Fine Jade

Over the past decade, the Central Plains have been engulfed in chaos, with darkness obscuring the sun and moon, and countless corpses littering the fields and rivers of blood flowing through the land. The Twelve Countries have fallen into turmoil, with the collapse of rites and music and the breakdown of social order.

The natural climate underwent drastic changes, with floods and plagues in the south and droughts and locust plagues in the north. Winters were extremely cold and summers were scorching hot, with landslides and earthquakes, and demons emerging from the earth.

Moreover, the False Moon's illumination time was getting longer and longer, sometimes even reaching midday, with a terrifying aura. Even the chickens raised in the sheds began to become spirits, and the mountain gullies were filled with all sorts of strange and bizarre monsters, as if a nest of maggots had hatched and flooded into the human world. It was truly a scene of the end of the world.

Even those who are illiterate in mathematics can see that the Immortal Palace has completely lost control of the world and its fate is sealed.

In such chaotic times, Li Fan didn't want to sit in seclusion deep in the mountains, oblivious to the world around him, focusing solely on solving math problems. However, he himself was now a walking disaster, and couldn't simply leave seclusion at will.

As the Heavenly Dao almost collapsed and shifted towards the Primordial World, the concentration of evil energy in the Taiji Realm was also assimilating into the Void Abyss Devil Domain. His Tai Sha Star Core was also increasing at an extremely alarming rate, forcing Li Fan to suppress his main body under the Flaming Earth Vein Array of the Zhenyang Temple, using the spiritual power in the earth veins to strengthen his microscopic body in order to barely seal the Tai Sha Star Core.

However, the main force of the Ink Bamboo Mountain sect is currently expanding into the Ten-thousand-mountains, and the high-level combat power of Ink Bamboo Mountain is limited. As the mountain lord, he is responsible for guarding the mountain. He receives decrees from the abbot or requests for help from the sect almost every month, and needs to deal with those demon gods and Non-Thing that ordinary cultivators cannot defeat.

Although Li Fan dared not act rashly, he set up an altar at Zhenyang Temple to perform rituals. Using the clones of Huixing Weichen, or by using his spare time to control his sword, he sent Yue Po out of the mountains to exterminate demons. Yue Po circled around the various parts of Li Country and the Ten-thousand-mountains, killing and eliminating those mutated and demonized Non-Thing demon gods. He distributed the flesh to the sect for drinking and skinned the flesh to make clothes for his disciples. In this way, he could at least protect the people of Li Country, or at least the people of Lou Guan City.

He just didn't know if these things were born of heaven and earth, wandered from the north, or were deliberately sabotaged by the Nangong Family. In any case, he and Yuepo had probably killed nearly two hundred demon gods in the past ten years, but the demonic path still hadn't stopped; on the contrary, they kept emerging. However, it did improve his proficiency in arithmetic and talismans...

To be honest, nowadays, demons at the Divine Transformation level are just Divine Transformation crayfish that can slightly improve his mood. He'd rather spend that time doing another math problem; that would also improve his mood.

If it weren't for the fact that Ink Bamboo Mountain's ally, the supreme Dao Lord of the world, and the Grand Tutor of the Three Dukes of the Three Realms were about to die, Li Fan really wouldn't have wanted to leave seclusion.

Well, it can't be called a dead end; strictly speaking, it's that the Grand Tutor is about to face a fatal crisis.

The calamity of death can strike at any time within the next twelve hundred years; no one but the person themselves can predict when it will occur. However, it is clear to discerning people that in recent years, the Grand Tutor Manor has been usurping the power of the Immortal Palace, replacing the entire Three Enclosures with their own cronies and cronies, clearly intending to change the dynasty. Today, the heavens and earth seem to be undergoing a transformation. Such a great karmic consequence will inevitably come to an end sooner or later.

The calamity of Enlightenment Stage expert's demise, even without involving the imperial throne of the Immortal Palace, is still earth-shattering, a major news story that would shake the cultivation Immortal Realm and Yuntai Peak.

Especially those Divine Lords who have been stuck at the Divine Transformation stage for hundreds or thousands of years will definitely want to form groups to go to the Three Realms to join in the fun, witness the grand scene of enlightenment and tribulation, and prove their own path.

Moreover, the leaders and giants of the cultivation Immortal Realm were extremely cautious about the Grand Tutor's tribulation. They all arranged for their trusted confidants to attend the ceremony. Li Fan, after discussing with the Abbot, also decided to personally represent Ink Bamboo Mountain to witness it.

After all, the outcome of this matter is of great importance, even to the point of obscuring the future. Without figuring out how it will be resolved, it will be impossible to predict the future course of events.

