Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Solitary Nightly Tempering (2)
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Seoran spent her days steadily at the Golden Forge Sect.
Her top priority was, of course, cultivating the Origin Spirit method.
She also studied formation arts on the side.
Puppets were a type of dharma tool, after all. Learning this would surely help with puppetry as well.
To that end, she made time in her busy schedule to diligently visit the dharma tool workshops.
Today, too, Seoran watched the formation artificers at work.
With the access pass issued by the Golden Forge Sect's supreme elder, Geum Gyo-wol, there was nowhere she couldn't go.
Thanks to it, she could observe the production of top-grade dharma tools in the deepest part of the workshops.
The top-grade dharma tool they were making this time was a cauldron.
To be precise, it was a three-legged cauldron used for alchemy.
It had two ear-like handles and three legs.
Such alchemy cauldrons were also called "tripods."
They were using Starwhite Silver as the main material, it seemed.
A fire-attribute Core Formation cultivator formed complex hand seals.
Flames then burst from his mouth.
The overwhelming heat, incomparable to Yi Agum's flames, melted the Starwhite Silver in an instant.
The liquefied Starwhite Silver emitted a subtle glow.
Next, it was the metal-attribute formation artificer's turn.
As the artificer chanted spells without pause, the molten Starwhite Silver began to solidify on its own.
The Core Formation cultivator's hammer strikes, infused with his spiritual power, came crashing down.
The fire-attribute cultivator gradually reduced the flame's intensity.
After exchanging glances with the artificer for a moment, they finally reached the optimal temperature.
From here on, even the slightest excess or deficit would not do.
Changes appeared in the artificer's hammering as well.
The fierce movements, capable of shattering rock, gradually became more delicate.
The hammer strikes grew faster and faster.
Heat the metal, strike it, let it cool briefly.
Then repeat.
Before long, the Starwhite Silver's glow had become dazzlingly bright.
The dharma tool forging proceeded smoothly.
They mixed various other metals into the transformed Starwhite Silver.
Then shaped it in earnest.
In an instant, a magnificent three-legged cauldron was complete.
Seoran asked a resting formation artificer.
"Is it finished?"
The artificer replied.
"Not yet. There's still some post-processing left to nurture its spirituality, and we need to engrave the spells. Oh, before that, we have to hand it to the engravers to refine the exterior."
"Does it seem well-made?"
The artificer beamed at Seoran's question.
"Yes, very satisfactory. Ever since the merger with the Black Bamboo Sect, our sect's formation arts have advanced tremendously. These days are truly enjoyable."
It was the fruit of large-scale talent and technique exchanges.
Thanks to the Black Bamboo Sect's fire-attribute spells, the Golden Forge Sect's dharma tools now boasted even superior performance.
Conversely, thanks to the Golden Forge Sect's alchemy cauldrons, the efficacy of the Black Bamboo Sect's refined pills had greatly increased.
This alchemy cauldron, too, had been made on order from the Black Bamboo Sect.
Having finished her questions, Seoran left the workshop.
When she stepped outside, the sky had already darkened.
Seoran headed straight for Geum Gyo-wol's residence.
Lately, the two had made a habit of conversing every night.
Geum Gyo-wol was in her own room, as usual.
She was brushing her hair in comfortable attire.
Seeing Seoran, she smiled faintly.
"You're here. Sit right here."
Geum Gyo-wol had Seoran sit in front of her.
To brush her hair.
Seoran, who had initially hesitated, was long since accustomed to it.
The two chatted idly for a while.
Then they began their all-night study session.
Lately, Seoran had been learning about dharma tool materials.
Today's topic was Starwhite Silver.
"I saw in the workshop earlier—they were mixing various metals into the Starwhite Silver. Why bother making an alloy? I learned that it's most spiritually abundant in its pure state."
Geum Gyo-wol answered.
"Starwhite Silver is indeed a top-grade material. But because it's not a mineral from the human realm, its properties are extremely alien. That's why we have no choice but to use such methods."
"I see."
Seoran continued studying diligently afterward.
She wasn't studying nonstop; she took breaks to sip tea.
After finishing the all-night tutoring, Seoran returned to her room.
Now it was time to write her novel.
Romance had finally been added to the Puppet Saga series.
The puppet girl growing ever more human-like, the awkward atmosphere between the boy and girl amid unfamiliar feelings, defeating enemies and finally realizing their emotions for each other.
Thanks to the author being a superhuman who needed no sleep, the writing speed was terrifying.
Winter arrived.
The long novel would soon be complete.
It wasn't yet time for the puppetry treatise.
She planned to write it after more research.
Her Origin Spirit method cultivation was progressing steadily enough.
Her studies on formation arts were mostly wrapped up.
That left only one thing.
Seoran dove into full-scale puppet crafting.
*****
Recently, Seoran had clashed with Weiji-mok.
Among all her opponents so far, it was by far the strongest.
Thanks to it, she gained many lessons.
She needed to reevaluate her puppet design philosophy entirely.
