Chapter 582: Twenty Years of Sword Dao in the Immortal Sect

"Um… hello."

Jiang Ding paused for a moment, then said, "Your name is Yunri? Who gave you that name?"

"Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun."

"You don't like it?"

Yunri asked.

"That's not it."

Jiang Ding shook his head—any name would do, he had only asked offhandedly.

"If you wish to modify your name, appearance, and such data, it will affect my capabilities—roughly a ten-percent drop."

Yunri explained, "Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun added many rare materials onto the Dao Number Stone, using her own assets, to enhance my capabilities while binding these things. Any modifications would have an impact."

"Is that why you look so much like Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun?"

Jin Jin Lingfeng cut her off, annoyed.

This ship spirit, upon closer inspection, bore a striking seven- or eight-parts resemblance to a shrunken Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun.

"Non-authorized personnel, unrelated parties—no answer."

The ship spirit shot her a glance.

"You… hmph!"

Jin Jin Lingfeng snorted coldly.

"Why is that?"

Jiang Ding asked with a smile.

Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun's actions hadn't harmed his interests, so naturally he wasn't angry.

Besides, he always felt quite favorably toward the seniors of the immortal sect, very tolerant of them—because along his journey, these seniors had helped him a great deal.

"Captain, Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun wishes to invest in you, believing that in the future she can cling to your coattails."

The ship spirit held nothing back, explaining earnestly, "While investing large quantities of rare materials to enhance my capabilities, she thought that if she could bind things one level deeper, that would be even better."

"She believed that if you saw her face every day and grew familiar with it over time, you would develop a favorable impression of her."

"In the future, she could obtain a Dao companion who would be very helpful to her."

"By the way, she asked me to propose on her behalf. If you agree, the wedding could be held this year. She says she's a fifth-tier warship designer and very wealthy—you'd best consider it seriously."

"Mentor…"

Xia Xia Caiyun covered her face, wishing she could disappear.

So embarrassing!

If this warship hadn't been personally overseen in its construction by Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun, with no room for anyone else to interfere, she would almost have suspected this was someone's prank.

"Old hag, so shameless…"

Jin Jin Lingfeng gritted her teeth.

Jiang Ding smiled and said nothing.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

"I refuse."

Jiang Ding adopted the look of someone who had given it serious thought. "I deeply agree with Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun's investment eye, but regrettably, I have no plans to start a family at present. I can only offer my sincere apologies."

"Oh."

"May I relay this to Yun Gong Master Dinghai Zhenjun? She said to do so."

The ship spirit asked.

"Of course."

Jiang Ding replied with a smile.

His divine sense poured into the ship spirit, then into every corner of the warship, scanning each sword-shaped mirror drone. After confirming there were no flaws whatsoever, he signed his name on the receipt and handed it to Xia Xia Caiyun.

"Student Xia, thank you for your hard work. No problems at all."

"That's good."

Xia Xia Caiyun used her magic power to steady her heart-lake, took the receipt, and shot off into the distance like a streak of smoke, never wanting to stay a moment longer in this place of embarrassment.

Jiang Ding settled his mind, placed his hand on the warship's core cube, and his divine sense and magic power surged into it like a flood, filling every array node within.

"Igniting the spirit-particle engine."

"Activate."

Boom!

The kilometer-long steel giant shuddered, slowly rose, then parted the air around it, sending gales blasting in every direction.

Flames spewed from the warship's stern. Amid the rumbling turbulence of the sea of clouds, it flew into the distance, easily reaching the limit speed of a Jin Dan cultivator. The surrounding space grew hazy and warped.

The three of them stepped onto the deck, facing into the gale and the white clouds streaming past on all sides.

"The current speed still isn't enough."

"We must refine the super warship's Myriad Magnetic Thunder Cloud Array and the fourth-tier spirit-particle engine in turn. Only then can we break past the Jin Dan limit, reach Nascent Soul-class speed, and then surpass it."

Jiang Ding closed his eyes and sensed for a moment.

"And most importantly, the super warship's main cannon—the Magnetic Cloud Star-Splitting Cannon—has seventy-two electromagnetic accelerators inside that each need to be refined one by one, then made to weather a magic treasure heavenly tribulation and ascend to the Infant Treasure grade. Only then can it unleash the power of a Nascent Soul-class main cannon."

"This will probably take four or five years."

