Chapter 273: Chapter 227: Puppet Martial Artist, Wilderness Journey

At Lu Zhao’s command, a thunderous response instantly erupted across the plains!

"We heed Immortal Master Lu’s command!"

"We will serve Immortal Master Lu to the death!"

"Explore the Wilderness! Mine the copper ore!"

The roar thundered toward the heavens. This was no mere response; it was a cry filled with an ineffable fervor and longing.

The ordinary Martial Artists were likely just swept up in the massive display, their blood boiling with excitement. But the more seasoned and well-informed Martial Artists and Grand Martial Artists felt their hearts pound, barely able to contain themselves.

’They knew the chance to change their destinies had arrived!’

’Whether they could become a Puppet Martial Artist might all come down to this!’

Puppet Martial Artist—in recent years, this respected title had quietly emerged within the circles of Martial Artists and Grand Martial Artists. It specifically referred to those Martial Artists fortunate enough to have been granted a Puppet by Immortal Master Lu.

They were no longer mere brutes relying on their own Qi and Blood and raw strength. With Puppets comparable to a Cultivator’s Magical Artifact to aid them, their power skyrocketed, putting them on par with Cultivators themselves.

Luming Mountain—the very man many Grand Martial Artists had once secretly mocked, believing he’d be swindled by a Cultivator until nothing was left of him—was now the publicly acknowledged number one Puppet Martial Artist of the Broken River Plains!

And it all began when he, without hesitation, became one of the first ten people to cultivate the *Spirit Storage Technique*, receiving an Entry Tier Puppet personally refined by Lu Zhao.

Evidently, Lu Zhao was unaware that he had personally created this phenomenon of so-called "Puppet Martial Artists." Not that he would have cared even if he had known.

At that moment, he had only one thought: to mine enough Sharp Pattern Copper Ore as quickly as possible and begin the mass production of Tier Two Puppets!

When Lu Zhao returned to Broken River Castle with Zhao Xiaoshu, he immediately issued a command. "Zhao Xiaoshu, thirty Puppet Apprentices aren’t enough. Increase the number to sixty."

"Also, search the Broken River Plains thoroughly. Find out if there are any true Puppet Masters, even if they can only refine Non-Tiered Puppets!"

Zhao Xiaoshu bowed. "Yes, Senior! I’ll get it done right away!"

「Seven days later.」

Zhao Xiaoshu arrived at Lu Zhao’s cave-residence, looking somewhat apprehensive. He had an old man and a youth with him.

The old man appeared to be in his sixties. His face was weathered, his hands were covered in thick calluses, and his eyes, though cloudy, held a hint of focus.

The youth, who looked to be seventeen or eighteen, followed closely behind him, his face a mixture of unconcealed nervousness and curiosity.

"Senior," Zhao Xiaoshu reported respectfully, "I made inquiries with all the major Cultivation Clans and the various Demon Hunting Teams. I finally found these two in a small Demon Hunting Team."

"They claim to be a master and apprentice, both with the surname Sun. This Fellow Daoist Sun does know some Puppetry, but he can only be considered a Non-Tiered Puppet Master."

Lu Zhao’s gaze fell upon the old man. An invisible pressure made the man’s body tremble slightly, and he bowed his head even lower. Lu Zhao spoke, his voice flat, "Fellow Daoist Sun? How far are you from becoming a Tier One Lower Grade Puppet Master?"

Hearing the question, the elderly Sun bowed hastily, his voice laced with terror and a hint of bitterness. "Senior, I must be frank. I only possess an ancestral legacy that can lead to becoming a Tier One Lower Grade Puppet Master, and it’s an incomplete one at that."

"I’ve been trying to figure it out for most of my life, but I still don’t know when I’ll be able to become a true Entry Tier Puppet Master. It’s deeply shameful..."

Lu Zhao’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he listened. ’An incomplete legacy? Half a lifetime of fumbling? This level of skill is far too low.’

Thoughts raced through his mind. He casually retrieved a Blank Jade Scroll from his Storage Bag, immersed his Divine Sense within it, and quickly imprinted the detailed Refining Atlas and basic Spirit Patterns for two types of puppets—the Non-Tiered Sword Box Puppet and Long Saber Puppet.

He tossed the Jade Scroll to the elderly Sun. "You can at least refine Non-Tiered Puppets, right? Look at what’s in this Jade Scroll. When can you start producing these two types of puppets?"

The elderly Sun scrambled to catch the Jade Scroll, then carefully pressed it to his forehead and sent his Divine Sense into it.

As he delved into its contents, the wrinkles on his face sometimes smoothed out, only to knit together again moments later. A stream of quiet exclamations escaped his lips: "Oh," "So that’s how it is," "Marvelous!"

A full fifteen minutes passed before he finally lowered the Jade Scroll. A flash of excitement lit up his cloudy eyes, only to be immediately replaced by apprehension.

"Senior... th-these two, the Sword Box Puppet and the Long Saber Puppet... their designs are exquisite, far superior to anything I’ve ever made. I can... barely understand them. I can try to follow the plans and refine them, but..."

He hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth. "It’s just... I’ll need time to practice. I’m afraid the success rate won’t be very high to start."

At these words, Lu Zhao turned directly to Zhao Xiaoshu. "Take him to the Warehouse. He can use any materials in there for refining these two types of puppets! Don’t be afraid to fail. Practice as much as you need. What I want is to get that success rate up as quickly as possible!"

He paused, his gaze falling upon the elderly Sun, his voice carrying an authority that could not be questioned. "As for compensation, for every ten qualified Sword Box or Long Saber Puppets you successfully refine, I will reward you with one Minor Merit!"

"A Minor Merit?!" The elderly Sun’s head snapped up, his eyes wide in disbelief. Though the system had been around for less than a decade, he knew the value of a Minor Merit very well—a single one was worth at least five Lower Grade Spirit Stones! This was an absolute windfall!

Struck by the immense, pleasant surprise, the elderly Sun’s lips trembled. He seemed to want to offer his thanks, but he was too overcome with excitement to form the words.

He subconsciously glanced at his apprentice, whose face was also flushed red with excitement. A flicker of conflict and hope appeared in the old man’s eyes.

Lu Zhao was incredibly perceptive and noticed the change in him at once. "If you have something to say, say it."

The elderly Sun took a deep breath as if mustering all his strength. He pointed to the young man beside him and said in a pleading tone, "Senior! This is my apprentice, Xiaohu. He’s been with me for seven or eight years. He’s quite nimble and can also manage to refine Non-Tiered Puppets."

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