"Is this the nature of Spatial Law and spatial power?"
After absorbing the Spatial Mastery talent shared by the Void-Aether Fish swarm, a look of profound realization dawned in Qi Ping's eyes.
Qi Ping had attempted to practice spatial power before, but due to a lack of innate talent in that field, his progress had been agonizingly slow. Eventually, he had temporarily set it aside. At that time, he realized that if he continued at such a pace, not only would his combat prowess lag behind his other methods, but the sheer amount of time wasted would be his greatest loss.
The Dao of Space was undeniably powerful, but if one could not reach a level of profound mastery, the benefits it provided were negligible.
"But things are different now!"
With a mere thought, Qi Ping activated the talent derived from Spatial Mastery. The spiritual energy within his body and the laws of heaven and earth responded instantly to his will.
A spatial rift tore open before him, and Qi Ping's figure vanished into the jagged crack in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already an immense distance away from the Qingtian Mountain Range.
"This movement speed is astonishing! Truly, the Dao of Space lives up to its reputation," Qi Ping marveled internally.
He had only just gained this insight, yet he had already reached such a level. Once his attainment and understanding in this field deepened further, his strength would undoubtedly ascend to a new tier.
After testing his Void-Migration, Qi Ping moved on to other abilities.
"Spatial Storm!"
"Spatial Distortion!"
At his command, the space surrounding him shattered instantly, forming a localized storm of razor-sharp spatial blades. Moments later, the entire pocket of space twisted and warped violently.
This display utterly stunned the Small Immortal Tiger and the Small Stone Spirit, who had been following behind him. At this moment, only one thought remained in their minds: 'As expected of the Boss!'
The Void-Aether Fish were equally shocked. Were these not their signature abilities? It was only after the Small Immortal Tiger explained that Qi Ping could comprehend the talents of his animal companions that the fish understood. To the tiger and the stone spirit, this was already a common occurrence, but the fish were left in awe.
This was too incredible!
"But why are the Spatial Storm and Void-Migration performed by the Boss even more powerful than ours? This is too outrageous!" one fish hummed in disbelief.
The other Void-Aether Fish felt the same. They were starting to doubt which of them were actually the spatial creatures here.
However, they did not know that Qi Ping could only achieve this degree of mastery because he was within the Qingtian Domain. If he were to leave this area, achieving such effects would be significantly more difficult.
After testing his spatial powers, Qi Ping chatted with the fish for a while longer before allowing them to build their homeland freely. Returning to the Qingtian Mountain Range, a smile he couldn't suppress surfaced on his face. This was a massive leap forward!
"From today onward, with the help of the Void-Aether Fish, the Dao of Space in the Qingtian Domain will develop at high speed. I no longer have to worry about powerful cultivators coming here and shattering the space or destroying the mountains and rivers."
"Once the Void-Aether Fish swarm grows, I might even possess a powerful spirit beast legion comparable to my bee swarms!"
Given the mobility and unique abilities of the Void-Aether Fish, they would undoubtedly play an unexpected and pivotal role in large-scale domain wars.
"Furthermore, when they grow stronger, I can construct spatial secret realms within the void. I could even move half of the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range inside to establish a hidden Void Secret Realm."
"As long as the spatial coordinates remain hidden, that will be my ultimate secret base!"
The Cloud-Mist Mountain Range was becoming a bit restrictive for Qi Ping's current ambitions. With a sufficiently large spatial secret realm, he could undertake more construction, and his future ability to resist risks would increase. The Void-Aether Fish could even drag the entire secret realm away at a moment's notice.
Building such a place—whether for cultivating hidden resources or as a final fallback—was an excellent prospect. In short, the addition of the Void-Aether Fish carried immense significance for Qi Ping.
With these future plans laid out, Qi Ping took advantage of the lingering resonance from his recent epiphany to continue studying the Dao of Space. He also spent time mastering several spatial-type spells currently available within the Qingtian Domain.
