Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

He thought, "I haven’t even beaten around the bush, yet you just confessed on your own?"

Lü Yang felt astonished but kept his expression completely calm. Tilting his head, he feigned curiosity. "The Stain Sect? Is there such a Sect in the Star Palace?"

"The Star Palace? Hahaha!" Mingfeng burst into loud laughter. "It’s fine if you just mention this to me, Daoist, but if word gets out, I’m afraid quite a few Star Monarchs would be frightened by you.

"Anyway, it’s just an identity, a personal sentiment of mine, really. It’s not worth mentioning. Getting back to business—you were able to refine array artifacts following the blueprints just now. Even though you can’t see the comet light, your Enlightenment is unquestionable. Among the numerous researchers, you could even be considered exceptional.

"However, I have watched your recording.

"With your Cultivation, you definitely wouldn’t be interested in those crudely made Dao Weapons. After all, those things are far inferior to your own Dharma Body."

"Hmm... I understand." Looking at Mingfeng’s face, which showed sudden realization, Lü Yang maintained his composure on the surface, but he couldn’t help wondering in his heart, "You beast, what exactly do you understand?"

Fortunately, he didn’t have to ask, as Mingfeng provided the answer herself. "I previously thought your Enlightenment was only average and that you most likely wouldn’t be able to see through its profound mysteries. But looking at it now, your wisdom runs deep. In that case, your request to learn about array artifacts isn’t hard to understand. You have your eyes set on the Star Map, right?"

Huh? The Star Map?

Lü Yang was no stranger to this term. The Twenty-Eight Star Map was a Fruit unique to the Star Palace, and above that was the Supreme Star Map known as the Four Great Star Constellations...

...Wait?

Suddenly, a terrifying hypothesis surfaced in his mind, causing him to narrow his eyes. Seizing the opportunity, he played along. "You have indeed hit the nail on the head, Daoist.

"My request for instruction this time is precisely for the Star Map."

Hearing this, Mingfeng revealed a proud smile. "It’s only natural. Anyone with the Enlightenment to see through the profound mysteries of the Star Map would covet it.

"After all, that is my master’s lifelong masterpiece.

"The peak creation of the Array Treasure Dao."

It really was true!

Even though he had just formed this hypothesis, hearing it confirmed from Mingfeng’s own mouth still gave Lü Yang a tremendous shock.

The Star Palace’s Twenty-Eight Star Map was enough to allow a Cultivator to reach a level slightly stronger than an Outer Dao True Monarch. Among them, the Supreme Star Map, the Four Great Star Constellations, could even allow a Cultivator to rival, or perhaps slightly surpass, an Immortal Pivot Orthodox True Monarch... Yet, fundamentally, these things were not Fruits!

They were array artifacts!

Not only could they be refined, but they could also be replicated. If materials and human resources permitted, they were array artifacts that could even be mass-produced on a large scale!

What did this mean?

He wondered, "Is this the Void Certificate of the Array Treasure Dao? No, this is even more absurd than a Void Certificate. Relying purely on Arrays and Artifact Refining methods... it’s equivalent to refining a Fruit!"

If Lü Yang previously hadn’t had much interest in the Array Treasure Dao and had only planned to dabble in it, his enthusiasm was now soaring. Using the Array Treasure Dao to refine a Star Map comparable to a Fruit—although he certainly couldn’t use it for swallowing—what if he used it for the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder?

"The Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder has not yet reached Perfection, and that’s because it lacks the Wood Element," he reasoned. "Ultimately, this flaw exists because I have never swallowed a Wood Fruit Position. I’m missing a portion of Cultivation and comprehension, which is why I’ve never been able to fill that gap.

"But this is different from the Dao of Arcane Body.

"The flaw in the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder doesn’t require me to actually swallow a Fruit. In the end, it’s just an issue of filling in an imagery gap. Using other methods works too!

