Stepping out of his cultivation chamber, Mo Jian released a strong, powerful aura that radiated from his body.

This was the unmistakable aura of the Core Refining Realm, Stage 8.

Although the Evil Sect and the Vengeful Spirits had been subdued in both the Western Region and the Southern Region, he did not dare gamble on a fragile peace.

Thus, he decided not to suppress his cultivation and broke through to Stage 8.

Now, he only had a single stage to cross before he could begin attempting to become a Golden Core Expert.

In less than a year, he had moved from Mortal Rank-1 Warrior to Core Refining Warrior, Stage 8.

Such speed was unheard of across the continent, both in the present and in the past.

Taking a deep breath, he retracted his aura, and the signs of breakthrough vanished.

Outside his courtyard, the Old Withered Man stood proudly. He looked younger; his white hair had darkened.

As for the wrinkles on his face, like the bark of a withered tree, they had all vanished.

"How does it feel to become a Golden Core Expert?" Mo Jian's voice came from behind him.

"Young Master," the Old Withered Man called, bowing deeply.

Previously, he had been only serving Mo Jian because of the Blood and Soul contract between them.

But now, he was genuinely following him.

"I've told you not to stand guard." Mo Jian shook his head and walked past him.

"Young Master, it's my duty to protect you and not let anyone disturb you during your close-door training." The Old Withered Man spoke seriously.

Mo Jian did not bother to argue with him. Since the Old Withered Man had become a Golden Core Expert, he could feel that devotion had increased.

This was expected, but he did not point it out.

"Did anyone come to look for me during my close-door training?" he asked, shifting the topic.

"Yes, Elder Bai and Elder Luo Zhen came to see you."

"Very well. I'll go and see them immediately."

A few minutes later, Mo Jian arrived at the Industrial Complex. He headed to the newly created weapon workshop.

Inside the weapon workshop, artifact-refining disciples, runes disciples, and formation disciples were everywhere.

In the lead were the three elders responsible for the weapon.

"Young Master," a disciple called.

Instantly, everyone noticed Mo Jian's arrival. With a light nod, Mo Jian acknowledged everyone's greetings before he joined the three elders.

"Young Master, I'm glad you're out of your close-door training," Elder Bai said with a bright smile.

Mo Jian smiled. "I believed you're finished with the weapon refinement."

"Indeed, we're done," Elder Luo Zhen responded with a nod while smiling.

After the Southern Region situation stabilized, Mo Jian returned to the Western Region and gathered the three elders to prepare a regional protection weapon.

Elder Han Gang, who had been participating only in a joint project, was stunned and confused when he heard about the regional protection weapon.

When he and everyone else saw the weapon designed for regional protection, they were astonished.

The weapon would be over ten meters tall, with thousands of intricate runes. More importantly, Mo Jian had used a term that stunned them: the weapon parts must be modular.

Confused by the term modular, Mo Jian took his time to explain it to them. When they understood its meaning, they realized the weapon's difficulty had risen by several levels.

Apart from the refinement and runes engravement, the weapon needed to be secured with a powerful formation.

Mo Jian required a Peak Tier-3, leaning toward Half-step into Tier-4 Formation.

The weight of the project pressed heavily on Elder Luo Zhen and Elder Han Gang.

This was unlike anything they had done before. It required deep concentration and creativity.

Under the pressure, the two elders broke through to Golden Core Realm, increasing the number of Golden Core Experts in Dust Valley Sect.

With three Golden Core Experts working together, supported by Mo Jian, they achieved remarkable focus.

The Regional Base Weapon was completed after a month.

"I knew I could depend on you," Mo Jian said with a smile.

"Young Master, this way," Elder Bai Delan gestured for him to follow.

Eagerly, he was led to the inner part of the workshop.

Inside, Mo Jian's eyes fell on the gleaming black weapon. Its imposing presence sent a chill down the spine of anyone who looked at it.

Because of the high-tier runes, the weapon exuded an aura of power, comparable to a Tier-3 beast—almost close to Tier-4.

It stood over ten meters tall, with runes pulsating with energy. Its long turret-like form gave an impression of devastation.

"Impressive!" Mo Jian nodded, pleased with what he was seeing.

"How about its target system?" he asked.

That was the most important part.

"Young Master, we've combined Thermal Runes and Life-Force Runes to detect enemies—much like a Qi Sensing Compass."

"It could detect any threat within a ten-kilometer radius," Elder Bai Delan explained with pride.

Mo Jian nodded.

With the Thermal and Life-Force Runes working together, it would be virtually impossible for their enemies to sneak into their territory undetected.

Although there were some areas that could be improved in the future, for now, they had a solid design.

"What about energy consumption?"

Elder Luo Zhen answered. "Young Master, if we use the Fire Spirit Stone, we need ten thousand for a single shot. But with spirit stones, we need ten thousand middle-grade stones for a single shot."

Mo Jian nodded. The range was still acceptable. This was a weapon designed to kill those beyond the Golden Core Realm. It would undoubtedly be energy-intensive.

However, he was not ready to spend his hard-earned spirit stones yet.

His plan was to install the regional-based weapon at a location near a spiritual vein—the vein would serve as an inexhaustible power source.

"Let's give it a test. I want to see its power," Mo Jian said, his eyes alight with anticipation.

Their region might be the weakest of the three, but their knowledge was the highest, and with that, he would change the status quo.

"Young Master, we've already prepared a testing site," Elder Bai Delan replied.

"Oh, where?"

"The Blade Wind Mountain Range."

"Very well. I can't wait to see its power," Mo Jian nodded, pleased with their decision.

As long as the power was sufficient, they would be able to face whatever storm was brewing on the continent.