Chapter 193: Chapter 176: Cultivation, Earth Vein Spirit Puppet

Zhao Xiaoshu had been cultivating. At the sound of the voice, his expression tensed. He immediately rose and replied, "Yes, Senior!" then quickly made his way toward the sound.

The main door opened without a sound. He stepped into the Quiet Chamber, stopping respectfully three paces before Lu Zhao’s meditation cushion. "Senior, what are your instructions?" He lowered his head to await orders, his posture meticulous.

Lu Zhao took out a Blank Jade Scroll he had prepared earlier. He focused his Divine Sense into his fingertip, where a speck of brilliant white light began to flow. A moment later, he had imprinted the list of required materials into the scroll.

He then took out a bulging Spirit Stone Bag containing five thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones. He tossed both the Jade Scroll and the Spirit Stone Bag to Zhao Xiaoshu.

"The Jade Scroll contains a list of two materials: Earth Vein Crystals and Tier One Middle-Grade Earth Spirit Iron," Lu Zhao instructed in a low voice. "First, go to the Spirit Puppet Tower and see if you can purchase everything. If they don’t have enough, then visit the large, well-established shops in the Bixia Marketplace one by one. Remember, you must seek out items of top-notch quality."

He paused, his tone growing more serious. "If you still can’t gather enough from all the shops in the Marketplace..." He then took out another token—his Inner Sect Steward Identity Jade Token—and handed it over. "Then take this Jade Token to the Merit Hall and use my Merit to directly exchange for the rest! No matter what, you must gather the full amount. Not a single item can be missing!"

Zhao Xiaoshu solemnly accepted the Jade Scroll, the Spirit Stone Bag, and the heavy Token with both hands, feeling the weight of responsibility like a mountain on his shoulders. He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and declared in a clear voice, "Please rest assured, Senior! Little Shu understands what’s at stake and will do everything in my power to handle this as quickly as possible!" With that, he gave a deep bow, turned, and strode out, his figure soon vanishing from the cave residence.

Once the Quiet Chamber fell silent again, with only the faint whisper of flowing Spiritual Qi remaining, Lu Zhao hesitated no longer. He took out a bottle of Water Jade Green Radiance Pills, removed the small jade stopper, and tipped out a Treasure Pill. It was the size of a longan fruit and shimmered with a dewy luster.

The Pill dissolved the moment it entered his mouth. A gentle yet immense wave of Water Element Spiritual Power, like a torrent from a burst dam, surged through the meridians in his limbs and torso. It was far vaster and purer than that of any Qi Cultivation Pill! He dared not be careless. He instantly focused his Heart Spirit and began to circulate the True Water Spirit Transformation Skill with all his might.

The liquid True Essence within his Dantian Qi Sea began to slowly rotate, forming an invisible vortex that absorbed, smelted, and assimilated the surging, pure Medicinal Power, strand by strand...

In cultivation, one loses all track of the passing years. An entire half-month slipped by quietly while he was deep in Meditation.

When Lu Zhao opened his eyes again, a brilliant Water Light flashed in their depths and vanished. The aura surrounding him had grown a fraction deeper.

The very instant his cultivation session ended and his aura pulsed outward, Zhao Xiaoshu’s clear, respectful voice sounded from outside the Quiet Chamber. "Senior, have you finished your seclusion? I have prepared all the materials."

Lu Zhao waved his hand, deactivating the Array Restriction from afar. Seeing this, Zhao Xiaoshu entered the Quiet Chamber. His steps were light, and he did his utmost to remain silent. His face bore a subtle trace of fatigue, but more prominent was the relief of having completed his mission. He bowed his head respectfully and said:

"Reporting to you, Senior. As you instructed, I first went to the Spirit Puppet Tower to ask Shopkeeper Lin. After learning he could only provide a portion of the materials, I went to several other shops."

"With the combined effort of a few shops in the Marketplace—Thick Earth Workshop, Yuncai Pavilion, and others—we managed to gather everything after quite some trouble. We collected a total of thirty high-quality Earth Vein Crystals and a full ten thousand catties of Tier One Middle-Grade Refined Earth Spirit Iron!"

"The total cost was four thousand, seven hundred and thirty-two Lower Grade Spirit Stones. The rest are here." He presented a bag containing the remaining Spirit Stones along with Lu Zhao’s Identity Jade Token. Simultaneously, two piles of materials appeared silently on the green flagstone floor in the corner, glowing faintly with Spirit Light and emitting a deep, earthy aura.

Lu Zhao’s gaze swept over the pile of Earth Vein Crystals with their distinct patterns and the dark, heavy Earth Spirit Iron Ingots. He gave an almost imperceptible nod, his voice tinged with approval. "Yes, very well done. Much faster than I anticipated."

