Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 46 Puppet Secret Records

"Master." Everyone arrived at the top of the mountain on a flying magic tool. When Song Xian was about to lead people in, Zhong Wenyuan suddenly called him softly and gave him a wink.

"You go first, I'll be there later." Song Xian understood and knew that Zhong Wenyuan must have something that he couldn't say in front of everyone and wanted to discuss it in private.

Zhang Ningyuan curled his lips inwardly, and several people filed into the hall. Zhong Wenyuan saw that the others had left, and then he whispered, "Master, I suggest that you keep the puppet secret record you found in that hall for yourself and don't share it with others."

"Brother Zhong, are you worried about the puppet-making method being leaked?"

"Secrecy is the key to success, while disclosure leads to failure. I'm not doubting you, my fellow apprentices, but it's inevitable that we should be on guard against others. Besides, showing everyone the complete puppetry secrets won't help them much. It would be better to select a few apprentices who are interested and teach them privately. This way, we can ensure the safety of the puppetry secrets while not hindering future puppetry."

Song Xian nodded: "Brother Zhong, what you said makes sense, let's do as you say!"

When the two arrived at the hall, everyone was already seated and waiting. Song Xian took the main seat and said, "First, let me tell you about what we gained on this trip. We discovered a large hall at the bottom of the desert, and inside, we found some secret records of puppet manufacturing written on monster skin paper."

"This is Junior Brother Zichen's discovery, so I decided to reward Junior Brother Zichen with one hundred spirit stones. In addition, if there are any fellow brothers who are interested in puppet refining, they can come to me individually."

"We still don't know whether this secret record is true or not. Although it is likely to be true, it will still require a long period of study and a lot of effort. Brothers, please think it through and come back to me."

"If he truly wishes to learn the art of puppet-making, I will pass on the secret records to him. However, I must make it clear in advance that once he obtains the secret records, he must not disregard them out of fear that it will affect his cultivation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Zichen stood up excitedly: "Master, I am willing to learn this puppet-making method."

Song Xian waved his hand and said, "Okay, I understand. Please sit down! We'll discuss the puppet manufacturing details later. I'll also talk about the results of my visit to the Luoyun Sect and the Beast Taming Sect in Bianxi City."

"I don't want to hide it from everyone, but this visit didn't achieve the expected results. Although Luoyun Sect arranged for someone to meet with us, there was no substantial progress. As for the Beastmaster Sect, they didn't even meet with Senior Yang Jinzhang."

"Besides that, while strolling through the market, we discovered a talented alchemist. We spent a thousand spirit stones to recruit him to the sect, and Senior Brother Zhong Wenyuan even sold his mid-level fan-shaped magical instrument with twenty layers of restrictions."

"This man didn't come with us because he wanted to buy Tianshan Snow Lotus to treat his companions. But I believe he will come to Guzi Mountain as promised, and then our sect will have a new fellow disciple."

"That's basically all we've been up to on this trip. Senior Brother Lin, please tell us about what's been happening in the sect lately!"

"Yes." Lin Zixiang nodded in response. "During the time that the Sect Master and Senior Brother Zhong were away, nothing major happened in the sect, so I will give a brief report! First, I won't talk about Junior Brother Jiang's discovery of the building under the desert."

"Another thing is that the thirty men and women that Junior Brother Xu Ning recruited have now arrived at the foot of our sect's mountain. They have set up tents below and are temporarily staying in the inner room."

"Also, due to the surge in the number of people at the mountain gate, the food we bought last time is no longer enough. Furthermore, the thirty new ordinary men and women must also wear uniforms. Otherwise, if fellow Taoists from other sects come to visit, it will look bad if they all look ragged and patched up."

"So I asked Junior Brother Xu Ning to go out and buy some food and clothing, and also bought a few camels, so that these ordinary people can use them when they go out to do business or buy and sell daily necessities in the future."

"In total, it cost 15 spirit stones."

"Another thing, that first-grade intermediate golden light formation has been completed. Junior Brother Zhang Yi, please show the effect to the master."

"Okay." Zhang Yi took out a palm-sized disc from his sleeve, which was the core of the golden light array.

He fiddled with the array plate a few times, and all of a sudden, wisps of golden light flashed in the sky outside the hall. A cloud gathered in the sky, and there was a golden light shining inside, as if there was thunder.

Zhang Yi continued, "This golden light formation can only cover an area of ​​fifty feet in radius. We use this hall as the center. If any enemy breaks into the area within a fifty-foot radius, we can use the golden light formation to launch a forbidden attack."

"Senior Brother Lin and I have already tested the power of this formation. When fully activated, the Golden Light Formation can emit more than ten golden light attacks in succession, and the power of each attack is equivalent to the full force attack of a mid-stage weapon refiner."

"Of course, this consumes a lot of spirit stones. My senior brother Lin and I just tried its full strength attack, and it consumed the spiritual power of four spirit stones."

"On a normal day, even if you don't use the Golden Light Formation to attack, just keeping it open will still consume a Spirit Stone."

"Unless we completely shut it down, but if an enemy suddenly invades while it's closed, it won't be able to be opened for a while. It'll take at least half an hour at the earliest."

