(Today's update is split into two chapters, two thousand characters each. The second chapter will be out a little after one in the afternoon. From now on, updates will be stable at a little after nine in the morning and a little after one in the afternoon. Also, I'm asking fellow readers for bookmarks and recommendations. A featured spot only brought two hundred more bookmarks—ah, utterly bleak. Finally, happy National Day to all fellow readers.)
"Incomplete Puppet Secret Art!"
Thinking of the puppet substitute that had saved the Big Forehead Freak from death, Lu Xiaotian's heart surged with excitement. If he could also learn to refine such a puppet, it would be like gaining an extra life in dangerous situations.
Lu Xiaotian impatiently opened the book. Sure enough, it contained the method for refining this puppet substitute. It turned out that this kind of puppet substitute was called a "Puppet Doll." But when he read further, Lu Xiaotian could not help but smile bitterly.
The requirements for refining a "Puppet Doll" were exceedingly harsh. At the very least, thousand-year-old Azure Cloud Wood was needed as the main material, along with dozens of extremely rare spirit materials such as Stardust Sand and Phantomheart Grass. He had seen records of some of them in Moonwatch City, while there were more than a dozen others he had never even heard of. In addition, Samadhi Trueflame or a spirit flame of the same rank was needed for the refinement.
Lu Xiaotian was even more speechless. Having lived in Moonwatch City for over half a year, he had learned much about the world of immortal cultivation and was no longer completely ignorant. Samadhi Trueflame was a divine ability possessed only by Golden Core masters. He was merely a Qi Refining cultivator. Forget possessing Samadhi Trueflame—he would be burned to nothing but ashes if he even got near it.
It seemed the Big Forehead Freak must have encountered some great opportunity and accidentally obtained a "Puppet Doll." What dog*shit luck, to acquire such a rare treasure that even Golden Core masters dreamed of.
It was truly a pity that such a precious treasure had been used up by the Big Forehead Freak just like that. But upon reconsidering it from the Big Forehead Freak's perspective, it was perfectly normal. If he could not even keep his life, was he supposed to let Lu Xiaotian get it for free?
Lu Xiaotian laughed at himself and continued flipping through the book. Then his face lit up with delight.
"Puppet Shadow Technique!"
According to the secret art's records, even Qi Refining cultivators could practice the Puppet Shadow Technique. It could use spiritual power to condense a shadow clone, and once the technique reached minor mastery, the shadow clone would even possess a certain degree of offensive power—enough to pass for the real thing and draw the enemy's attention. However, according to the book, the Puppet Shadow Technique required at least four years of cultivation before it could possibly reach minor mastery. In other words, the Big Forehead Freak could not have obtained this secret art very long ago.
It would not increase his strength much for the time being, but this Incomplete Puppet Secret Art had an extraordinary origin and should prove greatly useful in the future. Lu Xiaotian memorized the incantation for the Puppet Shadow Technique, then carefully put the book away as though it were a treasure.
Then Lu Xiaotian took out True Explanation of Spirit Insects. His control over Shadow Ants was far inferior to that of the Big Forehead Freak.
Opening True Explanation of Spirit Insects, Lu Xiaotian could not help but snort angrily. According to the introduction in this book, there were several methods of insect control, all far more ingenious than the one taught by the black-robed old man. That black-robed old man had truly been stingy. Even when teaching him something, he had guarded against him at every turn. The more Lu Xiaotian thought about it, the more his teeth itched with anger.
The art of insect control, especially controlling a swarm of spirit insects in battle, was a profound field of study. Spirit insects possessed extremely low intelligence and lacked the wisdom of ordinary demonic beasts. It was difficult for them to carry out their master's commands without deviation. If there were too few low-level spirit insects, they would find it hard to threaten other cultivators.
But once their numbers were sufficient and they could carry out their master's commands, they became extremely terrifying. Thus, among the many Rogue Cultivators, insect cultivators were very rare. Yet once one was successfully cultivated, they were among the most troublesome opponents in magical combat.
