The Lü Family Puppets

As Li Mo voiced his doubts about the twelve great immortal mountain sacred lands of the Gan State, Lü Cuicui smiled faintly and immediately provided an explanation.

"It's no secret."

She explained in detail.

"Our Great Gan State follows the path of the 'King of All Things,' which evolved from the Six Arts Sect. However, apart from the Lingmu Sect and the Sacred Cauldron Gate, which persist in developing and refining the Six Arts, other sects are finely divided based on the Six Arts Sect, focusing solely on researching a single skill, with other skills being merely supplementary."

Lü Cuicui extended her fingers and listed them one by one.

"There are sects skilled in Yin and Yang elemental magic, namely the Wind and Fire Sect and the Mysterious Ice Sect; the Gold and Wood Sect, skilled in alchemy; the Heavenly Talisman Sect, skilled in talisman crafting; the Hundred Treasures Sect, Thousand Transformations Sect, and Myriad Swords Sect, skilled in artifact refining; the Shenji Sect and Puppet Sect, skilled in Puppet Technique; and the Dao Pattern Sect, skilled in rune formations. Some also say the royal military counts as a sect. The Gan State currently has thirteen great sects, but they are not universally recognized."

Li Mo finally had a rough concept of the cultivation world in the Great Gan State.

Muzhou generally fell under the jurisdiction of the Lingmu Sect.

The disciples of the Lingmu Sect were basically from Muzhou, and there were twelve such sects in the Gan State, plus a secret military department, which allowed it to become one of the six great nations on the Central Plains.

Lü Cuicui sighed.

"Our Lingmu Sect, after a thousand years of development, was once one of the more powerful sects in the Gan State. Unfortunately, in the century-long war with the Lu Country, two of our Nascent Soul Cultivators perished consecutively, including Quanzhi Zhenren, a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator who once shook the world. Otherwise, our sect wouldn't be in its current state."

"Sigh."

Li Mo couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. Since arriving at the Lingmu Sect, he had heard many people say similar things.

The Lingmu Sect's decline from prosperity to ruin all stemmed from the battle thirty years ago. That battle not only claimed the life of one Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator, Liberation by Violence, but also a large number of elite disciples from the sect.

As a result, the Lingmu Sect had no successors since then, and the instigator of all this was a cultivator from the Zai Zao Sect of the Lu Country.

"It is said that when his Spirit Eye opened, he could see the general trend of the world, the spiritual energy veins of all things, and that no demons, devils, or monsters could hide from him. He was one of the most promising cultivators in the Gan State to ascend to Spirit Transmutation, but he was ambushed and killed by the Returning Heaven True Person of the Zai Zao Sect of the Lu Country. Now, only the sect leader, Qingling Zhenren, is struggling to hold on."

The two fell into a moment of silent regret.

"You can't put all your eggs in one basket."

The Lingmu Sect suffered heavy losses in that battle. Afterward, the sect leader Qingling Zhenren had to select two personal disciples and do his utmost to cultivate a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator to lead the overall situation in the shortest possible time.

Chen Shouyi and Sima Fu thus rose to prominence and launched a comprehensive struggle.

After a long while.

Lü Cuicui swept away the gloom in her heart, shaking her head as if the clouds had cleared after the rain. These matters should not be borne by disciples at the Qi Refining Stage.

"Forget it, let's not think about those things. The most important thing for us now is to strive hard ourselves. If we always think of relying on the blessings of our ancestors, we will ultimately achieve nothing. By the way, Li Mo, are you interested in Puppet Technique?"

"This?"

Li Mo looked at the crude little dog somersaulting in front of him and tentatively asked, "Are you willing to teach me?"

Lü Cuicui smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

"No problem, as long as you're interested."

Li Mo still found it hard to believe that he would encounter such a good thing. He couldn't help but confirm it again.

"Is it free?"

"Of course!"

After receiving Lü Cuicui's affirmative answer, Li Mo's face lit up with surprise. He naturally wouldn't refuse, as it was free, and learning more could only be beneficial.

At the same time, he looked at Lü Cuicui with newfound respect.

"That's wonderful, I'm certainly willing to learn."

Lü Cuicui chuckled upon hearing this, looked around, and pointed to a pavilion dozens of feet away.

"Let's go to the pavilion over there, and I'll explain it to you slowly. I've always learned from others since I was little, and today I finally get to be a teacher."

Overall.

A puppet, regardless of its form, can be divided into five elements.

They are the control unit, the power unit, the combat unit, the mobility unit, and the survival unit.

What determines the strength of a puppet, besides the control of the Essence Soul, the energy of the Spirit Stone, the destructive devices of the combat unit, and the basic materials of the survival unit, is also the mechanical skills used by the puppet master to refine the puppet, and the combat skills to control the puppet.

