Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2106 Chapter 998: Sect Taoist Soldiers (Part 2)

The method centers on forging specialized spiritual artifacts customized for different sects, integrated with distinctive formations, to produce items specifically meant for 'countering' various inheritances.

Naturally, fully 'countering' them remains out of reach; the most it can do is boost victory chances by ten to twenty percent.

Yet in the Sword Discussion Conference's intense competition, surrounded by countless participants, even that ten to twenty percent edge could dramatically shift the entire outcome.

The Taixu Sect Master drew in a profound breath.

He could vaguely sense what Mo Hua had been up to.

Still, for Mo Hua to pull off something at this level far exceeded anything he had imagined.

It looked like preparing a series of spiritual artifacts designed for 'countering,' but the workload involved was staggering.

This demands a grasp of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, along with deep insights into formations, to sketch out these intricate formation diagram blueprints.

It calls for plenty of time to analyze other sects' inheritances and pinpoint the appropriate countering formations.

It takes tremendous work to devise tailored spiritual artifacts and repeatedly align them with suitable formations.

None of this happens in a flash; it builds up through years of steady effort.

A huge collection of examples serves as reference, plus loads of hands-on trials to refine and perfect the designs.

And the key element at the end is manufacturing scale.

You need a massive, skilled, and well-organized refinery operation to meet all the strict requirements of formation layouts, for churning out spiritual artifacts and formation components.

This forms a full-fledged Dao cultivation 'industrial chain' that covers formation setup, spiritual artifact creation, and artifact forging.

What caught him off guard was how Mo Hua had pulled everything together so flawlessly...

The Taixu Sect Master stood stunned for quite a while, struggling to process this astonishing reality.

He thought it over briefly, then turned to Mo Hua:

"What else do you need?"

Given Mo Hua's nature, he wouldn't summon him without purpose.

Bringing him over like this surely signaled more ideas in play.

Mo Hua nodded eagerly, thinking to himself how sharp the Sect Master was; he had pierced right through his motives immediately.

"There's an issue," Mo Hua explained, "These spiritual artifacts number too many, and they pair with more than a thousand high-rank formations. I can't draw them all by myself; I require help from inner gate senior brothers of Taixu Gate, plus instructors and elders, to assist in sketching the formations."

Per the Sword Discussion guidelines, any carried formations can't go beyond second-grade middle-level.

However, the ones embedded in spiritual artifacts enhance the items themselves and can incorporate second-grade high-rank versions.

Mo Hua planned to enlist instructors and elders as 'labor.'

"Very well." The Taixu Sect Master agreed with a nod.

Since Mo Hua's efforts benefited the sect, denying him made no sense.

"And one more thing..."

Mo Hua appeared somewhat sheepish.

The Taixu Sect Master picked up on the hint that it might not be ideal and responded steadily,

"Go ahead and say it..."

Mo Hua then murmured softly, "Could the sect 'reimburse' these spiritual artifacts and formation media..."

Reimbursement stood as the real sticking point.

At first, Mo Hua had figured on selling them to his junior brothers, who would pay with Flower Spirit Stones before joining the sword discussions.

But producing these spiritual artifacts turned out to be incredibly challenging and expensive.

Plus, the sword discussions involve multiple rounds with shifting opponents.

Should the junior brothers shell out Flower Spirit Stones to buy them for every bout, they'd have to swap out a full set of spiritual artifacts and formations each time, driving costs sky-high.

They might not even be short on Spirit Stones, but it would still be outrageously wasteful.

The main concern is that every participant would require multiple sets of spiritual artifacts, generating overwhelming demand that Master Gu's refinery shop simply couldn't fulfill.

So Mo Hua laid out his proposal:

"Let the sect buy up this batch of spiritual artifacts and lend them to the disciples in the sword discussions. If they're returned intact, they get reused; if broken, pay the full price to replace them."

He aimed to drum up orders for Master Gu and the workshop too.

Before, the Gushan Refining Workshop had dealt directly with Taixu Gate's disciples.

Securing the Sect Leader's nod would elevate that to official business with Taixu Gate itself.

The weight of such an arrangement would differ completely.

Launching into this type of venture would smooth the path for future dealings.

It might even lead to the Gushan Refining Workshop supplying all of Taixu Gate's sword discussion needs down the line.

With Taixu Gate as a 'major client' and 'backer,' the Solitary Mountain industry could grow steadily ahead.

As the industry flourishes, life for loose cultivators in Solitary Mountain City would brighten too.

The Taixu Sect Master grasped the subtleties, gazed at Mo Hua, and sighed to himself.

Truly a fine young talent...

So considerate and bold, ready to scheme and execute when challenges arise.

Even so, he stayed quiet for a bit longer.

Mo Hua noticed the Sect Master's pause, maybe due to hesitation, and asked gently:

"Is it not workable?"

The Taixu Sect Master eyed Mo Hua closely and reflected, "It's not entirely unworkable..."

The Spirit Stones required, while doable for Taixu Gate, come with their own hurdles, especially around cash flow.

Taixu Gate boasts a mighty heritage as a top sect, yet it supports a vast array of cultivators, with endless demands for Spirit Stones. Now, post the Three Sects Unification, the operation has ballooned, pulling Spirit Stones in every direction, as though every piece must stretch twice as far.

As Sect Master, he couldn't commit without careful thought.

"I'll return and mull this over." The Taixu Sect Master declared.

"Understood." Mo Hua nodded.

The ideal outcome would see the sect acquiring the spiritual artifacts and partnering with the Gushan Refining Workshop.

Should the sect struggle with Spirit Stone circulation, his junior brothers would just have to buy them outright.

Having examined the spiritual artifacts, the Taixu Sect Master prepared to head back to the sect.

Mo Hua continued guiding the Sect Master along the path. Master Gu, having overheard the exchange, fully comprehended Mo Hua's aims and could dimly sense the true stature of this impressive middle-aged cultivator standing there.