Once the first batch was completed, Yaoguang made a point of gathering all the artifact refiners of the Purple Firmament Institute. In front of the entire assembly, he produced thousands of spirit stones to be distributed as rewards.

Following its recent expansion, the number of artifact refiners at the Purple Firmament Institute had grown from 82 to 204. Furthermore, thanks to the addition of Yun Lai’s team, the number of high-level artifact refiners had reached 46.

Every single refiner received one spirit stone as a bonus. The high-level refiners were rewarded based on their individual contributions; the minimum they received was five spirit stones, while some walked away with more than a dozen. This bonus alone was equivalent to a large portion of their annual income.

The number of apprentices had climbed to nearly four thousand, but they were still learning and mastering their refinement techniques. Paying them a couple tens of thousands in the standard currency per year was enough to keep them satisfied. Spirit stones were far too much of a reward for them at this stage, and distributing those to them would've been a waste. Instead, witnessing the earnings of the official artifact refiners would serve as a catalyst, fueling their determination to work hard and get promoted.

Having suddenly received such a bountiful reward of spirit stones, every refiner in the Purple Firmament Institute was beaming with joy.

Once word of this spread, it sparked immense envy throughout the artifact refinement circles of the Nine Heavens Domain. Upon learning that the Purple Firmament Institute had four more batches of orders waiting in line, many people began desperately pulling strings and using connections to see if they could secure a position at the institute.

In an instant, the Purple Firmament Institute transformed from an artifact refinement institute on the verge of being downgraded into a highly coveted prize in the eyes of all refiners. Any refiner from the institute who ventured outside would immediately become the object of widespread admiration.

***

"Chief Yaoguang, you really are bold, being willing to take out so many spirit stones for distribution all at once." Yun Lai walked into the workshop carrying a set of files.

"Everyone worked overtime and stayed up late to finish the orders as quickly as possible. I could not let their enthusiasm go unrewarded," Yaoguang replied.

"When there are orders, working overtime to complete them is quite normal for artifact refiners. It’s not as if they aren't relaxing when there are no orders," Yun Lai said, before adding, "Besides, if it weren't for you using your primordial psyche to coordinate them and schedule everything, they wouldn't have been nearly as efficient. You are the one who worked the hardest."

"That is why I’ve accepted the largest share of the profits, haven't I?" Yaoguang said with a smile.

"The flying swords were designed by you, and their production was overseen around the clock by your psychic thought. You earned it," Yun Lai said sincerely.

Yaoguang did not bother with false modesty. But thanks to the Psyche King trait, his coordination and scheduling were not nearly as exhausting as Yun Lai imagined. Of course, he had no intention of revealing that.

The refiners would only remember that whenever they encountered a problem or a hitch in the process, the chief’s psychic thought would descend immediately to guide them toward the solution and show them the most efficient path.

They would think that it took an immense mental and physical toll on their Chief Yaoguang to constantly shroud the entire Purple Firmament Institute in psychic thought to ensure the smooth production of flying swords. Therefore, no one breathed a word of complaint when Yaoguang took sixty percent of the profit from this order.

"By the way, did you need something?" Yaoguang asked.

"The sword cultivators for the first batch of one hundred flying swords have finished refining and training with the Purple Firmament Type 12. Starting today, they will officially begin patrolling the Posuo Island area. This is the data from their final training session; I brought it for you to look over." As Yun Lai spoke, he handed Yaoguang a jade talisman.

Yaoguang took the talisman and placed it directly onto the workbench. As the light of the array patterns on the bench flickered, the information within the talisman was extracted, projecting shadows into the air. It was a series of images showing figures soaring through the sky on their swords. Various data sets were displayed alongside the images.

"Posuo Island is only a small island about fifty kilometers in circumference. It isn't considered large among the East Sea's islands, but when you include the surrounding economic zone, its value is quite high. Moreover, there are no other islands within five hundred kilometers of Posuo Island..." Yaoguang read.

Yaoguang paused for a moment when he read the speed demonstrated by one of the sword cultivators. "A patrol speed of Mach 1.4 should be sufficient. They can complete a full circuit in just over an hour, and the energy consumption is less than a single spirit stone. Even with a four-man squad patrolling three times a day, the consumption is only around ten spirit stones."

Yun Lai nodded. A four-man squad of sword cultivators was a standard patrol unit, according to convention. After all, every sword cultivator had different specialties; a lone patroller could easily be countered if he ran into the wrong opponent.

"Has a great cultivator of the Primordial Psyche Realm gone there yet?" Yaoguang asked. "The Purple Firmament's anti-interference capabilities are somewhat weak. Without a great cultivator of the Primordial Psyche Realm present, they would be easily targeted."

"Of course." Yun Lai nodded. "Psyche cultivators are different from body cultivators, sword cultivators, or spell cultivators. All sects in the Great Cangwu World agree that psyche cultivators serve as support. And since they are only supporting others, their direct involvement isn't considered the start of an all-out war."

He smiled slightly. "Hall Master Bai Lu personally went to oversee things. She practices the Boundless Visualization Art, which excels at psychic thought confrontation and wide-area detection. Her primordial psyche has already entered the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer, giving her a detection range of eight hundred kilometers. The entire area around Posuo Island falls within her perception."

"Purple Firmament Divine Lightning." Yaoguang immediately understood the weight of that statement.

Cultivation of the primordial psyche path differed from that of star lords and Foundation Building cultivators. This phase of cultivation was straightforward and brutal.

