Lu Li put the report on his family's recent circumstances away separately.
He picked up the general report in front of him.
The general report contained a great deal of information.
It covered not only the specific changes to Bureau 749 after its restructuring, personnel assignments, and so on,
but also the most important recent experimental progress and results.
Rustle!
He opened the report, and a section on "awakening the activity of slag materials" caught his eye.
The section itself was not very long.
But as Lu Li read it, his heart began to race.
"Awakening residual materials... restoring some of their original properties..."
"The simulation has already succeeded... this..."
Lu Li was astonished. Great Xia never failed to surprise him.
It was no exaggeration to say that such a technique could turn waste into treasure and stone into gold.
If the experiment with actual materials succeeded, the consequences... Lu Li hardly dared imagine them.
It meant he would have a source of free artifact-refining materials in the future.
"No... not free. It's Great Xia's resources being consumed."
"Still... this would also be immensely beneficial to Great Xia's artifact-refining research."
"And an even greater help to me."
Lu Li clenched his fist, his spirits rising.
Unable to help looking forward to the progress of the subsequent experiments, he read the entire report over several more times.
Only then did he put the reports away one by one in the jade pendant's space.
"Whew... the strategic analysis report from the country is extremely comprehensive."
"Taking what happened today into account... unless something unusual happens, I have no need to leave the sect for now. I just need to learn artifact refining well and quietly build up my cultivation."
"Although there aren't any major hidden dangers in my current situation... I still need to remain vigilant at all times."
"I also need to hurry and get formations, formation plates, and the like..."
His eyes flickered as he carefully sorted through his current goals and the specific matters at hand once more.
Putting further thoughts aside, Lu Li sat cross-legged and circulated the Five Elements Instruction 3.0, beginning his cultivation.
Hum!
Hum! Hum! Hum!
As the Cultivation Method circulated, a vortex of Spiritual Qi slowly emerged.
The fairly substantial concentration of spiritual power in the outer sect allowed Lu Li's Qi to grow stronger bit by bit.
As if he had suddenly remembered something else,
a light flashed in Lu Li's palm.
A fist-sized, pale-blue crystal appeared in his hand.
"Spirit Stones are a common currency in the cultivation world. Born of heaven and nurtured by earth, they are crystallized Spiritual Qi and extremely precious."
"I have twelve now. Using one to see how effective it is for cultivation wouldn't be extravagant, would it..."
No sooner had the thought occurred to him than Lu Li gripped it tightly in his palm.
As the Cultivation Method circulated, a stream of exceedingly pure Spiritual Qi, carrying a trace of coolness, immediately rushed into his meridians.
It lasted only an instant, yet Lu Li cried out at how invigorating it felt.
"Cultivating with Spirit Stones really is wonderful!"
"This one Spirit Stone is enough to equal more than ten days of hard cultivation."
Suppressing his astonishment, Lu Li said no more.
He immersed himself in the pleasure of cultivation...
From then on, having settled on his immediate goals and tasks, Lu Li spent every day busy and fulfilled.
Aside from cultivating each day, he consolidated his understanding of artifact refining.
He also made sure to complete his slag-clearing task promptly every six days.
Besides that, every half month, he went with Xu Xiong to listen to Master Wu teach artifact refining.
As Master Wu's personal disciple, Xu Xiong did not have to attend artifact-refining classes; everything he learned was taught to him one-on-one.
Lu Li benefited from his association with Xu Xiong, receiving private instruction without spending contribution points.
During the lessons, he never interrupted, only listening quietly.
Whenever Xu Xiong had questions, Lu Li pricked up his ears and listened carefully as Master Wu answered them.
He committed everything firmly to memory.
After the lessons, he assisted Xu Xiong with artifact refining.
Each time, he not only earned several Spirit Stones but also accumulated extremely useful artifact-refining experience.
Reviewing the old to learn the new
allowed him to progress rapidly in the art of artifact refining.
Time hurried by, and the years flew like a shuttle.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
That year made Lu Li look ever more unworldly and composed.
The Qi about him grew more profound and deep...
"Qi Refinement Seventh Layer... I've finally reached this step."
"Over this past year, without relying on pills or Spirit Stones, I broke through two minor realms using only my Cultivation Method..."
"That's not slow."
Outside his cave abode, Lu Li stretched.
A sharp gleam flickered deep in his eyes. After a year, he had finally entered Late Qi Refining.
"At Late Qi Refining, I can ride a sword... that flying sword the sect gave me can finally be put to use!"
Taking a deep breath, Lu Li turned his wrist.
He drew a standard-issue flying sword from his Storage Bag. It was as long as his arm and pitch-black from tip to hilt.
Its first-tier, low-grade quality was not particularly high.
But it had every formation it needed and could be used without trouble.
"Whew... rise!"
Lu Li, who had long since refined the magic sword, tossed it gently upward.
The flying sword grew as it met the wind, reaching half a person's height in an instant.
It hovered horizontally before Lu Li, two meters above the ground, giving off a trace of sharpness.
Thump!
With a light tap of his foot, Lu Li leaped onto the flying sword.
Through the faint thread of Divine Sense he had just developed, the flying sword beneath his feet responded as readily as his own arm.
When he thought forward, the flying sword went forward.
When he thought backward, the flying sword went backward.
He increased the spiritual power just a little, and the flying sword instantly shot forth.
Whoosh!
It was hard for Lu Li not to be excited on his first flight on a sword.
Watching the scenery around him recede and white clouds rise into view, he realized for the first time what made cultivators so captivating.
"Flying on a sword really is exhilarating!"
"It's just that Divine Sense has only just emerged at Late Qi Refining... its range and reach are both extremely limited."
"Using a sword to kill an enemy only reaches a hundred meters or so... that's still a far cry from taking someone's head from a thousand li away, as in the legends..."
Carefully feeling the connection between himself and the flying sword,
Lu Li flew a few more circuits, landed steadily in front of his cave abode, and waved his sleeve.
A streak of spiritual light struck an inconspicuous recess beside the cave abode's stone door.
Hum!
A pale-cyan curtain of light emerged in response.
It rippled like water for a moment, then quietly faded from view.
For this first-tier, high-grade formation known as the Lesser Five Elements Concealment Formation,
he had spent almost all of the greater part of the Spirit Stones he had saved over the year by assisting Xu Xiong with artifact refining.
But it had all been worth it.
Not only could this formation withstand a full-powered strike from a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator, it could also perfectly block probing by a Foundation Establishment cultivator's Divine Sense.
Here in the outer sect, it finally gave him a truly secluded place of his own.
Entering the cave abode, he performed the Method Formula again to activate the formation fully. Only after ensuring nothing could go wrong did he sit down cross-legged.
He solemnly took a bronze forging furnace half a person's height from his Storage Bag.
The furnace had an ancient, simple appearance and bore the marks of years of fire.
It was an old furnace Senior Brother Xu Xiong had replaced after his artifact-refining skills improved. Grateful for Lu Li's wholehearted assistance over the past year, Xu Xiong had let him have it for a token price.
"I've finally waited for this day..."
Lu Li stroked the slightly cool furnace wall, his emotions surging.
Today held extraordinary significance for him.
Not only had his cultivation entered Late Qi Refining, but it was also... the big day when he and his motherland would test the results of the experiment!
Hum.
Spiritual power flowed in, and the jade pendant blazed with light.
The familiar communication link was established.
Wang Zhiwen's voice came through the jade pendant, his excitement hard to conceal:
"Comrade Lu Li, the first phase of the 'artifact refining' plan has been successfully completed!"
"Now, please prepare to begin the first... cross-realm artifact refining!"