Now that the puppet was complete, it was time to deal with this thing.
The bronze shard felt slightly heavy in his hand, its surface covered in verdigris and looking utterly unremarkable.
Yet in Liu Bai's soul perception, the aura of the Soul-Nurturing Dust clinging to it remained clearly discernible.
"Soul-Nurturing Dust..."
he murmured, a flicker of anticipation passing through his eyes.
This was the key that could help him break through to the Spirit Realm.
Just as he was about to refine it with Heavenly Flames, he suddenly remembered something and raised a hand.
A phantom figure drifted out from his Storage Ring and landed before him.
Venerable Skyfire—Yao Tianhuo.
"My lord."
Venerable Skyfire respectfully bowed.
Liu Bai pointed at the bronze shard before him and said,
"Skyfire, take a look at this. I recognized the Soul-Nurturing Dust on it, but the bronze shard itself seems rather strange as well."
Venerable Skyfire was a mighty Dou Venerate who had lived for who knew how long. Though his strength was no longer what it once was, his knowledge remained. Having him inspect it first would give Liu Bai greater confidence.
After all, he had only sensed it vaguely and could not verify its authenticity.
Venerable Skyfire stepped closer, his gaze falling upon the bronze shard. After examining it carefully for a moment, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
"My lord, this bronze shard is indeed not simple."
He extended a hand, sending out his Soul Power to carefully probe the shard's surface. A moment later, he suddenly chuckled.
"So that's how it is."
Liu Bai raised a brow.
"What is it?"
Venerable Skyfire pointed at the verdigris covering the shard and smiled.
"My lord, the true secret does not lie in the bronze shard, but in this inconspicuous