For seven days, the entire course was about the Star Fighting Killing Yin Formation.
The Quasi-Three-Tier Array was extremely difficult to master, requiring gradual progress. Most students, before graduating, could grasp most of its intricacies—that they could serve in secondary or tertiary military units was an accomplishment.
The rest would have to continue learning throughout the lengthy lives of cultivators, without rushing.
Jiang Ding's heart surged with excitement. He ran to the library, hoping to select a favorite Air-Space Warplane to save money for and then commission the Xianmen Warship Construction Factory to design and build.
Jiang Ding clicked on a computer to open a warplane with a belly as big as a fat fish, over three times larger than the Electromagnetic Hunter Series Sky-Space Warplane showcased by Immortal Luling in the classroom.
"Its firepower is fierce, capable of carrying twenty-seven Hunter-series missiles at once, obliterating groups of Foundation-building cultivators. Controlling it requires at least double the Divine Sense of the same rank cultivator, with a cost of 2.07 million Lower Quality Spirit Stones."
It also displayed a video clip.
With the Continue reading more chapters on NovelHub for the best experience. No shield or defensive artifact could withstand it, creating a visually impactful scene.
Jiang Ding muttered to himself.
Twenty-two early to mid-stage Foundation-building cultivators were exceedingly dangerous adversaries for him at present. If they formed a formation, a slight mistake could cost him his life.
But the difficulty he would face when he advanced to Foundation-building was indeed significant.
However, spending over two million Lower Quality Spirit Stones on this was truly like having too much money to spend.
"Ghostly Stealth Hunter Series Sky-Space Warplane, extremely fast, with a Spirit Particle Engine that can operate overloaded for at least six minutes at Golden Pill-level speed, priced at 4 million Lower Quality Spirit Stones..."
"This one is reasonable,"
Jiang Ding showed a little interest.
"Electromagnetic Hunter Series Sky-Space Warplane, a singular Electromagnetic Main Gun, which after charging for fifteen minutes can fire a Gold Pill Level Electromagnetic shell, requires the 'Second-order Electromagnetic Induction Wave Method' to be at least in the advanced stage, priced at 4.2 million Lower Quality Spirit Stones."
"Ghostly Stealth Hunter Series provides Gold Pill-level Concealment, an excellent helper for battlefield reconnaissance, priced at 4.82 million Lower Quality Spirit Stones..."
The article highly praised this feature and then added,
"Equipped with a Lower Class of Second-Order Flight Formation, Lower Class of Second-Order Attack Formation..."
Jiang Ding considered for a moment.
"Not bad, but the flaws are too great."
After browsing through, most bespoke warplanes fell into this category, possessing certain Golden Pill characteristics at the price of close to 4 to 5 million Lower Quality Spirit Stones—enough to buy two to three Lower-grade magical treasures.
And that's just with the subsidy Xianmen offers its citizens on their first warplane, at cost price.
In terms of cost-effectiveness, it's completely inappropriate.
An ordinary Foundation-building cultivator, even if capable of some Golden Pill prowess, falls far short of a true Golden Pill Monk. Yet the cost amounts to two to three magical treasures of a Golden Pill Monk, an astronomical waste.
"Yet, it's worth it!"
Jiang Ding's eyes shone brightly.
Regarding his own safety, as long as he had the means, spending Spirit Stones didn't matter; staying alive with a higher cultivation base, wealth would return even if spent. Not to mention,
later, upon ascending to the Golden Pill level and building Air-Space Battleships, he could upgrade the main guns of the Sky-Space Warplanes, or sell them, recouping the investment either way, ensuring no loss.
"These are quite good, but not quite appropriate, not quite enough,"
Jiang Ding spent several hours perusing most of the data on the Sky-Space Warplanes, one idea after another coming to mind.
"Firstly, the main gun of the Sky-Space Warplane must be an electromagnetic cannon, mandatory, with Third Order power, the kind that can fire within seconds of charging. As for anything Second Order, I can handle it myself after I advance to foundation building,"
"The main gun is better if detachable, extendable, and mountable on the forehead."
