Aotian looked with satisfaction at the pile of jade slips in front of his avatars.

Even though he had already synthesized Founder-Tier techniques, he had used only the minimum amount of information to create near-perfect versions. With a broader information base, they could inch closer and closer to perfection, slightly increasing the power of the techniques. Even if the improvement wasn’t drastic, it would still enhance their performance.

Still, it would be a long process, because even with the nearly 50,000 Refiner-Tier spells he had obtained previously, he had not yet reached perfection in the techniques he had synthesized at that level — which demonstrated how difficult it was to achieve it.

It was similar to trying to reach the speed of light. At the moment, Aotian could say his techniques were at 99% of the speed of light, but to hit 100% real perfection was incredibly difficult — and the improvement wouldn’t even be that significant.

Because of this, Aotian stopped seeking Refiner-Tier techniques and spells himself, transferring that task to the disciples, who would slowly fill in that knowledge gap until perfection was reached. As for auxiliary cultivation heritage techniques, he would continue to acquire a few, since there was still plenty of room for improvement.

From the Bamboo Sword Sect, he acquired:

Core-Tier jade slips:

– 10 Cultivation Techniques

– 57 Spells

– 1 Alchemy Heritage

Founder-Tier jade slips:

– 120 Cultivation Techniques

– 920 Spells

– Several Auxiliary Cultivation Heritages — no more than 10 for each of the major categories

Together with some good-quality Refiner-Tier auxiliary heritages, which they sold for a low price, a total of about 7,900 mid-grade elemental stones were spent by Aotian to acquire everything. Fortunately, Bao Wuji had synthesized many elemental stones before leaving.

The actual number of spirit stones Aotian used to make the acquisition possible was 7.9 million low-grade spirit stones.

Though it might seem like a high amount, compared to the billions of spirit stones he had acquired from the Shi family — and what his other avatars would soon bring back after attacking other cultivation cities, not to mention the disciples mining in various mines — well, Aotian wasn’t the least bit concerned about this small expense.

Leaving Bao Hui the task of organizing the techniques, from Tian Zhu’s perspective, his gaze turned toward the sect leader Jian, who was observing the pile of elemental stones received from the deal alongside the Bamboo Sword Sect elders.

It was obvious they were all very excited. Those small, colorful crystals could bring about significant changes to their sect.

Although it was said that an elemental crystal was worth a thousand times the price of a stone of the same level, that was only true because only low-grade crystals existed in extremely limited quantities.

However, when a large number of them were gathered, it was possible to bring real change to a sect’s strength. In such cases, their value skyrocketed even more.

Aotian was aware of that thanks to the information he had gathered, but he felt the trade wasn’t all that unfair. He needed the techniques, and since the Bamboo Sword Sect was a righteous sect, he didn’t want to simply steal from them. Besides, it was easy for him to condense elemental stones with Bao Wuji, so he didn’t assign them much value.

He also didn’t believe that using the crystals in the negotiation would pose any risk to him. After all, the Bamboo Sword Sect had received a considerable number of elemental stones, and spreading such information would only put their own sect in danger.

And if there was some spy hiding among them, he wasn’t worried. First, he knew that only Golden Core sects existed on the desert continents.

Second, by the time any possible enemies planned and executed an actual attack — assuming they had the courage and didn’t fear the mysterious newly risen sect — Bao Wuji would already have returned, and his own main body would likely have reached the Foundation Establishment realm.

So he wasn’t too concerned.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Tian Zhu calmly walked over to the Bamboo Sword Sect members, who immediately grew alert at the approach of the powerful and mysterious leader of the Infinite Dao Sect.

Jian Huiyin took a step forward, positioning herself in front of her sect’s elders like a mother hen guarding her chicks.

“Leader Jian, I’d like to speak with you privately,” Tian Zhu said indifferently.

Jian Huiyin also kept an expressionless face, but her eyes revealed a slight flash of doubt.

She nodded lightly and followed Tian Zhu, who, upon receiving confirmation, turned and walked away calmly.

However, just as she was about to leave the hall, she stopped and glanced at the elders of her sect, who stood beside the elders of the Infinite Dao Sect, and hesitated to leave.

If she left and the enemy elders attacked, she wouldn’t have time to react.

But Tian Zhu noticed her concern and understood.

He then looked at his own elders.

“Lie Zheng, if you’re done, grab the items and wait for me on the ship,” He said, drawing the attention of the elders from the Infinite Dao Sect.

Lie Zheng and the others showed slight confusion on their faces — feigned, of course — but they nodded in agreement, gathered their belongings, bid farewell to the Bamboo Sword Sect elders, and left.

Jian Huiyin looked at Tian Zhu, inwardly surprised by his respectful attitude. For enemies who had attacked her sect — and even won — they were being extremely courteous.

