NOVPUB
Chapter 411: 407
As Spirit Master Qian Yan observed the humans, a man in his fifties among them was also constantly directing the others in production.
"James... Secretary Zhang Yun..."
At that moment, a middle-aged man came from outside, his face filled with excitement, "According to our calculations, in thirty-nine days, there will be a ’Near Star’ point between us and Blue Star. By then, if we send out a light signal, their chances of capturing it will greatly increase."
"It’s been calculated? Thirty-nine days? Jackson, splendid job!"
The man addressed as Secretary Zhang Yun was also invigorated.
"The main issue is that we are too few in number, only six of us came, one perished from illness unfortunately, and another got separated from us. Now the remaining four of us have to do so much... This is really terrible. You should know, I’m not any astronomer, my trained skill is wilderness survival."
Jackson lamented.
"I’m no weapon expert either, and yet I still have to oversee weapon production, don’t I?"
Zhang Yun said, laughing, "However, thanks to these weapons, this nation has been victorious in battle after battle, and we’ve now gained the trust of the King, having access to manpower and resources far beyond what we initially had..."
"What we’re producing is the Thompson submachine gun. If not for the existence of a type of Super Human called a ’cultivator’ in this world, an army of three thousand armed with Thompsons could have swept across the lands."
Jackson said.
"Cultivators, isn’t that exactly why we’re here?"
As Zhang Yun spoke, he glanced outside, "I wonder how Lilith is doing gathering information on the strengths and weaknesses of those top cultivators, and just how powerful those Saints are."
"Hey, if they can’t even defeat those beasts known as devils, how much stronger can Saints be anyway? Can their Saint Bodies withstand firearms, let alone heavy artillery?"
Jackson chuckled.
Zhang Yun listened and nodded in agreement.
They had already collected quite a bit of relevant data during this time.
The levels of martial force in this world are not low, but not exceedingly high either.
The Mu Long Country they were in was ranked just below the three great empires, with over forty million subjects.
For a society still in the feudal system, this was an astonishing number.
The strongest individual they had encountered in this country so far was the Primordial Spirit Monarch.
A type of formidable cultivator capable of flying at speeds of five to six hundred kilometers per hour.
But their physical bodies weren’t all that strong, and even though they were protected by Gang Qi, any high-caliber sniper rifle using armor-piercing bullets could blow them up along with their Gang Qi.
Devas were said to be stronger, capable of supersonic flight, but that was due to their control over the Heaven and Earth Power; their physical strength hadn’t increased significantly.
An electromagnetic cannon, which could reach several times, or even ten times the speed of sound, could easily blast them to oblivion.
The key lay with the Saints.
Such beings were said to have cultivated a Holy Body, greatly increasing their defensive and survival powers, but it was unclear just how strong they really were.
If they could get detailed information about these beings, their mission would be essentially complete.
Though there were rumors of Earthly True Immortals, and even True Immortals residing in the world, they were too scarce, existing only in legends.
"Ah, Saints, capable of living three to five hundred years, that’s essentially extending human lifespan by four to five times,"
Zhang Yun lamented, "And I’ve thoroughly studied the cultivation system of this world. If applied with our world’s more scientific approach, efficiency could absolutely increase by three to five times, meaning there’s hope for us all to become Saints."
Jackson nodded emphatically, "Even if we can’t become Saints, reaching the Hugging Pill Realm or the Refining God Realm would satisfy me. It’s not hard to live to a hundred and eighty or ninety in that state, which is essentially doubling one’s lifespan."
"Indeed... This world truly is a gift bestowed upon me by the heavens,"
Zhang Yun said.
"I can’t wait for the thirty-nine days to pass. Not long ago we acquired a special instrument that can significantly increase the success rate of transmission. This time, we must have the Federation send more people over to assist us. We’ll first take control of Mu Long Country, then use it as a base to conquer other nations, until we defeat the three great empires and unify the world."
As Jackson spoke, he seemed full of longing for the bright future, "Maybe in the future, we could even play the part of king."
"Haha, exactly,"
Zhang Yun laughed, and the atmosphere in the room was relaxed.
...
Martial Saint Institute.
Training ground.
Gu Jinlai was holding a Giant Sword, displaying the Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Ancestor Swordsmanship.
For Gu Jinlai now, this sword technique was starting to become somewhat outdated, but after performing a round, two Martial Kings, a man and a woman watching, couldn’t help but applaud and cheer.
"Excellent swordsmanship."
"Ancient Martial King, I had no idea your mastery of swordsmanship was so profound."
The two approached with genuine admiration.
Gu Jinlai had been in Wind and Rain City for a month now.
These two were the Martial Kings he had met over the month, Qian Wuque and Hua Yumian.
In that month, he had hunted four Out-of-Controls, accumulating some Contribution Value.
He didn’t rush to save it to exchange for the Great Thunder Sword Technique and the Thunder Origin Divine Body; instead, he chose to exchange it for a Supreme Grade Spirit Artifact level War Sword.
Holding a sword in hand, one could better harness one’s own strength and hunt down stronger bounty targets, earning more Contribution Value.
"You flatter me; my swordsmanship wouldn’t grace the halls of elegance,"
said Gu Jinlai.
"Ancient Martial King, you’re too modest. In terms of the exquisiteness of swordsmanship, you’re definitely the best among us twenty-something Martial Kings. Perhaps even a few Martial Saints couldn’t best you in swordplay,"
Qian Wuque said with a smile.
