Chapter 71: Preparations
Unfortunately, there was no mining done on that day.
As tempting as the proposition of Lumenite Ore was, Yao Shen wasnt reckless enough to deal with the most volatile metal on Ionea without first practicing on far safer metals.
The following days turned out to be almost as interesting as the first. Though the changes were subtle, Yao Shen got to experience the ripple effect of his actions first hand. It was, after all, hard to conceal changes in attitude from a Human Dao practitioner.
Two Elders from the Earth Division had sought an audience with him, equipped with scrolls and tomes that seemed as old as the Era of Turmoil itself. They shared their own insights on runescripting, information that was far more valuable than any they had been willing to before. Suggestions and refinements were offered on the runic formation that would be used for the apartments, though almost all required a skill in runescripting that exceeded their own.
The knowledge traded was largely theoretical, but Yao Shen understood the intent behind the gesture.
Theory, after all, would be the field the Mortal College of Spycraft and Warfare would specialize in.
Zhou Huis visit had been another highlight of his stay in the Earth Division. The Patriarch of the Sky Division would naturally be curious about the reason behind the other divisions sudden magnanimity, as the Earth and Flame Divisions abruptly increased the manpower they would be allocating to the construction of All Haven by an entire quarter.
The reveal had been in the presence of Wenjun Long and Lei Weiyuan, the latter having chosen to stay for a while longer even as Yongliang Luo returned to the Flame Division.
To say that Zhou Hui had been flabbergasted at the reveal was perhaps, an understatement. Beneath the veneer of shock, Yao Shen noticed the emotion that he was trying to mask a visceral fear upon the realization that the Modern Sect had stepped upon a road that had no return.
That fear had been replaced by a different emotion when Yao Shen had informed him that he would be the one receiving the Lumenite Armor, the only one from the Sky Division to be bestowed the honor besides himself.
In all honesty, Yao Shen wanted to gift each of his disciples a reductive version of the armor, but the protection it provided could not compare to the target it would paint if they ever let its existence slip.
That was why he had to limit production to the highest echelons of cultivator society for now, only Patriarchs and those that had been deemed worthy of their absolute trust would be allowed access to the armor for now.
Zhou Hui had taken in the Lumenite Mine in a different light after his revelation; his gaze that of a man for whom time had once again began to move. Few cultivators Yao Shen had encountered possessed the intelligence of the Wind Cultivator, but a consequence of that cunning was Zhou Huis own self-awareness.
Being able to objectively consider ones own strengths and weaknesses was not necessarily to a cultivators benefit in all situations. In his mind, Zhou Hui had already cut off the possibility of ascension to Soul Emperor, because the risk outweighed the reward manifold times. Perhaps the difficulty of Yao Shens own ascension had further reinforced that notion, the difficulty and recklessness required to surmount the wrath of the heavens a chilling sight to behold.
Accurately knowing what you could and could not do, what you were and were not capable of, was ultimately shackling oneself to those very limitations.
However, with the addition of Lumenite Armor to that equation, an entire world of opportunities opened up for Zhou Hui, who believed himself to have reached his limit at the Nascent Soul stage- until now.
Both Patriarch Zhou Hui and Lei Weiyuan left not long after that, each having their respective responsibilities to attend to.
On the third day, Yao Shen was introduced to his forging instructor, Elder Tianjian Shuan. The head of the legacy Shuan Family was an expert in employing Earth Qi to amplify his forging techniques, primarily using superheated mineral-rich rock as his choice of forge.
While Yao Shen had been aware of the Earth Divisions unique forging style, he hadnt thought about it too deeply until now. Normally, using superheated rock to forge a blade would introduce too many impurities in the metal to be a process worth pursuing. However, even the weakest of metals and alloys utilized in forging a cultivators blade were far more corrosion and oxidation resistant when compared to most metals on his home planet.
Moreover, as a Cultivator of the Earth Element, Yao Shen saw the advantages of such a process. As long as the impurities introduced were kept to a manageable level, the forged weapon would result in a blade that was far more comfortable to wield. Even if a cultivator was trapped in a domain that confounded the senses, the particles of the Earth Element that were imbued within the blade would allow the cultivator to track its position, as long as they memorized its unique Qi-Signature, however miniscule it may be.
Ultimately though, the method was an eclectic one.
And for that reason, last-minute changes had been made to the contingent that would be heading for All-Havens construction site.
Wenyan Ren, The Elder of the Forging Hall, would be leading the Sky Divisions contingent. Much to the Elders chagrin, Yao Shen supposed.
As powerful as Yao Shen was, he couldnt deftly trade favors with the Legacy Family and use backchannel negotiations to impress upon the importance of a request as odd as teaching a Soul Emperor forging techniques on short notice. He didnt know what Zhou Hui had traded to convince the Elder, or perhaps threatened him with, but he had managed it in less than a days time.
The Flame Division would be sending the Elder in charge of the Sacred Forge, thus making sure that the instruction he received was as foolproof as possible.
Another day passed and finally, the preparations to set off had been completed.
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