Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 288 Fourth-Order Fire Fiend Sword and Qianyang True Fire Enhancement
The Heavenly Works Bureau, Council Hall.

Zhou Ling sat in the main seat, while Lu Yunxi sat to the side.

Deacons such as Zheng Zhizheng, Luo Zhishi, and He Shen sat on either side according to their rank.

All six deputy chiefs and six third-tier top-grade magicians were present.

"Zhizheng, the main families supported by the Heavenly Crafts Bureau this year are the Ye family, the Jin family, and the Hua family."

"All three families are Nascent Soul families."

"Currently, the Ye family and the Jin family are expanding their territory, and they need a lot of resources every month."

"The Ye family receives fifty second-tier Crimson Fire Thunders, three hundred Fire Dragon Arrows, and thirty bottles each of Qi-Harmony Pills and Yuan-Enhancing Pills every month."

"As for the Jin family, each month they receive thirty second-tier Crimson Fire Thunders, one hundred runes of various kinds, and thirty bottles each of Qi-Harmony Pills and Vitality-Enhancing Pills."

"These are the Heavenly Crafts Bureau's voluntary support. Once they successfully expand the realm, the Dao Alliance will join in the subsequent management of that realm."

"In addition, the Heavenly Crafts Bureau also sent a certain number of technicians to support their territorial expansion."

"This month, the Jin family needs a Fire Fiend Sword that can suppress Yin Fiend Qi, and it must be at least at the fourth rank."

"The original fourth-tier treasures were mainly crafted by Qin Zhizheng."

Lu Yunxi reported to Zhou Ling on the main affairs of the Tiangong Division this month.

Lu Yunxi had already privately informed Zhou Ling of the general situation.

This gave Zhou Ling peace of mind.

After all, this was Zhou Ling's first meeting since taking office, and it was of great importance.

Now that he's in his position, it's no longer possible to simply complete the tasks assigned by the Heavenly Crafts Bureau and find a place to rest easy, as he used to.

All the stewards of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau are watching to see what abilities he possesses.
Is it convincing?

"A fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword, who can forge it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's gaze swept over the two deacons sitting on the right, the second and third seats.

One of the two was Yu Tao, a fourth-rank deputy official, and the other was a thin, elderly man.

The other one is He Shen.

Although He Shen was a top-tier third-level weapon refiner, he had also successfully forged a fourth-level treasure sword.

"Reply: Although I am a weapon refiner, I am not a swordsmith and cannot forge a fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword!"

Yu Tao cupped his hands to Zhou Ling, looking apologetic.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling nodded. Swordsmiths are only a small part of weapon refiners.

Immediately, his gaze fell upon He Shen.

He still vividly remembers the time He Shen forged the Thunderclap Sword.

"Receipt correct. A fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword requires fourth-grade spiritual flame to forge the Fire Fiend. My spiritual flame is only third-grade, still some distance from fourth-grade, so I cannot forge it!"

He Shen cupped his hands in reply.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling frowned.

On his first day in office, the new official encountered this kind of thing.

The other ten technicians also remained calm.

They weren't swordsmiths, so this matter naturally had nothing to do with them.

Many people wore ambiguous smiles on their faces, wondering how Zhou Ling would handle the situation.

The Jin family is a long-established Nascent Soul family in Qingyun Immortal City and has always been supported by the Heavenly Crafts Bureau.

Such a crucial sword should naturally be provided to them with all our might.

"How many days of access are left for the Jin family's resources?"

Zhou Ling hesitated for a moment before asking.

Within the Heavenly Crafting Bureau, the forging of fourth-tier magical artifacts is relatively rare.

In the past, if there were any such cases, Qin Zhizheng would personally take action.

Now that the Jin family has proposed to forge a fourth-tier Fire Fiend Sword, it will most likely be of great use in this war to expand the boundaries.

"I've confirmed this with several stewards in the administration office; the goods need to be delivered by the end of the month."

"As for the Fire Fiend Sword, the sooner the better."

"According to the information provided by the Jin family, this Fire Fiend Sword is very useful for suppressing Yin Fiend Qi."

"I have prepared all the materials needed for the refining!"

"If we can refine it as soon as possible, it might help them take over this realm faster!"

Lu Yunxi said this.

Zhou Ling's eyes flickered. There were seven other third-tier weapon refiners in the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, but He Shen was unable to refine any of them.

Needless to say, the others are even more obvious.

Qin Zhizheng had already gone to Golden Light Immortal City, making it even less likely that he would help him forge the Fire Fiend Sword.

In this situation, perhaps the only option is to try it yourself.

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

The Qianyang True Fire is now a fourth-order spiritual flame, and the Golden Soul Flame refined within it greatly aids in weapon crafting.

In addition, there are talents such as [Six-Turn Transformation] to assist.

There is still some chance, more or less.

Otherwise, there's no other way but to try anything as a last resort.

If we can't forge it, we'll discuss with the Jin family head whether there are any other methods besides the Fire Fiend Sword.