A flash of gratitude and excitement crossed Zhao Xiaoshu’s face at Lu Zhao’s praise. He replied humbly, "I was only able to do it thanks to your reputation, Senior. As soon as the Stewards at the major shops in the Marketplace heard the items were for an Inner Sect Steward of the Bixia Sect, none of them dared to delay. They sourced the goods more than ten times faster than usual!" His tone was earnest. Clearly, the past half-month’s experience had given him a much deeper appreciation for the weight Lu Zhao’s status carried within the Sect’s territory.

Seeing that he had handled the task with diligence and foresight, and that his thinking was quite astute, Lu Zhao found himself in a good mood. He reached into the Storage Bag at his waist.

A soft, pale blue radiance lit up the Quiet Chamber as a Magical Artifact appeared in his hand. It was an Arm Bracelet, cleverly crafted from several segments of a peculiar Blue Jade linked together with some kind of dark blue metal.

Several translucent Water-Repelling Beads on the Magical Artifact emitted a gentle halo, and the faint image of a pale blue Water Curtain seemed to flow around it. It was clearly a Tier One Middle-Grade Magical Artifact.

"This is called the Jade Wave Ring. It’s useful for both attack and defense and can ward off ordinary water and fire," Lu Zhao said, casually tossing it to Zhao Xiaoshu. "A reward for you. Keep up the diligent work, and there will be no end to your opportunities and benefits in the future."

Zhao Xiaoshu was first caught off guard by the Magical Artifact, then stunned, and then immediately overwhelmed by immense joy. He fumbled to catch the brilliant Arm Bracelet, holding it carefully with both hands.

The Magical Artifact was cool to the touch. A stream of gentle, pure Water Spirit Qi flowed up his arm and into his meridians, instantly invigorating him. The feeling of power it contained far surpassed any of his personal belongings!

Zhao Xiaoshu’s hands trembled, his face flushed with excitement, and his voice quivered with unconcealed joy. "Thank you for your generous gift, Senior! Such a Treasure... I... I..." He abruptly dropped to the ground and performed the most solemn kowtow. "Little Shu will dedicate his life to you and swear to follow you until death!"

Seeing his genuine reaction, Lu Zhao smiled faintly. "Alright, that’s enough. You may go. Refine this ring, cultivate diligently, and do not let it go to waste."

"Yes! I will take your teachings to heart, Senior! I will not dare to slack off!" Zhao Xiaoshu bowed deeply once more before rising, his excitement palpable. Cradling the ring as if it were a priceless treasure, he backed slowly out of the Quiet Chamber, looking back with every step.

When the stone door closed once more, the Quiet Chamber returned to its profound silence. Lu Zhao’s gaze fell upon the two massive "hills" in the corner, almost as if it had physical substance. Thirty Earth Vein Crystals and ten thousand catties of Refined Spirit Iron! The total value was nearly five thousand Spirit Stones! This hefty sum was the price he had to pay to advance to a higher tier of Puppetry.

He took a long, silent breath, completely expelling the stray thoughts that had accumulated during his half-month of meditation. In an instant, his Heart Spirit became as placid as still water.

Then, with a slight flicker of his Divine Thought, one of the Earth Vein Crystals flew into his hand. It was entirely ochre, about the size of an infant’s fist, and within it, one could faintly see complex patterns like mountain ranges and ravines.

As he held the crystal, a thick, warm Earth Spirit Qi seeped through his fingertips. At the same moment, a Carving Knife of the Middle-Grade Magical Artifact Level appeared in his other hand.

Lu Zhao held the Carving Knife steady, hovering between the index and middle fingers of his right hand. With a gentle flick, the tip of the knife quivered almost imperceptibly before touching down on the crystal’s rough, cold surface as lightly as a goose feather.

Lu Zhao’s eyes instantly grew as sharp as needles. His Divine Sense became an intangible ruler, probing deep inside the crystal. He followed its natural, earth-pulse-like veins, focusing his entire being on etching the first of the incredibly complex and profound Core Spirit Patterns...

Time flowed on, measured by Lu Zhao’s boundless focus and the micrometer movements of his knife. The only sound in the cave residence was the faint, whisper-thin SCRAPE of the blade on crystal, like the rustle of a light drizzle falling on dry earth.

Although Lu Zhao’s Puppetry skills were far beyond what they once were, failure was still inevitable. The slightest error—an unstable infusion of Spiritual Power, a fractional deviation in the precision of a pattern—and the entire unfinished Puppet would instantly disintegrate. The Earth Vein Crystal and Spirit Iron, into which he had poured so much effort, would immediately lose their spirituality, turning into worthless scrap.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.