Chapter 1129: Zongbiao and Zhoubiao

Chapter

Chen Mobai did not yet know that True Monarch Wuchen had, in fact, outmaneuvered him. However, the Heavenly Auspice did not warn him, which implied that there was no harm in it for him.

After seeing off the Soul Transformation True Monarch whom he held in awe, Chen Mobai resumed his artifact crafting. Although it was not publicly announced, internal personnel were still allowed to enter. All available Nascent Soul cultivators from the Five Elements Sect seized this opportunity. Chen Mobai also treated the One-Yuan Dao Palace in the Eastern Lands equally, allowing Chen Lingming, Xiao Yuli, and Yanhuo to participate. This greatly excited them, especially Yanhuo, who had thought his previous performance might lead the Sect Master to abandon him. Upon hearing the news, Yanhuo felt very fortunate that the One-Yuan Dao Palace was a branch sect of the Five Elements Sect. What good was it that Reverend Jingchi's achievements were superior to his? He could only watch enviously and jealously from outside while Yanhuo entered.

After entering the inner crafting area with his head held high, Yanhuo immediately lowered it and discreetly followed Chen Lingming and Xiao Yuli to a corner. Besides them, everyone else present was a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Five Elements Sect. The only two Core Formation cultivators were Tan Rong and Zhuo Ming. Tan Rong was the guardian of Huo Zhen Immortal City, while Zhuo Ming was the wielder of the Twin Raccoon Fangs. Although her crafting skills were not good enough to participate, merely observing the artifact crafting process would provide her with valuable insights. Therefore, during this crafting session, Zhuo Ming was closest to Chen Mobai, and she was already wearing the Earth Spirit Robe. Most people in the area looked at her, their faces filled with envy and hearts full of jealousy, as the fifth-grade spiritual light shimmered on her robe. Why didn't they have such good fortune to become Chen Mobai's disciple?

"Master, this fifth-grade robe is incredibly powerful. I've only managed to refine one percent of it using the incantations you taught me," Zhuo Ming said, both joyful and anxious. The reason her Earth Spirit Robe was radiating spiritual light was primarily because its artifact spirit had not yet fully bonded with her; it merely allowed her to wear it out of respect for Chen Mobai.

"It's fine," Chen Mobai said. "Given time, the artifact spirit will discover your qualities." Chen Mobai was not worried about this at all. Zhuo Ming's talent in earth-element cultivation was the most exceptional he had ever seen. The Earth Spirit Robe, having just been worn by her, was not yet aware of this; once it realized, it would likely treat her the same way the Purple Lightning Sword treated him.

"Thank you, Master!" Hearing this, Zhuo Ming felt relieved. After all, this was a mid-grade fifth-grade robe. In the entire Five Elements Sect, apart from Chen Mobai and his wife, she was the first cultivator to possess an artifact of such high grade.

Zhou Ye, standing nearby, was so envious his eyes were almost red.

"Senior Sister Sheng, come and lend a hand." Chen Mobai called out to Sheng Zhaoxi, who was second closest to him. Thanks to the Sea Soul Agate offered by Ruan Lilong of the Flying Sand Sect, she had fortunately gained the opportunity to form a Dharma Body Nascent Soul and subsequently advanced to become a fourth-grade artifact crafter. She was currently the Five Elements Sect's artifact crafter, second only to Chen Mobai. However, even compared to Yanhuo, Sheng Zhaoxi's skill level was significantly inferior. Nevertheless, as an insider, she naturally needed focused training, and there were hopes that she would craft war artifacts for the Five Elements Sect.

"Thank you, Sect Master." Sheng Zhaoxi thanked him repeatedly, then came to Zhuo Ming's side. After that, Chen Mobai called the three individuals from One-Yuan Dao Palace over. Chen Lingming and the other two's artifact crafting techniques were true inheritances of the One-Yuan Dao Palace, even capable of passing fourth-grade qualification exams in the Immortal Sect. These three were the ones who could genuinely assist with the current crafting project. And Chen Lingming and the other two were also very excited about this.

Under Chen Mobai's guidance, the crafting of the Twin Raccoon Fangs was naturally completed with ease. The moment the two jade-white crescent-shaped flying swords took form, a ferocious artifact spirit emerged, almost identical in appearance to a Lili (a mythical creature). However, unlike the sleek and adorable Earth Spirit Robe, this artifact spirit had a malevolent expression and appeared extremely strong and valiant. Yet, in front of Chen Mobai, no matter how fierce an artifact spirit was, it had to behave docilely.

