Chapter 144: Advancement of the Golden Puppet

It was another busy day. That night, Liu Junhuai brought Mo Sitong into the Myriad Form Tower.

Two disciples of the Myriad Form Sect were now in need of planting spiritual roots, making the refinement of Earth Spirit Pills imperative.

Taking out the only two Galan Sea-buckthorns he possessed, Liu Junhuai felt a pang of reluctance. It seemed that gathering spiritual herbs needed to be put on the agenda. With the rapid increase of disciples in the Myriad Form Sect, Mo Sitong's elixirs had to be prepared well in advance so that he could free up more time for himself.

Seeing Liu Junhuai's reluctant expression, the old steward chuckled, "Do you finally realize the preciousness of spiritual herbs? The Western Region is inherently a barren land for cultivation resources. Now that the Myriad Form Sect is gradually getting on the right track, the Master should travel around, arrange everything in the cultivation world before entering the Void Refinement stage, and seclude himself for a period of time. That is very necessary, as there is a heaven-sent difference between the upper and middle realms."

Liu Junhuai deeply agreed and quickly set up a time array and a spirit-gathering array for Mo Sitong to help her smoothly advance to a level-seven alchemist.

Calling the old steward aside, he detailed the phenomenon he experienced when advancing to the late Core Formation stage. A look of solemnity appeared on the old steward's face. "That means the Master communicated with the regional passages of heaven and earth in advance, allowing the heavens to perceive your aura. The pros and cons of this cannot be underestimated.

"Cultivating immortality and longevity is a heaven-defying act that seizes the fortune of creation, and it will be subject to the checks and tests of heavenly tribulations. The path of ascension is extremely rugged and difficult to walk, but old me has never heard of a mere Core Formation cultivator like the Master welcoming a pseudo-tribulation. The downside is that the Master's aura has likely been marked by the heavens in the ledger of tribulations, and every subsequent advancement will alert the ledger of tribulations to punish you.

"A heavenly tribulation is a trial. When a person does something that violates natural law, the heavens will inflict punishment or disaster. Just as cultivators truly act against the heavens, attempting to achieve true immortality with a mortal body, the heavens will send down a heavenly tribulation, which the Master cannot avoid.

"Where there are disadvantages, there are advantages. Knowing that the Master welcomed a lightning tribulation even with Core Formation cultivation, one can tell that your current strength is comparable to the mid-to-late Nascent Soul stage, and this is even without using your few secret techniques. The lightning elements in the lightning tribulation can temper your physical body, and every bolt of lightning can increase your lifespan by three to five years. Therefore, compared to the disadvantages, the Master's gains are greater. Of course, the risks will also become more intense."

Listening to the old steward's explanation with some intoxication, Liu Junhuai directly ignored the dangers brought by the heavenly tribulation. Since it could not be avoided, facing it with a calm and steady mindset was better.

"The Master has obtained the Lightning-Moving Eight Directions Art for some time now. Although it is only a metal-attribute earth-grade technique, it can absorb the metal-attribute spiritual Qi within the lightning. The Master will find it immensely useful for countering lightning strikes, almost equivalent to practicing under a heavenly tribulation. Why not do it?

"Although the quality of this Lightning-Moving Eight Directions Art is a bit low, practicing it to a profound level can also make the enemy feel as if they are consumed by heavenly lightning and slashed by lightning bolts. Before a higher-tier lightning technique can replace it, it is also a rare existence. As your various skills gradually become mastered and integrated, mixing this into the Lightning-Moving Eight Directions Art might bring unexpected surprises!"

Hearing this, Liu Junhuai suddenly thought of the golden puppet. "Steward, the golden puppet has completely faded away that layer of golden color. Can it help me fend off the heavenly tribulation when it arrives?"

The old steward said happily, "Master, quickly take it out and see to what extent it has been nurtured! It is a good thing; it can completely serve as one of your avatars. At a critical moment in battle, it is equivalent to two Masters!"

With a thought from Liu Junhuai, the golden puppet in his sea of consciousness appeared before the two with a swish. The previously dazzling golden light all over its body had transformed into the skin color of Liu Junhuai. Its body shape and appearance were also astonishingly similar to Liu Junhuai's, and even its surrounding aura gave Liu Junhuai a sense of familiarity. It seemed he could no longer call it a golden puppet in the future.

