Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Time slipped away just like that.

Over the past week and a half, Jiang Ding had learned how to inscribe the Formation Method for semi-magic tool heavy machine guns. Once he became proficient, he continued studying the Formation Methods for semi-magic tool pistols and submachine guns, gaining a thorough understanding of their production.

Besides that, taking advantage of his free time, he also dug out the very obscure semi-magic tool cold weapons from the Xianmen Library and consulted with the old master craftsmen in the steel factory, making significant gains.

Inside Sword Casting Manor.

The roots of the Cilan Spirit Tree burrowed out of the pot and deep into the ground, forged entirely of metal, dazzling and radiant under the sunlight, its surroundings as hot as a furnace.

Bang, Bang, Bang!

Jiang Ding’s palms continuously struck the glowing hot iron embryo, clear palm prints emerged and then were covered over, shaking out the impurities and infusing the right amount of carbon elements, gradually transforming it into the likeness of steel.

Tossed into the furnace to heat a while longer, he then fished it out.

”...It’s best to upgrade a close-combat sword to a semi-magic tool to accumulate experience for inscribing Formation Methods on the sword embryo in the future...”

Jiang Ding continued to think about this.

”The key is the Spirit Mine, and I have one: a very ordinary piece of first-order Gold Spirit Iron. Next is the crushing and refining of real Gold Spirit Iron.”

”There’s no need to take the first-order ore too seriously. Set up a blast furnace, and four or five thousand degrees Celsius will definitely do the job. Of course, I’d be a fool to do it so primitively.”

Ten minutes later, a glinting longsword was lifted from the water, dispersing large clouds of steam.

Casually stabbing the longsword into the ground, Jiang Ding sat down cross-legged next to the Cilan Spirit Tree that had grown a few centimeters taller and took out an elixir from his bosom.

Ginseng Essence Qi Fixing Elixir!

After a delay over the New Year, it had finally arrived today.

”I wonder how effective it will be? It’s definitely not going to be tenfold—the difference between Inner Energy in the Large Circle of Vital Energy and the Small Circle of Vital Energy is vast. In addition, after the boost from the Blue-Gold Potion, my aptitude is no longer what it used to be.”

Jiang Ding revealed a look of anticipation and swallowed one of the six elixirs.

Threads of gentle Spiritual Power came from his stomach and were absorbed by the network of the Twelve Primary Channels and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians of the Large Circle of Vital Energy, delivering it to each corner of the meridians that were being nurtured and fine-tuned.

”...Four hundred and fifty, the tiny meridians that are refined daily have increased by this much.”

Jiang Ding closed his eyes to feel it and found it acceptable.

Naturally, a first-order elixir couldn’t always multiply the speed of cultivation by several times. It actually has a fixed value and provides relatively less of an increase to those of higher realms.

In addition to this bottle of elixir, a few days ago, he traded the Xu-Breaking Pill for three strands of Centennial Magical Ginseng with Princess Qinghechang Chen Xi. After using one of them to exchange for a first-order Optical Camouflage Technique Array Flag, he sent the rest to an online qualified and official Elixir Refinery.

These items should arrive within seven or eight days.

”All in all, these elixirs combined could shorten my cultivation time by a good half a month.”

After calculating for a moment, Jiang Ding said with excitement.

It’s now February, and the college entrance exam is on the 25th of June, which means he was certain to achieve Eaglet Innate before the exam—not to mention the possibility of perfecting another Cultivation Method breakthrough.

He glanced at Jindao School; they were still immersed in cultivation...

Jiang Ding suddenly stood up, the blue sapling shuddered, its branches and roots trembling, shrinking down, transforming into a pale blue sword rainbow that flew into his hand.

”Finally... Excellent, I thought you were going to be a recluse forever.”

He tapped the ground with one foot, the surging Inner Energy smoothed over the countless tiny holes in the indented ground, and with another tap, his figure disappeared from view.

...

In Yuejing,

Having lost a large number of fighting warriors, the city was gradually returning to prosperity.

This was purely a group engaged in consumption and violence, and for the time being, no avenue for promoting productivity was apparent.

”The Qixuan Secret Cave has finally been found.”

”The six major schools and the Righteous and Demonic Paths have sealed off the area for several tens of kilometers around the Secret Cave, not allowing anyone to enter.”

People were discussing this on the streets; in the past few months, this topic had never left the heart of Yuejing.

”The high-level Innate experts actually gave one of the Innate Pills found in the Secret Cave to ’Meteor Electric Sword’ Zhou Weitu!” an envious old man who had learned a few moves said, ”We’re going to have another Innate elder.”

