Upon hearing Yuan Tiangang's words, Shen Luo was about to speak when a burst of commotion suddenly came from outside.
Following the sound, he saw a burly old man stride in. It was none other than Duke Cheng, Cheng Yaojin.
After his initial surprise, Shen Luo examined him closely and immediately noticed something unusual. The Duke Cheng before him was not his flesh-and-blood body, but a meticulously crafted Puppet Armor.
"Good lad, you finally came back." Cheng Yaojin was still as cheerful as ever.
Seeing Shen Luo staring blankly at his body, Cheng Yaojin promptly thumped his chest with a clang and laughed. "See this? Little Master personally built this body for me. It's sturdier and more durable than my old one, haha..."
"This junior greets Duke Cheng." Shen Luo cupped his fists in salute.
"So? I heard you were in secluded cultivation in the East Sea. Did you make a breakthrough?" Cheng Yaojin asked.
"A few days ago, I did attempt to break through to the Heavenly Venerable Realm. First, I was disturbed by my Heart Demon, then the Three Calamities came calling. In the end, I failed to break through," Shen Luo said frankly. He had nothing to hide from these two.
Besides, he hoped to obtain some guidance from these two seniors.
"Good heavens, kid. How many years have you even cultivated, and you're already trying to become a Heavenly Venerable?" Cheng Yaojin's jaw nearly dropped.
Yuan Tiangang, however, remained composed, showing little surprise.
"When you advanced to Taiyi, you used the opportunistic Earthly Fiend Transformation to deceive the Heavenly Tribulation, thereby evading the Three Calamities. Now that you are advancing to the Heavenly Venerable Realm, the backlash of those Three Calamities will only be fiercer and deadlier," Yuan Tiangang said.
"National Preceptor, is there any way