NOVPUB
Chapter 1017: Chapter 977: Sloppy_2
Li Zhirui didn’t expect these people to be so polite, "Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. We merely heard about the Golden-Bearded Dragon-Tail Shrimp possessing Dragon Blood and wished to obtain some."
"Elder, if there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave now." The Golden Core cultivator spoke up.
"Alright."
Li Zhirui responded and then followed Zou Mingpeng into Three Metals Island.
"Actually, Three Metals Island no longer faces the threat of the Sea Clan, so if Fellow Daoist wishes to obtain Dragon Blood, you’ll need to go to the battlefront yourself."
Seeing a hint of confusion on Li Zhirui’s face, Zou Mingpeng explained, "Fellow Daoist must have heard of Sword Mountain, the number one Immortal Sect in the Sword Dao, right?"
"Those Sword Mountain Cultivators, just like Asuras, possess incredibly terrifying offensive power. The Sea Clan stands no chance against them; the battle line keeps pushing forward, and in just a few days, the casualties of the Sea Clan might surpass those of the previous month!"
"Therefore, some of the more timid Sea Clan no longer dare to join the battle. The Blue Crystal Fish Clan that had previously besieged Three Metals Island was an example of this."
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for informing me." Li Zhirui thanked with a smile on his face, yet he was guessing inside why they were arranged to stay in this safe place.
Before he could figure it out, he saw the cultivators coming to greet them and, through Zou Mingpeng’s introduction, met the remaining two Lianxu Cultivators on the island.
As for the rest of the cultivators, there was no need for introductions. The main goal was to make them recognize Li Zhirui and the others, especially Xiaoqing and Cang, to prevent them from mistaking them for Devil Race infiltrating the Three Metals Island.
"Here is the Jade Token for the entrance and exit formation. Fellow Daoist, if you wish to join the battle at the front, you may go on your own. We are all cowards who dare not join; no one will go," Zou Mingpeng said mockingly.
Li Zhirui’s eyes flashed with surprise. It was the first time he had seen a Lianxu Cultivator speak so disparagingly about themselves, and he wasn’t sure whether to commend him for confronting his nature or to criticize him for his cowardice, as the two judgments were entirely different.
However, since this was their first meeting, there was no need to delve into deep conversation, so he acted as if he hadn’t heard it. After expressing his thanks, he left.
Choosing an unoccupied Cave Mansion at random, the trio went in, and the first thing they did was set up the Formation.
"Jiu, why do you think that person arranged for us to come to Three Metals Island?" Cang asked.
It would be unlikely that he wouldn’t know about the situation of Three Metals Island. Even though it’s close to the battlefront, as time passes, the distance will become greater and greater.
"Have you not noticed how remote Three Metals Island is? There’s not a second island to be seen within a hundred li," Xiaoqing added.
"Is it possible they don’t want too many cultivators to know of our presence?"
What Li Zhirui said off the top of his head actually hit the nail on the head!
The Cave Abyss Sect had dispatched many disciples to various sea domains in the northwest direction of the East Sea. Besides commanding or leading other cultivators to defeat the Sea Clan and occupy sea domains and record meritorious deeds, there is also competition and internal ranking among them!
The higher the internal ranking and the more meritorious deeds, the more attention they will receive upon returning to the Sect!
So when the disciples of the Cave Abyss Sect in Wanxia Sea Domain heard that there were cultivators willing to support Golden Sand Sea Domain, they had the thought of meeting them.
This is because, in a sense, it could add quite a few points to their performance!
Meanwhile, the Cave Abyss Sect disciples in Golden Sand Sea Domain, although hospitable to Li Zhirui and the others, actually adopted a strategy of strategic isolation because they didn’t want too many cultivators to know of their existence.
But they couldn’t just keep them under house arrest to ensure the news wouldn’t leak, especially since there were already records in Wanxia Sea Domain.
They could only use this kind of self-deceiving tactic, placing them on the remote Three Metals Island to reduce contact with other cultivators. If they went to the front to fight, no one would have the leisure to inquire about their identities.
But let’s get back to the point!
