Chapter 43 Setting Off
"Shi Wuqian, what business is it of mine whether I am boasting or not, Lu Zhengyang?" Lu Zhengyang looked at Shi Wuqian with utter disdain. Bragging a little among his fellow disciples under Fang Wen's lineage was simply meant for a bit of fun and to strengthen their bonds. Shi Wuqian harbored intense hostility toward Lu Zhengyang, and the reason for this was none other than Fang Wen's granddaughter, Fang Xiaoyu.
Fang Xiaoyu could easily be considered the supreme beauty of the True Fire Sect. Shi Wuqian had long harbored various ulterior motives toward her. However, being Fang Wen's granddaughter—even though Fang Wen was currently just a marginalized elder—made it impossible for Shi Wuqian to use force against her. Primarily, Fang Xiaoyu had never given Shi Wuqian a pleasant look, yet the appearance of Lu Zhengyang had caused her heart to flutter. When Shi Wuqian noticed that Fang Xiaoyu beamed with smiles for Lu Zhengyang while treating him with the exact opposite attitude, hatred toward Lu Zhengyang took root in his heart, prompting him to pick fights with Lu Zhengyang at every turn.
"Hmph, I simply can't stand your bragging face! What, unconvicted? If you have the guts, step into the arena and duel with me!" Shi Wuqian provoked Lu Zhengyang.
"Senior Brother Wuqian, aren't you being a bit too shameless? You dare to challenge us while being decked out in top-tier gear, and you have no shame regarding the disparity in status," a late-stage Great Luo Jinxian senior brother on Lu Zhengyang's side sneered at Shi Wuqian.
"Hehe, Qiao Yunfeng, what, do you want to have a spar as well? I, Li Sidu, would be more than happy to keep you company!" shouted someone standing right beside Shi Wuqian. This person was also at the late-stage Great Luo Jinxian cultivation realm.
"You—hmph! Aren't you just riding the coattails of the Sect Master's grandson? What's there to be so arrogant about!" Qiao Yunfeng retorted mockingly.
"Surname Qiao, if you've got the guts, say that one more time!" Li Sidu snapped furiously. Just as Qiao Yunfeng was about to open his mouth to fire back at Li Sidu's furious expression, an authoritative voice echoed through the air.
"What do you think you are doing? Are you fighting among yourselves in private? Do you have a fondness for being punished by the sect rules?" The speaker was Fang Wen, followed closely by Fang Xiaoyu, who was currently smiling happily at Lu Zhengyang.
Upon witnessing this scene, the hatred burning in Shi Wuqian's heart deepened once more. Taking a deep breath, he said to Fang Wen, "Elder Fang, Junior Brother Lu was merely claiming just now that he single-handedly annihilated four disciples of the Medicine Dan Sect, two of whom were at the Great Luo Jinxian level. That is why I had the urge to spar with Junior Brother Lu to exchange pointers."
"Oh? If it is merely sparring, it is indeed permitted. But did Zhengyang agree to it? Sparring requires the supervision of at least three elders of the sect. Whom have you invited to oversee this?" Fang Wen narrowed his eyes and asked Shi Wuqian.
"This..." Shi Wuqian was momentarily struck dumb.
"I agree to it! As for the supervising elders, I ask that Master please make the arrangements!" Lu Zhengyang said to Fang Wen, while inwardly chuckling to himself: *If it were before, I wouldn't have been able to compete with you because of your fancy gear. But now? Heh, heh! When the time comes, I'll beat you so hard even your own grandfather won't recognize you!*
Three days later, Tang Yi returned to New Guangming Guming City. Following months of strong sales, the business of the Tang Family Artifact Workshop was flourishing more than ever, remaining remarkably brisk even after prices had been multiplied several times over. Meanwhile, Ouyang Ming had already received the first batch of Tang Family immortal suit sets after signing the Immortal Spirit Contract, transporting them to other stellar domains for sale. They adopted a unified strategy: they did not explicitly state the special functions of the suit sets, and all components of the same set were sold at different times, allowing the buyers to discover the secrets themselves. Because once the special function was openly declared, buyers would inevitably insist on purchasing an entire set all at once, which would consequently narrow the customer base. Selling individual pieces allowed a greater number of those in need to become aware of the product, thereby drastically boosting the total sales volume of the sets.
In accordance with this sales strategy, Tang Yi made a series of adjustments to the suited immortal artifacts. He renamed the sets—and this renaming was not merely spoken in passing; it was engraved directly onto the immortal artifacts themselves. This was also a habit of Tang Yi's; no matter which immortal artifact he forged, he would always leave behind its artifact name, anti-counterfeiting marks, and unique signatures.
