Chapter 790 - 619: Commissioning the Refining of a Top-Grade Puppet

The light emitted by Tier Three Spirit Plants is distinct from that of Tier Two Spirit Plants, not only in brightness but more so in terms of the quality of life they exude.

Now, the gourd vines and leaves possess this vibrant quality of life.

Ji An has a natural fondness for gourds, both in his past life and this one alike.

In his past life, the gourd treasures from the Fengshen List left a deep impression on him, as did the Purple Gold Red Gourd in Journey to the West.

He once thought these were mere dreams, never expecting to find himself in a world of immortals.

Planting the Purple Fire Gourd during his Foundation Establishment Stage, and now cultivating the Jade Flame Purple Spirit Gourd, it is indeed a fulfillment of his dreams.

He intends to nurture the Jade Flame Purple Spirit Gourd to Tier Three, to use the gourd as a Spirit Nurturing Treasure to nurture a Fire Element Treasure, or to make it into a treasure like the Purple Fire Gourd, specifically for nurturing flames.

When the time comes, he plans to ask Wan Jinrong if it’s possible to design such a supporting magical treasure gourd, so it can be nourished both by the Primordial Life Fire and by the Earth Fire or other flames.

If feasible, he could possess several gourd treasures without worrying about the problem of nurturing.

Ji An reached out to grasp the gourd vines, feeling the surge of vibrant life force. The intertwining wood and fire element powers inside form a spiral structure, indeed reaching Tier Three level.

His eyes filled with laughter, he strolled forward, knowing that he had planted a total of four gourds.

As expected, he found another Tier Three gourd vine.

Ji An smiled with satisfaction, knowing that in the future he would have four Tier Three gourds.

In high spirits, he rode the clouds, flying slowly over the Spirit Field, to see if he could make any new discoveries.

Each day he would enter the Little World for cultivation, but aside from casting spells on the Spirit Field once every half month, he hardly checked on the growth of the Spirit Plants.

There were no pests or other Demon Beasts here, making it quite safe, so he wasn’t particularly concerned about the growth of the Spirit Plants.

Upon arriving at the white land, Ji An descended as he had a very important task to attend to, preparing materials for refining a Top-Grade Puppet.

He found a Tier Three Middle Grade Vajra Bodhi Tree nurturing a Geng Metal Divine Thunder Talisman yet to bear fruit and commanded the Stone Turtle to refine the Dao Rhyme to enhance the Spirit Wood’s grade.

The thunder talisman here was only a Tier Three Upper Grade; he wanted to see if there would be any unexpected surprises.

The Stone Turtle appeared above the Vajra Bodhi Tree, projecting the Eight Trigrams’ light and moving him away with immense force.

White brilliance flickered, forming a light cocoon like a silver-shimmering egg.

After about half an incense stick’s time, the Stone Turtle returned to Ji An’s palm, and the light cocoon shattered piece by piece, revealing a giant tree about a zhang high.

Ji An once again connected with the Stone Turtle to check the Dao Rhyme consumption, finding that the Metal Element Dao Rhyme was consumed the most, with the consumption of the other four Five Elements Dao Rhymes balanced with it.

But all consumptions together totaled only about twenty-seven or eight points, quite insignificant compared to enhancing the Gathering Essence Tree.

Ji An peeled off the Geng Metal Divine Thunder Talisman drawn on the bark, sensing its contained Spiritual Power and spirituality, he smiled mildly.

His decision was correct; the talisman advanced to Tier Three Top Grade, and during the enhancement of Spirit Wood’s grade, mysterious powers surged, creating the talisman.

He took another talisman to check, his smile softening further, it too was a Tier Three Top Grade talisman.

Satisfied, he stored the talismans in the Grotto Void Stone and continued diligently, enhancing two more Vajra Bodhi Trees to Tier Three Upper Grade, obtaining four more Top-Grade talismans.

At this moment, the Stone Turtle’s accumulated Metal Element Dao Rhyme had only seven points left, but at least it fulfilled the puppet refining requirements.

The three Upper Grade Spirit Woods stood about four zhang high, with bases thicker than a large water jar, refined into a puppet set, their sheer size evoked an oppressive sense.

Maybe big doesn’t mean strong, but it undoubtedly wouldn’t be weak.

Chopping down the Vajra Bodhi Trees, he cut them into spiritual materials as required, and kept the thicker branches aside.

Half-filling two Grotto Void Stones, Ji An thought for a moment and felled a few more Tier Three Lower Grade Vajra Bodhi Trees.

Leaving the Little World, he rode his clouds towards Cloud Sea Immortal City.

...

Ji An stepped into the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and found a steward, saying, "I’m looking for Daoist Master Jinrong."

He needed to consult about refining the gourd treasures to prepare in advance.

The steward, who had met Ji An several times, politely cupped his hands and said, "Senior, it’s unfortunate, Daoist Master Jinrong only stayed here for a day after returning from Wulan Mountain and then returned to Wanshou Villa."

"Did he indicate when he might return?"

"The Daoist Master did not inform me, but there are many refining tasks in the pavilion awaiting him, so I expect he’ll return soon.

When the Daoist Master returns, I will pass along the message of your visit."

Ji An nodded slightly, satisfied, "Thank you."

He left the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and went to the nearby Golden Puppet Pavilion, where Profound Wood Daoist Master greeted him warmly.

"Thanks to your sect, I’ve had a pleasant transaction with your esteemed sect."

He had purchased a large amount of Tier Two Top-grade Cyan Dragon Wood and several Tier Three Lower Grade Cyan Dragon Wood trees, along with other Spirit Woods and Spiritual Objects.

It was evident that the Golden Spirit Sect held goodwill towards him, all conveyed through a Jade Slip.

Ji An smiled, "As long as both parties benefit, we can deepen our cooperation."

"Haha, let’s deepen the cooperation!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ji An spoke up:

"I have already acquired a Tier Three Upper Grade Vajra Bodhi Tree and came here to commission your esteemed sect to refine a late-stage Golden Core puppet."

The eyes of the Profound Wood Daoist Master widened suddenly, now almost certain that the Golden Spirit Sect had obtained some kind of secret treasure or secret technique capable of fertilizing spirit plants.

A wave of greed arose in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

Regardless of whether it was a secret treasure or secret technique, such things are the most classified items, and when it comes to matters involving a sect’s heritage, one can never be too cautious.

If it were a secret treasure, it would be kept in the most heavily guarded area of the sect’s estate, and if it were a secret technique, the cultivators who knew it would certainly have a soul restriction, making it impossible to acquire through soul search.

He put on a businesslike smile and said with hearty laughter:

"Friend, choosing us to refine the puppet will not disappoint you in the future, and should the puppet sustain damage, we can also handle repairs.

Please wait a moment, I will report to the Pavilion Master."

He politely clasped his hands in apology and quickly left.

Moments later, he led a stern-looking cultivator back in.

"Allow me to introduce, this is our Pavilion Master, Daoist Master Xuanji.

Pavilion Master, this is Daoist Master Xuanqing, who has commissioned us to refine the late-stage Golden Core Demon Suppression Puppet."

After the two exchanged formalities, Ji An said:

"This time, I have also brought along several Tier Three Lower Grade Vajra Bodhi Trees, hoping they can be refined into similar puppets."

Daoist Master Xuanji smiled warmly and said:

"No problem, with the Tier Three Lower Grade materials in our Golden Puppet Pavilion, they can be refined into Tier Three Middle Grade puppets, which are only slightly weaker than a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator."

Truth be told, when the Profound Wood Daoist Master requested the materials list from the other party years ago, he had little hope, never expecting such a surprise.

For a puppet master, crafting higher-grade puppets is the path to enhancing one’s skill; indeed, this applies to all the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.

Opportunities to refine late-stage Golden Core puppets are rare, and he looked at Ji An with an increasingly affable gaze.

"Friend, the parlor is cramped; let’s head to the warehouse to discuss. I need to inspect the materials."

If the material quality is insufficient, it would amount to empty joy.

Ji An readily agreed, "I will follow your lead, my friend."

The three of them proceeded in single file to the warehouse. It resembled a large factory, with a height of five zhang, and at the walls lay scattered sections of specially treated materials.

Ji An first brought out the Tier Three Upper Grade Vajra Bodhi Tree, followed by the Lower Grade Spirit Wood.

Daoist Master Xuanji was responsible for inspecting the top-grade spiritual materials, while the Profound Wood Daoist Master inspected the lower-grade ones. Once they completed the inspections, they exchanged glances, nodding in mutual satisfaction.

Daoist Master Xuanji said:

"The wood of the spiritual materials is dense and uniform, with abundant spirituality, making it a rare material.

We accept your order, Friend. Now, let’s discuss the details."

Ji An nodded, "The soul stones I possess are only sufficient for refining a late-stage Golden Core puppet, and for the Tier Three Middle Grade puppet, your pavilion would need to provide the soul stones. I can pay with Spirit Stones."

The Profound Wood Daoist Master chuckled, "The amount of Lower Grade Spirit Wood provided by you is slightly above the normal requirement; these extra spiritual materials will belong to us, and I will handle the matter of the soul stones."

The Pavilion Master had a task to refine a Tier Three Top-Grade puppet, so the work on the Tier Three Middle Grade puppet would definitely fall upon him.

And for a Middle Grade puppet, not so much material is needed; we can save quite a bit of wood.

"No problem."

The group began discussing various details and finally signed an agreement.

The two from the Golden Puppet Pavilion were delighted; although this refinement did not bring in a large amount of Spirit Stones, acquiring considerable spiritual materials was more pleasing to a puppet master than receiving a large sum of top-grade Spirit Stones.

Materials can be sold for Spirit Stones, but Spirit Stones don’t necessarily buy you materials.

Especially after the outbreak of the True Demon Tribulation, such spiritual materials have become even more precious.

Ji An sighed lightly, "I am very satisfied with your sincerity, though the time frame is a bit lengthy."

He understood very well how low the efficiency could be with a single puppet master in charge of the entire puppet refining process.

The sect has already established a puppet manufacturing assembly line; as long as materials are adequately supplied, they can mass-produce Tier Two puppets.

Daoist Master Xuanji waved his hand, "Friend, slower work produces finer craft. Refining a Tier Three Top-Grade puppet for just five years should be the norm, but how many years does it take to raise a Ninth-Layer Golden Core cultivator?"

Ji An shook his head, "Friend, you shouldn’t only consider the refining time but also the growth time of Spirit Wood."

He was quite clear-minded and wouldn’t fall for any fooling.

The Profound Wood Daoist Master chimed in:

"The puppet I am responsible for could be delivered in three years, my friend, you may take it for use then."

"That’ll have to do," Ji An feigned regret and then asked:

"I wonder if your pavilion sells the refining technique for Tier Three puppets, just the most ordinary technique."

The sect didn’t possess the legacy of refining Tier Three puppets; previously, they didn’t have the capability, but now they gradually built up the foundation.

Daoist Master Xuanji’s eyes lit up, "As long as it doesn’t involve our legacy puppet refining techniques, we can sell them.

This is not the place to discuss; let’s return to the parlor for tea and further conversation, my friend, please!"

The refining techniques are confidential, but he could use some obsolete techniques from years ago.

These puppets consume energy better, and their Dharma Prohibitions are not complete, but they are undeniably Tier Three puppets.