Chapter 248 – The Precious Myriad Wood Legacy, Establishing a Puppet Organization!
by spirapiraAfter seeing the simulation rewards, Su Xing raised an eyebrow.
“Two types of origin—wood and fire—not bad at all… but they’re not within my current considerations…”
“And the Protective Sword Aura plus Integration Stage, Eighth Layer cultivation actually requires 3.1 billion energy?”
“Sigh, it seems I’ll have no choice but to exchange some of Perfected One Myriad Wood’s legacy…”
Su Xing didn’t have enough energy at the moment. He first glanced at the time—Lu Yuanwu should have been waiting for quite a while by now.
So Su Xing disguised his appearance and concealed his aura, then went to conduct his trade with Lu Yuanwu.
Half an hour later, Su Xing returned to the spirit field grotto-heaven.
In addition to gaining two billion energy, Su Xing also learned that a large-scale exotic metal trade could take place in a little over a month.
“Counting this batch of energy, my total energy on hand only reaches just over 2.1 billion. There’s still a gap of nearly one billion energy…”
“It seems I can only place my hopes on Perfected One Myriad Wood’s legacy!”
Su Xing’s mind stirred as he took out a storage ring.
This ancient-looking storage ring bore a lush, tree-like pattern on its surface.
When his divine sense probed into the storage ring, the sheer vastness of its internal space left Su Xing stunned.
A full three thousand cubic meters of internal space—far larger even than Old Dog Zong’s storage artifact!
“Tsk tsk… a storage space this large shouldn’t be something a Body Integration stage cultivator could possess… but the Myriad Wood Sect did produce an Immortal tens of thousands of years ago. This storage ring might well be a relic from that era…”
Su Xing nodded slightly and began rummaging through the treasures within the ring.
“Hm? There’s actually a two-zhang-long piece of Condensing Wood…”
“Three-thousand-year-old spirit herbs… and there are several hundred of them! Though they can no longer be replanted in soil.”
“And this Five Elements Pure Earth—a rare treasure indeed, capable of accelerating the maturation of spirit plants…”
“Scarlet Sun Jade, Ghost Soul Wood… Essence-Devouring Flowers…”
“Nearly ten thousand assorted talismanic instruments and magical artifacts… over a hundred treasure-grade weapons, and three weapons that even meet the standard of spirit instruments!”
Su Xing kept searching. Then his eyes lit up as he retrieved a half-finished sword-type weapon.
“Holy crap, an immortal treasure embryo!? And it’s a sword-type immortal treasure embryo at that…”
Su Xing’s heart pounded wildly.
The grades of cultivator magical treasures went: talismanic instruments, magical artifacts, treasure-grade weapons, spirit instruments…
Spirit instruments were already the standard weapons of Body Integration and Mahayana cultivators.
Above spirit instruments were immortal instruments!
The gestation and creation of immortal instruments was extraordinarily difficult.
It often required a hundred years or more of polishing and forging to take shape.
And an unfinished immortal instrument was called an immortal treasure embryo.
“Tsk tsk… if I could fuse this immortal treasure embryo with the Blackice sword… the Blackice sword’s quality might reach the immortal treasure level!”
Su Xing was overjoyed. The quality of one’s sword had an undeniably massive impact on a sword cultivator’s strength.
If Su Xing truly possessed an immortal treasure, combined with his Major Mastery-level Protective Sword Aura, he might genuinely have the confidence to fight a Tribulation Crossing stage cultivator!
“Excellent. Once I learn artifact refining in the future, I’ll personally forge an immortal treasure for myself…”
Su Xing nodded with satisfaction and put the immortal treasure embryo away.
Next, inside a jade box, Su Xing discovered the arm-thick, entirely charred-black innate Fusang tree branch.
This unassuming branch contained remarkable Dao essence, giving Su Xing a sense of something truly extraordinary.
“Tsk tsk… this is an innate supreme treasure!”
“Where on earth did that Perfected One Myriad Wood obtain such a treasure!?”
“With this branch, comprehending the Great Dao of wood and fire in the future will definitely be much easier!”
