Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 680 - 661: The Ruthless Great Sun Swordsman

"Sixty million low-grade spirit stones."

"Sixty million low-grade spirit stones a year... always feels a bit lacking."

Jiang Ding mused to himself.

If a Golden Pill Monk were to hear his words, their eyes would certainly turn red with envy, and they might even smash him with a hammer, their minds clouded by jealousy.

Typically, the entire fortune of a Golden Pill Monk would be just tens of millions.

Of course, this doesn't include a large amount of first and second-order items, as Golden Pill Monks rarely collect these lower-order items, only occasionally keeping some aside to reward subordinates, for use in the cultivation of their progeny, and the like.

Even so, for the wealth of the entire Three Kingdoms to be concentrated in one person is quite alarming.

If piled up, it would easily form a small mountain.

"Indeed, it is a bit little."

Jiang Ding reflected further, then added.

His own expenses were very little, requiring only a top-tier third-order spiritual vein, as food and water were unnecessary; a Golden Pill Cultivator could already draw spiritual energy from the air to sustain life.

However,

he had two major and extremely expensive items to account for.

The first was the refinement of the Taiqing Flying Sword, which required purchasing No. 21 Synthetic Geng Metal once a year, costing him thirty million low-grade spirit stones and a large amount of gold copper stone for priority.

The second was the ritual refinement and maintenance of the super battleship, the Great Sun Battleship.

This was truly terrifying, as the Great Sun Battleship was a Nascent Soul stage warship, a fourth-order Nascent Treasure, and moreover, a super-luxury version.

A ritual refinement once a year needed three hundred and fifty million low-grade spirit stones!

Despite the immense cost, this was still the low-end version.

It could be managed with just a large amount of first, second, and third-order heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and it didn't require fourth-order materials, making it both fairly priced and affordable; countless Immortals of Nascent Soul from Immortal Sects in the Outer Realm envied it behind closed doors countless times.

Even if one were too poor, an enormous amount of ordinary mortal metals could work.

Jiang Ding was not short of money, so naturally, he wouldn't be so stingy.

Pieces of fourth-order Nascent Treasure, fourth-order heavenly materials and earthly treasures were often tossed into the battleship's furnace for refining, to enhance the battleship's power; he was not stingy in this respect.

In addition, one must not forget that the Taiqing Flying Sword was about to breakthrough and become a Nascent Treasure-grade flying sword!

Originating from the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, this fellow was the life flying sword of the Crown Prince, the Domain Ruler; its status was unimaginably prestigious, and it would not stoop to refining first, second, and third-order heavenly materials and earthly treasures after reaching the Nascent Treasure stage.

Fourth-order materials were the minimum requirement.

It could even assimilate fifth-order divinity transformation heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

Not that it couldn't, if the Sword Master were really poor, then at a push it could be done.

But it would be highly resistant and very unhappy, with the flying sword's spirit suffering from low mood, leading to reduced efficiency in its work.

"A Nascent Treasure-grade Taiqing Flying Sword needs fourth-order metal materials for ritual refinement, otherwise its growth rate will be very slow."

Jiang Ding calculated to himself, "No. 10 Synthetic Gengjin is equivalent to top-tier fourth-order metal material, extremely sharp and durable, quite suitable for the flying sword, so there's no need to change the main material for refinement."

No. 10 to No. 20 Synthetic Geng metal all fall within the category of fourth-order heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

"It's just the value, seven hundred million low-grade spirit stones for one piece, per year."

"Just having spirit stones is not enough, a certain amount of gold copper stone is required, and far more than before, in fact, all the gold copper stone consumed previously combined would not be enough for the amount needed for one piece of No. 10 Synthetic Geng Metal."

"The entire annual output of a large gold copper stone mine should be sufficient for one occasion."

Despite the hassle,

this is fourth-order top-tier Geng Metal!

Countless Immortals of Nascent Soul fight to the death, participating in many secret treasure auctions, plus chances and fate, saving up for hundreds of years just to obtain a fist-sized piece.

Now, it can be acquired simply with low-grade spirit stones and some lower-order ores, which any Immortal of Nascent Soul from the Outer Realm would recognize as a tremendous opportunity.

Such an incredible opportunity must come every year.

"So adding it all up, how much is that in total..."

