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*****
After satisfying his curiosity, Ye Ruichen did not immediately press Su Wen for details about his Consolidating Equipment Set. Instead, he began to provide Su Wen with an overview of the current state of the Consolidating Equipment world.
"As far as I know, there are only four God-tier Masters in this era. Three are here in our Consolidating Equipment Pavilion, and the fourth is at the Snow Spirit Mountain. While the other three Great Holy Lands can produce God-tier scrolls, they rely on groups of Zongshi-grade Masters working together through clever division of labor. Even then, they cannot create a complete set of scrolls; they can only ensure they can self-produce individual God-tier scrolls in the event that the Heaven's Expanse Palace and Snow Spirit Mountain turn against them simultaneously. There is no true guarantee of quality."
The reality was that when the other three Holy Lands truly needed God-tier Consolidating Equipment scrolls, they would still travel to Heavenly Jewel Island to seek out the three Great Masters here.
Within those Holy Lands, they would train groups of three or five Masters to specialize in cooperative crafting techniques from the very beginning of their training. This allowed them to attempt God-tier scrolls collectively once they reached the Zongshi (Grandmaster) grade.
Unfortunately, even when they succeeded, they could usually only produce a single copy.
A Consolidating Equipment Set cannot be completed with just one scroll; even a God-tier scroll does not guarantee success on the first attempt. For equipment of this caliber, the skill of the Master is only half the battle—the physical and mental conditions of the Heavenly Jewel Master themselves become a critical variable.
At the Dashi (Master) grade, a scroll guarantees one success in a hundred attempts. Following the ten-fold probability increase for each rank below that, a Zongshi-grade scroll should theoretically succeed once in ten tries, and a God-tier scroll should succeed on the first attempt.
Regrettably, at the Zongshi level and above, the requirements for the Jewel Master skyrocket. In practice, the "one-in-ten" threshold is rarely met. As for God-tier scrolls, a one-shot success is virtually impossible. Even if all conditions are met, it might take five or six attempts to find success.
Generally, for a complete God-tier set, at least ten copies of each scroll are crafted to be safe. Since the other Holy Lands could only produce one or two, their chances were slim at best.
While the Heaven's Expanse Palace and Snow Spirit Mountain were rivals, the other three Holy Lands didn't maintain these specialized teams just to spite them. It was more about seeking a breakthrough. If three people collaborated to create a God-tier scroll, the shared experience might increase their individual chances of ascending to the God-tier themselves.
So far, however, there had been no successful cases of a Master ascending via that route—at least none that Ye Ruichen had ever heard of.
"God-tier Masters are rare, which is why Legendary Sets are so precious. It isn't just the difficulty of crafting the scrolls; the design phase is even more grueling. We Masters often stagnate by being too protective of our own secrets; progress requires exchange. The Boundless Infinity Set of our Heaven's Expanse Palace is superior to the God-Descended Spirit Set of the Snow Spirit Mountain precisely because it was designed and refined by multiple God-tier Masters working together."
Ye Ruichen looked at Su Wen with a smile.
"Therefore, the more God-tier Masters we have, the more we welcome them. You have the talent, and you have already surpassed the greatest hurdle—cultivation. You don't need to worry about having enough power to forge. The three of us truly hope you can achieve greatness as a Consolidating Equipment Master as soon as possible."
Indeed, having another God-tier Master—especially a friendly one—was beneficial to them all. By exchanging insights, they might even find the path to go further. On the current continent, the top-tier sets consisted of only eleven pieces, yet the strongest powerhouses possessed twelve pairs of Heavenly Jewels. Clearly, the art of Consolidating Equipment had not yet reached its true peak.
Su Wen nodded. "I am grateful for your guidance."
He was surprised by Ye Ruichen's openness, but upon reflection, it made sense. Masters who grew up in the environment of Heavenly Jewel Island likely shared this mindset. As long as they weren't enemies, they didn't mind having another peer at their level.
"It's no trouble. We three old fogies have crafted the Boundless Infinity Set and witnessed the splendor of the eleven-piece Legendary Sets. Naturally, we hope to one day see a stronger Legendary Set come into the world. If you can become a God-tier Master, perhaps our joint discussions could at least produce a prototype for something greater."
Ye Ruichen said this jokingly. In his eyes, even if Su Wen reached the God-tier, the four of them would likely only be able to collaborate on a new eleven-piece set to consolidate their skills.
Su Wen, however, was secretly considering the possibility. A twelve-piece set was a height that no Master on the continent had yet conquered. Rumors suggested that a twelve-piece set belonged to an entirely different tier—the Legendary Grade—and the requirements were simply too high. Even for a Heavenly Emperor, a twelve-piece set was thought to be nearly impossible to forge.
Su Wen wondered where the true bottleneck lay, but since his knowledge was still limited, he focused on the basics.
Though they called it "discussing the set," they were actually teaching Su Wen the skills of a Consolidating Equipment Master.
Su Wen already possessed numerous secondary professions, and his level as a Soul Tool Engineer in his home world was already quite high. His progress in learning these new skills was blindingly fast, shocking Ye Ruichen. He improved by leaps and bounds every single day.
Armed with the knowledge of another world, Su Wen frequently proposed concepts and designs that left the three Masters in awe. Ye Ruichen and his peers became increasingly delighted, pouring their hearts into guiding him.
After about half a month, the other two God-tier Masters finally finished their own projects and joined the exchange. Su Wen's soul-tool formations were a revelation to them, while their explanations of high-level consolidation techniques helped Su Wen rapidly bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Three months passed in a flash.
Su Wen's expression was solemn as he used his Heavenly Power to melt rare materials, crafting a Consolidating Equipment scroll. Time ticked by, and the strain became evident on Su Wen's face, but he soon let out a long breath of relief.
Before him, a Consolidating Equipment scroll emitted a brilliant, steady light.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe someone could go from a total novice to a Zongshi-grade Master in just three months," Ye Ruichen marveled.
In those three months, Su Wen had not only become a Master but had reached the Zongshi (Grandmaster) level in the quality of his scrolls. The three God-tier Masters looked at him with nothing but admiration.
"I must thank the three of you for your unreserved teaching," Su Wen said.
Ye Ruichen waved his hand. "Your talent is the most important factor. And even though you are re-cultivating, you can still mobilize power at the Heavenly Emperor level. That is the true key."
Talent combined with unrestricted Heavenly Power was the secret behind Su Wen's meteoric rise. The three God-tier Masters were only at the Heavenly King level, while Su Wen wielded the power of a Heavenly Emperor! (Though Su Wen knew he wasn't technically a Heavenly Emperor, his power level had reached that threshold.)
"In one month, the Heavenly Jewel Tournament will begin. It is a grand event where all the academies of the continent gather. The Palace Master intends to help you promote the Academy then. You should use this month to prepare."
"Understood," Su Wen replied.
(End of Chapter)