Immortal Creation.

Chapter 727 Creating Bamboo Puppets and Obtaining Green Wind

Inside the mechanical dragon.

Ning Zhuo had been working for almost half a day in front of the machine tool.

He only had one type of vowel reed left to refine.

The Book of Vowel Reeds records this as "Shadow Bee Needle". Simply activating it produces a very brief sound, and under this sound effect, the mechanism can experience a rapid burst of speed.

The materials were all prepared on the table: the lightning-struck Solomon's Seal, which was the color of frozen fat and contained electric crackles; the Golden Ringed Poison Bee, which had fire lines hidden in its abdomen and golden light on its wings; the Northern Ice Crystal Sand, which was like stardust and chilled to the touch; and the Spring Equinox Rootless Water, which was served in a jade lotus leaf cup.

Ning Zhuo activated the mechanism, unleashing a sharp golden light that sliced ​​through the natural electric patterns of the jade bamboo.

In an instant, the cavity wall appeared before Ning Zhuo's eyes, covered with lightning patterns, spiraling upwards.

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but recall the description in "The Book of Yuan Yin Reeds"—that thunder patterns guide qi, which are musical scales carved by heaven and earth with thunder as a knife.

Ning Zhuo took out the Northern Ice Crystal Sand and put it all into the Jade Lotus Leaf Cup, mixing it thoroughly with the Spring Equinox Rootless Water.

Following the detailed steps in the "Book of Vowel Reeds," Ning Zhuo activated the power of the Five Elements to participate in the mixing process. Sometimes he used the Fire element, sometimes the Water element, and sometimes he switched to the Earth element.

It must be said that the power of the Five Elements has a wide range and is quite universal.

In the end, Ning Zhuo obtained a semi-transparent paste with a slight green tinge.

Ning Zhuo carefully filled the jade bamboo wall with this translucent paste, leaving only one cavity as the source of the earthquake.

"Thunder carved natural musical tracks into the bamboo cavity, saving a considerable amount of manpower by utilizing such a precious material."

Ning Zhuo secretly admired Qing Huangzi's ingenuity in choosing materials in this regard.

He then dealt with the golden ringed wasps.

As soon as the restriction was lifted, the poisonous bees flapped their wings and attacked, their stingers piercing Ning Zhuo's brow!
Ning Zhuo neither dodged nor yielded, unleashing a surge of wood-elemental magic to intercept the Golden Ring Poison Bee.

The stinger of the poisonous bee pierced the wood elemental magic three inches deep, and suddenly burst into flames, producing a stream of poisonous fire.

Poisonous fire and blue mist intertwined, the bee's body turned to ash in a flurry, leaving only the poisoned needles humming in the air.

Ning Zhuo raced against time, taking advantage of the fact that the poisonous fire was still burning, and immediately began the next step.

He used bee stings as pens and poisonous fire as ink, piercing the ice-sand paste with the tip of the stinger only three millimeters before withdrawing it. He continued, creating many tiny holes along the way.

Where ice and fire collide, a hissing sound is heard, and the depth and angle of each hole vary.

The very first tone hole is as wide as a grain of wheat. The seven holes in the middle section are as thin as needle tips, and the last tone hole pierces the cavity wall at an angle.

The poisonous fire has been extinguished with ice cream.

Ning Zhuo then inserted the bee stinger into the terminal segment chamber.

Ning Zhuo bit his fingertip, letting the blood drip into it, while simultaneously unleashing his magical power.

A buzzing sound suddenly rang out!
Ning Zhuo flipped his palm over, pressing the two halves of the bamboo section tightly together and applying slight pressure.

The buzzing sound was forced back into the cavity, refracting repeatedly through the eight-tone holes. When the ninth echo overlapped, the buzzing suddenly became clear, turning into a short sound, and then fell completely silent.

Under Ning Zhuo's blood refinement, the jade bamboo was reunited into one.

