Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 46 Divine Sense Micro-Management
[Failed to craft a meditation doll. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 1/500]

"It's only natural to not perform well the first time, and that's understandable."

The six hundred spirit crystals were wasted, but Su Qing didn't have time to feel sorry for them and immediately threw herself into the next refining process.

Sculpt the main body, sprinkle water and mud, fill the soil to create a human figure, brush on the skin, draw runes, and communicate with the spirit in unison.

The doll emitted black smoke, and Su Qing shuddered.

[Failed to craft a meditation doll. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 2/500]

"It's okay, I lasted longer this time than last time!"

Bang!
This time, the doll's head exploded. This was due to an overload of spiritual energy, giving him no time to even tremble.

[Failed to craft a meditation doll. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 3/500]

"Hurry, Su Qing, you're getting anxious again. No one's doll can be taken down in one shot, unless it's not your own!"

·······
[Failed to craft a meditation doll. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 22/500]

"The journey of a hundred miles is only half complete at ninety. We were just a little short. Hang in there and don't panic."

Su Qing muttered to himself like a madman. He had been staying in the spirit house for three days and three nights, refining puppets without leaving the house. Now, after more than twenty failures, his eyes were bloodshot and he looked like a madman, not much different from Gao Erqiang in the market.

[Failed to craft a meditation doll. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 23/500]

"Which puppeteer hasn't experienced failure? As long as I succeed this time, I can recoup all my previous losses with interest!"

Bang!
After the twenty-fourth meditation doll exploded on the spot.

The aftershocks of the explosion hit Su Qing's shoulder, and the sharp pain from the wound instantly brought him back to his senses.

"It's gambler's miasma! I never thought I'd experience it too!"

Once he regained his senses, he instructed the spider doctor to repair his wounds and said thankfully.

The Gambler's Miasma is a calamity that can be experienced by professions such as weapon refiners, talisman makers, and puppeteers.

After repeated failed attempts at refining and the loss of numerous materials, these professionals, like gamblers who have lost everything, are willing to bet their entire fortune in the hope of making a comeback. However, in most cases, they only end up bankrupt.

Su Qing had experienced failures when refining other puppets before, but she had never fallen into the Gambler's Miasma.

In the past, he thought he was just naturally cautious and had strong self-control. When he saw those gambling addicts, he would just secretly mock them for not being worthy of pity.

But now he realizes that it's because those puppets weren't important to him.

No matter how many witch puppets or lizard warriors you refine, it's just a matter of earning more spirit crystals.

It's difficult to achieve anything in spiritual practice, and in the future, one can only enjoy a lifespan of 150 or 160 years. After that, one can live in a mansion, keep beautiful maids, have ten or eight children, and live a life where food is served to one's mouth. What's the point of such a life?
He wanted to establish his foundation, to attain the Golden Elixir, to achieve immortality, and to enjoy eternal bliss.

The meditation doll gave him hope.

It's also because of his deep obsession with meditation dolls.

Knowing full well that things were hopeless, he continued refining the potion time and time again, falling into the trap of the Gambler's Miasma.

That was close! I almost went bankrupt!

"More than twenty sets of materials, that's over ten thousand spirit crystals! This money was earned by one puppet after another. How could I dare to spend it so recklessly without even seeing a ripple!"

In fact, there was some success. More than 10,000 spirit crystals were exchanged for more than 20 points of proficiency, which increased his success rate in refining meditation dolls by about 5%.

But what does this success rate matter!

The success rate of crafting lizard warriors can be increased by increasing the number of failures, because the materials for lizard warriors are not expensive, and Yuanlai Tower provides the materials for him to practice with.

He couldn't sell the meditation dolls to generate revenue, and the material costs were exorbitantly high, so he dared not do it, nor could he afford it.

"Almost every time I fail, I get stuck at the point of spiritual communion. My spiritual strength is fine, the difficulty lies in the micro-management of spiritual sense. As long as I improve my micro-management of spiritual sense, the success rate should increase."

Su Qing calmly analyzed the reasons for the failure, immediately stopped the futile attempt, pushed open the spirit house, and walked towards the white elephant. Mind manipulation—this was the spirit healer's signature skill!
In the past few days, when Su Qing worked with Guo Qiaolian, she had seen her use her divine sense to manipulate tiny needles, as fine as hairs, to thread through the wounds of the injured more than once.

