Modern World's Martial Dao Human Immortal

"Superior Grade Spiritual Artifact."

Alkaid was operating at his workstation.

Sword Cultivators on their path of cultivation would continuously nurture their True Qi and their Flying Swords, eventually refining their Lifebound Flying Sword into an existence akin to an External Elixir.

However, an External Elixir would ultimately not be the Sword Cultivator themselves.

Therefore, the further the Lifebound Flying Sword was from the cultivator, the lower their Perception and Manipulation of it would be.

Lacking the Cultivator's control, even if the Lifebound Flying Sword was swift and its lethality was strong, being able to only fly in a straight line meant it could be easily dodged by agile Sword Cultivators.

Great Cultivators were somewhat better off, with a control range for their Lifebound Flying Swords stretching dozens of miles. Those who cultivated special methods, like the Supreme Perception Sword technique, could even command their Lifebound Flying Swords within a hundred miles as if directing their own limb.

But for high-rank Sword Cultivators...

Their lethal range dropped to just ten miles, or even only a few.

Therefore, to ensure their lethality, high-rank Sword Cultivators would often engage in close quarters combat within a few miles, or even within less than one, fighting their enemies in a life and death struggle.

This type of combat was extremely dangerous and could easily cause great damage to the Sword Cultivator.

So...

The Flying Sword Alkaid was refining, or rather, the Purple Cloud twelve improved model Flying Sword, focused on "control."

But this "control" was not the Sword Cultivator's control over the Flying Sword.

It was that of a Great Primordial Spirit Cultivator.

"Since the Nine Cauldrons Sect intended to crush the Xuanming Sect with an overwhelming force, naturally, the number of Primordial Spirit Realm Great Cultivators they sent was even more...

The Nine Heavens Domain, being one of the three domains directly facing the East Sea Archipelago, already had two hundred Body Cultivators, fifty Sword Cultivators, thirty Technique Cultivators, and twelve Divine Cultivators stationed there. Recently, to confront the Xuanming Sect and prevent them from making a desperate move, the numbers have greatly increased.

Great Sword Cultivator numbers have already surpassed a hundred, and there are more than twenty Primordial Spirit Cultivators."

Twenty Divine Cultivators.

This lineup could not be considered anything but formidable.

With this advantage...

"Divine Cultivators, depending on the cultivation techniques they practiced, excel in different areas. Some can scan and precisely search for targets within thousands of miles, including those using secret techniques to become invisible or suppress their presence. Some are skilled in guiding Tracking, drawing Flying Swords to launch attacks beyond visual range on their targets.

The last type specializes in counteracting interference. Zhang Jianlin had previously recommended this route to me, but because of the presence of traits like Taiyuan Divine Refining Art, Myriad Spirits Sovereign, Divine King, the most suitable path for me is obviously the guidance and Tracking direction."

He looked at the design of the Flying Sword gradually taking shape in front of him.

"To ensure these Flying Swords can later become a part of the Myriad Spirits Sovereign's command... The Purple Cloud twelve improved model Flying Sword will focus on these aspects... and serve them entirely."

This was an unprecedented path.

A path that put extremely high demands on Divine Cultivators.

Such a path didn't seem to suit the Nine Cauldrons Sect, which had a shortage of Divine Cultivators.

But...

Divine Cultivators were exceedingly scarce for any power.

Except for the Six Great Immortal Sects...

No!

Aside from the Limitless Star Palace, the Myriad Beasts Sect, and the Immortal Alliance, even the Heavenly Law Pavilion, the Golden Temple, and the Supreme Yin Sect did not have many formidable Divine Cultivators to offer.

Not to mention medium and small-sized sects like the Xuanming Sect.

So, if the Nine Cauldrons Sect lacked Divine Cultivators, the Xuanming Sect lacked them even more.

But the Divine Cultivation System, which places a great emphasis on "Realm," was most suited for Alkaid.

If it weren't for the concern that the Divine Cultivation System lacked sufficient combat power, he would have already maxed out his Divine Realm.

