Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1512 - 802: Intelligence (Part 2)
Previously on Cultivation is just so scientific!...
Li Shiming's disappearance for decades had driven the price of this premium Fourth Grade Spirit Tea on the Central State Continent to astronomical heights, rendering it ever more valuable due to its growing rarity.
Even more importantly, this Fourth Grade Spirit Tea offered benefits to the cultivation progress of Great Cultivators, turning it into an essential resource for them.
Years back, when Liu Ziyun heard about Li Shiming's betrayal at the Central State Commerce headquarters, he angrily condemned the headquarters for their narrow-minded decisions.
Aside from Li Shiming's exceptional alchemy skills, his expertise in brewing Spirit Tea alone would draw the interest of any major force.
For the pursuit of gains among the superpowers, they betrayed a talent like Li Shiming, who could produce resources vital for Great Cultivators—a clear and grave mistake.
"It's been ages since I savored this Spirit Tea!" Liu Ziyun lifted the jade box, inhaled the aroma of the Fourth Grade Spirit Tea, and voiced his joy with delight.
He promptly closed the jade box, worried that extended exposure could diminish the quality of the Fourth Grade Spirit Tea.
"Hmm, does this Spirit Tea's quality feel enhanced?" All of a sudden, his eyes widened as he questioned with uncertainty.
As the overseer of the Dongqi Continent Commerce, he possessed acute awareness of the caliber of diverse Spiritual Objects.
Thanks to his close ties with Li Shiming, he had acquired plenty of Fourth Grade Spirit Tea personally brewed by Li Shiming. Even from a single sniff now, he detected a notable difference.
"I crafted this after reaching the Great Cultivator Realm!" Li Shiming clarified with a grin.
"I figured the earlier Spirit Tea was already at its peak, but I never imagined it could get even better!" Liu Ziyun sighed while shaking his head.
He stowed the jade box with utmost care, showing zero desire to exchange the Fourth Grade Spirit Tea he held, even though he chased profits relentlessly.
He grasped a key truth: Spirit Tea hand-brewed by Li Shiming would now hold greater worth than ever, and its output would surely remain quite limited.
In the past, Li Shiming operated under the Central State Commerce's orders to brew Spirit Tea, forcing him to fulfill specific quotas.
Yet today, beyond his enmity with the Central State Commerce, even absent that grudge, Li Shiming's status as a Great Cultivator meant no one could compel him to meet any obligations.
From this point forward, only if Li Shiming chose to brew it voluntarily would regular Spirit Tea production occur.
Other cultivators remained oblivious to the encounter between these two Great Cultivators, and few would suspect that Li Shiming and Liu Ziyun—likely rivals as Great Cultivators—would gather to talk.
Once back at the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, Li Shiming's initial move was to gather details on the Yuqing Sect and the White Emperor Sect.
The reports revealed that the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect were working together, with the White Emperor Sect taking the lead by sending three Great Cultivators, compared to the Yuqing Sect's single Great Cultivator.
Among the White Emperor Sect's three Great Cultivators, he spotted no mention of Master Wang He or the Yan Gao Great Cultivator, both at the peak level; he identified only one familiar name, whose power ranked solidly above the norm for Great Cultivators in superpowers.
While such power stood out among Great Cultivators from superpowers, it qualified as elite on the Dongqi Continent.
Resources for Great Cultivators were desperately scarce on the Dongqi Continent, making it tough for most to push their cultivation further, so the majority of Great Cultivators there lingered at the basic stage of the Great Cultivator Realm.
"Shizhen, do you intend to make a move?" Right as Li Shiming pulled up intel on the two superpowers, Grandmaster Hu drew near and inquired.
Following this recovery phase, aided by Spirit Pills from Li Shiming, Grandmaster Hu moved without any limp in his left leg, and his aura had grown much more robust.
Though full peak recovery lay ahead, climbing from heavy injuries to this state in so little time proved exceptionally challenging.
Grandmaster Hu had refreshed his vitality, keeping a steady watch on Li Shiming, and he quickly noticed when Li Shiming delved into info on the two superpowers.
He opposed Li Shiming venturing out solo, deeming it far too risky to face Great Cultivators from the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect alone.
"I've got a score to settle with the Central State Commerce, and on my way back across the Dongqi Continent's ocean, I took down two of their Great Cultivators. Word from them says the headquarters will soon come after me, so I'm planning to wipe out the Yuqing Sect and White Emperor Sect's remaining forces on the Dongqi Continent first, to cut down on future headaches!" Li Shiming shared openly without holding back.
"The Central State Commerce acts all high and mighty with their rules, but at sea, it's whoever's fist hits hardest that matters. They've plundered shipments from countless factions—did rules ever come up then?" Grandmaster Hu, ever the defender, burst out right away.
Li Shiming gazed at Grandmaster Hu smilingly, feeling a special fondness for him in that instant.
"Keep inside the sect's boundaries; the Central State Commerce won't risk meddling in a faction conflict—joining in would shatter business protocols and ruin their trade!" Grandmaster Hu, anxious about Li Shiming's rashness, added his counsel.
"I can handle the Central State Commerce issue; I've got real fighting prowess!" Noticing Grandmaster Hu's worry, Li Shiming pondered and chose to disclose part of his abilities.
With a flick of his hand, eleven 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects' emerged, circling his form.
"These are 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects'?" Grandmaster Hu recognized them at once, yet disbelief filled him.
The 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects' excelled in near-range fights and protection; even Great Cultivators struggled to destroy them, and approaching them spelled massive danger.
The best approach involved casting spells to hold the 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects' back while striking at their controller.
Grandmaster Hu recalled his clash with Master Ding against Great Cultivator Zhao Qingfeng, who unleashed twelve 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects' on them.
"Are these eleven 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects' the very ones Zhao Qingfeng once controlled?" Grandmaster Hu pressed on.
He perceived that these eleven 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects' radiated a fiercer aura than the twelve under Great Cultivator Zhao Qingfeng's command in the past, and Zhao Qingfeng's limitations stemmed not from weak power but from poor mastery over them.
Each time Great Cultivator Zhao Qingfeng attempted to direct all twelve 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects', it lasted briefly with little accuracy, frequently leading to rebound effects.
However, as Li Shiming stood amid the eleven compliant 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects', they displayed none of the wild traits from tales.
'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects' demanded a cultivator's blood essence for binding by force, and extended fights or excessive numbers often backlashed against the owner.
Still, Li Shiming's eleven 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects' exhibited an unusual level of spiritual awareness never witnessed prior.
"That time, I found the wounded Zhao Qingfeng and finished him off, seizing his 'Gu Wind Bag'—that's how I claimed the 'Silver Winged Spirit Gu Insects'!" Li Shiming laid it out freely.
"I'd always puzzled over the Gu Feng Sect's abrupt downfall; Zhao Qingfeng was badly hurt then, but not on the brink of death. So it was you—you showed real guts!" Grandmaster Hu, despite knowing Li Shiming had survived and advanced to Great Cultivator, still shook his head in amazement.
Back then, the divide between Li Shiming and Great Cultivator Zhao Qingfeng loomed vast; even gravely injured, Zhao Qingfeng could have crushed Li Shiming effortlessly.
"I've fully grasped the relevant rules in the Sword Cultivation and Thunder Cultivation paths!" Li Shiming, opting to expose more of his prowess, went on.