Demonic Demoness Training Project

……

The next morning, Lu Li went straight to Wanbaoge in the city center.

The price of the Mountain Ape Arm was about what Lu Li had expected. After some bargaining, it was worth seventy spirit stones.

The spirit ore weighing several dozen kilograms was divided into six types. Lu Li did not intend to sell the Void Stone, as he wanted to keep it for self-defense. The remaining five types were weighed by weight and their purity was determined. In the end, twelve spirit stones were sold.

Each water spirit core, once transformed into a single type, is only worth three spirit stones, equivalent to one of his kidneys. All nine water spirit cores together are worth a total of twenty-seven spirit stones.

The reason is that these spiritual beings are really too old, even older than Lu Li himself.

Then, when Lu Li asked about the price of a Type 4 Golden Spirit Core, he was shocked to find that it was now selling for fifty spirit stones each, double his original budget.

"Sir, as you know, prices have risen sharply recently, especially for first-stage spirit cores of type three or higher. Their refining process requires a large amount of spirit tin."

"Recently, relations between the two parties have been tense, and all the spirit tin has been used to produce second and third-level spirit cores. There are really no extra resources left, so we can use it to refine first-level spirit cores."

"So that's how it is."

Lu Li pretended to understand, but in reality he was suspicious. Was the boss just making excuses?

"Are these spirit cores of yours second-hand?"

"How could that be? Our Wanbaoge is a property of Baiyue Palace. How could we sell you second-hand goods? Each one has a unique serial number."

"Well, I'll come back another day to patronize your business."

"Eat?"

The shopkeeper looked puzzled. Judging from Lu Li's expression, he thought Lu Li thought his spirit core was too expensive and wanted to buy a used one.

Lu Li turned to leave. He was looking for the secondhand spirit core that Lu Ling had used, not these brand-new firsthand spirit cores. Lu Li had just reached the door when he seemed to remember something and suddenly stopped.

"Boss, is there a toilet here?"

"Turn left inside."

Thank you.

Lu Li successfully found the outhouse. Seeing that no one was around, he unbuttoned his collar and pulled down the small zipper on his chest. Through his pale white ribs, one could see the pulsating akagi potion.

The boss had previously said that each spirit core had a production date and a serial number, and that the serial number might be used to determine which gold spirit core it was.

The shopkeeper said it was brand new, but that might not be true. Lu Li wanted to buy a second-hand item.

Lifting the left half of the metal casing, Lu Li saw a gleaming gold object with two lines of small characters written in clerical script below it.

【Golden Spirit Core - One Transformation into Four Types】.

[Baiyue Palace Yushui Academy was built in the ninth month of the year Si-You (1949), Geng-57-9]

This year is the Renzi year. According to the timeline, this golden spirit core was refined three years ago, which coincides with the time when Lu Ling was sold.

"Is there any explanation for this spirit core, such as how to distinguish between first-hand and second-hand?"

"It's alright to tell you. You can take it apart and take a look. There is a spirit tin chip in the center of the array plate. If the surface of the spirit tin chip is as bright as a mirror, then it has never been used. If the surface of the spirit tin chip is damaged or scratched, then it has been used and is definitely a second-hand product."

"Hmm, I've learned something."

Lu Li nodded, zipped up his pants, straightened his clothes, walked out of the outhouse, and returned to the main hall of Wanbaoge.

"Shopkeeper, I've changed my mind. I still want to buy it, but I'd like to see the goods first."

"Please take a look, sir. All of them are here. If you see one you like, just let me know."

Thirty spirit cores were displayed on the counter. Lu Li checked them one by one according to their numbers. Originally, Lu Li did not have high hopes. After all, there were so many gold spirit cores. Judging from the numbers on the shells, the White Moon Palace produced at least several thousand, if not tens of thousands, of first-tier gold spirit cores every month.

Finding a specific spirit core is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"September of the year of Si-You... Geng-5-7-9, no? It's found already? Could it be a fake?"

"Hahaha, child, don't be surprised. Do you know what this is called? This is called—the will of Heaven!"

Chapter 27 A Comprehensive Explanation of Formation Techniques

God willing!

