Demonic Demoness Training Project

Before leaving, Master Xu gave Lu Li a deep look, his eyes clearly saying, "If you had told me you had this background, why would I have bothered coming here to make a fool of myself?"

After getting away from the crowd, Lu Li tentatively spoke:

"Miss, there might be some misunderstanding between us."

Lu Li could vaguely sense that he was being targeted by several pairs of eyes in the shadows. If he had any malicious intentions, these people would immediately strike and kill him on the spot. There was no doubt that a young lady like Mo Shuhan would have attendants accompanying her when she went out.

"Everyone, step back. You've frightened her."

"Gudong..."

Lu Li swallowed hard. At Mo Shuhan's command, the auras that had been locking onto him instantly dissipated. However, before Lu Li could breathe a sigh of relief, Mo Shuhan's next words made his heart leap into his throat once again.

"Don't go, you're not Xinwu-senpai at all, are you?"

"hiss--"

Oh no! I've been recognized.

The aura surrounding Lu Li had dissipated, and Lu Li, feeling guilty, turned to run away, but Mo Shuhan's next words pinned him to the spot again.

"You must be Senior Xinwu's sister!"

"Clam?"

Reversing the Heavenly Ranks! Truly reversing the Heavenly Ranks!

To put it another way, assuming that the "Senior Xinwu" mentioned by the other party is indeed Lu Ling, he is not only older than Senior Xinwu, but also male, so he should be Senior Xinwu's older brother.

Androgynous, king and queen indistinguishable, so that two negatives make a positive, it seems like there's nothing wrong with the brother becoming the sister... what a load of rubbish!

"Didn't you have any memories of me etched into your mind, Shinmu-senpai? Hmm—if it's Shinmu-senpai, then you do tend to forget things often. Hey, tell me, how many people are like you?"

Lu Li looked bewildered, but his mind was racing.

What do you mean, "several"? Do you think I could have several younger sisters?

What on earth has that guy, who's supposed to be his sister, been up to?

Why was this girl talking to herself, and he couldn't understand a word she said? Just as Lu Li was wondering, Old Duan's laughter suddenly rang in Lu Li's mind:

"Hahaha, I understand now, so that's how it is."

"Old man, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me what this girl is saying?"

"Your sister is most likely a puppet spirit that has been refined, and she's at least at the second stage. Puppets with artificial spirits can cultivate on their own. If they perform well after being tuned, the sect will even mass-produce them... This girl has mistaken you for a copy of your sister."

"Are you saying my sister was mass-produced?"

Lu Li couldn't help but start imagining again. One Lu Ling was called a younger sister, three Lu Ling standing in a row spinning around would have a bit of a weird element, but if the whole mountain was full of Lu Ling spinning around, that would be a supernatural tale.

"No, didn't you hear me? This is what this Mo family girl thinks. Because this practice is very common, using cloned puppets to test and protect the original body from disaster. Whether your sister actually mass-produced them or not, I can't guarantee."

Chapter 46 Hey! I'm my sister's sister [Bonus Chapter, please read on!]

"But what's the point of replicating so many puppets?"

"It has many uses. It can be used for trial and error, to deduce mechanisms and techniques, or as a substitute to take the fall, or to confuse the opponent in battle."

"Isn't that just a tool?"

"Otherwise what? Copying a puppet of level three or above is by no means easy. Putting aside the most core soul, just copying the form is also very expensive. Moreover, when used to ward off disasters, test and make mistakes, or as a substitute, it does not need to be a complete replica of the original body. A slightly lower-end version is also acceptable."

Lu Li seemed to be deep in thought. With the assessment list being made public, it was impossible to keep his participation in the assessment a secret.

Judging from Mo Shuhan's attitude, it's not hard to guess how powerful Senior Xinwu is. He shouldn't be so destitute as to participate in the Double Seal Assessment. Therefore, it's understandable that the other party mistook him for a low-level clone of Senior Xinwu, that is, the so-called "little sister".

Sigh, about the stand-in thing.

In any case, being mistaken for someone's sister is better than being mistaken for a lecherous trespasser.

Given that Mo Shuhan had a good impression of him, he might be able to use this opportunity to disguise himself as a clueless puppet and extract information about Lu Ling.

Although it was a bit shameful for a grown man to pretend to be a woman, he had been pretending for the past few days anyway, so it wouldn't make a difference if he did it a little longer.

Thinking of this, Lu Li mechanically said, word by word:

"Hello, as you can see, I should be my sister's sister... Ugh, I should be Shin-chan's sister, no, I'm my older sister's sister, ah, what am I saying!"

Lu Li felt that his words were getting weirder and weirder. Mo Shuhan stared at him with her eyes wide open as he rambled on, tilting her head in confusion.