Su Xing exclaimed in admiration. Of course, from now on, this branch would be graciously accepted by Su Xing.
Then Su Xing’s mind stirred—he wanted to see how much energy this piece of wood contained.
【Ding, detected substance containing massive energy origin. Can be exchanged for 100,000 energy origin, or 100 billion simulation energy. Exchange?】
Su Xing: “…”
A full one hundred billion simulation energy! And Su Xing could obtain it with a single thought!
Su Xing’s breathing instantly grew heavy, bloodshot veins appearing in his eyes. With this hundred billion energy, it should be enough for Su Xing to simulate all the way to the Immortal realm, right!?
But Su Xing still suppressed the greed in his heart, constantly reminding himself:
“Stay calm… stay calm! This is a damn trap!”
“The actual value of this branch is at least one trillion simulation energy!”
“And its future benefits to me will be even greater!”
“I absolutely cannot just stupidly exchange it like that…”
Su Xing took a deep breath, placed the unassuming branch back into the jade box, and hid it in an inconspicuous corner.
Terrified that one day he might lose his self-control and exchange this branch for simulation energy…
“Sigh, I’d better just take some useless resources and exchange those for energy…”
After some deliberation, Su Xing decided to exchange the talismanic instruments and magical artifacts for simulation energy.
【Ding, detected large quantity of energy-containing substances, valued at 2,354,320,000 simulation energy… Exchange?】
The simulator’s notification sound reached his ears.
“Tsk tsk, just these unusable magical treasures alone are worth this much energy?”
Su Xing marveled. These nearly ten thousand magical treasures contained even more energy than he had imagined!
Unfortunately, most magical treasures used by cultivators were unsuitable for Class Users. In a Class User’s hands, they could only exert thirty percent of their power at most, so their market value wasn’t high.
After some thought, Su Xing decided to exchange only one billion simulation energy for now and save the rest for when he needed energy later.
With a thought, Su Xing gained over one billion simulation energy, bringing his total remaining energy to 3,172,000,000 points.
“Tsk tsk… that Perfected One Myriad Wood was truly wealthy!”
“With so many treasures packed into this storage ring… he was probably preparing to re-establish the Myriad Wood Sect after breaking through the Body Integration stage, wasn’t he?”
Su Xing could vaguely guess Perfected One Myriad Wood’s intentions.
This single storage ring, excluding that branch, contained a total energy value approaching forty billion!
Such a substantial fortune was even comparable to an Immortal realm cultivator’s!
Of course, the bulk of it consisted of magical treasures, jade slips, pills, medicinal herbs… various legacies, as well as the Myriad Wood Scripture Core Method that Su Xing needed.
Su Xing had no intention of converting those.
This collection of treasures would absolutely be more helpful to Su Xing than pure simulation energy!
“And then there’s this Myriad Wood Sect’s alchemy legacy texts… with detailed records of no fewer than three thousand pill formulas, ranging from first-rank to ninth-rank…”
“With this alchemy legacy, my foundation in pill-making will become much more solid!”
Su Xing nodded with satisfaction.
Currently, most of Su Xing’s alchemy knowledge came from the Separation Fire Alchemy Art.
But this alchemy art had its drawbacks—it was incomplete and lacked instruction in foundational alchemy techniques.
So although Su Xing’s alchemy had already reached Minor Mastery, it always felt somewhat self-taught and unrefined.
This could be seen from how the Separation Fire Alchemy Art classified pill grades.
First through third-rank pills were categorized as low-grade, corresponding to cultivators up to the Golden Core stage.
Third through sixth-rank pills were mid-grade, corresponding to cultivators up to the Void Return stage.
Seventh through ninth-rank pills were high-grade, corresponding to cultivators up to the Tribulation Crossing stage at most.
And above ninth-rank pills, the Separation Fire Alchemy Art even recorded methods for refining several types of immortal elixirs!
However, with Su Xing’s current focus and alchemy skills, he temporarily couldn’t study them all one by one.
But if Su Xing re-examined the Myriad Wood Sect’s alchemy legacy, he could surely fill in the gaps and push his alchemy skills to the next level.
