Clan Cultivation: My Intelligence Updated Daily

The inner city of Tianliu City is completely different from the place where Zhang Lingyu and other independent cultivators live.

Upon entering the inner city, the first thing that catches the eye is the Lingyu Archway, carved from cold jade, with the four gilded characters "Tianliu Inner City" inscribed on it.

On either side of the archway stand two bronze qilin statues.

It is said that these were all built by the Tianliu Sect. Just by looking at the spiritual materials used, one can tell how powerful the sect was in the past.

After passing through the archway, a bright and open view suddenly appeared before me.

Shops lined both sides of the street, with various lanterns hanging from their upturned eaves.

The streets were bustling with people. Several newly arrived disciples of the sect looked around with curiosity, dragging their senior brothers and sisters to stroll around the shops and clamoring to buy things.

"Every time I come, there are still just this many people."

Zhang Lingyu sighed silently, without lingering too long, and walked through the crowd, arriving at a secluded alley in less than half an hour.

【Puppet Hall】

He glanced at the signboard silently, then stepped inside. The shop was the same as always; not many cultivators lingered there, most just glancing at it before leaving.

Looking at the unchanging furnishings in front of her, Zhang Lingyu felt a surge of curiosity:

"In the inner city, where every inch of land is precious, there's hardly any income from spirit stones. It's amazing that this couple can keep their business running."

He had inquired about it before and found that opening a shop in the inner city would cost between 10,000 and 20,000 spirit stones in rent each year, which was something that ordinary people could not afford.

"Is Fellow Daoist Lin Qinglin here?"

Seeing that no one was around, Zhang Lingyu politely greeted him. After a moment, a scholar-like cultivator came out from the backyard, carrying a book and muttering incantations.

Upon seeing who it was, he exclaimed with delight:

"So it's Fellow Daoist Zhang! I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly."

Although Lin Qing had only met Zhang Lingyu a few times, the two had a pleasant conversation the first time they met, and Lin Qing had a deep impression of him ever since.

Seeing that the other party's cultivation had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, he cupped his hands and smiled, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhang, on advancing another step!"

"Fellow Daoist Lin is not bad either."

The two acted like old friends who hadn't seen each other for years. Lin Qing greeted him and led him to his room, where he poured tea and sat down. Then, with a smile, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, what brings you here today?"

"Could it be that they finally want to buy a puppet?"

"That's not entirely wrong. Today I'd like to ask you to help me look at something."

Zhang Lingyu did not deny it, and immediately took out the two Qi Refining Peak puppets, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Lin, I obtained these two puppets from a cave, but they are somewhat damaged. I would appreciate it if you could take a look and see if you could repair them."

"It's actually a puppet at the peak of Qi Refining!"

Upon seeing this, Lin Qing's face immediately lit up with joy. Her hands trembled slightly as she stroked the puppet. The next moment, as if she had thought of something, she called out towards the backyard:

"Xiaomeng, come quickly to the room in front!"

"Lin Qing, what are you yelling about so early in the morning? If outsiders hear you, they'll think someone died in the shop!"

A pleasant female voice came from the backyard, and Zhang Lingyu and the other person immediately smiled awkwardly.

Before long, a woman dressed in a pale yellow dress entered the room, her face still showing some anger.

This person was none other than Lin Qing's Daoist partner—Chen Xiaomeng.

When the woman saw Zhang Lingyu sit down in his room, she immediately smiled again:

"Who do we have here? It's Fellow Daoist Zhang. I thought someone was here to smash up the shop."

"Fellow Daoist Chen is joking."

Zhang Lingyu responded politely, but Lin Qing, standing to the side, quickly urged:

"Stop dawdling! Look, these are the two puppets Fellow Daoist Zhang brought. Squeak, squeak, they're made entirely of Azure Spirit Iron, extremely rare!"

"A puppet at the peak of Qi Refining?"

Chen Xiaomeng was slightly taken aback, and the next second she immediately pushed Lin Qing aside and carefully stroked and observed him.

"Wife, why did you push me? Isn't there another one?"

Seeing the couple joking and playing around in front of outsiders, Zhang Lingyu was both amused and exasperated. No wonder they say that people who aren't family don't end up together.

The couple observed for a while before stopping, and Lin Qing praised them:

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you are truly blessed. This puppet is made entirely of Azure Spirit Iron. Even a Qi Refining Peak cultivator would find it difficult to harm it with a full-force attack. It is a fine item."

"Moreover, its construction is extremely intricate; it must have been made by a master craftsman!"

"It's just that one of the parts where the spirit stones are stored was damaged, which is quite a flaw."

"I can't exactly say that I broke it myself, can I?"

Zhang Lingyu smiled wryly to himself, then looked at the couple and asked, "Fellow Daoist Lin, Fellow Daoist Chen, I wonder if these two puppets can be repaired?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, we are both second-tier puppeteers, so don't look down on us."

Seeing his area of ​​expertise being questioned, Lin Qing was unusually angry, but then he smiled and said:

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Zhang could lend these two puppets to my wife and me for a while? We will waive the cost of repairing them."

"This... I wonder if you two fellow Daoists could tell me the purpose of this item for me?"

Zhang Lingyu doesn't plan to go to the Wanling Mountains anytime soon, so he won't need the puppet for a while. However, he is very curious about what Lin Qing wants it for.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang and I are good friends. To be honest, although my wife and I can repair these two Qi Refining Peak puppets, it would still be very difficult for us to make them."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaomeng picked up the conversation and said with a wry smile:

"If we can thoroughly understand this puppet, our skills will improve greatly, and we can become third-tier puppeteers."

"Not bad." Lin Qing, who was standing to the side, also nodded quickly.

They had been working hard on their research during this time, but unfortunately they couldn't make any breakthroughs in their skills. These two puppets were a godsend for them.

"I see."

Zhang Lingyu agreed without hesitation. He knew the couple's character well, and nodded with a smile:

"In that case, you two fellow Daoists may continue your comprehension. It's not too late to let me know when you're done."

"Thank you, fellow Daoist!"

Upon hearing this, the couple immediately smiled and expressed their gratitude:

"Once my wife and I are able to create puppets at the peak of Qi Refining, we will definitely give one to you, fellow Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind."

Zhang Lingyu shook her head, then suddenly remembered the spirit stones inside the puppet's body. After much deliberation, she took them out and asked:

"Fellow Daoists, do you recognize this item?"

"This is a mid-grade spirit stone."

Lin Qing recognized the item at a glance. Although it was several sizes smaller than normal, the spiritual energy it contained could not be changed.

"Oh?"

Looking at the mid-grade spirit stone in his hand, Zhang Lingyu wasn't too surprised. He had guessed this before, and today's words confirmed his thoughts.

Chen Xiaomeng, standing to the side, laughed:

"Mid-grade spirit stones have many uses, one of which is to drive puppets. Without the driving force of spirit stones, puppets would have to be extracted from the cultivator."

"Although it can greatly enhance the combat power of the puppet, it is also somewhat wasteful of natural resources, so cultivators generally do not use it lightly."

After listening to many insights, Zhang Lingyu had a general understanding of the uses of these spirit stones and couldn't help but admire the knowledge of the couple.

At the same time, they became increasingly curious about the identities of the two.

However, he didn't delve into it further, but instead rose to take his leave:

"In that case, I'll trouble you two fellow Daoists. I have other matters to attend to. Please feel free to send me a message if you need anything."

......

......