Demonic Demoness Training Project

The first piece of Xuan Tie (mysterious iron) is worth two points, the second is four, the third is six, and so on, with the value increasing as you go on, until the tenth piece's value soars to twenty.

In order to hit the back plate as much as possible, the whip blade needs to be made as long as possible. However, with limited materials, the longer the whip blade is made, the softer it becomes, and the less likely it is to hit the distant iron plate.

Lu Li guessed that the cultivator who designed this problem intended for them to use the characteristics of the whip blade to bypass the nearby black iron plate and strike from a distance, prioritizing the black iron plate that was farther away and had a higher score.

Combining what he had learned in his past and present lives, an idea suddenly flashed into Lu Li's mind.

"The whip blades don't necessarily have to be connected, or rather, they don't necessarily have to be directly connected with chains."

Upon hearing this, Old Duan said with great interest:

"Oh? What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to learn from the principles of the agastache (combined gas reactor)."

Upon hearing this, Elder Duan was taken aback at first, but with her mastery of the art of rock climbing, she quickly came to her senses.

"It's noon now, and there are less than nine hours left until the end of the assessment. You have to design the array and outline the formation patterns on each fragment. Do you have enough time?"

"It's worth a try. The core principle of the Qi-Harmony Cauldron lies in remotely manipulating the Qi and Metal Path arrays within it to control the spirit ore. I, uh, I barely remember this array."

So, Lu Li took out paper and pen and began to draw array patterns on the spot. He drew silently, and one array pattern after another appeared in his mind, to the point that he entered a state of complete self-forgetfulness.

Seeing this, Mo Zheng frowned slightly.

"Making a midfield adjustment to Yantu is not a wise choice."

"That's right. The questions will be announced a day in advance, giving the test takers a day to prepare, to purchase spiritual materials and finalize the design. Although the whip blade has a complex structure, it's not the first time it has appeared in the Heavenly Rank assessment. There are design templates that can be used as a reference in previous assessments. To create one out of thin air is difficult, difficult, difficult..."

Zhong Wenbo used the word "difficult" three times, which was enough to show how hard it was. In his opinion, Lu Li had simply gotten carried away by a bet and chosen a path of no return.

But Mo Zheng saw it as a different matter. He insisted that Lu Li was a puppet and that he would not make baseless accusations. The intelligence of a puppet depended partly on the spirit of the artifact and partly on the spirit core responsible for the deduction.

He was quite certain that although Lu Li was a first-stage puppet and the work of Bai Yue Gu Xian, the spirit core it carried was definitely top-tier.

"Master Zhong, I'd like to ask, what's the highest type of [Spirit Core] your sect can produce at the first level?"

Why are you suddenly asking this?

"What? You can't tell me?"

Zhong Wenbai paused for a moment, then said with some pride:

"It's not impossible. It's not a secret. It's just the diagram of a first-stage spirit core. Our sect has already figured it out. If it were the first-stage nine-form Taixu version, our sect could mass-produce it without any problem."

Chapter 54 The Demon Whip with a Hundred Blades [2k8]

Spirit cores of the same grade have similar costs. Spirit cores with the five elements, such as the gold spirit core and the fire spirit core, mainly provide spiritual power of specific attributes, as well as a certain amount of deductive power.

However, among the many spirit cores, there is a special one called the [Derivation Spirit Core]. It cannot provide spiritual power itself, but it has reached the extreme in the power of deduction. All the magic arrays inside it directly or indirectly serve the deduction.

If you want to specialize in deduction rather than combat with your puppets, the best choice is to equip them with a Spirit Core that has the ultimate deduction power.

The rate of evolution of the Derivable Spirit Core is slow, far slower than that of other attribute spirit cores, and its evolution diagram is controlled by mid-level forces.

The release of the [One Transformation Nine Forms·Evolving Spirit Core·Great Void] was only six hundred years ago. As soon as this item appeared, its terrifying deductive power shocked the entire midstream cultivation world.

The cost of this item is comparable to that of a first-stage spirit core, but its deductive power surpasses all attribute spirit cores below the fifth level of the second stage, and is basically on par with the third level of the second stage spirit core.

Mo Zheng was somewhat surprised that the White Moon Palace had broken through this technological blockade in just six hundred years.

"What, you want to order our sect's Spirit Cores?"

"I do have some ideas."

"If you're willing to join my sect, I can get you at least a 10% discount."

"Then forget it."

Mo Zheng wasn't concerned about that; he was concerned about Lu Li, a puppet under Ying Wange's command, who was very likely equipped with the [One Transformation Nine Types·Spirit Core·Void].

No, even this spirit core wasn't crafted by someone of the deacon's level. It's highly likely that it was crafted by an elder or even Ying Wange himself, otherwise this puppet wouldn't be so intelligent.

It could also be called—【One Transformation into Nine Forms·Evolving Spirit Core·Great Void·True Transmission】.

