"Three thousand?!" Upon hearing Zhao He's words, Yun Lai and Qin Yadong could not help but gasp. Even Yaoguang, whose reaction was a half-beat slower than theirs, was secretly shocked when he realized what an order for three thousand flying swords meant.

Spirit-artifact-level flying swords, as long as they were not purely decorative or civilian models, started at prices in the triple digits. Currently, among the high-tier sword cultivators in the Nine Heavens Domain's Warfare Hall, the most commonly equipped Dragon Abyss flying sword had a procurement price of 360 spirit stones when purchased through the sect's channels.

In other words, taking the Dragon Abyss as an example, this would be an order worth millions. The profit margin for this type of deal was usually around 15%. If the Purple Firmament Artifact Refinement Institute could secure this order, they would eventually earn a profit of 150 thousand spirit stones. This sum was nearly equivalent to a quarter of the entire sect's annual procurement budget for flying swords.

Yaoguang quickly calculated the experience boost his Merchant branch had received from the previous hundred or so spirit stones.

"As long as the value of my manpower isn't too high, upgrading the Refiner, the Daemon Hunter, and the Merchant branches from the ninth tier to the master level will only require one to two thousand spirit stones..."

That number was neither particularly high nor particularly low. In reality, although the average income of a great cultivator had surpassed a thousand, many newly promoted great cultivators would only earn a few hundred spirit stones a year. After deducting daily cultivation expenses, equipment maintenance, and other outlays, they might have nothing left. Among them, spell cultivators and sword cultivators fared the worst; many of them had accounts which were constantly in the red.

If he truly secured this order, even if his share of the profits was halved, it would still allow his Martial Dao and Psyche Dao branches, which had already entered the realm of a great cultivator, to grow rapidly and jump two levels.

Seeing the changes in Yaoguang and Yun Lai's expressions, Zhao He smiled slightly. "Currently, all artifact refinement institutes confident in spirit artifact research have formed a joint special task force. We aim to develop a spirit-artifact-level flying sword that meets the requirements within a year to gain victory in the struggle against the Xuanming Sect in the East Sea."

He paused and continued, "If the plan is feasible, the sect will increase investment and dispatch more high-tier sword cultivators to patrol the East Sea until we substantively recover the territory and drive out the foreign enemies occupying the islands."

"One year..." Yun Lai and Qin Yadong looked at each other. This timeline was far too tight.

"Our Nine Heavens Domain is adjacent to the East Sea, so it would be best if we could solve this problem ourselves without troubling task forces from other branches. I have already communicated with Master Wei Yan and Master Lu Yuan, and they are willing to have their teams join the task force," Zhao He said.

Zhao He's expression grew solemn. "This doesn't just concern the volume of the orders for your respective institutes; it concerns the safety of the East Sea situation, the stability of the Nine Heavens Domain, and the dignity of our entire Nine Cauldrons Sect!"

Everyone realized the importance of this mission. No wonder the Nine Cauldrons Sect was willing to provide such massive support.

"You all know about the Great Sun Sword Sect's sword cultivators intruding into our Nine Heavens Domain's airspace nine months ago, right? It's precisely because they've gained a foothold in the East Sea that they've dared to test us. This time, they only intruded into our airspace; next time, they might patrol under the guise of freedom of sword flight. And the time after that, sword qi and spells might fall directly onto major artifact refinement and alchemy institutes in the Nine Heavens Domain." Zhao He swept his hand heavily. "If we take one step back now, we'll take a step back every time. In the struggle for the East Sea's islands, we must first defeat the Xuanming Sect before we can talk about peace and development with other sects! Only then can we further establish our foothold until we completely reclaim the East Sea!"

"It is our duty!" Yun Lai stood up immediately. "I am willing to join the task force."

Since Zhao He had put it this way, and given his status as the Warfare Hall Master and deputy sect master of the Nine Heavens Domain branch, Yaoguang had no choice but to say, "I am willing to contribute my humble efforts."

"Good!" Zhao He beamed. "The task force is currently being organized. If you have any needs regarding manpower or materials, feel free to ask. Our Nine Heavens Domain branch will do its best to satisfy any feasible requests."

"One year is too rushed. Let's buy a batch of flying swords from the Infinite Star Palace and the Immortal Alliance; we can try to reverse-engineer them," Yun Lai suggested.

"Master Wei Yan and Master Lu Yuan have the same idea." Zhao He nodded and operated a device on his wrist, projecting a small table. "They have already listed the high-mobility, low-energy spirit artifact flying swords from external sects. Take a look when you have time. If you're satisfied, we'll place the order so you can dismantle and study them to your heart's content."

Yaoguang glanced at it. Six types of flying swords were listed. Considering they needed to be dismantled, they couldn't just buy one of each. In other words, this expense alone would cost one or two thousand spirit stones.

"What is the research and development budget?" Yaoguang asked.

"It's best if we solve Nine Heavens Domain's problems ourselves. Therefore, the first budget I can give you is three thousand spirit stones. We will add more as progress warrants..." Zhao He paused. "Considering the importance of this sword, we will invest even if the budget reaches ten, thirty, or fifty thousand spirit stones. Of course, the premise is that the results must be satisfying."

