Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1530 - 811: News (Part 2)

"Why didn't you inform me about such a major issue?" Grandmaster Hu questioned, his voice carrying agitation mixed with a touch of irritation.

The scolding carried profound worry, which puzzled Li Shiming for a brief instant.

"What major issue? Could anything surpass the triumph of our sect?" Li Shiming replied, clearly baffled.

"Did you schedule a duel with Master Ren Mu of the Central State Commerce?" Grandmaster Hu asked straightforwardly, while eyeing Li Shiming's condition.

"Ah, you mean that. Master Ren Mu and I held back; we only tested each other's abilities!" Li Shiming caught on to what Grandmaster Hu meant and responded with a grin.

To him, it had been nothing more than a test of skills, far from an intense confrontation.

Both parties refrained from using their utmost power, keeping the exchange at a controlled and secure intensity.

"Did you overcome Master Ren Mu?" Grandmaster Hu pursued the question.

"No one else was around when I clashed with Master Ren Mu—how do you know the outcome?" Li Shiming felt surprised and couldn't resist countering.

"The Central State Commerce has circulated the news that you issued a challenge to Master Ren Mu and emerged victorious!" Grandmaster Hu clarified.

"It was meant to be a confidential duel—how did it become public knowledge?" Li Shiming murmured, shaking his head in bewilderment.

Unbeknownst to him, Master Ren Mu had personally disclosed the results of their encounter to settle the grudge with the Central State Commerce.

By doing so, he aimed to show the internal groups within the Central State Commerce just how powerful Li Shiming's fighting abilities were. Should any group resist when Master Ren Mu sought to mend ties, they would dispatch their own expert cultivator to confront Li Shiming head-on.

Master Ren Mu stood as the mightiest Nascent Soul Stage cultivator in the Central State Commerce. Even if rival factions wanted to challenge Li Shiming, they lacked a superior cultivator capable of besting him.

Furthermore, as a trade-focused entity, the Central State Commerce wouldn't provoke a strong foe over a dispute, since that could threaten their very existence.

"I never imagined your power would reach such heights. You ought to have let me know sooner, allowing the Ten Thousand Beast Sect to gain greater advantages!" Grandmaster Hu grasped the meaning behind Li Shiming's statements, accepting the win against Master Ren Mu, and sighed while shaking his head.

"Did everyone come back due to this event?" Li Shiming glanced at the other prominent cultivators and inquired.

"This truly counts as a huge occurrence. You might not yet grasp its importance to the Ten Thousand Beast Sect?" Master Ding remarked, his face glowing with excitement as he smiled.

"Possessing the might of a top-tier great cultivator ensures no major power's offshoot will encroach on the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's stakes on the Dongqi Continent!" Master Chai chimed in.

"Shizhen, after our group deliberation, we've agreed that from now on, great cultivator resources will favor you above all. You're the lone one among us who might reach the Mahayana Realm, the only beacon to propel the Ten Thousand Beast Sect into superpower status!" Grandmaster Hu declared with gravity.

Li Shiming stood truly astonished by his master's declaration. Resources for great cultivators on the Dongqi Continent remained terribly limited. Despite claiming three-quarters of Dongqi, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect still strived to nurture several great cultivators.

Directing those resources solely to him would prevent fostering additional great cultivators; it might even hinder the progress of those already present.

Gazing into the eager expressions of every great cultivator, he recognized their profound devotion to the sect. For them, the prospect of the sect rising to superpower eclipsed their own cultivation gains.

Bringing forth a Mahayana Realm expert would elevate the grand sect, the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, to superpower level, granting it a share in the struggles over superpower territories.

"I appreciate your kind intentions, but I possess my own methods for gathering cultivation resources and won't need the sect's support!" Li Shiming saluted and clarified to the assembled great cultivators.

Grandmaster Hu along with the rest of the great cultivators held firm to their view, and following multiple exchanges, they arrived at a decision.

The sect's great cultivator resources would split into multiple parts, one for each, with Li Shiming getting three portions, and the rest devoted to raising emerging great cultivators.

The Ten Thousand Beast Sect required two months to secure complete dominance over three-quarters of the Dongqi Continent's lands.

Lately, Li Shiming had focused on stabilizing his power while readying himself to boost his battle prowess.

The five mid-stage golden corpses of Master Luo Pei remained under the care of his clone, Li Yuanba.

Li Shiming possessed abundant materials for alchemy and planned to forge late-stage golden corpses right away.

At present, he held five superior great cultivator corpses, all sourced from superpower great cultivators he had defeated across the years.

The remaining great cultivator corpses, of marginally inferior caliber, he had reserved for later.

His criteria proved rather selective, yet that was unavoidable given his elevated strength, and he harbored no excessive expectations for the fighting strength of late-stage golden corpses.

He sought late-stage golden corpses brimming with potential, even though pushing them further posed challenges, but from certain ancient records, he learned of a stage surpassing golden corpses.

Flying Night Demon represented a level beyond golden corpses, comparable to a supreme force among human cultivators.

This stage appeared solely in writings, for he had never encountered reports of a Flying Night Demon in the cultivation realm.

Yet since the Flying Night Demon was documented, Li Shiming pondered giving it a try.

After all, he enjoyed a surplus of corpse refining supplies, all obtained through his clone, Li Yuanba.

Additionally, should the refined late-stage golden corpse fall short, he could pass it to his clone, Li Yuanba, who could still benefit from it.

Naturally, crafting a late-stage golden corpse demanded no easy effort, calling for thorough groundwork.

Drawing on his ties with Master Liu Ziyun, Li Shiming requested a set of spiritual items from the Central State Commerce.

This set of spiritual items served the purpose of creating late-stage golden corpses, drawn from a forbidden text known as the 'Prohibited Book of Xuan Yin Yaksha' on corpse refining.

His clone, Li Yuanba, had acquired this technique. Numerous cultivators in the Central State recognized Li Yuanba's expertise in corpse refining, which stemmed from discoveries in the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion that he had bartered for.

The 'Prohibited Book of Xuan Yin Yaksha' outlined a path to advance a golden corpse straight to Flying Night Demon, earning its place in the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion's essential archives.

In examining the 'Prohibited Book of Xuan Yin Yaksha' sections on Flying Night Demons, Li Shiming observed that the odds of promoting a corpse to Flying Night Demon were remarkably slim, owing not just to the complexity but also because the needed materials were all fifth-grade.

Even with his extensive learning and riches, beyond two spiritual treasures he forged using fifth-grade materials, he had never laid eyes on fifth-grade materials, much less the precise fifth-grade ones for corpse refining.

The spiritual treasures he made himself had advanced via unique artifact forging methods, having nothing to do with fifth-grade materials.

Still, the 'Prohibited Book of Xuan Yin Yaksha' approach for late-stage golden corpses called for fourth-grade materials, which, while valuable, lay within his grasp.

Of course, the 'Prohibited Book of Xuan Yin Yaksha' would act only as a guide. He planned to weave in his distinctive methods during the corpse refining and integrate the Heavenly Person Cave Heaven Golden Corpse Core.

Standard golden corpses, even those at late-stage, barely met his expectations.

He favored either abstaining entirely or pursuing excellence fully.

Great Cultivator Liu Ziyun fretted that Li Shiming might bypass his aid. The moment Li Shiming voiced his needs, he mobilized his network at once, swiftly securing even the scarcest goods for delivery to the Dongqi Continent.

This shipment of spiritual items came together with the late-stage fourth-grade resources of the dragon and phoenix lineage, serving as a gesture of amity from the Central State Commerce.