Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1617 - 855: Mission

For quite some time, the locations of various resource sites valuable to great cultivators have been gradually revealed.

Previously, major factions avoided open conflict to maintain stability, adhering to a strict set of principles for dividing these resource points. However, the balance was shattered the moment Li Shiming began accepting alchemy commissions publicly.

Now, whenever a resource point nears maturity, crowds of great cultivators descend upon it to seize the spoils.

While no one dares to destroy a source—doing so would make them a common enemy to all forces—plundering the mature resources has become standard practice.

Thirty years ago, such opportunistic raids were conducted in the shadows. Small groups of great cultivators would coordinate, launching surprise strikes the moment the treasures reached maturity.

As the market value of spiritual medicine for great cultivators skyrocketed, the number of participants in these raids surged.

Eventually, even super-factions leveraged their intelligence networks to join this open war of resource seizure.

Every faction settled on a tacit understanding: if you possess the power, you can claim the resources, and as long as theft remains the norm, it won't escalate into a total war. In reality, no faction dared to declare all-out war over stolen resources because almost everyone was guilty of the same conduct.

By thirty years later, the chaos had hit its peak. Even when a super-faction's resource site was identified, it would immediately become a magnet for countless great cultivators.

The current era of cultivation has witnessed the highest activity of great cultivators in a millennium. Those who had been in deep cultivation or gone on journeys were summoned back by their respective Sects to join the frenzy of harvesting.

Li Yuanba reviewed the endless list of tasks, each representing a location nearing maturity that required a great cultivator to join the plunder.

These resource sites were scattered across the known world, not merely confined to the Central State Continent.

No wonder Jian Wuwei once lamented that the Pavilion’s great cultivators lacked combat opportunities; this was clearly why. If the sword cultivators of the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion attempted to defend every single resource point, there would simply never be enough members to cover the vast continents.

Li Yuanba had no desire to leave the Central State Continent; he had too many enemies. Departing would mean sacrificing the backing of the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion, leaving him vulnerable to unknown threats.

He settled on a mission located at an Infinite Sect resource point, knowing full well that even the Infinite Sect could not stop the swarm of great cultivators targeting them.

Shortly after selecting the mission, his Identity Jade Disc received granular details about the site, including a roster of potential rivals who might be present at the harvest.

This was the benefit of working within the Central State Continent; the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion maintained a superior intelligence network here.

With seven days left until maturity, there was no need to rush, allowing for a leisurely pace of travel.

He examined his magical equipment. Since ascending to the rank of great cultivator, the potential of his Lifebound Flying Sword, the Spirit Treasure Xingyi Sword, had grown substantially.

A spirit treasure requires a true master to fully realize its potential, and currently, he could only tap into a fraction of its true power.

The efficacy of the ’Ten Thousand Sword Peak’ had also increased. While the internal flying swords derived from converted energy remained much the same, the most significant boost came from the enhanced gravity field generated by the ’Gravity Gold Brick.’

Now in the Great Cultivator Realm, he could exert greater control over the ’Gravity Gold Brick,’ casting a field strong enough to debilitate early-stage great cultivators and significantly hinder those in the middle stages.

He decided he would continue to evaluate the performance of both spirit treasures in real combat.

After departing from the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion, Li Yuanba utilized the ’Divine Foot Skill.’ Although his internal Spiritual Power Pattern could not sustain the technique indefinitely, it had become a reliable method for his short-distance movement.

Each blink covered eight thousand miles, a velocity that eclipsed the flight speeds typical of other great cultivators, providing him with a necessary safeguard.

In his past state as a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator, the ’Instant Limbo’ maneuver was fast, but the recovery interval between uses was a glaring weakness against elite foes.

That has changed; now, with an eight-thousand-mile range and reserve energy, he could weave in and out of battles with ease.

He produced a mirror and tapped it several times.

This item functioned as a receiver, capable of intercepting signals transmitted by drone satellites.

Decades had passed, and the drone satellite relay orbiting the Central State Continent had been largely ignored; yet, the upgraded satellites were designed to operate for a century. They remained functional.

Since Li Shiming was no longer present on the Central State Continent, the IBMz15 unit sat outside its primary range and could not establish a direct uplink with the satellite network.