In an emergency, she can even manipulate dozens of needles simultaneously, each sewing its own needle.

This ability to manipulate divine sense is exactly what Su Qing desperately needs right now!
"But these kinds of techniques are the specialty of physician Ling. I don't know what price Guo Qiaolian paid to agree to teach me."

On the way, Su Qing frowned, pondering what she might have to say to Guo Qiaolian.

A witch puppet? Guo Qiaolian has no use for it.

Lizard warriors? One or two wouldn't be enough, and with more, Guo Qiaolian's spiritual strength might not be able to keep up.

An armored war bear? She doesn't seem to be able to control it either.

After much thought, besides using spirit crystals to force his way in, he could only think of the Spider Doctor as his bargaining chip.

Guo Qiaolian would definitely like a miniature medical puppet like the Spider Doctor.

However, this puppet consumes few materials and has outstanding functions, so it can be mass-produced.

If this information were leaked, I would likely be captured by the Yunshan Sect and endlessly refined by the frontline warriors, turning myself into a puppet tool. That would be a huge risk.

"If Guo Qiaolian is willing to sign a spiritual contract with me, with the spiritual contract as collateral, I can give her two or three hundred bodies!"

He was willing to take a risk for the sake of the meditation doll.

When he arrived near the white elephant, he saw his own dog, Huodan, licking its face and waiting with the white elephant for Guo Qiaolian to feed it. Huodan whimpered when it saw him, its eyes filled with tears of grievance.

How could it not feel wronged? Do you know how Fire Egg survived these past three days? Its master stayed in the spirit house and didn't come out, so its dog food immediately stopped. If it hadn't been eating the White Elephant's food for the past three days, Fire Egg would have gotten thin!

He pushed the fire eggs that were crowding towards him aside.

Su Qing cupped her hands in greeting to Guo Qiaolian, who was focused on feeding her:

"How have you been these past few days, Fellow Daoist Guo?"

"Is that Fellow Daoist Su? You've emerged from seclusion?" Guo Qiaolian looked down and saw Su Qing standing tall. Her eyes lit up with joy.

Inside the forward camp, Ma Tuan and the other guards were not on the same side as them. They were cold and difficult to communicate with. Liang Haishun was too old, Helian Xian was too ugly, the spirit pattern master was too terrifying, and the flute musician was a flirtatious person.

In Guo Qiaolian's heart, she felt most comfortable only when she was with Fellow Daoist Su.

Su Daoyou is beautiful and speaks kindly. Most importantly, she can help you treat patients and save lives. Everyone who has used Su Daoyou's leg care products praises them!

Guo Qiaolian really enjoyed going on house calls with Fellow Daoist Su. But these past three days, Su Qing has been in seclusion, and she's been all alone, not as happy as before.

Seeing the joy in Guo Qiaolian's eyes, Su Qing felt a warmth in her heart.

He also had a good impression of this lively, cheerful, kind-hearted female cultivator, who was a breath of fresh air among the independent cultivators.

After she flipped herself off the tusk elephant, she smiled wryly and said:
"I've recently been working on a new type of puppet, but unfortunately, my skills are lacking. I've been working hard for three days, but I haven't been able to make a single one. I have no choice but to come out of seclusion and would like to ask you for some advice."

"Ah, I don't know anything about puppet making! Fellow Daoist, you've asked the wrong person!"

When Guo Qiaolian heard that Su Qing wanted to ask her for guidance, she was immediately at a loss. She had been following Su Qing and had been secretly learning his bionic runes, but she felt that Fellow Daoist Su was far superior to her.

Now, upon suddenly hearing that Su Qing wanted to learn something from her, she immediately felt the awkwardness of a mediocre student being asked questions by a top student.

"I would like to know how to improve my level of mental manipulation. I wonder if you could teach me?"

Although he had a good relationship with Guo Qiaolian, he knew that her skills were not to be shared with outsiders. Guo Qiaolian's skills were her livelihood passed down through generations, and he felt somewhat embarrassed to ask her about them without permission.

"If Fellow Daoist Guo agrees, I would gladly send Dr. Spider away!" Su Qing thought to himself.

However, before he could state any further conditions, Guo Qiaolian exhaled, patted her chest, her bright eyes lit up, and smiled at him gently, saying:

"I'm really good at manipulating spiritual senses! Want to learn? I'll teach you!"

(End of this chapter)