The old steward walked around the puppet several times, repeatedly calling it perfect, his excitement overflowing.

"As far as I know, puppets are also classified into levels, from low to high: earth puppets, blood puppets, spirit puppets, and immortal puppets. Earth puppets are the weakest, and the manufacturing method is simple, but their power is not great. Blood puppets are an upgraded version of earth puppets; the difference lies in the materials used to refine them. The better the materials, the stronger the refined blood puppet.

"The Master's puppet belongs to a spirit puppet, where the word 'spirit' encompasses the meaning of a spiritual artifact. The refining method of a spirit puppet is very harsh. First, it requires the skeleton of a cultivator as a foundation, supplemented by various precious materials to be refined, and the success rate is not very high. Once successfully refined, it possesses many powerful functions. One of them is the ability to evolve and enhance its strength. Once the Master can melt out three-star stone liquid and temper it further, reaching an immortal puppet should not be a problem."

Liu Junhuai nodded. With a thought, the golden sphere in his sea of consciousness began to spin rapidly. As a strand of heavenly divine sense seeped into a tiny slit between the puppet's eyebrows, the puppet began to perform the actions in Liu Junhuai's mind: lifting its leg, lowering its waist, jumping, turning in mid-air...

Although this was not the first time Liu Junhuai controlled it, the flexibility displayed by the evolved puppet still surprised him exceptionally.

Anxious, Liu Junhuai pulled the old steward into the trial space. He wanted to see which of his techniques this puppet could actually execute.

Liu Junhuai transmitted his thought to the golden sphere. As the golden sphere issued instructions to the puppet, the puppet unleashed a "Single Change Shattering Saber" toward the ground not far ahead. With a deafening roar, the place where the palm force landed turned into a depression tens of feet wide. Striking the ground continuously once again, every palm strike was that overbearing and terrifying Single Change Shattering Saber. At this moment, the entire trial space echoed with those roaring sounds like muffled thunder.

Liu Junhuai clicked his tongue inwardly. The puppet's strength was too great; even if he poured all his true yuan and struck out with a Single Change Shattering Saber, it would only have five percent of its power.

The old steward smiled and said, "This is just the beginning! This Single Change Shattering Saber is equivalent to the peak strength of the same realm. The 'Two Changes Condensed into One' reaches three times the strength of the same realm, the 'Three Changes Piercing the Body' reaches six times, and the 'Four Changes Splitting the Mountain' reaches twelve times. The more the palm force stacks, the greater the gap between the Master and it!"

Liu Junhuai's mouth was already wide open in shock. He was most familiar with this Nine Changes Heart Technique. Although he had only practiced it to the "Three Changes Piercing the Body" stage, its immense power had already increased his strength several-fold in that instant, though the consumption of true yuan was also somewhat greater.

Not to mention that this puppet's execution was several times higher than his own, it achieved this purely relying on the strength of its physical body!

Shock was shock, but with his own puppet possessing such terrifying power, Liu Junhuai was naturally exceptionally joyful.

Thus, he continued to let his thoughts turn; the ultimate strength of the puppet still needed to be figured out.

The puppet executed "Two Changes Condensed into One" from its hand. The massive golden knife-like palm wind of the Single Change Shattering Saber had condensed into a golden thread, fiercely slashing toward a mountain-like boulder.

With a sizzling sound, the golden thread cut into the boulder like a knife cutting through tofu.

With two deafening booms, the boulder, thirty to forty feet tall, was cut in half right down the middle by the golden thread, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror without a single bump.

The puppet changed its hand gestures again, rapidly executing several hand seals. The "Three Changes Piercing the Body" turned into a ball of golden light and surged toward another boulder.

That ball of golden light silently seeped into the surface of the boulder like mist, and then a muffled thunder-like explosion sounded from within the boulder. A puff of dust rose, and the boulder instantly turned to fine powder.

The puppet, which looked just like Liu Junhuai, walked expressionlessly out of the dust, came to Liu Junhuai's side, and stood with its hands hanging down.

