Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Ji An stood up and said:

"Let me try the Golden Light Technique."

Among the Foundation Establishment Stage techniques he could release, the most powerful was the Golden Light Technique. With the addition of a top-grade Dao Seed, he had yet to test its true attack power in actual combat.

This puppet is said to be immune to Foundation Establishment Stage spells, meaning Foundation Establishment Techniques cannot breach its defense.

He did not quite believe it; even if Senior Sister did not mention it, he would have helped the other party with the test.

Ji An cast the spell, and the magical power surged from his dantian, rapidly circulating along a specific route in his Immortal Vein.

In the Gold Element Divine Mansion, the Metal Dao Seed shimmered brilliantly, infusing its unrivaled sharp magic intent into the circulating magical power.

The moment the silver Moon Blade appeared from the void, Han Yan’s eyes shrank suddenly.

The aura of the blade and axe made her skin suddenly tighten, raising a layer of goosebumps.

At the same time, the steward of the Golden Puppet Pavilion felt as if he were caught in a snowstorm, with frost blades slashing his face.

He only felt a sharp pain in his eyes, tears streaming, as the clear world turned blurry.

The Moon Blade left an illusory trail in the air, almost simultaneously appearing as it reached the gorilla puppet’s neck.

However, it seemed to have no physical form, continuing unabated after passing through the obstacle, striking the wall behind.

The wall seemed to turn into a water surface, rippling with wave patterns, absorbing the spell’s damage completely.

The steward quickly wiped away his tears, feeling a lingering fear, having never encountered such a sharp spell in all these years.

Staring fixedly at the puppet, he breathed a sigh of relief, the puppet still stood there intact.

He felt puzzled, could the other’s spell merely be a bluff?

But he didn’t think much, pressing down his thoughts, he smiled and said:

"Senior, are you satisfied with the test results?"

Han Yan showed a peculiar smile, reminded:

"Try moving the puppet."

The steward felt a foreboding sensation rising in his heart, he activated the puppet.

The gorilla’s bulky head rolled down as it moved sideways flexibly.

"Thud," a dull collision sound echoed, the head rolling to his feet.

The scene fell silent, the maid behind widened her eyes, covering her mouth with her hand.

’Could these two cultivators be here to cause trouble!’

This puppet could withstand Chao Origin Stage attacks, how could it be damaged to such an extent by a Foundation Establishment Level spell?!

The steward’s mind went blank, from the appearance, it was the Golden Light Technique, but now he thought otherwise.

As the name suggests, the Golden Light Technique should be golden, but a moon-white Golden Light Technique, this was the first time he had seen.

He quickly came to his senses, coughed once, and said:

"Please wait, esteemed guests, I will invite the superintendent to see what went wrong."

He knew very well how good the quality of the puppet was; it couldn’t possibly be damaged by a mere Foundation Establishment Level spell.

The steward gave a signal to the maid and left hurriedly once more.

The maid stepped forward, curtsied, and said:

"Dear guests, please sit down and have some refreshments."

They both sat down again, and Han Yan impatiently sent a voice transmission:

"Junior Brother, what’s going on? You didn’t cheat, did you?"

She felt everything was so unreal, wasn’t the other a Spirit Farmer!

Having such a good Planting Technique was one thing, but how could the Attack Technique be so sharp?

If he cheated, using a Chao Origin Stage spell disguised as a low-level spell, they would surely have to buy the damaged puppet, and might even be penalized.

There must be a Golden Core Cultivator stationed in the Golden Puppet Pavilion, if they were in the wrong, they could only humbly accept the punishment, and the Sect could not help them.

"A genuine Golden Light Technique, just a bit more powerful, please calm down, Senior Sister."

Ji An sat calmly, finished his Spirit Tea, and ordered:

"Another cup, please."

It wasn’t easy to find a target, naturally he exerted full effort when attacking, not expecting the result to be too much.

He was very satisfied with the result, and could only feel sorry for the Golden Puppet Pavilion.

Han Yan’s heart was no longer uneasy, as long as they were in the right, it was fine. Their Sect was the local power in the Western Continent, if they were blameless, it would stand up for them.

...

A tall middle-aged cultivator entered the room, followed cautiously by the previous steward.

This cultivator had a square face, wide mouth, thick eyebrows and big eyes, appearing authoritative without being angry.

His stern expression softened slightly, switching to a somewhat kindly demeanor:

"Haha, Fellow Daoists, I am Fang Shiping, the superintendent of the Golden Puppet Pavilion.

I have dealt with many Chao Origin Stage cultivators from your esteemed sect, it is an honor to meet you both."

As a businessman, harmony brings wealth; as the superintendent, he deeply understood this principle, showing courtesy and grace regardless of who was at fault.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Fang, I am Han Yan."

"I am Ji An."

After exchanging pleasantries, Fang Shiping picked up the puppet head on the ground, ran his hand over the cut, and immediately discovered the problem.

The cut seemed smooth, but spiritually it felt astringent, like the material had been corroded by something, with a lingering sharp magic intent.

"Fellow Daoist, Steward Liu has already informed me of the situation.

Of course, as we agreed beforehand, the damage to the puppet is not your responsibility.

But I am also curious and would like to see Fellow Daoist Ji’s Golden Light Technique."

Fang Shiping was well aware of the puppet’s quality; theoretically, it couldn’t be destroyed by Foundation Establishment Level techniques unless a Golden Core Cultivator used a basic-level technique on it.

