Chapter 243: Chapter 211: Refining a Tier 2 Puppet, Roster Controversy

"Condense!"

Lu Zhao formed a series of hand seals, his Magical Power surging forth like a tide into the puppet’s shell. At the same time, his powerful Divine Sense transformed into countless slender, tenacious threads, which pierced precisely into the Demon Pill. He attempted to guide the rampaging Earth Element Demon Power within, following the technique recorded in the Hundred Refinements Technique. His goal was to connect it with the puppet’s Spiritual Pattern Veins and gradually construct the prototype of a controllable Puppet Core.

The power within the Demon Pill was like a slumbering beast that had been abruptly awakened; it instantly became incredibly violent! The earthy-yellow Demon Power furiously slammed against the restraints of the Divine Sense Threads, attempting to unleash a backlash.

Lu Zhao let out a muffled grunt. His face paled slightly, but his eyes remained sharp.

He pushed his True Water Spirit Transformation Technique to its limits, using his pure Water Magic Power to suppress and guide the energy. At the same time, his Divine Sense Threads wove a net, wrapping around the energy layer by layer. He painstakingly untangled the violent Demon Power, guiding it to flow along the inscribed Spirit Patterns.

It was an extremely dangerous tug-of-war, like steering a lone skiff through raging seas. Every violent surge of Demon Power sent tremors through Lu Zhao’s Divine Sense and Magical Power.

He had to maintain absolute focus at all times. The slightest lapse in concentration would mean all his efforts would be for naught, and he could even suffer a backlash.

「Another half a month passed.」

Inside the Artifact Refining Chamber, Lu Zhao’s face was pale and his aura was faint. Before him stood the Earth-Splitting Mountain Bear Puppet, its form complete, fur and skeleton intact. The Demon Pill was embedded in its core.

However, the Spirit Light around it was scattered, and most of the Runes inscribed on its shell were dim. The Demon Pill at its core had lost most of its Spiritual Charm, resembling a dust-covered stone. It had only the faintest connection to the puppet’s shell.

It was a failure.

Although he had expected it, seeing the result laid out before him still caused a ripple of emotion in Lu Zhao’s heart.

He sighed softly, his gaze sweeping over the puppet. It had cost him a great deal of effort, only to fail at the final hurdle. Yet, there was little frustration in his eyes. Instead, they held the glint of calm analysis.

’The Demon Pill’s power was too violent. When I tried to fuse it into the puppet, my coordination between guiding with Divine Sense and suppressing with Magical Power was still lacking. As a result, the Spiritual Pattern Veins failed to fully connect, and the construction of the Puppet Core failed...’

’The stability of the Spirit Patterns on the skeleton also needs to be improved. Some of the nodes collapsed under the assault of the Demon Power, exacerbating the loss of control...’ he muttered, summarizing the reasons for his failure like the strictest of artisans scrutinizing his own work.

He did not immediately start another attempt. For the next full month, Lu Zhao was completely immersed in a deep analysis of his failed refining process.

Over and over, he replayed every detail of the process in his Sea of Consciousness. He analyzed the critical point at which the Demon Power erupted, the optimal angle of entry for his Divine Sense Threads, the rhythm and intensity of his Magical Power output, and the weak points in the Spirit Pattern structure under high pressure.

He repeatedly ran simulations, making corrections, searching for the gap between theory and practice, and identifying the very limits of his own control.

After running through countless simulations in his mind and confirming he had learned all he could from his failure, Lu Zhao finally opened his eyes. All traces of exhaustion were gone, replaced by a rock-steady calm.

With a wave of his hand, he put away the remains of the Earth-Splitting Mountain Bear and took out another Demon Beast corpse—a Cyan-Eyed Green-Heart Wolf!

The wolf was not as large as the Earth-Splitting Mountain Bear, but its corpse was far better preserved. Its eyes, in particular, retained a faint, verdant glow, as if still holding all the cunning and ferocity the beast possessed in life.

Its Wind Attribute Demon Pill faintly emanated a sharp and nimble aura.

’This Demon Beast corpse isn’t ideal, but it will be easier to control than the Earth Element one. Plus, its compatibility with the schematics for the Jade Shadow Wolf Puppet is better...’ Lu Zhao thought, examining the materials as a new plan formed in his mind.

This time, he would attempt to create the Jade Shadow Wolf Puppet, and he had much higher hopes for the outcome.

While Lu Zhao explored the mysteries of Tier Two Puppets in his Artifact Refining Chamber, a commotion caused by his recent orders was just settling down outside Broken River Castle.

