"Not worth it." Yaoguang sensed the tearing, rending vibrations rippling through his primordial psyche under the successive bombardment of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, and he was forced to stop.

He had already endured eight strikes of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning. Although he might have been able to endure nine, ten, twelve, or even fifteen strikes by risking his life and pressing forward, the danger was simply too great to be worth it.

Within the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer, the lightning that descended was never guaranteed to come one bolt at a time. When yin and yang clashed, anything could happen. If three or four strands of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning struck him simultaneously, he would not be able to withstand it, and his primordial psyche would likely be torn apart on the spot. So...

"Pushing deeper just to endure a few more rounds of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning tempering is not worth it," Yaoguang said.

He had always been a cautious person. His primordial psyche slowly drifted toward the edge of the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer. Just as he was about to leave it, Xu Kong’s primordial psyche finally caught up.

When Xu Kong saw that Yaoguang’s primordial psyche was wreathed in purple light, seemingly injured yet incomparably solid and condensed, joy immediately surfaced on his face. "Yaoguang, you succeeded?! Your primordial psyche actually withstood the tempering of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning?!"

"I was lucky," Yaoguang replied.

At the same time, he glanced at the impending resonance effect of divine lightning that would form from two primordial psyche cultivators occupying the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer simultaneously. He hurriedly added, "Elder Xu Kong, are you also crossing a tribulation? Then I’ll withdraw first..."

Every primordial psyche cultivator who entered the lightning layer would, through the clash of yin and yang, form their own thundercloud. If two primordial psyche cultivators came too close, those thunderclouds could merge, producing an even more terrifying thunderstorm cloud. Thus, even as they ventured deeper into the clouds, primordial psyche cultivators always kept their distance from one another.

"What you pulled off today... was far too shocking. Once we’re back, you must keep it a secret! Bai Lu and Zhang Jianlin will cooperate with you." Xu Kong instructed quickly.

Yaoguang immediately understood what Xu Kong meant. He also guessed that this was likely Sect Master Zhao Siliang’s intention. It was consistent with his desire to keep a low profile while not going entirely unnoticed.

"Understood." After responding, his figure plunged rapidly toward the Blazing Solar Lightning layer.

After regrouping with Bai Lu, Zhang Jianlin, and the others there, he descended directly toward Longxiang City under the protection of Zhao He and the Foundation Building sword cultivators.

***

His primordial psyche re-entered the body. Yaoguang did not immediately communicate with the outside world. Instead, he quietly sensed the changes within himself. As for external matters, he had already explained them to Bai Lu, Zhang Jianlin, and the others on the way back. They would handle everything.

Externally, the story was that he had passed the One-Nine Lightning Tribulation in one go, but an accident occurred when he attempted the Three-Nine Lightning Tribulation. The resulting thunderclouds were so astonishing that they resembled a Nine-Nine Lightning Tribulation.

Internally, the records would be confidential, stating that he had passed the Three-Nine Lightning Tribulation on his first attempt and suffered severe injuries during the Nine-Nine Lightning Tribulation. Gravely wounded, he had immediately sought help from the sect, which was why Bai Lu, Zhang Jianlin, and the others appeared to rescue him.

Both explanations were logically sound. They also matched external speculation. By contrast, the truth that Yaoguang had passed the Nine-Nine Lightning Tribulation in one go and undergone multiple rounds of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning tempering was far too unbelievable.

As long as some degree of exaggeration or inconsistency was woven into the claims, enemy intelligence agencies would dismiss them as fabricated misinformation.

A breakthrough of the mind truly does come naturally once the realm is reached. Yaoguang reflected inwardly.

For the Psyche Dao, the flesh was limited, heaven and earth were limited, the stars were limited, the universe was limited, but the mind alone was limitless. The Taiyuan Psyche Refinement Technique touched briefly on one more piece of information: Those with limitless physiques were human immortals. Those with boundless true origin were heavenly immortals. And those whose minds were limitless were psyche immortals.

This was the first time, after absorbing so much information, that he had seen a description of "immortals." Yet beyond those brief lines, there was not a single additional word explaining what an "immortal" truly was.

The Taiyuan Psyche Refinement Technique devoted most of its content to the cultivation of the primordial psyche itself, including the three transformations of yin psyche, primordial psyche, and yang psyche.

Before the yang psyche was achieved, the primordial psyche always belonged to the "yin" attribute. Once manifested in certain environments, it would inevitably trigger a clash of yin and yang. Only after transforming to yang could one truly roam freely.

At that stage, cultivators could even shed the shackles of the physical body. Even if the body perished, they could still survive by relying on the primordial psyche alone. Of course, without a physical body, the primordial psyche could no longer grow. In other words, that person’s cultivation path would have reached its end.

The Great Cangwu World doesn’t distinguish between yin psyche, primordial psyche, and yang psyche. They’re all lumped together as primordial psyche. From this alone, the path laid out by the Taiyuan Psyche Refinement Technique is more complete than that of the Great Cangwu World... Yaoguang quietly felt the changes in his psychic thought.

He was equivalent to a cultivator who had crossed the Purple Firmament Lightning Tribulation. The reach of his psychic thought...

In the next instant, his awareness surged outward at an unbelievable speed, sweeping beyond Longxiang City and continuing into the distance. 150 kilometers, 250 kilometers, 500 kilometers, 1500 kilometers... Only after reaching the vast East Sea, nearly 3000 kilometers away, did it finally come to a halt.

"Foundation Building cultivators and body cultivators, without counting external aids, are divided into five tiers based on combat strength. As for primordial psyche cultivators, because of the existence of Heavenly Palace cultivators, an additional sixth tier was carved out on top of the original five." Yaoguang carefully assessed. "The Taiyuan Psyche Refinement Technique is extremely stable and defense-oriented. It doesn’t specialize in detection range. Yet even so, my current psychic thought range still matches that of fourth-tier primordial psyche cultivators who excel in detection, on par with Xu Kong."

It was even a shade stronger than Bai Lu, who stood at the peak of the third tier.

As for defense, even if ten or eight hostile fourth-tier primordial psyche cultivators were to pit their psychic thoughts directly against his own, if they could shake him in the slightest, then his Taiyuan Psyche Refinement Technique would have been practiced in vain.

"And besides, the offensive power of psychic thought doesn’t seem weak either..." Yaoguang said to himself.

If the defensive aspect of the Taiyuan Psyche Refinement Technique were likened to a mass of steel, then even if that steel had not been forged into divine weapons, simply relying on this solid mass and smashing it down would still be enough to shatter the psychic thoughts of those primordial psyche cultivators whose stability was inferior.

Beyond that, performance in tracking, locking on, searching, and energy consumption had all just crossed into the threshold of the fourth tier. It could be described as all-around.

"Across the entire Nine Cauldrons Sect, the number of primordial psyche great cultivators sits between one hundred and fifty and two hundred. Just like how ninth-realm qi cultivators are the ones charging on the front lines, among the great cultivators, those who go out to fight and kill are usually third-tier elites. Second-tier cultivators form the main frontline combat force, while first-tier cultivators stay behind to defend territory, while also taking on teaching, training, and auxiliary production duties. Still, because Nine Cauldrons Sect is short on primordial psyche cultivators, even second-tier ones are sometimes sent into battle..." Yaoguang said.

Someone like Bai Lu, who stood at the peak of the third tier, was constantly fighting on the very front lines. Meanwhile, Zhang Jianlin, who was only at the first tier, had gone off to serve as a spokesperson for the Nine Heavens Domain’s Publicity Hall.

From this, it could be inferred that the number of third-tier primordial psyche cultivators in the Nine Cauldrons Sect did not exceed forty. As for fourth-tier primordial psyche cultivators like himself, there were probably fewer than twenty. Not to mention the fifth tier and sixth tier... Those were beings with the potential to advance to even higher realms, and unless special circumstances arose, they would not be placed into combat rotations.

A fifth-tier cultivator who had already established an immortal foundation carried weight comparable to a Sky Patrol Warship.

"The sixth tier of the primordial psyche is somewhat special. Heavenly Palace cultivators, who merge human and artifact, aren’t counted among them. But in the Taiyuan Psyche Refinement Technique, the concept of a yang psyche is touched upon. That might actually give rise to a so-called sixth tier," Yaoguang said.

After roughly clarifying his current position, Yaoguang gathered back the psychic thought he had extended three thousand kilometers away. He had finally reached the Primordial Psyche Realm. Now he needed to push forward to reach the Star Lord Realm as soon as possible.

At the same time, it was time to begin preparations for forming his own unique swarm-based combat system. Next, all that remained was to wait for the sect to approve the astra-refining plan.

***

Yaoguang did not have to wait long. One month after his primordial psyche had fully recovered, Nine Cauldrons Sect’s deputy sect master and hall master of the Artifact Refinement Hall, Xu Qiexing, the deputy sect master and hall master of the Logistics Hall, Liang Qiu, and the artifact-refinement grandmaster Dong Liushui arrived in Longxiang City, accompanied by Zhao Siliang.

The moment he saw Yaoguang, Xu Qiexing strode forward and warmly clasped his hands. "Chief Yaoguang, I’ve long heard your name. On behalf of everyone in the Nine Cauldrons Sect, I thank you for everything you’ve done for the sect during this period, and I also thank you for saving the countless people of the Nine Heavens Domain."

"Saving others is also saving myself. It was what I should have done," Yaoguang replied.

"Originally, the sect master intended to come in person, but... we’re currently taking advantage of the Infinite Star Palace being distracted to break through their blockade. There are too many matters that require attention, so the sect master couldn’t leave and had to send me instead..."

"I understand," Yaoguang said with a nod.

Although the Infinite Star Palace’s Sky Patrol fleet had withdrawn, the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s situation was still far from ideal. The East Sea's islands had been completely lost, and the Shiwan Mountains had also been abandoned. As sect master, Li Qingshan was undoubtedly overwhelmed with various matters.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xu Qiexing gradually moved to the main topic. "Chief Yaoguang, given your special circumstances, we have three suggestions regarding your future development. Of course, if you have your own ideas, you’re welcome to raise them. As long as it’s within our ability, the Nine Cauldrons Sect will do everything we can."

"Please, go ahead," Yaoguang said, nodding.

"First, as previously mentioned, we’d like you to go to Crimson City and attempt to take command of the Sky Patrol Warship that has already been ordered. We have already selected the crew. Based on the warship’s array configuration, we’ve arranged thirty-six elite Foundation Building sword cultivators, twenty-four spell cultivators, and twelve primordial psyche cultivators, along with three thousand high-tier cultivators handling various auxiliary duties," Xu Qiexing said.

Xu Qiexing then brought up the second suggestion. "Second, the higher-ups intend to establish a special institute modeled after the Sword-Wielding Institute, tailored specifically to your talents. You’d be given a quota of one hundred great cultivators. As for the exact requirements, you can propose them as you see fit. Whether you need to add or reduce numbers, just say the word. As long as it allows your talents to be utilized to the fullest, everything is negotiable."

"Modeled after the Sword-Wielding Institute..." Yaoguang was a little surprised.

The Sword-Wielding Institute was the strongest institute in the Nine Cauldrons Sect, an organization directly under the sect master, which served as a trump card. Its members were equipped with the most advanced astras and flying swords, with more than half of them being fourth-tier great cultivators. Combined with optimal personnel composition and seamless battle formations, their combat strength was formidable enough to confront an Infinite Star Palace Sky Patrol Warship head-on.

"The third suggestion concerns the Purple Firmament Type 13 flying sword plan you submitted," Xu Qiexing said. "According to Grandmaster Dong Liushui, this sword has already reached the level of a third-generation flying sword, is that right?" When he said this, his voice trembled slightly.

"Yes, it has," Yaoguang replied with a nod.

The moment those words fell, Zhao Siliang, who had clearly not known this beforehand, gasped. Across the entire Cangwu world, the number of sects capable of refining such a treasure could be counted with two hands. This was absolute world-class technology.

"Therefore, our third suggestion is for the Nine Cauldrons Sect to fund a large-scale expansion of the Purple Firmament Institute and to fully commit to mass-producing the Purple Firmament Type 13 flying sword," Xu Qiexing said with emphasis.

"At that time, Grandmaster Dong Liushui’s team will join you. Moreover, if the actual performance of the Purple Firmament Type 13 truly matches the data you provided, even more grandmaster teams will come to assist in refinement. On the sect’s side, we will spare no expense in placing massive orders. Even if it means exhausting our resources, we will arm the sword cultivators of the Warfare Hall as quickly as possible."