Free Web NovelChapter 235: Countermeasures
Yaoguang, Li Qingshan, and Wu Qingying brought Xie He to the Alchemy Hall and formally transferred control of the Azure Jade Pill Cauldron into his hands. Along with it, they handed over the refining method for the Hundred-Acupoint Star Pill.
Having obtained both the cauldron and the pill formula, Xie He was eager to repay Yaoguang’s kindness. He immediately entered seclusion to begin his research.
As for Wu Qingying, she decided to give herself three full days off to rest. She did not even think about discussing alchemy techniques with Xie He, the level 9, 3-star alchemist. For the next three days, she only wanted to lie down, empty her mind completely, and rest.
***
Meanwhile, Yaoguang toured the headquarters of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, accompanied by Li Qingshan and several staff members.
"You usually move between the Nine Heavens Domain and the Big Dipper Domain. This is your first time truly taking a proper look at our headquarters, isn’t it?" Li Qingshan said with a smile. "This place was once merely a branch of the Artifact Sect, but it still carries a deep historical foundation. If you ever have time, you should explore it properly."
"I'm sure there will be a chance," Yaoguang replied.
After gathering information from the Void Psychic World, he soon used psychic thought to communicate with Li Qingshan, "The Immortal Alliance’s reason for unreasonably harassing us isn’t that they have confirmed we were responsible. It's because the Infinite Star Palace is causing trouble behind the scenes..."
"I know." Li Qingshan nodded with a faint, relaxed smile. "In the end, it’s because our Nine Cauldrons Sect is still too weak. The Immortal Alliance wants to squeeze something out of us."
"Do we have a solution?" Yaoguang asked.
"It’s difficult." Li Qingshan sighed. "The ancestor has taken a very firm stance, but it isn't the right time for mutual destruction. If we have a complete falling out with the Immortal Alliance, it would severely hinder our development. We still rely on many of the pills they sell. No matter how fiercely we clash behind the scenes, on the surface we must keep up appearances. Because of that, we will inevitably have to compromise."
"Compromises..." Yaoguang frowned.
He had handled the matter cleanly. In theory, it should have taken the Immortal Alliance three to five years before even suspecting the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Yet the Infinite Star Palace had interfered, complicating things unnecessarily. If the sect ended up being extorted because of this, he would not feel at ease.
"Don't worry. We have our own solution." A strand of psychic consciousness was transmitted through the Void Psychic World.
Yaoguang and Li Qingshan’s minds stirred simultaneously as they entered the Void Psychic World. They saw Li Hanqiu already waiting there, his demeanor calm and unhurried.
"Are the negotiations over?" Li Qingshan asked.
"Yes. The Nine Cauldrons Sect will open its spirit pill market to the Immortal Alliance and will no longer impose additional taxes on their spirit pills," Li Hanqiu replied.
"The spirit pill market..." Li Qingshan’s expression shifted.
The treasured pill market was an area where the Nine Cauldrons Sect relied on the Immortal Alliance, but the spirit pill market was different. The sect could refine spirit pills of every generation, although their price-to-quality ratio was inferior compared to the Immortal Alliance’s products. Still, under the sect’s previous protectionist policies, a significant portion of the spirit pill market within their territory remained in their own hands.
If the market were fully opened, the Immortal Alliance’s more cost-effective spirit pills would severely impact the sect’s own alchemy departments. The number of orders would almost inevitably be halved. At that point, the spirit stones that should have circulated within the Nine Cauldrons Sect would effectively flow straight into the Immortal Alliance’s treasuries.
"This might actually be an opportunity," Li Hanqiu said with a smile. "Over the past five years, the number of cultivators practicing the Primordial Creation Art has grown quite a bit, and the Alchemy Hall has also made some progress in developing pills specifically for those cultivating the Primordial Creation Art. We can leverage the impact of the Immortal Alliance spirit pills on the market to push less competitive alchemy institutes to transition to refining pills designed for the Primordial Creation Art system. That'll end up accelerating the cultivation speed of our disciples."
Hearing this, Li Qingshan gradually calmed down. Martial Uncle’s reasoning makes sense. This is indeed an opportunity we can use to force many alchemy institutes to transform. It's foreseeable that the Primordial Creation Art will become the mainstream cultivation system. The alchemy institutes that begin refining related pills early will naturally secure an advantage. And once the Nine Cauldrons Sect grows strong enough to publicly announce this cultivation system, that advantage might even bring the entire Great Cangwu World under our leadership.
This had always been part of the open strategy that he, Li Qingshan, and Yaoguang had discussed. The plan was for the Nine Cauldrons Sect to replace the Infinite Star Palace through a superior cultivation system, eventually unifying the Great Cangwu World. If handled well, this extortion attempt by the Immortal Alliance could be transformed into an opportunity.
"My reasoning was lacking," Li Qingshan admitted.
"You must ensure strict confidentiality regarding the inheritance of the Primordial Creation Art," Li Hanqiu instructed. "Publicly, we must continue to claim it is a newly developed art. Slowly release it internally, one layer at a time, and absolutely forbid anyone from spreading it externally...
