Xiang Tianheng had departed. Zi Qiangwei, however, along with several great cultivators who had accompanied them, remained behind. These great cultivators would shoulder the responsibility of guarding the Purple Firmament Institute, ensuring that no hostile forces could threaten Yaoguang, a future artifact-refinement grandmaster.

Yaoguang did not refuse these forces assigned to protect him either. When his own strength was still insufficient to guarantee his safety, choosing to live in a relatively secure environment was a prudent decision.

After seeing off Xiang Tianheng, Zhao Siliang, Zhang Jianlin, and the others, he instructed Yun Lai, Wei Yan, and the rest to upgrade the production lines before returning to his own courtyard. He took inventory of what he had obtained from that single meeting with Xiang Tianheng; there was no doubt the gains were substantial.

Even though he now belonged to an ultra-high-income bracket, earning tens of thousands a month, he still had to admit just how generous this string of gifts from Xiang Tianheng had been. They included people, territory, pills, astras, spirit stones, orders...

"This Nine Cauldrons Sect..." He smiled. "It's not bad at all."

Soon after, he focused his attention on his mental world. Although the order for one thousand improved Purple Firmament Type 12 flying swords had not yet been delivered and the transaction was not complete, the new assets he had received, such as the Psyche-Transforming Pill, the storage pouch, and the Yaoguang World, caused his Merchant experience to surge significantly.

"Once the improved Purple Firmament Type 12 shows its edge on the battlefield, I will inevitably be pushed into the spotlight and become known to all. Yet I intend to hold my level for a while longer. In that case, the right path is to arm the Nine Cauldrons Sect as quickly as possible and make my external environment secure..." Yaoguang muttered.

His gaze shifted to the Refiner branch. When the previous batch of Purple Firmament Type 12 had been delivered, his Refiner branch had already broken through to a level equivalent to a grandmaster, allowing him to refine astra-level flying swords. Moreover, it had given rise to an extremely remarkable trait.

"Artifact Lord." Yaoguang sensed this trait.

"By improving array patterns, it allows astras to become compatible with psychic thought, enabling psychic thought to control flying swords in the same way psychic consciousness does."

Psychic will, psychic consciousness, and psychic thought were all new forms born from the transformation of mental power, each with its own strengths.

Yet because all three originated from mental power, when any one of them was cultivated to an extreme, it could also give rise to effects associated with the other two systems. For example, a great cultivator at the Primordial Psyche Realm could also use psychic thought to control flying swords. It was just that the efficiency was inferior even to that of a high-tier sword cultivator.

But now, with the Artifact Lord trait, his psychic thought could control flying swords to kill enemies in much the same way that a sword cultivator of the same realm used psychic consciousness.

Of course, compared to a true sword cultivator of the same level, the efficiency was still lower. After all, their sword techniques and sword arts had not been cultivated in vain.

However, if he had enough tools available, letting sword cultivators control the flying swords in combat and then transferring control to him at the final moment, the level of coordination would far surpass that of a primordial psyche great cultivator guiding them with psychic thought alone.

"Spirit artifacts are, in the end, still spirit artifacts. In battles that truly decide the life or death of a sect, most of the weapons used are still at the treasured artifact level. For cost efficiency, ordinary treasured artifacts are used. For precise, lethal, focused strikes, high-grade treasured artifacts are used. If the Nine Cauldrons Sect wants to grow strong, it will be best if everyone is equipped with treasured artifacts," Yaoguang said.

Yaoguang had gained a rough understanding of the number of great cultivators within the Nine Cauldrons Sect. From what he gathered, there were about 800 sword cultivators, roughly 600 spell cultivators, around 6000 body cultivators, and the remaining psyche cultivators numbered about 150. Of course, these figures were just inferred from the information available to him, and the actual numbers likely fluctuated.

Among the 800 sword cultivators, those who had cultivated to the peak of the Foundation Building Realm and ignited Truefire, or who had established a Dao Foundation and condensed an inner core as third-tier great sword cultivators, numbered just over 200. As for fourth-tier great sword cultivators who had established a Dao Foundation and ignited Truefire, there were probably only 40 or so.