But if he could use Taiyuan Divine Refining Art, Myriad Spirits Sovereign, Divine King, and other methods, secret techniques, and innate abilities to manipulate a multitude of Flying Swords to form his own combat system, perhaps he needn't prioritize the Martial Path for now and instead focus on the Divine Path.

After all...

Commanding winds and clouds, roaming the azure sky and the emerald sea, morning at Cang Hai and evening at Cangwu.

That is what it means to be an Immortal.

"Compared to Primordial Spirit Cultivators who can command thousands of swords and kill from miles away, a Star Master who relies on fists to fight... is far from what 'Immortal' should be."

Of course, he still needed to practice the Martial Path.

Given the current situation...

The Martial Path could ensure his personal safety.

The Primordial Spirit could ensure the safety of his surroundings.

Combining the two, he could eventually...

Carve out a path of his own.

For now, he would classify it as the path of the "Martial Immortal."

He would be an Immortal who dines on winds and drinks from dews, transcending the mundane world, whimsical and enjoying eternal life.

Yet if an enemy insisted on disturbing this transcendent peace and ease, he could also sit down and have a chat about the Martial Path.

"It's done."

Soon, with refining experience that was so abundant it almost didn't belong to the Cangwu Great World, he spent one night completing the improvement of the Purple Cloud twelve model Flying Sword.

"Maximum speed increased to 4.4 times the speed of sound, lethality enhanced to 8.1, Spirit Consumption grew to 455, but almost entirely abandoning stability, it requires a Great Primordial Spirit Cultivator to unleash its proper power. However, I have added a new attribute on top; compatibility.

The Divine Sense of a Great Primordial Spirit Cultivator can be compatible with the Divine Sense of a Sword Cultivator within this Flying Sword, gaining the enhancement of a Great Primordial Spirit Cultivator's Divine Sense, extending the optimal lethal range of the Flying Sword to eighty miles."

This exceeded the figures of ordinary Great Cultivators.

And moreover...

Eighty miles was the optimal lethal range, within which a Sword Cultivator could command the sword as easily as moving their own arm.

But the maximum lethal range...

The distance reached a hundred and sixty miles.
Your journey continues at empire

In other words, even if the flying sword was shot out a hundred and sixty miles away, it could still maintain a maximum speed of 4.4 times the speed of sound and a killing force of up to 8.1, with the main issue being that the flying sword would not be able to turn or change direction flexibly at that point.

But, that just meant the flight trajectory was somewhat rigid, making it easy to predict.

However, an attack range of a hundred and sixty miles could definitely grant a sword cultivator one, or even two strikes of the advantage in preemptive attacks.

If overseen by a Great Primordial Spirit Cultivator directing the battle, it was entirely possible to have an entire squad's four flying swords strike simultaneously, achieving sword speeds over four times the speed of sound and focusing fire on a single target.

What did it matter if the flying sword wasn't flexible enough?

It wasn't as though it couldn't turn at all.

With the coordination, guidance, and tracking of a Great Primordial Spirit Cultivator, the enemy might evade one or two strikes, but how could they possibly dodge three or four?

If things went smoothly, by the time formal engagement began, two rounds of preemptive advantage could take out two members of the opposing squad.

"The advantage is clear, high attack, high speed, long range, the drawback... heavily reliant on Great Primordial Spirit Cultivators... it's up to the high-level decision-makers of the Nine Cauldrons Sect to choose," said Alkaid, storing the design.

Alkaid checked the design one more time and then stored it away.

Completing the improvements to the Purple Cloud twelve in one night was too exaggerated; it wasn't time to hand it in yet.

It would be better to wait two or three months, once the current orders for the Purple Cloud twelve were nearly fulfilled, to submit it.

"In fact, there is still room to improve the Purple Cloud twelve-type flying sword, which is the formation... Although due to its size and the demand for speed, the flying sword doesn't have the platform to lay out formations, if a top Array Master were to help optimize it, the performance could still reach a new level," Alkaid thought, somewhat regretful.

Because the field of formations was lagging behind, the Purple Cloud twelve-type flying sword had reached the world's top standard among interior grade spiritual artifacts.

But...

That was just the top of the world standard, after all.

