The Modern Martial Immortal

With the arrival of Nine Cauldrons Sect members to fill the ranks of Southern Capital's various industries, Wu Changfeng had been effectively sidelined. Even so, the Void-Refining Realm expert maintained an air of complete contentment, showing no signs of discontent whatsoever. No one knew what he was truly thinking.

Suddenly, a warship approaching from the distant heavens drew his attention.

"A warship from the Penglai Immortal Sect? And a Dao Artifact warship at that?! This is practically on par with the travel standard of Sect Master Shi Lin herself! What's going on? Could the rumors from outside actually be true? Was Yaoguang truly nurtured by the Penglai Immortal Sect?" Wu Changfeng was rattled.

However, the domain lord's residence had been fully taken over by Wan Liugui, Li Hanqiu, and the others, and was protected by multiple layers of arrays. Even attempting to slip inside undetected to gather information was no easy feat, so he had to rely on his own means to dig up what he could.

The warship docked at the domain lord's residence for three days before departing, flying away from Southern Capital.

Not long after, news began to circulate.

More than a decade ago, the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King had run rampant across the Dark-Blue Sea, inflicting devastating losses on the Penglai Immortal Sect. In response, the sect had put out a massive bounty, which eventually led to someone slaying the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King and its group. But who had actually carried out the deed had remained unknown until now.

The identity of the one responsible was at last confirmed, and it was none other than the deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, the Void-Refining cultivator who had been making waves across North Sea Star... Yaoguang!

What's more, what he had slain was not a Heaven-Swallowing Demon King, but a Heaven-Swallowing Demon Emperor. The body was on display at the Penglai Immortal Sect for all to see, leaving no room for doubt!

In other words, during his very first battle as a Void-Refining cultivator, Yaoguang had already killed a demon emperor of the same realm.

Granted, the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Emperor had only recently broken through as well, and had been concealing its true level while attempting to hunt down a high-ranking member of the Penglai Immortal Sect. But the ability to slay a demon emperor spoke volumes. Even among Void-Refining cultivators, Yaoguang was exceptional.

In recognition of this, a palace master from the Penglai Immortal Sect personally delivered gifts valued at no less than six billion contribution points to thank Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang for ridding the sect of such a grave threat.

When the news broke, it caused an uproar. Many found it nearly impossible to believe. How could Yaoguang, having only just advanced to the Void-Refining Realm, possibly have killed a demon emperor of the same realm?

Even accounting for the fact that the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Emperor had similarly broken through only slightly earlier, it still seemed unthinkable. Many suspected the Penglai Immortal Sect was manufacturing a pretext to shower Yaoguang with resources in hopes of recruiting him, and there was even speculation that the idea had come from Penglai Dao Lord herself.

But shortly afterward, Yaoguang's ranking on the demon race's most-wanted list for Void-Refining cultivators shot from the bottom straight into the top ten, and that made some people pause and reflect.

No matter how much influence the Penglai Immortal Sect had, they couldn't get the demon race to play along with their performance. This meant the news that Yaoguang had slain the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Emperor might actually be true!

He had killed a demon emperor on his very first outing after advancing?!

Almost immediately, Jing Zhengyang, who had already retreated far from the Southern Capital, grew even more cautious and kept well clear of the city. The Void-Piercing elders who had been waiting for Jing Zhengyang and Wu Changfeng to make their move could no longer sit still once the news reached them. One after another, they switched sides and pledged their loyalty to the domain lord's residence.

Yaoguang had little interest in their loyalty. As long as they behaved themselves and played their part as members of the southern domain, that was enough. After all, he was no devil. There was no need to slaughter everyone just to ensure having full control of the southern domain.

Time passed slowly.

During this period, Yaoguang oversaw affairs in the Southern Capital and used it as his base to steadily squeeze the living space of the Jing, Li, and Lu families. But all three families held back, unwilling to confront Yaoguang directly.

They were waiting. Waiting for the southern domain's deadline to submit resources as tribute to the sect.

If Yaoguang failed to produce the required amount, he would inevitably face the sect's retaliation. Of course, he could cover the shortfall from his own pocket, but the gap was all but small. The southern domain's earnings came in at over one billion Pure Yang Grand Pills per cycle, and more than half of that had to be submitted to the sect, meaning over five hundred million pills were owed each time.

Yaoguang might manage to cover it once or twice from his own funds, but could he do it three, four, five, or six times? Keep it up long enough, and he would be utterly ruined.

Once he could no longer submit enough resources, the entire sect's interests would be at stake, and at that point, Zong Wenxian would not need anyone to push him. He would find a way to strip Yaoguang of his authority and deprive him of any justification for holding his position.

It was the only method they could think of to strike back without triggering a mutually destructive confrontation.

That moment was now just one year away.

"The Crimson Golden Core, Radiant Sun Golden Core, and Blazing White Golden Core Realms all belong to the same broad realm. For certain talents, especially those who have no shortage of Pure Yang Grand Pills, there is hardly any need to draw such fine distinctions between these stages. A cultivator who reaches the Crimson Golden Core Realm will inevitably reach the Blazing White Golden Core Realm; all that is needed is to accumulate resources and expand one's mass. And the most critical concept involved in that process is control. This is also the fundamental difference between orthodox cultivators and battle immortals..."

Inside the domain lord's residence, atop a teaching platform, Yaoguang was guiding the Golden Core cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect in their cultivation.

He was not merely a Void-Refining Realm cultivator. Thanks to the advantage in comprehension given by his high-dimensional cognition, he had gained thorough mastery of all three stages: the Crimson Golden Core, Radiant Sun Golden Core, and Blazing White Golden Core Realms.

