Upon hearing Han Li’s words, the old Taoist’s expression of elation vanished without a trace, replaced by a calm demeanor. “It seems Fellow Daoist Han intends to use this as leverage against me,” he said.
“Leverage? Venerable One, you misunderstand. So far, I have not demanded anything substantial from you. On the contrary, I have already gifted you several rare Spirit Stones. If you feel this is not a fair exchange, you may consider my second question as never asked, and I will not reclaim those Spirit Stones,” Han Li replied with an unperturbed expression.
At this, the face of Venerable Tianjing stiffened, then flickered between uncertainty and hesitation. Han Li, however, showed no urgency, standing opposite him without any sign of impatience.
“The puppet techniques I provide can be roughly verified for authenticity, but how am I to know whether your claims about the Netherbeast are true or false?” the old Taoist finally asked coldly after a long pause.
“To be honest, even if you knew the location of the Netherbeast, you wouldn’t be able to enter. The place is perilous beyond measure, and even if one were fortunate enough to enter, there would be no return. I barely escaped with my life back then. However, even if you doubt my words, the Spirit Stones are genuine. Exchanging a portion of them for your puppet-refining techniques is hardly a loss for you. Otherwise, what use would those techniques be without Spirit Stones?” Han Li explained patiently.
After hearing this, Venerable Tianjing frowned, his face betraying hesitation.
“Fine! I have no interest in verifying the truth of your claims about the Spirit Stones. I only ask, how many do you intend to exchange for the puppet-refining techniques? If the quantity is too small, I might as well keep them for myself,” the old Taoist said after weighing the pros and cons, his expression softening slightly.
“That depends on the value of the ancient puppet techniques you provide. If they can only refine the puppets we saw earlier, I wouldn’t be interested even if they were given to me for free,” Han Li replied, inwardly pleased but outwardly indifferent.
“Those puppets from earlier were merely defective products I found in ruins. From your tone, it seems the more powerful the puppets that can be refined, the more Spirit Stones you’re willing to offer,” the old Taoist said with a peculiar expression.
“Exactly. If the techniques can refine puppets capable of unleashing attacks equivalent to those of a Nascent Soul cultivator, I wouldn’t hesitate to offer you twenty or thirty Spirit Stones,” Han Li said calmly, pursing his lips.
“All of the same quality as the ones you initially provided?” Venerable Tianjing asked seriously.
“Could ancient puppet techniques truly refine puppets comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators?” Han Li was first startled, then overjoyed, but his words betrayed no hesitation. “Since I’ve made the offer, I certainly won’t go back on my word.”
“Good. Here are the jade slips containing the ancient puppet-refining techniques. No need for borrowing—consider them a gift,” the old Taoist said, swiftly retrieving a white jade slip from his storage bag and tossing it to Han Li, a sly fox-like glint in his eyes.
Han Li was momentarily taken aback by the gesture, sensing something amiss. After a brief hesitation, he picked up the jade slip without ceremony and scanned it with his spiritual sense. Moments later, his face alternated between red and white. Withdrawing his spiritual sense, he glared at Venerable Tianjing without a word.
“What’s the matter? The techniques include several puppets, the most advanced of which can rival the attacks of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. Doesn’t that meet your requirements?” the old Taoist asked with a smirk.
“Hmph! It meets them, alright. But the primary material required for these puppets is something as outrageous as ten-thousand-year Ironwood. As for the auxiliary materials, some are so rare I’ve never even heard of them. Where am I supposed to find such things?” Han Li retorted angrily.
“Heh! That’s beyond my help. But the jade slip includes illustrations of the materials. Perhaps you’ll be fortunate enough to gather them all?” Venerable Tianjing replied leisurely.
“Has Fellow Daoist Tianjing already collected all the materials listed? Otherwise, why would you be gathering Spirit Stones?” To the old Taoist’s surprise, Han Li’s anger quickly subsided as he countered with a question.
“Who said I intended to refine the puppets myself? I merely found two semi-finished high-tier puppets in the ruins. By embedding Spirit Stones into them, they can be used as-is. Why bother refining them from scratch?” Venerable Tianjing replied without batting an eye.
“You—” Han Li was momentarily speechless. This old Taoist was truly difficult to deal with!
“Enough. I’ve already handed over the puppet-refining techniques. Now, about my—”
“Here!” Before the old Taoist could finish with his insincere smile, Han Li flicked his sleeve over the table. A green flash later, a small pile of Spirit Stones materialized.
