Ever since the General Bureau's orders were issued a thousand years ago, a handful of grandmaster Artifact Refiners led by Dongguo Anping had brought over a thousand Artifact Refiners to this location. On this universe, they had remained for a full millennium.
The Ink-Repelling Platform had absorbed the combined efforts of all these Artifact Refiners, and it was the achievement they were most proud of.
Forging this Artifact had required enormous investment from Divine Cauldron Heaven. Every major Cave Heaven and Blessed Land had contributed its share, but when it came to Artifact Refinement, Divine Cauldron Heaven was second to none.
Now, every major formation, every restriction, every Artifact placement on the Ink-Repelling Platform, along with the deployment of various structures within the city, bore Dongguo Anping's involvement. He was thoroughly familiar with the entire fortress. Under his guidance and explanation, Yang Kai gradually came to understand the Ink-Repelling Platform's capabilities.
He was quite satisfied. Although the Ink-Repelling Platform was less than a tenth the size of humanity's great passes of old, the numerous formations and Artifacts equipped upon it were crafted without the slightest compromise. The power it could unleash would be no less than those great passes.
As the three of them walked and paused, when they reached a section of the city wall, Dongguo Anping pointed ahead at a massive Artifact embedded in its entirety within the wall. The Artifact's form resembled a crouching tiger, its neck stretched forward, its majestic gaze fixed ahead. Several Artifact Refiners were bustling about near it, apparently calibrating something.
Dongguo Anping pointed at the Artifact with undisguised pride. "This is the Tiger's Roar — the Ink-Repelling Platform's primary combat Artifact. All four city walls are equipped with a full twelve hundred of them. This piece was custom-forged specifically for the Ink-Repelling Platform."
Mi Jinglun studied it for a moment before speaking. "How powerful is it?"
Dongguo Anping stroked his beard with a smile. "We tested it. With just three Sixth-Order cultivators working in concert to activate it, it can unleash the force equivalent to a full-powered strike from a Seventh-Order Open Heaven. If three Seventh-Order cultivators were to activate it together, the power it produces would be roughly on par with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven's attack."
Mi Jinglun's eyebrows rose. "That is rather impressive." His tone shifted. "Forging Artifacts like these must have been no small expense?"
Dongguo Anping's eyes widened. "Wasn't it the General Bureau that said we shouldn't worry about costs? Forging a single Tiger's Roar is roughly equivalent to building an entire standard warship."
Mi Jinglun felt a pang of heartache. Twelve hundred Tiger's Roars meant twelve hundred standard warships — and that was only the Ink-Repelling Platform's primary combat Artifacts. There were all manner of other configurations as well, not to mention the deployment of the many great formations and restrictions throughout, each of which required vast quantities of resources.
The entire Ink-Repelling Platform was essentially a war machine built from resources alone.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had been able to raid the Ink Clan's holdings at the Return Pass, bringing back a considerable haul of materials this time — enough, roughly, to fill the hole left by the Ink-Repelling Platform's construction. Otherwise, before many more years had passed, the human race would be tightening its belt to survive.
But this was something Yang Kai had specifically requested to be forged. The cost was enormous, yet as long as it produced the desired effect, no expense was too great.
While the two were conversing, Yang Kai had already stepped forward to stand before one of the Tiger's Roars. Several Artifact Refiners were hard at work nearby. One of them, sensing someone approaching, looked up with a somewhat impatient expression — then froze.
Yang Kai smiled at him. "Senior Brother Xu!"
The other smiled back. "Junior Brother Yang?"
"It's been years, and Senior Brother Yang is as impressive as ever." Yang Kai glanced at his portly frame. Compared to his memories from years past, the little fatty Xu Zhen hadn't changed all that much — though his eyes now carried traces that only the passage of time could leave.
Moreover, Xu Zhen had also advanced to the Eighth Order!
Dongguo Anping stepped forward, curious. "Junior Brother Yang, you know my martial nephew?"
Though both were Eighth Order and both came from Divine Cauldron Heaven, Dongguo Anping naturally outranked Xu Zhen in seniority. For martial artists of the same lineage, even those of comparable cultivation stood in different generational standings.
Yang Kai, on the other hand — though far younger than either of them — had earned his place among the likes of Mi Jinglun and Dongguo Anping simply by virtue of reaching the same level of power.
"Of course I know him. Senior Brother Xu and I, along with Hua Shang and the others, were all swept into the Great Ruins together. We went through quite the ordeal." Yang Kai explained.
Dongguo Anping immediately understood. Over the past ten thousand years, the Great Ruins had only appeared once. Xu Zhen had been caught up in it by chance that time, and so had Yang Kai. The two had formed their acquaintance then, which made perfect sense.
Later, during the Blood Demon Cave Heaven, Yang Kai and Xu Zhen had met again.
But ever since Yang Kai had departed for the Ink Battlefield, all contact had been lost.
When the Ink Clan invaded the Three Thousand Worlds and Yang Kai made a name for himself, Xu Zhen had certainly heard of it — but had never had the chance to meet him, until today's chance encounter here.
To construct the Ink-Repelling Platform, Divine Cauldron Heaven had dispatched no less than thirty percent of its sect's Artifact Refiners. It was only natural that the little fatty Xu Zhen would be among them.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xu Zhen cupped his fists. "Senior Uncle's arrival is timely. This Tiger's Roar seems to have some issue with its integration into the grand formation — it's not smooth and fluid enough. I'd ask Senior Uncle to investigate the cause."
Dongguo Anping naturally took charge, stepping forward. "Let me take a look."
With that, he walked up to the Tiger's Roar and carefully inspected it, quickly identifying the root of the problem. However, rather than fixing it himself, he offered patient instruction, guiding Xu Zhen and the others through the corrective process.
This, in its own way, was a form of teaching by example.