Martial Kings only have a lifespan of sixty to seventy years, unlike cultivators who have ample time to practice their swordsmanship and saber techniques.
"It’s a pity that martial artists, especially at the Martial King stage, don’t value swordsmanship much,"
said Gu Jinlai.
Like the Devas, Martial Kings can be divided into four minor stages: ordinary, high-level, top, and peak.
Beyond the ordinary stage, the other three stages respectively signify the physical body’s tempering reaching its peak, the spontaneous emergence of Divine Skills, and the stage of breaking down and standing anew,
the stage of condensing the Martial Arts Will.
What remains is mastering powerful swordsmanship and wield a Dao Artifact.
Yes, only the combination of great swordsmanship and a body full of Dao Artifacts is considered advancing to a minor stage.
Gu Jinlai’s body had recently entered the Martial King stage, and his Martial Arts Will was nowhere in sight, though his swordsmanship was remarkable, his Supreme Grade Spirit Artifacts were somewhat embarrassing.
If it weren’t for his understanding of the Mental Realm that most Martial Kings hadn’t grasped, he couldn’t even count as a high-level Martial King.
Even factoring in the mysteriousness of his Mental Realm, he was just barely touching the threshold of high-level Martial King.
This was his true strength, devoid of the support of his Mecha and the Mystic Bird Fighting Machine.
It’s likely that in a life-or-death fight with either Hong Ye or Gaia, he’d lose more than win.
"Cultivating Martial Arts Will and practicing swordsmanship are not easy tasks. On the contrary, tempering the body and wielding Dao Artifacts can be quickly accomplished with sufficient resources and money. Take Jin Yuhai, for instance. Although he comes from a notable background with a swordsmanship grandmaster constantly teaching him, his own sword techniques haven’t reached perfection. It’s just that his physique is formidable, and he carries two Dao Artifacts with him. It’s the advantage of these two Dao Artifacts that grants him the combat power of a top Martial King,"
Qian Wuque said, with a hint of envy in his tone.
His name may be Qian Wuque, which means ’lacking nothing,’ but in truth, he was seriously in need of money.
"Ancient Martial King, I’ve contacted several Martial Kings, and they are keen to learn swordsmanship from you. Teach for three days a month, and charge them each three hundred thousand Contribution Value. What do you say?"
Hua Yumian said, "With your achievements in swordsmanship, your reputation will soon grow. As more Martial Kings, ten, thirty, even a hundred, wish to learn from you, you could earn tens of millions of Contribution Value a month, adding up to over three billion in a year."
This was the idea that Hua Yumian had after witnessing Gu Jinlai’s exceptional swordsmanship.
"Learn swordsmanship from me... If they want to learn swordsmanship, wouldn’t it be better to seek guidance from some swordsmanship masters?"
Gu Jinlai was puzzled.
"How can a swordsmanship master among cultivators compare to you, a swordsmanship great master tailored for us Martial Kings?"
Qian Wuque followed up, "If Ancient Martial King is going to open a class, count me in as well."
Gu Jinlai considered the offer. The reward of three hundred thousand Contribution Value per person was not bad, and it could also expand his connections; so, he agreed to it.
If he could woo these people, he could also bring them to Qiantian in the future, where they could serve as his support against the True Immortal Palace and the Sanqing Hall.
"You agreed? That’s great, I’ll go gather people right now. Ancient Martial King, when would you like the first class to start?"
Hua Yumian said excitedly.
"How about tomorrow? I need to prepare things today; let’s set the location at the Martial Saint Institute,"
said Gu Jinlai.
"Great, I’ll go notify them now,"
replied Hua Yumian.
Afterwards, Gu Jinlai exchanged some Martial King stage cultivation insights with the two of them before leaving the Martial Saint Institute.
Once outside, he couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
"I’m planning to refine the Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold; with the capacity of my Eternal Furnace, given enough Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold and Qingguang, I could probably forge the Chaotic Thunder Primordial Body in a month or two. After that, even without having condensed Martial Arts Will, and simply relying on the controllable power of the Eternal Furnace, I might have the strength surpassing a peak Martial King, possibly even on par with a Martial Saint."
But this method of cultivation required immense resources.
To complete the Chaotic Thunder Primordial Body, he estimated he would need a thousand units of Thunder Magnetic Elemental Gold, which amounted to hundreds of billions of Silver Taels and Contribution Value.
"The bounties for peak Martial Kings and high-level Devas are only a few billion, just in plain Contribution Value. Where am I to get hundreds of billions of Silver Taels?"
Gu Jinlai considered that he might as well try to condense the Martial Arts Will.
He thought of cultivating "Eternal Furnace" as a Divine Skill and merging it with the Martial Arts Will.
If things went smoothly...
But Gu Jinlai soon shook his head.
"At least I have a direction for the Chaotic Thunder Primordial Body, but with Martial Arts Will, there’s not even a ghost of a chance."
Gu Jinlai pondered, "Facing one’s true self, seeking the true self, subduing the true self, uniting with the true self? The true self represents life’s great desires. What is my great desire?"
While he was reflecting, a shadow loomed in front of him.
Gu Jinlai looked up and saw the figure of Pan Dali, who resembled a giant, blocking his path.
