Thirty Thousand Points, Grandmaster Perfection
Holding the strange cone tip, warm and smooth like jade yet radiating a faint blood-red glow, Dongfang Yueming fell into deep thought.
How should I deal with it?
This thing is made of extraordinary material and contains extremely pure energy. If a suitable master craftsman could be found, it might be forged into a divine weapon.
But just then, the system's cold notification sound suddenly rang in my mind.
[Ding! High-purity energy source ' Bloodthirsty Awl Core' detected. Convert to points?]
Dongfang Yueming's heart stirred.
Anything that can elicit such a reaction from the system must be extraordinary.
He thought for a moment and then made a decision.
[Divine weapons are ultimately external objects. My strongest method now stems from the Martial Dao True Intent within myself, not from weapons.]
[Moreover, the next battle is against the Earth Spirit Sect, so rapidly increasing our strength is the key!]
"Transform!" he murmured to himself.
[Ding! Conversion successful! Points gained: 30,000!]
Seeing the long string of numbers that suddenly surged on the panel, even the usually composed Dongfang Yueming couldn't help but take a deep breath.
30,000 points! That's an incredible windfall!
Without the slightest hesitation, he stared intently at the cultivation technique section.
[Character: Dongfang Yueming]
[Realm: Grandmaster Realm (Entry) (1000 points earned daily)]
[Cultivation Techniques:..., Sea-Overturning Spirit Gathering Method (0/3000, Entry)...]
[Points:36422]
[Point Allocation!]
[Ding! Consumed 3000 points, "Sea-Overturning Spirit Gathering Method" has been upgraded to Minor Accomplishment!]
[Ding! Consumed 5000 points, "Sea-Overturning Spirit Gathering Method" has been upgraded to Major Accomplishment!]
[Ding! 10,000 points consumed, "Sea-Overturning Spirit Gathering Method" upgraded to Perfection!]
Boom--!!!
An unprecedented transformation occurred simultaneously between his Sea of Consciousness and his dantian!
At this moment, his spiritual power seemed to transform into a boundless sea, completely merging with his Perfection Sea-Overturning True Intent!
In an instant, within a radius of a hundred feet centered on him, the air seemed to turn into viscous seawater, and an invisible, vast force field appeared out of thin air, as if it could suppress everything!
Grandmaster Domain -- [Boundless Sea Domain]!
As the domain was generated, an immense and boundless aura of Grandmaster could no longer be suppressed, soaring into the sky and sweeping across the entire Great Xia Dynasty! The sky and clouds changed color, and the spiritual energy boiled!
Great Xia Martial Arts Academy.
The dean, who was handling official business, suddenly stood up from his seat, looked up at the sky in horror, and felt the terrifying pressure that made his soul tremble!
"This... this is... the Grandmaster Domain?! And such a powerful Domain!" he exclaimed in shock, his face filled with astonishment and envy. "When did our Great Xia Dynasty produce such an unparalleled expert?! If our Martial Dao Academy could produce such a figure, how could it not prosper!"
On the other side, Yue Tao and Xi Feng, who were cultivating, were also jolted awake from their meditation by this aura. Their faces were pale, and their eyes were filled with awe.
"Grandmaster Domain... it's actually the Grandmaster Domain!" Xi Feng's voice trembled.
Yue Tao was also shocked. "After arriving at the Earth Spirit Sect, I realized how difficult it is to reach the Grandmaster Perfection! It's said that even our Earth Spirit Sect's Sect Master has only barely condensed the rudimentary form of a domain!"
"I never imagined that our Great Xia Dynasty would have such a hidden senior!" A fervent admiration ignited in Xi Feng's eyes. "What an honor it would be to be chosen as a disciple by such a senior! It's a pity that our talents are so dull; we're afraid we won't catch his eye. Perhaps... only a peerless genius like Senior Brother Li Xuan is worthy of him?"
He suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion, "Speaking of which, hasn't Senior Brother Li Xuan returned yet?"
Just as that vast aura of Grandmaster swept across the entire Great Xia Dynasty, a tense standoff was taking place inside the Shi Family mansion.