The Golden Puppet Pavilion has a Sensing Array set up, which will surely detect any Golden Core Level cultivators who enter.

"Certainly," Ji An stood up, knowing that the other party wanted to see him cast a spell for reassurance.

He pointed to the headless puppet and said:

"How about using it as the attack target again this time?"

"That seems appropriate."

Ji An gestured the spell, and just like before, he must put in all his effort this time as well.

Otherwise, if the effect isn’t convincing enough, it will only raise suspicions.

The Silver Moon Blade flickered. Fang Shiping watched the trajectory of the spell intently as a faint shadow flashed past, and the puppet’s arm, as thick as a water barrel, fell off.

He sighed inwardly. The opponent’s spell was indeed the Golden Light Technique.

When a cultivator reaches a certain level of understanding with the Power of the Five Elements, the power of similar spells is enhanced.

He had once witnessed a top prodigy from the Central Continent use the Golden Light Technique to split a Chao Origin Stage defense-level puppet in half.

However, that prodigy was already a Fifth Transition of Chao Origin Stage Cultivator and had comprehended the Five Elements Endless Life.

"Fellow Daoist, your skills are impressive, I must say I’m in awe.

But to use your Golden Light Technique to test the puppet’s defense is akin to cheating."

Han Yan’s face immediately showed displeasure, and she said in a stern voice:

"Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by that? Since you’ve admitted that Junior Brother Ji’s spell is the Golden Light Technique, how can you call it cheating!"

Fang Shiyu gave a bitter smile and said:

"Fellow Daoist Han, no need to hurry, I meant no disparagement. The damage to the puppet is our pavilion’s issue, let me finish speaking.

Fellow Daoist Ji’s spell is remarkable; although it is a Foundation Establishment Stage technique, the actual damage is equivalent to a Chao Origin Stage cultivator using a not-so-low-level Chao Origin Stage technique.

That’s why I said Fellow Daoist Ji’s test on the puppet is inaccurate."

He pointed to the puppet and continued:

"Fellow Daoist Han, you can use Chao Origin Stage techniques to attack it and see how long the puppet lasts."

Han Yan raised an eyebrow slightly; she specialized in the Chao Origin Stage technique Fire Dragon Heaven-Burning Technique, but only at the Great Success level, and it would be suitable for testing.

"Then I shall comply out of respect."

She continuously unleashed spells; the Fire Dragon roared and attacked the puppet, Flowing Flame dispersed, and the puppet retreated under the onslaught, soon backing against the wall.

Han Yan ceased her attack, and Steward Liu controlled the puppet to approach the crowd.

The puppet’s chest was a fiery red like a heated iron brand, with a noticeably large depression about half a foot deep.

Fang Shiping took a silent breath of relief—that kind of damage was normal!

"Fellow Daoist Han, earlier you cast spells six times, directly hitting the puppet—are you satisfied with such a defense?

Normally, during a battle, the puppet would move to avoid attacks, making it impossible to hit the same spot repeatedly.

The puppet’s chest is seven feet thick, and the control core is in the central part, capable of withstanding many such attacks."

Han Yan nodded slightly, turning to Ji An with deep-set eyes.

Though his attack targeted areas like the neck and arms, which were also about a foot thick,

It meant her Chao Origin Stage techniques, honed over a decade, were far less powerful than his Foundation Establishment techniques.

"Junior Brother, would you like to test the power of a Chao Origin Stage technique?"

Ji An shook his head from side to side, having already gauged things well, there was no need for further testing.

Otherwise, it might embarrass the Golden Puppet Pavilion—they too have a reputation to maintain.

"Never mind, I’ll find a Demon Beast to test next time."

Fang Shiping breathed a sigh of relief, worried that if the other party’s Chao Origin Stage technique was equally formidable, it would be rather embarrassing.

Han Yan did not insist further and smiled, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Fang, could Steward Liu demonstrate other defense puppets for us?"

A half hour passed, and four types of defense puppets had been tested, including humanoid and turtle-shaped ones.

Han Yan was most satisfied with the first type, the gorilla. She pointed to the damaged puppet and asked:

"Fellow Daoist Fang, what is the value of such a puppet?"

"What does Fellow Daoist plan to pay with? We accept all spiritual objects except those of the Water Element that can be used to refine puppets, and also accept top-grade Spirit Stones for transactions."

Spirit Stones are widely used to power puppets; the higher the grade of the stones, the better.

For the Golden Puppet Pavilion, top-grade Spirit Stones can be used as a hard currency.

In the market, it’s possible to exchange middle-grade or lower-grade Spirit Stones for top-grade Spirit Stones, but they are essentially unavailable even if priced.

In Spirit Stone Mines, lower-grade stones are abundant, while top-grade stones are few, and small to medium-sized mines can’t produce any top-grade Spirit Stones.

"Top-grade Spirit Stones."

"Forty pieces of top-grade Spirit Stones, a fair price for everyone, haggling not accepted.

If Fellow Daoist buys other puppets, discounts are available."

Fang Shiyu replied—the puppets of the Golden Puppet Sect are worth that price, with no equally strong competitors in the Business Alliance.

Han Yan felt quite distressed, having not many top-grade Spirit Stones left.

Ji An spoke up, "What are the discounts offered by your pavilion? I also have purchasing needs; Fellow Sister Han and I could share the discount."