Lü Cuicui spoke eloquently for nearly an hour, and Li Mo finally understood the basic common sense of Puppet Technique.

The Lü Family's Puppet Technique was specialized in creating so-called Beast-shaped Puppets.

These puppets often had powerful single functions but were often discovered by enemies.

He thought of the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse he had seen in Anle City and couldn't help but ask, "So, those Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse also rely on Spirit Stones as their power source?"

"Of course."

After receiving Lü Cuicui's affirmative answer, Li Mo continued to ask, "Then their control Essence Soul is the soul of the ox and horse?"

Lü Cuicui appeared to be thinking.

"That... not necessarily. Perhaps the Essence Soul of some other animal is also possible, but that animal must have had a gentle temperament in life, otherwise, it would require some ritual refinement to remove its wildness, or the cultivator would have to cast spells to control it personally."

After Li Mo nodded.

He then asked how long it would take if he started learning from scratch to reach Lü Cuicui's current level of puppet skill.

Lü Cuicui sighed and smiled.

I don't know either. Sometimes I wonder if I really have no talent in the Puppet Technique. I've been studying it since I was ten, and after five years, this is all I've achieved. According to my cousin, I lack foresight and tend to get bogged down in details.

She sighed with frustration and helplessness.

"But I have a cousin. I heard he started learning Puppet Technique at twelve and was able to independently craft Beast-shaped Puppets in just three years. Their strength was enough to contend with third-rate experts in the martial world. He was considered a genius puppet master by the family. During his three years of advanced studies at the Advanced Study Hall, he was taken as a disciple by an ancestor of the Golden Core realm from our family and even won first place in the graduation assessment that year."

Lü Cuicui's tone was filled with admiration and envy.

Upon hearing this, Li Mo tentatively asked, "The cousin you're talking about, could it be Lü Song?"

"Huh?"

Lü Cuicui exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know!"

Li Mo briefly explained his experience as a gatekeeping Dao child at the Treasure Gathering Hall last month, omitting the part where Lü Song had troubled Wang Zhu.

Hearing this, Lü Cuicui nodded with a smile.

"Yes, that's him. He's actually only twenty-four this year. He used to take me around to play when we were kids!"

Only twenty-four years old and already a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

Even with the significant support of the Lü Family, achieving Foundation Establishment at this age meant Lü Song was no ordinary person.

If Wang Zhu wanted revenge, the road ahead would undoubtedly be long and arduous.

Looking at the sweet smile on Lü Cuicui's face, Li Mo found it hard to connect her with Lü Song.

Time flew by, and it was now the afternoon You Time.

Li Mo and Lü Cuicui arrived at the Advanced Study Hall's kitchen on time to complete their afternoon meal preparation duty. It was still simple fare, with the only change being a different flavor for the plain boiled vegetables.

Fortunately, no one on Qingming Mountain complained about this.

Anyone who voiced a complaint had already been reprimanded by the uncles and masters in the Enlightenment Hall for being greedy for food.

Days passed by.

Li Mo felt that every day at the Advanced Study Hall was fulfilling.

Whenever Chen Rong visited the Advanced Study Hall to lecture, he would attend diligently, dedicating his sect contributions to studying the fundamentals of alchemy.

During his rotation for rest, he would practice martial arts with Ma Ling, Niu Li, and Yang Guang to cultivate his character, or listen to Lü Cuicui explain the Puppet Technique.

After a long while.

Li Mo realized he hadn't seen Lu Tianyou for a considerable time.

He would occasionally see Wang Feng, Zhu Yidan, and Zhao Xiaonan, who were all busy with their own affairs. He didn't know what was up with Lu Tianyou, as he wasn't even punctual for meals.

He had looked for him several times but hadn't seen his friend, which made him a little worried.

So, during his free time today, he followed his memory to Lu Tianyou's dormitory door.

"Tianyou, what have you been so busy with for so long?"

Lu Tianyou sat up from his bed upon hearing Li Mo's voice. Seeing it was him, he immediately slumped back down with a mournful face, adopting a dejected posture as if in utter despair.

"I've been dumped, sob sob."

Li Mo couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"What, even you, the heartbreaker, have had your off days? Is it that young lady from the Ye Family?"

As Li Mo entered the room, he casually tidied up Lu Tianyou's room, unable to stand the mess. There had to be a limit.

Lu Tianyou seemed a bit embarrassed by this. He sighed, got up, and started tidying with Li Mo.

"Her name is Ye Yimeng."

"Mm, I know."

When Li Mo said this, Lu Tianyou covered his head.

He looked like someone deeply entangled, unable to extricate himself, acting as if he wanted to die. He was a completely different person from before.

"Do you know what I've been through? I, the great young master Lu, have always moved among flowers without a single petal sticking to me. When have I ever been so serious about a woman? I'm willing to give her everything, even my life!"

