Chapter 471 (1)
Seeing multiple figures of the "Third Holy Lord" at the same time, Lu Qing was momentarily startled.
He quickly realized, however, that these figures were not true living beings.
Instead, they were like the "Third Holy Lord" he had first encountered upon arriving in the Sacred City—they were Puppet Avatars.
"Puppet Avatars?" Lu Qing's mind stirred.
At that moment, the Third Holy Lord, who had been practicing his sword techniques, turned his body and caught sight of a figure standing nearby.
Startled, he relaxed only when he recognized Lu Qing.
"Greetings, Young Daoist Lu."
The Third Holy Lord ceased his sword practice. The multiple Puppet Avatars remained motionless while his true body stepped forward to greet Lu Qing.
Despite his outward calm, he was still shaken.
Judging by Lu Qing's demeanor, it was clear that he had been watching for quite some time.Yet, despite the close proximity, the Third Holy Lord had been completely unaware of Lu Qing's presence.
This starkly illustrated the unimaginable gap in strength between them.
"Is this the might of a superior-grade Golden Core of Spiritual Power?" The Third Holy Lord mused.
Ever since learning that Golden Cores of Spiritual Power were divided into three grades, the Three Holy Lords had privately discussed which grade Lu Qing had condensed.
Their final conclusion was that Lu Qing’s Golden Core must be at least high-tier mid-grade, or even truly superior-grade.
Otherwise, given that they had all entered the Golden Core Realm after overcoming tribulations around the same time, there was no reason for such an overwhelming disparity in power.
"It seems your swordsmanship has improved considerably, Senior." Lu Qing remarked with a smile.
The sword intent the Third Holy Lord had just displayed carried faint traces of the essence of the sword strike Lu Qing had demonstrated previously.
Clearly, over the past month, the Third Holy Lord had been diligently refining his swordsmanship.
"It’s all thanks to the sword intent that you inscribed, Young Daoist Lu. I have learned greatly from it." The Third Holy Lord sincerely acknowledged.
"Sword intent can only serve as a reference. The fact that you were able to gain insights and integrate them into your own path shows that you have a unique understanding of the Dao of the Sword, Senior."
The Third Holy Lord’s true name was Bai Qingfeng—a detail Lu Qing had discerned using his abilities when he first arrived in the Sacred City.
After chatting for a while, Lu Qing once again shifted his gaze toward the figures standing at the edge of the cliff.
"Senior Holy Lord, these are your Puppet Avatars?"
The Third Holy Lord was surprised. "Young Daoist Lu, you recognize Puppet Avatars?"
"I've heard of them but don’t know much. When you fought me before, that must have been one of these Puppet Avatars, correct?" Lu Qing chuckled.
"You have keen eyes, Young Daoist Lu." The Third Holy Lord admitted in admiration.
Back then, Lu Qing had only just stepped into the Precelestial Realm, far below the Third Holy Lord’s level. Yet, he had still seen through the Puppet Avatar.
Seeing Lu Qing scrutinizing the figures closely, the Third Holy Lord hesitated for a moment before asking:
"Are you interested in the Dao of Puppets?"
"Indeed, I am." Lu Qing didn’t deny it. "The Dao of Puppets is quite fascinating, particularly in its application of soul-related techniques."
Watching the Third Holy Lord simultaneously control multiple Puppet Avatars while practicing swordplay with himself, Lu Qing found it remarkably novel.
After a brief moment of contemplation, the Third Holy Lord retrieved a jade slip.
"Young Daoist Lu, this jade slip contains part of the ancient inheritance from the Heavenly Puppet Sect."
"It includes both methods for refining puppets and techniques for controlling them."
"Since you're interested, why not take it and study it?"
Lu Qing was taken aback. "Senior, is this really appropriate?"
"There’s no need for formality. Though the inheritance of the Dao of Puppets is valuable, it pales in comparison to the guidance you have provided to my brothers and me. Take it without hesitation."
The Third Holy Lord’s words were not mere courtesy but spoken from the heart.
Ever since receiving Lu Qing’s advice last month, the Three Holy Lords had made tremendous breakthroughs in their cultivation.
Their progress had been unimpeded and crystal clear, with no obstacles in their path.
In fact, their eldest brother had just recently reached the stage of Golden Core First Transformation (Great Accomplishment).
At this pace, reaching Golden Core First Transformation (Perfection) was not far off.
Thus, the Three Holy Lords had come to deeply appreciate just how invaluable Lu Qing’s guidance was.
They even believed that with Lu Qing’s insights, they could cultivate up to Golden Core Third Transformation without encountering any major difficulties.
The sincerity of the Third Holy Lord’s words left Lu Qing momentarily silent.
After a few moments, he smiled and took the jade slip. "In that case, I shall accept it with gratitude."
Given the Third Holy Lord’s genuine offering, any more hesitation would have seemed pretentious.
Moreover, Lu Qing was indeed intrigued by the Dao of Puppets.
Seeing Lu Qing accept the jade slip, the Third Holy Lord also smiled.
True relationships between people cannot be built on one-sided giving or taking.
Only through mutual exchanges can they be maintained.
After conversing for a while longer, Lu Qing took his leave, not wanting to disrupt the Third Holy Lord’s cultivation.
Returning to his cave abode, Lu Qing took out the jade slip.
Activating his spiritual powers, he scanned the slip.
Soon, a faint purple glow of spiritual energy emerged from the jade slip.
Lines of information surfaced before his eyes:
[Inheritance Jade Slip: A special jade slip recording cultivation knowledge.]
[This jade slip contains part of the inheritance from the Heavenly Puppet Sect.]
[The Heavenly Puppet Sect, known for their mastery of Puppet Avatars, was a unique sect in the Ancient Era of Cultivation.]
[Inheritance detected. Would you like to download and simulate it?]
Reading the displayed information, Lu Qing immediately chose download.
[Downloading… Current Progress…]
A quarter of an hour later, the spiritual ability prompt indicated that the download and simulation were complete.
[Would you like to begin studying?]
Lu Qing chose yes without hesitation.
The next moment, an overwhelming flood of insight and knowledge surged into his mind.
Closing his eyes, Lu Qing silently absorbed the information.
After a long time, when he opened his eyes again, they were filled with astonishment.
"The inheritance of the Heavenly Puppet Sect is truly remarkable."
Just as the Third Holy Lord had mentioned, the jade slip only contained part of the sect’s inheritance.
It primarily described the refinement methods of Puppet Avatars and the techniques to control them.
However, the highest level of Puppet Avatars recorded in the jade slip was only at the early Golden Core Realm.
Moreover, refining each Puppet Avatar required an immense amount of rare materials.
Even if Lu Qing wanted to refine one now, he lacked the necessary resources.
Thus, after briefly comprehending the knowledge, he set it aside for later.
What truly amazed him was the technique for controlling puppets.
The Heavenly Puppet Sect’s method of puppet control was, in essence, a spiritual soul cultivation technique.
What made it unique was how it differed from traditional soul cultivation methods...