It was still a bit away from being the world's number one and being revolutionary.

...

With the addition of Master Artifact Refiner teams led by Wei Yan and Lu Yuan, the artifact refining efficiency of Purple Cloud Courtyard increased once again.

They were now able to reach the point of producing six hundred spiritual artifact flying swords in a month.

In order to complete this order as quickly as possible, his divine sense almost constantly enveloped the Purple Cloud Artifact Refining Court, ensuring that the artifact refining work proceeded in an orderly and rapid manner.

While Alkaid was working overtime to produce the Purple Cloud twelve-type flying swords, the sword cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect were also campaigning in the East Sea Archipelago, and almost every day brought victories.

These successes, through the Void Divine Realm, echoed throughout the entire Nine Cauldrons Sect, causing a surge of excitement and an unprecedented boost in confidence.

However, the Xuanming Sect obviously would not just wait for their doom.

No one knew what sort of deal they had struck with the Great Sun Sword Sect.

In the third month of high-rank sword cultivators clashing, the Great Sun Sword Sect suddenly announced that they would hold large-scale war exercises around Sea Cabinet Island next month.

The Great Sun Sword Sect pronounced loudly that they would deploy several Primordial Spirit cultivators, more than two hundred Great Sword Cultivators, over a hundred Technique Cultivators, and an indeterminate number of high-rank sword cultivators as support for this exercise.

They further claimed that this drill was not aimed at anyone or any power, but simply a practice of mutual cooperation among the many sword cultivators of the Great Sun Sword Sect.

The news caused an uproar as it spread.

Two hundred Foundation Establishment Great Sword Cultivators!

The scale of this was undeniable.

Especially...

Nearly all of these two hundred Great Sword Cultivators were equipped with second-generation magical treasure flying swords.

There were even a few equipped with third-generation magical treasure flying swords.

Compared to the fact that the mainstream Great Sword Cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect were equipped with first-generation flying swords, such a large group of over two hundred sword cultivators was powerful enough to match half of the sword cultivator force of the entire Nine Cauldrons Sect.

If this power was used against the Xuanming Sect, they might face the risk of being outright annihilated.

And that wasn't even the main issue.

The main point was...

Sea Cabinet Island was an island occupied by the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

And it was only sixteen thousand miles away from the Nine Cauldrons Sect's mainland.

The Great Sun Sword Sect holding exercises around Sea Cabinet Island was practically flaunting their strength at the doorstep of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, wasn't it?

If the Nine Cauldrons Sect could not give a forceful response to this action from the Great Sun Sword Sect, and if they turned these exercises into regular occurrences, it would undeniably amount to a de facto control of Sea Cabinet Island and the surrounding sea areas in the long term.

Meanwhile, the Nine Cauldrons Sect, which extended only a little more than twenty thousand miles in the Eastern Sea, would be suppressed to within fifteen thousand miles.

For Great Sword Cultivators who often reached flying speeds of dozens of times the speed of sound, fifteen thousand miles would effectively be like blocking the main gate, completely stripping them of their control over the East Sea Archipelago.

...

"Not needed anymore?"

Alkaid looked at Zhang Jianlin, who brought the news, with a slight start.

"The order for the Purple Cloud twelve-type flying swords will be completed, but the improved model... it will have to wait. Our focus now must shift to Sea Cabinet Island," declared the Sub-sect Elder gravely.

"Compared to Posuo Island, which can only control a sea area, Sea Cabinet Island has a spiritual power node. Over the past few years, we've moved thousands of Array Masters who have finally put together a Fourth Level Spirit Gathering Array there. According to estimates, this array could add two hundred thousand spirit stones to our annual output.

Just when we had finished setting up the array, the ungrateful dogs from the Great Sun Sword Sect caught the scent and came knocking," he said.

"What about the Xuanming Sect?" Alkaid asked.

"We still have to fight, but we'll focus on defensive tactics for now," said Zhang Jianlin, sighing with some helplessness. "Due to the importance of the two, the higher-ups are discussing that if necessary, we could temporarily set aside the dispute over Posuo Island's sea area."