As long as cultivators felt their primordial psyche was strong enough, they could ascend directly into the nine heavens and temper it with Blazing Solar Lightning, Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, or Chaotic Divine Lightning. With each tempering, the strength of a primordial psyche cultivator’s psychic thought would increase dramatically.

In Yaoguang’s understanding, the Great Cangwu World itself resembled a particular kind of wormhole. Space and time were twisted and compressed, giving rise to the illusion of a flat world and the belief that the heavens were round while the earth was square.

The distortion of space-time generated temporal tides. When these tides collided, they produced Chaotic Divine Lightning. When Chaotic Divine Lightning interacted with external matter and energy, it further evolved into Purple Firmament Divine Lightning.

As primordial psyche cultivators repeatedly endured tempering by Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, those with exceptional talent could grasp a hint about the profundities of chaotic space-time, condense a Dharma Body, and step into the Dharma Form Realm. This realm rivaled that of star gods and Golden Core cultivators.

In theory, surviving a single Purple Firmament Lightning Tribulation was enough to give one a chance to form a Dharma Form. In reality, the odds were vanishingly small. Using lightning tribulations to refine one's psyche was already perilous beyond measure. To comprehend the mysteries of chaotic space-time amid such danger was akin to reaching the heavens.

In recent years, there had been many great cultivators who lived for extended periods within the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer, yet had not been able to grasp anything at all about the profundities of chaotic space-time.

At this point, they would have no choice but to seek out the Chaotic Divine Lightning and gamble on that sliver of opportunity.

As for the Blazing Solar Lightning, it was lightning that existed within the Nine Heavens Astral Wind layer. Primordial psyche cultivators had to pass through the Nine Heavens Astral Wind layer before they could reach the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer.

Hall Master Bai Lu, who was already able to enter the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer, was, in theory, very close to the peak of the Primordial Psyche Realm. As long as she could endure the tempering of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, it would be equivalent to launching an assault on the Dharma Form Realm.

"With Hall Master Bai Lu there, it really can be considered foolproof," Yaoguang said, nodding.

He then added, "This data is extremely useful. I will analyze it, read the feedback from the sword cultivators, and see whether the Purple Firmament Type 12 can be further optimized. If possible, I want to refine a Purple Firmament Type 13 as soon as I can."

Yun Lai nodded. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after weighing it carefully, he chose not to speak. After all, as an artifact refiner, Yaoguang had already done everything he possibly could.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. After receiving permission to enter from Yaoguang, Xiang Guangming walked in with a smile and respectfully presented a sheet of gold foil. "Chief, the funds for the second batch of six hundred Purple Firmament Type 12 flying swords have already been transferred."

"So fast?" Yaoguang was slightly surprised. "I thought they would use them for a while before placing a second order."

"The Purple Firmament Type 12 flying swords performed exceptionally well during training. They must have already won them over, which is why they asked us to begin refining the next batch as soon as possible," Yun Lai said with a smile.

Yaoguang nodded. "Everyone just received their bonuses and is still excited. Let them rest for a day. We will start work again tomorrow and keep at it for another two months."

"Yes, Chief," Xiang Guangming replied.

***

In the resting lounge, Yaoguang glanced at the newly credited 240,000 spirit stones, his mood noticeably lighter. "The purchase price offered by the Nine Cauldrons Sect leaves me with relatively little profit, only about 14%. I took 60% of that, roughly 8.4%. However, when I submitted the proposal, I included the value of my secret art in the flying sword’s final cost. In the end, the previous order was entirely my own profit, reaching the 15% I originally estimated."

The first batch amounted to 240,000 spirit stones, so at 15% profit...

"36,000 spirit stones are credited," Yaoguang said.

As expected, when a sect was not corrupt, doing business with sects was the most profitable path. Once the second order was completed, it would be another 36,000 spirit stones.

He focused his psychic mind on his mental world, his gaze lingering over the Martial Dao and Psyche Dao branches. This time, his attention settled firmly on the Psyche Dao.

"At the primordial psyche tier, the Psyche Dao places increasing importance on realm mastery. As long as a cultivator’s control, comprehension, and application of primordial psyche power reach a sufficiently high level, they can attempt to temper it through lightning. After undergoing rounds of twenty-seven strikes, fifty-four strikes, and eighty-one strikes, the primordial psyche’s strength will undergo three consecutive leaps, granting qualification to enter the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer and accept its tempering..." Yaoguang felt that if he truly followed the Psyche Dao, his cultivation speed would become astonishing.

But the Psyche Dao was a support path. Facing body cultivators, sword cultivators, or spell cultivators of the same realm head-on, survival odds would be slim. Moreover, as times had changed, the importance of psyche cultivators had become widely recognized. Once combat erupted, enemies almost always targeted psyche cultivators first.

Not only was their direct combat power lacking, but they were also the easiest to focus and take down. More importantly, in the current world, only the Infinite Star Palace, the Immortal Alliance, and the Thousand-Beast Sect possessed Dharma Form psyche cultivators. If the Nine Cauldrons Sect suddenly produced one as well, it might not be a good thing.

A breakthrough in psyche refinement requires entering the Nine Heavens Astral Wind layer. That cannot be concealed. Once I form a Dharma Form, the Nine Cauldrons Sect won't be able to protect me. Yaoguang thought.

After a moment, his gaze shifted back to the Martial Dao branch. Yet after lingering briefly, it ultimately moved to the Refiner branch.

Compared to the Martial Dao branch, what he needed most right now was the Refiner branch to obtain more spirit stones. At the same time, it could also be used to further arm the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

With that decision made, the newly advanced Refiner branch began to grow rapidly once again.