Chapter 91: Chapter 90: Strength, Divine Sense

Lu Zhao let out a low shout, activating the artifact with his will. Above the Magic Disc, seven Ice Cones instantly took shape! Each was about a foot long, perfectly translucent, and emanated a bone-chilling Cold Qi. The tips of the cones pulsed with a cold glint, their sharpness peerless.

"Go!"

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Seven streaks of eerie blue light tore through the air with a piercing shriek, slamming viciously into the rock face!

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The moment they made contact, the incredibly hard, grayish-black rock face exploded! The solid rock, as fragile as rotten wood, was blasted into huge, deep craters by the furious Ice Power. Shards of stone shot out in all directions like a torrential downpour, carried by a fierce wind. They clattered against the surrounding cliffs, kicking up a cloud of dust that filled the air.

A series of muffled impacts followed. The hard rock face had been pierced as easily as tofu, leaving seven bottomless holes with mirror-smooth edges.

Lu Zhao swept the area with his Divine Sense and was inwardly shaken. ’Those seven Ice Cones actually burrowed nearly ten zhang deep into the rock wall! This level of power is already comparable to a full-force strike from an ordinary Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer cultivator wielding a Tier One High-Grade Spiritual Artifact! The enhancement a Tier One High-Grade Magic Disc provides for magic is truly terrifying.’

Next, Lu Zhao’s gaze hardened. ’Time to test my strongest attack!’

"Thousand Overlapping Waves Skill!"

VMMMM!

The Hundred Waters Magic Disc trembled violently, its center transforming into what looked like a miniature whirlpool in a raging sea. Lu Zhao’s hands formed seals as he focused his Divine Sense. Eight pale blue Water Spirit Ripples materialized before him, rapidly stacking one upon the other. They finally converged into a deep blue Water Blade, only about a foot wide but so condensed it was nearly solid.

"Sever!"

At Lu Zhao’s sharp command, the deep blue Water Blade shot forward without a sound. It was so fast it left only a faint blue afterimage in its wake.

FSSSH!

An almost imperceptible, yet skin-crawling, slicing sound echoed.

The Water Blade sank unopposed into a massive, protruding boulder at the cliff’s peak—a rock dozens of zhang in circumference. The next moment, the top half of the colossal, immeasurably heavy rock began to slide slowly along the cut. It crashed into the valley below with a thunderous BOOM, kicking up a sky-blotting cloud of dust!

The surface of the cut was as smooth as a mirror, as if sliced in an instant by a Divine Weapon.

Lu Zhao stared at the smooth surface of the cut and, despite being prepared, couldn’t help but gasp. ’This power... it’s probably reached the very limit of the Qi Cultivation Stage! It’s only a bit weaker than the Small Thunder Shock Talisman I used to save my life on Qixia Slope. Even a Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer cultivator would likely not survive this attack unless they had some special technique or a Tier One Top Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact!’

’Without my even realizing it, my power has already reached this level...’ Lu Zhao stroked the cool Magic Disc in his hand, overcome with emotion. ’With my Magical Artifacts, Magic, and the few Tier One Middle-Grade Puppets in my Storage Bag, my strength is now undoubtedly among the absolute elite of the Qi Cultivation Stage.’

Satisfied with the test of his new Magic Disc, Lu Zhao returned to Guiyun Residence. His next goal was clear and firm: consume all his remaining Nourishing Spirit Pills and focus all his effort on forming the fifth and sixth Divine Sense Threads.

「One month later, in the Quiet Chamber at Guiyun Residence.」

Lu Zhao slowly rose from the Cold Jade Couch, a flicker of irrepressible joy crossing his otherwise placid face.

More than twenty days ago, upon taking the third Nourishing Spirit Pill, he had broken through the invisible barrier preventing the formation of his fifth Divine Sense Thread. It had happened as naturally as water carving a channel. The range of his Divine Sense had instantly surpassed the seventy-zhang mark, and his Perception had grown even sharper and more subtle.

In the twenty-odd days that followed, he had worked relentlessly, taking the fourth, fifth, and sixth Nourishing Spirit Pills in succession.

The Medicinal Power of the Nourishing Spirit Pills was like a welcome rain, continuously nourishing and strengthening his Sea of Consciousness. The range of his Divine Sense steadily increased from sixty zhang all the way to seventy-five, and this enhancement brought his perception of Spiritual Qi and his control over his own Magical Power to new heights. However, the sixth Divine Sense Thread remained elusive, like trying to see a flower through a thick fog; it refused to condense and take form.

Just when Lu Zhao had resigned himself to failure, thinking that even the seventh Pill would be ineffective, the final Nourishing Spirit Pill gave him a massive surprise.

Perhaps it was the result of long accumulation, or perhaps it was simply a stroke of luck. But as the gentle Medicinal Power once again flooded the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, an unprecedented sensation of condensation washed over him. His previously scattered yet vast Power of Divine Sense, guided by some mysterious force, began to rapidly gather, compress, and transform—like a hundred rivers flowing home to the sea. Finally, a new Divine Sense Thread, one with greater tenacity and agility than the previous five, came into being with perfect clarity within his Sea of Consciousness.

The sixth Divine Sense Thread!

The range of his Divine Sense expanded once more, stabilizing at a solid eighty zhang. Beyond the increased range, the precision of his Perception and the flexibility of his control had also taken a qualitative leap forward. This would be a massive help for his puppet refining!

Amidst his joy at having formed the sixth Divine Sense Thread, he also keenly perceived that the medicinal effects of the final Nourishing Spirit Pill had been far less pronounced than the previous ones.

He understood. The nourishing effect of this Pill on his Divine Sense had nearly reached a saturation point. To form a seventh, eighth, or even ninth Divine Sense Thread, he would either have to rely on the slow-and-steady Water Grinding Skill over long years, tempering his Divine Sense day after day, or he would need to find higher-grade Pills or Treasures of Heaven and Earth that were more potent at nourishing the Divine Sense. And the quantity required for the latter would likely be astonishing, far beyond what a few Nourishing Spirit Pills could provide.

’So be it. I shouldn’t bite off more than I can chew,’ Lu Zhao thought, quickly calming his mind and making a decision. ’With Six Paths Divine Silk, the strength of my Divine Sense is already among the top tier in the Qi Cultivation Stage, enough to handle most situations. The cultivation of the Thousand Threads Technique will have to be shelved for now. For the next few years, advancing my Cultivation and improving my Puppetry must be my absolute top priorities!’

His gaze sharpened. The five-year deadline seemed long, but it was actually quite tight for his goal of becoming a Tier One High-Grade puppet master. ’If I just follow the usual steps and play by the rules,’ he thought, ’in five years, forget reaching Tier One High-Grade—I won’t even be able to touch the threshold.’

"I can’t wait any longer," Lu Zhao muttered, a look of grim determination in his eyes. "The Water Spirit Turtle Puppet... It’s time to try again."

True, with his current skill in Puppetry, forcing himself to refine the Water Spirit Turtle Puppet—one of the more difficult Tier One Middle-Grade Puppets—was extremely risky. He would most likely lose a great deal of Spirit Stones in the process. But he was no longer willing to wait. He needed a high-stakes challenge like this to hone his Puppetry, and he was willing to pay the price, even if it cost him a fortune in Spirit Stones.

Besides, he had spent the last two years gathering information about joining the Bixia Sect. He knew that beyond the strict requirements for age and Cultivation, possessing a profound skill in one of the Cultivation Hundred Arts—especially a rare art like Puppetry—would be a significant advantage. Improving his Puppetry was imperative.

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