Chapter 98: The Headmaster Visits
The price of magic items was not high.
As long as one had the materials, even disciples on the Meditation Plane could create them.
Hence, the price of magic items was primarily due to the materials needed.
Moreover, how expensive could the materials for a magic item grade puppet the size of a mosquito be?
Yet, Chen Jingzhai would pay 10,000 spiritual stones for it.
This was splurging!
“Master-Uncle, will you really pay 10,000 spiritual stones?” asked Song Jiao, who was still wallowing in his defeat a moment ago, excitedly.
“Of course! As long as you can meet my requirements,” said Chen Jingzhai with a grin. “I want a mosquito-sized puppet that can enhance my divine mind’s sensory ability. It must be stealthy. If you make one at the magic item grade, I will pay 10,000 spiritual stones for it. Once you finish making it, you can claim your payment!”
He did not lack spiritual stones.
Setting aside his endless supply of Essence Power Pearls, his Grade 2 elixirs alone could earn him enormous sums of spiritual stones.
Aside from the expenditure of Tianyahai Pavilion, most of his spiritual stones were used in his cultivation.
He was still consolidating his techniques. The techniques he obtained during the Foundation Establishment Plane had yet to be completely consolidated.
For now, he was not using many spiritual stones.
......
“This is a brand new way of doing things,” said Zhang Kui. “We will think this over carefully.”
“Of course,” said Chen Jingzhai as he nodded. “I only offered my answer and request. You do not need to follow my orders completely. It is fine as long as you try when you have the time.”
Having lived two lives, Chen Jingzhai knew all too well where Puppet Hall’s problem lay.
Puppets were similar to the electronic gadgets of the modern world. The value of these items lies in their technology and precision components.
The item would become mediocre if it included many functions, but its technology was not up to standard.
Therefore, a good puppet master should create single-function puppets that specialize in one skill.
However, Chen Jingzhai’s idea was considered bold in the cultivation world.
Since the cost of creating a puppet was high, the puppet masters tried their best to improve the functions of a single puppet.
Sometimes, a puppet would last them a lifetime.
The puppet masters made the best use of their puppets.
Unfortunately, this was also why the puppet masters were so poor.
From the looks of it, they were very loyal to one puppet. However, in reality, they dabbled in every single expertise indiscriminately.
The more complicated a puppet was, the harder it was for them to improve that particular puppet.
No wonder the members of Puppet Hall of Tianzhu Peak had a hard time sustaining themselves.
In the battle forum, Chen Jingzhai did not speak anymore.
Zhang Kui was brainstorming feverishly in his head. He kept discussing things with Chen Jingzhai over transmitted thoughts.
Chen Jingzhai would occasionally respond, guiding Zhang Kui’s deliberation.
It was not convenient for them to discuss the contents of their discussion out loud.
The other disciples were not as moved. They merely felt that their Little Master-Uncle was truly wealthy.
He could take out tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of spiritual stones just like that.
This renewed everyone’s image of him. They were very jealous.
They had not realized the effects that Chen Jingzhai’s words would have.
One by one, they shifted their gazes to the Eight Trigrams Platform.
The jade tokens still continued to shine.
Disciples appeared consecutively and then continued to battle it out on the platform.
The battle forum returned to normal.
However, a small number of disciples had brand new considerations on their minds.
In Puppet Hall of Tianzhu Peak, two old men were sitting on bamboo chairs near the courtyard of the Sea of Clouds.
One of them said, “This Little Junior Brother who joined our sect recently shows no shame in lying. He is only at the Foundation Establishment Plane, yet he attempts to give us pointers regarding the Path of Puppets.”
The old man, wearing green robes and lying on a dark green bamboo chair to the right, scoffed, “He is a joke. What he said is absurd!”
He sounded as though he was very dissatisfied with Chen Jingzhai.
“Whether or not it is preposterous remains to be proven. However, it would be nice if someone spent 10,000 spiritual stones to purchase a magic item grade puppet. Our Puppet Hall will also benefit from this transaction,” said the elder to the left indifferently.
He was dressed in ink-black robes with the pattern of Heavenly Hammers embroidered on it.
