An emergency high-level meeting was convened by the Nine-Cauldron Sect. It was attended by Li Qingshan; Huang Tianhao; Lou Yuyu; Murong Hui, deputy master of the Warfare Hall; Xu Qiexing, master of the Heavenly Palace Hall; Gao Shenghan, master of the Profound Array Hall; Wu Qingying, master of the Spirit Pill Hall; Zhou Lijian, master of the Publicity Hall; Jiang Zhuoyue, master of the Garrison Hall; Zhu Yanyu, master of the Inheritance Hall; Liang Qiu, master of the Logistics Hall; He Xifeng, master of the Xingtian Hall; and Zhang Ruosheng, master of the Administration Hall.[1]

The thirteen people represented the true decision makers of the Nine-Cauldron Sect. Any meeting attended by all of them was known as the Nine-Cauldron Council. So long as the supreme elder, Li Hanqiu, did not intervene, any decision made by them would be carried out and enforced without exception.

"Since everyone is busy, I'll get straight to the point. There are three matters to discuss today," Li Qingshan did not beat around the bush. "First item. The Infinite Star Palace has launched a war against the Black Feather Sect. All attention has been drawn to the Black Flame Continent's battlefield.

"Hence, this is the perfect time for us to reclaim the lost territories of the East Sea's islands. If necessary, we should push forward 50 thousand kilometers and bring one-third of the East Sea under our control. We will now vote on whether to deploy forces against the sects occupying the islands."

One hall master after another, including the grand elder of the Council of Elders, cast votes in favor.

"Good. Thirteen votes in agreement!" Li Qingshan said.

After waiting for the assistants to finish recording, he proceeded to the second item, which concerned the placement of the Sky Patrol Warship. There were a few dissenting voices regarding his plan to assign the Sky Patrol Warship to Sky Patrol Research Institute No. 3. Nevertheless, in light of the upcoming East Sea reclamation strategy, the proposal passed under the principle of majority rule.

"Onto the third item." Li Qingshan couldn’t suppress his smile. "Sect Master Zhao Siliang of the Nine-Heaven Domain has reported that Yaoguang, chief of both the Purple Firmament Institute and the Sea Suppressor Institute, has officially completed the optimization of the level 5 spirit-gathering array.

"After the Profound Array Hall and multiple array masters in the Energy Department repeatedly verified it, the data shows that the optimized level 5 spirit-gathering array has reached fourth-generation standards and stands at the world’s cutting edge!"

The moment those words fell, even though the hall masters had already heard rumors to varying degrees, they could not help but show their delight.

"Yaoguang! Yaoguang! What an outstanding chief!"

"Is it true?! Did it truly reach fourth-generation standards?! I always thought the reports from below were exaggerated!"

"Didn’t Chief Yaoguang just finish the level 4 spirit-gathering array half a year ago? And now, in just six months, he has deployed and optimized a level 5 array? His mastery of array arts is advancing far too quickly."

"World-leading! Truly world-leading! It means the Nine-Cauldron Sect has once again narrowed the gap with the world’s top immortal sects!"

One hall master after another rejoiced. Li Qingshan clearly understood their mood. His gaze fell on Zhang Ruosheng as he smiled. "Hall Master Zhang misspoke earlier. This technology doesn’t merely close the gap with the world’s top immortal sects. It surpasses every top immortal sect in the entire Cangwu!"

He casually gestured, and the meeting room's array projected the information recorded within a jade talisman. "Other top immortal sects’ fourth-generation arrays cannot achieve this. Even after spatial compression and folding have occurred, the array can still be deployed.

"Moreover, through the space’s influence and contraction, it will gradually embed itself autonomously into the space itself. Although this process takes time, it continues to draw out the spiritual power within."

Li Qingshan’s voice carried a hint of passion. "What does this mean? It means that many nodes that were forced to shut down due to spatial changes can be brought back! It means our sect’s spirit stone output will double or even increase severalfold."

Then, his gaze shifted to Liang Qiu, who immediately followed up. "According to records passed down from the Artifact Sect's era, among the 36 domains currently under our control, there are 113 shut-down nodes. Of these, 39 can be reactivated, and the efficiency will not be too low!"

He glanced at the data in his hand. "We already have preliminary figures. If we fully reactivate all 39 nodes over the next decade, combined with the effects of array optimization, our native spirit stone output will reach 140 million annually! If we include the vassal worlds, it will be nearly 180 million!"

That number alone shocked everyone.

At the moment, the Infinite Star Palace had the highest spirit-stone output in the world, exceeding 800 million. Next came the Immortal Alliance at around 620 million, followed closely by the Lunar Sect, Great Sun Sword Sect, Dharma Heaven Pavilion, Ice-Snow Divine Mountain, Thousand-Beast Sect, Sacred Fire Cult, and Golden Temple—each producing over 200 million.

If the Nine-Cauldron Sect truly reached 180 million, it would have hopes of entering the top ten across the entire Great Cangwu World.

Zhu Yanyu found it hard to believe. "I-is it really that much?"

"An annual output of 180 million... Wouldn’t that be enough to sustain seven or eight Sky Patrol Warships?"

"More than that. Every industry would rapidly come alive with the injection of such massive funds. Everything would flourish."

"This is the best news I’ve heard since the destruction of the Quicksand Sect."

The hall masters rejoiced, sighed, and marveled.

