Chapter 93: Chapter 92: 5 Years Later, Speculation

Five years later, in Guiyun Residence.

Lu Zhao gently caressed the Water Spirit Turtle Puppet. It stood half his height and was as wide as a millstone. The cool turtle shell felt smooth and gentle to the touch.

In the corner lay a pile of mangled limbs from failed attempts at puppet crafting. Various metals and woods were strewn across the floor. The workbench was scored with deep marks from his carving knife, and several Pill Bottles were scattered to the side, faint Spirit Light swirling from their openings.

For the past five years, he had lived like an ascetic cultivator, leaving his residence only once or twice a month to purchase Pills, gather materials, and sell his Puppets.

Two years ago, with the constant aid of Pills, Lu Zhao had finally broken through to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. Amid his joy, he felt he was just one step closer to the Ninth Layer.

However, the reality of cultivating at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer came as a rude awakening. Though it was just one layer higher, Lu Zhao felt his Magical Power accumulation speed plummet by more than thirty percent. At the time, he had just turned thirty-seven, and with over twenty years left before his vitality began to decline, he wasn’t too anxious.

He calmed himself and analyzed the reasons. First, the higher one’s cultivation, the more difficult it was to advance. The same Spirit Vein, Spiritual Qi, and Pills had vastly different effects on someone at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer versus the Eighth Layer. It was like trying to fill an ever-deepening pool with a mere trickle of water.

Second, he lacked the guidance of a skilled master. He had to spend immense mental energy figuring out the many crucial aspects of cultivation on his own, which inevitably slowed his progress. Each small experiment cost him a great deal of extra time.

The second path—finding a master—was closed to him for now. The only ones who could truly answer his questions were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but how could he possibly get guidance from one of them? Steeling his resolve, Lu Zhao simply increased his Pill consumption. He raised his monthly intake to five Jade Water Pills and two Water Spirit Pills. Only with this level of investment could he barely maintain his previous cultivation speed.

The price for consuming so many Pills was steep. Nearly all the Spirit Stones he earned from selling Ironwood Guards went straight back into buying more Pills. If not for the steady income from his Ice Wind Wolf Puppets, his earnings and expenses over the past five years would have barely broken even. Even so, Lu Zhao had only managed to increase his savings from just over three thousand Spirit Stones to a little more than fifty-eight hundred.

After all, at nearly one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones apiece, the Ice Wind Wolf Puppets were not cheap. Combined with competition from other puppet makers, he only managed to sell a little over ten each year.

As for crafting the Water Spirit Turtle Puppet, he had operated at a loss for the first few years. It wasn’t until two years ago that he finally started turning a profit. Over the long run, he had only just managed to break even on this particular puppet.

’Looking back on the past five years,’ Lu Zhao was filled with emotion. ’Cultivation only grows more difficult the further one progresses, and the same is true for the art of Puppetry.’ He had once planned to break through to become a Tier One High-Grade puppet master, but now he hadn’t even reached the threshold.

Forget about Tier One High-Grade puppets; right now, he didn’t even have the confidence to attempt crafting the "Vine Snake" puppet. He only had four sets of materials and didn’t dare make a rash attempt. In Lu Zhao’s mind, only by successfully crafting a Vine Snake could he be considered to have reached the level of Tier One High-Grade.

At this thought, he called out softly in his mind, ’Puppet Bead.’

A familiar transparent panel instantly appeared:

Name: Lu Zhao

Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer (Middle-Grade Water Spirit Root)

Lifespan: 40/120

Main Cultivation Method: "Little Spirit Rain Technique"

Magic: Other spells (Great Success), Thousand Overlapping Waves Skill (Minor Achievement - Eighth Layer), Thousand Threads Technique (Six Paths Divine Silk)

Puppetry (Tier One Middle-Grade)

Ironwood Guard (Success Rate: 65%)

Ice Wind Wolf Puppet (Puppet Core) (Success Rate: 35%) (Puppet Body) (Success Rate: 60%)

Water Spirit Turtle Puppet (Puppet Core) (Success Rate: 25%) (Puppet Body) (Success Rate: 50%)

Gazing at the data on the panel, Lu Zhao sighed softly. It wasn’t that he’d made no progress in the last five years, but he was still falling short of his goal.

