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Chapter 120: Golden-Core Puppet

"Eh?" Chu Liang was shocked. "Esteemed Teacher, why are you hesitating? Someone almost smacked your most beloved disciple to death!"

"First, tell me what happened. You said you were going to buy something, but you were gone for so damn long, and you even almost died on the way back," Di Nufeng said.

Chu Liang gave her a brief recount of what he'd experienced. Of course, he emphasized how he'd felt so weak and helpless in the face of Xu Nanling's intense ferocity and ruthlessness.

"Hmph," Di Nufeng scoffed disdainfully after hearing what had happened. "He's merely a manager of the Whale Gang, yet he dared to try and kill my disciple. It seems like he thinks his family has too much money and he's trying to use up some as compensation... No, it's more likely that he thinks he's been alive for too long."

"Mmhm!" Chu Liang nodded in agreement.

"However, if you want me to move my legs to get revenge for you, you'll have to let me rest for a day at least," Di Nufeng said. "I used up a lot of energy to forge a sword for you."

"Didn't you request for Master Kunwu to forge the sword? Why did you have to do anything, Esteemed Teacher?" Chu Liang asked puzzledly.

"The esteemed Senior Di Nufeng chose the best material currently available at the First-Rate Sword Hut—the Glowing Jade-Gold Crystal," explained the simple and honest-looking young man who had walked out with Di Nufeng, his voice tinged with pain. His heartache over the loss of his family's smithy's best material was too difficult for him to hold back. "The Glowing Jade-Gold Crystal can only be forged using the Samadhi True Fire, so esteemed Senior Di Nufeng had to put in a lot of effort for us to forge the sword."

This young man was, of course, Xu Kunwu's only son—Xu Sui.

While Xu Sui said that, he was thinking of a totally different scene. He recounted how Di Nufeng had brazenly barged into the First-Rate Sword Hut, completely disregarding the gazes of the many onlookers.

...

At the time... Di Nufeng had seemed like a thug as she charged toward Xu Sui's father.

"Now, I'm letting you help me forge a sword, but I, Di Nufeng, won't just stand by idly and watch you do all the work. I heard that swords forged using Samadhi True Fire are the best."

However, the reason why swords crafted with the Samadhi True Fire were the best was because only the most excellent materials were used whenever the Samadhi True Fire was employed. Less exceptional materials would be instantly destroyed by Samadhi True Fire.

Therefore, it was very clear what Di Nufeng meant.

I want the best materials. If you dare to brush me off and use ordinary materials, don't blame me for destroying them.

And if you're still thinking of saying that you're not willing to use the best materials...

A flickering purple ball of SamadhiTrue Fire hovered above Di Nufeng's fingertips. Who could say a single word of refusal upon seeing that?

Xu Kunwu could only grit his teeth and agree to Di Nufeng's demands.

Like Di Nufeng, Xu Kunwu was at the seventh realm of cultivation, the Dao Attainment Realm. After all, in this cultivation world, it was difficult to excel in any craft without possessing a profound understanding of the Dao.

However, if Xu Kunwu was a seventh-realm blacksmith who specialized in forging swords, then Di Nufeng was a seventh-realm warrior who specialized in combat! They were both at the Dao Attainment Realm, but their combat capabilities were on entirely different levels.

Moreover, Xu Kunwu owed Di Nufeng a favor, giving Di Nufeng the upper hand! Even if Xu Kunwu were to gather all the influential figures in Taotie City to support him, Di Nufeng wouldn't be afraid at all.

Consequently, Xu Kunwu could only grit his teeth and take out the Glowing Jade-Gold Crystal, a material of the highest quality that he had cherished for many years.

In any case, Xu Kunwu had never forgotten how Di Nufeng had helped him in the past. This was an opportunity to finally fulfill his wish of repaying that favor.

Nevertheless, he felt a bit troubled by Di Nufeng's request. He didn't understand why Di Nufeng insisted on having him forge a replica of the Heavenly Cloud Ancient Sword.

If he were to use the Glowing Jade-Gold Crystal and forge it using the Samadhi True Fire to the utmost of his abilities, Xu Kunwu was certainly capable of creating a sword that would easily rank among the top three hundred of the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures. It might even have the potential to break into the top two hundred. So, this was indeed an appealing opportunity for a swordsmith of his caliber.

Making a replica of the Heavenly Cloud Ancient Sword would be a slightly simpler task, and he might be able to make the replica marginally more powerful than the original. However, a replica couldn't enter the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures, and Xu Kunwu wouldn't gain any fame for making it.

As for the reason why Di Nufeng wanted a replica, her answer was...

