After settling Qiong Sea King’s matters, Wu Yuan returned to the meditation chamber. With a mental command, he activated the array, raising an invisible barrier that enveloped the room he was in. There were a total of two privacy arrays. The first array covered the entire courtyard house, while the second only covered the meditation chamber, ensuring no aura fluctuations could escape.
Let’s begin. Anticipation flashed in Wu Yuan’s eyes.
Whoosh~ A plethora of precious metal ores and special materials appeared around him, ranging from the size of a palm to the size of a bed. These treasures orbited around Wu Yuan.
One after another, sword pellets flew out and transformed into fierce Dark Earth flying swords. The nine flying swords joined the other treasures in orbit around Wu Yuan.
Two of these flying swords are sixth-grade spirit weapons, while the others are seventh-grade. But they can barely be considered sixth-grade swords. I’ll reforge them to establish a stronger foundation.
Hum~ As Wu Yuan employed the Sword Transformation Method in the ‘Dark Earth Sword Path’, the lifebound flying swords quivered, releasing an invisible aura that encompassed the surrounding treasures. This method allowed lifebound flying swords to feed off precious materials to evolve and grow stronger.
As time passed, the metal ores and materials merged with the flying swords. Streams of light containing their essence flowed into the lifebound flying swords, and the discarded residue fell to the ground.
Wu Yuan's nine lifebound flying swords emitted a radiant glow, their sword intent growing more potent by the moment.
These swords are truly money swallowing beasts. [1] Wu Yuan marveled as the treasures were rapidly devoured.
In the macrocosm, seventh and eighth-grade spirit equipment was easily forged, just like industrial products mass-produced on an assembly line. Little to no technical knowledge was needed, thus they were hardly worth anything.
Sixth-grade spirit equipment was slightly more valuable, but typically a sixth-grade flying sword could only be exchanged for one ethercrystal.
However, fifth-grade spirit equipment and above saw a dramatic increase in value due to their materials. An increase in just one grade could lead to a price increase of ten times or nearly a hundred times.
However, Wu Yuan had invested in treasures worth 4000 catties of ethercrystal to upgrade his nine lifebound flying swords from seventh to sixth grade, a sum that could have been used to purchase 4000 sixth-grade flying swords.
Why such an extravagant expenditure? It was all to establish a perfect, flawless foundation for his lifebound flying swords. By investing in the highest quality metal ores and materials, the sword could unleash the greatest possible power.
When I advance to the Golden Core phase, I’ll be able to upgrade all my lifebound flying swords to the fourth grade at once as long as I have enough treasures. Wu Yuan felt emotional just thinking about it.
The price, however, was exorbitant. After examining the costs of various metals and materials in the Redmoon Immortal Tower, Wu Yuan calculated that upgrading nine lifebound flying swords from sixth-grade to fifth-grade would require nearly 100,000 catties of ethercrystal. And to upgrade them all from fifth-grade to fourth-grade? It would demand at least a million catties of ethercrystal!
It was a sum he simply could not afford.
One had to understand that Wu Yuan’s qi refiner self had brought only 800,000 catties of ethercrystal to the Redmoon Immortal Continent, a majority of the total ethercrystal he owned. There were also many other considerations he had to keep in mind.
It was precisely because the cost was so high that many sword cultivators couldn't afford it, choosing a cheaper route to upgrade their lifebound flying swords, which ultimately stunted the development of their lifebound flying swords.
Many Amethyst Cradle sword cultivators had second-grade spirit lifebound flying swords that possessed power nearing first-grade spirit equipment at most, unable to embody the ‘one strike shatters all laws’ ideal.
As time passed, each lifebound flying sword completed its upgrade, consuming the essence of the metals and materials until only the impurities were left.
Finally, the meditation chamber fell silent.
Wu Yuan exhaled deeply.
Even though they are all sixth-grade spirit flying swords, they don’t feel any inferior to fourth-grade spirit flying swords. Wu Yuan's eyes were feverish with excitement as he sensed the formidable power within each sword.
The sharpness of each lifebound flying sword was terrifying enough to make any Golden Core cultivator take them seriously.
To enhance these flying swords once more, not only do I require treasures, but I must also break through to the next cultivation phase. With a wave, Wu Yuan recalled the flying swords back into his qi sea.