“Senior brother, what are you saying?”
The green-robed elder looked at the other party incredulously and asked, “Could it be that you plan to follow the brat’s advice?”
“Junior Brother, aren’t you aware of the current predicament of Puppet Hall? Poverty gives rise to the desire for change. If what Little Junior Brother suggests can be done, Puppet Hall might be able to change our current circumstances,” said the elder in ink-black robes calmly.
“Since Mo Bei is interested in Chen Jingzhai’s suggestion, why don’t you try it out?”
A voice reached both of their ears, instantly causing them to leap up in shock.
When the two elders turned around, they saw Headmaster Fuyunzi. Unbeknownst to the two, Headmaster Fuyunzi had arrived and was standing behind them with a smile.
Headmaster Fuyunzi greeted, “Qing Yang! Mo Bei!”
“Greetings, Senior Brother Headmaster!” greeted the two elders solemnly as they bowed to Headmaster Fuyunzi.
“There is no need for formalities. I came here to talk about what Little Junior Brother has suggested. Would it be possible for both of you to create puppets as Little Junior Brother has requested?” asked Headmaster Fuyunzi with a smile.
“Senior Brother Headmaster, do you think Little Master-Uncle’s idea is doable?” Lord Qing Yang asked.
“There’s no harm in trying to make one,” Headmaster Fuyunzi said while smiling. “With our current situation, we should not miss out on any possible solution that could solve Puppet Hall’s predicament.”
“What Senior Brother Headmaster said is right,” Taoist Mo Bei seconded while nodding. “The puppet he mentioned is rather easy to make. But, just like what Little Junior Brother has said, such a puppet is only a magic item. It cannot even be graded.”
As he said this, he casually took out a piece of raw material he carried with him.
It was a chunk of Grade 1 refined iron, which was commonly available.
He activated his cultivation, and the refined iron in his hand melted into molten iron.
Then, Taoist Mo Bei shifted his divine mind and shaped the molten iron using the Heavenly Hammer Technique.
After he successfully molded its form, the mosquito-sized puppet was swiftly created.
In a mere 10 minutes, he had 36 of these puppets in the palm of his hand.
Each and every one of them was the same size and appeared extremely lifelike.
Even in Chen Jingzhai’s previous life, machines could not print such detailed models.
Only the combination of a divine mind and puppet creation techniques could make such an intricate item.
“Can it enhance one’s divine mind’s sensory ability?” asked Headmaster Fuyunzi.
“Each one can only increase one’s divine mind’s sensory ability by about 50 percent.”
Taoist Mo Bei nodded and said, “If a Foundation Establishment Plane disciple has a sensory range of 1,000 feet, by using one mosquito puppet, they can sense things within a 1,500-foot range.”
He continued, “The puppet also needs to be controlled by one’s divine mind. It just needs to be given instructions. It does not emit any essence power at all. It is extremely stealthy.”
“Well done!” said Headmaster Fuyunzi as he sighed softly. “Here are 360,000 spiritual stones.”
“Senior Brother Headmaster?” exclaimed Lord Qing Yang in astonishment. “Will anyone actually buy these? This is a joke. Inner disciples of Puppet Hall, even casual disciples, can make these.”
Headmaster Fuyunzi expounded, “For high-level cultivators like us, such a puppet is but a joke. It’s useless to us. However, Junior Brother Qing Yang, you might have overlooked the needs of the low-level disciples.”
He continued, “If casual disciples of the Meditation Plane have these mosquito-sized puppets, even without a divine mind, they can utilize them to monitor their surroundings while they explore and contend with each other in the secret zones. It will be an extra layer of security for them.
“Disciples at the Foundation Establishment Plane can benefit from these mosquito-sized puppets by using them to furtively explore many areas.”
Headmaster Fuyunzi concluded his explanation by saying, “These mosquito-sized puppets are very useful for cultivators who traverse the secret zones and mortal world.”
He totally understood why these two elders from Puppet Hall could not see how this puppet would be useful.
In reality, when cultivators reached levels like that of Nascent Zhenjun, they had their eyes set on manufacturing even higher-level puppets.
