I haven't even started probing, and you've already spilled the beans.
Lu Yang was astonished inwardly but kept his face perfectly neutral. Tilting his head, he feigned curiosity. "The Saint Sect? Is there such a sect within the Star Palace?"
"The Star Palace? Hahaha!"
Ming Feng burst into laughter. "It's fine if you just say that to me, Fellow Daoist. But if you said that outside, you'd probably scare quite a few Star Lords."
"Anyway, it's just an identity—a personal memento, nothing worth mentioning. Getting back to business... The fact that you could follow that blueprint and refine the artifact-formation proves your comprehension is unquestionable, even without a visible Light of Wisdom. Among our many researchers, you'd be considered outstanding."
"However, I've seen the recording of your battle."
"Given your cultivation base, you definitely wouldn't be interested in those crudely manufactured Dao Soldiers. After all, those things are far inferior to your own Dharma Body."
"Ah... I understand."
Watching Ming Feng's look of sudden realization, Lu Yang's expression remained unchanged, but a question gnawed at his mind.
You animal, what exactly do you understand?
Fortunately, he didn't have to ask. Ming Feng provided the answer herself. "Earlier, I thought your comprehension was average and that you likely couldn't see the underlying profundities. But now it seems your roots of wisdom are simply deeply hidden. In that case, your request to learn about artifact-formations makes perfect sense. You've set your sights on the Star Charts, haven't you?"
Huh? Star Charts?
Lu Yang wasn't unfamiliar with the term. The [Twenty-Eight Star Charts] were the unique Dao Fruits of the Star Palace. Above them were the supreme Star Charts known as the [Four Great Constellations]...
Wait a minute.
A terrifying hypothesis suddenly surfaced in his mind, causing him to narrow his eyes. He immediately decided to play along. "You hit the nail on the head, Fellow Daoist."
"My request for guidance today is precisely for the Star Charts."
Ming Feng revealed a smug smile. "Naturally. Anyone with the comprehension to see through the profundity of the Star Charts would be drooling over them."
"After all, they are my master's life's work."
"The absolute pinnacle creations of the [Dao of Artifact-Formations]."
It really is true.
Despite having already formed the hypothesis, hearing it confirmed straight from Ming Feng's mouth still gave Lu Yang a massive shock.
The Star Palace's [Twenty-Eight Star Charts] were enough to elevate a cultivator to a level slightly stronger than an Unorthodox Perfected Lord. The [Four Great Constellations], acting as supreme Star Charts, could even make a cultivator rival—or slightly surpass—an Orthodox Perfected Lord of the Immortal Nexus. Yet, these things weren't actually Dao Fruits at their core!
They were artifact-formations!
Artifact-formations that could not only be refined but replicated! And given enough materials and manpower, they could even be mass-produced!
What does this mean?
Void Attainment through the Dao of Artifact-Formations? No, this is even more absurd than Void Attainment. Relying purely on formations and artifact-refining methods... it's equivalent to refining a Dao Fruit from scratch!
If Lu Yang had only held a mild interest in artifact-formations before, intending merely to dabble, his enthusiasm was now soaring. Using the [Dao of Artifact-Formations] to refine a Star Chart that rivaled a Dao Fruit—sure, he couldn't exactly devour it—but what if he used it for the [Divine Firmament Thunder]?
The [Divine Firmament Thunder] hasn't reached perfection yet because it lacks the Wood element.
At its core, this flaw exists because I've never devoured a Wood-element Dao Fruit. I'm missing that specific Dao comprehension and insight, which is why I can never fill the gap.
But this is different from the Dharma Body Dao.
The Divine Firmament Thunder's flaw doesn't require me to actually devour a Dao Fruit. It's ultimately just a matter of filling in a conceptual gap. Using other methods would work just as well!