By the time Qi Ping emerged from his immersion in the Dao of Space, several years had passed. In that short span, he had thoroughly mastered several spatial spells that had previously eluded him. His progress was hauntingly fast.
"The Spatial Mastery talent of these fish is truly powerful. They are indeed existences rarely found between heaven and earth!"
Qi Ping felt that if it weren't for the Small Immortal Tiger's incredible luck, he might never have even seen the shadow of a Void-Aether Fish.
"The only pity is that my knowledge of spatial spells and theories is still too limited."
Specifically, Qi Ping lacked any knowledge regarding teleportation arrays. If the Qingtian Domain could possess teleportation arrays and link up with other core regions, its development speed would skyrocket.
In the cultivation world, the old adage held true: 'If you want to get rich, build a road first.' However, these 'roads' were not made of dirt or stone, but were spatial corridors!
The Star-Sea Continent was simply too vast. Even with Qi Ping's current strength, traversing the continent took a significant amount of time, let alone for ordinary cultivators. For the average practitioner, let alone the entire continent, the Qingtian Domain alone was a place they might not traverse in their entire lives.
'Building roads... teleportation arrays...'
'Increasing efficiency... reducing the risks encountered during travel...'
As he pondered, a flash of inspiration struck him! He thought of a way to make the Qingtian Domain develop even faster.
"Why don't I spend resources to exchange for the knowledge of teleportation formations? I can build them myself and turn the Qingtian Domain into the economic and trade center of the entire Star-Sea Continent!"
Based on what he currently knew, teleportation arrays could theoretically cover the entire Star-Sea Continent. Furthermore, the carrying capacity and daily volume of such an array were directly tied to its quality.
"If I can build the largest teleportation array in the Qingtian Domain and then collaborate with other regions friendly to us to establish a spatial hub, Qingtian will become an unshakeable economic powerhouse. Won't I be swimming in tax revenue? And more people will come here to seek breakthroughs!"
The more Qi Ping thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. While some would certainly refuse to join the spatial network, others would be eager. As long as those within the system reaped enough benefits, more would join. With his ability to produce Soul Transformation grade resources, Qi Ping was confident he could make it happen.
To ensure there were no flaws in this decision, Qi Ping summoned Lin Yue and Wang He, the two Vice-Principals.
Lin Yue was the Qingtian Domain's greatest management talent and was now a Nascent Soul cultivator. Wang He, after years of tempering and growth, combined with his natural diligence and intelligence, had transformed into a charismatic administrator. While he was slightly behind the 'freakish' Lin Yue in management, he far surpassed most others.
Furthermore, as the wielder of the Universal Justice Sword and a master of the Heavenly Heart Sword Intent, Wang He's cultivation had reached the peak of the Gold Core stage. He was arguably the strongest Gold Core cultivator in the domain besides Qi Ping himself. He was now one of the most famous figures in the Qingtian Domain, beloved by many for his image of unwavering justice.
"Principal!" Wang He greeted Qi Ping with a respectful bow. His eyes were filled with deep admiration and esteem. He knew full well that it was only because of the man before him that the Qingtian Domain had reached its current heights, and that he had been able to gain his current status and power.
Wang He now knew that Lin Ya was actually the Bee Daoist. He never imagined that the genius who had risked his life to save him back in Starfall City would grow at such a terrifying speed, becoming a legendary figure that countless people could only look up to.
"Principal, did you call us here for something specific?" Wang He asked curiously. Generally, Qi Ping left routine matters to Lin Yue. Summoning both of them at once implied something of grave importance.
Qi Ping didn't hide his intentions. He directly stated his plan to build spatial teleportation arrays and his vision to turn the Qingtian Domain into the trade center of the Star-Sea Continent.
"What? Spatial teleportation arrays?"
"The economic and trade center of the Star-Sea Continent?"
Both Wang He and Lin Yue were instantly stunned. No wonder Qi Ping had summoned them both.