Imagine, if the Grand Tutor really died, it wouldn't matter, but if he survived the tribulation and advanced, then oh my god, he'd be untouchable! Wouldn't that make him the new Immortal Emperor? It would really be a generational change, damn it!

Yes, although demons have run rampant, natural disasters have been frequent, and wars have broken out in recent years, the general trend of the world is still very clear.

The strongest forces in the world right now are the alliance between the Grand Tutor and the Two Elders of Mount Song.

This interest group of immortal clans and sects not only pacified Zhen in ten years, directly controlling the Three Enclosures and Four Sects and the Dui and Zhen vassal states, but also gained nominal vassal status with the Gen and Li kingdoms. Taking advantage of Penglai's closed-door cultivation and Hengshan's preoccupation with the war in Xun Kingdom, which left them unable to spare any resources, Songshan began to coerce and entice, and made a large-scale effort to win over the old Xuanmen forces in Gan Kingdom that had lost their Emei commander.

As for Hengshan, due to some unexpected circumstances, they suffered heavy losses in the siege of Luofeng. Although they won the battle without any suspense, breaking through the mountains and destroying the Luo Feng Cave Heaven, it is said that the Luo Feng Patriarch has been reincarnated, and the entire Luofeng Demon Clan has been sealed in the Taiyin Heavenly Demon Cave.

However, the Hengshan Sect Leader was also stabbed in the BOSS battle, resulting in the two Hengshan Daojun being wounded one after another, and a large number of Divine Lords and True Lords' core members either perishing, being seriously injured, or disintegrating. The Xun Kingdom's army suffered even greater losses, with countless dead and wounded. In fact, most of the Xun Kingdom's territory was occupied by demons, with demon caves and countless demon lairs everywhere.

As a result, Hengshan had to invite the Daoist priest from the Shangqing Palace Mao Mountain to take charge of the overall situation in order to temporarily stabilize the situation. In short, the progress of the strategy of "unifying the world" seems to have been seriously affected.

As for the Divine Cult, Li Fan has two avatars infiltrating there, so he knows quite a bit about it. Last time, he caused a ruckus in Kunlun, killing many of the Pure Dharma King's subordinates, which resulted in the election of the Light Dharma King.

Now, the Light Dharma King, no, the Sect Leader of the Divine Cult, Duan, is fully committed to ending the war in the Western Regions, mobilizing a large army to advance eastward, preparing for a decisive battle with the Immortal Palace in Duizhou.

However, the Divine Cult did a pretty good job with its intelligence warfare, spreading rumors Fourth Department that so many of their protectors had been killed by Lord Qingyue in Kunlun and were now trapped in the Kun Country, engaging in strategic deception. This inexplicably increased Li Fan's popularity, causing many old men and women to plot against him every day, which was extremely annoying.

In conclusion, it is now said throughout the land that the Grand Tutor Manor is at its zenith, exuding imperial aura, and is about to ascend to heaven! The Three Immortal Palace, after ten thousand years, has finally reached the point of changing masters!

The immortals of Yuntai Peak were also discussing the matter. Many fortune tellers were debating whether, if the Grand Tutor survived this tribulation and achieved the realm of Feather Transformation Immortal to Immortality, it would be best to ask the group of orphans and widows in Ziwei Yuan and the group of good-for-nothings in Beigong to voluntarily abdicate and relinquish their positions, and invite the Duke of Shouyang to come out and pacify the world, ending the current chaotic era.

Indeed, the cultivators in the mountains are too lazy to care about the lives of mortals, but they are not without humanity, nor are there so many demons who just like rivers of blood or want to see the world burn.

Therefore, there are still many people, such as Li Fan, who hope to see the Grand Tutor become the Celestial Emperor, restore order, restore order to the country, and end this chaotic world.

After all, the Three Elders and Four Ancestors have already passed away. Now, chaos has descended and the world has changed drastically. If a Celestial Lord could emerge, at least the various forces in the Central Plains could be united to overcome the difficulties together.

If Duke of Shouyang were to join forces with Xuanmen and establish a new Immortal Palace, then the Divine Sect would likely back down, thus creating a new balance among the Three Great Sects. Presumably, no matter how many demons and monsters emerge, the Three Great Sects could handle it, and the chaotic world could end.

To some extent, Li Fan's quiet handling of the company's executives also eliminated the biggest hidden danger that could have led to the Grand Tutor's 'death'. If the chaos could end so easily and peace could be restored, Li Fan felt it was perfectly acceptable.

If the Grand Tutor is truly willing to take the plunge, risk everything, and break through without hesitation, taking over the banner of the Immortal Emperor, unifying the world, uniting the forces of the Central Plains, meeting the challenge of the Tai Su Demon Tribulation, and striving for peace, then Li Fan is naturally willing to give his full support.

However, if this Duke of Shouyang is actually a hypocrite who says one thing and does another, and is still planning to preserve his strength, then this chaotic war is likely to be a long one.

To reiterate, while this is an opportunity to end the chaos, it is ultimately a calamity that will cost the Grand Tutor his life. Whether he can overcome it, and how he chooses to overcome it, depends on his own choices.

Before setting off for Sanyuan, Li Fan took a look at the situation in Ink Bamboo Mountain and various parts of Li Country.

To be honest, in the world of cultivation, ten years is nothing. It seems like there aren't even five people in the sect who have advanced from the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul Realm. And the main force of the Ink Bamboo Mountain over the Ten-thousand-mountains has only just reached Tianyu Mountain and reclaimed their homeland. They haven't even killed as many demon kings as Li Fan has cleaned up at home. They're practically a bunch of useless trash...

On the other hand, the Celestial Realm is something to look forward to. Xuan Tian and the system Pisces are frantically pushing the technology tree. These madmen don't care whether their theoretical research can be applied to civilian use. Li Fan has no idea what they're up to.

"What's this? A millstone?"

"It is a substance tainted by evil energy in the Void Abyss, refined into crystals. I collectively call it Void Jade."

This piece is a high-purity crystal made by smelting and purifying sand and gravel deposits from the local Celestial Realm that were tainted with malevolent energy. This is a Void Jade crystal rod that was just pulled out according to the process provided by the system. However, the equipment is not yet precise enough, so it cannot be pulled very long. Occasional lattice defects have not yet been resolved, and the seed crystal will need to be polished for several decades. But it is already ready to make some experimental samples."

Xuan Tian, wielding his mechanical prosthetic body, brought over a pile of purple jade pendants.

"Is this made into Storage Jade?"

Li Fan picked up a piece and sensed it. These were probably made from a crystal rod the size of a millstone, cut and polished into crystal jade according to a specific process, and then talismans Fa Yin were added to create a jade pendant similar to Storage Jade.

"If the flesh and blood of demons tainted with evil energy are placed in an ordinary jade pendant, it will contaminate the talisman and magic Magic Treasure. Absorbing evil energy with Jade Pure Bottle is time-consuming, laborious, and unclean. Rather than forcibly removing evil energy and going against the natural order of matter, it would be better to find a usable tool from the products of Tai Su and polish it from the beginning."

For example, by using this Void Abyss Crystal to imitate the Void Jade born from heaven and earth, the resulting Void Jade can be used for storage and collection as long as it is imprinted with the Tai Su Dao Daoist seal, and it will not be corroded or contaminated by the flesh and blood of demons.

Similarly, as long as the materials and Tai Su talismans are changed, the ancient techniques of Tai Chi Dao for preparing jade magical Magic Treasure can be directly applied to create Tai Su Void Jade treasures."

Li Fan, "Eh..."

Since they were discussing this topic, Xuan Tian took the opportunity to give Li Fan a lesson on weapon crafting.

"The finest material for refining weapons is naturally jade. Heaven and earth are full of spirit; stone is mottled with spiritual energy, while jade is pure in its Dao Breath."

Born from heaven and earth, originating from yin and yang, nurtured by Taiji, and condensed from the essence of the Dao Breath, the highest grade Dao jade is the foundation of weapon crafting.

Such Heavenly Treasure can only be collected from the deepest layers of the earth's spiritual roots, where True Breath is most abundant and Dao energy is purest. Such places are called blessed lands.

The Seventy-Two Blessed Lands are among the most renowned Daoist jade mines in the Central Plains. There are also some secluded jade mines in the immortal mountains beyond Penglai and in the Western Regions of the Divine Sect. In short, the Daoist jade produced in these blessed lands is at least 90% pure, which is the cornerstone that laid the foundation for the current status of the Xuanmen Immortal Dao.

However, since it is naturally formed, it is inevitable that there will be impurities. The quality of the material depends entirely on chance. Even the finest jade may have a few impurities, and if it is near metal, stone, water, or fire, it may also be tainted with inferior spiritual energy.

Therefore, the ancient methods of polishing exquisite jade and Spirit Stones were particularly time-consuming and laborious. When mining, careful planning was required to avoid damaging the sect's ley lines, and one also had to rely on personal luck to obtain top-grade immortal materials.

Even at this stage, what is mined is jade. To extract the jade from the stone, one needs years of experience and skill. The fine jade that is mined is kept by the sect's true masters and is constantly cared for. Through daily cultivation, the impurities in the jade are worn away. Some major sects even have special jade-nurturing techniques and jade-nurturing true masters to accompany the refining of magic weapon materials with a purity of 99% or higher.