Seeing that the visitors had returned to their ship, Jian Huiyin followed Tian Zhu more calmly into the sky, still illuminated by the sun’s glow, as it was still early in the day.

In the skies, Tian Zhu stood still, as if standing on solid ground, hands behind his back, admiring the dignified Bamboo Sword Sect.

The mountain where the Bamboo Sword Sect was located was many times larger than Black Rock Mountain — approximately forty times more expansive.

Aotian, through Tian Zhu, analyzed more deeply and discovered something surprising.

The vein in the mountain was only a perfect second-grade spiritual vein, and the third-grade environment — which corresponds to the Golden Core realm — had been created by condensing the mountain’s energy through formations.

Only perfect-grade veins could condense the initial environment of a higher realm.

‘That makes sense. Spiritual veins are extremely rare, so even Golden Core sects don’t necessarily live atop third-grade veins. Those Founder-Tier cities I’m targeting are similar. Although their veins are labeled as initial, mid, high, or perfect second-grade, their actual rank is a level below what they present — just like Black Rock Mountain, which is only a perfect first-grade vein,’ Aotian reflected, finding it reasonable.

‘But thinking further, if a perfect third-grade vein existed, would it be able to condense fourth-grade energy, enough for Nascent Soul cultivators to be born? No, I don’t think so. Rihai had already said that in the four desert continents, the ambient spiritual energy is too thin and weak for fourth-grade veins to form. They require enough energy to trigger a quantitative and qualitative shift. So, probably not even a perfect third-grade vein could condense fourth-order energy without collapsing.’

Having concluded that train of thought, he turned his gaze to the Bamboo Sword Sect itself.

It was vast, with clusters of life auras hidden in certain places — likely disciples and external elders shielding themselves while in hiding.

Clouds of spiritual energy occasionally drifted over the mountain, golden runes glowed on buildings, and the landscape was beautiful, adorned with large sword monuments.

It seemed like a mortal-realm city stepping into transcendence with the immortal — though not as awe-inspiring as Aotian had imagined.

There were no floating islands, no dragons singing or phoenixes flapping their wings — not even white cranes flying around. It was, in a way, quite ordinary.

As Tian Zhu remained still in the sky, observing all of it, Jian Huiyin arrived behind him.

“What does the leader of the Infinite Dao Sect wish to speak to me about?” She asked, her gray eyes calm and indifferent. She still didn’t know his name.

Tian Zhu’s body, calmly floating in midair, turned to her and watched her.

“I want to make you a proposal,” He said directly.

But the only thing that greeted him was an indifferent gaze.

It was a simple contest of apathy.

Tian Zhu, staying in character, wasn’t bothered by her lack of reaction.

“My Infinite Dao Sect is currently in a wandering and training phase. We intend to explore this world entirely before moving on to the next. However, for certain reasons, our sect hasn’t recruited women as elders until now,” He said, making Jian Huiyin slightly startled by his words.

‘This world? The next world? Is he talking about the myth of ascension? Is he delusional?’

That was her first thought, but when she remembered the mid-grade elemental stones they had brought — stones that shouldn’t exist in the desert continents — something dawned on her.

‘Could they actually leave the desert continent?! Impossible! But that would be the best explanation for the mid-grade elemental stones—after all, only those mythical continents are said to possess such stones. But how? According to ancestral knowledge and information shared among Golden Core sects, the waters separating us from the inner continents are infested with sea beasts comparable to Golden Core and even Nascent Soul cultivators. It’s impossible to cross! Unless…’

Many thoughts raced through her mind, and as she reached the end of that path, a possibility made her heart race.

‘…they have cultivators beyond the Golden Core!’

Her gaze grew heavier.

“What do you want from me?” She asked directly, trying to calm herself.

“It’s simple. Our sect needs female elders. Some disciples may feel uncomfortable if the sect’s leadership is composed only of men. But the requirements for our sect’s elders are beyond the ordinary. You possess a special physique, you are a woman, and you are a just sect leader — a trait our sect values deeply,” Tian Zhu explained his motivations with his ethereal voice and expressionless face.

Jian Huiyin’s eyes widened slightly. She wasn’t surprised that he knew about her special physique — after all, he had invaded her spiritual roots earlier during the fight.

But her shock came from his audacity to consider poaching someone from her sect — and not just anyone, but her, the sect leader.

“You’re asking me to abandon my sect… to become an elder in yours?” She asked, slightly dazed, though also inwardly a bit annoyed.

“Yes. And if I were you, I wouldn’t rush to refuse before hearing the terms, because our sect does not offer second chances after a rejection,” Tian Zhu said with not a trace of emotion in his voice.

Her lips parted slightly to refuse, but after hesitating a bit, she closed them.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Speak.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep