Immortality begins with meditation puppets

"Qingping Sword thinks that my swordsmanship and that of several other Shangqing disciples are too mechanical, that we have only played with what our ancient ancestors and great masters had already done, and that our swordsmanship has lost its natural and simple way and we have no ability to innovate. They look down on us. A few days ago, I saw Tiger Egg demonstrate a unique Heaven-level combat skill in the arena. I thought that Tiger Egg, who has never been properly taught, might be able to satisfy Qingping Sword!"

Li Sanyang said indignantly, "The Qingping Sword is restricted by the patriarch, and only disciples of the Shangqing Sect can gain its approval. How could we, the disciples of the Shangqing Sect, not practice our sect's sword techniques? And we've even developed problems from practicing our sect's sword techniques? Is that the reason we're being eliminated by the Qingping Sword?"

He couldn't understand it. His fellow disciples had all come with high hopes but left disappointed. However, the Qingping Sword was of great importance and could not be left to languish. After reporting back to the sect, the elders made a decision to have them search for disciples with clean backgrounds and pure families in the Tianyuan Realm and try again.

Disciples with impeccable backgrounds are both easy and hard to find. At this moment, evil spirits have revived. Apart from our own disciples, only the disciples of the Yuanshi Sect, Taishang Sect, and Wohuang Sect, who are Dao Ancestors, have the means to prevent evil spirit possession and are trustworthy. However, if we want these disciples to change their ways, leave their original sects, and join the Shangqing Sect, which of them has the audacity to do it? Our Lingbao Sect wouldn't dare to accept them either.

Disciples with impeccable backgrounds and exceptional swordsmanship are even harder to find. Throughout the heavens, those who excel in swordsmanship are mostly taken in by the Lingbao Sect, having already practiced their sect's sword techniques. They no longer meet the requirements for the Qingping Sword. If one were to look to the Tianyuan Realm, only a few disciples from the Xuanyuan Sword Sect would be worth a try, but they have all been taken in by their fellow disciples.

Li Sanyang had originally planned to let it go if he couldn't find any more disciples, but the experience of his three disciples in the Land of Despair had left him heartbroken, and he had no intention of taking on any new disciples for the time being.

But fate had other plans, and by sheer coincidence, the tiger egg came into his sight!

Is his background clean? Although his master is a cunning and treacherous person, Tiger Egg himself has been favored by the Heavenly Emperor and bestowed with the Imperial Sword, so his character should be beyond question. In addition, Su Qing is a professional exorcist in Tianyuan and is protected by the Azure Dragon Dao Pattern. How could he allow his puppet to be possessed by evil spirits!

Extraordinary talent? Tiger Egg is already at the fifth level and has created three Heaven-level sword techniques. One of them, the Nine Swords of Tianshan, is showing a tendency to evolve from a combat skill into a divine power. In terms of talent, even in the Lingbao Sect, which is full of talented people, there are few disciples of this generation who can compare to him!

At the right time, with the right tiger egg, Li Sanyang felt as if it were destiny, that this tiger egg was meant to be his disciple!

As for whether Su Qing would agree to him accepting the tiger eggs, Li Sanyang had never considered that. A true disciple of the Lingbao Sect, he was being handed over to him like this. Wouldn't it be stupid to disagree?

Just as he expected, after hearing his explanation, Su Qing immediately clapped and nodded:

"I see. I understand now. I can certainly make the decision for Tiger Egg. We agree!"

Of course, they should agree. Putting aside the fact that if Tiger Egg succeeds, he will get a fifth-grade spiritual treasure, the Qingping Sword, for free. Just the identity of the true disciple of the Lingbao Sect will allow Tiger Egg to study at the Lingbao Sect, learn many of the sect's combat techniques for free, and also establish a relationship with the Lingbao Sect. In the future, when dealing with the sect, wouldn't they take care of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom?
Seeing how readily he agreed, Li Sanyang nodded and said:
"Therefore, after the Heroes' Gathering concludes, Tiger Egg will return to the sect with me to pay respects to the past patriarchs and be accepted as an initiator. After that, I will take him to find the Qingping Sword. If we can obtain this sword, Tiger Egg will become the current sword protector of my Lingbao Sect. Unless there is a major event, he shall not leave the mountain. If True Person Su has anything to instruct Tiger Egg, please do so as soon as possible after we return!"

"What? Li Zhenjun, I, Su Qing, only agreed to let Hu Dan go with you because I consider you a friend. You can't betray me!"

When Su Qing heard that Hu Dan had gone up the mountain and could not come down, he was immediately unhappy. He wanted Hu Dan to use the Qingping Sword, but Hu Dan wanted to take both the puppet and the sword at the same time!

"How is this a trap for you? Isn't this perfectly normal? Tiger Egg has joined my Shangqing sect and become a disciple of Shangqing. If he also obtains the Qingping Sword, shouldn't he serve my Shangqing sect?"