Lu Li stared blankly at the golden spirit core in his hand. He had already prepared himself to search through all the shops in Maple Fragrance City.

He had also wondered if he could refine the Qi-Mixing Cauldron by using other gold spirit cores instead of the specific one he couldn't find.

However, things went very smoothly, to the point that he was somewhat surprised.

After all, I've been used to bad luck in the past.

"Sir, you have a discerning eye. Have you taken a fancy to this spirit core?"

How much is this?

"Fifty spirit stones, only fifty spirit stones. Go outside and look, where can you find such cheap new goods?"

"I'm asking you, is this really a brand new product?"

"Are you kidding me? I run a spirit material shop. Would I sell you a second-hand spirit core? Look at this shell, it's shiny and bright. How could it be second-hand?"

Lu Li remained expressionless. He repeated his words, his voice slightly more forceful.

"I'm asking you, is this a spirit core?"

"Do you want it or not?"

"If this is a brand new product, of course I'll take it."

Lu Li's initial estimate was based on secondhand goods, roughly between thirty and forty spirit stones. However, the other party immediately asked for fifty spirit stones, a price that was almost comparable to that of new goods.

"If this were secondhand, I'd eat it. Are you satisfied now?"

"Okay, you said it yourself."

After saying that, Lu Li held the spirit core in his palm and twisted it hard. Before the shopkeeper could stop him, he had already removed the outer shell, revealing the array plate inside.

“Look at this…”

Lu Li forgot his lines for a moment, and Elder Duan reminded him:

"Lingxi chip".

"Oh right, the Lingxi chip is so worn out, and you still say it's from the first time."

"hiss--"

The shopkeeper's lips twitched slightly, and his heart skipped a beat. He knew he had met someone knowledgeable. He could tell that Lu Li was not very old, and judging from his childish voice, he was only about eleven or twelve years old. How could he know such secrets that only people in the industry would know? He couldn't possibly be a disciple of a sect.

However, disciples of sects generally purchase goods through sect channels and would not buy from him. They might be disciples of some powerful family, and he dared not offend them.

Thinking of this, the shopkeeper smiled ingratiatingly and said:

"This must have been misplaced. Alas, sir, please calm down. I apologize on your behalf. If you still want it, I'll give it to you for thirty spirit stones, how about that?"

"twenty."

"No, no, twenty-five. If you agree, sir, you can take it."

Fengxiang City is not a small place like Nanyang Town. It is said that there are elders of the White Moon Palace in the city. This Wanbao Pavilion is also a shop under the White Moon Palace. The price of twenty-five is already low enough, so Lu Li chose to stop while he was ahead.

Afterwards, he bought a bunch of miscellaneous spiritual materials, tools, and books, totaling 152 spirit stones including the gold spirit core.

"Sir, are you looking to forge a mechanical artifact? Our shop offers a forging service at affordable prices."

"Power leveling? There's no need for that."

Lu Li casually tossed out a sentence, then turned and left, leaving behind a slender and unfathomable figure.

It wasn't that he didn't want to find someone to forge the artifact, but the main reason was that his agreement with Elder Duan stipulated that he must forge the artifact himself. Lu Li had a strong premonition that if he broke the agreement, something terrifying would happen.

After leaving Wanbaoge, Lu Li spent two taels of silver to buy a lot of food and brought it back to the inn. There were still twenty-three days left until the agreed deadline, and this would be his food for the next twenty-three days.

At this point, he still had sixty-eight spirit stones and about twenty-three kidneys.

Over the next twenty-three days, Lu Li began a life-or-death seclusion—yes, a complete "death" seclusion, where he would either succeed or die trying; he would either refine the Qi-Melting Cauldron or die on the spot.

"Your ability to collect all the spiritual materials is beyond my expectations. Although you have not yet participated in the clamp master assessment, judging from your clamping skills, you have roughly reached the level of a Heavenly Grade Clamp Master."

"However, I must remind you that crafting a first-stage mechanical artifact is not easy. In addition to mastering the art of clamping, it also requires the art of welding. How much do you know about welding?"

Lu Li scratched his head, somewhat uncertainly saying:

"Know a little bit?"