He held the warm, smooth bamboo in his palm, and saw a golden needle-like glint appear at the end of the bamboo joint.

Ning Zhuo gently stroked the bamboo joint, then casually tossed it into the air. The bamboo joint spun in the air, making a series of short, sharp sounds.

The bamboo joints rotated at an alarming speed, almost becoming a black shadow.

Ning Zhuo reached out again and grabbed it.

The sounds that had been lingering in my ears suddenly disappeared.

"In this way, the twenty vowel reed mechanism components have been completely manufactured."

"Next, we'll make bamboo puppets."

According to the information spread by Qinghuangzi, the prerequisite for participating in the second Xingyun Trial was that cultivators had to bring their own bamboo puppets to participate.

"But Qinghuangzi didn't say how many of these bamboo puppets there were."

"Here, perhaps he is intentionally testing the cultivators' ability to design mechanisms and analyze situations during the trial."

Specifically, there are two extremes.

The first extreme is to concentrate all the vowel reed components onto a single, enormous bamboo puppet.

The second extreme is to make each vowel reed component into a small bamboo puppet. All the bamboo puppets are gathered together to form a small team of twenty people.

Ning Zhuo did not hesitate here.

"I am not clear about the specific circumstances of the second Xingyun trial, so taking a middle approach is the most appropriate."

He plans to create seven small bamboo puppets based on his inspiration, with an average of three vowel reeds on each puppet.

Ning Zhuo stood in front of the pedestal without moving an inch.

Soon, after a short while, Ning Zhuo had created his first small bamboo puppet.

He meticulously designed the third reed to become the handle of a bamboo whip.

The whip itself is made of ice silkworm crystals, woven with the aid of divine sense. Many grooves are carved on the outside of the whip, which can produce sound through the friction of airflow.

Magical Threads!

Ning Zhuo extended his five fingers to manipulate the object.

*Snap.* The little bamboo puppet drew its whip.

The air quickly formed a vortex, and a short, sharp sound rang in my ears, then traveled along the bamboo whip to the end of the handle, where it was amplified tenfold within the bamboo cavity.

Then, following the little bamboo puppet's arm, the energy traveled into the body, activating the other two vowel reed components.

The next moment, a semi-transparent sonic spider web burst forth from the bamboo puppet's body, covering an area of ​​about ten feet around it.

The sonic spider web, carrying triple power, is the trump card of this little bamboo puppet.

Ning Zhuo used a piece of black iron and placed it in the sonic spider web for testing.

The speed at which the black iron fell slowed down abruptly, almost pausing in mid-air.

Then, countless cracks appeared on the surface of the black iron, crisscrossing each other.

Finally, the black iron vibrated continuously, and with a loud bang, it suddenly exploded!

Two days later, Ning Zhuo completed the making of all seven small bamboo puppets, thus initially fulfilling Qing Huangzi's requirements.

"The next step is continuous practice."

Ning Zhuo trained for another day.

He already had extensive experience in performing, so mastering these seven small bamboo puppets was not difficult for him. He quickly got the hang of them and became proficient.

"However, based on what I have learned, I can already predict a certain direction in which Qinghuangzi will test his skills."

"His method of manipulating bamboo puppets was primarily based on music, with the use of strings as a secondary means."

"To avoid being too late in the future, I might as well put more effort into music theory first and learn it well."

Leiyin Peak.

The Silent Pool is nestled atop the mountain, like a piece of black jade mirror that a god accidentally dropped and shattered.

The edge of the pool is lined with jagged, lightning-struck rocks. Many of the dark rocks have been tempered by the fire of nature, giving them a glassy sheen.

The surface of the pool remains calm year-round, reflecting the gathering and scattering of clouds and the twinkling of stars, yet it alone swallows all sounds—even if a giant rock were to collapse, it would only create a silent ripple before being swallowed by the deep pool, as if falling into a bottomless abyss.

In the center of the pool, there is a small sandbar where a lone weeping paulownia tree stands.

