Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

"Senior Brother Qian is very resourceful. He has found so many precious treasures. I guess he paid a lot of price for it?" Liu Xing was surprised to see these precious materials and asked tentatively.

"Junior Brother Liu, you don't know that in order to collect these precious materials, I exhausted all my family's wealth, went through life and death, and almost lost my life before I got the treasures." Qian Yuan still felt a lingering fear when he recalled the process of obtaining these materials.

Liu Xing nodded and said nothing more. He silently thought to himself that he must maximize the value of the precious materials and refine a top-grade magic weapon so as not to disappoint Senior Brother Qian.

The Silver Sand Bell was even more complex than the Star-Moon Sword, and it took a full two months to refine. Qian Yuan put away the small, exquisite magical weapon, another top-grade one, and was filled with surprise and gratitude. He was astonished that Junior Brother Liu had reached the level of a Grandmaster in weapon refining.

"Thank you, Junior Brother Liu." Qian Yuan expressed his sincere gratitude.

"At least I didn't disappoint Senior Brother Qian." Liu Xing waved his hand and grinned.

"Senior Brother Qian, I plan to continue setting up project teams. This time we are developing Jindan stage puppets. Are you interested in participating?" Liu Xing suggested.

"Okay, my magic weapon has just been completed and needs to be nurtured for ten years. It just so happens that I don't plan to go out during these ten years, so it's perfect for me to concentrate on studying puppets." Qian Yuan clapped his hands in agreement.

"Okay, this time I plan to bring in my comrades Zhang Qiang and Guo Liping. There is strength in numbers. They have fought alongside me and are trustworthy. What do you think, Senior Brother Qian?" Liu Xing said again.

"I have no objection. I have dealt with these two people before. They are the geniuses of our Puppet Department. With their joining, the success rate will be higher!" Qian Yuan had no objection.

"Okay, I'll contact them right away." Liu Xing took out a sound transmission talisman and sent it to Zhang Qiang and Guo Liping.

Three days later, in a makeshift cave, Liu Xing, Qian Yuan, Zhang Qiang, and Guo Liping sat in a circle to discuss important matters. Qian Yuan, at the Foundation Establishment stage, was already the foremost figure in the Puppetry Department. Zhang Qiang and Guo Liping were the pride of their generation, and naturally, they were well-known. Liu Xing, needless to say, had an even greater influence on them. Therefore, being able to participate in the project led by these two was something they had been eager to pursue. They were all excited to hear about the development of a Jindan stage puppet. Remember, they couldn't even create a late Foundation Establishment stage puppet right now, so having them on the project would truly help them grow.

Liu Xing had rented this cave specifically for the puppet department. With four bedrooms and a living room, it was spacious enough for four people to work. Everyone knew each other, and after meeting, Liu Xing introduced the project. His previous experience working with Qian Yuan made him feel more at home.

"The project goal is to research a method to create a Dan puppet, and the timeframe is ten years. First, I will be responsible for the R&D expenses, and I will provide 500,000 yuan as start-up capital. Secondly, the research results will be shared among the four of us, and each of us will make a copy of the puppet-making method, and the finished products will be divided equally according to the estimated value." Liu Xing said concisely.

"Junior Brother Liu, this is not appropriate. You have invested money and effort, so isn't it too much of a loss for us to just share the results?" Zhang Qiang immediately retorted.

"Everyone, because the Elders' Council has arrangements for my later work, I cannot stay with you all the time to study puppets. I can only participate in stages, mainly to control the general direction. Therefore, it is you three who will work hard in the later stage, and it is only natural for me to provide the funds." Liu Xing explained with a smile.

"I see. I have no other opinion then," said Zhang Qiang.

"I will be the project leader, Qian Yuan will be the deputy leader, and when I'm away, Senior Brother Qian will make the decisions." Liu Xing set the organizational structure. Everyone was aware of their respective strengths, so naturally they had no objections to Liu Xing's arrangements.

"Next, let's discuss the specific implementation plan and the difficulties in overcoming them..."

At the moment, Liu Xing's puppetry skills were the highest, so he naturally took the lead. So everyone started discussing the problem in detail, one after another. When they encountered a problem that no one could solve, they would go to the library to read or seek help from their own masters.

Six months passed quickly, and the four of them worked tirelessly in their cave abode until they finally settled on the general direction, focusing on the control system, power system, and material research and development. They then divided the work and began to tackle the problem. They spent a large amount of spirit stones, exchanging them for various precious materials, and conducted various trials and experiments.

After Liu Xing determined the research and development direction, he said goodbye and left the group. His time was very limited, and he had many other things to do.

As Liu Xing's abilities in alchemy, weapon forging, restrictions, and puppetry became increasingly prominent and widespread among his fellow Daoists, more and more Daoists came to him for help in refining pills and magical artifacts. Of course, only Daoists in the Core Formation Stage could come to him for help; lower-level disciples in the Foundation Establishment Stage naturally didn't dare to disturb him.

Liu Xing displayed great enthusiasm, responding to every request. His current core goal was to establish good relationships with fellow Daoists in the Jindan stage within the sect, so that he could better leverage the sect's power to obtain the vast cultivation resources he needed for his future rule over the Qianji Sect.

His current order backlog stretches back a year, and Liu Xing relishes this. While he doesn't care about compensation, the world of immortal cultivation emphasizes cause and effect, and fellow cultivators will pay their dues, unwilling to easily owe favors. Consequently, Liu Xing's practice during this time has not only reached Grandmaster level in both alchemy and weapon forging, but has also become even more sophisticated in his late-stage foundation-building puppet forging, while also earning a considerable sum of money.

Over the past three years, Liu Xing has diligently helped his fellow disciples. Not only is his skill exceptional, but his attitude is also excellent. His performance has been observed and remembered by the Council of Elders and fellow Jindan cultivators, who have all praised him unanimously. While these tactics alone can't completely win over everyone, they have left a very good impression and reputation in their hearts.

On the other hand, there were constant messages coming in from the Mission Hall's demand list, which effectively solved many problems for everyone and surprised the fellow Jindan practitioners.

Compared to Liu Xing's hands-on approach, the other two candidates, Zhong Yueqiu and Pei Xiu, seemed far too inactive, relying solely on ordinary tactics of enticement. However, these two were veteran Jindan cultivators, and naturally, over time, they had more interactions with fellow veterans, thus establishing a strong foundation.

Now, newly advanced Jindan disciples have basically gathered around Liu Xing. Many of them ask him for help in refining their magic weapons, because Liu Xing can refine top-grade magic weapons, which makes veteran Jindan cultivators envious. Magic weapons accompany cultivators throughout their lives. Although they can be upgraded in later stages, the higher the starting point, the more advantageous it is for cultivators, making Liu Xing a real hot commodity. Now, when they see Liu Xing, they will take the initiative to call him "Brother Liu" or "Senior Brother Liu", no longer considering themselves as senior brothers because they entered earlier.