"Take the Star Palace’s Star Map, for instance. If I could use the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder as a reference to first tailor-make a Wood Element Star Map, and then insert the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder as the Star Map’s core, could I leverage the Array Treasure Dao to indirectly turn the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder into an orthodox Fruit ahead of time?"

Was it feasible?

Lü Yang felt that it should be, and highly so! After all, the Star Palace already had twenty-eight successful cases, and this would merely be a stopgap measure.

He would first use the array artifact Star Map to elevate the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder.

Once his strength increased, he would go kill the Venerable Victory Treasure Pestle Bodhisattva, swallow the Fruit of Pine-Cedar Wood, and then proceed along the orthodox path to achieve Perfection for the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder.

Reap the benefits now and fulfill the requirements later—why not?

Thinking of this, Lü Yang grew even more excited. With fiery eyes, he looked at Mingfeng and took the initiative to ask, "In that case, may I ask if you are willing to teach me, Daoist?"

The other party didn’t hesitate to pour cold water on him.

"Of course not," she said. "The refining method for the Star Map is strictly regulated. Unless you can obtain the approval of over half the Upper Truths, it is absolutely forbidden to pass it on privately.

"Furthermore... aside from the Twenty-Eight Star Map, our replication of the Star Map technology hasn’t reached a perfect state so far. Several Star Map refining experiments ended in failure, and I haven’t fully digested the books my teacher left behind either... Even if I wanted to teach you, I wouldn’t be able to."

At this point, a hint of gloom appeared in Mingfeng’s eyes.

Her greatest wish, and the reason she remained in the Star Palace, was to fully take up her master’s legacy and personally design and refine a Star Map Level array artifact.

As for the Stain Sect... Mingfeng let out a long sigh.

She thought, "Before Master left back then, he clearly stated that the Stain Sect is no longer the Stain Sect of the past, and we have long parted ways with that distinguished figure."

Gathering her thoughts, Mingfeng looked at Lü Yang again.

"In short, the Star Map isn’t something you can refine just because you want to. Taking a step back, even if you truly mastered the Star Map refining technology, bringing it into the Current World would require a complete assembly line. You’d need tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of mortal factories for the relevant components. You’d need thousands upon thousands of Qi Refining and even Foundation Establishment researchers delving into different fields. On top of all that, you’d need an organization capable of coordinating them uniformly just to get it done."

Mingfeng said all this naturally to make Lü Yang realize the difficulty and back down.

As far as she knew, other than the Star Palace, there were almost no factions in the Void Sea of Light that could meet this standard. If she had to name one, the Immortal Pivot probably could.

But the Immortal Pivot didn’t need to.

On the other hand, after listening to her explanation, all Lü Yang wanted to say was: Is that it?

He scoffed inwardly, "An assembly line? I have countless Banner Spirits. Researchers? Progenitor Tingyou alone is enough. An organization? Under my brilliant leadership, that’s not a problem either!

"I am determined to get this Star Map refining method!"

In any case, Hao Yuan Shangzhen, as well as those thirty-six stone statues, still needed his help. If he demanded the Star Map refining method, there was an eighty percent chance the Star Palace would hand it over.

Seeing Lü Yang’s expression, Mingfeng sighed. She could tell he hadn’t given up. After a moment of thought, she simply took off the glasses resting on her high-bridged nose and handed them to him. "Take it. It’s rare to find someone with your Talent Skill who also wants to learn. You can use this to practice first."

"This is..." Lü Yang raised an eyebrow slightly and put on the glasses. Following Mingfeng’s instructions, he divided a strand of his Spiritual perception to connect with this array artifact. In an instant, his world spun.

[Welcome to the Artifact Refining Secret Realm!]

A mechanical, metallic voice echoed in Lü Yang’s ears. At this moment, his vision seemed to split in two. One half remained in the Current World.

The other half transported him above a vast ocean incredibly similar to the Sea of Suffering, with a solitary island beneath his feet. However, unlike the Sea of Suffering, the scale of this ocean was much smaller, and it was packed with people. Everywhere he looked, there were bustling crowds of all kinds.