The trunk is no more than three spans in circumference, twisted like a dying dragon.

Resin is trapped in every crack on the bark, making the amber look like tears.

The paulownia tree has branches but no leaves, and its branches and trunk are dense and intertwined, forming an empty nest.

In the past, the pool was deathly still, the mountain wind crashing against the branches and empty nests, its sharp loneliness tearing it into fluff. Frequent lightning strikes shattered it into wailing wisps of energy, the remnants of celestial fire quenching on the stones like a lonely fireworks display. Only during the Flying Cloud Gathering would this place come alive.

The magic array at Lightning Peak will activate, blocking the lightning that falls from the sky.

A large number of cultivators gathered at the edge of the Silent Pool, actively participating in the Qixi Tong's preliminary cloud-raising test.

When Ning Zhuo arrived, the lonely weeping paulownia tree stirred slightly without any wind, just as he was about to begin teaching the "Qingfeng Chunlin Manual".

A large number of cultivators were already sitting or standing by the pool, ready for battle.

Ning Zhuo immediately found an open space and sat cross-legged on a rock.

At first, he didn't attract much attention.

But it was only when he pulled out a hemp rope and a wooden awl that he attracted attention.

Hanging one's head from the rafters and pricking one's thigh with an awl!

Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo tied his hair up and simultaneously stabbed his thigh with a wooden awl.

"Is this a Confucian cultivation technique?"

"They've already started using Confucian cultivation techniques before it even began?"

Yes.

Ning Zhuo decided to first prick himself, find the pain, and get into the zone as soon as possible.

The lonely paulownia tree began to emit sounds, playing the "Green Breeze and Spring Rain" melody.

Hanging his head from the beam eliminated Ning Zhuo's distracting thoughts, while pricking his thigh with an awl brought him penetrating insights.

He devoted all his attention to "listening".

He heard the sound of trees growing and sprouting, and his whole body was bathed in the "Green Breeze and Spring Rain Melody," which also produced a tingling, subtle "growth sensation."

Ning Zhuo sighed inwardly, "This is what growing up is all about!"

On his first reading, he gained a comprehensive but rudimentary understanding of the entire "Qingfeng Chunlin Pu".

The second time, the hemp rope tightened around his hair, causing a persistent, dull pain. His right leg was completely mangled, so Ning Zhuo had to switch to his left leg.

Chi Chi Chi!
He thrust the wooden awl down one after another, each movement executed without the slightest hesitation.

Some people were watching Ning Zhuo, their eyes twitching as they watched, thinking to themselves, "How could this big-headed boy be so ruthless to himself!"

The sounds of growth and expansion seemed to be constantly amplified, and Ning Zhuo could hear countless details contained within them.

These were the sounds of growth and development with different rhythms and tempos; he could even hear each individual note.

"The 'Qingfeng Chunlin Pu' uses music to awaken the life nature of trees, give them strength, and accelerate their growth."

On the third time.

At Ning Zhuo's feet, a small pool of blood had already formed.

The excruciating pain at the roots of my hair had almost made me numb. Large strands of hair had been torn off by the hemp rope.

Ning Zhuo's vision was blurred, and his upper body swayed uncontrollably.

In his listening, all the sounds were mixed together, like a downpour, the croaking of frogs, and the drumming of thunder, a cacophony that made one dizzy.

“Bite off more than you can chew!”

"I wanted to get it right the first time, but unfortunately I'm still a long way from being academically competent."

A life hangs in the balance!

Luoshu pages!

Ning Zhuo's eyes were glazed over. Taking advantage of the fact that he was on the outskirts of the crowd, he secretly made a desperate move, activated his supernatural powers, and managed to get a taste of the power of the Dao artifact.

Under the influence of the Luoshu pages, Ning Zhuo suddenly became very organized. The sounds he heard were immediately categorized by category, order, and volume, no longer chaotic.