If this succeeded, it would alter the very structure of the Star-Sea Continent. It might even bring about immense crises and hostility. The impact of this project was dozens of times greater than simply attracting rogue cultivators! It could even trigger a true war. Those regions currently ambivalent toward Qingtian might unite against them—especially the powerful regions that already possessed their own teleportation arrays.
At that point, it wouldn't just be an internal issue for the Qingtian Domain. Anywhere a teleportation array was placed could become a fuse for war because the interests involved were simply too massive!
Of course, if they succeeded, the benefits would be staggering. The development of the Qingtian Domain would explode once again.
"Principal, this involves too many factors. For one, the difficulty of constructing spatial teleportation arrays is immense, and the materials required are exceedingly rare and precious. It's very hard to build them on a large scale."
"Additionally, the interests at stake are too vast. It might truly trigger a continental war. With our current strength, even ten thousand King-grade demon insects might not be enough to turn the tide in a large-scale external war..."
"It might even cause the hidden, mysterious powerhouses of the Star-Sea Continent to join forces against us..."
Lin Yue pointed out several critical issues after only a moment's thought. Wang He nodded in agreement. They then looked at Qi Ping with expectant eyes.
Notably, neither of them felt uneasy about questioning Qi Ping. Qi Ping had long told them that questioning his decisions would not result in punishment; rather, if they could identify problems he couldn't solve, they would be rewarded. This was one of the reasons the high-level leadership of the Qingyuan Academy admired him so much, and why the Qingtian Domain had avoided many potential pitfalls.
Facing their concerns, Qi Ping patiently offered his solutions.
"Regarding the difficulty of construction..."
As Qi Ping spoke, his mind shifted. A spatial rift suddenly formed. Wrapped in his spatial power, Wang He and Lin Yue were transported to another part of the Qingtian Domain in the blink of an eye. Then, Qi Ping tore another rift, and they were back where they started.
"This... this..."
Lin Yue and Wang He were shocked. This level of spatial manipulation refreshed their understanding of power. They knew Qi Ping was a Formation Master, and now that he possessed such spatial means, building teleportation arrays was definitely within the realm of possibility.
"So, do not worry about the construction. I can gather the materials. What we lack are the formation blueprints. For that, I can simply exchange Soul Transformation grade spirit herbs. There should be plenty in the Star-Sea Continent..."
Qi Ping was confident. He knew several factions possessed teleportation arrays. He could even demand additional spatial spells. Given the allure of a Soul Transformation spirit herb, he could likely trade for quite a lot. After all, spatial spells could be copied, but rare Soul Transformation herbs were unique treasures of far greater value.
As for the materials for spatial corridors, they would have been hard to find before he contracted the Void-Aether Fish. But now? Those creatures, who spent their lives drifting in the void, knew of many void-ore veins. Even their own spatial sanctuary used a great deal of such material. Therefore, materials were not a hurdle.
"As for the wars involving the Qingtian Domain, you need not worry. I am confident in our defense!"
"And regarding the external wars, my Soul Transformation grade spirit bees are about to begin their final evolution... With the resources we now possess, we need not fear a war at the Soul Transformation level!"
'The spirit bees are going to reach the Soul Transformation stage?'
Those would be Soul Transformation grade demon insects! They were even rarer than Soul Transformation cultivators! Hearing this, Lin Yue and Wang He felt a seismic shock in their hearts. They looked at each other, seeing the same disbelief in each other's eyes.
They knew exactly how much wealth and spirit herbs the Qingtian Domain currently possessed. Once the Principal's spirit bees successfully reached the Soul Transformation stage, if he were willing to pour resources into them, he could raise a terrifying insect army in a short time!
Just thinking about the combat power of a Soul Transformation insect legion made their scalps tingle. Wealth beyond measure plus super-bees of that caliber... even if they didn't sweep the entire Star-Sea Continent, they would be a super-army that no one could ignore!