“This storage ring contains mostly legacies, with mountains of magical treasure materials and cultivation resources piled up… when I have time later, I’ll sort through it carefully. The harvest should be plentiful!”
Su Xing murmured.
Next, it was time for Su Xing to make his simulation reward selection!
“I choose to bring out the Integration Stage, Eighth Layer cultivation and the Protective Sword Aura comprehension!”
Su Xing intoned silently, and a notification sounded in his ears.
【You have successfully brought out Integration Stage, Eighth Layer cultivation. Energy spent: 2,000,000,000 points. Remaining energy: 1,172,000,000 points.】
【You have successfully brought out Protective Sword Aura (Minor Mastery-level). Energy spent: 1,100,000,000 points. Remaining energy: 72,000,000 points.】
As the notifications faded, two streams of mysterious power surged into Su Xing’s body.
First came the rapid ascension of Su Xing’s cultivation!
Fourth layer of Body Integration stage… fifth layer… sixth layer…
Then, in one continuous surge, he broke into late-stage Body Integration!
But it still wasn’t over.
The cultivation feedback continued until Su Xing stepped into the early phase of Body Integration Eighth Layer before finally coming to a stop.
Su Xing opened his eyes and nodded with satisfaction.
“Excellent, Body Integration Eighth Layer… the magical power within me has more than doubled again!”
“However, what brought the greatest change to my combat strength is still the Protective Sword Aura!”
Su Xing’s mind stirred, and three hundred and twenty-four Protective Sword Auras circled around his body.
Each one was a palm-sized golden miniature sword containing astonishing sword intent.
The sharp sword intent caused faint breezes to whisper through the air.
“If I release all the sword auras at once, even a Tribulation Crossing stage cultivator would have no choice but to temporarily avoid their edge!”
“An offensive technique that transcends an entire major realm… the Protective Sword Aura supernatural art truly deserves its classification as a greater divine art!”
But then Su Xing shook his head slightly and sighed:
“Unfortunately, I can only use this Protective Sword Aura once… after that single use, the origin of the sword within me will be completely depleted…”
The most crucial component of the Protective Sword Aura was primordial energy and True Sword Intent.
Su Xing had a seed of primordial energy within him, so his primordial energy supply was still abundant.
But once the True Sword Intent was exhausted, Su Xing would be unable to generate it again in the short term.
To possess more True Sword Intent, Su Xing would need to achieve deeper comprehension in the path of Sword Dao…
“However, as my comprehension of the Heaven Sword Art deepens and I grasp a stronger True Sword Intent… the Protective Sword Aura’s power should increase even further!”
Su Xing thought to himself.
“Sigh, although I’m already a powerful cultivator unrivaled at the Mahayana stage… I still need to accumulate energy steadily, one step at a time!”
Su Xing muttered.
Then, Su Xing took out the living-dead puppet Myriad Wood and began modifying it.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
During these seven days, Su Xing had been fully immersed in crafting the Myriad Wood puppet.
Although the creation process for living-dead puppets was simpler than that of ordinary mechanical puppets,
preserving the Myriad Wood puppet’s strength and the techniques it had known in life to the greatest extent was still no easy task.
The most difficult aspects were undoubtedly the puppet core and the puppet inscription.
“Phew, I’ve finally completed half of it…”
“At this pace, next week should be enough to finish the Myriad Wood puppet.”
“While it may not necessarily recover to the level of half-step Body Integration, Void Return stage Peak strength shouldn’t be a problem…”
Su Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath.
During this week, something else had happened that pleasantly surprised Su Xing.
The puppet cultivator Little Beauty had successfully advanced to the Golden Core stage.
Currently, Little Beauty had been appointed by Su Xing as the herb garden overseer, primarily responsible for issuing commands to the other puppets, directing them in their respective duties—whether farming or pill refining.
And within Little Beauty’s puppet core, Su Xing had left his soul imprint.
Therefore, Su Xing had no concerns whatsoever about any risk of betrayal.
“Counting the time, it should be about time to meet with Jin Congxue…”
A thought stirred in Su Xing’s mind, and he murmured:
“Perhaps I could try an experiment — have a puppet go meet Jin Congxue in my place?”
