Longevity: My Talents Are a Bit Abundant

Chapter 963: Chapter 704: Tit for Tat

Deep within the cave mansion at Tiger Roar Peak, the spirit pool rests quietly.

The pool’s water is clear as jade, exuding a faint aura of Spiritual Qi.

On the grassy land beside the pool, the Silver-Horned Celestial Horse lounges lazily, its snow-white mane gently stirred by the breeze.

Its crystalline horn refracts a gentle silver glow in the sunlight filtering through the trees.

Upon hearing familiar footsteps, the Silver-Horned Celestial Horse immediately lifts its head, its amber eyes reflecting the figure of Shen Xuan.

It happily lets out a snort, lightly stamping its hooves on the ground, and trots forward, affectionately rubbing its head against its master’s garment.

Shen Xuan smiles slightly and casually takes out a sheep-fat jade bottle, uncorking it.

Golden light points as thick as substance pour out of the bottle’s mouth.

It’s the Emperor’s Liquid, a substance that nourishes the soul and tempers the bloodline.

The Silver-Horned Celestial Horse delightedly lifts its head, absorbing all ten drops of Emperor’s Liquid through its nose, then closes its eyes in satisfaction, walking leisurely back to the center of the grassland and lying down.

A layer of soft halo emerges around its body, beginning a slow refinement process.

Watching it, Shen Xuan muses internally, "Tier Two Upper Grade, still some way from perfection, let alone breaking through to Tier Three."

Spirit beast cultivation inherently relies on bloodline instincts.

The Silver-Horned Celestial Horse is gentle in nature, belonging to the herbivorous spirit beasts, and its cultivation progress isn’t exceptionally fast.

Fortunately, its bloodline is pure, and its foundation is solid. With his meticulous care, the likelihood of breaking through to Tier Three in the future should be about sixty or seventy percent.

"Master."

The maid Xiangcao’s voice gently arrives.

"True Master Miao Lian is here to visit."

Shen Xuan nods, "Understood."

The cave mansion at Tiger Roar Peak is divided into inner and outer sections.

The inner mansion is his absolute forbidden area: the practice room, secret chamber, alchemy room, where even Xiangcao hasn’t set foot.

The outer mansion is the guest area and where the servants live.

This spirit pool happens to be located at a tranquil spot between the inner and outer mansion, considered a semi-open area.

He adjusts his sleeves and casually walks toward the guest hall in the outer mansion.

True Master Miao Lian is the most prized direct disciple of True Monarch Red Lotus, and her cultivation is at the early-stage Golden Core.

Lately, she frequently visits Tiger Roar Peak under the pretexts of exchanging fire techniques and asking for advice on difficulties.

Shen Xuan fully understands that this is likely with implicit consent or even encouragement from the Bright Flame Sect’s higher-ups.

A Tier Four Great Cultivator, if bound by marriage ties completely to the Bright Flame Sect’s cause, it’s certainly an advantageous situation.

"Apologies for keeping Fellow Daoist Miao Lian waiting."

Entering the guest hall, Shen Xuan shows a gentle smile on his face.

The woman in the hall turns upon hearing his voice.

She looks to be around thirty, tall and shapely; the lotus blue magic robe is tailored to fit, subtly outlining graceful curves.

Her face is a classic oval shape, with delicate and picturesque eyebrows and eyes, without makeup, yet exuding a pure aura that transcends flamboyance.

The most captivating are her eyes, clear and bright, now gazing directly at him with a smile, bold and straightforward, carrying a fiery passion.

True Master Miao Lian’s appearance exudes purity like a lotus emerging from water, yet her temperament is passionate and uninhibited like a fire spreading across the plains.

"True Master Guo, what are you saying? Miao Lian has just arrived as well."

She playfully winks, her tone brisk.

The two have previously met three times.

Shen Xuan has pointed out some key aspects of operating fire cultivation techniques to her.

During their conversations, he has subtly revealed that he has no intention of staying long at the Bright Flame Sect, nor any plans of seeking a Dao companion.

True Master Miao Lian only listened with a smile at the time, didn’t say much, seemed to understand.

Yet thereafter, she continued to visit.

Shen Xuan could perceive that she isn’t particularly eager about forming a bond.

Instead, it seems more like she holds a pure curiosity and interest in him.

Of course, if the guess is accurate, True Monarch Red Lotus must have briefed her.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and finishing a cup of spirit tea, True Master Miao Lian stated her purpose for coming.

Flipping her hand, she took out a delicate storage pouch and handed it over with both hands: "Not to hide from True Master Guo, Miao Lian comes today with a request."

She paused, her gaze clear.

"True Master Guo is an expert in the art of puppets, with extraordinary skills. Miao Lian shamelessly wishes to ask for your help in crafting a Tier Three puppet for me."

Shen Xuan’s brow lifts slightly as he takes the storage pouch, sweeping his Divine Sense through it.

The variety of materials is complete, quantity sufficient, and even includes several rare Tier Three spiritual materials.

Clearly, significant resources have been invested, and thorough preparation made.

"Fellow Daoist Miao Lian is too kind."

Shen Xuan places the storage pouch on the table, his tone calm.

"We’ve known each other for a while, and we seem to click well. Since you’ve asked, I naturally ought to give it a try."

Given the precious materials here, and True Monarch Red Lotus’s standing, lending a hand this time is no problem.

But only this once.

True Master Miao Lian’s eyes flash with delight, she promptly replies, "Thank you True Master Guo! I wonder what the crafting fee might be..."

"The matter of fees can be discussed later."

Shen Xuan raises a hand to interrupt, his smile carrying a trace of helplessness.

"Guo’s skills, whether they can harness these materials to craft a puppet that meets Fellow Daoist Miao Lian’s satisfaction, is still uncertain. If it’s mistakenly crafted poorly, I hope Fellow Daoist Miao Lian won’t blame me."

His words are half-true, half-false.

For the past three years, he’s been secretly experimenting and exploring new methods for crafting Tier Three puppets.

True Master Miao Lian’s request, whether for her own needs or the Bright Flame Sect probing with this,

to him, makes little difference.

The Tier Three puppet tailored for the Golden Core Cultivator, and the standardized puppet for mass production and forming a battle array, are fundamentally different.

The former requires no concern for cost control and reducing the operating threshold; materials can be freely piled up to pursue peak performance.

Over these three years, he has trained over a hundred qualified puppet masters for the Bright Flame Sect.

Tens of thousands of new model Tier Two puppets have been continuously sent to the battlefield, forming ten fearless puppet battle formations, becoming the backbone against the Southern Wilderness Demon Race.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!