"The good news doesn’t stop there." Liang Qiu, who had recently returned from the Nine-Heaven Domain, smiled. "Sect Master Zhao Siliang also sent word that Chief Yaoguang has already begun researching level 6 spirit-gathering arrays. If he can optimize the level 6 array to achieve effects comparable to the level 5 one, the sect’s final spirit-stone output could break 300 million.

"In the future, if we reclaim the East Sea's islands and the Shiwan Mountains, total output could double again, reaching the same 600-million club as the Immortal Alliance."

The hall masters were in utter shock. Optimizing a level 6 spirit-gathering array?! 600 million... On par with the Immortal Alliance...

The moment he finished speaking, the hall fell completely silent. Not a single person spoke for more than ten seconds. The numbers were so staggering that even these hall masters felt an intense sense of unreality. For a moment, no one dared speak, fearing it was a dream that would shatter if they did.

In the end, it was Li Qingshan who broke the silence. "Chief Yaoguang said that he is willing to teach the improved level 5 spirit-gathering array to all trustworthy array casters, just like the level 4 version. Moreover, he only asks for a 30% share. With such an enormous contribution, we must show appreciation."

Show appreciation?! How?! This contribution is simply too great. He has nearly tripled the sect’s total spirit-stone production! There is no way to reward him properly!

After a long while, Gao Shenghan finally said, "Why don’t we just let Chief Yaoguang take my position as hall master? Otherwise, I’d feel like I’m sitting on pins and needles. Compared to his contributions, I basically spent years occupying a post without actually doing the work."

"If Chief Yaoguang is to be promoted, then he should come to our Artifact Refinement Hall," Xu Qiexing retorted immediately. "You have all seen the performance of the Purple Firmament Type 13. An artifact-refining grandmaster at his level doesn’t belong in the Profound Array Hall."

"Is artifact refinement really more important than array arts?" Gao Shenghan raised his voice slightly. "Even his level 5 spirit-gathering array alone has nearly doubled our spirit-stone output. Can artifact refinement achieve something like that?"

"Why not?" Xu Qiexing replied. "Don’t forget how hot the treasured artifact market is right now. With the outstanding performance of the Purple Firmament Type 13, an external sales version would see nonstop orders even at 100,000 per unit! That alone would bring in 200 to 300 million spirit stones annually! The profit would be at least 100 to 200 million!"

"That’s different. Deploying arrays strengthens the sect’s foundations. But selling flying swords—"

"And why can’t selling flying swords be a form of diplomacy?" Xu Qiexing shot back. "By selling them to friendly sects, we can deepen our bonds and even turn them into allies!"

The two hall masters argued back and forth over which hall Yaoguang should join.

Finally, Huang Tianhao said, "That’s enough. This is a meeting, not a place for bickering."

All the hall masters quieted down immediately.

"In my opinion, we should let Yaoguang hold honorary deputy master positions in both the Artifact Refinement Hall and the Profound Array Hall," the grand elder suggested. "Although achievements of this magnitude won’t stay hidden for long, even one more day of concealment counts. During this time, we should do our utmost to prevent anyone from interfering with his research and growth."

Li Qingshan glanced at Xu Qiexing and Gao Shenghan, then nodded. "That will do. However, it’s still not enough."

"Then how should we reward him?" Liang Qiu had a troubled expression. "He doesn’t lack status or wealth, and is equally gifted in cultivation. At such a young age, his strength already rivals that of a third-tier primordial psyche cultivator. It’s hard to decide what kind of reward would even suit him."

Improving the level 5 spirit-gathering array was simply too great a contribution. If he succeeded in improving the level 6 spirit-gathering array as well...

"Isn’t Yaoguang also a body cultivator?" Huang Tianhao said. "Give him the Stellar Soul. Besides greatly accelerating his progress, so long as no Golden Core expert intervenes, the spirit treasure can also ensure that he won’t fall into mortal danger if he’s attacked."

"The Stellar Soul?!"

"The spirit treasure left behind from the Artifact Sect era?!"

The group exchanged brief remarks. In the end, they felt it was indeed appropriate.

Spirit treasures were typically valued at tens of millions of spirit stones. However, with the rise of third-generation and even fourth-generation high-grade astras, their relative weight had declined somewhat. In terms of performance, the astras were still inferior to spirit treasures.

Moreover, Yaoguang possessed extremely high attainment in artifact refinement. This spirit treasure would also greatly benefit the advancement of his refining techniques. With his talent, who was to say that he wouldn’t surpass artifact-refining grandmasters and become a level 10 artifact refiner someday?

"Then it’s settled," Li Qingshan said. "Yaoguang will hold honorary positions in the Artifact Refinement Hall and the Profound Array Hall, receive the treatment of a deputy hall master, and be granted the Stellar Soul as a token of our gratitude. Hall Master Xu, I’ll trouble you to make the trip."

Gao Shenghan said, "I’ll go as well. I’ll bring our array casters and learn from Chief Yaoguang—no, Hall Master Yaoguang. I’d also like to discuss the level 6 spirit-gathering array with him and see whether we can offer any help with his improvements."

"Good. Make sure you properly hand over your current duties," Li Qingshan said.

Gao Shenghan smiled. "No duty is more important than Hall Master Yaoguang’s improvements to the spirit-gathering array."

Li Qingshan was momentarily speechless. After a moment, he smiled and nodded. "That’s true."

1. Fun fact: Xingtian is a Chinese deity who fights against the Supreme Divinity, not giving up even after he was decapitated. Losing the fight for supremacy, he was beheaded and his head buried in Changyang Mountain. ☜