Venerable Tianjing was overjoyed but also slightly embarrassed. As he opened his mouth to speak, Han Li waved him off. “I’ve suffered a silent loss this time, but I won’t complain. Now that we’re even, I’ll take my leave.” With a curt bow, Han Li exited the pavilion, his face a picture of frustration, not once looking back.
The old Taoist watched Han Li’s retreating figure, first shaking his head with narrowed eyes, then nodding in satisfaction before calmly stowing all the Spirit Stones into his storage bag. Exchanging a useless puppet-refining technique for so many Spirit Stones was an outcome he found extremely satisfying. With these, he could complete the semi-finished puppets. Still, Han Li’s ability to produce so many Spirit Stones at once left him astonished, and he couldn’t help but regard Han Li with newfound respect.
What the old Taoist didn’t know was that Han Li, now several streets away, had already shed his frustrated expression. Instead, he toyed with the white jade slip, a strange smile playing on his lips.
Ten-thousand-year Ironwood might be impossible for others, but not for him—it would merely take some time. As for the other obscure materials, if his memory served him right, they could likely be scavenged from the puppet remnants in the Void Sky Palace.
If luck was on his side, he might gather enough materials to refine a few puppets. These puppets, capable of attacks equivalent to Nascent Soul cultivators, would undoubtedly become a formidable asset, reviving the puppet techniques he had once abandoned as one of his trump cards.
Moreover, the jade slip also contained techniques for refining puppets with power comparable to Core Formation cultivators. Though their materials were similarly rare, they could still be purchased with enough spirit stones. While five or six of these lower-tier puppets posed no threat to a Nascent Soul cultivator, refining hundreds of them—as he had done before—would force even Nascent Soul cultivators to retreat.
Still, this was merely a fleeting thought. Even the lowest-tier puppets described in the jade slip required materials as costly as an ordinary magic treasure. Refining dozens, let alone hundreds, was beyond Han Li’s means.
Back when he refined hundreds of third-tier puppets for the Thousand Bamboo Sect, he had nearly bankrupted himself, selling off most of his monster materials to cover the costs. Compared to these ancient puppets, those were mere child’s play.
With a wry smile, Han Li checked his bearings and headed straight for the western gate of Tiancheng City.
Though night had fallen, the difference between day and night meant little to him. His next priority was to seek out the owner of the Refined Gold Essence.
With the trade fair officially underway, cultivators from all over the South Sky had flooded into the city. The auction houses had begun selling rare treasures as early as the second day, attracting wealthy bidders.
“Seven hundred and sixty thousand spirit stones! This Refined Gold Essence goes to this fellow Daoist,” announced a middle-aged cultivator at the front of the auction hall, smiling broadly.
On the sandalwood table before him lay a green jade tray holding an unremarkable walnut-sized piece of pale golden ore.
A silver-robed cultivator with indistinct features stepped forward excitedly, paid the spirit stones, and claimed the Refined Gold Essence.
Han Li, seated among the audience, sighed softly and rose to leave the auction hall. No matter how precious the remaining items were, they held no relevance for him.
That night, he had easily located the owner of the Refined Gold Essence using his spiritual sense. However, the man demanded either a seventh-tier beast egg or the legendary “Unity Divine Clay”—neither of which Han Li possessed. Disappointed, he had no choice but to walk away.
From their conversation, Han Li also learned that the Refined Gold Essence was too small to be of much use—it would only suffice for seven or eight flying swords, far from enough for his needs.
Nevertheless, when the auction began today, Han Li had participated. But once the bidding surpassed five hundred thousand spirit stones, he abandoned the idea entirely. It seemed his Great Swords Formation would remain unusable for the foreseeable future.
Leaving the auction house, Han Li bypassed further events and instead wandered the market district, purchasing whatever auxiliary materials for puppet refinement he could find. Then, he made his way to a secluded corner of Tiancheng City.
Today marked the fourth day of the trade fair. Recalling Marquis Nanlong’s earlier words, curiosity led him to the location specified in the jade slip.
After scanning the area with his spiritual sense, Han Li stopped before an unremarkable stone hut. Before he could knock, the wooden door swung open on its own.
A man in a jade crown and purple robe, with a long beard, stepped out.
“Fellow Daoist Han, you’ve finally arrived. Allow me to introduce you to a few fellow cultivators,” Marquis Nanlong said warmly.
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