Perhaps it was because Lu Li's words perfectly captured the human-machine interface, like a small wooden crow with limited intelligence due to the installation of a substandard spirit, that Mo Shuhan felt confused but did not doubt his identity.

"Searching... I'm sorry, I haven't found any information about you yet. Could you please tell me what happened between you and your sister?"

"Hmm, can I tell you this? Okay, I'll only tell you this. Actually, I met Senior Xinwu by chance. Most of the people in your White Moon Palace probably don't know about this."

"Okay, go ahead and I'll listen."

Lu Li nodded obediently on the surface, but in reality he was making plans.

If Lu Li's face were universally recognized, he would have been recognized by the Zhong-surnamed steward of the White Moon Palace during the day. However, it seems that the other party only regards him as a mortal with extraordinary talent.

"Senior Xinwu is a puppet guardian created by the White Moon Stock Immortal Ying Wange. His Dharma name is Xinwu. You should know that the advancement of a puppet requires the cultivation of both body and spirit."

"Uh-huh."

Lu Li nodded repeatedly, appearing as if he already knew and deeply agreed.

I'm not a puppet, how would I know if a puppet needs to cultivate both body and soul?

"Puppets need to transform and strengthen their bodies, and they also need to experience the mortal world and comprehend the great Dao of heaven and earth. So you must have come out to experience the mortal world this time as well."

"That's right, that's right."

Lu Li nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice, while privately exchanging ideas with Elder Duan to brush up on his knowledge of puppets.

It turns out that it is not advisable for cultivators to comprehend the universe behind closed doors, and the same applies to puppets. In fact, there are quite a few puppets mixed in among the disciples of the two sects, some of which are sent out by high-level cultivators for training.

However, the artificial spirits that can be used to create puppets are often quite intelligent and behave almost identically to humans.

If you're lucky, you can release a first-stage puppet. After a few years, it might return having cultivated to the second stage. Whether it becomes a new body for possession or a loyal subordinate, it would be excellent.

Of course, most puppets eventually die outside the world. Even if they can be recovered, they will only realize that they were actually puppets when they are possessed by someone else and their cultivation becomes a tool for another.

For example, the person who tested the knife that we encountered during the day might be a puppet kept by an elder of the White Moon Palace.

At this moment, Mo Shuhan continued:

"At that time, I was already a third-stage puppeteer and had come out to experience the mortal world. My father was usually busy with family affairs and didn't have time to teach me, so he wanted to hire a teacher to teach me puppetry knowledge. It was thanks to her that I was able to pass the Heavenly Welder assessment."

"Oh, I see."

Lu Li had no idea that Lu Ling had become so powerful, actually becoming a third-stage puppet.

At the same time, he silently memorized the name Ying Wange. Lu Li didn't know the other party's cultivation level, but the other party was the current sect leader of Baiyue Palace, and Lu Li had heard of the terrifying wealth in Nanyang Town.

Being known as the "White Moon Stock Immortal" by people of his time and manipulating the stock market within two jurisdictions is enough to demonstrate his extraordinary status and methods. If Lu Ling is to be rescued, Lu Li is destined to fight against that person.

He has no choice but to go to the White Moon Palace now. Once he has mastered the Azure Netherworld Skin, he can try to sneak in, but he must find a way to conceal his identity.

Even if someone of Deacon Zhong's level couldn't recognize him, it's hard to say that other elders might associate him with Xin Wu based on his appearance.

Little did Mo Shuhan know that Lu Li harbored a grudge and was secretly plotting how to kill Ying Wange.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. How should I address you? Should I call you Xiaoxinwu, or Junior Uncle..."

This generational hierarchy is really messed up...

Also, why is it necessary to add the word "small"?

Lu Li rubbed his forehead.

"Just call me Lu Li."

"Okay, Little Deer Pear, are you also participating in the Heavenly Grade Assessment tomorrow? Do you have any mechanical artifacts? I can lend you a few."

"Oh, what a wonderful thing!"

Lu Li frowned, suspecting that things were not so simple. He would always be wary of any windfall, lest he be deceived.

"You don't need me to sign a contract of servitude?"

Mo Shuhan took Lu Li's hand in one arm, her gaze sincere, her smile radiant. Her demeanor was both the poise of a wealthy heiress and the warmth of a girl next door.

"Of course, after all, Senior Xinwu helped me. About four months ago, Baiyue Guxian suddenly came and took Senior Xinwu away. I didn't even have time to thank her. But let me make this clear first, I also have to take the Heavenly Grade Fitter exam tomorrow, and I won't go easy on her."

"I can't ask for it."

Afterwards, Mo Shuhan warmly led Lu Li to a stamping and welding workshop under the Mo family and spoke with the owner for a few minutes.

