Chapter 227: Chapter 200: Li Xuerou’s Strength and the Situation in Yani Country

His total Divine Sense far exceeded what was required to form these few Divine Sense Threads. He had already met the foundational requirements; the key now was to train his multitasking and fine control.

He planned to focus at least seventy percent of his Magic cultivation over the next two years on the Thousand Threads Technique. The goal was clear: within two years, increase the number of his Divine Sense Threads from nine to eighteen!

This not only meant he could control more and stronger Puppets simultaneously, but also that his control over each Puppet would become even more meticulous.

As for condensing Divine Sense Threads beyond the eighteenth, the difficulty would increase. It would require a longer period of refinement, as well as Spiritual Soul Objects.

Second was the advancement of his Puppetry.

Puppetry was Lu Zhao’s greatest asset for survival and earning resources, so he naturally couldn’t afford to slack off.

His current success rate in refining Earth Vein Spirit Puppets was already close to fifty percent, making him a standout even among Tier One High-Grade puppet masters.

And the refining materials he had accumulated for the Red Fire Spirit Bird were enough to support more than thirty attempts.

Lu Zhao’s goal was to also increase his success rate in refining the Red Fire Spirit Bird to nearly fifty percent within two years!

He had to master the difficult process of refining Tier One High-Grade puppets and build a reliable success rate. Only then would he dare venture into the realm of Tier Two Puppets, where the costs were enormous and the price of failure was steep.

After all, Tier Two Spiritual Materials and Tier Two Demon Beast Remains were too precious to allow for any waste.

After years of continuous collection and more than a year of trading with the caravan, his material reserves were now abundant, enough to support his refining attempts.

Thinking of refining Puppets, a practical problem came to mind—sales.

Tier One High-Grade puppets were not cheap, often costing several hundred Spirit Stones, so their customer base was much smaller than that of Low-Tier Puppets. Although there was demand in the Bixia Sect Marketplace, the market share was limited and the competition was stiff.

He had previously relied mainly on the Spirit Puppet Tower for sales, but that channel was ultimately not stable or broad enough, and it was no longer sufficient for him.

’Looks like I need to ask Wang Hui how things are going.’ A thought stirred in Lu Zhao’s mind. His Divine Sense flickered, and he sent a Transmission Sound to Zhao Xiaoshu, who was standing guard outside his cave residence. "Little Shu, make a trip to the Bixia Marketplace and bring Wang Hui to see me."

"Yes, Senior!" Zhao Xiaoshu replied respectfully and set off at once.

「One day later.」

Wang Hui, led by Zhao Xiaoshu, stepped through the Bixia Sect Mountain Gate for the first time and arrived at Lu Zhao’s Spirit Qi-rich cave residence. She seemed a little reserved and curious.

"Uncle Lu." Wang Hui bowed respectfully. Compared to over a year ago, her aura was much calmer, and her Cultivation was impressively close to the Peak of Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

Lu Zhao sized her up and nodded slightly. "Not bad. It seems you haven’t been slacking. Your Cultivation has improved significantly."

A grateful expression appeared on Wang Hui’s face. "It’s all thanks to the Pills you’ve frequently bestowed upon me over the past year, Uncle Lu. Otherwise, there’s no way I could have made such progress."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lu Zhao got straight to the point. "How is the caravan business now? In a year, about how many Tier One High-Grade puppets can you sell?" He needed to understand the sales ceiling for his puppets in order to plan his future production volume.

Hearing this, a trace of nervousness appeared on Wang Hui’s face, but it quickly turned into determination. She pondered for a moment, seeming to make up her mind, then looked up at Lu Zhao and said through clenched teeth, "To answer you, Uncle Lu, if we go all out and expand without regard for cost, I’m confident I can sell six units a year!"

"Six units?" A flash of surprise crossed Lu Zhao’s eyes. This number exceeded his expectations.

It was no easy feat for a new caravan, established only a year ago, to consistently sell six Tier One High-Grade puppets annually. In a place like Chen Country, where the Puppet market was limited and mostly controlled by forces like the Spirit Puppet Tower, this amounted to a total value of several thousand Spirit Stones.

