According to his experience, not only is the cultivation of the fourth mortal coil the minimum requirement to learn the vessel sigil techniques, but it is only the geniuses that will manage to learn them and activate them at the fourth mortal coil.
It is those geniuses who have a good chance of successfully advancing to the fifth mortal coil. Of the total of 28 golden core cultivators in the sect that he is aware of, only four of them have learned one of the vessel sigil techniques.
Of these four, he knows two of them. These two are Pink Ivy and Void Claw. They are also the only two golden core cultivators in the sect other than him that forged a perfect core.
He doesn't know the identity of the other two that have learned the vessel sigil techniques, but he knows for sure that only these four have learned the vessel sigil techniques because once one is capable of activating them, a permanent mark and sigil will appear on their forehead.
That mark, or sigil, as it is called, is the best indicator of those who have learned the vessel sigil techniques. Earlier today during the council meeting, he saw the sigils on the foreheads of four of the golden core cultivators in attendance, which means that only those four have learned them.
The fact that the two people with perfect golden cores have also learned the vessel sigil techniques has basically confirmed that the next two slots for the people who will break through to the fifth mortal coil have been filled.
Once the people who are currently making the attempt to advance have been confirmed dead or successful, Pink Ivy and Void Claw will be able to be next in line to make their own attempt. The same will be the case if the sect gets access to extra resources to sponsor an extra person.
As for the third slot in line, that position should belong to him as the third golden core cultivator in the sect with a perfect core. But that isn't set in stone. Something can happen to change that.
If, when the opportunity comes, he hasn't reached the peak of the fourth mortal coil and learned a sigil technique, the opportunity will have to be given to someone else who has cultivated the vessel sigil technique.
This is why he has to prioritize learning the vessel sigil techniques above learning the Space Blink spell even though he is very interested in learning this new spell and finally achieving the truth that he was pursuing earlier.
The Space Blink spell is the higher truth that its pursuit made him begin the process of advancing to the fifth mortal coil. This is the only spell that he didn't get directly from the sect.
The process was interrupted, and he doubted he would have completed it before his golden core dried up. But the effort and risk that he went through during the process was not in vain. He gained a rank 6 spell from it.
He is very proud of this spell and would like to learn it to be able to use it. But he can't for now because he wants to learn the sigil techniques first and because he doesn't want to be enlightened and restart the process of advancing to the fifth mortal coil.
Now that he is within the safety of his abode, if he begins advancing to the fifth mortal coil again, no one would notice, and he would likely die in his cultivation room. In order to avoid this, he wants to wait until he advances to the fifth mortal coil to attempt learning the Space Blink Spell.
Also, in case he can't use the newer internal method to advance to the fifth mortal coil, he wants to have another option tucked away to fall back on. The Space Blink spell will be that option for him.
Patriarch Thunder Drake had said that the chances of success with the external method are low. Even if that is right, it is better than not having any chance whatsoever.
With this decision made, he returned his attention to his ongoing project. That ongoing project is still the formation breaker.
He is still in the designing phase, and it would take him some time to complete it. In fact, he is still in the research phase and hasn't started the designing phase properly.
It is only when he is done with the research into computers, formation treasures, and artificial intelligence that he will be able to design something that incorporates the attributes of all three properly.
Once there is a good design, he will shift into making prototypes and testing them to work out the kinks. Then after a series of intensive testing, the final product will be ready.
All of these things will take time. But he doesn't feel anxious for success, and he is not in a rush either.
He doesn't think it will take 100 years, but he doesn't mind spending that much time to complete the project. This could be because he has changed and evolved from being a human or because he has a lot of lifespan to spare or both. Either way, it is a good thing for him.
He would have loved to hole himself up in his place until he was done with his project. Unfortunately, he is now a golden core cultivator and has a duty to complete for the sect.
The exchange program was to start in three months. So he will have to leave his seclusion after three months. This made him grumble for a while, but he quickly forgot about it after he got to work reading.
Time passed quickly when one was having fun. Arthur didn't even notice that three months had gone by until his ID card rang to update him about the situation of the exchange program.
He was told that due to some inconveniences, the exchange program was postponed to three months later. He was very happy to receive this message and quickly returned to doing his research.