"Something big has happened! Word has come from Master You in Fuyou City that they've successfully improved a special machine capable of extracting spiritual energy from the air and converting it into spirit essence..."
"What? Isn't that just the Spirit-Gathering Formation that's existed since ancient times? Why all the fuss? You had me thinking there really was some important news."
"Let me finish! This device was indeed built on the principles of the Spirit-Gathering Formation, but unlike earlier versions, it's much simpler to use. Mechanical intelligence controls the entire process, allowing it to operate automatically. Set it up once, and it produces for hundreds of years!"
"More importantly, Master You has also invented an entirely new substance that binds spirit particles together, making artificial spirit stones easier to produce. What was it called... right, Spirit-Fusing Mud!"
"Spirit-Fusing Mud?"
"Exactly, that's the stuff. As you know, throughout history, Puppet Masters have worked on methods of producing artificial spirit stones, hoping to escape the constraints imposed by Spirit Mountain Blessed Land. Once they succeeded, the entire cultivation world would be transformed. And today, they've finally done it."
"What? Is that true? Doesn't that mean spirit stone prices are going to plummet?"
"Of course. They've solved the problems of both production and storage, increasing output while reducing storage costs. If prices don't fall, are they supposed to rise instead?"
"Then hurry up and sell off our spirit stone contracts!"
Many things happened at the end of that year.
The Puppet Dao Grandmaster Li Chen returned without fanfare, ending his years of reincarnation empirical certification. He announced that he had advanced to late Primordial Spirit and was approaching perfection. His attainments had also reached the pinnacle, earning him recognition as a Great Grandmaster.
On the Immortal Alliance's side, two Primordial Spirit Great Powers fell