To Raphael's slight surprise, the Dao lineages were not entirely under the control of the major powers.
First, each True Jade had a limited number of individuals it could imbue with power. For instance, the Mortal Realm True Jade before Raphael could infuse 3,000 people, while one at the Deification Realm could generally infuse about 100 people.
Once the quota was exhausted, new slots would only appear when the cultivators who had received the infusion perished.
The True Jade had two sources. One source was the secret realms of the major sects, which are the Dao lineages. Qingzhi himself couldn't clearly explain what these sect secret realms actually were, he only knew they formed the very foundation of the great powers.
He had heard that roughly before the Spring and Autumn period (some 3 to 4 000 years ago), these secret realms successively manifested in the world, and the eight great sects had subsequently established themselves.
Throughout the Spring and Autumn period, a steady stream of True Jades were obtained from these secret realms, and the major powers entered an era of growth.
But for reasons unknown, toward the end of the Spring and Autumn period, the appearance of True Jade from the secret realms suddenly diminished...
The other channel depended on fate and opportunity. It was said that since ancient times, every so often, some True Jade would manifest in the world. The first batch of cultivators in this realm used these True Jade stones to comprehend the Great Dao, found the seven secret realms, and established their foundations.
Why seven secret realms? Because the Five Lakes Sword Sect, the last to establish itself, had yet to find its own secret realm.
However, during the Spring and Autumn period, they too suddenly received a large number of True Jade. After undergoing the baptism of the Warring States era, they gradually became one of the Three Great Orthodox Sects.
By the late "Spring and Autumn" era, the situation suddenly changed. Besides the True Jade produced within the secret realms, another portion of True Jade would randomly appear somewhere in the world's twelve provinces. Whoever found them owned them.
This was one of the major catalysts for the chaotic Warring States era. After all, whoever seized a True Jade, regardless of whether it was connected to their own sect's secret realm, could use it to cultivate a batch of disciples and strengthen their faction's power.
Even if one only seized another sect's Deification Realm True Jade, which was useless without the corresponding Mortal Realm True Jade, the acquiring party would certainly never return it. This, after all, represented another sect's future pillar of strength. Of course they wouldn't return it.
Thus, whenever a True Jade manifested in the world, it would trigger conflicts lasting several years, sometimes even over a decade.
Adding to the complexity, after three to four hundred years of use, a True Jade's capacity for power infusion would begin to decline. After five to six hundred years, it would spontaneously crack and break. At such times, if one was fortunate, a new True Jade would generate within their sect's secret realm. If unlucky, the new one would appear somewhere among the world's twelve provinces.
To maintain their strength, the major powers were forced to participate in this chaotic struggle.
The emergence of medium and small powers occurred precisely because individuals accidentally obtained True Jade and quietly developed their own forces.
During the Warring States era, conflicts targeting these medium and small powers were also fierce.
For instance, someone might obtain a True Jade stone connected to the Shadow Cottage Dao lineage and quietly establish their own organization. The Shadow Cottage would naturally wish to eliminate this small organization and reclaim that True Jade.
However, the problem was that other powers like the Celestial Master's Sect and the Buddhist Temple certainly didn't want to see the Shadow Cottage obtain that True Jade. Thus, they would desperately protect this small organization.
Caught in the cracks between the major powers, medium and small forces actually found room to survive...
Qingzhi had also heard that the total number of True Jade was finite. Once the quantity reached its peak, no new True Jade would appear. Only when an existing one shatters and breaks would a new one emerge.
It was said that precisely because the eight great powers recognized this reality, they began negotiations toward the end of the Warring States period. After decades of negotiating while still fighting, they reached a basic consensus.
If the eight great powers acquired a True Jade belonging to another faction, it should be returned to that faction.
As for those forces that had unintentionally obtained True Jade stones, they would be assigned to certain powers according to their lineage or region. This consensus had many detailed provisions, which Qingzhi briefly mentioned without elaborate explanation.
Most True Jade stones were like the one Raphael had seen, capable of imbuing multiple individuals.
Qingzhi also knew of Lesser True Jade that could only serve a dozen or even just a few individuals. Generally, such True Jade could only perform power infusion for the Mortal Realm. In rare cases, however, there appeared ones capable of infusion for both Mortal Realm and Deification Realm.
Those who obtained such Lesser True Jade would typically establish a cultivator family that flourished for several centuries.
The number of such Lesser True Jade was reportedly considerable. They were collectively referred to as unaffiliated/independent cultivators.
One of Qingzhi's duties as branch leader was covertly searching for and seizing these Lesser True Jade stones connected to the Shadow Cottage.
Additionally, there were special cases. Some individuals gained favor from high-level entities originating from the depths of the Cosmos, receiving power infusion without needing the True Jade. However, such cases were rare and followed no discernible pattern...
After listening to Qingzhi's account, Raphael pondered for a while, sensing that a massive secret seemed hidden within. But with too few clues at present, he couldn't even speculate what that secret might be.
Then, their transaction temporarily concluded.
Since Raphael now possessed Sequence 7 level power in this realm and could remain here long-term, Qingzhi could no longer keep the Demon Monarch in a dungeon, so he arranged a secret chamber for him and sent people to guard it carefully.
So, the two of them busied themselves with their own affairs.
Qingzhi hurried off to test the Otherworldly Demon Monarch's provided formula, while Raphael focused on comprehending the Mystic Source True Scripture, the Wolf Fang Technique, and other cultivation methods...
~~~
~Northern Continent, Loen, Backlund~
Raphael awoke from sleep, once again marveling at the marvelous sensation of his current state. He could clearly perceive his other self, comprehending cultivation techniques in a secret chamber of the other world.
Yet this didn't affect him at all in getting up and going to the Mafia headquarters.
While washing up, Raphael looked at himself in the mirror and chuckled, "Hehe~... We don't need to act as a Lunatic anymore, but we've gone even madder."
Arriving unhurriedly at the Mafia headquarters, Raphael enjoyed breakfast while experiencing his other self's insights of the techniques.
"Find me an abandoned factory. I'll need it this afternoon." Raphael instructed Carter After breakfast.
Carter acknowledged and went out with some men.
Raphael was about to light a cigarette when his spiritual intuition stirred. He looked toward the window.
On one of the glass panes, the reflection of a man with a ghastly pale face and a hint of madness in his eyes appeared.
It was Maric...