Li Sanyang looked on as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He was surprised that Su Qing thought that even if Hu Dan joined the Lingbao Sect and took the Qingping Sword, he could still serve him as before. If that were the case, wouldn't their Lingbao Sect become a great traitor?
"If that's the case, then I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. You can choose whomever you want to be your disciple, Li Zhenjun. My Hudan is unruly and incorrigible; he doesn't have the fortune to join the Shangqing Sect!"

Su Qing shook her head and firmly refused.

To be honest, he wasn't that firm. Even though he had created millions of puppets, Tiger Egg and Bear Two still held a place in his heart that no other puppet could replace. In his heart, he regarded these two puppets, which he had created and which had developed intelligence and grown up with him step by step, as his own sons. Although Tiger Egg and Bear Two did not recognize this identity, that was how he thought of them.

With a long-term vision for his children, compared to Xiong Er, who is multi-talented and can achieve success in any field, Hu Dan can only focus on swordsmanship. For him, whether or not he can gain the approval of the Qingping Sword, having the opportunity to enter the Lingbao Sect is something he cannot miss for his future development in swordsmanship. Su Qing also does not want to hinder his path!
But while he thought this way, he couldn't say it like that. Li Sanyang had no idea about the bond between him and Hu Dan. According to the common sense of the cultivation world, no one would be willing to let their hard-earned fifth-order powerful puppet, with its independent consciousness, leave them.

This Li Sanyang should be prepared to pay the price!
"Alright, I am not a reasonable person either, and I know how important the tiger egg is to Master Su. Master Su, please name your conditions!"

Li Sanyang, backed by the Lingbao Sect, expressed his wealth and arrogance.

Su Qing feigned a heart-wrenching pain and said bitterly:
"If anyone else had asked for this, I would have turned and left immediately, without even discussing it. But I have the utmost respect for the Lingbao Sect. Of the three major sects of the Dao lineage, the Taishang Sect is a single sect with few members and little power, so it is not very useful. The Yuanshi Sect is bold but timid, and it is too thoughtful and cautious in dealing with matters, lacking the responsibility of a major sect. Only the Lingbao Sect, in ancient times, had a group of cultivators who fought against demons with swords, traversing the nine heavens and ten earths, killing countless demons. When we think of this, our blood boils, and we wish we could fight against demons together with our predecessors!"
"To befriend the Lingbao Sect, I am willing to reluctantly part with my beloved Tiger Egg, allowing it to join the Shangqing Sect. But you may not know, True Lord, Tiger Egg has been with me since my humble beginnings, repeatedly saving me from dire straits. I have given it my all, investing every precious resource I have in it, which is why it possesses its current fifth-tier power. Without it, I don't know how much of my abilities would be lost..."

"Tell me, how many resources did you expend to refine the tiger egg? My Lingbao Sect will compensate you in full, and on top of that, I will also give you a fifth-order puppet blueprint, so you won't say that my Lingbao Sect is taking advantage of you!" Li Sanyang said calmly.

"How could I possibly accept that... I'll just do the math..." Su Qing, who was used to politely declining, quickly took out a piece of paper and started calculating after realizing that Li Zhenjun might not understand social etiquette.

"The materials related to the Creation Rune cost over three million spirit stones. The remaining rune materials, excluding the cost of my drawing the runes, will also cost four to five million spirit stones. In addition, there are the main materials on his body: a cluster of fifth-order Heavenly Thunder Fire, a bushel of fifth-order Profound Essence, a drop of Lu Wu's essence blood, a fifth-order Demon King's demon core, and a ninth-order sword... All in all, that's all. True Lord Li, would you like to pay now, or sign a Dao Contract and pay in a few days?"

"Do you need this much?" Li Sanyang, who was very confident after receiving the sect's promise, felt his liver tremble and his confidence was somewhat lost after seeing the list Su Qing had made.

According to Su Qing's calculations, he spent tens of millions of spirit stones in total to refine the tiger eggs, not including many rare fifth-tier materials.

These resources are so vast that even a Nascent Soul True Monarch like Li Sanyang, a highly skilled talent in the Lingbao Sect who enjoys special allowances, couldn't afford them even with his monthly salary over the years!
"You're not kidding me, are you?" Li Sanyang was terrified of being taken advantage of!
"How could that be? I swear to God, Lord Li, you can go outside and ask around to see who can use these materials to make a puppet like the tiger egg. If anyone says they can, I can gather double the materials and ask them to refine a tiger egg for me!"

Su Qing was determined to fleece this sucker, and he did so with a clear conscience, because in all the worlds, no one but him could refine tiger eggs, and he had no idea how much it cost to refine them.

Li Sanyang vaguely sensed that he had overstated the amount, but when he thought about the tiger egg's strength and potential, he felt that he hadn't overstated it. At least, the puppeteers of their Lingbao Sect couldn't have made a tiger egg under the same budget.