Su Xing turned his gaze toward the puppet Little White — that Void Shattering realm puppet he had obtained from the Myriad Wood Sect ruins.
He then left the spirit field grotto-heaven and walked to the school entrance. Seizing a moment when no one was around, Su Xing summoned the puppet Little White and manipulated it to walk toward the Villa.
With Little White’s strength, entering the Villa without anyone detecting it was child’s play.
Su Xing’s divine sense also enveloped the entire Villa and every subtle movement within a ten-li radius.
At this moment, within Su Xing’s divine sense perception, Jin Congxue seemed somewhat… nervous?
“Hah~ It’s already this late, why hasn’t that heartless bastard shown up yet?”
Jin Congxue’s little face was flushed red as she sat at the dining table, grumbling.
Hearing this, three black lines appeared on Su Xing’s forehead, and then a mischievous streak took hold of him.
He manipulated the puppet Little White to appear behind Jin Congxue, transmitting a message via divine sense:
“Su Xing is currently occupied. I will be conducting this transaction!”
The sudden appearance of Little White gave Jin Congxue a fright.
Jin Congxue’s expression turned wary as she retreated two steps, frowning: “Who are you? Where’s Su Xing?”
Su Xing manipulated the puppet to say:
“Heh heh, who am I? I am naturally the powerful one standing behind Su Xing!”
“Su Xing has been cooperating with you for so long, it’s time I met you face to face… and while I’m at it, I’d like to evaluate whether you’re a trustworthy partner!”
The emotionless voice entered Jin Congxue’s ears.
Jin Congxue was stunned for a moment, then collected herself and asked probingly: “You… are you the lord behind Su Xing?”
In Jin Congxue’s estimation, for Su Xing to be able to supply so many pills, he must be extraordinary — there was likely a great secret behind him.
The most likely possibility was that an extremely powerful senior expert was guiding him from the shadows.
These were all Jin Congxue’s conjectures, but Su Xing had never told her anything about it, and she hadn’t felt comfortable asking.
And today, Jin Congxue had finally met this “mysterious person behind Su Xing.”
“That’s right. I am indeed the man behind that boy Su Xing…”
Little White said, playing along perfectly.
Jin Congxue’s heart jolted. This mysterious figure had appeared behind her without her sensing anything at all.
Not even a Heavenly King-stage powerhouse could likely accomplish that!
“That means this senior is probably a Martial Sovereign… or even a Legendary-stage powerhouse!”
Jin Congxue swallowed hard and probed nervously: “That boy Su Xing… *ahem*, little brother Su Xing — where is he right now? What business do you have with me?”
“As I said, I’m here to conduct the trade on Su Xing’s behalf, and to evaluate you — to see whether you’re qualified…” Little White’s emotionless voice came again.
Jin Congxue grew even more nervous and asked tentatively: “Then, senior… what happens if I don’t pass?”
Little White: “…”
“Hmm? If you don’t pass…”
Several kilometers away, Su Xing leaned against a tree, rubbing his chin with a mischievous glint, and responded through divine sense:
“If you don’t pass, naturally you’ll disappear from this world forever…”
Little White’s voice reached Jin Congxue’s ears, and her knees buckled in fright.
Then Little White spoke again:
“Heh heh, just teasing you, little girl… Su Xing is actually quite fond of you!”
“I came this time simply to see what you look like, that’s all.”
Hearing Little White’s words, Jin Congxue let out a long sigh of relief, though her face was tinged with a rosy blush. She mumbled: “Senior, you really do love your jokes… The relationship between Su Xing and me isn’t what you think…”
Su Xing continued manipulating Little White, putting on the airs of a senior expert, then collected this week’s goods before returning to the spirit field grotto-heaven.
Inside the grotto-heaven, Su Xing looked at the puppet Little White before him and muttered:
“Tsk tsk, this puppet Little White really is useful… Controlling the puppet is as easy as moving my own hands and feet!”
“And with my current divine sense strength, I can simultaneously control dozens of puppets…”
A vague plan was forming in Su Xing’s mind…
“If I use these puppets to pose as a mysterious organization with a thousand years of heritage… I might be able to get even more things done!”