Although the name is a bit long, the longer the name of a spirit core is, the more powerful it is, and the more suffixes it has, the better it is. There are rumors that the suffixes of the first-stage spirit cores from the upper-level sects are so long that they can't be written on a single page.

If we add a little more ingenuity, the name will be even longer; we can add the words "secret method" before "true transmission".

Looking at Lu Li's wise expression and fluid movements as he drew the puppet diagram, it was completely unlike the work of a puppet. It must be the miraculous effect of the [One Transformation Nine Forms, Spirit Core, Great Void, Secret Technique True Transmission].

As for the second-stage spirit core, we'll leave it for now. Since the derived spirit core doesn't store or produce spiritual power, Mo Zheng looked at Lu Li's small frame and realized she didn't seem capable of carrying a second-stage spirit core.

As Mo Zheng was thinking this, little did he know that Lu Li was calculating the magic array on paper, his scalp tingling and his eyes blurring with dizziness.

"Sigh, if you had the Great Dream Profound Pivot equipped with the Spirit Core to assist in the deduction, you wouldn't need to go through all this trouble. You could just take a nap and finish the deduction."

"Don't make sarcastic remarks. If I hadn't chosen the Azure Netherworld Skin back then, I wouldn't be alive now. Once I've mastered the Azure Netherworld Skin, my next choice will be the Great Dream Profound Pivot."

"There's no need to choose. I forgot to tell you, if you can repay on time, your loan amount will increase based on your good credit repayment behavior."

Speak like a human.

"That means if you repay the loan for Qingming Huapi, you can then take out a loan for two Tier 1 Puppet Masters or one Tier 2 Puppet Master, namely the Great Dream Pivot and the Suspension Ligament. As you take out more loans in the future, the loan amount will continue to increase."

"Don't make a sound, I'm thinking."

……

Time passed quietly, dusk fell, and the lights of thousands of homes rose slowly, casting a dim, yellowish glow on Lu Li's face.

The other participants had already submitted their results, and the onlookers, unable to contain their excitement, dispersed one after another, leaving only a few people. They were still enjoying small drinks and snacks with young boys in several nearby pavilions, while glancing in this direction intentionally or unintentionally.

"Little Deer Pear, I'll leave the Earth Fire Cauldron here."

"Ah."

"Little Deer Pear, just obediently submit to me, why are you doing this to yourself?"

As she spoke, Mo Shuhan reached out to touch Lu Li's nose, but he ruthlessly slapped her away.

"Don't make a sound."

"Waaah!"

Mo Shuhan frowned, her face filled with a mixture of sorrow and annoyance, and ran away. At the same time, the two old men hiding in the shadows sighed one after the other.

"Ugh--"

Old Master Duan sighed because her good-for-nothing apprentice was completely unyielding.

When asked why, this guy said something like, "A woman who gets close to me must have ulterior motives; there's probably some kind of trap involved. I shouldn't get too close to Mo Shuhan, lest he discover my secrets."

Mo Zheng sighed because his daughter, whom he had raised, was not only indulging in playthings and neglecting her duties, but also siding with outsiders and favoring his junior uncle.

When asked about the reason, Mo Shuhan said that she initially approached Lu Li because of Master Xinwu, but she felt that Lu Li looked very cool when he dominated the exam.

Outside the examination hall, the White Moon Palace disciple in charge of proctoring the exam leaned on his sword sheath and rolled his eyes. If Lu Li hadn't been taking the exam, he would have already left for Zuichun Tower to enjoy himself.

He had already planned that even if Lu Li handed over a piece of scrap metal, he would insist that it was a special form of whip blade, record the score directly, and let Lu Li pass. But Lu Li just had to tinker with that pile of broken copper and scrap metal that was destined to amount to nothing.

In response, some bored individuals even set up a betting pool at the nearby Drunken Spring Pavilion, betting on whether Master Lu could defeat the daughter of the Mo family. The odds were 1 to 10 for a chance to win against Master Lu.

In short, very few people were optimistic about Lu Li; after all, even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients.

While everyone else was getting sleepy, Lu Li became increasingly energetic. It wasn't for any other reason than that he was working in Nanyang Town, making money in the Liubao River. He was used to staying up all night, and the later it got, the more energetic he became. As for whether he would suddenly die the next day, that was another matter.

As for the reason for his nearsightedness, that goes without saying.

When the moon was high in the sky, Lu Li finally stood up. He staggered a couple of times, and his lower body, which had been almost numb from sitting for so long, gradually regained sensation. The proctoring disciple was even excited, thinking that Lu Li had finally repented. But to his surprise, the guy went straight to the fire and thunder welding torch and the flame wind instrument.

Skillfully operating the ignition welding torch, the welding work began.