Although he had anticipated it in his heart, Liu Junhuai still could not help being shocked and awed by this violent aura. His eyes were wide open, and his unsuppressed ecstasy was fully revealed.

The old steward looked at him with a half-smile, "How is it, Master? Its power is more than ten times higher than yours, right? It's just that this 'Three Changes Piercing the Body' is too violent. Using this move leaves not a shred of loot behind, so it's better to use it sparingly. With just the third change having such strong might, old me is very much looking forward to what the subsequent changes will bring. This Nine Changes Heart Technique is truly remarkable!"

Liu Junhuai was also very much looking forward to it, but this Nine Changes Heart Technique could not be comprehended simply through practice. "Then, Steward, which realm of a cultivator do you think the puppet's strength is equivalent to?"

The old steward said, "Under the maximum blessing of the technique, it should be equivalent to the strength of the middle realm. Ordinary Void Refinement realms are not a problem for it. If the fourth change of the Nine Changes Heart Technique can be used, a battle with the Integration stage is not entirely out of the question. It still has potential to be tapped. Don't forget you also have the Heaven-Covering Seal, the Seven-Kill Finger, the Shadowless Piercing Wind Art, and the Five Elements Chaos Saber. Its physical defense is almost negligible for defense, and its offensive means invisibly increase in power by a few points."

Spending over an hour, Liu Junhuai controlled the puppet to perform each of the various techniques one by one. In the puppet's hands, their power was naturally much fiercer than his own, except for the Heaven-Covering Seal, where the effect was not much more powerful than when Liu Junhuai used it himself, because Liu Junhuai's Heaven Lotus Heart Fire and divine sense were mixed into it.

In Liu Junhuai's view, the most suitable techniques for the puppet among the several he knew were the Nine Changes Heart Technique and the Shadowless Piercing Wind Art.

Although the puppet lacked divine sense and could not shield its own aura, the Shadowless Piercing Wind Art already included a simple shielding process, so a puppet transformed into an invisible and formless state could play an even greater role as a surprise force.

Returning to the alchemy room, Mo Sitong had successfully advanced to a level-seven alchemist and was at the critical moment of refining Earth Spirit Pills. Liu Junhuai and the old steward did not dare to disturb her, watching carefully from the side.

A serious Mo Sitong possessed an indescribable, dignified beauty. Liu Junhuai stared fixedly at Mo Sitong's graceful curves, his thoughts running wild.

Although the two had not yet crossed the ultimate boundary of physical intimacy, their tacit understanding was no less than that of a couple married for years; they could almost read each other's minds with every single glance.

In the less than two years since they had met, even when cultivating in seclusion together in the Myriad Form Tower, the time they spent together was not much. Whenever he thought of this, Liu Junhuai always felt a sense of guilt.

Fortunately, Mo Sitong's understanding and magnanimity meant she never showed any resentment, because she also knew that both of them were in the ascending stage of their cultivation. Talking too much about romance would add another layer of lingering attachment to their state of mind, which would still somewhat affect the elevation of their realms.

First came avenging his family in Pingdu City, then fighting against the Blood-Slaying Alliance, and now the Myriad Form Sect had just been established. Liu Junhuai's surrounding environment had never truly calmed down, so the two tacitly avoided talking about romantic matters.

While his mind was wandering, Mo Sitong had reached the crucial moment of pill condensation.

A powerful burst of divine sense suddenly erupted from between Mo Sitong's eyebrows, surging into the alchemy furnace. Then, she condensed the Sun-Glaring Extreme Light Flame in her hands and tossed it into the furnace once again.

Under the guidance of her divine sense, several medicinal herbs were instantly squeezed together, and under the roasting of the Sun-Glaring Extreme Light Flame, they gradually showed a trend of fusion.

A flowing, spherical liquid the size of an eyeball and two piles of powder finally slowly blended together. With the progress of this blending process, the flowing spherical liquid gradually broke down into twelve smaller spherical liquids.

A loud explosion resounded within the alchemy room, and the lid of the alchemy furnace in front of Mo Sitong was sent flying into the air.

"Did the furnace explode?" Liu Junhuai's heart suffered a violent jolt.