Chapter 274: Chapter 227: Puppet Martial Artist, Wilderness Journey

"I was wondering... could he give it a try, too? He’s a fast learner. With an extra person, we could contribute more..." His voice trailed off, afraid of annoying Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao’s gaze swept over the young man named Xiaohu. The youth stood ramrod straight, his palms slick with sweat from nervousness, yet his eyes shone with yearning and a trace of defiance.

"He can." Lu Zhao nodded with barely a moment’s hesitation. To him, the initial loss of some common Spiritual Materials was nothing.

One more skilled Puppet Master meant more Sword Box Puppets and Long Blade Puppets. It meant arming the team to explore the Wilderness faster and accelerating the mining of Sharp Pattern Copper Ore. No matter how he did the math, it was a worthwhile trade. "The same terms apply. One Minor Merit for every ten puppets successfully crafted."

"Thank you, Elder Lu! Thank you for this immense kindness!" Elder Sunx was so moved he almost fell to his knees. Xiaohu quickly followed with a deep bow, his voice choked with emotion. "Thank you, Elder! I’ll work myself to the bone to learn and practice!"

Seeing the exchange, Zhao Xiaoshu immediately stepped forward. "I will take them to the Warehouse to get settled and explain the procedures."

Watching Zhao Xiaoshu lead the master and apprentice away, Lu Zhao turned and returned to his puppet-making workshop.

’That master and apprentice can’t be counted on just yet. It’s unrealistic to expect them to start crafting Sword Box Puppets and Long Blade Puppets immediately.’

Before the exploration team departed, he would have to step in and craft another batch of puppets to equip the core members.

He started by crafting Entry Tier Puppets, but this time he didn’t make thirty of them in one go like he did for the first batch.

The initial batch had been experimental in nature; he needed to observe their actual performance, which was why he had invested more heavily.

This time, the number of recruited Grand Martial Artists was larger, and the situation was more complex.

’Unless someone’s performance is truly outstanding, each person will be equipped with one Entry Tier Puppet at most.’ Lu Zhao had made up his mind.

’Resources must be concentrated, and a competitive system must be established. Only those who demonstrate sufficient value and achieve merit will be worthy of obtaining greater power. It is both an incentive and a form of control.’

「Seven or eight days into Lu Zhao’s secluded puppet crafting」

In a corner of the area outside the castle, temporarily designated for the Grand Martial Artists, the atmosphere inside a fairly spacious stone house was tense.

The Grand Martial Artist brought over by the Wang Family, Hee Yuanwu, broke the silence with a heavy sigh. "Ah, what a fool I was! When that fellow Old Deer was chosen, I actually laughed at him. I said, ’Why would a Cultivator ever genuinely help us Martial Artists? He’s probably just being used as cannon fodder!’"

"And what happened? Now he’s the famous ’Number One Puppet Martial Artist’! Isn’t he held in high regard wherever he goes? Now look at us..."

A good friend of his, another Grand Martial Artist named Shi Xuan, patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Hee, don’t be so down."

"Old Deer and the others just got a head start, that’s all. They’ve been to the Wilderness a few times already. But now our chance is here, isn’t it? As long as we go into the Wilderness and earn some merit, we’ll get noticed too! When that time comes, we might not be any worse off than him!"

Hee Yuanwu sighed again. "Opportunity... miss it by a step, and you’ll always be a step behind. Old Deer and the others have a lot of prestige among the Puppet Martial Artists now; they’ve practically formed their own clique. And us? We’re not even Puppet Martial Artists yet! The Wilderness is treacherous. Without an Entry Tier Puppet for protection, I feel completely unprepared!"

After Hee Yuanwu finished, Shi Xuan spoke up again. "Everyone! At the end of the day, being a ’Puppet Martial Artist’ is just about the power bestowed by Immortal Master Lu!"

"If we perform well in the Wilderness, earn merit, and catch Immortal Master Lu’s attention, who knows? If he’s pleased, he might just bestow upon us puppets that are even better than what Old Deer and his men have!"

"Those ten men just got a step ahead of us. I believe that as long as we can prove our own worth in the Wilderness, we too will eventually earn Immortal Master Lu’s favor!"

His words were forceful and resonant, instantly reigniting the fire in everyone’s hearts.

"Old Shi is right!"

"That’s right! No risk, no reward! This is our chance!"

In an instant, the somber atmosphere in the stone house was replaced by a fervent excitement. Fighting spirit burned in everyone’s eyes.

They cracked their knuckles, eager to enter the Wilderness and show what they were made of.

「Meanwhile, inside Broken River Castle」

In a newly prepared stone chamber piled high with all sorts of materials, the lights burned bright.

Elder Sunx and his apprentice, Xiaohu, were gathered around a simple workbench, completely absorbed in their work.

On the workbench, Elder Sunx held a Carving Knife in his aged hands, meticulously etching basic Spirit Patterns.

His movements were a bit unpracticed, but his focus was absolute, and fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

Beside him, Xiaohu was tasked with processing the Profound Iron. Following the blueprints, he used specialized tools to cut and polish the components for the Sword Box’s outer shell.

"Master, this connection point here... shouldn’t it be a little deeper?" Xiaohu asked in a low voice, pointing to a detail on the blueprint. His eyes were bloodshot, but he was practically buzzing with excitement.

Elder Sunx paused with his Carving Knife, leaned over to study the blueprint, then compared it to the pattern he had just etched. "Mm, you’re right." He picked up the knife again and carefully deepened the line.

"Master, Elder Lu is so generous," Xiaohu remarked, unable to hide his awe as he stared at the mountain of materials beside them. "All this Profound Iron and Ironwood... he’s just letting us use it freely. Back in the Demon Hunting Team, it was a struggle to find even a decent piece of wood to make a puppet."

Elder Sunx set down his Carving Knife and wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, his eyes full of emotion and reverence. "He is... Elder Lu is a truly great man."

"Xiaohu, remember this. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. We must seize it! We have to give it our all and learn to craft these two types of puppets as quickly as we can!"

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