"Alright, let's do it this way. I'll send this list back to the sect, along with the blueprint for the fifth-tier puppet, and deliver it to the Su residence tomorrow. At that time, I would appreciate it if True Person Su would bring the tiger egg with him!"

"Yes, that's for sure. With that settled, Tiger Egg's entry into the Shangqing Sect can now be discussed!" Su Qing nodded in satisfaction and added.

"Is there anything else? If it's about purchasing that sword puppet, Master Su, you don't need to talk to me. Just talk to True Lord Yaori, who is in charge of this matter at my Lingbao Sect. That sword puppet is indeed extraordinary. When our Lingbao Sect's sword cultivators attack with their swords, they can use this sword puppet to cover their formation and hide their own swords. As long as the price is fair, True Lord Yaori will not refuse this deal!"

Li Sanyang waved his hand, displaying an aloof demeanor that suggested he was only focused on sword cultivation and that ordinary people like him should not bother him with mundane matters.

"Your Excellency has misunderstood. This is not what I wanted to discuss. My subordinate Xiong Er has already discussed this matter with Your Excellency Yao Ri. The Lingbao Sect will order three hundred third-tier sword puppets in the first batch so that the sect disciples can test their effects before deciding whether to continue ordering."

What I want to discuss is the question of who Tiger Egg should take as his master after he became a disciple of the Shangqing School!

Su Qing revealed his true intentions with a single, deadly strike, leaving Li Sanyang stunned and his heart pounding.

"What does Master Su mean by this? I brought Tiger Egg into the sect, so Tiger Egg should naturally become my disciple!"

"True Lord, you jest. Tiger Egg is of the same rank as you, how could he possibly become your disciple? With Tiger Egg's talent, he should be qualified to become a disciple of any of your sect's Void Refinement Elders or Dao Lords. It's not that I look down on you, True Lord; you are also very outstanding. But since Tiger Egg wishes to become a disciple, I must choose a suitable master for him. I believe you can understand my feelings..."

I understand, but I don't!

Li Sanyang was furious. He never imagined that one day he would be disliked by others.

It should be noted that although his cultivation level was at the Nascent Soul True Monarch level, his swordsmanship was the best in the Lingbao Sect. Otherwise, he would not have dared to dance with the Azure Dragon King in that Desolate Land, even at the Nascent Soul level.

But while he was excellent, Hu Dan was no less so. Despite his anger, he also felt that Su Qing's words made sense. Who said that just because Hu Dan joined the Shangqing Sect, he had to become Su Qing's disciple? The elders of the sect who had reached the Void Refinement stage would be overjoyed to see Hu Dan and would definitely be vying to take him as their disciple.

Thinking of this, Li Sanyang became anxious and, sweating profusely, said to Su Qing:
"Fellow Daoist Su, you may not know this, but although I am not a Void Refining Elder or a Dao Lord, my status in this sect is quite extraordinary. Our sect has four mountains and twelve peaks, and each mountain usually has a great deal of autonomy. I, True Monarch, am the peak master of Zongjian Peak. Putting aside everything else, if Tiger Egg were to join my sect and work on Zongjian Peak, I, True Monarch, could grant him authority second only to mine. He wouldn't be required to do routine duties, and all the benefits would be his. Even if he occasionally wanted to go down the mountain to see True Monarch Su, I could turn a blind eye. Such conditions are not something those Void Refining Elders can provide. They have many disciples and many rules. Even if Tiger Egg were to become their disciple, he might not receive attentive guidance!"

After saying that, Li Sanyang looked at Su Qing nervously, afraid that he would raise any objections. The reason he was so nervous was that the tiger egg was of great significance to him.

The Lingbao Sect has four mountains and twelve peaks, each with its own lineage and tradition. While each mountain and peak possesses considerable autonomy, if a peak fails to produce a master at the Refinement stage or above for an extended period, its lineage will be discontinued by the sect and merged into another mountain. Since ancient times, countless peaks have been discontinued for failing to meet these requirements. Since the passing of its master, Zongjian Peak has also shown signs of decline. This is because its cultivation differs from others, emphasizing mental state rather than physical realm. Breaking through to the Refinement stage still requires waiting for an opportunity. To prevent its lineage from being discontinued, Zongjian Peak can only hope to recruit outstanding disciples.

Tiger Egg was already a fifth-tier finished product, and its unique Heavenly Mystery Sword Technique had already demonstrated its talent. If it could gain the approval of the Azure Lotus Sword, with this sword standing atop Vertical Sword Peak, who in the sect would dare to challenge Vertical Sword Peak? Even if Tiger Egg couldn't draw the sword, with its talent, after some instruction, it would have a very good chance of breaking through to the sixth tier. Even if that didn't work, there was still Su Qing, wasn't there? They could trouble this puppeteer again to find a way to refine Tiger Egg to the sixth tier! (End of Chapter)