On the way back, the reverence in Zong Yan’s gaze toward Yaoguang deepened once more.

The position of top professor at an imperial academy wasn't one that just anyone was qualified to hold. At the very least, one had to earn a high-level evaluation in a specific sub-profession to be called a professor. Such individuals, even if they chose not to teach, possessed professional skills that allowed them to thrive in any environment. For the vast majority of people, a professor was the highest-level figure they would ever encounter in their lifetime.

This was especially true for Professor Lin Sen, a high-level professor capable of serving as the principal investigator for a major research project. Further up, the special-level professors were essentially the pillars of an entire discipline within an imperial academy.

Beyond that were those graced with the title of master. These included artifact-refinement masters, alchemy masters, and array art masters, among others. The status of such figures was in no way inferior to that of an elder of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. However, they would rarely be found in the imperial academies; they primarily conducted research in those departments and institutes that were directly under the jurisdiction of the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

"Is something about to happen? The streets and streetlights are being decorated," Yaoguang’s voice suddenly rang out.

Zong Yan pulled his psyche back and glanced outside. "Next month will be the 90th anniversary of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. The entire sect will celebrate then. Additionally, a grand competitive ceremony will be held at the headquarters in Chaoyang City. Powerhouses from the four major systems—body cultivators, sword cultivators, spell cultivators, and psyche cultivators—will all be dispatched to attend. It is said that the sword cultivators will even showcase the Dragon-Cry Flying Sword, the latest model independently developed and refined by our Nine Cauldrons Sect."

"The Dragon-Cry Flying Sword," Yaoguang muttered.

As a major sect of body cultivators, the Nine Cauldrons Sect did not lack for numbers or relevant battle armor, but in terms of sword cultivators, they had never formed their own combat system. This was because the quality of the flying swords refined internally by the Nine Cauldrons Sect was poor; they often relied on purchasing them from other sects.

However, when purchasing flying swords from other sects, there was no telling what hidden traps might have been left inside. A life-bound flying sword was something intimately connected to a cultivator’s very life. If something went wrong, an entire batch of cultivators could get controlled and reduced to puppets. Yet, for a sword cultivator, the life-bound flying sword was the most vital asset. If its quality was mediocre, three to five sword cultivators from the Nine Cauldrons Sect might not be a match for a single enemy sword cultivator of the same realm.

As the first independently refined flying sword, if the Dragon-Cry Flying Sword could truly mend the Nine Cauldrons Sect's shortcomings, it would inevitably grant the sect more authority within Cangwu. At the very least, those sects in the East Sea's islands and the Shiwan Mountains would not dare to occupy the sect's territory and declare they now ruled over it.

Still, the specific capabilities of the Dragon-Cry Flying Sword remained to be seen, including what level of sword cultivator it was designed for, its maximum speed, its energy consumption, and its destructive power. If the quality was insufficient, even if the flying sword was successfully refined, it might not add much deterrence to the Nine Cauldrons Sect, and it might even become a laughingstock for other sects.

These things have little to do with me for the time being. Yaoguang thought to himself.

"Yaoguang, haven't you always been curious about just how powerful the Nine Cauldrons Sect is? You should be able to see it clearly this time," Zong Yan said with a smile.

"I know," Yaoguang replied. "They might be lacking in terms of sword, spell, and psyche cultivators, but as a major body cultivator sect capable of rivaling the Six Great Immortal Sects, I estimate that the number of star lords the Nine Cauldrons Sect possesses must be in the thousands. And the number of high-tier cultivators capable of taking to the battlefield will likely be in the tens of thousands."

"Tens of thousands? I'm afraid it's over a hundred thousand," Zong Yan corrected. "Don't forget, almost every one of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's vassal worlds has several high-tier cultivators stationed there. When you add all those people up, it is no small number."

"Vassal worlds," Yaoguang repeated the phrase.

Beyond the Great Cangwu World, there were 108,000 stars. However...

"Wasn't it said that remnants of the Lunar Fiend forces are lurking in the vassal worlds, and the Nine Cauldrons Sect has yet to begin recovering the worlds that originally belonged to the Artifact Sect?"

"They just haven't fully launched the recovery of those worlds. But for those they can contact, they basically have. As far as I know, the Nine Cauldrons Sect is currently in contact with over three thousand vassal worlds." Zong Yan spoke with a hint of awe. "Even if we calculate based on a population of one billion per world, that is still equivalent to indirectly governing three trillion souls."

Three trillion! Even Yaoguang was shaken by this figure.

"One can only imagine the talents selected from three trillion people," Zong Yan remarked.

Yaoguang thought of how even high-tier cultivators in the Nine Cauldrons Sect could, at most, ensure a good life for themselves and benefit only a few people around them in this social structure. He nodded slightly. Against such a giant, if he wanted to have a voice in the Nine Cauldrons Sect in the future, he estimated he would have to become a great cultivator and a star lord.

"I hope I can get a share of the spirit stones from Lin Sen’s project this time. I don't need much; even ten percent would be enough for me to step into the eighth realm of body refinement in the coming months," Yaoguang said as he calmed his mind.

***

While Yaoguang returned to his residence, the lights remained bright within the project team led by Lin Sen at the Longxiang Imperial Academy. This project was spearheaded by special-level professor Qin Yadong, with Lin Sen and Guo Wen responsible for its execution, supported by a research team of dozens.

Following Lin Sen's arrival with Yaoguang's model, they quickly applied for Psyche Dao cultivators specializing in calculations to conduct a verification. By the next morning, when the results came out, the entire project team erupted in excitement.