After a brief surge of emotion, Lu Tianyou slumped back into dejection.

"And what was the result? She wouldn't even spare me a second glance. And that scoundrel Ye Xunhuan, he even dared to threaten me! When has the great young master Lu ever suffered such humiliation..."

Li Mo rolled his eyes.

"I advise you to try and get over it. I heard from Wang Feng that the female cultivator has an unusual background. You'd best not provoke her, lest you bring trouble upon yourself."

He then joked, "This is also retribution for you playing the field before. I saw Guo Hongjuan with a second-year Advanced Study Hall disciple a while ago."

Lu Tianyou was completely indifferent to Guo Hongjuan now.

His heart was only for Ye Yimeng. He was enveloped in a cloud of despair and greasy melancholy, showing no trace of his former unrestrained self.

Li Mo felt a sense of helplessness.

History truly was a cycle. At this moment, Lu Tianyou was no different from Shi Yazhou back then, but he was too caught up in it to see clearly.

He could only hope that such an experience wouldn't cause too many negative changes to his youthful disposition.

After bidding farewell to Lu Tianyou, Li Mo hand-wrote a sign requesting to learn lightning techniques for Spirit Stones and stood in the hall of the Advanced Study Hall, waiting for an opportunity.

There were a few others like him, quietly waiting, all first-year disciples.

Li Mo was quite lucky.

At noon, a female cultivator stood before him.

The female cultivator wore a Money-Bao Bun on her head, with a string of gem ornaments on her forehead. Her skin was a wheatish tan, and she was examining the plaque in front of Li Mo.

"Low-tier beginner spell, Palm Lightning. With Qi Refining level two Magical Power, you can barely cast it once. Its advantage is immense destructive power, but its disadvantage is the need for close-quarters combat. The tuition is five Spirit Stones. It will take about seven days to master it initially, or up to half a month. We guarantee you'll learn it."

Li Mo was tempted upon hearing this.

He had martial arts movement techniques to complement it, so close-quarters casting of Palm Lightning wouldn't be too much of a problem.

However, the five Spirit Stones she was asking for was indeed a bit high. He had offered three Spirit Stones, as it was just a low-tier beginner spell.

"Four Spirit Stones."

The female cultivator hesitated slightly, then finally agreed and signed the agreement.

"Shen Yun."

Li Mo silently recited her name in his heart, then paid four Spirit Stones and arranged the lesson time.

This was equivalent to spending forty taels of Silver all at once. Li Mo couldn't help but feel a pang of pain, but thinking that he would soon master a true spell, his excitement gradually overcame his reluctance.

Just a few days later.

Li Mo, using his Spirit Eye combined with his own comprehension, mastered the low-tier beginner spell, Palm Lightning.

On the open ground of the training field below Qingming Mountain.

Accompanied by rumbling thunder, Li Mo gathered all his Magical Power into his palm, forming an egg-sized, greenish-blue thunderball that continuously emitted rolling thunderous light outwards.

With Li Mo's current Magical Power, he could only barely cast Palm Lightning once, and the duration was very limited, lasting only about ten breaths.

So he leaped up and charged towards the giant rock in front of him at top speed.

With a "boom!"

A half-foot deep crater appeared on the giant rock, with dense cracks spreading out like a spiderweb, extending about two feet outwards from the center of the crater.

Shen Yun walked over and nodded with satisfaction upon seeing this.

"Your comprehension is very high. It's just that your Magical Power cultivation is somewhat lacking, and your proficiency still needs more practice. With the power of Palm Lightning, it's enough to pose a significant threat to low-grade defensive magic artifacts. It might be useful in your first-year year-end assessment. Shall we consider our agreement concluded?"

"Okay."

Li Mo also showed an excited expression as he looked at his masterpiece.

From this moment on, he was officially a cultivator, possessing so-called immortal means.

Shen Yun nodded and left. However, she stopped halfway.

"If you still want to learn other lightning-attribute spells before the year-end assessment, you can come find me anytime. This is my address."

"Okay!"

Li Mo watched her leave.

Palm Lightning was indeed one of the strongest low-tier beginner spells in terms of destructive power. Although it had the drawback of requiring close-quarters casting, with Li Mo's mere Qi Refining level two cultivation, he was able to cause such great destruction, far exceeding his expectations.

He had long envied the Blade Qi that Nine Rivers Thunder Dragon Tai Shou had unleashed.

But from Li Mo's current perspective, it was nothing special. He would soon become even stronger!

"After some time, once my proficiency improves, my cultivation reaches Qi Refining level three, and my Magical Power deepens, casting Palm Lightning shouldn't be so strenuous anymore."

Since his Magical Power had been completely depleted, he had to walk back up the mountain to recover it.