Ten Years in a Blink! Great Success!

Chapter 36: Ten Years Fly By! Great Success!

The auction only took up half a day of Lu Qingfeng's time.

After half a day, back at Yuan Yi Mountain, Lu Qingfeng resumed his new round of cultivation and research.

After advancing to the True Qi Stage, cultivation became increasingly difficult.

From the first to the ninth level of the True Qi Stage, a full 100 levels were required to advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage. The experience points for each level also changed from a progressive increase of 5 to a progressive increase of 10.

Regarding elixirs.

The Yellow Dragon Pill and ordinary Gold Marrow Pills no longer had any effect on Lu Qingfeng's cultivation. Only the 'Special Effect Gold Marrow Pill,' which had its formula enhanced five times, and elixirs like the Harmony Qi Pill and Qi Circulation Powder could aid cultivation in the True Qi Stage.

However, the cultivation speed inevitably plummeted.

While the experience gain was considerable, it couldn't withstand the massive amount of experience required for each level. Furthermore, each stage was divided into ten minor levels.

"The way Primordial Chaos divides cultivation and levels so meticulously allows cultivators to see their progress through visible data of experience and level increases, even if they remain in a certain stage for a long time."

"But it's also despair-inducing!"

Based on his current progress, Lu Qingfeng had a chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage before his lifespan ran out, provided he didn't use experience points for deductions.

However, it was said that every three stages in the True Qi Stage presented a minor bottleneck. And the advancement from the True Qi Stage to the Foundation Establishment Qi Induction Realm had a major bottleneck that blocked a significant portion of cultivators.

Lu Qingfeng wasn't confident.

Even after advancing to the True Qi Stage, his lifespan had increased from 68 to 100 years.

"I'll do my best in cultivation and leave the rest to fate."

"A lifetime in the game is a hundred years, but only one year has passed in reality. Based on my cultivation progress in reality, it will take at least three to five years to advance to the True Qi Stage."

"This means I have at least three to five lifetimes in the game to repeatedly cultivate in the True Qi Stage and accumulate experience."

If he couldn't break through in one lifetime, he'd take two!

If he couldn't break through in two lifetimes, he'd take three!

With the accumulation of several lifetimes, he would eventually break through the True Qi Stage and advance to Foundation Establishment!

He would calm his mind!

And cultivate unceasingly!

Whenever he had doubts, he would consult Zhang Zong, Wang Tao, Lu Hongwen, Mu Yuanyi, and others. He would repeatedly ponder the various bottlenecks in cultivation, not pursuing speed, but seeking complete understanding.

In terms of puppet refining, Zhang Zong could also provide him with considerable help.

Zhang Zong himself was a top artifact refining apprentice and had studied puppet refining for over twenty years, possessing rich experience. With his guidance, Lu Qingfeng's progress was rapid.

Time flowed by.

In the blink of an eye.

Ten years had passed since the first Profound Mysteries Auction.

Verdant Screen Mountain territory.

Yuan Yi Mountain.

Next to the Black Sand Pill Refining Room, a massive new building had been erected over the years. It wasn't a pill refining room, but an artifact refining room.

This artifact refining room was built by Lu Qingfeng at his own expense and named the 'Black Sand Artifact Refining Room.'

As his research into puppets deepened, his visits to Zhang Zong's Seven Profound Artifact Refining Room became more frequent. Sometimes, when inspiration struck, he wouldn't emerge for ten days to half a month.

Although Zhang Zong, Mu Yuanyi, and the others wouldn't say anything, it was hard to guarantee that others in the Yuan Yi Guild wouldn't have grievances.

The Yuan Yi Guild had grown stronger over the years; it was no longer the ragtag group it was when Lu Qingfeng first joined.

Lu Qingfeng was considerate.

He built the Black Sand Artifact Refining Room next to the Black Sand Pill Refining Room, dedicated to his research on puppet refining.

On this day.

In the Black Sand Artifact Refining Room, Lu Qingfeng held a rune needle, channeling True Qi, and sketching on the chest of a metal puppet as tall as himself.

Lu Qingfeng was extremely focused.

Each stroke of the rune needle was precise. The sketching of every line, the pause at every node, was meticulously planned.

After about half an hour.

Lu Qingfeng's rune needle drew a beautiful curve, and on the chest of the metal puppet, faint, ancient, and mysterious patterns appeared, captivating the eye!

He stared at the metal puppet before him, silent. With a sudden thought, his vision shifted, and he saw a rather handsome young man standing there in a daze.

This was Lu Qingfeng linking his consciousness to the Thousand Mechanism Stone inside the metal puppet and controlling it through the Spirit Control Talisman Formation within the Thousand Mechanism Stone.

His vision was shared with the puppet, allowing him to see 'himself' as if looking in a mirror.

Mu Yuanyi and others controlled their Giant Puppets in a similar manner.

All sorts of vision and detection methods came from the talisman formations on the puppet.

Lu Qingfeng controlled the metal puppet. He lifted his left foot and took a step, but it actually retreated half a step!

The puppet didn't stop and continued to move.

Suddenly to the left, suddenly to the right.

Forward, backward, jumping, flipping...

Lu Qingfeng kept trying. This seemingly clumsy metal puppet was as agile as a normal person. The special metal on its body was like skin and flesh, able to contract and extend at will. It could perform all the actions a normal person could. It could even perform actions that normal people couldn't, defying human limits.

Lu Qingfeng's consciousness returned. He took a few steps forward and suddenly struck the metal puppet with a palm.

The puppet immediately retreated three steps. A scorching palm print appeared on its chest, looking terrifying. However, the puppet stopped its retreat and continued to move freely, unaffected.

Lu Qingfeng didn't stop.

Heart Burning Palm!

True Yang Finger Skill!

Fireball Art!

Freezing Art!

Martial skills and spells were unleashed continuously, attacking all parts of the puppet. After a brutal onslaught, the puppet was a mess of black and white patches, beyond recognition.

The joy on Lu Qingfeng's face grew stronger.

Until the last kick, which sent the metal puppet flying several yards before it fell to the ground. The metal puppet bounced and stood up again.

"Success!"

Lu Qingfeng didn't pursue this time. He stood in place, his expression incredibly excited!

Eighteen years had passed in this life.

From the very beginning, Lu Qingfeng had started researching the basics of puppet art for the first eight years.

Such as the basics of artifact refining, the processing of various ores, metals, and materials, etc.

Such as mechanism art.

After solidifying all the fundamentals and understanding the principles, Lu Qingfeng began to formally research the refinement of puppets.

He first obtained the most widely spread puppet refinement methods from the Yuan Yi Guild and Zhang Zong.

These included the overall structure of the puppet, the construction of various talisman formations inside and out, covering Spirit Pivot Talisman Formations, Spirit Control Talisman Formations, the refinement of ordinary Thousand Mechanism Stones, and the construction of dozens of talisman formations.

This type of puppet, limited by the Thousand Mechanism Stone, could only allow a cultivator to inhabit it and control the puppet through touching the Thousand Mechanism Stone to fight.

Therefore, the puppet's volume was enormous, at least over two Zhang tall.

Lu Qingfeng started his research with this type of puppet. Later, at the first Profound Mysteries Auction, he obtained the Huang's Puppet Manual, and then shifted his focus to the research of small puppets.

A full ten years.

From the first seven years of constantly pondering over each talisman formation and each part of the structure, to barely being able to refine a puppet with a complete structure, but then encountering various problems.

Failure after failure, starting over and over again!

Although the materials he used were ordinary, the countless trials still cost a fortune! Lu Qingfeng's income from alchemy was entirely used to refine puppets.

With Lu Qingfeng's attainments in alchemy, pills like the Yellow Dragon Pill, Gold Marrow Pill, Harmony Qi Pill, and Qi Circulation Powder were quite popular, bringing in at least ten Spirit Stones annually.

Over ten years, that was over a hundred Spirit Stones.

Enough to purchase several first-tier magic artifacts, or dozens of Second Level Puppets!

Such a massive investment explained why Zhang Zong, after researching for over twenty years, still chose to give up. It also explained why the Hundred Crafts Sect, which founded its sect on puppets, kept its high-level refinement methods hidden, with very few artifact refiners in the sect truly capable of refining puppets.

There was no other reason!

The cost was too high!

Lu Qingfeng's research direction was ordinary puppets of the first and second level. The materials were common and cheap. Also, because of the puppet's small size, the materials used were also less.

If he were to research large or high-level puppets, the cost would be tens or even hundreds of times higher?!

Lu Qingfeng recalled the hardships of the past ten years and looked at the puppet before him, finally breaking into silent laughter!