Zhao Yunxiao did not neglect his daily cultivation just because of this.
It was only after a full night of meditation that he finally brought out Lou Yuan's halberd blueprint, scrutinising it down to the smallest detail.
The dimensions of the halberd were rather similar to his own, only differing slightly in terms of weight distribution. This was much unsurprising since Lou Yuan had already seen his earlier halberd.
Next came the difference in choice of materials.
From the beginning, Zhao Yunxiao had told Lou Yuan to come up with a halberd that utilised the essence of the grimoire fruit as one of the main materials, and it was clear that the latter had not forgotten about that.
Just like Zhao Yunxiao's original plan, Lou Yuan's blueprint had focused on using the essence of the grimoire fruit as a catalyst, which meant that the resulting halberd would also possess both earth and metal elemental properties.
However, that was about where the similarities end.
Instead of other metals commonly used to forge weapons, Lou Yuan's blueprint took the black metallic outer layer of the celestial meteorite as its core. He even included the method to process it into actual usable metal, which he called meteor steel.
Apart from that, the forging process, the engravings and grooves, the shapes of the parts, the positioning of the parts, the soldering process... all of them differed greatly from what Zhao Yunxiao had initially intended.
In fact, some of the methods mentioned were completely alien to him.
Was it really possible to do it this way?
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but fall into deep thought.
With his experience in both watching and performing forging, while it might not be perfect, he could still simulate the forging process to a certain extent.
And the result of his contemplation was that... it would work!
Not only would it work, but it might really be far better than the halberd that he had originally envisioned!
Still, that alone was not enough for Zhao Yunxiao. In order to confirm the feasibility of Lou Yuan's recommended methods, he would still need to look it up in the Sect Library to prove its veracity.
Zhao Yunxiao read on, and the final section caught his eye.
[Create a pentagon-shaped joint right below the blade. This would not only serve as a form of support for the blade and a pseudo-guard against stray blades that run along the shaft, but it would also act as an aesthetic key. In addition, it provides the foundation on which you could perform the next step. Please be reminded that this next step is fully optional, so only proceed with it if you wish to bring this halberd to the next level.]
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel surprised as he continued reading.
[The key is to obtain the fire ruby, the wood amethyst, the metal emerald, the earth topaz, and the water sapphire. Once you have collected all of them, melt them down separately and use the melted stones to create a five-node array on this pentagon-shaped guard. Note that this will only work if you strictly follow the materials and forging process in this blueprint, so don't blame me if it doesn't work because you decided to be cheap and use some inferior methods. As for what array to include, here is a list of recommendations...]
Judging from the inclusion of the meteor steel and fire ruby, it was clear that Lou Yuan had truly come up with this blueprint with Zhao Yunxiao in mind, instead of simply copying a generic template.
Well, the meteor steel was definitely doable, but a five-node array on the halberd?
Was that really possible?
Zhao Yunxiao knew that there were many high-level items that contained their own arrays. With the help of these arrays, these items were able to grant their users abilities far beyond those that did not.
However, those were called high-level items for a reason!
As a cultivator at the Essence Gathering realm, would it really be possible for him to create something like that?
And it was not just that.
Doing this required the wood amethyst, metal emerald, and earth topaz.
Getting the fire ruby and water sapphire had been purely due to lucky coincidences, so how was he supposed to obtain the other three precious stones?
Zhao Yunxiao rolled up the blueprint with mixed feelings. Since this was an optional step, he could simply think about completing the rest of it for now.
At this point, Zhao Yunxiao was already convinced that Lou Yuan's blueprint was much better than his own. As expected, Lou Yuan might really be Wushuang's disciple.
Since that was the case, there was no reason for him to stubbornly stick to his original plan.
Fortunately, the precious stones were the only materials that he was lacking. While most of the other materials differed as well, none of them were materials that he did not already possess or could not get his hands on.
Perhaps this was also Lou Yuan showing his empathetic side. After all, Lou Yuan seemed to have an impression that he was poor.
Well, he was not entirely wrong either. Compared to someone like Lou Yuan, Zhao Yunxiao might truly be considered to be somewhat on the poorer end...
Regardless, the next step was to do some research and verify the feasibility of the steps recommended by Lou Yuan, and then he would finally be able to begin.