Moreover, the sounds of various growth and development were combined in a natural and free-flowing way, playing out in Ning Zhuo's ears.

For a moment, Ning Zhuo was somewhat mesmerized.

He heard a pulse of life, flowing and bursting forth.

Thus, the core essence of "Qingfeng Chunlin Pu" was revealed.

Learn it in three tries!

Ning Zhuo put away the hemp rope and wooden awl, healed himself, cleaned up the bloodstains, and quietly left the scene.

According to the pattern, Gu Qitong must play the same score at least twenty times.

Although some people noticed the commotion and glanced at Ning Zhuo, seeing his pale face, bloodstains, disheveled hair, and somewhat disheveled appearance, they assumed he was just frustrated and defeated, and didn't take it seriously.

Gu Qitong was originally a demon cultivator. In order to save her Daoist partner, who was also her lifelong confidante, she tried her best, but ultimately failed to defy the heavens and watched helplessly as her confidante perished in the tribulation of lightning.

Gu Qitong suffered severe physical and mental damage, and almost all of her cultivation was shattered. In the end, she returned to her original form—a phoenix tree, which endlessly performed different musical scores in the ruins caused by the lightning tribulation.

This is a rather unique individual among the Flying Cloud Trials of the Myriad Manifestations Sect.

If a cultivator can respond to the Lonely Weeping Paulownia with high-quality music, they will likely receive the Paulownia's Amber Tears as a reward.

"I won't join in the fun!" Ning Zhuo had already mastered the skill, but he was still willing to keep a low profile and didn't want to show off unnecessarily.

He was secretly delighted: "Of all the musical scores, this 'Qingfeng Chunlin Score' is the most suitable for bamboo puppets."

"Although I have completed my studies, I still need to practice this musical score."

"In the future, we may be able to control the bamboo puppet team through the 'Qingfeng Chunlin Score'."

Thinking of this, Ning Zhuo couldn't help but sigh again: This Flying Cloud Conference and Rising Cloud Trial are really great. You can learn all sorts of things at will and rarely need to consider other external factors.

"Hey, what is this?"

When Ning Zhuo was riding his cloud past a mountain peak, he unexpectedly discovered a group of cultivators gathered there, discussing the cloud-raising trial.

"There's a small test of the mechanism here, shall I give it a try?" Ning Zhuo immediately became interested.

He added new learning methods such as hanging his head from the rafters and pricking his thigh with an awl, as well as a writing brush, bitter ink, and pages of the Luoshu (a book of Buddhist scriptures). This set of learning methods made him interested and motivated to learn all kinds of things.

Moreover, what's happening now is just a small test of Xingyun's mechanical skills!

Ning Zhuo then descended from the clouds to the mountainside, where he competed with the other cultivators.

The stone gate at the mountainside opened, revealing a burly man with broad shoulders, a thick waist, and a large, bushy black beard that practically covered his face.

The burly man with a thick beard grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth: "I am Che Zhuzi, come on in, everyone."

"Che Zhuzi, do you mean what you say? Who can take away a magic weapon or other treasures of equivalent value by passing your Xingyun Xiaoshi?" someone immediately asked.

Che Zhuzi nodded: "Of course, of course! What I say is as good as my word, I absolutely keep my promise!"

“Alright, I’ll go first!” The cultivator who had asked earlier stepped forward.

The cultivators, realizing what was happening, rushed through the gate one after another.

Ning Zhuo chuckled to himself: "The shills we hired are a bit sloppy in their work."

He guessed wrong this time.

This is definitely not a shill.

Hidden deep within the cave, the Spider Woman was secretly thrilled: "He's here! I've finally lured that little brat Ning Zhuo in."

"It wasn't in vain that I had Che Zhuzi send out a message directly, offering substantial rewards to incentivize cultivators to participate in the Xingyun Trial!"

"Come on in!"

The Spider Woman licked her bright red lips, her eyes filled with malice.

(End of this chapter)