Jiang Ding had reverted to his true appearance and, with the Art of Small Concealment fully activated, left the city in a very short time, heading towards Jindaoshan Mountain.

Suddenly, he paused.

”He’s disappeared.”

Jiang Ding’s brows knit tightly together, not moving forward, but instead stepping into the shade of a large tree.

From the drone’s point of view, the figure in the black robe left Jindaoshan Mountain and headed southeast towards the direction of the Qixuan Secret Cave. After covering twenty some kilometers, he suddenly vanished, using some optical camouflage technique and was no longer traceable.

”Is he really using another means to travel, or has he secretly circled back, lying in ambush?”

Jiang Ding shivered.

Suppressing his intense longing for the Taiqing Spirit Iron, he continued to hide and wait, ordering one of the four drones in the sky to fly towards the Qixuan Secret Cave, an area he had not paid much attention to before.

”No rush, no rush, my Taiqing Spirit Iron is still there. I’ll wait until a figure is spotted near the Qixuan Secret Cave before taking action.”

His eyes closed slightly, he actually began to cultivate.

Eight full hours later, the sun had turned into the moon, day had turned into night, the wilderness was pitch-black, with the chirping of insects sounding incessantly, and a small bird rested beside his hand.

”Someone’s coming.”

Jiang Ding’s eyes opened silently, and the little bird didn’t notice a thing.

Jindaoshan Mountain.

As one of the six renowned schools in the world, even at night, every intersection was brightly lit, with disciples guarding them carefully, not daring to relax in the slightest.

But what they couldn’t see was an utterly transparent shadow silently passing in front of them, flying seven or eight meters above the ground, rendering all their vigilant defenses useless.

”It’s not the man in the black robe.”

Jiang Ding deduced. This person could only manage optical invisibility and could not evade even the thermal sensing and miniature radar of civilian drones. He was inferior to the person in the black robe and possibly hadn’t anticipated this aspect.

Having the ability to fly low meant he must be at least a cultivator in the later stages of Qi practicing.

The figure had a clear target—the Blood Pool at the Jindao School’s Ancestor Temple. He did not change his direction, heading straight there.

Dozens of meters away from the Blood Pool, the shadow stopped, gazing at the knife embryo occasionally exposed by the roiling blood within the pool.

”This is the blade embryo of the Hua Xue Magical Blade, unique to one of the three great Yuanlao Clans of the Xuetu Hall.”

The shadow was an old man appearing to be in his fifties, wearing a robe adorned with flame patterns, his voice filled with greed: ”Legend has it that this blade embryo is not only exceptionally sharp, slicing through shields like mud, but also lethal upon touch to cultivators, turning them into a pool of strengthening blood. After the blade is successfully forged, it can also add a twenty percent chance to foundation building.”

”Even within the Hua Xue Yu Clan, only a few direct disciples of each generation can cultivate this technique. This person’s status in the Xuetu Hall must be extraordinary.”

”Clear Spirit Magic Eyes, activate!”

He mobilized his mana, focusing it towards his eyes. Runes flickered as shades within his pupils, and sure enough, despite the seemingly empty surroundings of the Blood Pool, he could see a dense mesh of Formation Method lines concealing every corner of space.

”Xuetu Hall’s first-order top-tier Formation Method, Blood Ghost Prison Kill Array. Even a cultivator at the peak of Qi practicing would struggle to break free once caught in it.”

He muttered to himself, pulling out a compass and calculating for a moment, looking confident.

”Quick!”

Pinching together the Mana Technique, a scorching magic bead flew out from his bosom. With layers of dark red flames around it, yet without shedding a hint of light, it startled none of the people from the Jindao School.

It crashed headlong into the Formation Method.

Out of nowhere, dark blood strands appeared on the previously empty ground, obstructing the bead’s path, hissing as they dissolved it, yet not triggering any further alterations to the array.

”No errors in my calculation.”

The old Daoist exhaled a breath of relief, his expression serious.

”Once the Formation Method is activated, that person will surely notice. I must break through the formation and take the knife embryo within a quarter of an hour.”

Time passed, and the blood strands thinned increasingly.

The elder held his breath, ready to snatch the knife embryo and flee the moment the Formation Method broke, but then he heard a sigh, ”It seems Qiyu Sect has only sent you this time. What a pity.”

”Not good!”

The old Daoist’s complexion turned ashen, and without a second thought, he burst forth with all his mana to flee down the mountain.

A pain struck his chest, and a pair of flesh palms, which he hadn’t noticed before, punctured his chest to extract a beating heart, casually tossing it into the Blood Pool.

The old Daoist’s head tilted, and he fell to the ground.

”...”

Tens of kilometers away, Jiang Ding remained silent.