Inside the hall, the head of the Shi Family and several elders were staring with grim faces at an uninvited guest sitting in the main seat.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes, leisurely sipping tea, with two powerful Qi Refining Qi Refining standing behind him. He was Zhao Wuji, the patriarch of the Zhao Family family, another prominent family in the Great Xia.
"Shi Family, my patience is finite." Zhao Wuji put down his teacup, his voice not loud, but filled with an undeniable sense of pressure. "Those three mines in the south of the city, will your Shi Family hand them over, or not?"
"Zhao Wuji! Don't push your luck!" An elder of the Shi Family slammed his fist on the table and roared, "That's the last foundation of my Shi Family's business!"
"This is outrageous!" Zhao Wuji sneered, his eyes full of disdain. "All I know is that in the Great Xia today, whoever has the bigger fist is right. Your Shi Family doesn't even have a single person with decent internal Inner Force. What makes you think you can keep your gold mine?"
Just then, that vast and boundless aura of Grandmaster descended from the sky, like an invisible mountain, instantly pressing down on everyone's hearts!
Zhao Wuji's smile froze instantly, and the teacup in his hand crashed to the ground with a "clatter," splashing tea everywhere! He looked up at the sky in horror, feeling the terrifying pressure that made his very soul tremble!
"Grandmaster... Grandmaster Domain!!" he exclaimed in shock, unable to maintain his composure any longer.
This aura... is too strong! Far stronger than any Grandmaster he has ever seen!
The two Qi Refining Greater Success experts behind him were even more pale-faced, their legs went weak, and they almost knelt on the ground.
However, after a brief moment of shock, an even deeper mockery appeared on Zhao Wuji's face.
He steadied himself, looked at the equally astonished and uncertain faces of the Shi Family members, and sneered, "What? Scared? Shi Family, you don't naively believe that such a peerless expert has any connection with your declining Shi Family, do you?"
He stood up, straightened his robes, and said with a mocking tone, "How ridiculous! Even if your Shi Family could afford to hire someone like him, you probably couldn't afford the price!"
"I, Zhao Wuji, am laying my cards on the table!" He held up three fingers, speaking in a condescending tone, "I'll give you three days to consider! After three days, I'll personally come to collect the contracts for those three mines! If you still don't know what's good for you by then..."
He gave a cold laugh, then turned and left.
"... You'll bear the consequences!"
Watching Zhao Wuji and his entourage arrogantly depart, the Shi Family hall fell into a deathly silence, filled only with endless sorrow and despair.
"Master!"
Finally, one of the clansmen could no longer suppress his resentment. He pointed at the silent Uncle Shi in the corner and roared in a hoarse voice:
"It's all his fault! It's all Uncle Shi!"
"Back then, although our Shi Family had declined, we were still able to enlist the help of a Grandmaster by virtue of the favors left by our ancestors and by paying a huge price. This allowed us to deter the Shi Family and ensure decades of peace!"
"But him! Uncle Shi insisted on his own way, claiming that Shi Qing was exceptionally talented, and he exchanged all the favors and resources that could have persuaded Grandmaster for a vague opportunity to go to the Central Continent! And that's how he sent Shi Qing away!"
"Now look what's happened!" the clansman cried out in grief and indignation. "We didn't manage to invite the Grandmaster Shi Family, and Shi Qing has vanished without a trace! Now even someone like Zhao Wuji dares to piss on our heads! How are we supposed to live like this?!"
These words acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the resentment in everyone's hearts.
"Yes! We shouldn't have listened to him in the first place!"
"For the sake of Shi Qing, they've ruined the hopes of our entire family!"
Uncle Shi stood hunched over, facing the accusations of thousands, his face filled with bitterness and self-reproach. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word. He knew that what they said was true. Looking back now, his initial choice was indeed a mistake.
"Shut up!" the head of the Shi Family shouted, stopping the crowd's protests.
The clansman remained relentless, crying out, "Patriarch! Are we really going to hand over those three mines? They are the last foundation of our Shi Family!"
The head of the Shi Family closed his eyes in pain, his face filled with struggle and helplessness.
A breakup is a slow death; it extinguishes all hope for the family.
If they don't pay, three days later, rivers of blood will flow and their entire families will be wiped out.
He... had reached a dead end.