After Hu Qianqian left, Yang Hou ca to report.
He had three main things to report. First, the preliminary work on the Alchemy Room was complete. Second, the mountain next to the Water Institute had been hollowed out. And third, Zi Luan’s fundraising was halfway complete.
After Yang Hou left, Wang Ping got up and went to inspect the preliminary work on the Alchemy Room. It was built in a well-ventilated area suitable for igniting Earth Fire. A massive palace had been artificially constructed, enclosed within the mountain. Two winding paths seed to lead to the front hall and the Fire Institute, but in reality, hidden channels ran underground to connect with the Nine Extres Array.
The path to the front hall was for connecting to the core of the Nine Extres Array, while the path to the Fire Institute was to allow Alchemists to more easily channel the furnace fire within their bodies during Alchemy.
Wang Ping needed to inscribe connecting runes along these two hidden channels and place corresponding Spiritual Objects.
The task was simple in concept but required extre precision. Wang Ping didn’t plan to do it all himself as he had with the Nine Extres Array, but he also didn’t dare entrust it to outsiders. He decided to craft functional puppets and imbue them with the necessary knowledge.
Next to the Water Institute.
Inside an unnad mountain, a giant pit had been excavated. The opening of the pit was specially asured to allow outside light to always shine into its depths.
At the bottom of the pit was a waterway connected to the artificial lake outside, and fixed embanknts had been specially constructed on both sides.
This was the place for setting up the *Ethereal Art*.
Wang Ping had already moved the Outer Realm Demon to the depths beneath the Fire Institute. The Sealing Array he had personally designed was already in the preliminary stages of assimilating one of the Demon Soldiers. He estimated a true qualitative transformation could be completed in another ten years.
But this Demon Soldier did not belong to Wang Ping; it belonged to Lv Wen and his wife. This was a prerequisite for their deal. The next one would likely not be his either, but Wen Yang’s, because Wen Yang had covered the construction costs for the *Ethereal Art* as well as the setup and arrangents for Lv Wen and his wife’s overseas Dao Field.
It was only because Wen Yang was footing the bill that the design was so complex, even including a specially excavated waterway.
Wang Ping thought it over and decided to build the *Ethereal Art* first. ’After all, soone else is paying for it.’
Because the array required a clear Water Spirit Formation, Wang Ping specifically called over Guangxuan and Liu Chang. He wanted to give Sanhe Temple a piece of the pie. Sanhe Temple was currently too weak. If chaos were to engulf the world, saving them would consu a great deal of his ti and energy, but not saving them was out of the question.
This work kept them busy for several months. In the blink of an eye, the annual Spring Festival had arrived.
The three of them stopped their work and went to the Mountain Peak Dojo for the annual gathering. This ti, it was much livelier than before. Liu Zixiu had rushed back with his disciple, Zhang Xinghuai. Liu Shuang had brought Liu Ling and Zhao Yu’Er this ti. As per Wang Ping’s instructions, Zhao Yu’Er had taken on a young girl as a disciple. Hu Qianqian had also brought the little fox. Wang Li and Su Sea were at a critical point in their breakthrough and did not attend.
Additionally, Guangxuan had summoned two of his Direct Disciples. One was Lin Chen, whom Wang Ping had t before; he was the current Dean of Sanhe Temple’s Inner Courtyard. The other was a female disciple nad Huimin.
Guangxuan’s intentions were clear. Lin Chen was certain to inherit Sanhe Temple’s Spirit Vein, while the hundred-year share of Qianmu Temple’s Water Spirit Vein would likely be inherited by this Huimin.
After the banquet, as in previous years, ca the ti for individual New Year’s greetings. Wang Ping t with his disciples and their disciples one by one. When it was Liu Ling’s turn, Liu Shuang stayed by her side.
Masters really can be biased sotis!
"Ling’er has successfully achieved Foundation Establishnt," Liu Shuang said on her behalf after Liu Ling paid her respects. "She is preparing to cultivate the Wood Spirit and intends to attempt the path of the Qianmu Technique."
"The Qianmu Technique is a desolate and tedious path to cultivate. If you cannot endure the solitude, you will quickly be devoured by the Wood Spirit. Are you ntally prepared for that?"
Wang Ping stared into Liu Ling’s eyes. Just as she was about to answer, he added, "It’s hundreds of years of solitude. You won’t even be able to attend gatherings like this one until you ascend to the Third Realm—or your body perishes and your Dao vanishes!"
This ti, Liu Ling fell silent. Neither Liu Shuang nor Wang Ping disturbed her.
In the end, she couldn’t summon the courage to say, "I can do it." Wang Ping, however, nodded in satisfaction. This at least showed she was countless tis more mature than before.
As Liu Ling was leaving, Yu Lian stopped Liu Shuang, who was about to follow. Once Liu Ling was a good distance away, Yu Lian said sternly, "Yu’Er’s emotional state is very wrong. Your blatant favoritism is likely one of the factors contributing to her instability. You have handled this very poorly."
"Yes!"
Liu Shuang lowered her head, offering no explanation. "Your correction is right, Martial Aunt. I will properly soothe Yu’Er’s emotions."
Wang Ping watched Liu Shuang’s departing figure, took out a pair of divination blocks, and perford a divination. He then stared at the result on the ground, lost in thought until Hu Qianqian arrived.
Hu Qianqian simply offered her New Year’s greetings; she had nothing special to report. It seed there was no new information from her efforts to recruit Alchemists.
The last to arrive was Shen Xiaozhu. Wang Ping mainly checked on her cultivation. She had already entered the Marrow-Washing stage. Yu Lian had passed the Cultivation Technique on to her, and her progress was thodical and precise. She was the type of person who believed that constant dripping wears away the stone, so she approached both her tasks and her cultivation with a calm and unhurried deanor.
After speaking with his disciples individually, Wang Ping gathered Liu Zixiu, Guangxuan, Liu Chang, Liu Shuang, and Hu Qianqian to discuss so matters.
「In the blink of an eye, the Spring Festival was over.」
The setup for the *Ethereal Art* was completed in May. According to the guide panel, the Spiritual Qi concentration was approaching (90/100), and the success rate had reached (70/100). Wang Ping wrote a special letter to Wen Yang to inform him of the matter, since it was Wen Yang’s money that had been spent.
In June, Wang Ping received the mories transmitted back from Puppet Zi Hong, which allowed him to experience the sights of the Southeast Islands without leaving ho. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten to gather intelligence on Xuanhe Daoist. The Xuanhe Daoist of today had beco a Steward in the Taiyin Sect and seed to be vying for the fourth seat in the Daoist Scripture Hall.
Wang Ping thought for a mont and decided to cause so trouble for this Xuanhe Daoist. Not in his own na, of course, but by writing a letter to Wen Yang. He was confident Wen Yang wouldn’t pass up such a good opportunity.
Sure enough, two months later, Wen Yang replied, saying that Xuanhe Daoist could forget about ever getting the fourth seat of the Daoist Scripture Hall.
At that ti, Wang Ping was setting up the stationary Array required for the next step in cultivating the Second Realm of the *Taiyan Talisman*. This step required a specific Wood Spirit Celestial and Earthly Treasure called the ’Nine Heavens Bamboo Node’. It was a piece of bamboo as thick as a wrist, ford within the restrictions of the Nine Heavens Secret Technique, yet possessed pure Wood Spirit Qi.
Its place of origin was the Nine Heavens Forbidden Land, located in the Land of Chaos on the Far East Continent. Wang Ping had only managed to acquire it through his connection with Zi Luan. It cost a total of three million taels, of which five hundred thousand taels were for shipping.
Wang Ping had just finished the Array and hadn’t yet had a chance to check for errors when a thick, tallic scent of blood washed over him from the direction of Dongshui Mountain.
It was Zuo Xuan!
She was using this thod to inform Wang Ping that she... was about to attempt her breakthrough to the Second Realm.
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