"I'll forge the Fire Fiend Sword myself. Now you can continue with the other matters!"

Zhou Ling said decisively.

"You refined it yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunxi was slightly startled.

Although Zhou Ling was able to forge a top-grade third-tier sword, the fourth tier was a significant hurdle.

How could it be so easy to refine?

Of course, she also knew that Zhou Ling, as a newly appointed official, was eager to establish his authority and prestige.

There is absolutely no need to forge this Fire Fiend Sword.

After all, the difficulty is there; even Yu Tao and He Shen from the Weapon Hall couldn't refine it. If he didn't accept the task, no one would say anything.

However, if it fails to be successfully refined, the effect will be counterproductive.

He was secretly annoyed that he hadn't reminded Zhou Ling about this matter before the meeting.

Everyone else looked surprised when they heard Zhou Ling's words.

They already found it hard to believe that Zhou Ling, with his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, could forge a top-grade third-tier sword.

After all, most of the people present who watched the competition that day could see that forging a third-grade top-quality Five Elements Sword was almost Zhou Ling's limit.

It's only been a few days, and they're already forging a fourth-tier sword?
Isn't that a bit too presumptuous?
Of course, everyone has noticed it.

Zhou Ling is eager to establish his prestige.

However, the timing of this decision seems clearly inappropriate.

But considering his age and his impetuousness, it seems normal that he didn't think much about the consequences.

However, a look of appreciation flashed in the eyes of Steward Zheng and Steward Luo.

In their view, Zhou Ling is now at the prime of his life and should forge ahead bravely.

Being timid and hesitant, or indecisive, will only affect one's resolve and prevent one from achieving much in the future!
"Deacon Lu, prepare the materials and the Fire Fiend Sword Seal for me later!"

Zhou Ling continued.

Now that things have come to this, Lu Yunxi couldn't say anything and simply nodded in agreement.

"The situation regarding these two companies expanding their territories is not yet clear."

"Therefore, the resources invested in the next period of time will not be small."

Lu Yunxi continued to introduce the situation to Zhou Ling and the others.

"It won't be so easy for the Jin and Ye families to take over a fourth-tier realm on their own!"

Looking at the documents, Zhou Ling frowned slightly and said in a deep voice.

These three families are quite powerful.

But how could a fourth-order realm be conquered so easily?

Like the Song family, he also discovered a fourth-order realm, and he even joined forces with two other major Nascent Soul families.

In addition, they also asked the Zhou family to ensure their supply of precious artifacts.

While the Jin and Ye families are stronger than the Song family, it is not an easy task for them to take over a fourth-order realm on their own.

"Zhizheng, in this regard, Qingyun Immortal City will also invest a certain number of cultivators, and the Jin family and Ye family will also recruit some independent cultivators," Lu Yunxi explained to Zhou Ling.

"I see."

Hearing this, Zhou Ling nodded.

With the support of Qingyun Immortal City, things are naturally different.

If we are to develop the Ancient Cloud Realm next, should we follow the model of the Jin family, the Ye family, or the Song family?

Zhou Ling had a sudden thought: the Zhou family is developing rapidly in all aspects these days.

To reach a new level, one must undoubtedly possess one's own domain.

Ancient Cloud Realm is the best choice.

Therefore, preparations must be made for the development of the Ancient Cloud Realm.

With the resources of the Ancient Cloud Realm, not only will the Zhou family be able to make further progress, but establishing the Lingxia Sect in the future will also be much easier.

Lu Yunxi continued to report other matters to Zhou Ling.

Originally, it mainly concerned the monthly tasks of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, including the personnel and task allocation of each branch.

There are also the internal and external operations of the Tiangong Division.

The next matter concerns the business model of the Tiangong Company.

The Heavenly Crafts Bureau of Qingyun Immortal City has two main sources of funding.

One came from the Dao Alliance, and the other came from the territory pioneered by Qingyun Immortal City.

The Heavenly Crafts Bureau can also benefit from the territories pioneered by families like the Jin and Ye.

The Dao Alliance mainly focuses on offerings, cultivation techniques, and high-level elixirs.

In terms of boundaries, the focus is on materials.

This cycle of two aspects sustains the growth and expansion of Tiangong Company.

Currently, the Heavenly Crafts Bureau owns three properties in Qingyun Immortal City, totaling several tens of acres, most of which are used as residences for the bureau's stewards.

The monthly expenses are 920,000 spirit stones, 30 bottles of third-tier pills, 120 bottles of second-tier pills, and several hundred bottles of first-tier pills.

It also owns six mines, which it currently mines in cooperation with families such as the Jin and Ye families.

There are many other things as well.

Recruiting and training reserve talents, etc.

Information about the various branches of the church, etc.

Each branch leader briefly introduced their respective situation to Zhou Ling.

They also explained the upcoming plans.

Although Zhou Ling had no interest in it, as the current head of the administration, he naturally had to remember it.

Qin Zhizheng has been serving as the head of this office for over ten years, and things have been going smoothly in all aspects.

Zhou Ling wouldn't be idle and try to make a big splash as a new official.

