families are coming?" Yaoguang looked at him. "I recall a few of them sided with the Liao family, didn't they?" "Unless they had no choice, who would willingly surrender their relative autonomy?" Yue Xingzhou said. "Fair enough. What time?" Yaoguang asked. "Any time. Whenever it pleases you," Yue Xingzhou replied at once. Hearing this, Yaoguang quickly guessed, "They've already arrived?" "To avoid drawing unnecessary attention from the Liao family, the family heads did not come in person. However, each representative is a core figure commanding their clan's martial forces. When the time comes to deal with the Liao family, they will be the primary leaders on the ground," Yue Xingzhou explained swiftly. "Alright. Let's set it for an hour from now, on the sixth floor of Xingyu Center, in Conference Room One," Yaoguang organized quickly. "They will arrive at the conference room within half an hour at most, awaiting your arrival."