"The spiritual energy consumption actually dropped to 99?! Quick! Send this data to Professor Qin immediately! No! I’ll go there myself!" Lin Sen rushed toward the exit with the good news.

Before he could reach the door, Qin Yadong had already arrived at the project site. "No need, I’m here. I heard you all were busy all night. I figured there must have been a breakthrough, otherwise you wouldn't be working overtime like this. Well? What are the results?"

"The latest data is that the spiritual energy consumption for ten thousand kilometers is at 99!" Lin Sen quickly handed the data to Qin Yadong.

"99?! Did we actually meet the target set by the higher-ups?" Joy appeared on Qin Yadong’s face. "Wasn't it at 118 not long ago? How did it suddenly drop to 99?"

"Professor Qin, do you remember that man named Yaoguang I mentioned to you?" Lin Sen asked.

Qin Yadong immediately recalled the name. The reason their spiritual energy consumption had dropped from 135 to 118 previously was precisely because the person named Yaoguang had given them some advice. And now, he...

"Professor Qin, I have a suggestion. We should invite him to join our project team." As Lin Sen spoke, he laid out the data in his hands. "While I was waiting for the verification results last night, I carefully examined the modifications he made. Many areas seemed to imply there was more to come. Perhaps he held something back, but more likely... it was because he hadn't observed the full design of the Immortal Shadow 60."

"Are you saying... if he were allowed to see all the data for the Immortal Shadow 60, the spiritual energy consumption could be lowered even further?!" Qin Yadong’s face was filled with shock.

"99 just barely reaches the leading standard of Cangwu. Although it has a lot of marketing appeal, if the consumption could be reduced a bit more, not even by much, just down to 95, it would be among the top levels in the entire Heavenly Star Continent," Lin Sen said.

A sharp light flickered in Lin Sen's eyes. "If this were publicized, it would be a powerful boost for all the internal independent research institutions within our Nine Cauldrons Sect. Not only would it put our Longxiang Imperial Academy in the eyes of the sect's higher-ups and secure more funding, but it would also greatly boost the confidence of the sect members and improve their mental strength."

Qin Yadong did not reply immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze toward a high-tier cultivator standing beside him. "Little Zhou, have you cleared up his background yet?"

Lin Sen was slightly taken aback, but he quickly realized it was only logical. Although the Immortal Shadow 60 was a civilian project, it still carried a certain level of security clearance. It was not strange for Qin Yadong to order a secret investigation into a refiner who had suddenly appeared and possessed such exquisite refinement techniques.

"The investigation is complete. He comes from a vassal world, specifically, Artifact-Nurturing World No. 108 from the era of the Artifact Sect..." the high-tier cultivator named Zhou Hao said quickly.

Qin Yadong nodded slightly upon hearing this. Coming from a vassal world basically ruled out the possibility of him being a spy for other forces. Furthermore, since he had passed through the Fiend Detection Platform, there were no issues with his identity.

As he listened, Qin Yadong suddenly caught a crucial detail. "Wait! What did you just say?! The previous sentence..."

Zhou Hao knew what he wanted to ask and immediately repeated, "According to the investigation, his age this year is indeed only twenty-one."

"Twenty-one?! And you said before that his cultivation in body refinement has already reached the Seventh Heavenly Realm? A high-tier cultivator?" Qin Yadong asked in a startled voice.

"Wait? Seventh Heavenly Realm in body refinement? Isn't he a middle-tier cultivator at the Sixth Heavenly Realm of psyche refinement?" Lin Sen could not help but speak up as well.

"Sixth Heavenly Realm of psyche refinement?!" Qin Yadong looked at Lin Sen in astonishment. "He has reached the sixth realm in the path of psyche refinement?"

"Yes. I saw him operate my workstation with my own eyes. That kind of efficiency is at least at the Sixth Heavenly Realm of psyche refinement, and his mastery within that realm is quite profound," Lin Sen said.

After speaking, he glanced at Zhou Hao and then at Qin Yadong. Qin Yadong was likewise staring back at him in mutual shock. In the next second, both men inhaled and gasped simultaneously. "Dual cultivation!"

"He has the talent for dual cultivation!" A hint of excitement flashed in their eyes. "We actually discovered a dual cultivation talent, one in a hundred million?"

"He seems to be... a dual cultivator of body and psyche refinements," Zhou Hao reminded them from the side.

These words caused the two men to calm down slightly. Then, they were overcome by a sense of regret. "Why must it be body and psyche refinements..."

"If only it were a dual cultivation of spell cultivation and psyche refinement, how great would that be? He could take the path of over-the-horizon long-range combat! Using his characteristics as a psyche cultivator, he could project spells to kill enemies thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometers away..." The two men had a trace of regret in their eyes.

"A dual cultivator of body and psyche refinements can also take the path of command bases, combat centers, or guidance centers... Regardless, he is a dual cultivator; his talent is beyond doubt. I don't believe any faction would be willing to send a dual cultivator to our Nine Cauldrons Sect as an undercover agent or spy, especially since he exposed himself so openly."

"Beyond just dual cultivation, he possesses extremely high talent in cultivation itself. A twenty-one-year-old at the Seventh Heavenly Realm of body refinement plus the Sixth Heavenly Realm of psyche refinement..." As they spoke, their discussion of Yaoguang shifted entirely away from his refinement techniques. The conversation focused completely on his dual cultivation talent.

After a long while, Lin Sen finally said, "Professor Qin, we should report this information."

"Yes. The composite combat system brought about by dual cultivators is the true future of a major sect."