Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

"Venerable Lu, the spirit stone vein has been handed over to you. Now, I shall take my leave." Chen An did not wish to linger there a second longer.

After Lu Changsheng nodded, Chen An's figure turned into a streak of light and vanished into the horizon.

"The spirit stone vein..." Lu Changsheng went straight into it.

His thoughts stirred, and his Mind Space at once gathered all the mined spirit stones together. He gave them a quick look.

Eighty thousand spirit stones. They probably didn't have the time to hand these over to the Myriad Sword Manor yet.

A trace of delight crossed his face as he stowed the eighty thousand spirit stones into his spatial treasure.

A single drop of Heavenly Spirit Water cost ten thousand spirit stones. Even with Lu Changsheng on good terms with the Li Clan, the price could not be lowered by all that much; for a long-term partnership, ninety percent was about right.

Eighty thousand spirit stones came to nine drops of Heavenly Spirit Water, which in theory was already enough to give rise to nine Divine Ability martial artists. Yet for Lu Changsheng, this was nowhere near enough.

Lu Changsheng took out the records of the spirit stone vein, which held many detailed accounts: how many spirit stones it yielded, the quality of the vein, and so on.

He read through them carefully, spending as much as two hours. When he was done and set the records down, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. According to the records of the Myriad Sword Manor, this vein was indeed of fair quality, but in terms of size, it was actually quite small.

Apparently, this vein can yield fifty thousand spirit stones a month, six hundred thousand a year. They transported the take to the Myriad Sword Manor roughly once every three months, and these eighty thousand were less than three months' worth, so they didn't have time to deliver them.

Six hundred thousand a year, but spirit-gathering formations must be set up to nourish the vein with spirit energy, so that new spirit stones form and mining can be sustained. Otherwise, mine too many and the vein will soon be stripped bare. To set up a large number of spirit-gathering formations, the spirit stones consumed just to maintain them come to at least two hundred thousand a year. And the formations require Golden Core True Ones to maintain them, which costs at least another hundred thousand a year.

By this calculation, the vein actually nets three hundred thousand spirit stones a year. Even so, it can be sustained for at most a thousand years or so. The vein will surely be exhausted in a thousand years, and so a new one will have to be found. Mining it over a thousand years, after deducting consumption and upkeep, would earn upward of three hundred million spirit stones in total...

Three hundred million spirit stones was a staggering figure, but stretched over a thousand years, it actually amounted to little, just three hundred thousand a year.

If one mined the spirit stones regardless of cost, several million could be drawn out each year, but in a few years, the vein would be stripped bare, and then there would be no steady stream of spirit stones at all. Ultimately, the greatest benefit of a spirit stone vein was its steadiness.

Three hundred thousand spirit stones earned reliably each year is actually quite good, and this is only a small spirit stone vein. Were it medium, or large, or super-large, the spirit stones gained each year would likely be an enormous number. But to rely on this vein to gather enough spirit stones in any short span, enough to buy Heavenly Spirit Water and let my remaining two divine abilities transform, is somewhat unrealistic. This vein can only serve as the foundation of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect...

Lu Changsheng's mind wandered in many directions.

His Mental Black Hole alone had taken a hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water. For the Five Elements Decomposition and the Four Symbols Prison to transform into immeasurable divine abilities, the Heavenly Spirit Water required would surely be no less, and more likely more.

This small spirit stone vein would never suffice. Still, that was a matter for later. First, he had to establish the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, then send its disciples here to take control of the vein and develop it slowly.

Having decided on the next step, Lu Changsheng departed.

Establishing the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect was no easy matter; first came the site of the sect, which was crucial.

Many sects had their headquarters built outside the city, for the land beyond the Heavenly Sacred City was far larger. Within the city, crowded and chaotic as it was, finding a great expanse of land to build a sect base was not easy.

However, there seemed to be no suitable spot outside the city either.

It can't be too far from the Heavenly Sacred City. Too far, and I'd be cut off from much of the city's news. But if I'm too close, I might as well build the base inside the Heavenly Sacred City itself. The ideal distance would be a hundred li.

Within that hundred-li range, Lu Changsheng searched all about, but found no especially suitable place to build the base. It did not matter, though. If there was no suitable place, he would simply create one.

Lu Changsheng was already a Martial Venerable. Things like moving the mountains and filling seas, or summoning wind and rain, would be effortless for him.

And so, drawing on his Mind Space, his Principles, and other means, he forcibly reshaped a place fifty li from the Heavenly Sacred City, altering the terrain and moving in mountain peaks, conjuring a sect base out of nothing.

Then, he invited Golden Core True Ones to lay out formations and raise the base. And just like that, after twenty days, the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect had a base.

A fair number of Divine Ability martial artists had already proven willing to become Supreme Elders of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect. However, Lu Changsheng was still waiting, for there were around twelve days left until the one-month period was up. He wanted to see whether any Golden Core True One would be willing to become a Supreme Elder of the sect.

Indeed, Lu Changsheng had already made up his mind. Should a Golden Core True One join, he could even create a separate Immortal Dao lineage. That way, the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect would cultivate both the immortal and martial paths.

Finally, the one-month period was up. Within the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, Lu Changsheng looked down at the figures below.

During that month, thirteen Divine Ability martial artists had decided to join the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect and become its Supreme Elders. The number itself was not great by any means, but it was within Lu Changsheng's expectations.

"You are all Supreme Elders of my Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, just like me. However, Supreme Elders alone are not enough. We also need disciples, ordinary Elders, and more martial artists. But there's no time to recruit disciples. As such, I will return to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect and bring back some people to fill out the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect. What do you all think?" Lu Changsheng said to the thirteen Divine Ability martial artists.

Despite his hopes, no Golden Core True Ones had joined the sect in that one-month period.

"Return to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect?"

The thirteen Divine Ability martial artists, now Supreme Elders of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, could not help but feel a stir in their hearts. Still, they were not all that surprised. During this time, Lu Changsheng had already informed them of the relationship between the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect and the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect.

Evidently, the two were connected, but not in a relationship of subordination, much like that between the Northern Region Heavenly Sect and the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. The two had sprung from the same source and shared the same orthodoxy, yet neither ruled over the other. The Northern Region Heavenly Sect, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, and the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, ultimately shared the same origin.

"Venerable Lu, we too are now Supreme Elders of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, of the same origin as the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. Since you want to return there, do you mind taking us along to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect as well?"

"Indeed, we would like to see for ourselves what sort of place could give rise to a figure like Venerable Lu."

"Would that be possible, Venerable Lu?"

These Supreme Elders all knew that Lu Changsheng did not really have a temper. One could plainly tell him what was on their mind, and he would not take offense.

These individuals were now Supreme Elders of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, already bound to rise and fall together with it. Naturally, Lu Changsheng would not keep the affairs of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect from them.

Lu Changsheng stroked his chin for a few moments, then said, "Sure, no problem. But the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect has only just been founded and cannot be left without anyone to anchor it. Here's what we'll do. Three Supreme Elders shall remain to hold the fort, and the other ten shall return with me to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. How does that sound?"

The thirteen elders discussed it for a while, and in the end, three of them agreed to stay behind and anchor the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.

"Good. Three days from now, the ten Elders will set out with me for the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect."