Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Hearing Zhang Junsheng’s words, Jiang Ding was left speechless.

Indeed, compared to the world of a Master of Refining Nothingness, it’s still too insignificant, as their twilight years could span dozens of reincarnations for lower-ranked cultivators.

”Let’s get back to the main topic.”

”Didn’t you say your ranking for the Divinity Transformation opportunity is quite low? Let’s not talk about expanding Xianmen’s overall resource pool for now; it’s too far-fetched. Focus on yourself first, earn more Divinity Transformation merits to improve your ranking, just like Senior Sun Extinguisher did.”

Jiang Ding said bluntly, ”Do you want to publish an article? One that can earn Divinity Transformation merits, but I’ll be the first author.”

Although it had not been verified, Jiang Ding was quite certain that his sudden burst of inspiration—the prototype’s prototype’s prototype...of the prototype of the True Immortal’s Destroying Golden Sword—was of considerable value.

Yes, publishing articles could also earn merits, especially for the most cutting-edge research findings.

That was also why the Divine Mechanism Heavenly Monarch, Yuan, Canghai Heavenly Monarch, and Panda Hua Lingling were so diligent recently.

It wouldn’t make sense for research findings that benefit the entire Xianmen, with Divinity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs spending time, effort, and a great deal of Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure on experiments, to end up as unpaid labor.

Of course, there were Divinity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs with high moral values who selflessly contributed.

But that’s someone else’s personal moral quality; the community cannot fail to pay people because of their high moral quality. There must be an orderly reward and punishment system, and it must be clear.

”An article that can earn Divinity Transformation merits?”

”What are you daydreaming about?”

Zhang Junsheng was taken aback, shook his head, and said with some disdain, ”If it were research findings related to Nascent Soul Opportunities, we could probably manage it after a few decades of hard work, but an article involving Divinity Transformation merits? Keep dreaming.”

”Don’t think it’s easy just because Divine Mechanism Heavenly Monarch, Canghai Heavenly Monarch, and Yuan publish once every few years and you think money is easy to come by.”

”These people are Peak Nascent Soul Cultivators, with supreme talents, flair, R&D capabilities, and experiences among Nascent Soul Cultivators in this Domain. When several join hands, plus the research teams of various universities and the assistance of the Xianmen Science Institute, with the Central Array Spirit Computer providing assistance, it’s a bit arrogant to say that their research and creation abilities could even surpass that of Masters of Refining Nothingness.”

”It’s normal for these people to have such achievements.”

”For an ordinary individual Divinity Transformation Cultivator, producing one piece of work every few decades or centuries is already quite good.”

Zhang Junsheng curled his lip, disbelieving.

”You young fellow, although you have a sharp intuition on the Sword Dao, it’s still not enough.”

”That difficult?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ding was also startled.

”What else?”

Zhang Junsheng rolled his eyes and said, ”It involves research in Immortal Techniques. Even the mere fringes are unimaginably difficult. Just being able to bask in the glory of Heavenly Monarchs like Divine Mechanism and others is already a big opportunity; don’t be ungrateful.”

”Don’t be so quick to shoot me down, okay?”

”What if it works out?”

Jiang Ding, feeling a bit unsure, thought he might be overestimating himself and underestimating the abilities of his seniors. He immediately sorted through his previous insights and sent them over.

”Take a look, is it just my imagination?”

After spending more than ten minutes, a very large file, which even an Immortal of Nascent Soul would find difficult to grasp, was sent through Xianmen’s network to Zhang Junsheng’s Sea of Consciousness.

”I’ll see, but don’t get your hopes up too high.”

Zhang Junsheng opened the file compression package in his Sea of Consciousness and glanced at the file name.

”Immortal Technique·Protoype of the Destroying Golden Sword.”

”Hiss...”

Zhang Junsheng drew a sharp breath, ”That’s quite an audacious name; it seems you’ve been influenced by the style of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, they’re all like that—defiant to the end, fighting until they can’t and then dying to show you, completely without reverence.”

”Audacious? Seems like it.”

Jiang Ding thought for a moment, ”Then how about changing it to ’Immortal Technique·16th Power Prototype of the Prototype of the Prototype of the Destroying Golden Sword’? Our prototype is indeed too far from immortal techniques to deserve the name ’Prototype of Immortal Technique’.”

”It’s not about adding a bunch of ’prototypes’.”

Zhang Junsheng replied offhandedly as he continued to browse the extracted files.

”That’s the problem with you youngsters; you pick research paper titles that are so grand and comprehensive. That’s incorrect. Be specific, not vague, be substantial; focus on a precise detail or structure of magic for research.”