"Excellent, mid-grade fifth-grade. When the two swords are combined, they can unleash the power of a peak mid-grade fifth-grade artifact..." Chen Mobai used the One-Yuan Dao Scripture to manifest earth-element true force perfectly suited for the Twin Raccoon Fang Swords. He activated the newly crafted artifact to its fullest extent, transforming it into two streaks of snow-white light that soared through the sky, maneuvering for a while to announce its completion to the outside world, then recalled it with a hint of satisfaction.

Sheng Zhaoxi was the first to get a chance to examine them. With a fascinated gaze, she cradled the jade-white twin hooks in her palm and meticulously inspected them multiple times from top to bottom. Chen Lingming and the other two stood around her. During their cooperation with Chen Mobai in the crafting process, they had already discerned that Sheng Zhaoxi was merely for show, with her crafting skills being among the worst at the fourth-grade level. But since she was a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Five Elements Sect and, by seniority, the Sect Master's senior sister, they could only patiently wait for her to finish admiring the artifact. Zhuo Ming was the last person present to receive the Twin Raccoon Fangs, but once she had them, she wouldn't have to return them. Chen Mobai personally helped her refine this pair of flying swords. Although the flying swords' artifact spirit subtly resisted, under Chen Mobai's suppression, it had no choice but to release its resistance, allowing Zhuo Ming to engrave her spiritual imprint deep within the artifact spirit.

"Besides defense, the Earth Spirit Robe can also aid in cultivating earth-element techniques. You are just a step away from fourth-grade body refinement; with this, a few years of secluded cultivation will certainly bring success," Chen Mobai said to Zhuo Ming, who had refined the two fifth-grade artifacts. She nodded repeatedly and rose to express her sincere gratitude to Chen Mobai once more. Facing his disciple, Chen Mobai accepted her thanks calmly.

After completing this task, Chen Mobai stayed in Huo Zhen Immortal City for a period. He used the Immortal Sect's 347th updated version of artifact specifications and standards as the main framework, integrating local artifact content from the Tianhe Realm to establish local regulations and standards. In fact, he had set up sect standards much earlier, but at that time, the variety of artifacts used by Five Elements Sect disciples was not extensive, making the work relatively simple. Now, however, the scope needed to be expanded to the entire Eastern Continent, meaning all sorts of unusual artifacts had to be included. These niche types were more troublesome. Fortunately, his crafting of a fifth-grade artifact had attracted almost all the top artifact crafters from the Eastern Continent. No matter how strange an artifact, a cultivator who had crafted it could be found in Huo Zhen Immortal City.

Chen Mobai, with the dignity of a Soul Transformation True Monarch, openly sought talents and advice, announcing his intention to establish standards for Eastern Continent artifacts. This naturally attracted ninety-nine percent of artifact crafters. However, considering the isolated nature of local inheritances, Chen Mobai did not expect many people to offer their knowledge. Initially, this was indeed the case; many artifact crafters, though tempted, held back due to caution. Only a few elderly individuals, or those like Reverend Jingchi who were genuinely devoted to higher realms of artifact crafting, responded. Chen Mobai personally received the first batch of artifact crafters, even condescending to answer many of their questions regarding artifact crafting. His generous gestures to attract talent quickly yielded results. The first batch of artifact crafters who had gained significant benefits from Chen Mobai went out and spread the word. Soon, artifact crafters from all over Huo Zhen Immortal City swarmed in, eager to exchange their knowledge for an opportunity to receive Chen Mobai's guidance in crafting. However, with so many people, the information naturally became a mixed bag. Chen Mobai kept Chen Lingming and Yanhuo, whose skills were decent, to help with the initial screening of the submissions before he made the final decisions. As the Palace Master of One-Yuan Dao Palace, Xiao Yuli had to return to the Eastern Lands to oversee general affairs. Xiao Yuli felt very regretful about this. Because as she left, Chen Mobai also had her relay a message, asking the other fourth-grade artifact crafters from One-Yuan Dao Palace to come and help gather information for establishing the Eastern Continent standards. As a major artifact crafting sect, any Nascent Soul cultivator from One-Yuan Dao Palace possessed skills superior to Sheng Zhaoxi's. Although they couldn't participate in the entire fifth-grade artifact crafting process like Yanhuo, upon receiving Chen Mobai's order, Lian Shui and others still eagerly rushed over at the first opportunity.