Auxiliary puppets like this detection puppet were not even considered Grade 1 items. Therefore, they would not consider making such a product.
Moreover, up until that point, there was never a case where the high-level cultivators considered the needs of the low-level cultivators.
As the Headmaster, Fuyunzi thoroughly understood everything that happened inside and outside of the sect. Otherwise, he would not have foreseen the practicality of the mosquito-sized puppets either.
Taoist Mo Bei said, “It is both practical and compact. This is indeed a possible way of manufacturing puppets.”
“Following this train of thought, not only can these mosquito-sized puppets be used for detecting enemies, but they can also be used to locate spiritual herbs. If we incorporate an earth escape spell into these puppets, we can use them to locate mineral veins. If we incorporate a water escape spell into them, we can use them to locate resources hidden in the rivers and the seas. Even if we don’t use puppets in battles, we can still use them in countless ways.”
The eyes of Taoist Mo Bei gleamed with excitement as he thought out loud.
Headmaster Fuyunzi said with a smile, “Let’s give it a try first. As Headmaster, I am placing an order of 100,000 detection puppets from Puppet Hall. Disciples on the Meditation Plane can use these puppets to observe their surroundings. The puppets can expand their sensory range and aid in transmitting messages.”
He suggested, “For a magic item grade puppet, why don’t we set the price at 500 spiritual stones?”
“500?” exclaimed Lord Qing Yang. He nearly pinched off his beard.
“That is too expensive,” said Taoist Mo Bei, maturely and prudently. “Creating such puppets does not require a lot of time. If we set the price too high, casual disciples will not be able to afford them.”
“Oh?” Headmaster Fuyunzi smiled and asked, “Mo Bei, what price would you suggest we set?”
“50 spiritual stones each will suffice,” replied Taoist Mo Bei. “Headmaster, you do not need to bear the cost. Puppet Hall will create 100,000 puppets as soon as possible. You only need to distribute them to the casual disciples of the various peaks.”
“Well done!” said Headmaster Fuyunzi as he nodded his head. “How long do you need?”
“We will be able to complete them before the battle forum is over,” said Taoist Mo Bei confidently.
“Then, I will await your good news,” said Headmaster Fuyunzi with a smile. “Once you have created a portion, you can start selling them among Tianzhu Peak disciples. I will instruct our disciples to promote them.”
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Headmaster!” said Taoist Mo Bei as he bowed.
Headmaster Fuyunzi smiled and replied, “It is but a simple matter. If we can successfully pull this endeavor off, all of you will owe Little Junior Brother a debt. So you’d better think about how you will repay him.”
After he was done speaking, he waved the Fly-whisk in his hand and disappeared.
“Senior brother?” asked Lord Qing Yang. His teeth were hurting. “Did you say 500 spiritual stones for a magic item?”
One hundred thousand puppets were worth 50 million spiritual stones in total.
This was an enormous amount of resources. Puppet Hall could be at ease with such an astronomical number of spiritual stones.
Lord Qing Yang complained, “Even you feel that it is expensive, do you really think that we can sell these items at such a price? Senior Brother Fuyunzi was just looking out for us!”
Taoist Mo Bei retorted, “Puppet Hall has indeed been on the decline, but we have not reached the point of requiring charity from others. Moreover, if this path works out, Puppet Hall will naturally not need to worry about its future.”
He slowly added, “Even if we need to create 100,000 magic items, it won’t take that much material to do so.”
Grade 1 materials were cheap. So even though he had set the price at 50 spiritual stones, they could still earn a profit.
Once the numbers increased, their profits would increase as well.
If this business could be completed, Puppet Hall would have the revenue to get out of its current predicament.
That was what truly mattered!
After Lord Qing Yang heard this, he made some mental calculations. Then, he also revealed a smile on his face.
Taoist Mo Bei said, “Regardless, we must first gather everyone to create magic item grade puppets. Aside from 100,000 detection puppets, we also need to create herb detection puppets. If Elixir Peak purchases them, the members of Puppet Hall truly owe Little Junior Brother a debt of gratitude. We will see when the time comes.”
“Indeed!” replied Lord Qing Yang, with a gleeful look as he swiftly left.
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