Though lacking the enhancement of Third-rank Killing Formations inside the Sky-Space Warplane, significantly reducing its power, it remains a major weapon and offers a great sense of security.
"Secondly, the Concealment ability should be Third Order, and preferably of the highest caliber within the Third Order. The invisibility coating of Empty Mysterious Crystal Copper can achieve this effect without adding much load... it's a must-have, and the consumption would be tremendous."
"Thirdly, speed," said Jiang Ding. "The speed must reach the third-order level; only then is there a future in escaping with one's life."
"Haha, you sure have grand dreams."
Calculating one by one, Jiang Ding himself laughed first.
He recorded these requirements and contacted a third-order battleship designer who was listed as available online.
Fifteen minutes cost a thousand spirit stones, which is roughly the annual savings of several average foundation-building cultivators.
It's almost comparable to the appearance fee of a Golden Pill Monk.
Maybe the person on the other end is a Golden Pill Monk.
"The Xianmen Sect's Immortal Dao Industry can meet the requirements the customer has proposed," replied the third-order battleship designer with great professionalism, not mocking Jiang Ding's fantasies and answering the questions with their expertise.
"Such an extraordinary air-space warplane will be unbearably expensive for most Golden Pill Cultivators. Moreover, many precious materials are not necessarily available on the market, and if they are, they might see a significant price hike."
"The estimated precious materials required include three tons of third-order electromagnetic spirit gold as the main material for the main gun. Xianmen Sect can synthetically produce this, so the cost is relatively low. Seven million low-grade spirit stones should be sufficient."
"Empty Mysterious Crystal Copper coating, at least four hundred kilograms, twelve million low-grade spirit stones, are so rare that most transactions only accept trades with equivalent third-order spirit gold."
"Third-order high-grade spirit element air-space warplane engine, that would be nine million."
"Third-order air-space warplane formation method design, inscription, and warplane refinement—this extremely special model has no production line, so a new one must be started, and the costs can't be spread out, adding up to ten million."
"Thirty-eight million low-grade spirit stones!"
"That's even more expensive than many air-space battleships!"
The voice of the third-order battleship designer rose sharply with excitement.
Jiang Ding's mouth hung open; he too was severely shocked.
"Absolutely not cost-effective, an enormous waste."
The person on the other end paused a moment before continuing.
"Unless the client is the sole legitimate son of an elderly Immortal of Nascent Soul, with spirit stones filling their home like garbage, with so many they have no place to spend them, it would be best not to do this."
Jiang Ding nodded in agreement with the judgment of the person on the other end.
After leaving the library, he strolled through the cafeteria, ate enough spirit food to last him half a month, and returned to the cliff edge of his dormitory. Sitting cross-legged, facing the sea of clouds, he began to cultivate.
The Taiqing Flying Sword flew out from between his eyebrows, landed on the cliff, and grew into a small tree. Branches and the trunk spread out—three meters, four meters… Seventeen meters!
The former small tree was gone.
It was now a massive tree, as thick as a man's waist, over seventeen meters tall, with dense branches and a canopy that stretched out over thirty meters. It was entirely cast in an azure blue metal, shining and glittering in the sunlight, with a brilliant spiritual radiance.
The metallic branches trembled, drawing in the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi and the Great Sun Essence from a kilometer around. Within the shade of the tree, a vague shadow of the Azure Great Sun appeared.
Within a ten-meter radius of the tree roots, the once glass-like cliff melted once more, forming a deep pool of magma.
Branches occasionally hung down, landing on the shoulders of the youth in blue clothes, as purified and gentle spiritual power spilled into him, significantly accelerating his cultivation pace.
"In two years, without any elixirs, I can reach Qi Practicing Level 8," he predicted.
Jiang Ding opened his eyes after a while of cultivating.
It did not seem too fast, but he had no bottlenecks, including the breakthrough to the Grand Foundation-Building Stage.
Compared to others who could be stuck for decades, despairing for immortality, his pace was unreachably fast and worthy of being called a top-tier cultivation method.
"A first-class superior Spiritual Vein is not enough... it can be faster." Jiang Ding's figure vanished from sight.