“And it would be far more covert — absolutely zero risk of exposure!”
Su Xing felt this idea had real potential. He had a rough concept in mind, though the finer details of the plan couldn’t be drawn up just yet.
“Tsk tsk, I should prepare for the simulation first…”
Su Xing checked the time — the simulation cooldown was nearly finished.
He converted the new week’s goods into simulation energy.
On the afternoon of March 10th, New Era 2025, Su Xing punctually initiated a new round of simulation.
“Begin simulation!”
【Ding! This simulation consumes 7,800 energy points. Remaining energy: 343,330,000 points. Remaining simulation attempts: unlimited.】
【Simulation begins!】
【Drawing a purple talent costs 100,000 energy points. Drawing a gold legendary talent costs 1,000,000 energy points. Do you wish to draw?】
“Draw a gold-quality talent!”
Su Xing said silently.
【Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the purple talent Immortal Brew Spirit Wine. Probability of drawing a gold talent next time: 40%…】
【Immortal Brew Spirit Wine】: Purple talent. One of the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation. You are exceptionally skilled at brewing Immortal Brew Spirit Wine. The spirit wine you produce aids cultivation and is beloved by drunkard cultivators.
“Hah, another new skill in the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation…”
Su Xing shook his head slightly. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t use these talents for now.
After all, he had the Gift of Roses talent. Perhaps he could give it to someone in need later, which would also build goodwill.
Su Xing moved past the talent and began thinking about his plan for this simulation.
“My cultivation has already risen to Integration Stage, Eighth Layer. Reaching Body Integration Perfection in this simulation shouldn’t be a problem…”
“Additionally, I’ve comprehended three hundred and twenty-four strands of Protective Sword Aura. Taking the Spirit Awakening Pill combined with immersive simulation, I can reach Major Mastery in Protective Sword Aura…”
“Once I’ve accomplished these two things, I can enter the space inside the Amalgamated Beast to seek advancement of my Heavenly Thunder Physique and the opportunity to break through to Major Mastery!”
With these thoughts in mind, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.
【In the spirit field grotto-heaven, you become aware that you are in a simulation.】
【You trade with Lu Yuanwu. Nothing unexpected occurs…】
【Ten days later, you travel to the Luotian Assembly dungeon.】
【After the immersive simulation ends, you leave the Luotian dungeon and go to meet Luo Shuying.】
【Through Luo Shuying’s introduction, you join the Advent Cult…】
【You become a Protector of the Advent Cult.】
【You prepare to attempt something new — assembling a mysterious organization that will absolutely never betray you. Every member of this organization will be a puppet under your control.】
【Your initial concept is that the organization will consist of ten members.】
【These include the eight puppets you obtained from Old Dog Zong. Aside from Little Beauty, each puppet possesses Peak Nascent Soul cultivation.】
【That makes seven puppets whose strength rivals Peak Heavenly King powerhouses.】
【In addition, there is the Perfected One Myriad Wood puppet and the Void Shattering realm puppet Little White — these represent the highest combat power of the puppet organization you are about to establish, comparable to Early-stage Legendary and Peak Legendary powerhouses.】
【These ten puppets are led by Perfected One Myriad Wood as the nominal Chief, with Little Beauty and Little White as vice-chiefs, and the remaining seven Peak Nascent Soul puppets as officers.】
【The mission of this puppet organization is to cooperate with major trading companies and collect various energy-containing materials for you.】
【The terms of cooperation involve exchanging rare items for exotic metals, dungeon items, rare materials for equipment of various grades, Demonic Beast Blood Essence…】
【To ensure the trades are attractive enough, the rare items you provide include: Longevity Pills, Life-Sustaining Pills, magical treasures comparable to Legendary-grade weapons, Fifth Rank and above talismans, Rebirth Pills, and more…】
【All items are tailored for Heavenly King-stage and above powerhouses — a premium, high-end approach.】
【To divert the Advent Cult’s attention and throw off their surveillance, you name this organization — the Celestial Secrets Pavilion!】
【Its meaning: to contend against heaven and seize a sliver of hope.】
In the Real World, Su Xing raised an eyebrow at this.
