Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1536 - 814: Golden Corpse (Part 2)
Previously on Cultivation is just so scientific!...
The last element to address is the protective armor, which proves the simplest to manage. All that's required is locating certain Fourth Grade Top Material possessing earth attributes, forging it into armor-type treasures for defense, and carving out ample defensive runes at a precision level of 0.05 nanometers.
When creating treasures intended for late-stage Golden Corpses, it's vital to regulate the treasure's quality, making sure it stays below the threshold of a spiritual treasure.
Late-stage Golden Corpses lack the ability to contain the quality of spiritual treasures, and he has no desire for these late-stage Golden Corpses to draw the gaze of mighty figures.
He stored away the five late-stage Golden Corpses and departed from the Taichu branch alongside Master Pei, heading back to the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.
Shortly after his arrival, Master Hu came looking for him without delay.
"Shizhen, you've stirred up a real commotion at the Taichu branch!" Master Hu remarked as he poured himself a serving of Spiritual Tea.
Li Shiming had previously shared details about the corpse refining with him.
Yet back then, Li Shiming's account had been rather unclear, leading him to believe it involved just standard Golden Corpses.
But the reports coming from the Taichu branch were anything but ordinary.
Even without any Great Cultivators on site, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage expert could sense the might of the Heavenly Tribulation. That tribulation matched the scale of a Great Cultivator, and five of them struck at once.
A spectacle of that magnitude obviously demanded some accounting from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.
"I forged five late-stage Golden Corpses!" Li Shiming held nothing back and revealed the facts plainly.
Truth be told, deploying these five late-stage Golden Corpses could mask plenty of his deeper secrets, allowing him to depend on them as the primary force in upcoming fights.
"Five late-stage Golden Corpses?" Master Hu froze in disbelief, despite his earlier suspicions, once Li Shiming confirmed it.
Late-stage Golden Corpses matched the fighting prowess of Great Cultivators.
In a way, it resembled a Great Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Beast Sect owning a Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pet.
That said, Great Cultivators in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect seldom possessed a Late Stage Fourth Grade Spirit Pet; the majority of theirs lingered at Fourth Grade Middle Stage.
Luckily, the dragon and phoenix Spirit Pets belonging to the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's Great Cultivators could hold off typical Great Cultivators at full power, even while at Fourth Grade Middle Stage.
"During my time in the Central State Continent and on my way back to the Dongqi Continent, I took down many Great Cultivators. This round, I had just the right corpse refining materials on hand and picked five Great Cultivator corpses to turn into late-stage Golden Corpses!" Li Shiming went on to clarify.
This account only left Master Hu more puzzled.
What kind of ordeals had his disciple faced out there? Li Shiming had only just broken through to Great Cultivator status, yet he had clashed with and defeated Great Cultivators prior to that advancement.
From Li Shiming's phrasing, Master Hu also picked up that the kills exceeded five Great Cultivators, with these five corpses merely a chosen few.
"Show me these late-stage Golden Corpses. I've never laid eyes on one in the Dongqi Continent!" After some time, Master Hu shook off the astonishment and voiced his curiosity.
Li Shiming saw no reason to deny the request and, with a flick of his hand, summoned the five late-stage Golden Corpses from the corpse refining space.
The moment the five late-stage Golden Corpses emerged, Master Hu sensed his breathing falter. He had to cycle some Spiritual Power Pattern to steady himself again.
He felt a hidden shock, almost making a fool of himself before his own disciple.
These five late-stage Golden Corpses were brand new from the forge. Though the corpse nuclei's aura was masked, the late-stage Fourth Grade presence leaked out without restraint.
Even the casual pressure from the late-stage Golden Corpses outstripped that of average Great Cultivators, boosted by the marks of three rules.
The merged pressure from all five late-stage Golden Corpses nearly shamed Master Hu completely.
"Hmm, are these really late-stage Golden Corpses? They don't resemble typical Golden Corpses at all." Though Master Hu wasn't an expert in refining Golden Corpses, he held some basic understanding.