As for Golden Core seeds who had established immortal foundations... Those were classified as top-secret information. Even someone like Zhao Siliang, a side branch's sect master, likely didn't know any details about those cultivators. Any data circulating outside on that matter had no reference value at all. But, based on these numbers, Yaoguang could make an estimate...

"200 high-grade treasured artifacts and 600 low-grade treasured artifacts." This was the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s current demand for treasured artifacts.

Yet at present, the Nine Cauldrons Sect was only capable of producing first-generation treasured artifacts. Among second-generation treasured artifacts, it could not even produce low-grade flying swords and had to purchase them from the Thousand-Beast Sect, with each sword costing at least 100 thousand spirit stones.

600 second-generation low-grade treasured swords would cost no less than 60 million spirit stones. The Nine Cauldrons Sect’s total annual spirit stone output did not even reach that figure.

After deducting cultivators’ daily cultivation expenses, array maintenance, refined artifact upkeep, and other operational costs, the amount allocated to the Warfare Hall each year was only a little over 10 million.

The Warfare Hall itself had all kinds of expenditures. In the end, the portion that reached the Flying Sword Department for equipment procurement was only two to three million.

"In theory, the Flying Sword Department’s procurement budget is only two to three million. But if I produce second-generation flying swords, or even third-generation ones, and keep the price under a hundred thousand spirit stones, the Nine Cauldrons Sect would probably tighten its belt and still buy a hundred or so. Besides, I am holding my level right now. Purchasing cultivation pills can be postponed. As for spirit stones, how much can I alone really use in daily life?" Yaoguang pondered.

Yaoguang broadened his thinking. "What is the essence of a merchant? Through trade, operations, and production, providing society with the goods and services it needs. If the Nine Cauldrons Sect lacks spirit stones, I can simply circulate the spirit stones I earn from elsewhere back into the sect. At worst, I just won’t gain Merchant experience when there’s no profit."

He turned his attention back to the Refiner branch. In the next moment, all the experience brought by the Psyche-Transforming Pill, the storage pouch, the spirit stones, and the other resources he had gained was poured into that branch. The progress of the Refiner branch quickly rose from 3% to 12%.

Yaoguang did a brief calculation and felt somewhat surprised. "So it actually takes around one and a half million spirit stones to push it to 100%?"

He had originally thought that around 1.2 million would be enough. But the required amount had just proved to be higher. After a moment, Yaoguang recalled the scene at the Xie family banquet.

"Although I chose to hold my level, the influence brought by my artifact refinement ability caused my status and position to rise significantly. Someone of my rank personally refining and selling artifacts will naturally increase the labor costs." Yaoguang realized the root of the issue.

Strength represented labor costs. Status also fell within the category of labor costs. Its impact was simply less obvious than that of strength, which was why he had failed to notice it earlier.

This time, he had directly entered the Nine Cauldrons Sect higher-ups' field of vision, and he was regarded as a future artifact-refinement grandmaster. Naturally, his weight and standing had noticeably increased. If he were to refine a treasured artifact and truly display the standards of an artifact-refinement grandmaster...

"Unless I refrain from refining treasured artifacts and continue to maintain the spirit artifact market under the identity of an artifact-refinement master, once I refine a treasured artifact and demonstrate true grandmaster-level skill, my standing within the Nine Cauldrons Sect will likely rank among the top few dozen. At that point, the cost brought by status will exceed the cost brought by strength." Yaoguang understood this clearly.

Just like now. He was clearly not yet a great cultivator, yet he already had a small team of great cultivators stationed at his side to protect his safety.

"So there really are not that many exploits for me to abuse," Yaoguang said without showing much worry.

If he could hold his level, he would. If he could not, he would not become anxious over it. An artifact-refinement grandmaster was simply too important. Once he refined third-generation treasured artifacts, he would inevitably become a target of assassination by forces hostile to the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

Even if the sect sent more experts to protect him at that time, he still would not feel safe enough. Relying on others was never as good as relying on oneself. Therefore, when that step arrived, he would also choose to raise his own strength to the level of a great cultivator.

