Chapter 257 - 220: Sword Box Puppet, Long Blade Puppet, Power of a Martial Artist

Chapter 257: Chapter 220: Sword Box Puppet, Long Blade Puppet, Power of a Martial Artist

Half a month later, Lu Zhao sat cross-legged in the simple Artifact Refining Chamber. His calm gaze fell upon the two newly developed Puppets before him, and the corner of his lip slowly curled into a relieved smile.

The one on the left was shaped like a long, narrow Sword Box, forged entirely from Ironwood. It was about three feet long, its surface covered in a dense web of hair-fine Spirit Patterns that all converged on a thumb-sized groove in the center of its body.

Embedded within the groove was a single piece of Spiritual Sand, emitting a faint, pale white glow.

With a simple touch of a fingertip to a designated spot in the groove, the mechanism inside the box would let out a dull CLICK, and three jet-black iron pellets the size of pigeon eggs would shoot out from the opening!

The iron pellets flew incredibly fast, producing a sharp, piercing whistle as they cut through the air. Upon striking a specially made Sword Testing Stone, they could leave a pit about an inch deep. Their power was comparable to a full-powered strike of Magic from a Qi Cultivation First Layer Cultivator.

The one on the right was a Puppet in the shape of a Long Saber. The blade was about four feet long, with the hilt and guard forged as a single, integrated piece from a base of Profound Iron. Several strange, dark-red patterns flowed faintly across the blade, resembling solidified blood vessels.

The hilt also had a groove for Spiritual Sand. When the Spiritual Sand in the groove was ignited with Magical Power, the dark red patterns on the blade would abruptly light up. A wave of searing heat would instantly fill the air, and the blade’s edge would project a foot-long, crimson glow so condensed it appeared solid!

Lu Zhao had once tested the blade on the corpse of a recently deceased Tier One Lower Grade "Iron-skinned Pig" Demon Beast. Wherever the crimson glow passed, it was just barely able to slice open the tough pigskin. Although it was a dead Demon Beast, this demonstrated that the blade could threaten a Tier One Lower Grade Demon Beast with weaker Defense Power.

’Non-Tiered Puppets, yet they can still generate the Power of Slaughter,’ Lu Zhao muttered to himself, his fingertips brushing across the cold blade.

He had his reasons for choosing to refine these two types of Non-Tiered Puppets.

First, even the most rudimentary Entry Tier Puppet required a faint wisp of Divine Sense to guide its core, the Puppet Core. Even if Lu Zhao modified it to be activated using the power of one’s Spiritual Soul, it would still be far beyond the control of an ordinary Mortal Martial Artist.

Second, his current goal was not to forge powerful artifacts capable of contending with Cultivators, but to mass-produce "Exoskeletons" that could significantly enhance the combat strength of Mortal Martial Artists.

These two puppets were the starting point of his experiment. The materials to refine them were easy to obtain, and the process was relatively simple. With his current skill in Puppetry, as long as he had enough components, he could produce more than ten in a single day!

In contrast, if he were to make Entry Tier Puppets, even the lowest Tier One Lower Grade ones, completing three or four in a day would be his absolute limit. Efficiency was the factor he valued most at this moment.

With his course of action decided, Lu Zhao no longer hesitated. A thought flickered in his mind, and he sent out a Transmission Sound: "Little Shu, come and see me."

A short while later, Zhao Xiaoshu appeared at the entrance to the Artifact Refining Chamber and bowed respectfully. "Senior."

"Go and find some Mortal Martial Artists for me," Lu Zhao said, his voice level. "Their strength must vary. For the lowest tier, they only need basic fighting skills and be a bit stronger than an average person. Above that, I want ’Martial Artists’ who can stimulate their Qi and Blood Power. And if possible, find me a ’Grand Martial Artist.’"

Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise, nearly imperceptible, flashed in Zhao Xiaoshu’s eyes. ’Mortal Martial Artists? What does Senior want with them?’ But he knew Lu Zhao always acted with purpose, so he suppressed his doubts, bowed, and replied, "Yes, Senior. I’ll get on it right away." With that, he quickly turned and departed.

After leaving Lu Zhao, Zhao Xiaoshu wasted no time. He went straight to one of his more capable subordinates, a man named Xiang Kui. Xiang Kui had originally been a Mortal Martial Artist from the Broken River Plains who, by a twist of fate, had stepped onto the Immortal Path. Although his Cultivation was only at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, he was extremely familiar with the world of Mortal Martial Artists.

"Old Xiang," Zhao Xiaoshu said, getting straight to the point, "Senior has given an order. We need to find some Mortal Martial Artists of varying strengths: ordinary martial artists, Martial Artists, and preferably a Grand Martial Artist. It needs to be done quickly."

Xiang Kui was a stocky, honest-looking middle-aged man. His brow furrowed slightly at the request. He cupped his hands and said, "Steward, ordinary martial artists and Martial Artists are easy enough to find. You can grab them by the handful on the outskirts of the settlement; just offer some gold and silver or a few low-quality Pills. But a Grand Martial Artist..."

He paused, a troubled look on his face. "An individual of that caliber has powerful muscles and bones, their Qi and Blood is as dense as mercury. They’ve touched the very peak of the Mortal Martial Dao. You might not find one in a thousand men, and what’s more..."

"Just say it," Zhao Xiaoshu said, his tone deepening.

"Yes." Xiang Kui bowed even lower and dropped his voice. "Among mortals, a Grand Martial Artist represents peak combat strength. If they wield a special ’Blood Refining Spiritual Artifact’ and catch one of our fellow cultivators off guard, they can even cause some trouble for someone in the Early-stage of Qi Cultivation."

"Therefore, any Cultivation Clan with even a bit of power will recruit any Grand Martial Artist they come across to serve as guards or enforcers. They don’t just let them wander freely. If we want to get someone from one of these clans, I’m afraid..."

Zhao Xiaoshu pondered for a moment after hearing this. He understood the situation perfectly. The major and minor clans of the Broken River Plains, all affiliated with Broken River Castle, were a tangled web of connections—not something Xiang Kui could possibly navigate.

He tapped his finger twice against the Storage Bag at his waist, then took out a palm-sized iron token—his Identity Token as a Steward of Broken River Castle.

"Take this."

Zhao Xiaoshu tossed the Token to Xiang Kui. "Take my Token and visit those Cultivation Clans. Tell them that I, Zhao Xiaoshu, need to borrow a Grand Martial Artist. I will return him as soon as I’m finished, completely unharmed. They’ll grant me that much face."

Xiang Kui took the Iron Entry Token with both hands, his heart settling as an invigorated look appeared on his face. "Yes! Rest assured, Steward! With this Token in hand, I will certainly get it done! I’ll go right now!" He carefully tucked the Token away close to his body, gave Zhao Xiaoshu a deep bow, and then turned and hurried off.