Chapter 244: Chapter 212: Rank 2 Puppet Master, Traces of a Rank 2 Demon Beast

「Two months later.」

Inside the Artifact Refining Chamber, the air was heavy and still, thick with the pungent stench of burning and incinerated Spiritual Materials. Lu Zhao sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, a pile of charred, twisted, wolf-shaped components with shattered Spirit Patterns scattered before him. A few wisps of smoke curled up from the broken joints.

The Jade Shadow Wolf Puppet.

He had failed again.

Lu Zhao’s face was expressionless, but his eyes were as deep as a Cold Pool, and within their depths churned an indescribable frustration and a hint of indignation.

His fingertips absentmindedly rubbed a bluish-black wolf’s claw bone with charred edges. The lingering Fierce Aura of the Tier Two Demon Wolf on it now seemed to be silently mocking him.

He was so close.

So incredibly close.

The Demon Pill Fusion was ninety-nine percent complete. But at the last moment, due to an imperceptible fluctuation in his Divine Sense, the final connecting Wind Shadow Pattern spun out of control. The rampaging Wind Spiritual Power instantly tore apart the still-unstable Puppet Core, causing the entire Puppet’s body to detonate along with it.

His first failure was due to the Puppet Body’s insufficient strength and his own inexperience. This time, however, he had stumbled at the final threshold.

The threshold to becoming a Tier Two Puppet Master was even higher than he had anticipated. Every failure meant that vast amounts of Spiritual Materials and hard work had gone down the drain. Worse, it meant the degradation of that precious Demon Pill.

He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling, as he tried to forcibly suppress the frustration that had built up inside him.

But the cold air that filled his lungs failed to extinguish the fire of agitation in his heart. He knew his Heart Spirit was unsettled; forcing himself to continue now would only lead to him repeating his mistakes.

HUUUU...

A long exhale echoed in the silent chamber. Lu Zhao slowly closed his eyes. The circulation path of the True Water Spirit Transformation Skill appeared clearly in his Sea of Consciousness. Like a gentle stream, his cool Water Element Magical Power began the arduous task of cleansing the meridians that had grown sluggish from his failure, soothing his agitated Heart Spirit.

Half a day slipped by in silent meditation. When Lu Zhao opened his eyes again, the turbulence in them had subsided, but a lingering trace of gloom remained settled in their depths.

He decided he wouldn’t work on Puppets for a while. At least, not today.

He rose, and with a sweep of his sleeve, stored away the pile of failed wreckage on the floor. Lu Zhao then pushed open the heavy stone door and left the oppressive Artifact Refining Chamber.

Light from the outside flooded in, carrying the unique air of Broken River Castle and slightly reviving his spirits.

"Zhao Xiaoshu." Lu Zhao’s voice was not loud, but it carried clearly.

A moment later, Zhao Xiaoshu appeared at the end of the corridor. He hurried over and bowed respectfully. "Senior."

Lu Zhao looked at him and asked directly, "Have the teams sent to the Barbaric Land to search for new Demon Beasts departed yet?"

"To answer your question, Senior," Zhao Xiaoshu replied with his head lowered, "two months ago, the five teams organized by the Hann, Xu, Wang, and two other families departed as you instructed. They have gone to explore the deeper regions of the Broken River Plains."

"Has any news come back?" Lu Zhao pressed, his tone flat, betraying little emotion.

Zhao Xiaoshu shook his head. "There has been no news so far."

Lu Zhao showed no surprise at this. He nodded, having already anticipated this outcome.

’Tier Two Demon Beasts, especially valuable ones with reliable intelligence, are not so easy to find,’ he thought.

The clues Hann Song and the others had provided were the culmination of centuries of exploration by multiple generations, all risking their lives at every turn.

Trying to open up new sources of intelligence in a stranger, more dangerous region was tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack. It would be perfectly normal to hear nothing for a year or even two.

"Mm," Lu Zhao grunted. "Keep monitoring the situation. Report any news to me immediately, no matter how minor."

"Yes, I understand," Zhao Xiaoshu promised solemnly. Seeing that Lu Zhao had no further orders, he bowed and withdrew.

Watching Zhao Xiaoshu’s retreating back, Lu Zhao stood in the empty corridor and, for a moment, felt a sense of aimlessness.

The castle’s affairs were managed by the ordinary Outer Sect Stewards, so he didn’t need to concern himself with them.

Cultivation could not be accomplished in a single day. Refining his Magic also required a calm mind.

He didn’t want to touch his Puppets at the moment. He had come outside to clear his head and dispel the gloom from his failed refining attempt, but he found there was nowhere in all of Broken River Castle that could truly put his Heart Spirit at ease.

It wasn’t that he truly had nothing to do, of course.

It was just that the tasks requiring immense time and energy were impossible to focus on, given the restless state of mind his failure had left him in.

He needed something that could offer a brief comfort to his Heart Spirit.

As a thought crossed his mind, Lu Zhao’s gaze fell upon an inconspicuous Beast Taming Bag at his waist. An idea formed, and he reached up to untie it.

The mouth of the bag flashed faintly. A brilliant golden figure, accompanied by a clear, melodious cry, suddenly appeared before him.

It was the Golden Feather Bird!

Seven or eight years had passed. The once-wild little creature now boasted a wingspan approaching twenty feet. Each of its feathers looked as if it were forged from pure gold, and they shimmered with a dazzling radiance even in the castle’s dim light.

The aura it emanated was now strikingly close to Tier One Peak; it was just a single step away from a breakthrough. Over the past seven or eight years, Lu Zhao had never been stingy, feeding it High Tier Gold and Iron Spiritual Materials like they were mere snacks. The results were outstanding.

Looking at the magnificent Golden Feather Bird before him, Lu Zhao’s tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed a little, and a rare smile touched the corners of his lips.

"Little guy, looks like feeding you all that good stuff wasn’t a waste after all," Lu Zhao said, extending his hand.

The Golden Feather Bird tilted its head, its intelligent eyes sparkling with affection and joy. It seemed to sense its master’s foul mood. With a soft cry, it folded its wings and landed lightly near Lu Zhao.

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