Take the Star Palace's Star Charts, for instance. If I could custom-refine a Wood-element Star Chart modeled after the [Divine Firmament Thunder], and then slot the [Divine Firmament Thunder] in as its core... wouldn't I be able to use the Dao of Artifact-Formations to effectively turn the [Divine Firmament Thunder] into an Orthodox Dao Fruit ahead of schedule?
Is it feasible?
Lu Yang believed it was, and highly so! After all, the Star Palace already had twenty-eight successful case studies. Besides, this would only be a stopgap measure.
First, use an artifact-formation Star Chart to upgrade the [Divine Firmament Thunder].
Once his strength increased, he could go kill Bodhisattva Precious Vajra Victory, devour the [Pine & Cypress Wood], and then still follow the orthodox path to perfect the [Divine Firmament Thunder].
Board the train first, buy the ticket later. Why not?
Thinking of this, Lu Yang grew even more thrilled. He looked at Ming Feng with burning eyes and took the initiative to ask, "In that case, would you be willing to teach me, Fellow Daoist?"
Then, without a shred of hesitation, she poured a bucket of cold water over him.
"Of course not."
"The refining methods for Star Charts are strictly controlled. Unless you have the approval of more than half of the Exalted Ones, privately disseminating them is absolutely forbidden."
"Furthermore, apart from the existing [Twenty-Eight Star Charts], our replication of the Star Chart technology hasn't reached a perfect state yet. Several Star Chart refining experiments have ended in failure. Even I haven't fully digested the texts my master left behind... Even if I wanted to teach you, I couldn't."
At this point, a hint of gloom appeared in Ming Feng's eyes.
Her biggest wish—and the reason she had stayed in the Star Palace all this time—was to fully inherit her master's legacy and personally design and refine a Star Chart-level artifact-formation.
As for the Saint Sect... Ming Feng let out a long sigh.
Before my master left back then, he clearly stated that the Saint Sect is no longer the Saint Sect of the past. We parted ways with that Lord a long time ago.
Snapping back to reality, Ming Feng looked at Lu Yang once more.
"In short, the Star Chart isn't something you can refine just because you want to. Even taking a step back—suppose you truly mastered the refining technology."
"Bringing one into the world requires a complete assembly line: tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of mortal factories producing the relevant components. It needs thousands of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment researchers specializing in various fields, plus an organization capable of coordinating them all perfectly."
Ming Feng said all this, naturally, to make Lu Yang realize the difficulties and back down.
Because as far as she knew, other than the Star Palace, there was almost no faction in the sea of light that could meet these standards. If forced to name one, the Immortal Nexus probably could.
But the Immortal Nexus didn't need them.
However, on the other side, after hearing her explanation, Lu Yang only had one thought:
That's it?
An assembly line? I have countless Banner Spirits. Researchers? Patriarch Nether Whisper alone is enough. An organization? Under my brilliant leadership, that's not a problem either!
I must get my hands on this Star Chart refinement method!
Anyway, Exalted One Hao Yuan and the thirty-six stone statues still needed something from him. If he demanded the Star Chart refinement method, the Star Palace would more than likely hand it over.
Seeing Lu Yang's expression, Ming Feng sighed, realizing he hadn't given up. After a moment of thought, she simply took off the glasses resting on her high nose bridge and handed them to him. "Take this. It's rare to find someone with both talent and the desire to learn. You can use this to try your hand first."
"This is..."
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow and put on the glasses. Following Ming Feng's instructions, he separated a strand of divine sense to connect with the artifact-formation. Instantly, the world spun.
[Welcome to the Artifact Refinement Secret Realm!]
A mechanical, metallic voice echoed in Lu Yang's ears. At this moment, his vision seemed split in two. Half remained anchored in reality.
The other half plunged into a vast ocean extremely similar to the [Sea of Bitterness], with a solitary island beneath his feet. Unlike the Sea of Bitterness, however, this ocean was much smaller and incredibly crowded. Everywhere he looked, he saw a bustling throng of diverse people.