More than a month had passed. Led by the Hann, Xu, and Wang Families, along with the Qingyang and Red Fire Demon Hunting Teams—two major powers long established in the Broken River Plains—the required twenty-five-person team had finally been assembled for Lu Zhao.

The five Late-stage Qi Cultivators were each provided by one of the five major powers. The twenty Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivators were also drawn primarily from these five factions and their affiliates.

Now, these twenty-five chosen cultivators, led by the heads of their respective factions, were gathered outside the main gate of Broken River Castle.

Their expressions varied. Some were eager for the challenge, others were deeply worried, but most were simply uneasy. Venturing deep into the Wilderness to track a Tier Two Demon Beast was no different than licking blood from the edge of a blade.

Hann Song, Xu Kui, and Wang Zhen led the group to request an audience with the Lord Commander, but they were met only by a hurried Zhao Xiaoshu.

"Steward Zhao," Hann Song began, stepping forward as the group’s representative. He cupped his hands respectfully. "We have followed Elder Lu’s instructions and selected twenty-five capable people. We’ve come to report. Is Elder Lu available...?" His tone was polite but held a probing curiosity.

Zhao Xiaoshu’s expression was placid. He swept his gaze over the dense crowd and said indifferently, "Elder Lu is in seclusion refining a crucial item and cannot be disturbed. Before he began, he left instructions: if you are all prepared, there is no need to report. You may proceed directly into the Wilderness and carry out the mission."

At these words, the crowd outside the gate exchanged uneasy glances, and the atmosphere grew tense. They had made a grand show of assembling, expecting to at least meet the Commander, receive some final instructions, or perhaps even be given some life-saving talismans or promises. They never imagined they wouldn’t even see his face and would instead be sent off to their dangerous mission with a single, dismissive sentence.

The leader of the Red Fire Demon Hunting Team, a fierce-looking man with a scar across his face, couldn’t help but frown. "Steward Zhao, we certainly wouldn’t dare disturb Elder Lu during his seclusion. But this is a dangerous mission for my men. About those rewards on the Merit list..." He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, the meaning unmistakable.

Hearing this, the others also turned to look at Zhao Xiaoshu, their eyes filled with expectation.

Hearing this, the corner of Zhao Xiaoshu’s mouth lifted in a barely perceptible sneer. His gaze turned sharp as it swept over the scarred man and the other cultivators whose faces betrayed their greed. His voice turned cold. "Hmph! The mission hasn’t even begun, you haven’t achieved a single thing, and you’re already asking for handouts? Since when is anything in this world that easy!"

He paused, his tone filled with undeniable authority. "Elder Lu is a man of his word! You won’t be shorted a single thing on that list! But that’s only if you bring back actual results! Once you’ve confirmed the Demon Beast’s location and returned with useful intelligence, your deeds will be recorded in the Merit Record. What you can exchange for will be based on your accomplishments! But now? Do you have a single point of Merit to your name?"

"Even if I gave you an advance on the Merit points for the ’hardship’ of just showing up, how many points would that be? What could you possibly exchange them for?"

Zhao Xiaoshu’s words were like a bucket of cold water dumped on their heads, leaving the opportunistic cultivators looking embarrassed. The scarred man opened his mouth as if to argue, but Zhao Xiaoshu’s sharp glare forced him to back down.

"Elder Lu’s orders are perfectly clear: explore the depths of the Wilderness and find the exact location of the Tier Two Demon Beast, along with any relevant intelligence! That is what you should be concerned with!" Zhao Xiaoshu’s voice was firm and decisive. "Instead of daydreaming about rewards, you should be thinking about how to make it back alive and how to complete your mission successfully! Otherwise, it’s all just empty talk!"

With that, he ignored the mix of anger and shame on their faces, turned on his heel, and walked away. His figure quickly vanished through the castle gate, leaving the crowd of cultivators standing in disarray in the cold, early-winter wind.

Hann Song, Xu Kui, Wang Zhen, and the other leaders exchanged glances. They all saw the helplessness and flicker of annoyance in each other’s eyes, but above all, they felt the awkwardness of having their selfish thoughts so bluntly exposed.

It wasn’t that they didn’t know Zhao Xiaoshu was right. It’s just that in the face of unknown dangers, people instinctively seek some form of security and comfort. Now, that faint hope had been ruthlessly snuffed out.

"So be it," Hann Song sighed, addressing the crowd behind him as much as himself. "Steward Zhao’s words were harsh, but they were true."

"Elder Lu’s rules are laid out for all to see. If you want Merit, if you want the treasures on that list, you have to risk your lives and trade solid intelligence for them! Now, pull yourselves together! We assemble here tomorrow at 7:00 AM, and then we depart!"

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