Unable to work out the reason, the trio decisively put aside the puzzle, not wanting to rack their brains over it any longer, as long as it didn’t hinder the purpose of their trip.
"You all rest for the night, and carry the Identity Jade tomorrow morning to join the battle at the front."
Li Zhirui said, "I’ll stay on Three Metals Island to cultivate."
Because of the war, he hadn’t had time to cultivate, so his advancement in cultivation had been incredibly slow. Now, at last, he had the opportunity.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Li Zhirui sent Xiaoqing and Cang off, reminding them, "Be careful in everything, and return safely."
Although after revising the "Terrestrial Spirit Path Records," any issues wouldn’t affect him personally, Li Zhirui didn’t wish for the slightest mishap to occur due to the many years of attachment.
Not until after he could no longer see the two of them, did Li Zhirui turn around and return to his Cave Mansion.
It took some time to calm his Mental State before Li Zhirui started circulating his Cultivation Technique for today’s Cultivation.
By the time the Initial Purple Qi spread throughout the heavens and the earth, he managed to capture a trace of it, which, after fusing with last night’s Taiyin essence, helped his Spiritual Soul make one step forward towards becoming a Sun God.
This was a slow and patient endeavor, but after so many years, Li Zhirui was now less than forty percent away from his Spiritual Soul’s full ascension to a Sun God!
However, due to the revisions, his Cultivation was far behind his Realm, and it would take a considerable amount of time to increase his Mana.
——
Meanwhile, on Li Family Island, most family members were in seclusion for healing or Cultivation.
But within a courtyard secluded by a Formation, there was an unusual bustle and commotion!
"Obsidian is sharp enough, but too brittle, easily broken..."
"Golden Silk Bamboo..."
As soon as this Spiritual Object was mentioned, someone immediately objected, saying: "No good! It wears out too easily and it’s not cheap, making it impractical for mass production."
They were the five Puppet Masters entrusted with an important task by Li Zhirui!
Even though Li Zhirui hadn’t set a precise deadline, merely mentioning several years and telling them not to rush, these five were working extremely hard, striving to complete their task early and to gain his recognition!
Two of them were testing the Spirit Materials for creating Mining Puppets, to find something sharp, sturdy, durable, and most importantly, cheap enough!
Two others were working out the designs for easy-to-make low-rank Mining Puppets. They stressed the ’easy-to-make’ because there would certainly be a vast number needed.
If they were too difficult to make, then only a few of the clan’s Puppet Masters would be capable of creating them, and they would bear the brunt of the hard work!
The remaining person was responsible for practical application, creating Puppets according to devised Methods and validating the Puppet’s capabilities.
During this process, the five faced numerous difficulties.
For example, the variety of low-rank Spirit Materials was as numerous as stars, making it hard to memorize all their names, let alone remembering their properties, prices, and other attributes.
But none of the five gave up and stubbornly persevered through gritted teeth!
Fortunately, hard work pays off. After countless failures, they finally saw a glimmer of hope for success.
They created an extremely crude Puppet from a section of Spirit Material known as Qinggang Stone, less than three feet tall, one hand wielding a drill, the other a large hammer.
In the testing process, they were pleasantly surprised to find the Puppet could easily split the dense Spirit Stone raw ore, and after chopping over ten thousand times, the Puppet only fell apart due to the unbearable pressure.
The drill bit itself shattered after just over a thousand uses, but such a part was easily replaceable.
"We did it!"
The five cheered joyously.
A Mining Puppet that was simple to make, used cheap materials, and was sturdy and durable met all of Li Zhirui’s requirements perfectly!
However, when the five eagerly went to seek an audience with Li Zhirui with their results, they learned he had already left the Island.
Luckily, the Elders were still on the Island, although they too were unsure what rewards Li Zhirui would give.
After some rounds, they ended up approaching Da Qing.
Li Zhirui hadn’t forgotten about this matter before heading to the Golden Sand Sea Domain and had specifically instructed Da Qing.
Seeing the five completely disheveled, Da Qing knew they must not have rested properly, otherwise, they wouldn’t look like this, saying: "You’ve worked hard during this time!"