The few chatted for a while on Silver Sky Island, discussing the Dao and sharing their respective insights into cultivation. Afterward, Jiang Ding sent An Siyan and the other back to their dormitories one by one, then returned himself, unfurled the Sun Divine Wood, and entered a state of cultivation.

Unlike before,

Near the shade of the Sun Divine Wood, a steel giant over a kilometer long hovered. Great tree branches stretched out and spread, connecting to it, channeling the Solar Essence and heaven-and-earth spiritual energy gathered by the Sun Divine Wood to temper it, slowly improving its materials and the arrays within.

While cultivating, Jiang Ding split off a wisp of divine sense to monitor his Sword Dao Hall avatar, receiving its accumulated insights over the years into two third-tier top-grade spells, "Magnetic Void Flash" and "Magnetic Concealment Art."

……

The cultivation chamber on the top floor of the Xiandu Sword Dao Hall building.

A youth in blue robes opened his eyes, gazing at the sea of clouds on the horizon where winds rose and clouds surged; numerous azure runes flashed and vanished.

Ding-dong!

Along with the sound of the elevator doors opening, Wei Hu, the general manager of the Sword Dao Hall, appeared at the doorway.

"Greetings, Senior Jiang!"

Wei Hu bowed deeply, slightly uneasy, not daring to meet the eyes of a Jin Dan ancestor.

Decades had passed, yet this man's appearance had not changed in the slightest — still the look of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth, as if he were still a Gao Zhongsheng.

And yet, he himself had already become a seventy-something old man, white-haired and doddering, wrinkles spreading across his face.

"Wei Hu,"

Jiang Ding shifted his gaze back from the sea of clouds and looked at the old man before him; vaguely, he seemed to recall as well how, many years ago when they first met, the other had been in the prime of his life.

"How long have you been working for me?"

He asked quietly.

With so many years gone by, apart from the feelings of childhood, the passing away or changing of relatives and friends, it was already very hard to stir any ripples in the lake of his heart.

No other reason — he had simply seen too much.

"Reporting to Senior Jiang, it has been twenty years, five months, and twenty-seven days to this day."

Wei Hu drew a deep breath and said respectfully.

"How are the results?"

Jiang Ding asked again.

"The Sword Dao flourishes greatly within the immortal sects."

Wei Hu knew the moment that would decide his fate had arrived; his heart could not help but pound violently, his palms growing sweaty.

"In this year's college entrance examination, sword-using cultivators and martial artists already account for ninety-two point seven percent."

"In this year's Mount Hua Sword Discussion, both the first and second places were taken by cultivators with exceptional sword dao talent who were willing to walk the path of the sword; even the top scholar of Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou University is inferior to them in the sword dao and in cold-weapon combat."

"In this year's Grand Void Illusion Realm swordsman ranking, three hundred and seventy-seven amateur ninth-dan swordsmen were produced, reaching the pinnacle of mortal swordsmanship."

"This is the result I have given you."

Wei Hu bowed once more.

No response came.

"Still no professional swordsmen appearing?"

After a moment, a trace of disappointment showed on Jiang Ding's face.

Amateur, professional.

Only professional swordsmen who had comprehended sword intent could be counted as his peers; everyone else was merely a cultivator who used a sword — merely soil, of little use.

"Senior, none."

Wei Hu's face went deathly pale, yet he did not dare conceal it: "The birth of a swordsman with sword intent is too difficult; it is something unique to sword dao prodigies, and even within the Jiudaxian Sect it is exceedingly rare. Our sword dao cultivators' ability is still insufficient."

Jiang Ding fell silent.

Wei Hu was uneasy, his palms trembling, his heart sinking to the very depths.

Frankly speaking, his salary over these years had been generous enough, far exceeding the industry average — otherwise, with his low aptitude, he could not have cultivated to the mid-stage of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, only one step away from reaching the peak of Qi Refining and beginning to attempt Foundation Establishment.

But…

"It counts as passing, I suppose."

After a long while, Jiang Ding sighed and casually tossed out a jade box, which flew before Wei Hu: "These years have been hard work. I wish you prosperity on the immortal path, and smooth sailing in all things."

A great surge of emotion, wild joy flooding his heart.

Wei Hu's body trembled; with both hands he received the jade box, clutching it tightly to his chest, using every ounce of his strong rationality to keep himself lucid, and bowed deeply in great ceremony.

"Thank you, Senior Jiang!"

(End of chapter)