"The altar for the Golden Light Array is located in the courtyard behind the main hall. It has been operating continuously for a while now. Including the cost of verifying its effectiveness, we have already spent over thirty spirit stones so far."

Song Xian nodded and said, "The sect is currently facing financial difficulties. We haven't offended anyone, and we are protected by the Qianqing Sect. We don't expect anyone to attack the mountain gate directly. There is no need to activate the golden light array all day long. We can activate it only when encountering major events."

"Senior Brother Zhang Yi is still in charge of this formation. You are responsible for the formation plate. When you go out, remember to hand it over. If I am not here, please give it to Senior Brother Zhong and Senior Brother Lin."

"Okay," Zhang Yi replied, tucking the array disk into his sleeve. "Our sect has three tasks for the next phase. The first is to build two training rooms in the cave at the bottom of the mountain. Senior Brother Ning Yuan has already purchased the two sets of first-grade, lower-grade spirit gathering arrays. Senior Brother Zhong, this will be your responsibility. If you need manpower and spirit stones, feel free to allocate them."

"Secondly, we need to build the mansion. Senior Brother Ning Yuan, I have already bought the ten first-grade, lower-grade construction warrior talismans you requested. You are fully responsible for this matter and must complete it as soon as possible."

"Third, our sect needs to find a source of income as soon as possible. Our visit to the Luoyun Sect and the Yushou Sect in Bianxi City was fruitless, which shows that this task is not easy to accomplish."

"From what I understand, it's probably not easy to ask Senior Yang of the Beast Taming Sect for cooperation. He has been visited by countless people hoping to profit from him. Our sect is weak and located in a remote and desolate place, so we don't have any competitive advantage over other sects."

"If you want to stand out, squeeze out other sects, and get the opportunity to cooperate with the Beast Taming Sect, the chance is slim."

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Instead of relying on the Beastmaster Sect for food, it's better to earn your own living."

"So I want to find an opportunity to go to the Muhe Grassland and do some business like those traveling caravans."

After the words fell, no one in the hall responded. After a brief silence, Lin Zixiang frowned and asked, "Master, are you really determined to go to Muhe Grassland?"

"This is the only way we can control our own income. We can't just sit around and wait for the spirit stones we get from the sect to run out."

"But we currently know nothing about the situation on the Muhe Grassland, and there are bandits entrenched in Tianshan. This may not be easy to accomplish. Moreover, as a sect, our most important thing is to increase our existing industries. Trading like a caravan is not a long-term solution."

Song Xian secretly sighed in his heart. As the sect's law enforcement elder and one of the only two late-stage cultivators in the sect, Lin Zixiang was the person he relied on the most, but he acted so hesitant.

As early as when he was in Qingyun Sect, he had noticed that Lin Zixiang was a bit stupid, but he was entrusted with the task of selling assets because of his excellent spiritual roots and because he was Zhang Shilin's absolute confidant.

In fact, when he was in Qingyun Sect, he only focused on practicing and did not care about any government affairs.

To put it bluntly, he is like a pampered young man who has always had everything provided for him, never caring where the food and clothes come from. Even at this point, he is still dreaming of being a young man.

He had already made it so clear, yet he was still thinking about unrealistic things like inherent industries, thinking that he was in Qingyun Sect! He could live a full life by relying on the spiritual mines, spiritual fields, and various industrial resources under the sect.

Song Xian couldn't say these words openly, so he said calmly, "According to Senior Brother Zixiang, how can we increase our existing assets? Our sect does have some assets on all sides, but they've all been taken by other forces. Are we going to snatch them from them?"

After being asked this question, George Lam was speechless.

"There are certainly difficulties, but they're not unsolvable. While we don't know much about the Muhe Grassland, the caravans that pass through it are already well-versed in it. We can contact them and go with them. As for the Tianshan bandits, that's even easier. Next month, I'll go to the Beastmaster Sect again and ask for a pass."

Everyone was speechless, and Song Xian talked about some unimportant things, then announced the end of the meeting.

Everyone went back to their rooms to rest. After a busy whole night, he was very tired. He returned to his room, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep.

I don't know how long it was before I heard a knock on the door.

He opened his eyes drowsily, stood up and opened the door, only to see Jiang Zichen and Shen Fan standing outside.

"Master, Fanfan and I both want to learn the art of puppet making." Jiang Zichen said happily.

"Come in!" Song Xian called the two in and closed the door.

"Sit down, don't be so reserved." Seeing that Boss Shen Fan was standing there stiffly and straight, and seemed a little restrained, Song Xian quickly invited him to take a seat.

"You two want to learn the art of puppet making? Think carefully. This is not a joke. If you are truly determined, I will teach you the secret records."

"Yes, Master, we have made our decision." Jiang Zichen answered happily.

"What about you? Junior Brother Shen, are you sure you've made up your mind?"

Song Xian knew that Jiang Zichen was an active and lively person, and he was the first to find the Puppet Secret Record because he was the first to discover the ruins, so he must be itching to get it. However, Shen Fan was a loyal and dull person, and he came here on his own initiative, most likely because he was instigated by Jiang Zichen's words.

Shen Fan first looked at Jiang Zichen, then nodded seriously.

(End of this chapter)