His explanations broke complex ideas down to their very essence, and each time he spoke, the cultivators listening came away with fresh insight.

In just five years, the number of Blazing White Golden Core cultivators in the Nine Cauldrons Sect had increased tenfold!

As he spoke, Yaoguang traced a shape in the air with one hand, and a Golden Core materialized before the assembled crowd, shifting continuously between the Crimson, Radiant Sun, and Blazing White forms.

"When a Golden Core reaches a certain mass, the different forms it can take also differ in the power they manifest. The only one worth dwelling on a little longer is the Azure Golden Core. Unlike the Radiant Sun Golden Core and Blazing White Golden Core, which develop through incremental progression, the Azure Golden Core requires breaking through a hard limit of mass. But at its core, this limit break is still just another form of accumulation. It is simply that the mass this time grows large enough to exceed the cultivator's capacity to control it. And that brings me to what I consider the single most important word in cultivation..."

Yaoguang paused, then closed the five fingers of his outstretched right hand into a fist. "Control..."

Listening to his lecture were not only the most outstanding disciples of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, but also Wan Liugui, Li Hanqiu, and a number of battle immortals. Over the past few years, many of them had benefited enormously.

Quite a few had made breakthroughs in the Nine Refinements of Star Ring during this time, and with the enhanced control that the art provided, their odds of advancing to the Void-Piercing Realm had improved drastically. They no longer needed to gamble on the mere one-in-a-hundred success rate typical of ordinary battle immortals.

The lecture lasted half a day before everyone dispersed. But Li Hanqiu and Wan Liugui approached as the others left.

"Deputy Sect Master, the third production line for the Jiuzhou warships has been completed and is ready to go into operation," Wan Liugui said.

"As for the top-tier treasured artifact Purple Firmament Flying Sword production line, after several years of operation it has accumulated a sizable stock of swords. The grade isn't high, suited only for Heavenly Fire, Eternal Light, and at most Crimson Golden Core cultivators, but our strength lies in cost-to-performance ratio, and I expect we'll be able to break into the market quickly," Li Hanqiu added.

"Good." Yaoguang nodded.

The Purple Firmament flying swords now being produced by the Nine Cauldrons Sect had been optimized by Yaoguang and were classified as the Purple Firmament Type 31.

Over the past twenty or thirty years, others within the sect had been growing alongside him. Artifact refiners like Dong Liushui had developed at a rapid pace, and the best among them were now capable of forging spirit treasures. But since the majority of the sect's refiners were still at the treasured artifact tier, Yaoguang had designed the Purple Firmament Type 31 flying sword with their abilities in mind.

Just as Li Hanqiu had said, the sword's grade was not exceptional, but its outstanding cost-to-performance ratio made it more than capable of dominating the low-end market. With sheer output volume, it would establish the Nine Cauldrons Sect's name for good.

As for the Jiuzhou warships, they were fifth-generation Sky Patrol Warships. In terms of raw performance, they fell slightly short of the warships produced by the Heavenly Ruin Hall, but what the Nine Cauldrons Sect had on its side was low production cost.

A single warship cost less than one hundred thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills to build, while the selling price could reach five hundred to six hundred thousand pills. Selling just eight to ten ships a year would bring the sect several million Pure Yang Grand Pills in revenue.

"Very good. The next step is to make our final push in promoting the Purple Firmament Type 31 flying swords and the Jiuzhou warships, and I've had a plan for that for some time," Yaoguang said with a slight smile.

Li Hanqiu had already suspected what was coming and asked carefully, "You're still planning to..."

"That's right." Yaoguang nodded. "We will be selling a void-type Dao Artifact. With the reputation a Dao Artifact brings, I'm confident we can quickly establish the name of our Nine Cauldrons Merchant Guild and draw Void-Piercing and Void-Refining cultivators from the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects, the Four Great Immortal Dynasties, and the Three Great Martial Sects to attend the auction."

He spoke with full confidence, "Every Void-Refining cultivator is a peak existence second only to those at the Void-Shattering Realm. Their presence alone will draw the eyes of countless people, and we can ride that wave of attention to heavily promote the Purple Firmament Type 31 flying swords and the Jiuzhou warships. Once word is out and people see what these two products offer for the price, sales will take care of themselves."

"As I thought..." Li Hanqiu understood. Yaoguang was indeed ready to drop this bombshell.

"Auctioning a Dao Artifact!" Wan Liugui couldn't help but gasp.

If he recalled correctly, this would be the second time Yaoguang had sold a Dao Artifact. The first time had been within the Heavenly Dao Sect's circle. But this time, he was inviting all the surrounding powers?

And this was the second Dao Artifact?!

A memory suddenly surfaced... He recalled something Li Hanqiu had told him years ago while begging him to protect Yaoguang.

Yaoguang... could forge Dao Artifacts!

He had never truly believed it at the time. Back then, Yaoguang had been so weak. How could he possibly forge something as rare and precious as a Dao Artifact?

But now... If selling the first Dao Artifact had been driven by a desperate need for resources to advance his cultivation, then what about selling the second one?

A Dao Artifact was a treasure so precious it could serve as the permanent legacy of any important family, whether they had a Void-Refining expert or even one at the Void-Shattering Realm behind them. No one in their right mind would sell one, even if they couldn't use it.

Yet Yaoguang had already sold one, and was now planning to sell a second.

There was only one explanation for something like that! What Li Hanqiu had said was true! Yaoguang could really forge Dao Artifacts!

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