"You're ruined, ruined, child, you're completely ruined."

"It's not that exaggerated, is it?"

"I'll show you the way now. You hand over control of the Qi-Refining Cauldron to me, and I'll help you refine it. Only then can you get through this. Don't worry, I'm not a bad person and I won't take your life."

"Hehehe, so that's what you were waiting for. Don't even think about it."

"Tsk, you stubborn child, why are you so stubborn? I'm doing this for your own good."

"unnecessary."

Lu Li opened the first page of "One Hundred Explanations of Array Studies". To master the welding technique, one must not only learn about arrays and understand the principles of array operation, but also undergo specialized welding training.

If we follow the standards of Qingyang Palace disciples, it would take an ordinary disciple at least two years of training to go from a Human-Rank Welder to a Heaven-Rank Welder.

Duan Xuanyuan was no stranger to geniuses. Unlike other elders who gathered three thousand disciples, she adhered to the principle of "better to have none than to have bad ones," and after a hundred years of cultivation, she only took in two disciples.

These two apprentices are named Yang Jue and He Chuan. Both are exceptionally talented and can be ranked in the top ten among their peers.

Senior apprentice Yang Jue took three months to go from beginner to passing the top-level welder exam, while junior apprentice He Chuan took two and a half months.

Putting aside the complexity of array theory, welding is also a skill that requires practical application. Without practicing with spirit copper and accumulating welding experience, it is impossible to reach the Heavenly level.

Why are you flipping through it so fast? Have you already finished reading it?

"I thought the first chapter was relatively simple, so I skipped it."

"...How come I never noticed before that you were so arrogant?"

Lu Li remained noncommittal. He was a little agitated. He hadn't known until he looked, and he discovered that the theories described in the "Hundred Solutions to Modern Science" actually coincided with the electronic technology of his previous life.

Electrons were replaced by spiritual power, and various electrical devices were replaced by specific array patterns. Lu Li even suspected that the author of this book was an extraterrestrial demon.

Now it's a perfect match for my major.

If he had known this would happen, why would he have gone to the stamping workshop?

Lu Li only regretted being born in Nanyang Town. If he had been born in a town with a welding workshop, if he had come into contact with welding skills earlier, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

As for the practical soldering of the circuit board, Lu Li recalled a painful memory.

In his previous life, during his senior year of college, he was sold by the unscrupulous school to an unscrupulous electronics factory. He worked hard for half a year for a monthly salary of 800 yuan, and they wouldn't issue him an internship certificate until he finished.

Of course, Lu Li was reminiscing about his past life, and this was the cultivation world.

Now that he has left the stamping workshop and has some spare money, he has escaped the sea of ​​suffering. At most, sects would just prey on a few mortals, not like the strange cultivation novels that describe them using their disciples to forge weapons.

Everything will be alright.

Lu Li thought so.

Chapter 28 Second Loan

"You cunning rascal, how dare you deceive this old woman."

What did I lie to you about?

"What did you say to me ten days ago? I asked you how much you knew about welding, and what was your answer?"

"Know a thing or two."

"Ten days, you spent ten days going from knowing a little bit to refining a first-level mechanical weapon? This old woman... this old woman is no good."

Old Master Duan was both shocked and angry. Lu Li spent three days flipping through two reference books, half a day using the pincer technique to forge the array plate, half a day figuring out the welding tools, and five days completing the welding of the entire spirit array, and then succeeded on the first try.

Everything seemed to fall into place naturally.

Lu Li himself found it unbelievable that he arrived smoothly, without the thrill of completing the task at the last minute or the stroke of genius of sudden enlightenment.

Lu Li knew, of course, that's not how it's written in fantasy novels. The protagonist has to be trampled on first, then called a piece of trash, and subjected to all sorts of humiliation.

Then, the protagonist began to forge weapons without changing his expression. His skillful technique shocked everyone, but some viewers still didn't believe in the protagonist's strength.

Because of the villain's trickery, the protagonist encountered difficulties, but thanks to his superb skills, he turned misfortune into blessing and had a sudden enlightenment, shocking everyone for the second time.