His cultivation progress was barely acceptable. The main issue was his lack of progress in Puppetry.

He estimated that he wouldn’t dare attempt to craft the "Vine Snake" puppet until his success rate for crafting the Ice Wind Wolf Puppet’s core reached at least fifty percent.

Lu Zhao shook his head, deciding not to dwell on these matters. The most important thing now was to prepare for the Ascension Assembly, which was set to begin in a month.

Over the past five years, though Lu Zhao rarely went out, he hadn’t stopped gathering intelligence on the Ascension Assembly. In addition to what he got from Chen Shutong, Lu Zhao had also tasked Zhao Xiaoshu with collecting as much information as he could from the Marketplace.

Besides these two sources, Lu Zhao had also questioned Lin Yuanshan. Unfortunately, none of the three avenues yielded much information.

Chen Shutong had been upfront with him. She had already told him everything she knew two years ago.

As for Zhao Xiaoshu, just as Lu Zhao had expected, his diligent inquiries only managed to piece together the scattered rumors and known information circulating in the Marketplace into a more complete, but not new, picture.

Only Lin Yuanshan offered something different. He advised Lu Zhao that during the entrance assessment, he shouldn’t bother with the usual high-minded platitudes like "I admire the Immortal Sect" or "my heart yearns for the Great Dao." Lin Yuanshan urged him to be more direct and state exactly what he could do for the Bixia Sect and what he wanted in return. A clearer, more pragmatic goal, he suggested, might better align with the Sect’s actual needs.

He also gave Lu Zhao a Talisman and said that if he wanted more detailed intelligence, he should go to the West District and find a man named Wu Ping. This man apparently ran Wu’s Grocery Store in Black Water Lane.

Upon receiving this information from Lin Yuanshan, Lu Zhao immediately bowed in thanks.

’I see now,’ he thought. ’The Bixia Sect’s leadership probably stopped believing the pledges of ’loyalty’ from older Wanderers joining the sect a long time ago.’

The deduction made perfect sense. Cultivators who were older and had struggled for years in the Independent Cultivator Realm would have their personalities and beliefs already set in stone. How could the Sect be naive enough to believe they would pledge their true allegiance? A little thought made the core purpose of this recruitment obvious—it wasn’t to pass on teachings, but to find people to ’get things done’ for the Sect.

’That makes sense,’ Lu Zhao’s fingertips tapped gently on the edge of the turtle shell. ’Wanderers like me who are being recruited are at least in the late stage of Qi Cultivation. Anyone who can struggle their way to that level in the resource-scarce, Spiritual Qi-lacking Independent Cultivator Realm must possess considerable intellect, resilience, practical combat experience, and the ability to handle real-world tasks. Aren’t we the perfect, ready-made candidates for ’getting things done’? We’re exactly the kind of skilled hands the Sect needs to handle difficult assignments.’

At this thought, the anxiety that had been weighing on Lu Zhao’s heart finally began to ease. If his guess was correct, then with his cultivation level, his age, and the experience he had honed over the years—not to mention his "pragmatic" attitude—securing a position as an Outer Sect Steward in the Bixia Sect shouldn’t be too difficult.

After all, a forty-year-old at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer was truly outstanding among the masses of Wanderers. On the surface, at least, he still had a considerable chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Lu Zhao left Guiyun Residence and strolled toward the Marketplace. Soon after he entered, he noticed something was different—the streets were significantly more crowded than usual.

Most of the passersby had impressive cultivation levels. Their auras were either as deep and steady as a mountain or sharp and unconcealed, radiating an unusual air of fierce competence.

’The crowd in the Marketplace seems at least thirty percent larger than usual...’ Lu Zhao thought as his eyes swept over the bustling throng. ’Even the temptation of an Outer Sect Steward position is considerable.’

’Then again, it makes sense,’ he mused. ’After all, isn’t the Bixia Sect the only stable channel for obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills?’

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