"Thirty to fifty thousand..." Yun Lai saw the branch's determination in those numbers.

"Don't be in such a hurry to purchase those flying swords. Let's wait and see," Yaoguang said after a moment of thought.

Zhao He turned toward him.

"For these past few years, I have been dedicated to creating a signature flying sword. The specific attributes of this sword seem somewhat similar to the requirements mentioned, though the parameters haven't yet been calibrated to the spirit artifact level," Yaoguang explained.

A sharp light flickered in Zhao He's eyes. "Is that true?!"

Every artifact-refinement master dreamed of creating a top-tier flying sword that would bear their name and be sold globally. Thus, it was not surprising that Yaoguang would have such a design in progress. After all, through the creation of the Immortal Shadow 60, he had already proven his strength. While he might still be inferior in spirit artifact development, his understanding of refined artifacts made even masters like Yun Lai feel inadequate.

"It's true," Yaoguang said.

"If you truly have a flying sword that meets these requirements, it would be equivalent to saving us over a thousand spirit stones in expenses. I can authorize that sum to be given to you as a personal reward," Zhao He said, pausing briefly. "However, how long will it take to finalize the parameters? We cannot afford to wait too long."

"Ten days," Yaoguang replied. "I will submit my design in ten days."

"Good!" Zhao He agreed without hesitation. "Ten days it is!"

It would take some time to organize the task force anyway, so ten days was not an excessive wait.

Yun Lai pondered for a moment before speaking. "Yaoguang, if you really have a flying sword that meets the standards and you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."

His son served in the Warfare Hall and was a sword cultivator at the ninth realm of qi refinement. Once the Nine Cauldrons Sect and the Xuanming Sect began their high-tier cultivator confrontation in the East Sea, his son would inevitably be on the front lines. Naturally, he was very invested in the success of this flying sword.

"Help..." Yaoguang thought for a moment. "I actually do have something to trouble you with."

"Go ahead," Yun Lai said seriously.

"All the artifact refiners involved in the design of the Immortal Shadow 60 receive a share of the equity dividends. However, I urgently need spirit stones for experiments and to maintain my daily cultivation. Could you speak with the chief about converting my dividend rewards into a lump sum of spirit stones?" Yaoguang asked.

Yun Lai was slightly stunned. He quickly responded, "The Immortal Shadow 60 was our joint design. Its performance is so superior that it will undoubtedly capture a massive share of the refined artifact flying sword market. With some luck, it could even become a sensation. Over the next five to ten years, we could see thousands or even tens of thousands of orders annually. Based on your contribution, your annual dividend probably wouldn't be less than a thousand spirit stones..."

"As I said, I urgently need enough spirit stones for testing and to sustain my daily cultivation," Yaoguang reiterated. He added one more thing, "It is a significant amount."

"This..." Yun Lai hesitated. He had intended to offer Yaoguang a personal loan, but after hearing that last remark, he realized it was better to remain silent. "I will go find the chief right away."

"Thank you for your trouble," Yaoguang said.

Seeing this, Zhao He said, "I recall the Purple Firmament Institute's facilities are quite decent. Chief Yaoguang, do you have any plans to take out a loan to expand production? The side branch provides strong support for the sword cultivator industry, and the interest rates are extremely low."

Yaoguang immediately understood Zhao He's intent. Since Zhao He had no legitimate reason to directly give him spirit stones, he was trying to use a low-interest loan to help him through his urgent situation.

Unfortunately, a loan would not increase his Merchant experience. He felt this was a flaw in the system. After all, what kind of merchant did business without loans? But he had tested it before, and it simply didn't grant any experience.

"If the need arises, I will come to you for help, Hall Master Zhao," Yaoguang replied.

"Very well. We've already exchanged contact information. If you need anything, contact me directly, and I will submit the application for you," Zhao He said.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they took their leave.

On the other side, the chief of the Immortal Shadow Institute listened to the request Yun Lai relayed and looked at him. "What Chief Yaoguang means is..."

"Yaoguang is different from us. He is still young, driven, and full of vigor. He won't be content to stay in one position and live off dividends the way we do. It’s natural for him to want a large sum of spirit stones to take a risk and accomplish something big," Yun Lai explained.

"Oh? Then do you think I should agree?"

"Of course," Yun Lai said solemnly. "We should even offer him a generous price."

He then sent a psychic transmission. "I don't need to tell you about Chief Yaoguang’s skill in artifact refinement; you've seen it yourself. But from what I know, even though his psyche refinement realm is technically insufficient, he can already manifest the supernatural traits of a primordial psyche. You know exactly what that implies."

"A primordial psyche!" The chief of the Immortal Shadow Institute looked shocked.

A great cultivator of the Primordial Psyche Realm! Currently, the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s need for psyche cultivators was more urgent than anything else. For Yaoguang to have achieved so much in the Psyche Dao at such a young age meant his future was limitless!

He made a decision immediately. "It shall be as he wishes! What kind of price do you think we should offer?"

"The Immortal Shadow's popularity in the market will easily last five to ten years. His annual dividend would not be less than a thousand. Therefore... I believe five thousand is a very reasonable figure."