But before going to the Sect Library, Zhao Yunxiao headed to the Lightwind Pavilion to get his daily fix of nutritious food.
When he arrived, Zhao Yunxiao saw that Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying were there as well. They were currently transplanting a few seedlings along the edge of the pond.
Now that winter had passed, the open area in front of the pavilion and pond was no longer covered in snow, exposing the carpet of lush grass that had been hidden underneath.
Wildflowers could be seen blooming at various spots, adding vibrant colours to the otherwise monotonous landscape.
The pond was also as calm as before, though ripples were periodically created due to the work by the two young ladies.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Yunxiao asked casually while helping himself to some food.
"We are thinking of improving the density of world origin energy here at Lightwind Pavilion by planting some spiritual plants!" Lu Zhiying answered.
"Why all of a sudden?" Zhao Yunxiao asked curiously.
"Why not?" Gu Qiansi turned around to explain. "On top of the obvious benefits, I heard that this also reduces the risk of corruption in vegetation."
"Corruption? Did you forget that this is the sect territory of the Black Tortoise Sect?" Zhao Yunxiao did not know whether to laugh or to cry.
How would the sect administrators ever allow something like corruption to spread within the sect territory?
"Better to be safe than sorry," Gu Qiansi shrugged. "In any case, a higher density of world origin energy does help improve our condition too. By doing this, there are only benefits but no harm."
"That is true," Zhao Yunxiao agreed. "However, this is not your garden plot, so it is not protected by the sect rules. Are you not afraid that someone else would come take away your precious spiritual plants?"
"When was the last time someone else came here?" Gu Qiansi shrugged.
"Weren't you just saying that it is better to be safe than sorry?" Zhao Yunxiao rolled his eyes.
That said, Gu Qiansi was right.
He did not know what the sect administrators were smoking when they first decided to build Lightwind Pavilion, but the location was truly terrible!
That was the main reason for its dilapidation before Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi decided to fix things. Yet despite their efforts over the years, it remained a fact that the Lightwind Pavilion was essentially still public property, so they had always been hesitant about going too far in the terms of the improvements.
But now, it would appear that Gu Qiansi had finally decided to start investing in some valuable upgrades.
Come to think of it, perhaps this would be a better location than his garden plot if he wanted to transplant Hua Xian?
This way, he would not have to expose Hua Xian to other sect members, and the mist that would inevitably be created would not impede his work partners from working on the garden plot as well.
At the same time, perhaps he could also help to look after the spiritual plants here?
"Why are you suddenly nodding to yourself? What kind of strange stuff are you thinking about this time?" Gu Qiansi questioned.
"Nothing much, just that maybe I will transplant a spiritual plant over sometime in the future too," Zhao Yunxiao replied.
"You will? Then we will leave you a spot," Gu Qiansi nodded before narrowing her eyes at him. "That said, what exactly happened during your mission? How did you get this badly injured from a rain dance mission?"
"Ah, that? We just got involved with some troublesome matters along the way. But as capable as we are, we naturally dealt with them easily," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged.
"If it is as easy as you say, then you would not have gotten injured," Gu Qiansi scoffed. "I hope you didn't get Senior Martial Brother Nie injured as well!"
"Yeah, you don't have to worry about him," Zhao Yunxiao chuckled. "The current Senior Martial Brother Nie is probably more capable than both of us combined."
"I guess that's the difference that a mythical tier weapon makes," Gu Qiansi understood his underlying meaning immediately. "Since you are free, do you want to help us with this?"
"What do you mean I am free? I am a busy person!" Zhao Yunxiao quickly declined. "I have important matters to attend to today!"
"Oh? Are you already going back to work?" Gu Qiansi asked in surprise.
"No, not yet," Zhao Yunxiao shook his head. "In fact, I will probably only resume work after the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm."
"That long? What will you be doing in the meantime?" Gu Qiansi raised an eyebrow.
"I will be trying to forge a weapon," Zhao Yunxiao saw no reason to hide this.
"As expected, you were lying about giving a handicap during the duel, weren't you?" Gu Qiansi shook her head in disbelief. "I knew something was up. With such valuable items on the line, how could someone like you ever voluntarily give yourself a handicap?"
At the same time, she could not help but wonder what Zhao Yunxiao and Nie Hanchang encountered on their mission.