"Of course, once more people cultivate it, it will naturally begin to spread. But that will likely be ten years from now. At that time, thanks to the cover-up stories we will prepare, even if other sects obtain incomplete versions and learn that it was developed internally, they may not take it too seriously. That will buy us another ten years. After two decades, this generation will have matured. We may even see batches of Foundation Building Realm and Unity Realm cultivators emerge. By then, we will have nothing left to fear."
"I understand. Everyone who is allowed to cultivate the Primordial Creation Art must swear a heart-fiend oath. Deputy Hall Master Yaoguang has also been helping us screen and monitor these disciples. Combined with the fact that we will transmit only one layer at a time, I am confident we can prevent leaks for at least ten years," Li Qingshan said with a smile.
Li Hanqiu nodded. Only then did he turn his gaze toward Yaoguang. "You possess your own inheritance. I wasn't surprised that you could unleash strength surpassing Feng Ao’s now that you have reached the Dharma Form Realm. But the power of the Golden Core you used at that time..."
"It was the outer core refinement method," Yaoguang replied.
"An outer core?!" Li Hanqiu had studied the Primordial Creation Art for a long time and was naturally familiar with such a method. Yet, when he recalled the instability of that Crimson Golden Core, a trace of lingering fear surfaced in his expression.
"That's far too risky," he said.
"I was confident." Yaoguang smiled. "For others, it would naturally have been extremely risky. But with enough understanding of the nine realms of Golden Core and having already achieved Dharma Form in advance, the process becomes much simpler."
Li Hanqiu considered this briefly, then nodded. "That’s true. Still, this is something only you could have done. Anyone else, even if given a Crimson Golden Core, would have been unable to wield it properly."
He added, "Unless it was an exceptionally stable Crimson Golden Core."
"A stable Crimson Golden Core... That would require reaching the sixth realm of Golden Core. In the Great Cangwu World, someone like that would probably be capable of dragging every Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivator to their death," Yaoguang said.
Li Hanqiu nodded in full agreement.
An outer core, huh... Listening to their exchange, Li Qingshan’s eyes revealed unmistakable envy. This was a technique that could directly grant someone power at the level of the Crimson Golden Core Realm.
He had already converted to cultivating the Primordial Creation Art and had completed its first realm, reorganizing his foundation.
In truth, for cultivators of the Great Cangwu World, the first realm was not difficult. The difficulty lay in the second realm, the Unity Realm. This realm required essence, qi, and psyche to merge into one.
Among them, essence represented the physical body, while psyche referred to the primordial psyche. However, most Foundation Building cultivators had not cultivated both their physique and primordial psyche simultaneously. It was foreseeable that this step would hold them back for quite some time, although it could never stop their progress.
The version of the Primordial Creation Art that Yaoguang had given them was simply too complete. It was so refined that it included not only various annotations but also extremely detailed cultivation insights. He had practically disassembled the technique and summarized it step by step for them to study. As long as their talent and comprehension were sufficient, they'd definitely be able to learn it.
"Perfected Master Li, have you gained anything from your recent study of the Primordial Creation Art?" Yaoguang asked.
"I have. My Golden Core state is much better than before, although I am still far from fully stabilizing it," Li Hanqiu replied.
"No rush. Take it step by step," Yaoguang said.
Hearing Yaoguang’s words of comfort, Li Hanqiu could not help but laugh.
Who would have thought that he, the pillar of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, would one day need reassurance from a junior like an ordinary elderly person? Yet, when he considered that Yaoguang was someone who had succeeded in outer core refinement and had progressed to the Dharma Form Realm at the same time, and had boundless possibilities in front of him, a deep sense of satisfaction arose within him.
Who would have imagined that such a peerless genius would appear within the Nine Cauldrons Sect and lead it toward a glorious future?
***
Yaoguang remained at the Nine Cauldrons Sect main headquarters for one day. Li Qingshan, along with the various hall masters and deputy hall masters who happened to be present at the main branch, hosted a grand banquet in his honor. It was a true gathering, outside the Void Psychic World.
The next day, Yaoguang departed for Longxiang City in the Nine Heavens Domain, bringing Xie He and the Azure Jade Pill Cauldron with him.
The reason he had taken Xie He along was simple. At present, Xie He could not afford to appear in public. To ensure that he would not be sensed by any Dharma Form cultivator from the Immortal Alliance or the Infinite Star Palace, remaining by Yaoguang’s side was the safest option.
Otherwise, even within the sect headquarters at Crimson City, he might have been noticed by the psychic thoughts of a Dharma Form cultivator, leading the Immortal Alliance to realize that the matter of the Immortal-Proving Tower had indeed been carried out by the Nine Cauldrons Sect.
***
Longxiang City, once the largest city of the Nine Heavens Domain and the seat of a side branch, possessed all the necessary facilities. It also had a branch-level Alchemy Hall.
Although most of its equipment had been relocated and its standards could not compare to the main sect’s Alchemy Hall, it only took one order from Yaoguang for the hall to be quickly refitted. All equipment was restored and allocated to Xie He so he could focus entirely on alchemy.
As for Yaoguang himself, he returned to his residence on the mountain where the Purple Firmament Institute was located, planning to thoroughly digest the gains from his journey to the Immortal Alliance.
As he concentrated on his mind, he soon saw the first piece of feedback.
[An efficient transaction.]
[You obtained abundant returns with minimal manpower cost. The Merchant branch has received nourishment for growth...]
