rule 12

Chapter 176: Multitasking

They brought us all this way out here just to watch a broadcast of the event?

Li Lang sighed upon realizing he wouldn't get a chance to attend the long-awaited auction in person. While the existence of a Qi art to remotely view things from afar intrigued him, it didn't change the fact that he wouldn't be able to observe the various treasures being auctioned off up close.

"Is something wrong?" Sima Xue asked, having noticed Li Lang's frown.

"Hmm, I was just wondering how I'll be able to find Liang Po now. I thought we would all be attending the venue for the auction, so I would have a chance to see him."

"Ah, that errand he sent you on?"

"You know about it?"

"Yep, his Myriad Bones Pavilion has its headquarters in the capital city of Nightshade Valley. If I remember correctly, I think they stay at an inn affiliated with their pavilion nearby."

"Affiliated, huh? His organization sure has quite the reach."

"Well, it's more of a front in this case. Polarity City can't be seen directly hosting what could be mistaken as a branch of their pavilion if they are to remain neutral, after all."

Li Lang glanced around at his companions for a few moments, who all had their attention on the projection high in the air, transmitting the scene of the auction. There wasn't any audio, but it mesmerized them just the same.

His gaze then settled on the biggest person around, but he quickly shook his head and looked over at Wei Ping instead.

"Wei Ping, can you go invite Liang Po here for me?"

"O-Okay."

"Sorry about the trouble."

"No problem, b-boss."

"There's no need for that," Sima Xue interjected. "We can just have one of the attendants from the restaurant run the errand."

"Oh, if it's not too much to ask, that would work, too." Li Lang nodded.

With the matter settled, Li Lang then began materializing various items before himself. There was a small round hammer and a mountain of materials.

"Li Lang," Long Yi called out, having noticed his antics. "Are you seriously practicing artificing right now? The auction is about to start!"

"I can see that fine while I work."

Long Yi could only blink blankly, not knowing how to respond. He could instinctively tell it wasn't right to practice a craft while one's attention was divided. It raised the chances for errors. However, Li Lang knew that wasn't the case with himself. 

He was used to watching something while he worked. In his old world, it would be a projection in the corner of his vision, but it wasn't much different from the large screen in the sky. He was too close to completing his first artifact to be able to resist.

Everyone at the restaurant gave Li Lang strange looks as he prepared the materials, except for one person. Sima Xue watched on with sparking eyes as she was excited to see what he was up to.

Meanwhile, at the center of Polarity City, the final and most important auction of the year was underway. People from various prestigious sects and organizations gathered. Only the top southern factions on Violet Isle were able to secure one of the private booths upstairs while the grand hall was filled with experts. 

Except for the workers, the majority of everyone in the building was in the Violet Core realm! That meant there were more than a few old monsters who had lived for over a thousand years currently gathered in one place. 

Naturally, with their long history, there were plenty of grudges between the folks gathered, but they all decided to put it behind them for the next few days, for the sake of the auction. With enemies ignoring each other, the auction practically became one big, harmonious social gathering. People were looking to create new connections instead of addressing old grievances.

For those from the Luminescent Domain, the center of attention gathered at the booth assigned to the Eroding March Pavilion. The recent news of one of their disciple possessing talent surpassing the three well-known geniuses of the new generation had spread far and wide. Numerous organizations worked to improve their relationship with the previously reclusive power.

Sitting in their booth were not only members of their pavilion like Elder An, but also personages from other groups like Jian Beiyun. Most notable among them were Elder Ji from the Drenched Earth Sect and Elder Du from the Eternal Wave Sect.

"Elder An, how come neither your esteemed Pavilion Master nor the famed Gui Tianzi have come today?" the elder from Drenched Earth Sect asked with a bittersweet smile.

"Apologies. The two of them are currently busy in closed-door cultivation. They're the type who only come out after they've exhausted every means they have at their disposal. If you have any messages for them, I'd be happy to take them, in their place."

"What a pity not to be able to exchange a cup of fine wine with them, but I hope you'll be able to hand over these gifts I got for them."

At the wave of his hand, the old man summoned forth a small pile of heavenly resources. It made the onlookers in the room widen their eyes upon noticing the generous gift. The sharp-eyed people would even notice numerous Foundation Establishment Pills among the gifts, obviously meant for Gui Tianzi.

"There's no need for such pleasantries, Elder Ji. The members of our pavilion are used to a simple life. We do not need such extravagant gifts."

"I insist. This is just a small gesture from my sect. If your Pavilion Master and Gui Tianzi do not want them, your pavilion can do as they see fit with gifts."

After some back and forths, Elder An soon ran out of excuses to reject presents. Their little exchange had even attracted everyone else's attention, as they paused their conversation to watch Elder An receive the gifts.

"Anyway," Elder Ji continued. "I heard some jealous people have recently tried to target your pavilion's personnel. Is this true?"

Elder An grimly nodded, but otherwise didn't elaborate.

"You see, don't say I didn't warn you to be more careful with all the new attention on your organization. Our sect master is still open to forming an alliance with you guys. Maybe you can advise your pavilion master to revisit this topic?"

Before Elder An could respond, someone from the crowd stepped forth and intruded on their discussion.

"Elder Ji, your sect has been rejected once already, and I can't blame them either. Your sect's so-called alliance proposal is too restrictive and lopsided. If your sect isn't sincere, then you should give up. It's rather unsightly to dwell on such matter."

"Hmm, our conversation has nothing to do with you or your Eternal Wave Sect, Elder Du. I ask that you do not interrupt."

"Ha, how can it possibly have nothing to do with us? My Sect Master has almost hashed out the cooperation agreement with the Pavilion Master of Eroding March already. It is me who should be asking you to not interfere."

Being caught in the middle of this quarrel, Elder An quickly stepped between the two opposing parties.

"Now, now, gentlemen. Let's stop with any debates. The auction is about to start. Don't you agree, Young Master Jian?"

Being called out among so many Violet Core cultivators, Jian Beiyun fearlessly strode forward.

"Elder An can really read my mind. My thoughts exactly."

With the addition of someone from Nightmoon Valley, the quarrel quickly ceased. More voices joined in for a harmonious gathering, and their focus moved to the main stage below.

Heading over to the balcony for a better view, the attendees seamlessly separated into their little cliques.

For Jian Beiyun, he went with Elder Du of the Eternal Wave Sect.

"Young Master Jian, we meet again," the elder softly said.

"Yes, and I apologize for having to ruin your little fun just now."

"Ha, just some awkward old men trying to socialize. Don't mind it."

Jian Beiyun kept quiet for a few moments as the City Master of Polarity City made his way onto the stage. Everyone in the building stood up and clasped their fist toward him in respect. Once everyone settled down, he began giving a speech that mostly consisted of pleasantries.

"Elder Du," Jian Beiyun whispered. "If I may, I would like to ask how your sect's investigation is going regarding the anomaly of The Great Trial of Water Crest."

Having heard the question, the elder smirked.

"Is your ancestor putting you up to the task?"

"No, my master."

"Ha, those old fogies have been around long enough to know what they're doing. Trust that every action they take has multiple meanings to them. It's better you wait until they're ready to tell you."

"But I can't help if they never tell me anything."

"Sometimes, not helping is the best way to help. Things become more bothersome the more people are involved. You're still young. Just sit back and relax."

Before Jian Beiyun could respond, everyone in the room turned in the same direction in unison. After a second, many of them chuckled.

"Ha, which junior has the audacity to still work on an artifact when the auction is starting?"

"They either have entered closed-door cultivation or are oblivious to everything around them. How else can they focus on the festive atmosphere throughout the city?"

"Hey, either way, you got to give it to them. Practicing is one thing, but succeeding in creating an artifact isn't something that can be done with luck alone."

While the elders were gossiping among themselves, Jian Beiyun was frowning as he stared unflinchingly toward where the disturbance came from. He was deep in thought.

This direction and distance. Not them again, he thought as he let out a sigh.

Chapter 177: Imaginative Artificing

The Grand Cloud Mirror Art showcased to all those in Polarity City how the dignitaries gathered for the opening ceremony of the annual auction.

While that was exciting for some, to Li Lang, it couldn't be more boring with no audio to go along with the visuals.

That was why he instead focused on crafting his long-awaited artifact printer. He had endured numerous failures within Ruby's artifact space and spent countless hours designing something that he could make without any advanced tools.

Throughout all his experimenting, there was one notable thing he learned. Artificing required metal materials to use as a catalyst in order to work. It was why artificing techniques allowed one to shape metals efficiently without the need to use any heat. However, Li Lang wasn't satisfied with just that.

He possessed a heavenly fire, and while he may not be familiar with the various Qi metals of this world, the auto-analyzer was especially efficient at analyzing material compositions. Li Lang just needed to put in the hours to test out how to draw out the properties he desired of the materials.

The main challenge left was the final touch of incorporating a beast core into the design. Each beast core was said to be unique, so repeated practice in his lab couldn't assure him of success.

That was why Li Lang was surprised as well with how his first attempt turned out.

After forming the mimeograph machine with his artificing techniques, he proceeded to insert the beast core as he tried to attune it. Just like when he had done it in Ruby's artifact space, the moment he placed it into the machine, he felt the core pulsating erratically, as if it was trying to communicate something to him.

He had to use the techniques he learned from Tie Qian to send out similar pulses of Qi in an attempt to control the wild core. It was as if he was building a collar for whatever consciousness was left in the core.

Normally, it would stop at that, and he would soon find out if his attempt would succeed or not. The start was the most crucial moment, as the spirit of each core reacted uniquely. However, his first attempt in reality had turned out differently. Instead of being able to concentrate on his techniques to form the figurative collar, a bestial roar suddenly sounded out in his mind. It made him flinch, alerting his companions at the table.

"Li Lang? What's wrong?" Sima Xue asked.

She was about to reach a hand out to Li Lang if Long Yi didn't stop her.

"Wait. Just leave him be for now. This happens sometimes in the middle of artificing."

"Really? It's normal to freeze up like that?"

"S-Shouldn't you know what artificing i-is like?" Wei Ping asked. "Nightmoon V-Valley is a major organization. Artificers s-should be a common sight for you."

"We may have many members talented in various crafts, but I personally don't get to interact with many of them," Sima Xue replied wistfully. "My master keeps me busy, so it's my first time seeing an artificer in action."

While Li Lang had heard every word of the conversation going on around him, his mind was currently completely focused on the task at hand. The voices he heard were not only loud, but they also provoked his emotions. Sometimes it made him angry or sad before it abruptly changed to fear or contentment. The changes in emotion made him barely keep up with the attunement process.

He never once panicked because he had heard about this phenomenon from his artifice teachers and senior apprentices. It was what led the artificer community to believe what made each core unique to be the soul of the beast. And currently, it was lashing out at the person trying to tame it.

Each wave of Qi Li Lang sent out would clash against the will of whatever was left in the core. He felt like he was fishing, trying to tire out the party he had hooked before he could reel them in.

As time passed, he could feel the stubbornness of the other party and their fatigue.

In this even the beast core's fatigue I'm feeling or my own? Am I just imagining it?

Not long after that, Li Lang could feel the resistance melting away and the moment of truth came. Even after successfully subduing the spirit, there was still a high chance of it disappearing instead of being tamed.

Li Lang was treading into new territory as he hadn't experienced what to do next because Ruby couldn't simulate anything to do with these residual spirits.

He quickly found the beast core unresponsive. A sign of failure he had been taught about. The consciousness of it was dead. It refused to submit to him until the end. He had to try again.

The soul of the beast's core dissipated, is how Tie Qian explains it. But doesn't that mean everything but the will that controls the power of whatever makes the artifact spirit work is missing?

Perhaps it was because he was also tired. He didn't hesitate to try out whatever came to his mind next.

Having cultivated for years, Li Lang learned that cultivation reacted actively to one's imagination. It didn't mean you could just imagine yourself succeeding and it would work, but it could change the way how things worked.

That's why instead of giving up, Li Lang tried to continue with the crafting session. He began imagining the beast core as a virtual brain, a computer of sorts. The software of it was corrupted, so he started compiling a new operating system for it.

The only issue was that he wasn't a programmer or a computer scientist. He specialized in biodefense, and knew about adapting to alien floral, but it didn't make him proficient in software engineering. 

Thankfully, he had Ruby.

No longer having to struggle against the beast core's will, Li Lang freely retreated into his lab. He opened up his computer and began referencing the parts of the code he was struggling with. He even started working on the operating system in sandbox mode, ironing out any kinks.

After some time, he returned to reality and began implementing his work. The pulses of Qi established a connection and transferred the data. It began installing the operating system on the core. He didn't need anything complicated, as it just managed the functions of a simple mimeograph machine.

Very soon, he was done, and nothing happened.

The beast core remained properly installed onto the machine he made and laid still without any reaction.

I have to say, this is one of my more radical ideas. I can't say I'm surprised it didn't work.

He sighed and glanced up at the screen displaying the scene in the auction, as he planned to take a small break before his next attempt. However, what he saw weirded him out. He was just in time to see everyone in the venue suddenly turning away from the stage at the same time. They even all turned in the same direction.

"Is something happening?" Li Lang muttered.

"Umm, B-Boss, look down."

In the area just before Li Lang was where he had placed his failed mimeograph artifact. Currently, it was giving off a dull light that was slowly increasing in luminosity, like a giant lightbulb.

"I—I, succeeded?"

The torrent of light filled the entire floor of the restaurant before it finally started dimming down. An unmistakable aura began emanating from it. 

The birth of a Mortal-grade artifact!

"Umm, Li Lang, you really did succeed," Long Yi said as he stared with wide eyes.

"He did it!" Sima Xue cheered before quickly calming down. "But what is this thing? A shield of some sort?"

She reached over to grab it, only to stop in his trackers after hearing Wei Ping's warning.

"I wouldn't t-touch it if I were you. Knowing boss, i-it could be some sort of poison weapon."

"Li Lang, is that true?" Sima Xue asked. "And is this thing a weapon or a shield?" 

Li Lang scoffed as he moved to pick up his new work. He didn't even bother to answer, as his mind was racing to try to comprehend what he had done while observing the state of his new artifact.

He tried mentally calling out to the newly born artifact spirit of the mimeograph machine, but to no avail. However, when he tried commanding it to open the slot where you would insert a stencil into it, it automatically popped open.

Hmm, they did say the intelligence of artifact spirits depends on the grade of the artifact. I shouldn't expect anything less than an Earth-grade artifact spirit to be able to speak, but isn't this a little too lifeless? Is my programming the only thing controlling it, or is there actually a sentient spirit in here?

For a split second, Li Lang was tempted to consume his new artifact into Ruby, but he quickly realized it wouldn't help. The spiritual aspect of it couldn't be replicated or analyzed.

The only concrete method he had to solve this mystery was with good ol' experimenting. He would need to repeat this process again and again, observing and recording the results while controlling the variables. He was completely undaunted at taking on this challenge. Only excitement could be seen on his face.

I still have quite a few artifacts I want to craft for us anyway. It's too bad it'll only be Mortal-grade, but we'll take things step by step.

Should I just leave Polarity City ahead of time to focus on artificing?

Chapter 178: A Visit

Li Lang and his friends eventually calmed down after the unexpected completion of an artifact. So too did all the experts at the auction, who had noticed the slight disturbance. The main auction resumed its operations without any further delays.

Even at the restaurant where Li Lang was, all the onlookers had returned to their own matters. 

The creation of an artifact was rare, but it wasn't enough to distract them for long. This was especially so when the artifact involved was only at the Mortal-grade. Perhaps due to the name, many cultivators considered Mortal-grade to be mundane items that were beneath them, like mortals.

An awkward silence befell Li Lang's table as his companions received no response to their questions. The man in question was too busy analyzing his work. If there weren't so many people there, he would've even begun testing to see if it could produce talismans as intended. However, even with his voracity for research, he knew it wasn't the time to be exposing his cards.

Like that, this little incident was soon forgotten—or so Li Lang had hoped.

The auction proceeded without issue, as numerous people watched on with amusement, where colossal organizations bided against each other for treasures and properties. 

"The newly discovered crystal mine in Azure Mist goes to participant number five for two hundred yellow crystals!"

"The villa on Sword Saint Isle goes to our esteemed guest with the number seventy-five for sixty green crystals!"

The event only heated up as time passed. After all, it was held over several days. To cultivators at the level that could participate in the grand auction, a few days was nothing to them. They would go into closed-door cultivation for years at a time.

In a blink of an eye, the first day ended.

"Hey! Li Lang! It's time to leave!" Long Yi tried to awaken his friend. It took some serious shaking for him to succeed.

"What? It's over?"

"Like you care!" Sima Xue yelled. "You weren't even watching!"

"I was—for some of it. Maybe I'll skip out for the remainder of it. You guys can continue watching and tell me about it later."

Before any of his friends could retort, a few gasps from the guests on the other tables drew their attention. They all turned around to find Jian Beiyun leading a few old men towards them. Everyone could tell this new group wasn't to be trifled with.

"Senior Brother, you're back! How was the event?" Sima Xue immediately rushed over and inquired.

"Didn't you see from The Grand Cloud Mirror Art? The entire place was filled with powerful elders that I could only find myself lacking. Speaking of, let me introduce you to two such elders here. This is Elder An of the Eroding March Pavilion and Elder Ji from the Drenched Earth Sect."

Sima Xue swiftly bowed and clasped her fist toward the two old men. Her demeanor seamlessly changed from mischievous to that of a role model disciple.

"Greetings, Elder An, Elder Ji."

They both smiled amiably at the young princess.

"No need to stand on ceremony, Young Lady Sima," Elder An replied. "We're just a bunch of old fossils."

Seeing how quickly her junior charmed his acquaintances, Jian Beiyun sighed at the scene.

"Don't spoil her, Elders. She's the reason we have the saying, 'Give them an inch, and they'll take a mile.'"

"Ha, very well. We have come for business, anyway. Why don't we have a chat somewhere more private?" the elder said as he meaningfully looked at the person behind Nightmoon Valley's young princess.

Li Lang exchanged a quick glance with his companions and looked behind him to check if there was anyone there. When he found no one, he grimaced.

"Us?" he asked as he pointed at himself.

Both elders nodded and Jian Beiyun quickly stepped between the two parties while shaking his head.

"Li Lang," he said. "The two elders here would like to speak with you. Please come along."

They didn't move far. The restaurant staff had overheard the entire conversation, so a private room was quickly prepared. Even though the entire establishment was full to the brim, it didn't stop the staff from catering to the eminent experts to the best of their abilities.

"So," Li Lang said before everyone could even get seated. "Why did two esteemed elders come to see me?"

Elder Ji smiled as he stroked his chin. He gave Li Lang a look over before replying.

"We are here on behalf of the Artificer Guild. We wanted to take a look at the junior who succeeded in taking a crucial step on the path of artificing. If you don't mind, could we verify your work?"

"Elders, unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline that request. This is my first time succeeding in creating an artifact, so it has a lot of sentimental value to me. It's not for sale.

"Rest assured, we have no intentions of taking anything from you," Elder Ji continued. "We just want to examine your work and discuss your experiences. We'll only be able to certify you as an official artificer after we have verified the creation of an artifact."

"I'm happy to hear that, but information about my creation isn't something I plan to share. I do not mind forgoing the certification for now."

"Junior, you can rest assured about our integrity. Old men like us would never spread your information around. We've lived for so long, and there's not much we haven't seen. There's no need to be so secretive about a Mortal-grade artifact."

"Now, now," Jian Beiyun clapped his hands. "There's no need to pressure a junior around like that. If he doesn't want to talk, so let him be. If you're curious, you should consult with the diviners in your organizations."

"Ha, Young Master Jian, you jest. This isn't a matter that needs their attention. Besides, as if diviners are ever able to find anything useful until it's too late." Elder Ji then turned to his fellow elder. "Speaking of them, Elder An, our Drenched Earth Sect would be more than happy to assist against those jealous of your pavilion. I know your organization isn't used to the limelight, so we can assist with your security issues."

"Thank you for the offer, but that'll be something our Pavilion Master will have to decide. All I can do is bring it up to them."

"That is fine. We're here to help, so you can come find us at any time."

"Anyway, if this junior isn't willing to show us his new creation, then we should take our leave."

Unable to refute Elder An's suggestion, Elder Ji reluctantly nodded. The two then slowly walked out of the restaurant, accompanied by Jian Beiyun. Before the head disciple of Nightmoon Valley had left, he didn't forget to wink meaningfully at his junior sister.

"Hmm, I'm not sure why you refused to get certified as an official Artificer, but that was interesting," Sima Xue commented.

"I'm glad I served you well as entertainment, milady," Li Lang sarcastically replied before gesturing to his companions to prepare to leave. "It's getting late. We should head back."

With the first day of the main auction over, there wasn't meaning in staying any longer. Numerous people took to the streets, returning to their lodging or finding supper.

Just as they got to the first floor of the restaurant, they happened to run into someone calling out to them. As soon as everyone turned toward the voice, they all instantly recognized who it was. It was thanks to his unique characteristic of white hair but youthful skin.

"Liang Po, you're finally here!" Sima Xue exclaimed. "What took you so long? The auction is over by now."

"Hmm, you know. The usual." He then turned to Li Lang. "I don't want to delay you, as it is my fault for being late. We can finish our business tomorrow."

Then, without looking back, Liang Po briskly walked out as well.

Li Lang barely registered his words as he practically ignored everyone during the entire trip back to his room. Once the door was shut, he didn't hesitate to immediately materialize his new creation from his space ring.

He hadn't thought he would succeed this quickly, so he cursed himself for being rash, crafting the printer artifact in public. Before he could dwell long on the incident, he started putting his new creation to the test.

He placed a hand on the mimeograph machine and sent out a command for it to produce the sole talisman it was currently equipped to print.

The stencil wrapped around the ink-filled drum within the machine began to rotate by itself. It caused the ink to be pressed through the cut-out areas of the stencil, onto the sheets of talisman paper prepared.

As soon as Li Lang had invoked this process, he reflexively took a few steps back and watched his creation come to life by itself. He then pressed the red gem inside his hat against his forehead.

"Ruby, is this what a Mortal-grade artifact is supposed to be like? It can't converse with me, but can work by itself?"

"Hmm, I think so. But the feeling I get from this new artifact is strange, Master."

Li Lang sighed as he continued to watch his new creation work.

Is this really normal? Or is the unorthodox way I used to create it make the artifact spirit strange? 

Either way, I guess I should come up with a name for it while I have it under observation. Hmm, but what should I call it?

Chapter 179: Weave Press

After a brief moment of thought, Li Lang simply decided to call his new printer artifact, Weave Press. He never liked overthinking names, so he didn't hesitate and moved on to other matters.

There was still a lot waiting for him to do. With the creation of the Weave Press, he needed to run multiple tests on it. He needed to examine the talismans it produced to see how it compared to the ones he handcrafted. Then, he wanted to study the nascent artifact spirit, so that in the future, he could evaluate if the programming method he used produced any differing results from the traditional methods.

The first thing on the list didn't take long, as the mimeograph artifact only took a dozen seconds to print its first talisman. To those familiar with modern printing, it was on the slower end, but Li Lang wasn't too concerned about that at the moment. 

When he was designing the artifact, there were many challenges he had to overcome in order for the end result to be able to produce working talismans. Taking the extra few seconds to properly lay out the Qi channels on the talisman wasn't anything to be concerned about.

The crux that solved his issues was the ink that had once saved him in his brushweaving trials. His research had shown that every attempt to incorporate the usual multi-element ink into the design had failed. He chalked it up to the operating system, the artifact spirit, not being able to separate the useful bits of energy like a human cultivator could with their will during the creation process.

That's why every single stencil on his mimeograph machine had to come with a unique drum that had multiple compartments for various inks. Different parts of it were filled with a variety of inks, with the required elements in the relevant section of the talisman.

Li Lang found all that extra work he put into its creation had paid off when he found a seemingly average talisman coming out of the machine.

For the first talisman he planned to print, he decided to pick one he often used. It naturally led to Warding Talisman being selected.

The freshly printed talisman was slightly darker in appearance compared to the regular ones, but Li Lang had enough experience with working with the tree sap inks to find it normal. Still, he didn't hesitate to have Ruby take in the talisman for further examination. It wasn't much of a loss at all, as a new one would be printed a dozen seconds later. He could try to activate the next one to observe its efficiency.

Like this, Li Lang continued deep into the night, testing out his new supply of talismans. He ran every test he could think of, recording every result, so he could compare it to the regular Warding Talismans.

Early the next day, he called out to his companions during breakfast.

"You're up early," Long Yi noted as he ate.

"Umm, d-did you sleep at a-all, boss?" Wei Ping asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm planning on heading out of the city for a bit this morning. Do any of you want to join?"

Li Lang gave Wei Ping a meaningful look. The young man could understand that this was about another experiment. He had been with Li Lang since that start, when they first recruited their subjects for these tests. What few people knew was that Wei Ping was just as eager to participate in these experiments.

To be precise, he wasn't obsessed with any experiments, but ones related to the advancement of cultivation. He, too, had grade-one aptitude. His thirst to break free from the shackles of his natural aptitude could be said to be even greater than Li Lang, who had the fortune of being accepted by the Zi family. He knew exactly what it was like to be powerless.

It was why Wei Ping was motivated to study like the newly recruited kids. He wanted to be capable enough to handle his role as a research assistant.

"Y-yes, I can come."

"Sure, why not? I could use the exercise," Long Yi chimed in.

"You boys are going to miss the start of the second day of the auction!" Sima Xue cried.

Li Lang shrugged in response, eliciting a sigh from the young Nightmoon Valley girl.

"You guys go do what you want, then. I'll stay and summarize what you missed for you."

"You can come too if you'd like," Li Lang offered. "It's not like you need to be at the restaurant to watch. Anywhere in the city works, right?"

"It's my duty as a Nightmoon Valley disciple to see this through properly. Besides, I'll watch over the kids for you guys."

"Suit yourself."

Li Lang's little trip to the outskirts of Polarity City was a short one. He mainly went outside to confirm the effects of his newly printed talismans.

At the same time, with Sima Xue and the kids absent, he took the opportunity to freely share the details regarding his latest creations with his two companions.

"You mean to say that this stack of talismans here is something you created overnight?" Long Yi skeptically muttered as he examined the large stack of talisman paper. "This stuff is worth at least ten Qi stones each, right? No, the store sells them for like fifty. Doesn't this make you rich!?"

"It doesn't work like that. There is the cost and supply of the materials to worry about. Plus, if we're to flood the market with all these Warding Talismans, the prices will come down. We'll also draw the wrong kind of attention if we don't distribute them discreetly. However, first things first. We need to verify how effective they are compared to traditionally crafted talismans."

"B-boss, we should still look for a s-safe place to live before you print t-too many talismans. It's inevitable people w-will find out if you're looking t-to profit from this."

"Hmm, we'll work out the logistics and business aspect of it later, but you're right. It hurts to know we have the perfect place already, but it's just that it's too dangerous to reach it as we are currently. We need to speed up our cultivation progress once we get back."

"I k-know. I've been lagging behind as well."

Even after all this time, the trio's cultivation hadn't changed that much since they exited from the pocket realm. Long Yi was still at the peak of Energy Gathering, in the ninth stage, while Li Lang and Wei Ping were in the eighth and seventh stages respectively.

"Hmm, the timing lines up perfectly," Li Lang voiced. "We'll need to start researching ways for us to safely breakthrough to Foundation Establishment as well. Long Yi is one thing with his grade three aptitude. For us, we'll have to rely on the kids to test various methods."

"Do you h-have any direction to look into, boss?"

"Not exactly yet. We still haven't looked into Foundation Pills or the Ascension Pills. Hopefully, we'll find something when we do. However, I think I've recently felt my bottleneck loosening with the creation of an artifact. Looking at how crafts assist in cultivation should be a good direction, as well."

"You two sound like you'll be busy," Long Yi commented. "I can help with taking care of the kids, but not much else. If you don't mind, after we return, I plan to focus all my time on tackling the final step to Foundation Establishment, if you don't mind."

"That's what we want. I did say we'll be focusing on our cultivation next. It's better to have you step into the next realm sooner rather than later. There's plenty of useful information to derive from your breakthrough."

"Hey, come on now. I'm not going to be trying out any of your untested ideas when the time comes."

"Don't worry. I'm not that reckless. I wouldn't propose anything to you that I don't think would work."

"Mhmm, sure."

Li Lang's words earned him a skeptical glare from his giant of a friend. The trio didn't dwell on the matter too much, as they curiously inspected the result of the talisman. While they didn't exactly have a Qi beast on hand to test its effectiveness, they had the capability of observing the distant Qi beast and how they reacted.

There was a lot to find out, but there tests didn't last too long. By noon, the trio returned to the city and reunited with Sima Xue, the children they left behind, and the bunch of Nightmoon Valley disciples at the restaurant from the previous day.

Additionally, there was one new party. It was the white-haired genius, Liang Po.

His eyes shone as soon as he saw Li Lang.

"You personally delivered the letter, correct?"

"Yes, and as I suspected, it was plenty of trouble. Next time—"

"Then you were able to see Ruolan?" the white-haired youth interrupted. "Did she write a reply?"

"She sure did. Only verbally, though. However, before I relay it to you, I want to make it clear I won't be delivering any replies for you. This was a one-time thing."

Li Lang had accomplished what he needed in the righteous territory. He had recruited students and gained some clues on how to find the Abductress. There was no reason for him to travel there anymore within a short period.

For the foreseeable future, he planned to hole up in the Luminescent Domain, culminating wealth, and building up a stronghold to carry out his experiments in.

"Yeah, yeah. I understand. Just tell me her message already!"

Seeing the fervor from the normally carefree Liang Po, Li Lang began to realize something was amidst. He still dutifully recited the message he had been entrusted. It resulted in Liang Po unleashing a creepy smile as he chuckled to himself.

It was only then that he began to make a realization.

Wait? Is he in a relationship with that Yan Ruolan? Does that mean this dumb couple got me to relay their love letters?

Li Lang was stunned speechless upon arriving at that fact so late.