Inside the box lay three crystal-clear scales, as pristine as white jade.
Although these were just old scales shed by a young dragon and had been detached from its original body for some time, the oppressive force from the True Dragon Bloodline still sent a shiver down one’s spine.
This was the dragon’s might.
It is one of the top-tier deterrents in this world.
"Hmm... seems it’s not what I thought."
Chen Ye conducted a brief inspection.
He discovered that although these were dragon scales, they were very impure.
There were a lot of impurities within.
It seems that after Qing Jun became an egg, its body spontaneously cleansed itself of impurities, expelling them in the form of scales.
Nonetheless.
These dragon scales were already extremely top-grade materials!
At the very least.
One could barely count them as scales shed by a true dragon at the Foundation Establishment stage.
"In terms of quality, surprisingly, these are even above second-tier upper-grade spiritual materials! Unfortunately, the quantity and quality are too lacking; the three scales combined only amount to a single piece of second-tier upper-grade spiritual material. Moreover, these scales, though impure, are nonetheless produced when a true dragon undergoes metamorphosis and nirvana, and cannot be regenerated unless Qing Jun becomes an egg once more..."
Chen Ye pondered.
Just now,
Zhao Shan’s gift was also a kind of second-tier upper-grade spiritual material.
This grade of spiritual material was already extremely rare, likely something the Peak Master kept as a secret stash.
Currently,
Chen Ye had already gathered five pieces of second-tier upper-grade spiritual materials, plus Qing Jun’s three scales. In theory, with so many materials, along with some auxiliary materials, it was enough to craft two or three pieces of second-tier upper-grade magical treasures.
Yet now,
all these materials were to be used for refining a single puppet!
...
Time flew like an arrow, three months passed in a flash.
During these three months, Dandan Qingjun remained in slumber but sporadically shed some scales.
At first, a scale was shed every five days or so, but as time went on, the pace slowed down.
Eventually, Chen Ye collected twelve scales in total.
As the quantity of these dragon scales accumulated, they would reach a threshold!
He estimated that these twelve scales could already be considered a piece of second-tier top-grade spiritual material!
"Who would have thought, Qing Jun has really become a little gold dragon of the Cangli Courtyard who lays golden eggs..."
Chen Ye thought delightedly, and every time he went to collect the dragon scales from Qing Jun’s room, he felt like a farm owner gathering chicken eggs.
Aside from this,
A month into Qing Jun’s slumber, Jin’er advanced rapidly in cultivation, harnessing the might of the Divine Fire, reaching the Foundation Establishment second layer!
And three months into Qing Jun’s slumber, Zhiwei also successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment second layer!
"A difference of two months, huh... Jin’er’s Divine Fire allows her to cultivate swiftly before forming the Golden Core. This gap may widen further in the future. When Jin’er reaches the late Foundation Establishment stage, she might outpace Zhiwei by a year or two."
As their master, Chen Ye would naturally evaluate his disciples’ cultivation progress in his mind.
The accumulated might of the Divine Fire was enough for Jin’er to cultivate up to the Golden Core stage.
In the future, she would likely be the first of Chen Ye’s disciples to form the Golden Core.
Judging by her speed, her cultivation might even rival his as her master!
As for the war between Yan and Qi, there wasn’t much progress.
This was expected, as a conflict between two sects was a major event and couldn’t be resolved overnight.
Back when.
Chen Ye was still a small Loose Cultivator in Yunxi District when the Emotion Crossing Sect began its assault on the Lingyin Sect, continuing until Chen Ye became an instructor at Baopu Peak. During this time, the conflict lasted at least three years!
The small group gradually grew into a large crowd,
and the young girl gradually blossomed into a maiden...
Meanwhile, Chen Ye, the master, transformed from an uncle into a young man.
Only Qing Jun remained almost identical, a small girl with only a slight increase in height.
"I heard Susu is still dealing with the cleanup at Black Cliff City, and not long ago, the Emotion Crossing Sect brought reinforcements from the Li Family in Tide Lake. But strangely, the Li Family heir didn’t go to the Immortal Sect in the Eastern Domain; instead, he stayed at Black Cliff City, helping Bai Susu solve this big problem."
Chen Ye gritted his teeth!
Sure enough, that guy had his eyes on Susu!
Though Susu wasn’t tall, she was beautiful and adorable, with unparalleled talent, making her one of the top-quality female cultivators in the vast Lingxu Realm...
Chen Ye was furious!
As he expected, that guy was clearly enamored, even harboring thoughts he shouldn’t have!
"Not just overstaying his welcome, but also showering excessive attentions... does he really think I’m dead?"
"Master... Master, take it easy!"
Jin’er looked flustered.
Only to see that within the instrument room on Tianhua Peak, the earthly fire was blazing, and the high-quality second-tier Tripod Furnace was red-hot.
Chen Ye sat cross-legged in meditation, forming a seal with his left hand and placing his right hand on Jin’er’s back, drawing out the Divine Fire within Jin’er and channeling it into the furnace.
"Sorry, I got distracted."
Chen Ye snapped back to attention and quickly focused his mind.
He slightly loosened his large hand on his disciple’s back, and the previously turbulent Spiritual Fire entering the furnace became gentle and harmonious.
At this moment,
The puppet in the furnace had already taken a human form.
Over these three months, Chen Ye’s Hundred Refining Technique successfully broke the limit, refining numerous materials to the level of one hundred and eight refinements!
Such a level has already broken the historical record of the Ten Thousand Puppet Sect!
It was said to have brought all materials to perfection, leaving no shred of power wasted.
"Jin’er, if your Spiritual Power runs out, tell me, don’t just power through it."
Seeing his disciple sweating on her face, Chen Ye advised.
"Mm! Jin’er is already at Foundation Establishment Second Layer, and can still hold on!"
The girl nodded emphatically.
The deep blue flames passed through her fingertips, trickling into the furnace to temper the puppet prototype.
The origin of this fire was extraordinary,
Even Chen Ye did not know its origins.
Furthermore, this fire was merely parasitic on Jin’er, yet its remaining might is enough to allow Jin’er to proceed to the Golden Core smoothly and unhindered, its miraculous nature speaks for itself.
Though still young, it possesses the potential to incinerate the heavens and boil the seas, far beyond ordinary Spiritual Fire.
Using it to temper the puppet further enhances its strength!
"Perhaps in three or four days, it can be successfully refined..."
Chen Ye contentedly withdrew his hand.
He planned to wait a bit longer, in case Qing Jun continued to shed scales, he could further enhance the puppet.
However,
The last time Qing Jun shed scales was already thirteen days ago.
"Qing Jun might wake up soon; she’s been slumbering for nearly four months..."
...
Returning to Cangli Courtyard.
"Junior sister, you’ve worked hard. Go rest for a while, don’t damage your foundation."
"Thank you, senior sister... But Jin’er isn’t..."
"Hm?"
"Ahem, Jin’er isn’t too tired, but to avoid affecting her foundation, Jin’er will go cultivate now..."
Jin’er hunched her neck, speaking obediently.
The black-haired girl in a plain white dress was slim, elegant, and pure.
Especially when she smiled lightly with pursed lips, it held a subtle sweetness, making Jin’er feel like she was in a spring breeze, shivering involuntarily, she quickly ran back into the house.
"Home is still the most comfortable..."
Chen Ye sighed once more, sitting beside the stone table, relaxed and carefree.
Zhiwei walked to him from behind, gently massaging his temples, softly speaking:
"Master, how is the puppet work proceeding?"
"Smoothly, more smoothly than expected."
Chen Ye closed his eyes, enjoying his disciple’s service, with a smile at the corner of his lips,
"With a one hundred and eight refined weapon embryo, combined with Qing Jun’s dragon scales... once this Qingzhi emerges, its strength may surpass my predictions. When sent to Black Cliff City, it will surely teach that heir a lesson he’ll never forget!"
"Hm? Teach the Li Family heir a lesson?" Zhiwei blankly asked, "Master plans to make a move against that person?"
"That’s not what I meant..."
Chen Ye inadvertently slipped up, quickly explaining,
"I mean, just in case the Li Family supports the Emotion Crossing Sect, who knows, we might end up against him in the future?"
Before, he kept pondering over the Li Family heir’s desire for Susu, inevitably breeding animosity and making this heir the imaginary enemy of Qingzhi’s future.
But these words, naturally, couldn’t be spoken to Zhiwei.
Otherwise, Zhiwei might think the Master is jealous of Bai Susu!
A dignified Master, being jealous? It’s far too petty.
"..."
Zhiwei remained silent, only slightly increasing the pressure, pulling the master’s head a bit closer to her embrace.
"Zhiwei? Ahem, let go, I just remembered, I need to go check on Qing Jun..."
Master resisted.
Master didn’t want to be massaged by the disciple.
Zhiwei thought so, getting a bit angry, and her attitude rarely strong:
"Master, don’t move around, or else it’ll be difficult for me to massage you properly..."