Chapter 629: The Ruthless Day Sword Son

"Sixty million lower-grade spirit stones."

"Sixty million lower-grade spirit stones per year... somehow feels insufficient."

Jiang Ding muttered to himself.

If any Jin Dan cultivator heard him say this, their eyes would surely turn red, and they might even smash down a hammer with a clang, blinded by envy.

Typically, a Jin Dan cultivator's entire fortune amounted to only tens of millions.

Of course, this did not include vast quantities of first- and second-grade items; Jin Dan cultivators rarely deliberately collected such low-grade materials, only occasionally keeping them to bestow upon subordinates, juniors, or to nurture descendants.

Even so, concentrating the entire wealth of the Three Kingdoms region into a single person was still terrifying.

If piled up, it could easily form a small Shanfeng.

"It really is a bit too little."

Jiang Ding thought for a moment, then spoke again.

His own expenses were minimal—he needed only a top-tier third-grade spiritual vein, required no water or food, as Jin Dan cultivators could already draw Qi from the air to sustain life.

But,

there were two extremely massive expenditure items he couldn't avoid.

First, the refinement of the Taiqing Sword required purchasing one 21st-grade Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin annually, costing thirty million lower-grade spirit stones and a large quantity of Gold-Copper Stone to secure priority scheduling.

Second, the refinement and maintenance of the super battleship Dayi.

This was terrifying—the super battleship Dayi was a Nascent Soul-class warship, a fourth-grade Yingbao, and moreover, an ultra-luxury version.

Annual refinement required 350 million lower-grade spirit stones!

Don't be fooled by the enormous cost—this was still the low-spec version.

It required only vast quantities of first-, second-, and third-grade heavenly treasures; fourth-grade materials were unnecessary, making it remarkably cost-effective, and countless Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun from beyond the realm had secretly envied it many times.

Even if one was extremely poor, massive quantities of ordinary mundane metals could suffice.

Jiang Ding currently had no shortage of money, so he would never be so stingy.

Fourth-grade Yingbao fragments and fourth-grade heavenly treasures were regularly cast into the warship's smelting furnace to enhance its power, and he spared no expense in this regard.

Also, don't forget—the Taiqing Sword is about to break through and become an Yingbao-level sword!

This weapon originated from the Dayi Sword Pavilion, the personal sword of the Heir Apparent of the Realm's Sovereign, its status so exalted it was unimaginable—it could never, after reaching the Yingbao realm, still miserably refine first-, second-, or third-grade heavenly treasures.

Fourth-grade heavenly treasures were the baseline.

Fifth-grade Soul Transformation-grade heavenly treasures could also be digested.

It wasn't impossible—if the sword was truly destitute, it could barely manage.

But it would resist fiercely, be extremely displeased, its spiritual consciousness would plummet, and its efficiency would drop drastically.

"An Yingbao-level Taiqing Sword requires fourth-grade metallic materials for refinement; otherwise, its growth will be extremely slow."

Jiang Ding silently calculated: "The No. 10 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin is equivalent to a top-tier fourth-grade metallic material—extremely sharp and piercing, perfectly suited for a sword. No need to replace the primary refinement material."

No. 10 through No. 20 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin all fell within the category of fourth-grade heavenly treasures.

"Its value? Seven hundred million lower-grade spirit stones per piece, annually."

"Spirit stones alone aren't enough—you also need a certain quantity of Gold-Copper Stone, and the amount must far exceed previous usage; in fact, all the Gold-Copper Stone consumed before combined wouldn't equal the quantity needed for a single piece of No. 10 Synthetic Synthetic Gengjin."

"The annual output of a large Gold-Copper Stone mine should suffice for one such piece."

Don't be deterred by how complicated this sounds,

this is top-tier fourth-grade Synthetic Gengjin!

How many Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun have fought to the death, attended countless secret auctions, and relied on fortune and opportunity to accumulate even a fist-sized piece over centuries?

Now, one can obtain it merely with lower-grade spirit stones and some low-grade ores—any Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun beyond the realm who encountered such an opportunity would admit it was a heavenly stroke of luck.

Such a heavenly stroke of luck must be secured every year.

"So, how much does that total up to...?"