The creation of this organization was more or less in line with what Su Xing had envisioned.
Su Xing only needed the seed of an idea, and his future self within the simulation would carry out the attempt.
The organization’s true purpose was singular: to collect sufficient energy for Su Xing.
And under that premise, to avoid exposing himself as much as possible.
“If I were to personally sell Longevity Pills, various weapons, high-rank talismans, pills… I’d inevitably be spread too thin, and it would be easy for others to notice something off.”
“But if puppets do all of this, that changes everything…”
“The combined strength of Perfected One Myriad Wood and Little White is enough to intimidate every trading company within Great Xia. Add in seven puppets rivaling Peak Heavenly King powerhouses to conduct the trades, and this could become my most important channel for gathering energy!”
After a pause, Su Xing murmured:
“And all I need to do is stay hidden behind the scenes, and when the time is right, pluck the fruit…”
Su Xing felt this organization and plan had tremendous potential.
But as for the specifics of how it would play out and whether there would be risks — that remained to be seen.
Su Xing looked toward the simulation panel with anticipation.
【With the general concept in place, after joining the Advent Cult, you begin implementing your plan.】
【Going forward, on the surface you spend your days refining pills, raising your prestige within the Advent Cult.】
【In secret, you dispatch the ten puppets to cities where Great Xia’s various trading companies are located.】
【The puppets’ primary destinations are the Magic Capital, Jinling City, and Guang Province.】
【These locations house the Pearl Trading Company, Jin Commerce Group, and Baili Trading Company — three of Great Xia’s top five trading companies.】
【There are also several companies ranked in the top twenty and over a dozen first-rate trading companies — all important potential partners for you.】
【Since the Magic Capital and Jinling City are relatively close to each other, you station four Peak Nascent Soul puppets and the Perfected One Myriad Wood puppet there.】
【In Guang Province, you place two Peak Nascent Soul puppets and the Void Shattering puppet Little White.】
【As for the Capital City and the southwest trading companies in Shuangqing City, you decide not to deploy puppets for the time being.】
【Because these two areas are the military’s headquarters and the Advent Cult’s headquarters respectively, making incidents more likely.】
【With the plan set, you produce over a dozen Longevity Pills, several lower-grade treasure weapons suitable for Class Users and comparable to Legendary weapons, and several Fifth and Sixth Rank talismans.】
【You hand these items to the puppets and improve the puppet inscriptions, enabling them to trade on your behalf.】
【One week after the plan is put into action, you discover a problem.】
【When a puppet moves beyond two thousand li from you, you lose control over it.】
【To extend your range of control, you need to increase your divine sense strength.】
【Furthermore, during the trades, the puppets also come under attack.】
【Though the puppets ultimately demonstrate their strength and complete the trades successfully, they exhaust all the spirit stone energy within their bodies.】
【To prevent the puppets from losing power, you recall them for modifications.】
【You design an entirely new puppet core, powered by spirit liquid, and install micro spirit-gathering formations so they can return to the spirit field grotto-heaven to recharge independently.】
【You find that one thousand drops of mid-grade spirit liquid, or three months of spiritual energy charging, is sufficient for a regular puppet to carry out one month of tasks.】
【For the two Legendary-grade puppets, a single all-out battle against an opponent of equal level costs several thousand drops of mid-grade spirit liquid.】
【The energy expenditure is considerable, but you grit your teeth and bear the cost.】
【Three months after the plan is set in motion, all the items you provided have been traded away.】
【The total includes twelve Longevity Pills, six Life-Sustaining Pills, three magical treasures comparable to Legendary weapons, seven Fourth Rank talismans, three Fifth Rank talismans, and one sixth-rank talisman…】
【In exchange for these items, you receive forty-six thousand tons of second-order exotic metal, three thousand four hundred tons of Third Rank exotic metal, and countless dungeon items piled up like mountains…】
【Tens of millions of white-quality equipment, millions of green-quality equipment, and hundreds of thousands of blue-quality equipment…】