Tang Yi now established three categories of immortal suit sets: the defense-oriented Cangshi and Linglong sets; the speed-enhancing Liuguang and Yuhua sets; and the offense-boosting Jintuo and Tianxian sets. Each of these six sets consisted of thirteen component pieces, whereas the immortal realm currently standardly used twelve-piece sets. The distinction between male and female sets was an intentional creation by Tang Yi. Furthermore, the array formations of a single piece from one set could not link with the formations of pieces from any of the other five sets. In other words, only components belonging to a set of the exact same designation could combine to activate the array formations.
During this past year, Tang Yi had only produced three specific components for the six sets: the outer robes/armor, the boots, and the bracers. The previously unstandardized immortal artifacts would no longer be produced and had effectively become collector's items. A year from now, he planned to manufacture the remaining three components of the immortal artifacts, staggering the sales over a span of four years. In the interim, he would occasionally release one or two batches of auxiliary magical treasure badges. These auxiliary treasures possessed one distinct characteristic: they required all other twelve pieces of the set to be present in order to stimulate their array formations and maximize the combat potential of the suit.
Having settled the affairs of the artifact workshop, Tang Yi once again entered seclusion. This time, he intended to forge a spacetime acceleration tower within the spatial stone immortal mansion.
Time flew by, and nearly half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Tang Yi had been working on forging the spacetime acceleration tower, but up to this point, the refinement of the materials was still incomplete. The materials concerning spacetime were exceptionally time-consuming to refine. With the scheduled date for the agent conference fast approaching, Tang Yi had no alternative but to withdraw from the spatial stone immortal mansion.
Over the course of the past year, the brand of Tang Family Immortal Artifacts had already made a preliminary name for itself within the Chilian Stellar Domain. Consequently, the agent conference proceeded with immense smoothness and overwhelming popularity. All six sets of Tang Family Immortal Artifacts belonged to the same grade, featuring completely standardized parameters. Tang Yi even publicly disclosed the basic parameters of each individual component within the thirteen-piece sets—such as the exact defense value of the armor and the precise speed boost provided by the boots. However, details regarding the internal array formations were strictly withheld. Meanwhile, Ouyang Ming felt immensely grateful for his initial decision and now possessed a hundredfold confidence in the venture.
Although the basic parameters of the six sets were identical, the forging processes naturally could not be entirely uniform, which meant minor top-tier treasures would occasionally be produced. This created a sense of anticipation among buyers, further fueling sales. Moreover, all six sets were of the second-grade premium tier. Combining three pieces elevated them to a higher tier; combining twelve pieces could reach the second-grade supreme tier; and if all thirteen pieces of a complete set were gathered, the maximum potential could directly approach the first-grade supreme tier. If every single component happened to be a minor top-tier piece—much like the set Lu Zhengyang possessed—there was an even greater chance of pushing the effects right to the threshold of ultra-supreme quality. Such sets were more than sufficient to sustain a practitioner all the way up to the early stage of the Ninth Heaven Mystic Immortal realm. This was because using these sets beyond the Ninth Heaven Mystic Immortal stage would actually cause a decline in combat power; the lower-tier materials used during the forging of the sets simply could not withstand excessive immortal astral energy, failing to fully unleash the strength of mid-stage Ninth Heaven Immortals and above. As for the mid-stage Ninth Heaven Immortal level and beyond, Tang Yi already had countermeasures prepared.
In the current immortal realm, the population ranging from Heavenly Immortals to Ninth Heaven Immortals was by far the largest, accounting for seventy percent of all immortals in the entire realm. Though no one had ever conducted a dedicated census, the total number easily spanned tens of billions. Therefore, there was no fear that such exceptional goods would lack buyers; demand would perpetually outstrip supply.
After Tang Yi delivered the first batch of immortal artifacts in full to the ten merchants who had signed the Immortal Spirit Contract, he reaped a total of two hundred million high-grade immortal stones from them, a windfall that kept Tang Yi in a joyous mood for an entire day. Next, he tidied up his belongings, preparing to head to the Tianji Sect to fulfill his matters with Tianji Zhenren. As for the shop in Guming City, he left the avatar of Cangmu behind to watch over it, along with the next batch of immortal artifacts for Cangmu to manage. As for the raw material smelting and earlier preparatory steps for the six sets, thousands of robots inside the Divine Immortal Ship—working day and night without rest within Crescent Valley—had already successfully forged nearly a million complete sets and deposited them into the spatial stone immortal mansion. The remaining task was simply to let Ling Ling and the other three little fellows handle the final finishing steps. The collection of buildings in Crescent Valley had also been relocated by Tang Yi into the spatial stone immortal mansion, which Tang Yi officially named the Crescent Mansion.
"Very well, let us set off!" Equipped with the Crescent Mansion, Tang Yi could now travel light, journeying toward the Tianji Sect at whatever pace he desired—fast or slow.