For now, it merely gave him one more reason to improve his strength.

"Besides, once I reach the great cultivator tier, the ancient tree should grow new branches." Yaoguang steadied his mindset. "During this period, whenever I have free time, I will read books on qi refinement and alchemy. I wonder which one will eventually light up."

Qi refinement meant that he would achieve simultaneous cultivation of essence, qi, and psyche. Alchemy, on the other hand, meant that his future cultivation path would become self-sustaining. Once his realm rose, he could rely on various top-tier pills to rapidly elevate his strength. Either way, Yaoguang would gladly accept it.

In the time that followed, the Purple Firmament Institute under Yaoguang’s leadership focused on producing the improved Purple Firmament Type 12 flying swords.

Because this batch of flying swords used minerals and array patterns refined by the Nine Cauldrons Sect itself, the profit margins were actually higher. Each flying sword produced earned him over three hundred spirit stones.

That level of income was already a hundred times that of those great cultivators fighting on the front lines.

Of course, the production efficiency of high-grade spirit artifact flying swords was slightly slower compared to low-grade ones. Monthly output was only around two hundred, but even so, he still earned sixty thousand spirit stones in a single month. Once the order for over a thousand flying swords was completed, his total profit would exceed three hundred thousand.

Just as he delivered the second batch of two hundred improved Purple Firmament Type 12 flying swords, Zi Qiangwei also completed the repair and reconstruction of the Star Gate. However, Yaoguang, who was busy refining spirit artifacts, could not spare the time to return.

Instead, he directly summoned Kong Xuan and Zong Yan. At the same time, he had someone call Xie Yushu over to discuss how the Snowdragon Empire would transfer its power as a world hegemon to the Su family’s Xiayu.

"You have three tasks on this trip." Inside the room, Yaoguang looked at Kong Xuan and Zong Yan and handed them an instrument loaded with spirit stones. "This is a spirit-measuring device. Your first task is to select a group of cultivators with decent talent, under thirty years old. Their cultivation level can be as low as a martial master. These people will form our initial core, and I will personally train them."

Zong Yan looked at the instrument Yaoguang handed over. It was not large, but even a single intact spirit stone could only support a little over a thousand tests. The spiritual energy consumption was astonishingly high.

Normally, even the Crimson Star and Snowdragon Empires' imperial families were reluctant to use such a thing. Yet according to Yaoguang’s intent, any martial master under thirty qualified for a test... At the very least, that meant tens of thousands of tests. In other words, several hundred spirit stones would be consumed.

"The second task..." Yaoguang spread out a batch of pills. "For those members of the Su family who are unwilling to come over, have them take these pills. They will remain stationed in the Yaoguang World from now on. These pills are enough to cultivate over a hundred people to the fourth or fifth realm of body refinement."

"Yes," Kong Xuan replied solemnly.

"The third task is to receive the Yaoguang World. The Xie family will cooperate with you at that time..."

He glanced at Zong Yan, then at Kong Xuan. The two immediately understood Yaoguang’s meaning.

Just as Kong Xuan was about to volunteer, Zong Yan spoke first. "Sacred Lord, for now, let me be the one to remain stationed in the Yaoguang World."

He sighed softly. "The Artifact Sect, a place worthy of being called a sacred land... I have already been there. But unless I encounter no other opportunities in this lifetime, I believe I will never have hope of becoming a high-tier cultivator. Rather than wasting my remaining years here, I might as well return and live out my days in peace."

"Sure." Yaoguang pushed another box forward. "But to guard a world, your current cultivation is not enough. Take these pills. They should help you become a heavenly being."

Zong Yan nodded and did not refuse.

"Go. Make sure that everything in the Yaoguang World runs smoothly," Yaoguang said.

Zong Yan nodded solemnly. Right now, guarding the rear was the only way he could continue to contribute what strength he had left.