Just what kind of formidable opponent did they encounter, such that he even ended up losing his halberd?
But since Zhao Yunxiao did not seem to want to talk about it, she chose not to probe further either.
"What do you mean someone like me?"
"Do you have a plan?" Gu Qiansi evaded the question.
"I always have a plan," Zhao Yunxiao answered confidently.
"Wow! So, after Senior Martial Brother Nie, Senior Martial Brother Zhao will be forging a weapon too? Can I watch?" Lu Zhiying asked.
"Not this time," Zhao Yunxiao rejected her outright. "It is an important process, so I cannot afford to have any distractions during the forging process."
"Ah, okay..."
"Don't worry, I will show you if I actually manage to complete it," Zhao Yunxiao patted her gently on the head. "That aside, I am also thinking of refining a Firecrown Pill soon."
"Firecrown Pill?" Gu Qiansi repeated in surprise. "Sounds like the word going around is true. Have you already broken through to the Advanced Essence Gathering realm?"
With that many people witnessing the duel between Zhao Yunxiao and Gan Luozhi, Hua Sheng was hardly the only one who had noticed that Zhao Yunxiao should have broken through to the next boundary.
"Mm," Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "So, it is about time to start doing this."
"I see," Gu Qiansi answered solemnly. "Let me know if you need any help."
"Of course, I won't stand on ceremony," Zhao Yunxiao laughed.
"Wait, what is this Firecrown Pill? Why does it sound like such a serious project?" Lu Zhiying asked in confusion. "Is it very difficult to refine?"
"The refinement of the pill alone is already not easy, but what comes after is where the true difficulty lies," Gu Qiansi explained. "The Firecrown Pill is a catalyst for opening the Mind Gate – one of the Six Gates of Self-Actualisation."
"The Six Gates of Self-Actualisation!" Lu Zhiying's eyes lit up upon hearing that. "Are you cultivating the body strengthening system, Senior Martial Brother Zhao?"
Lu Zhiying had already been in the sect for almost two months, so it was only natural that she knew a thing or two about the basics of cultivation by now.
While cultivators focused on the essence cultivation system, there were in fact other less popular routes that could complement this.
Among them, the most common one had to be the body strengthening system.
Unlike the essence cultivation system that focused on using the dantian as a foundation for strength, the body strengthening system focused on the physical body as the foundation.
Most considered the relationship between body strengthening and essence cultivation as the difference between might and magic, separate but not exclusive.
The body strengthening system comprised three stages, starting with the Six Gates of Self-Actualisation, followed by the Four Seals of Heaven and Earth, and finally the Nine Paths of Dominion.
And within the Six Gates of Self-Actualisation, each gate marked a single boundary, though there was no particular order in which the different gates had to be opened.
The general consensus was that the body strengthening system would be a great complement to the essence cultivation path if one was willing to spend the time and effort required to cultivate both.
That said, there were also cultivators who decided to go all in on it, abandoning the essence cultivation system altogether to focus solely on advancing through the body strengthening system. Some even succeeded in making a name for themselves in this matter, using sheer physical prowess to overcome all essence-based techniques from their opponents.
From that alone, one could see that the body strengthening system could actually be taken as its own path to the pinnacle of cultivation, an alternative to the essence cultivation system!
"I have yet to start cultivating in the body strengthening system, but I intend to do so indeed," Zhao Yunxiao said.
Zhao Yunxiao did not plan to go as far as abandoning the essence cultivation system to focus solely on the body strengthening system. On the contrary, he had always believed that he needed to work on both routes in order to keep up with his peers.
This might sound strange to others, especially considering the fact that he was already struggling with his cultivation rate in the essence cultivation system. If he divided his focus on top of that, it would only make sense for his cultivation rate to plummet further.
However, Zhao Yunxiao was slightly different from most other cultivators, which almost excluded him from this logic.
The main process of cultivating the body strengthening system involved training the body, and that was something that Zhao Yunxiao had already been doing consistently.
After all, combat capabilities were almost just as important on the path of cultivation. He had always taken pride in that physical endurance of his, actively seeking ways to use it as his edge against others who were more talented than him.
So, if his ongoing efforts in that aspect could be further rewarded by cultivating the body strengthening system, then he definitely could not let this opportunity go to waste!