Seoran closed her eyes and replayed the battle.
Excluding the final moments when she was too busy controlling the massive spiritual power, she remembered most of it.
First off, the Puppet Sisters were fine.
The destruction beams, the trial target-allocation mechanisms, the spiritual power sharing—everything was perfect.
However, deciding it would only be used briefly in the Great Spirit Forest and omitting flight capability had been a clear mistake.
Because of it, they had to huddle together on Seok Yeonhwa every time they flew.
Puppet Sisters: 90 points!
On the other hand, the Vajra Yaksha was a bit ambiguous.
Of course, it had been a great help against Weiji-mok.
But the Vajra Yaksha was a work from before her studies abroad in the Eastern Continent.
Made when Seoran was still inexperienced as a puppeteer, it was full of room for improvement in hindsight.
The most serious issue was durability.
Seoran had felt it acutely in this battle.
Puppets must above all be sturdy.
When the flying Vajra Yaksha suddenly disintegrated midair, she truly thought her heart would stop.
Dodging all attacks was foolish thinking.
Her own destruction beams or Heavenly Tribulation were impossible to evade in the first place.
It needed at least enough durability to counterattack after taking the enemy's first strike.
Moreover, the puppet's massive size itself was a problem.
Seoran realized it while wrapped in barriers and enduring the Heavenly Tribulation.
The larger a puppet's size, the more sharply barrier efficiency dropped.
To flawlessly defend the Vajra Yaksha's enormous frame with a spherical barrier at every moment required an immense amount of spiritual power.
There were many other drawbacks to giant puppets.
For one, their size made transport difficult.
A finished product might end up as dead weight taking up warehouse space like a bamboo shoot bomb.
Disassembling it into pieces like a transformable Vajra Yaksha would drastically reduce durability.
Vajra Yaksha: 60 points!
The design philosophy had been wrong from the start.
Seoran resolved firmly.
Giant puppets were on hold until she found a solution.
First, this time she planned to make a small puppet.
She would cultivate her Origin Spirit method as well—earth metal dual attributes.
Internal structure in metal, exterior in stone.
For the metal, she was thinking of an alloy with added Starwhite Silver.
For stone, not cheap stuff this time, but the good kind.
She would conserve the Millennium Earth Spirit Wood a bit more.
Seoran planned to gather the resources herself.
Of course, the Golden Forge Sect's warehouses had plenty of stone and metal.
But asking for a share felt a bit sorry.
The materials she needed were top-grade stone and metal anyway.
All underground resources from beneath the earth.
Seoran's next destination was decided.
The Labyrinth Speakers' Republic, the underground world.
But first, the Black Bamboo Sect.
She had forgotten about a dinner promise.
She needed to hurry to Agum and apologize.
Seoran boarded Seok Yeonhwa.
*****
Just as Seoran, departing the Golden Forge Sect, reached the border.
The joint leadership of the Black Bamboo Sect and Golden Forge Sect gathered.
It wasn't bad news.
On the contrary, they were discussing hopes.
Today's topic was "sect ascension preparations."
Of course, Seoran was still an Origin Spirit cultivator.
It was like seeking rice porridge before even washing the rice.
But Core Formation cultivators were human too.
Humans live on hope.
Sect ascension was the greatest long-cherished wish of all major orthodox sects.
With their heartfelt dream now within reach, even the greatest cultivators couldn't hold back.
That was why grown adults were huddled together, spinning flights of fancy.
The shortest route to the world's center, their destination.
The means to transport the two sects' cultivators there.
An endless list of items to bring to the Immortal Realm.
Amid the excited crowd, someone suddenly spoke up.
"But what about the Poison-Eyed Dragon?"
Poison-Eyed Dragon.
The mad dragon blocking the path to the world's center, which had even slain an Incarnation cultivator attempting ascension centuries ago.
The Black Bamboo Sect's top spirit beast expert said.
"We have Dragon Girl and Ryu Susa."
"Dragon Girl has lived about a millennium. The Poison-Eyed Dragon has lived at least two millennia. Even with an Incarnation cultivator, is victory guaranteed?"
"Dragons are spirit beasts that grow eternally stronger with age. But even they have limits in the human realm. Even if the Poison-Eyed Dragon has lived ten thousand years, without ascending, it can't grow infinitely stronger."
"Is that so?"
The spirit beast expert declared confidently.
"Absolutely. With Ryu Susa at Incarnation realm and Dragon Girl with her perfected Dragon Pearl, they can win with room to spare."
"If we're stronger, we could negotiate from the start. We must minimize unnecessary losses."
"The Poison-Eyed Dragon won't attack recklessly either. The Incarnation cultivator slain centuries ago was just unlucky. High chance they were caught mid-ascension."
Someone clapped and said.
"Ah, you mean ambushed while protecting their charges! That makes sense!"
"We're truly fortunate to know of the Poison-Eyed Dragon in advance. We nearly faced danger ourselves."
"Heaven's luck is with us!"
The joint leadership laughed ha ha ho ho.