The auction only delayed Lu Qingfeng by half a day.
Half a day later, after returning to Mount Yuanyi, Lu Qingfeng began another round of cultivation and research.
After advancing to the True Qi Realm, cultivation became increasingly difficult.
From the first level of the True Qi Realm to the ninth level, one had to cross a full 100 levels before advancing to the Foundation Establishment Realm. The experience required for each level also changed from increasing by 5 each time to increasing by 10.
As for pills.
Yellow Dragon Pills and ordinary Golden Marrow Pills were no longer effective for Lu Qingfeng's cultivation. Only the Special-Effect Golden Marrow Pills, whose pill formula had been enhanced five times, along with Qi-Harmonizing Pills, Qi-Circulating Powder, and the like, could aid cultivation in the True Qi Realm.
But his cultivation speed still plummeted inevitably.
The increase in experience was substantial, but it could not withstand the enormous amount of experience required for each level. Moreover, each major level was further divided into ten minor levels.
"'Primordial World' divides cultivation realms and levels so meticulously that even if a cultivator remains in one major level for a long time, they can still see their progress through the visible data of their rising experience and levels."
"But at the same time, it can also drive people to despair!"
Judging from his current progress, Lu Qingfeng had some hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm before his lifespan ran out, provided he did not spend experience on deductions.
But it was said that every three levels of the True Qi Realm formed a minor bottleneck. Advancing from the True Qi Realm to the Qi Guiding Foundation Establishment Realm involved an even greater bottleneck that blocked several tenths of all cultivators.
Lu Qingfeng had no confidence.
Even after advancing to the True Qi Realm, his lifespan limit had only increased from 68 to 100.
"As for cultivation, I can only do my best and leave the rest to fate."
"One lifetime in the game lasts a hundred years, while only a year passes in reality. At my current rate of cultivation in the real world, I won't advance to the True Qi Realm in three to five years."
"In other words, I have at least three to five lifetimes in the game to repeatedly cultivate in the True Qi Realm and accumulate experience."
If he could not break through in one lifetime, then two!
If he could not break through in two lifetimes, then three!
After accumulating over several lifetimes, he would break through the True Qi Realm and advance to Foundation Establishment eventually!
Keep a steady mind!
Never slacken in cultivation!
Whenever he encountered something he did not understand, he would ask Zhang Zong, Wang Tao, Lu Hongwen, Mu Yuanyi, and the others. He would repeatedly ponder every obstacle in cultivation—not pursuing speed, but striving to understand everything thoroughly.
In puppet refinement, Zhang Zong could also help him considerably.
Zhang Zong was a top-tier artifact-refinement apprentice and had studied puppet refinement for over twenty years. His experience was abundant. With his guidance, Lu Qingfeng progressed by leaps and bounds.
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye.
Ten years had passed since the first Mystic Mechanisms Auction.
The territory of Cuiping Mountain.
Mount Yuanyi.
Beside the Black Sand Alchemy Room, a vast new building had been erected over the years. It was not an alchemy room, but an artifact workshop.
Lu Qingfeng had paid for the construction of this artifact workshop himself and named it the Black Sand Artifact Workshop.
As his research into puppets deepened, he visited Zhang Zong's Seven Mysteries Artifact Workshop more and more frequently. Whenever inspiration struck, it was common for him not to come out for ten days or half a month.
Zhang Zong, Mu Yuanyi, and the others would not say anything, but there was no guarantee that the other members of the Yuanyi Guild would have no complaints.
Over the years, the Yuanyi Guild had grown and expanded. It was no longer the ragtag operation it had been when Lu Qingfeng had first joined.
Lu Qingfeng realized this himself.
He built the Black Sand Artifact Workshop beside the Black Sand Alchemy Room, specifically for studying puppet refinement.
On this day.
Inside the Black Sand Artifact Workshop, Lu Qingfeng held a Rune Needle and infused it with true qi as he sketched across the chest of a metal puppet as tall as himself.
Lu Qingfeng was utterly focused.
Every time the Rune Needle descended, it was precise beyond compare. The drawing of every line and the pause at every node were all carried out with painstaking care.
After roughly half an hour.
The Rune Needle in Lu Qingfeng's hand traced a beautiful curve. On the metal puppet's chest, lines of patterns emerged and vanished, ancient and mysterious, making it impossible to look away!
He stared at the metal puppet before him without saying a word. His consciousness suddenly stirred, his vision shifted, and he saw a rather handsome young man standing blankly before him.