With everyone's diligent efforts, Chen Mobai soon upgraded the original "Sect Standard" to the "Continent Standard." During this period, Ye Qing was naturally invited to draft insights on sword-shaped artifacts. Once the Continent Standard was complete, Chen Mobai immediately sent it to the other three great sacred lands. Among these three sacred lands, there were indeed capable individuals who found some parts unsuitable and proposed minor revisions. Chen Mobai, being a virtuous person, naturally accepted each piece of advice. After several revisions, the first edition of "Eastern Continent Artifact Specifications and Standards" was officially published. He brought old equipment from a printing factory in the Immortal Sect, and in a very short time, enough copies were printed. To promote the standard across the entire Eastern Continent as quickly as possible, Chen Mobai distributed the booklets free of charge to every power in the Eastern Continent. In any case, once the standard was delivered, if any cultivator from a faction did not adhere to it in the future, it would be seen as disrespecting the Five Elements Sect, or even the Four Great Sacred Lands of the Eastern Continent. They couldn't even make excuses about not seeing it, as the items were personally delivered by Five Elements Sect disciples. Not reading it would imply disrespecting the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Desolation, wouldn't it? As long as the major powers and cultivation families of the Eastern Continent adopted the Continent Standard, the remaining rogue cultivators and others would naturally follow suit. However, to accelerate this process, Chen Mobai also trained a group of Five Elements Sect artifact crafters who were well-versed in the Continent Standard. He sent them to various markets and other places where rogue cultivators gathered, to promote the specifications and standards.

Eastern Yi.

Old Ancestor Baiwu carefully finished reading "Eastern Continent Artifact Specifications and Standards" sent by his disciple, and couldn't help but sigh. "From now on, the Five Elements Sect will dictate the artifact market!" Liu Nansheng nodded repeatedly upon hearing Old Ancestor Baiwu's words. Their Sun-Bathing Sea lineage originated from the Blazing Heavens Pure Land, and their artifact crafting inheritance was extraordinary; Old Ancestor Baiwu, at the very least, had individually crafted fourth-grade artifacts. Consequently, besides taxes and income related to the Sun God Tree, artifact crafting was the Sun-Bathing Sea's third-largest source of revenue. If the future grading standards for artifacts were to follow the specifications published by the Five Elements Sect, then those that were previously just for show would no longer be presentable. This would undoubtedly affect the Sun-Bathing Sea's income, but Old Ancestor Baiwu dared not raise any objections. Although Chen Mobai had not acted against the Sun-Bathing Sea for years, Old Ancestor Baiwu lived in daily dread, fearing that one day he would open his eyes from meditation to find this formidable Soul Transformation enemy already at their city gates. What angered Old Ancestor Baiwu the most was seeing Reverend Jingchi's name on the list of contributors to the specifications and standards. *We were clearly on the same side, so how did you defect to the Five Elements Sect?* Old Ancestor Baiwu was furious, yet he still dared not say anything to Reverend Jingchi. After all, the latter had now allied with the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Desolation. He knew better than anyone that an internal betrayal was the most ruthless.

"Tell me, do you think the foundation of our Sun-Bathing Sea will one day crumble in my hands?" Liu Nansheng trembled slightly upon Old Ancestor Baiwu's sudden question, then immediately shook his head, stating that his master was in his prime, and the Sun-Bathing Sea was flourishing under his leadership and would certainly not crumble.

"Hmph, always saying pretty words to appease me. You may leave." Old Ancestor Baiwu knew his disciple's words were insincere and waved his hand dismissively, ushering Liu Nansheng out.

Afterwards, he hesitated for a long time in the great hall, then used a secret technique to quietly slip out of Jinwu Immortal City and arrive at a reef above the sea. Old Ancestor Baiwu activated a dark talisman and cast it into the sea. After a while, a cultivator in a long black robe suddenly stood on the reef. His aura was profound, his eyes deep, and Old Ancestor Baiwu hadn't even seen how he appeared. This person was none other than the cultivator from Qianyuan Island who had previously taken away Kuzhu.

"Fellow Daoist, does what you said last time still hold true?" Old Ancestor Baiwu bowed respectfully upon seeing him, then asked.

"Naturally, it still holds true." The Qianyuan Island cultivator nodded, his expression calm.

"Good, then I agree to your terms, but I want to receive those items in advance." Old Ancestor Baiwu thought about how his life would only become more difficult under Chen Mobai's oppression in the future, so he gritted his teeth and made a decision he would never have made before.

"I only have this portion with me. The rest might only be sent after the Black Flood Dragon Royal Court sees your sincerity." The Qianyuan Island cultivator said this, then took out a storage bag and handed it to Old Ancestor Baiwu. Old Ancestor Baiwu took it, extended his spiritual sense into it, and after seeing some long-desired elixirs and resources, let out a long sigh. Taking this step meant he was almost isolating himself from the Eastern Continent, and might even doom the Five Blazing Veins to eternal perdition. But he couldn't concern himself with that anymore. When he first entered the cultivation world, Old Ancestor Baiwu knew that in this world, the most important thing was oneself.

"Await my message!" After receiving a portion of the items, Old Ancestor Baiwu stopped overthinking, said this, and immediately turned to return to Jinwu Immortal City. Watching his retreating figure, the Qianyuan Island cultivator quietly disappeared from the reef.