”Such vague titles are only used by academics at the chieftain level who then need to subdivide it among many senior and junior researchers...”

”If I dared to use such a title when I was a grad student, I would have definitely been scolded bloody by my advisor...”

He suddenly got stuck.

”Destroying Golden Sword... Golden Causality, seeking to eradicate from the origin... First become the body of ten thousand golds, then shatter all the golds under the heavens...”

Zhang Junsheng murmured to himself, falling into a stupor, motionless for a long time.

Suddenly, he turned his head sharply, staring at Jiang Ding, his voice somewhat distorted, ”I don’t understand this, but I feel it has some similarities to the research of Senior Mieri and others. Did you copy this from somewhere, or is it your own research achievement?”

”My own research achievement, a sudden inspiration.”

Jiang Ding responded, and sent over a bunch of cultivation methods through the Divine Sense network: ”The references are ’Thousand Crow Feather Transformation Canon,’ ’Great Black Heaven Night Canon,’ ’Golden Flame Fire Feather Canon,’ ’Hundred Ghosts Myriad Transformations Slaughter Truth Canon,’ and other two hundred and seventy-six cultivation methods and magic.”

These cultivation methods came from the Book Pavilion of the Hei Clan of the Beast Spirit Immortal City, with the original source being the Shuoyang Heavenly Monarch, an invincible power of the Northern Plains from tens of thousands of years ago, which had removed parts like the Bloodline and Spiritual Root Sacrifice Technique that were beneficial to the clan’s growth.

”Give me some time.”

Zhang Junsheng sat down cross-legged, the blue light on his body suddenly brightening several times over.

Clearly, he had pulled most of the Nascent Soul Divine Soul computational power from other threads, all of it pouring into this one, reading the Hei Clan’s inherited cultivation methods one by one, not hastily or superficially, but with thorough understanding and absorption.

”Okay.”

Jiang Ding then returned his allocated computational power, enhancing the deduction of his Sword Nine swordsmanship and his own cultivation, the Xianmen Science Institute conference with Immortal Dinghai, and other aspects.

Even here, the threads were not idle; he took out one Xianmen Sect’s Sword Dao cultivation method after another to continue comprehending and reading, adding to his Immortal Path foundation.

Time flies.

Unknowingly, three years passed.

Over these three years, Jiang Ding’s Divine Sense network conference connection had not been interrupted, but that didn’t mean he had nothing to do. Cultivation classes, returning to the Soulless Desert of the Northern Plains – nothing was delayed.

”I’ve finished reading.”

Zhang Junsheng suddenly stood up, his eyes shining, ”Most of it I understand now; indeed, it’s not just casually written or copied. You, my boy, have actually managed to do it, you’re unbelievably strong, almost doesn’t seem like you’re my student.”

”Truly the youthful form of a Domain Overlord!”

In three years’ time, he had read and completely understood all of the Hei Clan’s cultivation methods, synthesizing and integrating them.

If this news were to get out, no Nascent Soul Monks in the Northern Plains would believe it, dismissing it as bragging and laughing it off.

Classics-grade practice methods are profound and difficult to comprehend; even for Immortal of Nascent Soul, they would only master one in their lifetime, while others are merely tasted.

If they insisted on continuing, it would be a waste of time; even further intensive study would require at least several hundred years to claim synthesis and integration.

Xianmen cultivators are different.

From a young age, they are educated in this manner; their understanding and absorption of Immortal Path knowledge is different from other Immortal Sects.

”Explain to me the seventh section of Chapter 27, the fifty-sixth section of Chapter 127... from ’Immortal Technique: Destroying Golden Sword in its Embryonic Form to the Power of Sixteen,’” Zhang Junsheng rubbed his hands together, his face glowing red, seemingly already seeing the Divinity Transformation military exploits beckoning and urged on.

”Alright.”

”This is how it is...”

Jiang Ding was equally excited as he gradually explained his understanding, occasionally discussing and debating with no pause, and quickly a month passed.

”I understand it all.”

”We’re both going to make it big.”

”In no more than ten years, on the front cover of the first issue of ’Cultivators,’ the most prominent place will be ours.”

Zhang Junsheng took a deep breath.

”Forty-sixty?”

He probed.

”I get forty and you get sixty for the Divinity Transformation military exploits; I’m the second author.”

Perhaps feeling he was being a bit excessive, Zhang Junsheng stressed, ”Many parts of your insight are completely fantastical; I still need to find people to work on it. Dinghai, Count Spirit, and their teams below will all be involved, we have to share the benefits properly; the third author, fourth author, and so on, I’ll end up with at most twenty percent!”

”No problem.”

Jiang Ding cheerfully said.