"My disciple is weak. I simply want to provide him with a quality sword for his protection. However, if his flying sword is ranked in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures, it would attract unwanted attention and potential threats from people who covet it."

Xu Kunwu was a bit surprised to hear that.

He remarked, "I didn't expect you to display a thoughtful side. I guess you thought of this because you cherish your disciple greatly, right?"

"Not quite," Di Nufeng replied with a smile, waving her hand. "Whenever I covet someone else's treasure, it's because their treasure appeared in the catalog. That's why I thought of it so easily."

"..."

Xu Kunwu's warm feelings about Di Nufeng's seemingly touching relationship with her disciple instantly disappeared.

Fine.

As expected, this person has always had the mindset of a bandit. It shouldn't be surprising that she could think of that.

With that, Xu Kunwu, the owner of the First-Rate Sword Hut, wasted no time in starting up the furnace to forge the sword. Even when nightfall arrived, he didn't sleep. He just wanted to get the sword done as quickly as possible to send away this great "deity."

As for whether he would take his work seriously or just slack off, there was no need to even wonder about that. After all, as a first-rate swordsmith of the mortal world, Xu Kunwu had his own set of principles and work ethic. Once he agreed to a commission, he would do his best to complete it; he would never tarnish the reputation of his business.

Moreover, this was a rare opportunity for him to forge with the assistance of Samadhi True Fire, so he very quickly immersed himself in making the sword.

Consequently, when Chu Liang arrived at the smithy, Xu Sui was the only one who walked out with Di Nufeng to welcome him.

...

"I see," Chu Liang said.

After listening to the whole story, he realized that Di Nufeng had actually put much thought into her response to his request.

Then Chu Liang concluded, "In that case, let's wait for you to recover all of your foundational qi. We can find that guy and get revenge later, Esteemed Teacher. It's not an urgent matter."

"Indeed," Di Nufeng nodded. "If all I'm doing is dealing with a weak cultivator at the Realm of the Five Elements, I wouldn't need to rest. But since we're the ones initiating the attack, we should be in our best condition to cope with any unexpected situations that may arise. For example, striking a young person may prompt an elder from their family to step out to save them...

"Moreover, with the chaos that occurred at the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts earlier, they will surely be heavily guarded now. It would easily arouse suspicion if we go there rashly. Let's wait for a day and catch him off guard. It will be easier to get him then."

After hearing his teacher's analysis, Chu Liang felt that it made a lot of sense.

This was, after all, an analysis that Di Nufeng, a street-smart war advisor, had formulated using the valuable combat experiences she'd gained from the many years she'd spent in the Mount Shu Sect and out in the martial world. There was no need for Chu Liang to consider whether what she'd said was right or wrong; he just needed to learn her ways.

Di Nufeng might be unreliable in every other aspect, but when it came to fighting, her instincts were always reliable!

...

As the night deepened, Chu Liang found a place to rest in the First-Rate Sword Hut and retreated to his room.

As the tranquil stillness surrounded him, he finally seized the moment to step into the White Pagoda within his own mind.

A small Human-Faced Xiao's phantom was suspended in one of the iron cells.

This little guy... It's so fierce and cunning, but why do I find it so damn likable?

Chu Liang shifted his attention to the Large-Headed Doll sitting in a corner of the White Pagoda, working diligently. Due to the perfect operation of the Qi-Circulation Technique, there was always a cloud of smoke surrounding the puppet. Yet, despite emitting smoke, the puppet had never asked for Chu Liang to raise its salary by even one Qi-Gathering Pill.

It's truly touching. Who wouldn't want more employees like this?

Chu Liang nervously pressed the word "Refine." He didn't know if the White Pagoda would give him the same reward for this Human-Faced Xiao, which was slightly stronger than the first one he'd killed.

Boom.

Chu Liang couldn't help but hold his breath as the white light slowly flew out of the cell.

Judging from its form, it looks similar to a puppet... It has to be a puppet!

Then the object inside the white light fell into Chu Liang's hands.

[Golden-Core Puppet: This puppet boosts the development of the host's Golden Core to aid in their cultivation. The puppet must first form a Golden Core and then use it to further develop the host's Golden Core. All progress achieved in cultivation will be transferred to the host. The puppet consumes one Spirit Concentration Pill during the day and two at night. Additionally, during combat, the puppet can run its Golden Core simultaneously with the host's Golden Core, but the consumption of Spirit Concentration Pills will double.

Please be aware that this puppet is to be used strictly as a cultivation and combat aid. There is a risk of damage if used inappropriately.]