I Can Upgrade My Talent Infinitely

"We’ve only killed two Foundation Establishment Spirit Refiners, but we’ve lost four of our own."

"And of the two Foundation Establishment Spirit Refiners we killed, neither was an Elder from the Celestial Cloud Sect. What kind of mess is this!"

The four who died on our side were all Elders of our Celestial Demon Sect.

In our attack, our losses were already double what we inflicted. Once you account for the status of those who died, the disparity grows even larger.

"And that mysterious Spirit Refiner has struck again, silently wiping out another one of our vassal influences."

It was another piece of bad news.

Our counterattack didn’t reduce the number of Foundation Establishment Spirit Refiners appearing in the sect’s Earth Realm; it actually attracted even more of them.

This shows that the Celestial Cloud Sect currently has more than enough power to deal with us.

"Elder Lu, is there any news from the Demon Spirit Sect?" Cao Yuchen asked, looking at Lu Yaoling.

When Lu Yaoling returned from the Demon Spirit Sect last time, he said that whether or not they would support us and join our attack on the Celestial Cloud Sect would require a decision from the Demon Spirit Sect’s upper echelon.

A long time has passed since then. It’s impossible that there’s still no answer.

"Still no news," Lu Yaoling replied.

"No news even now? Elder Lu, do you really think we’ll get an answer?" Cao Yuchen pressed.

"Probably not. But at least I did better than you, Supreme Elder Cao. What happened when you went to the Black Ghost Cave? They didn’t even bother to give you an excuse, they just rejected you outright."

"How can you compare the Black Ghost Cave to the Demon Spirit Sect? If you’re so confident, Elder Lu, why don’t you take a trip to the Black Ghost Cave yourself? I’d love to see how those Ghost Cultivators treat you."

Over this issue, Cao Yuchen and Lu Yaoling began to argue.

The other Core Formation higher-ups of the Celestial Demon Sect were already used to this.

As the situation worsened, the two most powerful Supreme Elders of the Celestial Demon Sect found more and more things to argue about, neither willing to back down.

"Both of you need to quiet down. Now is not the time to be arguing about this."

Another of the sect’s higher-ups couldn’t help but speak up.

They were all in the Core Formation Stage and were all high-ranking members of the sect; at the very least, they weren’t afraid of Lu Yaoling and Cao Yuchen.

At these words, the two who had been arguing finally fell silent.

On the matter of finding reinforcements, they had come up empty with both the Black Ghost Cave and the Demon Spirit Sect.

"Getting back to the issue at hand, our vassal Foundation Establishment Influences are being wiped out one by one, while not a single one of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s has been touched. This is devastating to our morale."

"Even our Elders with the best concealment techniques are no match for that mysterious Spirit Refiner. We can’t carry out an operation like his."

In their assessment, the mysterious Spirit Refiner’s concealment techniques had already reached a very high level.

"If the Elders can’t do it, don’t we still have ourselves?"

This time, it was the Celestial Demon Sect Leader who spoke.

If their Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t handle it, then they, the Core Formation experts, would have to take action themselves.

"The Celestial Cloud Sect’s Core Formation support is bound to be swift. Even if we make a move, it will be very difficult to directly annihilate one of their vassal Foundation Establishment Influences."

They couldn’t break through the Second Tier Grand Arrays within the Celestial Cloud Sect’s vassal Foundation Establishment Influences in a short amount of time.

This would give the Celestial Cloud Sect time to send reinforcements.

"Let’s give it a try. We’ll start with the vassal Foundation Establishment Influence farthest from the Celestial Cloud Sect’s headquarters."

"I also think we need to try."

"The situation really can’t go on like this."

"Our vassal Foundation Establishment Influences have been all but wiped out by that mysterious Spirit Refiner. If we move against their vassal influences, the Celestial Cloud Sect’s Core Formation experts won’t have a corresponding strategy to counter us," one of the Celestial Demon Sect’s higher-ups said, deceiving himself a little.

The Celestial Cloud Sect’s Core Formation experts might not come to their territory, but the mysterious Spirit Refiner could.

Faced with the current situation, the Celestial Demon Sect’s leadership passed the proposal with relative ease.

The dissenting voices were hesitant, lacking any real force.

"It’s settled then. Who is willing to take action?" Lu Yaoling’s gaze swept over the other high-ranking members of the sect, deliberately avoiding Cao Yuchen.

He knew that anyone might volunteer, but Cao Yuchen would not.

The one who replied was Supreme Elder Qi Chuqiao.

"I will take action."

Among all the higher-ups in the Celestial Demon Sect, his strength was the weakest, aside from the Celestial Demon Sect Leader.

In the last great battle, he had attacked one of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s vassal Foundation Establishment Influences with the goal of luring away their stronger Core Formation experts.

The initial plan had gone smoothly.

But what followed did not go as he had expected. The Celestial Cloud Sect’s Sword Cultivator, Core Formation Supreme Elder Miao Qinghong, had charged directly to the Celestial Demon Sect’s headquarters.

"Then we’ll entrust this matter to Elder Qi. Choose a suitable time to act, and the chances of eliminating a Celestial Cloud Sect vassal Foundation Establishment Influence will be greater."

...

「Celestial Cloud Sect Headquarters.」

Atop a one-mu, Second Tier, Upper Grade Spirit Field.

Fang Yun was tending to the Second Tier, Upper Grade Spirit Medicine, the Purple Ji Flower.

The Purple Ji Flower is one of the primary Spirit Medicines for Refining the Purple Essence Pill.

When he finished harvesting the Second Tier, Lower Grade Spirit Medicine—the Three-Core Spirit Flower—he skipped over Middle Grade Spirit Medicines and began directly tending to Upper Grade ones.

In this one-mu Spirit Field, there wasn’t just the Purple Ji Flower, but also the primary Spirit Medicines for Refining the Foundation Establishment Pill: the Blood Dew Flower, the Three Spirits Fruit, and the Mingqing Xuan.

Within the entire Celestial Cloud Sect, there were over ten mu of Second Tier, Middle Grade Spirit Fields, but less than ten mu of Second Tier, Upper Grade Spirit Fields.

Currently, only six and a half mu had been developed.

Before he had started tending to Second Tier, Upper Grade Spirit Medicines, only five and a half mu had been developed.

In addition to this one-mu, Second Tier, Upper Grade Spirit Field, he was also tending to the breeding-stage Three-Core Spirit Flowers, which had mutated to grow faster, as well as the newly mutated Four-Core Spirit Flower.