Jade with a purity of only 95% can be refined using alchemy, and even after boiling for hundreds of years, it can be purified into usable jade. As for stubborn stones with too many impurities and a purity of less than 90%, they are considered garbage with no value for polishing and are mostly given to disciples for practice or sold to mortals.

Even so, the jade materials selected from the Xuanmen are priceless in the mortal world, and the competition for them often results in bloodshed. Since independent cultivator sects do not have blessed lands or jade veins, they rely solely on gambling on stones to buy materials, which is unreliable. Every time the Xuanmen releases jade materials, it is a bloodbath.

Therefore, although Ink Bamboo Mountain is a place with its own unique charm, it lacks a Dao vein and blessed land, so it cannot produce Dao Jade. Naturally, it also lacks materials for refining artifacts. No wonder its artifact refining skills are so poor, only able to produce laughable things like jellyfish heads."

Li Fan, "Uh..."

However... strictly speaking, Ink Bamboo Mountain originally probably also had a blessed land-level ley line, but that ley line was occupied by the Zhenyang Temple and turned into a sea of magma and fire, so of course it could not produce pure Dao jade.

Xuan Tian, "However, now that we have the technology provided by the system and the equipment from the Celestial Immortals, we can directly process the sand on the ground outside. We can stew it all in one pot, using crystal seeds to grow crystals. Don't be fooled by this whole lump of crystals that looks like a millstone; its purity has reached the millimeter level, and it can already be used to make treasures."

However, the current equipment precision is unsatisfactory, the Tai Su Dao technique is still unclear, and there are many areas where the Void Jade crystals can be polished and upgraded. Once the precision of mass-produced products reaches the standard, even Void Jade flying swords can be mass-produced."

Li Fan, "Wow..."

Xuan Tian finally reacted, "Hey, why are we talking about this now? You haven't even reached the stage of refining treasures yet! Why are you restless again and showing your true form? Did you become lazy after passing the unified exam? You've finished the arithmetic problems, so why aren't you memorizing the pill formulas?!"

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat. "No, the Grand Tutor is undergoing his tribulation, and I need to represent Ink Bamboo Mountain to attend the ceremony at the Three Enclosures. Xuan Tian, do you want to come along?"

Xuan Tian scoffed, "Hmph, what era are we living in? What's so interesting about the tribulation of the Tai Chi Dao? I don't have the time for that. Oh, if you're going, take Asha with you to see the world. Her current level is far below that of the Xuanmen disciples. She's always fighting with monsters and rats, so her level won't improve. No wonder she's stuck at her cultivation level. If she kills a few more people in the Central Plains, she can break through."

Li Fan was speechless. Ten years to help someone break through to the Golden Core stage? Did they think everyone was Qingyue? Besides, this was a tribulation at the Enlightenment Stage, with a bunch of old lords throwing a party. Taking a disciple at the peak of the Golden Core stage to see the world was far too dangerous...

Seeing that he wouldn't agree, Xuan Tian angrily said, "Hey! These past few years you've been busy passing on the Daoist Tradition of Mo Shan, never caring about my Sword Sect! Now that we only have Asha as our sole heir, aren't you going to nurture her properly? A fine sword is forged through tempering. If we don't throw her into a death trap to hone her skills, when will she ever grasp the true essence of my Sword Immortal Dao? I don't need you to worry about her. Just take Asha to the Three Realms, find a place to dump her, and let her figure out how to survive on her own! Now that she's reached the Golden Core stage, it's time for her to see the dangers of the Central Plains!"

Your method of cultivation is too extreme...

That makes sense; most Sword Sect disciples go through this process. And to be fair, Xuan Tian, under the guise of "Grandpa Huangfu of the Sword Sect," secretly fed Asha quite a few secret manuals and taught her many techniques, shocking Asha. She even came to Li Fan asking if some evil sect was trying to lure her astray. Only after confirming that this "Huangfu Senior, who wished to remain anonymous," was indeed a remnant of the Sword Sect and a specially appointed guest elder of Ink Bamboo Mountain, did she begin to True Cultivator the secret manuals taught by Xuan Tian. She was far more astute than Li Fan was back then...

However, the old man's opportunity is not so easy to obtain. Don't be fooled by how he fawned over you and took great care of you when you were learning the divine skill. Now that he sees that you have mastered left-click attack and right-click movement, he plans to throw you into the demon cave to level up.

Li Fan couldn't refuse Xuan Tian, so he had no choice but to agree. He instructed Yue Po to make a trip and bring Asha over to travel together. In his heart, he thought that at worst, he could just give her a few dozen more Kun tickets or Yun Zhuan to save her life.