Immediately, he felt the burden of the flying swords on his qi sea. Despite possessing a third-degree immortal root, the weight of nine such powerful flying swords was a taxing load to bear.
The burden is heavy, and the cost of upgrades is high, but once I wield them in battle, it'll all be worth it. Wu Yuan did not regret his decision at all.
Once he unleashed his nine lifebound swords, their power would be equivalent to nine fourth-grade spirit flying swords, a truly fearsome sight. Once they assembled into a sword array, their might would skyrocket even further.
If I encounter another ethercrystal weapon like the last time, I’ll be able to destroy it with my Nine Swords Array. Wu Yuan felt a wave of satisfaction.
Previously, dealing with a powerful Golden Core cultivator was somewhat troublesome. But now? I can sweep through most Golden Core cultivators.
Next, I will go into seclusion to break through to the Golden Core phase. Once I achieve this breakthrough... Wu Yuan was looking forward to it.
He was in no rush to join a sect. He would take things one step at a time, as always.
With a wave, Wu Yuan cleared away the heap of metals, materials and impurities, leaving the meditation chamber pristine once more.
Then, he continued to cultivate his essentia, hastening the expansion of his qi sea to its utmost limit.
The Tu Family estate occupied 300 li of land in width, resembling a miniature nation. More than 100,000 members of the Tu Family resided there, the majority of whom were common folk.
In truth, the Tu Family held dominion over vast territories within Fengchuan City, encompassing several sixth-tier cities and boasting tens of millions of members. It was a prosperous large family, and even the mortals living in the Tu Family estate were often high-ranking relatives within their family.
Tu Chi, one of the dozens of Golden Core Superiors of the Tu Family, was granted a grand courtyard house spanning several li.
"Li Xia took up residence in the Redmoon Immortal Tower and hasn’t left it for three months?" Tu Chi clarified with his subordinate.
"Indeed. I have stationed numerous spies disguised as passers-by to keep watch outside the Immortal Residence Pavilion, and placed puppets at each exit of the Redmoon Immortal Tower," the black-robed figure reported. "However, we have yet to see any traces of Li Xia."
Tu Chi felt a twinge of annoyance. If Wu Yuan had been residing in an ordinary grotto property, he could have easily spied on him with the assistance of the Tu Family and the Redmoon Immortal Army.
But the Redmoon Immortal Tower? Even his Tu Family's ancestor would have a hard time spying on anyone inside, let alone him.
But as a Golden Core Superior, Tu Chi had much patience. To achieve his goal, he was willing to bide his time, even if it meant waiting for three years. However, with the birthday banquet fast approaching, time was of the essence.
"Have there been any sightings of other azure jiaolongs?" Tu Chi inquired. If he could obtain azure jiaolongs elsewhere, he wouldn’t want to trouble Li Xia either. He couldn’t afford the delay.
"None have been spotted in Fengchuan City at the moment," the block-robed figure sighed, shaking his head. "We attempted to procure one in the immortal realm, but the exorbitant prices proved prohibitive. The cheapest option would cost 18,000 catties of ethercrystal including the delivery to Fengchuan City."
18,000 catties of ethercrystal? Tu Chi's eyes widened in disbelief. While he could stomach paying 3000 catties of ethercrystal, tens of thousands of catties were simply beyond his means. He would have to sell off half of his treasures to afford such a sum.
“Hm? Captain, I have just received word that Li Xia has departed from the Redmoon Immortal Tower. From his direction, he appears to be leaving the city. Furthermore, their aura indicates that his azure jiaolong has entered the Spiritual Body phase!"
"The Spiritual Body phase?" Tu Chi's irritation gave way to elation.
A first-stage Spiritual Body spirit beast was worth dozens of times more than one in the ninth-stage Communion phase. Among the three azure jiaolongs he had acquired, one was at the Spiritual Body phase. If he could pair them up, it would be a match made in heaven.
"Swiftly tail them and do not let them slip away," Tu Chi commanded in a hushed tone. "Summon Guest Fang Youlong without delay."
1. Usually a humorous term for kids and pets, referring to the fact they cost a lot of money to maintain. See /r/DoesNotTranslate/comments/126ghie/chinese_%E5%90%9E%E9%87%91%E5%85%BD_a_humorous_term_for_kids_and_pets/ ☜