After everyone finished reporting, he said a few words briefly, and then everything continued as usual.

Let Lu Yunxi handle the specifics.

After the meeting, he went to the administration office to collect the materials for forging the Fire Fiend Sword.

To his surprise, his current rank is high enough to receive fourth-tier treasures.

Furthermore, there are two fourth-tier fire seed crystals in the Heavenly Crafts Bureau's warehouse.

Zhou Ling directly included them in the list of materials for forging the Fire Fiend Sword.

The main materials used this time are fourth-order Li Huo Jin Shi (fire-repelling metal stone), Huo Sha Yuan Shi (fire-evil ore), and Geng Jin (metal).

In addition to the ingredients, which are two points for each item, some supplementary materials will also be provided.

In addition, there are two bottles each of the third-tier Spirit Essence Pill and Soul Essence Pill, totaling eight pills. These pills help the weapon refiner's soul and mana recover quickly.

This was the first time Zhou Ling had experienced the benefits of upholding justice!
The treatment here is far worse than what even the Sky Guard used to receive!
In addition, there are also refining rooms specially set up within the Heavenly Crafts Bureau for high-level weapon refiners.

It contains fourth-order earth fire, and the concentration of spiritual energy is also fourth-order.

However, Zhou Ling possessed the Qianyang True Fire, so he naturally did not need to rely on the Earth Fire.

After receiving the materials, he left the Tiangong Division.

As for any major events at the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, Lu Yunxi would naturally inform him.

Lu Yunxi also handles routine matters well.

In order to forge the Fire Fiend Sword as soon as possible, Zhou Ling returned home and told his mother and the others that he would be going into seclusion.

There were only two sets of materials, so he needed to ensure a high success rate.

The best way to do this is undoubtedly to first conduct a trial using the [Illusionary Realm Simulation].

Once you reach a certain level of proficiency, then actually refining it will be enough to ensure a high success rate.

Of course, this kind of [illusionary simulation] consumes a great deal of spiritual energy.

Fortunately, we have four Tier 3 Soul Essence Pills, enough to simulate it four times.

Based on the results of four simulations, it should be sufficient to perfectly deduce the method of forging this Fire Fiend Sword.

However, before that, the Qianyang True Fire must first absorb and refine these two fire seed crystals.

After all, they contain immense fire power; if absorbed entirely, the Qianyang True Fire will surely advance further.

The Qianyang True Fire has now reached the peak of the early stage of the fourth rank, and is not far from the middle stage of the fourth rank.

After sitting cross-legged in the meditation room, Zhou Ling first calmed his mind.

Then, the dark, glowing fire crystal was taken out.

He ignited the True Yang Fire and began to refine and absorb it.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the Qianyang True Fire enveloped the two fire seed crystals.

[Your Qianyang True Fire is absorbing the Fire Seed Crystal. Five Elements Thunder Qi +1, Qianyang True Fire +3]

With the power of the Qianyang True Fire, plus the assistance of his talent.

The fire crystal, which would normally take at least several days to refine and absorb, was completely absorbed by the Qianyang True Fire in less than half a day.

"The True Fire of Qianyang has reached the mid-stage of the fourth rank!"

Looking at the cyan-gold flames dancing in his palm and feeling the significant increase in his internal magical power, Zhou Ling was overjoyed.

Because the Qianyang True Fire is his natal spirit flame, and he also cultivates the Six Revolutions Spirit Flame Technique.

Therefore, as the Qianyang True Fire advanced, his cultivation level also improved significantly, and he directly entered the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.

He felt that even if he secluded himself for half a year, he might not be able to achieve this effect.

Unfortunately, there were only two Fire Seed Crystals.

With a few more pieces, I might be able to reach the ninth level of Foundation Establishment directly.

Of course, absorbing the Fire Seed Crystal does not mean that one's cultivation level will be improved.

However, this is under the condition of possessing one's natal spirit flame and cultivating the Six Revolutions Spirit Flame Technique.

While the spiritual flame can aid cultivation, it is also a secret technique of the Lingxiao Sect.

It's simply impossible for outsiders to obtain it.

"Next, if we can collect fire seeds or crystals, we can also quickly improve our cultivation!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

After all, the other four spiritual flames are now all of the third grade, but they are all at or above the mid-third grade.

Beast Flame and Azure Lotus Spirit Flame are already at the peak of the third rank.

If we can get them into the fourth rank.

That would definitely greatly improve one's cultivation level.

Of course, the probability of finding this spark in Qingyun Immortal City is extremely low.

After all, there are so many cultivators in Qingyun Immortal City, even if there were any, they would have already been snatched up by others.

Therefore, they can only be found in other realms!

"According to Master, there must be other spirit flames existing in the Ancient Cloud Realm!"

"Next, we need to send the Blackwater Sect to search for them!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

Within the territory of the Blackwater Sect alone, he found Earth Spirit Earth Fire and Black Fire Spirit Flame.

There should be other places where the Fire Seed Spirit Flame exists.

(End of this chapter)