Lu Qingfeng had linked his consciousness with the Thousand Mechanisms Stone inside the metal puppet before him. Through the Spirit-Control Talisman Formation within the Thousand Mechanisms Stone, his consciousness entered the puppet and controlled it.
Only by sharing the puppet's vision could he see "himself" as though looking into a mirror.
Mu Yuanyi and the others controlled giant puppets through the same method.
All sorts of visual and surveying functions came from the talisman formations on the puppet.
Lu Qingfeng controlled the metal puppet, raised its left foot, and took a step—only to unexpectedly retreat half a step!
The puppet did not stop and continued moving.
It suddenly went left, then right.
Forward, backward, jumping, turning...
Lu Qingfeng continued experimenting. This seemingly clumsy metal puppet was as agile as an ordinary person. The special metal covering its body was like skin and flesh, able to contract and extend at will. It could perform every movement an ordinary person could—and even movements beyond human ability, violating the limits of the human body.
Lu Qingfeng's consciousness returned. He stepped forward several times, then suddenly struck the metal puppet with a palm.
The puppet immediately retreated three steps. A palm print radiating searing heat appeared on its chest, looking terrifying. But once the puppet halted its retreat, it still moved freely, without suffering the slightest effect.
Lu Qingfeng did not stop.
Heartburning Palm!
True Yang Finger Technique!
Fire Bolt Technique!
Freezing Technique!
Martial techniques and spells were unleashed one after another, striking every part of the puppet's body. After a savage barrage, the puppet was black in some places and white in others, battered beyond recognition.
The delight on Lu Qingfeng's face only grew more intense.
At last, he kicked out, sending the metal puppet flying several yards before it crashed to the ground. The metal puppet bounced once and stood up again.
"Great accomplishment!"
This time, Lu Qingfeng did not pursue it. He stood where he was, his expression bursting with excitement!
Eighteen years had already passed in this lifetime.
During the first eight years, Lu Qingfeng had begun studying the fundamentals of puppet arts.
This included the various basics of artifact refinement, the processing of different ores, metals, and materials, and so on.
As well as Mechanism Arts.
Only after laying a solid foundation in every aspect and clarifying the principles did Lu Qingfeng officially begin researching puppet refinement.
He first obtained the most widely circulated puppet-refinement methods from the Yuanyi Guild and Zhang Zong.
These included the overall structure of puppets, the construction of the various talisman formations inside and outside them, the Spiritual Pivot Formation, the Spirit-Control Talisman Formation, the refinement of ordinary Thousand Mechanisms Stones, and the construction of dozens of talisman formations.
Restricted by the Thousand Mechanisms Stone, puppets of this kind could only allow a cultivator to enter them and control them in battle by touching the Thousand Mechanisms Stone.
Thus, puppets were enormous, standing at least two zhang tall.
Lu Qingfeng began his research with these puppets. Later, after obtaining Huang's Puppet Notes at the first Mystic Mechanisms Auction, he turned toward researching miniature puppets.
An entire ten years.
For the first seven years, he constantly pondered each talisman formation and every structure. Then, although he could barely refine a puppet with a complete structure, all kinds of problems emerged.
Failure after failure, starting over again and again!
Although all the materials he used were very ordinary, the countless experiments still cost an enormous amount! Every bit of Lu Qingfeng's income from alchemy was poured into refining puppets.
With Lu Qingfeng's attainments in alchemy, Yellow Dragon Pills, Golden Marrow Pills, Qi-Harmonizing Pills, Qi-Circulating Powder, and other pills were highly sought after. He earned at least a dozen Spirit Stones every year.
Over ten years, that amounted to more than a hundred Spirit Stones.
That was enough to buy several first-tier artifacts or dozens of second-level puppets!
With such massive investment, it was no wonder Zhang Zong had ultimately chosen to give up after studying for over twenty years. It was also no wonder that although the Hundred Crafts Sect had established itself through puppets, it kept its high-end puppet-refinement methods hidden, leaving only a tiny number of artifact refiners in the sect truly capable of refining puppets.
There was no other reason!
The cost was simply too great!
Lu Qingfeng was researching ordinary first- and second-level puppets. Their materials were common and cheap. Furthermore, because the puppets were small, they required fewer materials.
If he researched large puppets or high-grade puppets, the rate at which they devoured money would be more than ten or a hundred times greater?!
Recalling the hardships of the past ten years, Lu Qingfeng looked at the puppet before him. In the end, he burst into silent laughter!
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