According to the book, whether one was an insect cultivator or a beast-taming cultivator, one's divine sense had to be strong enough. This was especially true for insect cultivators commanding swarms, who had even more demanding requirements for divine sense. Lu Xiaotian could not help but smile bitterly. Cultivation methods for divine sense were scarce to begin with, and in Moonwatch City they were treasures more precious than rare goods. Moreover, at the Qi Refining Early Stage, having somewhat stronger divine sense brought no direct benefit in magical combat except for insect cultivators. Only after reaching Foundation Establishment, or even stepping onto the path of Golden Core, would the use of divine sense grow increasingly significant.
But those were matters for the future. His aptitude was already mediocre. What he needed to do now was devote himself fully to joining an immortal sect and prepare for Foundation Establishment. Only after Foundation Establishment, when he possessed sufficient lifespan, could he consider such matters.
Therefore, after thinking it over again and again, Lu Xiaotian temporarily gave up on cultivating divine sense. Still, he kept the matter in mind.
Another method of cultivation recorded in True Explanation of Spirit Insects was called the "Blood Insect Technique." It involved feeding spirit insects with one's own essence blood. Once the spirit insects consumed essence blood, they would be tainted with the cultivator's aura. Over time, not only would they become more ferocious, but they would gradually become linked to their master's will. Lu Xiaotian thought of the Big Forehead Freak's Head Ants. Compared to the other Shadow Ants, they carried an additional force of blood baleful intent. Using Head Ants to control the other Shadow Ants was indeed a good method.
Back in the North Liang Kingdom, Lü Bifeng had mentioned having him raise Head Ants. But Lü Bifeng's cultivation was not high, and what she knew of the specific method was even more hearsay. Lu Xiaotian had tried several times before, but none had succeeded, so he could only give up. Thus, when he had fought Zou Xin, the brocade-clad man, in a life-and-death battle, although he had possessed a considerable number of Shadow Ants, he could not control them to surround and kill a powerful foe like the Big Forehead Freak. He could only use them in sudden, unexpected ambushes.
However, the Blood Insect Technique also had its own flaw. Losing too much of one's essence blood would likewise affect one's cultivation. After pondering it for a while, Lu Xiaotian decided to set this method aside for the moment. In truth, beast tamers and insect cultivators poured vast amounts of energy and wealth into their spirit beasts and spirit insects, which would inevitably have some effect on their own cultivation.
For now, I'll refine the Big Forehead Freak's few Shadow Ants. Although I won't be able to control them as smoothly as he did, they'll still be no small source of aid to me. Lu Xiaotian thought to himself.
Besides methods of insect taming, True Explanation of Spirit Insects also recorded some accounts from the world of spirit insects. There was also a ranking list of spirit insects in the cultivation world.
Ranked first was the Nether Moth Butterfly, capable of devouring all yin souls. It was said that it could also throw souls into chaos and trigger one's inner demons. It was tyrannical beyond measure. Yet according to the records, the Nether Moth Butterfly had already nearly gone extinct thousands of years ago, and there had been no records of it in recent millennia.
Ranked second was the Six-Winged Golden Cicada. It was incredibly fast. Most cultivators had only heard its name; they might see its shadow, but those who had truly seen a Six-Winged Golden Cicada were few and far between. Its venom was incomparably lethal, and there were no records of anyone surviving after being poisoned by it. Perhaps they had all died.
Lu Xiaotian read with great relish. This True Explanation of Spirit Insects was far more detailed than some of the books he had bought in Moonwatch City. Not only did it contain methods for raising several common spirit insects in the cultivation world, it also held a large number of accounts from insect cultivators. As for the spirit insect rankings, many of the insects listed had not appeared for thousands of years, making comparison impossible. He did not know whether it was true or false, so he would simply take it with a grain of salt.
After putting away this book on spirit insects, Lu Xiaotian took out the Big Forehead Freak's black gourd. This gourd had been carved from black jade. Its material was somewhat better than his old one, and it was also more suitable for nurturing Shadow Ants. Naturally, Lu Xiaotian claimed it for himself without the slightest hesitation.
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