Jiang Ding calculated for a moment and gasped in shock, "I need to spend ten and a half billion low-grade spirit stones a year!"

"My capacity to spend money is so strong."

"The profits of an Immortal Sect's listed company aren't even enough for my consumption!"

It's beyond just a gold-devouring beast.

This is even more voracious than a gold-swallowing gluttonous beast!

"But it seems reasonable?"

Jiang Ding thought, "I'm akin to a Xianmen Sect's Taoist disciple, a strategic unit. Personally, I should at least be on par with an armored group of the Air-Space Army of an Immortal Sect."

"For an Immortal Sect's armored group of the Air-Space Army to spend only ten and a half billion low-grade spirit stones a year is actually quite frugal."

In reality, if he applied to the Xianmen Sect for cultivation funds and submitted a report with sufficient reasons, there was a great possibility that he could receive this allocation every year, and no one would hold back the funding.

But how should I put it?

The Xianmen Sect is like family, yet the Xianmen Sect is too poor.

All the Immortals of Nascent Soul, because they are constantly on the brink of bankruptcy from controlling and refining Air-Space Motherships, even Zhang Junsheng, who independently leads a research field with top-notch talent and brilliance, has to endure an excruciatingly long and almost hopeless wait for a chance at Divinity Transformation.

Now, they are even driven by cruel reality to become hawkish, wanting to strike out at any cost.

This is the case for the Immortals of Nascent Soul,

as well as for the Spirit Transformation Heavenly Monarchs.

Yuan, Divine Mechanism Heavenly Monarch, and others have been so diligently publishing articles over the years, mainly because of their passion for Immortal Techniques, but it's not without the intention to earn some money to subsidize their cultivation efforts.

This is mainly because the educational industry of the Xianmen Sect is too developed!

Too advanced!

With the number of thirteen Small Worlds, they have cultivated over a hundred Heavenly Monarchs, and countless more Immortals of Nascent Soul, making the internal situation horrifyingly impoverished.

Technologies like synthetic advanced materials, the Tai Xu Fantasy Realm, talisman paper recycling, hibernation technologies, etc., all emerged from the massive pool of talent and the reality of impoverished living conditions.

A few years ago, due to the outburst of publishing Immortal Techniques, the entire Xianmen Sect was reducing salaries and cutting expenses after spending two hundred billion library points in one go.

In such a situation, to further squeeze money from the Xianmen Sect's already barren finances.

Although money could certainly still be squeezed out, and nothing would be lacking,

it just doesn't sit right with me.

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

If for a little money one were to take risks, it would be even more contrary to the painstaking efforts of all the seniors of the Xianmen Sect. The view would be too narrow-minded, failing to see what the real big picture is.

"It's alright for now, the Taiqing Flying Sword hasn't been promoted to a Nascent Treasure. If, after a few years,"

Jiang Ding sighed, "My current savings are only good for ten years. With frugality, they might last for twenty years... The only advantage is that I don't necessarily need fourth-order Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures; a large number of first, second, and third-order ones would suffice."

"It's not that difficult."

"For an Immortal of Nascent Soul who doesn't turn away anyone, and requires every single Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure of the first, second, and third orders, it is possible to obtain ten billion low-grade spirit stones each year. However, it would require a vast territory, much larger than the Black Snow Prairie."

"If that's the case,"

Jiang Ding hesitated slightly.

Previously, among the maids of the Northern Plains' Tushan, led primarily by the three Golden Pill first-ranking maids of Spring, Summer, and Autumn, there had been a strong push to join the Blood King Army and participate in the battles of the King's Court to expand their influence and seize various opportunities for growth on the path of cultivation, willing to die without regrets rather than quietly lurking in impoverished lands and wasting precious Life Energy.

The morale for battle was extremely intense.

But all had been denied.

Jiang Ding had no interest in the Court's Blessed Land, so naturally, he would not heed the voices from below.

"Should I let it go?"

Jiang Ding pondered.

"Success would be fine, as would failure. I will not offer help beyond refining Taoist Soldiers' Flying Swords. Even if all the maids perish, I won't go out to fight or attract the attention of numerous Nascent Soul Monks or even Nascent Soul Cultivators. At most, I would seek revenge for them later."