Chapter 254: Chapter 219: 8 Years of Dormancy, Mortal Martial Artist, Unconventional Puppet

Eight years later, deep within Broken River Castle, inside Lu Zhao’s abode, the dense Spiritual Qi had almost condensed into a watery mist. Yet, it was constrained by an invisible force, slowly channeling into the figure seated cross-legged at the center.

He was dressed in a Profound Daoist Robe, his expression serene. His aura was harmonious and restrained, like a piece of Warm Jade hidden deep within an Earth Vein.

Only his eyes, which opened and closed from time to time, held a sharp, profound glint, deep as an abyss. They were the only things that betrayed a Divine Sense—and the weight of accumulated years—far beyond that of an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Lu Zhao slowly opened his eyes. A faint blue Water Light seemed to flow within them before they returned to a state of calm.

He rose to his feet, his skeleton letting out a series of soft yet distinct CRACKLES. An aura of Magical Power far surpassing what he possessed eight years ago awoke like a slumbering dragon, only to be instantly retracted by him.

"Zhao Xiaoshu." A level voice, tinged with unquestionable authority, echoed within the abode.

The stone door of the abode slid open without a sound, and a figure hurried in. It was Zhao Xiaoshu, whose Cultivation had already reached the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. He bowed respectfully. "Senior."

"Has any news come back from the exploration teams?" Lu Zhao’s calm gaze fell upon Zhao Xiaoshu, his tone betraying no emotion.

A hint of resignation appeared on Zhao Xiaoshu’s face as he bowed. "Reporting to Senior, there’s no concrete news back yet. However, a few of the teams should be returning soon."

Lu Zhao’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "How long has it been since there was any concrete news?"

"Almost a year, I think." Zhao Xiaoshu’s voice held a trace of bitterness. "Those teams that go deep into the Wilderness don’t dare to casually report baseless rumors without concrete findings. After all, you can get away with it once or twice, but do it too often and you’ll be reprimanded, or even penalized with a loss of Minor Merit."

"Of course, there’s still some sporadic information coming back, but it’s mostly about the tracks of Tier One Demon Beasts or the location of Tier One Spiritual Materials. They’re of little value to you."

Lu Zhao fell silent for a moment at his words, finally letting out a nearly inaudible sigh.

Even though the Qi Cultivation factions affiliated with Broken River Castle had, at his urging, practically exhausted their resources over the years to expand the number of exploration teams from the initial five to a full twenty, and even though each team was led by an experienced Late-stage Qi Cultivator and equipped with the best maps, Pills, and simple Array Discs the castle could provide, nevertheless, when faced with the boundless territory of the Wilderness in the Broken River Plains, these twenty teams were still as insignificant as a few grains of sand scattered into the ocean.

It wasn’t that there were no gains, but they were few and far between. In these eight years, Lu Zhao had only managed to acquire the corpse of one Tier Two Lower Grade Cyan Wind Howling Moon Wolf and a few Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Plants.

The only piece of intelligence that had truly excited him was a report from six months ago about the tracks of a suspected "Tier Two Middle Stage" Demon Beast, an "Earth-Splitting Rhinoceros."

Upon hearing the news, Lu Zhao hadn’t hesitated to expend his Magical Power, personally using an Escape Technique to race to that area over several days.

However, when he sensed the terrifying behemoth entrenched deep within a massive cavern from afar, his heart sank. This was clearly a Late Stage Tier Two Demon Beast.

Its vast Spiritual Power was as heavy as a mountain, and its Defense Power was bound to be astonishing.

The earthy-yellow halo surrounding its body was faintly connected to the Earth Vein, a clear sign of its extraordinary innate Talent.

Lu Zhao calculated that even if he used every trick up his sleeve, and even with the help of Li Xuerou, the Strong Demon Ape Puppet Array, the Red Feather Fire Sun Bird, and the Nine Bends Lock River Formation, his chances of killing it were less than thirty percent. The more likely outcome was mutual destruction, or worse, he would be severely wounded and forced to flee.

The price of taking such a great risk for a material he wasn’t even sure he could obtain was too high. In the end, he could only suppress the yearning in his heart and choose to retreat quietly.

"Forget it." Lu Zhao waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual flatness. "You may leave. Have them continue exploring. The moment there’s concrete news, report it to me immediately."

"Yes, Senior." Zhao Xiaoshu bowed again and quietly withdrew.

He knew that although the Senior appeared calm on the surface, his craving for Tier Two Demon Beast Materials had never ceased.

Over the years, the casualty rate among the Mid-stage and Late-stage Qi Cultivators sent out by the families outside the castle was not low; it had almost reached the limit of what they could bear.

If he pushed them any harder, they would likely grow alienated and disloyal. The Senior obviously understood this, which was why he hadn’t been overly harsh.

The stone door sealed shut, and silence returned to the abode. Lu Zhao paced to the window, pushed open the heavy stone shutter, and gazed out at the cultivator settlement beyond the castle walls.

He paced slowly about the spacious yet simple abode, his thoughts drifting to his gains and losses over the past eight years.

First, his Cultivation and Spirit Body:

His greatest achievement, without a doubt, was reaching the Perfection Realm in the 3rd Layer of the > three years ago. The moment the last wisp of Spirit Water Essence merged into his limbs and bones, completely fusing with his bloodline and Spiritual Soul, an unprecedented feeling of clarity washed over his entire being. The miraculous aspects of the Thousand Waters Spirit Body had finally begun to manifest.

The most tangible effect was an absolute affinity for and control over "water."

The power, speed, and refinement of any Water Magic or Escape Technique he used were all amplified by a full ten percent!

This ten percent should not be underestimated. In the split-second exchanges of a life-and-death battle between Foundation Establishment Cultivators, a ten percent difference was often the difference between heaven and earth.

More critically, this was an "all-around" enhancement. Whether it was attack, Defense, Escape Speed, or Magical Power recovery, as long as it was related to the Water Element, it benefited.

Lu Zhao estimated that his overall combat strength had increased by at least thirty percent as a result!

More importantly, perfecting the 3rd Layer of the > brought a hidden benefit—it significantly lowered the difficulty of breaking through the bottleneck to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!

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