Although it's called a welding torch, it actually resembles a sewing machine. The user can fix the array plate, heat the torch head through the flame array patterns, and then use their divine sense to move the needle to weld the array patterns and array elements onto the array plate.

However, what Lu Li is now welding is not a regular array plate, but a series of uneven steel billet fragments. To weld array patterns and array elements onto these, one must have extremely high welding skills.

As it happens, Lu Li happens to have such expertise.

In both the character and the welding skills assessment, he was undoubtedly number one. He was able to be number one not because he could only be number one, but because the best ranking was number one.

Two hours later, it was already the next morning. The first light of dawn appeared in the east, and in the surrounding restaurants, only a few guests remained, snoring on their desks.

Lu Li flicked the hilt of his sword, and the golden array patterns flashed, instantly gathering all the fragments together and piecing them together into a lump of blade... Yes, a lump.

Judging from its appearance, that thing was less like a blade and more like a lump of iron that was thin at the front and thick at the back.

Mo Shuhan was dozing off when she felt someone pass by in front of her. She suddenly woke up and rubbed her sleepy eyes in a daze.

She saw Lu Li walk up to the proctor and hand over her work. The proctor, who had been on duty all night, was almost in tears at the prospect of finally being free. He waved his hand with a sigh of relief.

"That's enough, that's enough. Lu Li, right? Congratulations on becoming a top-grade fitter."

"Shouldn't we get it tested?"

The disciple glanced at the strangely shaped stick in Lu Li's hand. According to the assessment criteria, that thing was completely off-topic; it should at least have the shape of a whip.

So you spent all night building this thing? I think you're deliberately making things difficult for me.

"That thing... we don't need to test it, right? I'll give you a score of forty, okay? The knife testers have all gone back."

In truth, the score doesn't matter much to Lu Li, since he's already destined to advance.

"Okay, I'm number fifty-five! I'm number one!"

Hearing this, Mo Shuhan cheered excitedly, her face full of praise. She wanted to give Lu Li a hug, but Lu Li pinched her cheeks with his index finger and thumb respectively, and pressed her back down.

"No, let's test it."

"Alright, you're such a nuisance, I'll go get someone."

The proctoring disciple frowned and walked away impatiently. The commotion in the square quickly attracted the attention of busybodies, who gathered around. Many of them had placed bets the night before, so they were particularly interested in Lu Li's victory or defeat.

Seeing the lump in Lu Li's hand, the group who had bet on Lu Li looked grim, their hearts sinking to the bottom.

The whip blade in Lu Li's hand, including the handle, was only one foot long. The ten black iron plates were arranged at equal intervals, with each plate half a foot apart. This length was barely enough to reach the second black iron plate.

Not only that, the surface of the blade is covered with cracks, giving the impression that it would shatter into pieces at the slightest touch. Clearly, it was pieced together from many fragments.

No one knew what Lu Li intended to do. Footsteps sounded behind them, and surrounded by disciples, Zhong Wenbai and the sword tester arrived. Even with Zhong Wenbai's composure and keen eyesight, he found the object in Lu Li's hand utterly unbelievable.

"Miss Deer, what is this?"

"Senior, are you asking for a name? Hmm," Lu Li thought for a moment and replied, "Let's call it the Demon Blade... no, let's call it—【Demon Whip Hundred Blades】."

Chapter 55 "Mere Ants"

"Demon Whip Hundred Blades? That's a nice name."

Zhong Wenbai savored the name and examined the cracks on the blade, vaguely sensing the subtle design behind it.

"You, go and give it a try."

At Zhong Wenbai's command, the person testing the blade stepped out of the crowd, took the Demon Whip Hundred Blades from Lu Li's hand, and walked towards the Xuan Iron Plate that had already been placed in front.

She raised the whip blade above her head and then slashed downwards with a pre-set force.

Clang!

A clanging sound suddenly rang out, and the blade flashed by. Before the blade even touched the black iron plate, it split into hundreds of blades and shot forward, forming an arc about four meters long in the air, crashing down on the black iron plate below.

Before anyone could react, even the person testing the sword with the whip blade looked at the remaining hilt of the sword in his hand with disbelief.

Clang!

With another clang, all the blades retracted and returned to the hilt.

"What...what is this?"

"The moment it was thrown out, it was like a soft whip, or a long sword—wonderful, truly wonderful!"

"You all know I've already bet on Master Lu, but you still don't believe me."

Everyone looked closely and saw that, apart from the two closest boards, the remaining eight boards had all broken in two, resulting in a final score of 104.

"No? How many? One hundred and four points! The highest score before was only fifty-five, this is almost double."

"Oh no! I staked twenty spirit stones on Miss Mo! No—my spirit stones!"

The loser was dumbfounded, and his smile shifted to the winner. Mo Shuhan was completely stunned. She had lost, lost utterly, and most importantly, the venison that was almost in her mouth was gone.

Lu Li clasped his hands in a salute and said:

"You flatter me."