His first thought was that the caravan had opened up a market in a neighboring country. "You’ve opened a trade route to Yue Country?" Lu Zhao asked.

Wang Hui shook her head with a wry smile. "You must be joking, Uncle Lu. With our caravan’s current strength, how could we dare dream of trading in Yue Country? The journey is long and the risks are too great. The Tribulation Cultivators and Demon Beasts along the way... running into any one of those groups would make us lose everything."

"Oh? Then where did this number of six come from?" Lu Zhao grew even more curious.

Wang Hui explained, "Here’s what happened. Over the past few months, several large caravans from the northern Yani Country have suddenly appeared in the Bixia Marketplace. Their purchases are highly concentrated and in massive quantities. They’re buying Magical Artifacts, Talismans, Healing Elixirs, and Spirit Revival Pills for rapid Magic Power recovery. They’re practically cleaning out the stock, taking as much as they can get, and the prices are also slightly higher than normal."

She paused, a shrewd glint in her eyes. "I felt this was an opportunity, so I managed to get in touch with the Steward of one of the caravans."

"After a few conversations, I discovered they also have a significant demand for Puppets, especially Tier One High-Grade ones! So I negotiated with them and reached an agreement for a long-term supply. If it weren’t for this connection, I wouldn’t have dared to make such a bold claim about selling six units."

’Yani Country caravans? Purchasing large quantities of war materials and Puppets...’ Lu Zhao’s brow furrowed slightly. Wang Hui’s words instantly triggered a memory—his conversation back then on Black Bone Mountain with the Steward from the Zhuu Family’s caravan, which came from Fufeng County in Yani Country. The man had mentioned that the Yani Country’s border was unstable, with frequent and unusual Demon Beast activity...

’It seems the possibility of a Beast Tide breaking out over in Yani Country is growing higher and higher...’ Lu Zhao understood now.

Unless they were facing the threat of a large-scale war or a Beast Tide, these caravans would never cross borders to purchase such large quantities of consumable war supplies regardless of cost.

The prices of supplies within Yani Country itself had probably been driven so high that they had no choice but to travel all the way to Chen Country to make their purchases.

’However...’ Lu Zhao’s thoughts shifted. ’This might not be a bad thing for me.’ In times of chaos, the demand for "tools" like Puppets, which could replace Cultivators in battle and perform dangerous tasks, was bound to surge.

For example, the large-scale purchasing by these Yani Country caravans had just opened up a much larger market for the puppets he produced! As long as his puppets were of high quality, he wouldn’t have to worry about sales. The prices might even be higher than what he could get within Chen Country.

Having figured this out, Lu Zhao’s resolve firmed. He no longer hesitated. He took out a Storage Bag he had prepared earlier and tossed it to Wang Hui.

"Inside are eight Earth Vein Spirit Puppets, all Tier One High-Grade. Take them and sell them to those Yani Country caravans for five hundred Spirit Stones each." Lu Zhao’s tone was calm. "Remember, sell them only to them. For now, just maintain the current channels within Chen Country. There’s no need to deliberately expand."

Eight units! Five hundred Spirit Stones each! Wang Hui took the heavy Storage Bag, her heart pounding. This meant a massive transaction of four thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones!

This wasn’t just Lu Zhao’s trust in her abilities; it was also a heavy responsibility. She took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Rest assured, Uncle Lu! I will do my utmost and not let you down! I’ll be sure to get a good price for them!"

Lu Zhao nodded, then asked about some operational details of the caravan and offered a few words of encouragement to Wang Hui. She answered each question, her attitude growing even more respectful.

Half an hour later, Wang Hui left Lu Zhao’s cave residence with the Storage Bag and a heart full of motivation. She hurried back to the Marketplace, ready to complete this major transaction that would shape the caravan’s future.

Silence returned to the cave residence. The next two years would pass in the blink of an eye. He had to improve his strength and solidify his foundation as much as possible before the mandatory mission arrived.

Inside the cave residence, Spiritual Qi swirled. Lu Zhao’s aura gradually condensed, like a dormant dragon accumulating power for its impending transformation.

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.