Without saying a word or mentioning any rules about top-grade products, the other party directly lent Lu Li a set of stamping tools, promising to deliver them to the square on time for the assessment the day after tomorrow.

As expected, money and power make everything go smoothly. The process was so smooth that Lu Li couldn't believe it. He couldn't help but wonder what he had been busy with for the past five days. If he had known this would happen, why did he bother taking the dual-seal exam?

But Lu Li thought again that he still had to take the test for the double seals. Without the double seals, he could not become a puppeteer, enter the White Moon Palace, and his future cultivation path would be out of the question.

But what's with this feeling of stealing my sister's money? It's all about the feeling of theft—it's so weird.

Finally, Lu Li made a token refusal:

"Oh, oh, oh, I can't accept this."

"If you really feel bad about it, you can come and stay at my house for one night. My house is quite big. You can also tell me about Senior Xinwu's affairs in the sect."

Chapter 47 Stacking Techniques: The Eleventh Black Iron

"If you really feel bad about it, you can come and stay at my house for one night. My house is quite big. You can also tell me about Senior Xinwu's affairs in the sect."

"No, no, let's do it another day."

Lu Li refused repeatedly. Not to mention that he had no idea about Lu Ling's current situation, not to mention that if he revealed that he was male, this young lady would scream and accuse him of indecent assault.

Having lived two lives, Lu Li deeply understands one principle—the more beautiful a woman is, the less you can trust her.

What if this girl takes advantage of him while he's asleep and grabs his kidneys... Hmm, this girl probably doesn't care about those three spirit stones, but his skin and lungs are valuable. What if this girl wants to skin him, dig out his Qi-gathering cauldron, and sell it to buy a premium pear?

"How about we make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

"Let's settle this with the top-tier welder competition the day after tomorrow. If you do better than me, I'll do something for you within my power... Well, of course, nothing bad! But if I win, you'll have to be my Daoist partner."

When it comes to doing something, the first thing that comes to Lu Li's mind is the fox pelt of the Azure Nether Fox. With the strength of the Mo family, it shouldn't be difficult for them to help him obtain a first-grade spiritual material.

As for the punishment for failure...

Old Duan suddenly interjected:

"My good disciple, this is a good thing. Look, no matter whether you win or lose, you're not at a loss, are you?"

"What a joke! If she finds out I have brothers, she might kill me on the spot to prove her Dao, and then turn on me to cultivate the ruthless path. Do you believe me?"

"Then just get it cut off, that's all. They say it's a permanent cure. I told you to get it cut off a long time ago, but you didn't believe me. Hey—it's not a shameful thing. Many sects forbid their disciples from having illicit relations before the age of one hundred, otherwise it's considered early love, so many of these disciples have already been castrated."

Upon hearing this, Lu Li felt a chill run down his spine. So castration was common in this world? He didn't want to believe it, nor did he want to pay attention to this old geezer who was spouting nonsense.

After careful consideration, Lu Li finally decided to agree, and he said righteously:

"I will absolutely not lose!"

……

There is one day for rest between the Earth-grade and Heaven-grade assessments.

The questions for the Heavenly Rank Examination will be announced on the second day. The spiritual materials are to be purchased by the examinees themselves. The examinees will be given enough time to prepare and purchase the spiritual materials on this day. This year, the price limit for spiritual materials for the fitter and welder examinations is five spiritual stones.

Among them, the fitter's assessment requires forging a whip blade, with the evaluation standard being the knockdown of obstacles; the more layers it penetrates, the higher the score.

The welder assessment requires the design of a reconnaissance-type magic array, with the detection distance as the scoring standard. The farther the detection distance and the wider the range, the higher the score.

At this time, Lu Li had very few spirit stones left. He had no choice but to sell the wind spirit stone that Zhu Yi had given him for fifty spirit stones in order to purchase various spiritual materials for the assessment.

That's why cultivating immortality is said to be an expensive profession.

Lu Li's father used to be a low-grade fitter. He took the high-grade fitter exam three times, but failed each time. He spent twenty spirit stones on registration fees and spiritual materials.

Given his family's circumstances at the time, such a price was quite high, and his father was depressed for a long time because of it. He once thought that the reason he failed the exam was because he did not bribe the examiners.

The next day, when Lu Li stepped into the examination hall where his father had fallen three times, he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. He felt several gazes glancing at him from time to time.

In his designated spot, five magical artifacts, all generously provided by the Mohists, were already laid out: the Earth Fire Cauldron, the Mysterious Heavy Hammer, the Six-String Milling Machine, the Fire Thunder Welding Torch, and the Flame Wind Instrument.

These five mechanical tools are standard equipment for medium to large workshops. The first three are mainly used for clamping techniques, and the latter two are mainly used for welding techniques. This set is worth at least a thousand spirit stones.