Jiang Ding calculated mentally for a moment, then drew a sharp breath: "I'll be spending 1.05 billion lower-grade spirit stones per year!"

"I have a serious spending ability."

"A single Xianzong's public company profit isn't enough to cover my chewing!"

Even a Gold-Swallowing Beast couldn't describe it.

This was even more voracious than a Gold-Swallowing Taotie!

"But maybe it's reasonable?"

Jiang Ding thought: "I'm practically a Xianzong Candidate Daozi, a strategic-level unit. As an individual, I should at least rival a Xianzong's armored corps and aerospace force."

"If a Xianzong armored corps and aerospace force spends only 1.05 billion lower-grade spirit stones per year, that's still quite frugal."

In fact, if he applied to the Xianzong for cultivation funding and submitted a sufficiently justified report, he had a high chance of securing this annual allocation—no department would hold it back.

But how to put it?

The Xianzong was family, but the Xianzong was desperately poor.

Every Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun, due to constantly refining and controlling aerospace carrier vessels, hovered on the brink of bankruptcy—even someone like Zhang Zhang Junsheng, a top-tier genius who single-handedly led an entire research discipline, had to endure an agonizingly long wait in the Soul Transformation opportunity queue just for a sliver of chance.

Now, they were even more ruthlessly pushed into becoming hawkish, desperate to launch an all-out attack at any cost.

The Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun were like this,

the Soul Transformation Canghai Tianjun were too.

Figures like Yuan, Zhenjun Shenji Canghai Tianjun had worked tirelessly publishing papers over the years, primarily out of passion for Xianshu—but they also hadn't been without the desire to earn some money to supplement their cultivation.

Even Xu's Soul Transformation defection had economic reasons.

This was mainly because the Xianzong's education industry had become too developed!

Too advanced!

With only thirteen small realms, it had cultivated dozens of Canghai Tianjun and countless Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun—internally, it was terrifyingly poor.

Artificial synthesis of high-grade materials, the Grand Void Illusion Realm technique, talisman paper recycling, the slumber technique... all were born from a vast pool of talent and the harsh reality of poverty.

Several years ago, the Immortal Arts even distributed two hundred billion library credits in a single burst, causing the entire Immortal Sect to cut wages and reduce expenditures.

Under these circumstances, asking the Immortal Sect to squeeze money out of its meager finances.

Although it could certainly be squeezed out, and this amount would not be lacking.

It is just that my heart cannot bear it.

Of course, this is under the condition of ensuring absolute safety.

If one were to take risks for the sake of a little money, that would go against the hard-earned wisdom of the Immortal Sect's elders; such a view is too narrow to see the true big picture.

"It is still fine now, as the Great Clarity Flying Sword has not yet ascended to Infant Treasure; if we wait a few years..."

Jiang Ding sighed: "My current savings are enough for only ten years; if I use them sparingly, they should last twenty years... The only benefit is that I do not necessarily need fourth-tier heavenly treasures; a large quantity of first, second, and third-tier heavenly treasures will suffice."

"It is not that difficult."

"A Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun, if he accepts everything without refusal and demands first, second, and third-tier heavenly treasures, could possibly obtain one billion low-grade spirit stones annually, but it would require vast territories, far larger than the Black Snow Great Grasslands."

"In that case,"

Jiang Ding hesitated somewhat.

Previously, among the Master Tushan maids of the Northern Plains, led by the three first maids of Spring, Summer, and Autumn, all Jin Dan cultivators, there was a strong push to join the Blood King Army, participate in the Wang Ting War, expand their influence, and seize various opportunities for growth on their Dao paths, willing to die without regret rather than quietly lying dormant in barren lands, merely wasting precious lifespan.

The sentiment to request battle was extremely intense.

But all were rejected.

Jiang Ding had no interest in the Wang Ting Wangting Fudi, so naturally he ignored the voices below.

"Should I let them be?"

Jiang Ding pondered.

"Success is possible, failure is possible; I will provide no help other than forging Dao soldiers and flying swords. Even if all the maids die, I will not go out to fight, drawing the gaze of numerous Nascent Soul cultivators or even Soul Transformation cultivators; at most, I will avenge them in the future."

Four, complete.

(End of this chapter)