"I incorporated a few of my own concepts into the refining process, and somehow they ended up this way. I'm not certain if they still qualify as Golden Corpses," Li Shiming answered with a wry grin.
"You infused your own concepts into the corpse refining?" Master Hu marveled at Li Shiming's astonishing luck and struggled to accept it.
In the art of corpse refining, even sticking to the basics yields a dismal success rate, which deters most cultivators from trying.
But Li Shiming had tweaked the classic golden exterior of the late-stage Golden Corpses, and those changes actually worked. It was beyond comprehension.
"How strong are these late-stage Golden Corpses in battle? Maybe we should test them against my Red Gold Phoenix?" Master Hu wanted to witness the fighting capabilities of the five late-stage Golden Corpses, viewing it as a key issue for the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's overall might.
If the late-stage Golden Corpses' battle strength equaled that of the sect's Great Cultivators, it would mean adding five more Great Cultivators to their ranks.
That kind of boost would solidify the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's base, tightening its grip on the Dongqi Continent.
"Li Da, come up and go easy on them!" Li Shiming indicated Li Da from the group of five late-stage Golden Corpses and gave the order.
"Yes, Master!" Li Da advanced and offered a respectful bow.
Without prior knowledge that Li Da was a late-stage Golden Corpse, Master Hu might have taken him for a genuine Great Cultivator.
His manner of speech, though devoid of emotion, closely mirrored that of an ordinary cultivator when engaging with Li Shiming, rendering it tough to spot his nature as a Golden Corpse.
"My Red Gold Phoenix may only be Fourth Grade Middle Stage, but its battle strength isn't to be underestimated!" Master Hu showed mild irritation at Li Shiming's directive for Li Da to restrain himself.
Li Shiming just smiled and stuck to the instruction.
As this was merely a test fight, the limited space in the area worked well enough for the demonstration.
The Red Gold Phoenix and Li Da positioned themselves across the hall from each other, poised for the signal to clash.
"Start the fight!" Master Hu called out the order.
Right after his words, the Red Gold Phoenix emitted a sharp cry, shifting into a crimson blur and diving straight at Li Da.
Brimming with fierce battle intent, the Red Gold Phoenix held firm belief in its abilities, undaunted by the rank difference.
As the Red Gold Phoenix rushed in, Li Da, who had been standing motionless, disappeared in a flash, his speed so blinding that Master Hu couldn't track it.
By the time Li Da showed up again, his hand was already clamped around the Red Gold Phoenix's neck, holding it firmly in place.
The Red Gold Phoenix's talons flailed wildly, raking across Li Da's arm, but even with its elite phoenix heritage, it couldn't scratch Li Da's surface.
Master Hu was aware that the Red Gold Phoenix's claws could shred a Great Cultivator's barriers, yet they made no impact on Li Da.
The hardest part to swallow was how quickly the Red Gold Phoenix got overpowered, going beyond what Master Hu had anticipated.
Even he would need a moment to bring down the Red Gold Phoenix if facing it directly.
Though the Red Gold Phoenix operated at just Fourth Grade Middle Stage, its phoenix roots endowed it with battle prowess that exceeded its level.
This clash, pitting a late-stage Golden Corpse against the Red Gold Phoenix, concluded with the late-stage Golden Corpse utterly overpowering its foe.
And five such late-stage Golden Corpses stood right there in front of him.
At this point, Master Hu felt assured of one fact: these late-stage Golden Corpses' fighting strength outmatched his own, and he stood among the elite in the Ten Thousand Beast Sect's power rankings.
Therefore, the late-stage Golden Corpses' capabilities ought to place them just behind Li Shiming and ahead of the rest of the Great Cultivators.
Thinking back on the quick skirmish, Master Hu noted that in terms of velocity, power, and resilience, the late-stage Golden Corpses displayed fearsome capabilities.
Still, with the Red Gold Phoenix being a bit inferior, the displayed might of the late-stage Golden Corpses remained only surface-level, leaving Master Hu unable to fully assess their actual depth.