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*****
In the smaller nations, Consolidation Masters were virtually non-existent. Consequently, Heavenly Jewel Masters from these regions often had to travel to the cities of neighboring major powers to seek out masters and purchase Consolidation Scrolls.
This did not mean that Consolidation Masters looked down upon smaller nations. Rather, the Heavenly Jewel Masters of these minor countries simply couldn't afford the long-term patronage required to sustain a resident Consolidation Master, so the masters naturally gravitated toward the larger empires. However, this didn't imply that a small nation's government was entirely incapable of paying for a specific commission.
Di Fengling, the Emperor of the Heavenly Bow Empire, was a monarch with his own set of methods. Utilizing the connection through Zhou Weiqing, he successfully persuaded Huyan Aobo to stay and help craft ten sets of Consolidation Scrolls. One could say the Heavenly Bow Empire had gained immensely from this arrangement.
Huyan Aobo didn't feel shortchanged either. He planned to remain in Heavenly Bow City for a time, and fulfilling Di Fengling's request allowed him to work while teaching Zhou Weiqing the intricacies of the craft.
"Senior, are you certain you won't allow Little Fat to accompany us to the Vast Expanse Palace?" Tang Xian attempted to persuade Su Wen once more.
While Zhou Weiqing had been healed by Su Wen and had gained the fortune of the Dark Demon God Bead and the Immortal Deity Technique, she felt it was a waste for him to linger in the Heavenly Bow Empire. Furthermore, Zhou Weiqing's first Physical Jewel had condensed into an Overlord Bow. Although it allowed for the embedding of Elemental Jewels and was of high quality, in Tang Xian's eyes, it was "low-grade"—completely unworthy of Zhou Weiqing's innate talent.
Of course, these things could be refined and improved later. She didn't dare blame Su Wen, but she couldn't help but feel that time was being squandered.
"With his talent, a God-tier Consolidation Set is the only thing truly suitable for him," Su Wen replied calmly.
Tang Xian nodded, finding no fault in that logic.
"But how many God-tier Consolidation Sets even exist in the world today? Aside from the heritage sets of the Five Great Saint Lands, how many others are there?"
Su Wen's question left Tang Xian silent. It was true. Beyond the core heritages of the Saint Lands, how many complete sets of ten or more pieces even existed? Of those, how many had their blueprints preserved? And of those preserved, how many remained complete?
The answer was: vanishingly few. Or perhaps, none at all.
"If Zhou Weiqing wants a set consisting of ten or even eleven pieces, he only has two paths," Su Wen continued. "Either he travels across the entire continent gathering pieces by pure luck, or he becomes a God-tier Consolidation Master himself and designs the set that fits him perfectly."
Tang Xian remained quiet, unable to refute him, even though she knew the probability was astronomical. Having talent was one thing, but reaching the level of a Heavenly King or Heavenly Emperor—let alone becoming a God-tier Consolidation Master—was a different matter entirely.
"In either scenario, joining the Vast Expanse Palace is not the optimal choice."
Once branded with the mark of the Vast Expanse Palace, Zhou Weiqing would be tied to a single power. It would be difficult for him to move freely between factions and encounter the unique opportunities intended for him.
Su Wen didn't know if destiny would follow its original track, but he had decided that after this departure, he would interfere with Zhou Weiqing's cultivation as little as possible.
Seeing she couldn't convince Su Wen, Tang Xian stopped insisting. If Su Wen believed Zhou Weiqing had a better future in Heavenly Bow City, she would wait and see. Regardless, she had already compiled a guide for Zhou Weiqing, detailing common pitfalls in cultivation that arose from a lack of perspective—covering everything from the number of Consolidation pieces to the synergy of Elemental Jewel skills.
"So, you are Bing'er?"
Su Wen looked at Shangguan Bing'er. Though she hadn't fully matured yet, she was already a burgeoning beauty.
"Yes. Hello, Senior," Shangguan Bing'er replied politely.
She was well-mannered, having been raised by her mother in the Heavenly Bow Empire for as long as she could remember. She knew little of her true origins, possessing the typical worldview of any normal child of the empire. However, Tang Xian had recently begun to reveal some basic information to her.
Shangguan Bing'er harbored no resentment toward her mother for taking her away from a life of a princess in the Vast Expanse Palace to "suffer" in the Heavenly Bow Empire. Having lived a life dependent on each other, she stood firmly by her mother's side; if anything, she blamed her father for failing them.
"I see... your Heavenly Energy has already reached the fourth level?" Su Wen asked, surprised.
Shangguan Bing'er's cultivation followed the orthodox path of Heavenly Energy. While this progress might not be considered legendary in a major empire, it was impressive given the environment of the Heavenly Bow Empire—especially since Tang Xian hadn't exposed her identity or provided high-level resources.
"Yes."
Unlike Zhou Weiqing's method of forcibly breaking through Death Acupuncture Points, orthodox cultivation required one to reach the fourth level of Heavenly Jing Energy before the Heavenly Jewels could awaken. Physical and Elemental Jewels usually awakened at the third level, but the combined Heavenly Jewels required that extra step.
Currently, Shangguan Bing'er was at the peak of the third level. She was a Heavenly Jewel Master, just one step away from the breakthrough that would awaken her jewels. Since she hadn't yet undergone Skill Storing or Consolidation in the Heavenly Bow Empire, the Vast Expanse Palace wouldn't need to "wash" away low-level skills to restart her progress.
In a way, Su Wen's appearance was a stroke of luck for her. However, he wondered if separating her from Zhou Weiqing this early was truly a good thing. Recalling the original plot, Su Wen felt it might not be bad. After all, in the original story, by the time Zhou Weiqing became a god, his wives had all passed away from old age.
The Boundless Mainland, home to the Five Great Saint Lands.
Each Saint Land controlled a major empire. The Vast Expanse Palace was situated within the Zhongtian Empire, at the very heart of the continent.
Su Wen used his flying carriage to carry Tang Xian and her daughter. Even at full speed, the journey across the vast distance took time. During the flight, Su Wen began to explore the cultivation of Heavenly Energy.
His own Heavenly Energy was incredibly weak, which confused Tang Xian. She couldn't understand how someone with such terrifyingly powerful mental energy could possess such meager Heavenly Energy. It defied all logic.
The more time she spent with him, the more "outrageous" Su Wen seemed.
He is actually re-cultivating!
After ruling out all other impossibilities, Tang Xian arrived at this conclusion. Of course, the idea that he could retain such immense mental power while starting his energy cultivation from scratch was... somewhat acceptable.
Tang Xian was deeply shocked by the notion that Su Wen could preserve his mental cultivation in this manner. On the Boundless Mainland, there was no independent system for mental power; "Spirit" was treated merely as an attribute of Heavenly Energy.
Given Su Wen's current state, Tang Xian assumed he had isolated his spiritual attribute, anchoring his entire cultivation within his soul while discarding his old Heavenly Energy to begin anew.
(End of Chapter)