Chen Ye withdrew the Iron Sword, the blade humming as it floated beside him.
His mind throbbed with pain, as this sword was ultimately too heavy and consumed too much Divine Sense to wield.
Yet, Chen Ye appeared unaffected, as if he did it with ease.
This act was intentional.
In the Cultivation Realm, only by possessing strength can one earn the respect of others.
Indeed, Master Gu had been indifferent to him before and only now was he willing to regard him seriously.
Chen Ye humbly said, "I have merely some insights into the path of Divine Sense..."
Master Gu’s old face wrinkled into a frown; even he wasn’t as skilled with Divine Sense as Chen Ye—this was merely some insight?
Beside him, Hee Qi was even more dumbfounded and stammered, "Brother Chen... you... you’re no mere Spirit Plant Cultivator; you’re clearly the reincarnation of a Sword Immortal! I think you should just leave Lingyin Sect and join the Refining God Sect instead!"
Seeing this, Chen Ye knew the timing was perfect to strike while the iron was hot.
He retracted the Iron Sword and respectfully bowed to Master Gu, carefully taking out the damaged General Puppet Core from the Storage Bag: "Master Gu has discerning eyes; I have here a damaged item with a peculiar origin. My knowledge is shallow, and I can’t discern the method to repair it, so I wish to seek your guidance."
He had only initially refined the Profound Soul Crystal and Condensing Ghost Soul into it, but had not completed the repair.
Though it would just be a matter of time to repair the core given his skill panel.
But what he currently lacked was time; cultivation, Alchemy, magic training, Divine Sense honing—all required a great deal of time.
It would be easier to simply find an Artifact Refiner to repair it, saving time and effort.
As soon as the General Puppet Core appeared, a fierce Sword Intent filled the previously calm Blacksmith Shop.
The core was crystalline and translucent, with countless runes floating inside, pierced by four ferocious sword marks, its brilliance dimmed and appearing ruinous.
Hee Qi curiously leaned forward: "What treasure is this? It looks like some sort of core for an array?"
Master Gu’s expression changed completely the moment he saw the core.
The smile vanished from his face as he took three steps in two strides towards Chen Ye, grabbing the core without any regard for manners, and closely inspecting it.
"Is this a Divine Power Core from the Ten Thousand Puppet Sect? And for a Tier Two General Puppet at that!" Master Gu looked aghast, "The sword marks on it... so sharp, the person who did this has a high level of Sword Dao comprehension. Kid, where did you get this from?"
Chen Ye only mentioned it was a gift from a senior expert, without revealing Bai Susu’s identity.
Master Gu couldn’t help but glance at Hee Qi: "Taoist Friend Hee, this friend of yours is truly remarkable..."
With both influential connections and strength.
Perhaps... he could be of help to him.
Seeing the usually composed Artifact Refiner astonished like this, Hee Qi couldn’t help but scratch his head and boast, "Of course, a friend of Hee Qi wouldn’t be an ordinary person."
Master Gu’s gaze turned to Chen Ye again, and he sighed: "This is a Tier Two Magical Treasure; the complexity of its internal formations is far beyond that of First Tier. Although I have some insight into Artifact Refining, I’m ultimately just a First Tier Artifact Refiner, and fully restoring it is beyond my capability."
Hearing this, though Chen Ye had expected it, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
Master Gu was indeed not a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, making it difficult to repair a Magical Treasure.
"However..." Master Gu changed his tone, "Enabling it to activate a First Tier Puppet is quite easy. Moreover, this Tier Two General Puppet Core can support a puppet that is sufficiently powerful! As long as the puppet’s quality is high, becoming invincible during the Qi Cultivation Stage won’t be an issue."
Chen Ye’s spirit lifted: "How many Spirit Stones are needed to repair the core?"
Master Gu examined the core and pondered, "Hmm... You’ve already melted the two Spiritual Materials into the core, so the cost isn’t much; I’ll charge you fifty Spirit Stones."
Another fifty Spirit Stones gone...
Chen Ye felt a twinge of heartache but didn’t hesitate, promptly handing over fifty Spirit Stones to Master Gu.
...
After bidding farewell to Master Gu, Chen Ye was in great spirits.
With this Heavy Sword and the opportunity to repair the General Puppet Core, the path ahead seemed bright.
"Once a fine puppet is made, I might even be able to easily surpass my level in battle..."
Previously, defeating that Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer guard was all thanks to Hee Qi acting as a meat shield and draining his Spiritual Power.
But once the puppet is crafted and paired with this three-hundred-pound Flying Sword, he should be able to easily best that Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer guard in a one-on-one match.
When he returned to the Herb Pavilion’s medicinal garden, it was already afternoon.
As he stepped into the courtyard, he saw two apprentices playing around in the garden with Li Qiuyun.
The spirited girl had her eyes covered with black cloth, waving her hands about aimlessly, playing blind man’s buff with the two apprentices.
"Sister Qiuyun, you’re not allowed to use Divine Sense!" Qing Jun reminded loudly.
"Then you’re not allowed to Conceal Qi..."
Li Qiuyun’s voice was somewhat helpless; her tone was tinged with frustration as she groped about, unable to resist asking,
"Oh dear, when is your teacher coming back? I have matters to discuss with him!"
Today, people from the Mao Family suddenly started procuring materials from the outside world, which would last only two days, after which they would seal Divine Mist Valley once again.
This meant Chen Ye had to prepare within these two days, infiltrate the Mao Family, and return to the Moon Rhinoceros Lake District within this timeframe!