CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 149: ENCOUNTERING NING SHAN AGAIN, PUPPET TECHNIQUE_2

[The Purgatory Furnace has finished refining for you.]

[Your physical body is too strong; no changes occurred.]

[Your divine soul’s origin has been strengthened.]

[Your comprehension has slightly improved.]

[Life-span +2.]

[Current life-span: 278.]

This time... there are so many benefits...

Wen Zhixing closed his eyes slightly, carefully feeling the changes within himself.

Under the full operation of the Inverse Integrated Cultivation Skill, the effects were significantly better than before.

His life-span had directly increased by 2, and his comprehension was also enhanced.

Even the Nine-turns Sun Sutra had broken through to the second turn.

BOOM!

At this moment, Wen Zhixing’s entire body radiated a dazzling reddish-gold light.

An extremely dense Yang Qi burst forth from his body.

This light was like a real sun, too blinding to look at directly.

"Retract!"

Wen Zhixing almost lost control.

Only with his full effort did the light on the surface of his body gradually recede, retreating into his Sea of Qi.

The overflowing Yang Qi poured directly into Xiao Rou’s body, nourishing her slightly withered frame.

Wen Zhixing turned his head and saw that Xiao Rou showed no signs of awakening.

He then breathed a sigh of relief.

My appearance just now must not be noticed by anyone, he thought. Otherwise, my identity would be exposed.

Good, the Sea of Qi has changed again.

Wen Zhixing moved to the side, beginning to carefully observe his Sea of Qi.

He saw a scorching sphere, like a Sun, within his Sea of Qi.

Compared to before, this "Sun" appeared somewhat smaller.

But the energy contained within was even more terrifying and intense.

This scene... feels like pill refining?

Wen Zhixing looked at everything before him, pondering slightly.

His Purgatory Furnace was now fully formed.

And the "Sun" condensed by the Nine-turns Sun Sutra floated within it.

Isn’t this scene just like pill refining?

The Nine-turns Sun Sutra, Purgatory Furnace, and Inverse Integrated Cultivation Skill—these three complement each other.

Wen Zhixing’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Now, whenever he exerted his full power, these cultivation skills and Divine Abilities operated simultaneously.

The effects were extremely remarkable.

Good. If my cultivation were a little higher, the effects would be even stronger. By then, whether it’s Si Nanyan or Feng Ruoli, they will be easy pickings for me.

Wen Zhixing got up contentedly and walked towards the outside of the room.

It had been almost a whole day since he returned to the Wonderous Palace; it was time to go out for a stroll.

Before leaving, Wen Zhixing turned to look at Xiao Rou again.

Seeing that she was still deep in sleep, he paid her no further mind.

I wonder where Bai Luqiu and Liu Qingdai are being held at the moment, Wen Zhixing thought to himself. But I have no intention of rescuing Bai Luqiu. It isn’t time yet. Besides, Bai Luqiu’s cultivation is stronger than most people in the Wonderous Palace. As for Liu Qingdai, she has been missing for some time now; I need to check her situation. Although Liu Qingxuan prepared contingencies, I’m still worried about unexpected mishaps.

With these thoughts, Wen Zhixing flew directly toward the secret chamber where Si Nanyan was located.

He wanted to see if Si Nanyan had entered closed-door cultivation.

If she has, then I can be a little bolder in my actions.

As a man flying so conspicuously within the Wonderous Palace, Wen Zhixing naturally drew some attention.

Is this person the new disciple recently accepted by the Palace Master? some wondered as they looked at Wen Zhixing, though they showed little outward expression.

After a day, news that Si Nanyan had accepted another male disciple had already spread throughout the sect.

However, this time it didn’t cause as much of a stir as before.

After all, most people in the Wonderous Palace were still recuperating from their injuries.

Those fortunate enough to be unharmed regarded Wen Zhixing with indifference.

Ultimately, he’s just another cultivation furnace, they thought collectively.

Along the way, Wen Zhixing chose someone and collected Fortune Fragments from them four times.

[Discovered Fortune Fragment. Consume one month of life-span to randomly collect it?]

This person appeared to be an Elder of the Wonderous Palace, as their Fortune Fragments were clearly of a much higher grade.

The Fortune Fragments on Xiao Rou earlier had been too low-grade, so Wen Zhixing hadn’t bothered collecting them.

[Gray Fortune Fragment +1.]

[Blue Fortune Fragment +1, current Blue Fortune Fragments: 3/3.]

[Purple Fortune Fragment +1, current Purple Fortune Fragments: 3/4.]

His luck this time had been quite good: one gray, two blue, and one purple.

He nodded with satisfaction and directly opened the Gray Fortune Fragment.

[Gray Fortune Fragment (1/1) collected, no need to synthesize, you may obtain one of the following fortunes:]

[1. Acquire Talent: Artifact Refinement Genius.]

[2. Obtain 1 Fortune Point.]

[3. Obtain the fortune of Wen Peishan.]

Artifact Refinement Genius?

Wen Zhixing initially had no great expectations for the Gray Fortune Fragment, yet it yielded the surprise of an Artifact Refinement Genius.

Wen Zhixing naturally wouldn’t hesitate. I’ll choose option one.

Anyone would know how to choose between one Fortune Point and a Talent.

[Acquired Talent: Artifact Refinement Genius!]

[Artifact Refinement Genius: Grey Quality, slightly enhances your insight into the refining path, and slightly improves your divine soul strength, making the process of crafting Spiritual Instruments much more efficient.]

[This effect can be stacked with other Talents.]

[Spend ten Fortune Points to upgrade to White Quality.]

Not bad, Wen Zhixing thought, nodding with satisfaction.

His divine soul strength had slightly improved, and his insight into artifact refining had significantly increased.

He then proceeded to open another Blue Fortune.

[Blue Fortune Fragment (3/3) collected, you may spend one month of life-span to synthesize, and you will obtain one of the following fortunes:]

[1: Acquire Secret Skill: Puppet Skill.]

[2. Obtain 60 Fortune Points.]

[3: Obtain the fortune of Wen Peishan.]

Puppet Skill?

Wen Zhixing’s eyes revealed a glint of excitement.

He suddenly thought of Zhang Tiancheng.

Wasn’t Zhang Tiancheng turned into a puppet? I wonder if this Puppet Skill I’ve just gained can turn people into puppets... What are the differences between the two?

I’ll choose option one: Puppet Skill.

Without much thought, Wen Zhixing made his choice.

[Acquired Secret Skill: Puppet Skill!]

[Puppet Skill: Blue Quality, this technique must be combined with the refining path, allowing you to craft lifeless objects into puppets, and then control them with this skill.]

[This technique can only craft lifeless objects.]

[This technique consumes an extreme amount of Divine Consciousness Power; currently, you can control up to ten puppets at most.]

[Spend one thousand Fortune Points to upgrade to Purple Quality.]

So, it can only craft lifeless objects, huh...

Wen Zhixing frowned slightly.

It seems Mu Yunqing’s puppetry technique is likely more potent than mine. After all, he can even craft living beings into puppets. Of course, my secret skill can be upgraded. Once upgraded, it probably won’t be inferior to Mu Yunqing’s.

Puppet Skill... Artifact Refinement Genius... They really came as a set, Wen Zhixing mused, thinking of the Artifact Refinement Genius Talent he had just acquired. Quite the coincidence. With this, once I delve into the refining path, I’ll be able to craft some puppets to work for me. In the future, I could even turn Si Nanyan’s corpse into my own puppet. Her remnant soul can be collected into the Souls Banner.

"You... stop."

Just then, a slightly cold voice reached Wen Zhixing’s ears.

Hmm?

Coming back to his senses, Wen Zhixing turned to look and saw an old acquaintance.

It was a tall woman dressed in a purple gown, her hair casually tied with a ribbon of the same color. She had thin lips, and her eyes and brow revealed an arrogant demeanor.

It was indeed Ning Shan, the disciple of Feng Ruoli.

Compared to before, Ning Shan’s figure seemed to have filled out a bit more.

There was also an additional hint of maturity about her.

At the moment, she was holding a Spiritual Cord in her hand, with the other end tied to several shabbily dressed men.

All of them wore looks of terror on their faces.

They appeared to be people who had just been captured from the outside world.