contemporary romance
After formally transferring the puppet to Wei Tianchong, Tang Jie punched at the puppet without a word.
Wei Tianchong madly laughed. “True Martial Divine Strength! Precious, give Tang Jie a good lesson for me.”
The puppet’s body flashed as the Demon-Conquering Martial Formation on its left arm activated. This puppet weighed more than five hundred kilograms, and with the activation of True Martial Divine Strength, it grew even stronger as it punched back at Tang Jie.
Their fists met, and Tang Jie and the puppet were both forced back. Tang Jie was pushed back an extra step, meaning that this puppet had outmatched Tang Jie in terms of strength.
Tang Jie laughed, the Heartbreak Saber appearing in his hand as he rushed to the puppet’s side and swung his weapon. The puppet didn’t dodge, but its body flashed and manifested a barrier that blocked the saber. At the same time, it turned to Tang Jie, its eyes crackling with lightning. A bolt of lightning fell out of the blue and struck Tang Jie.
But Lightning Fall did nothing to Tang Jie, and he moved as if he had felt nothing and kicked at the puppet’s head. At the same time, he shouted, “Dodge it!”
Wei Tianchong bent his pinky finger, and even though the puppet was clearly made of stone, it bent at the waist and dodged Tang Jie’s kick.
This was the power of five basic function refining formations, and also the effect of the Softscent Jade. The two of them combined made it so that the puppet was no longer so stiff and inflexible. It could even perform some actions that ordinary people would find hard to do.
Tang Jie, his kick having missed, turned his body and kicked again.
Wei Tianchong activated the Blackwater Soul Possession and shouted, “Profound Court Triple Variation, Rapid Gale Slash!”
The puppet’s arm turned into a long saber, and it jumped ten feet into the air and slashed at Tang Jie.
It seemed like a simple attack, but it required three spell arts to work in concert. The Profound Court Triple Variation could change the puppet’s limbs into weapons, and while Wei Tianchong could do this in the past, he had to cast the spell through the Blackwater Soul Possession. Now, the puppet had this ability all on its own, saving him a step. And after the puppet had finished this transformation, it could use Wei Tianchong’s Changfeng Thirteenth Style, which was Wei Tianchong’s own spell art. Through the Blackwater Soul Possession, the puppet could use it.
The Blackwater Soul Possession had this ability to have the puppet use the spells of the controller, but Wei Tianchong previously hadn’t the strength to achieve this. But the addition of the Soul Jade fragment into the puppet had greatly boosted the effectiveness of the Blackwater Soul Possession, allowing Wei Tianchong to use some of his spell arts through the puppet.
This Rapid Gale Slash was ruthless and fierce, forcing Tang Jie to retreat.
But a moment later, Wei Tianchong activated the Thousand Mile Windchaser Formation, and the puppet accelerated, charging up to Tang Jie’s side and swinging the blade.
Tang Jie grunted under the blow, his Formless Golden Body unexpectedly being unable to fully block it. A long and bloody wound appeared on Tang Jie’s chest, penetrating rather deep into his flesh.
Wei Tianchong was scared out of his wits and quickly stopped the puppet. Running over, he shouted, “Tang Jie, are you okay!? I didn’t know it would be this powerful.”
Tang Jie crashed to the ground, and though he was injured, there was an irrepressible smile on his face. “I’m fine. This is exactly what I’m looking for. On the contrary, I would have been disappointed if it couldn’t break through my Formless Golden Body.”
The wound hurt, but Tang Jie was rejoicing.
The astronomical price had been paid for a huge boost in strength. This puppet was now strong enough to fight on even terms with Tang Jie. Although Tang Jie would win if it really came down to it, it had to be remembered that Tang Jie had invested more than one hundred thousand coins’ worth of resources into his strength, and four years of training besides that.
This puppet had cost only thirty-thousand-some in comparison.
In terms of cost–performance ratio, nothing could compare to a puppet.
The only regret was perhaps that puppets couldn’t cultivate. As the student got stronger, it was bound to be replaced eventually. This had been the case for Wei Tianchong’s previous two puppets.
But at least this puppet was bound to be very useful.
A Grade 3 puppet was equivalent to first-tier Mortal Shedding, and through the diligent and meticulous work of Wei Tianchong and Tang Jie, this puppet was stronger than the average Grade 3 puppet. In other words, with this puppet, even if Wei Tianchong faced the likes of Zhang Qinan or Peng Yaolong, he would still be able to put up a fight, maybe even win.
The strength of this puppet left everyone extremely excited.
After some thought, Tang Jie said, “There’s still one thing we haven’t tested.”
“What?” Wei Tianchong asked.
Tang Jie chuckled and suddenly punched the puppet in the chest.
The puppet had already stopped, all of its refining formations deactivated. Without the Everlasting Shield, the punch immediately created several cracks in the puppet’s tough body.
“Tang Jie, what are you doing?” Wei Tianchong said in alarm.
“What are you so worried about? Did you forget about the Softscent Jade?” Tang Jie chuckled. “Use the Quicksand spell!”
Only then did Wei Tianchong understand. Tang Jie was testing the puppet’s recovery ability! He hastily ordered the puppet to use the spell.
The ground the puppet was standing on turned into quicksand, and the softened soil traveled up the puppet’s body and seeped into it. It wasn’t long before the puppet had been completely restored.
This was the effect of the Softscent Jade, absorbing sand and rock to restore the body. The Quicksand spell was used to hasten the recovery process. Besides that, it could also be used to set up traps.
Tang Jie went up and inspected it, after which he opened it up to look at the Spirit Gate and see how much was consumed. He nodded and said, “Not bad, no internal damage. So long as it’s not broken into pieces, it can heal itself. But too many refining formations means greater consumption of spirit stones, so unless it’s necessary, it’s best not to use all seven formations.”
Shi Meng asked, “How long could it last if it were using all of its abilities?”
Tang Jie did some mental math and replied, “If all seven formations are working, it would probably be able to last fifteen minutes at most.”
This was the only problem with this puppet. Limited space and too many refining formations made upkeep rather tiring.
And changing out spirit stones was a pretty big hassle, as it required stopping the puppet and opening the Spirit Gate.
In battle, this would mean a loss of combat power. This was fine if there was someone else to protect you, but if you were alone, you would have to be more careful.
Wei Tianchong also understood this, nodding and saying, “Mm, I understand. If I’m on the tournament stage and I still can’t beat my opponent even after using up the spirit stones, I can just concede.”
Tang Jie chuckled. “The problem is that our lives don’t just consist of the tournament stage.”
“Mm? What do you mean by that?” Wei Tianchong asked.
Tang Jie replied, “Before participating in the Immortal Fortune Conference, I have to go somewhere.”
“‘Go somewhere’?” Wei Tianchong asked. “To where?”
“You remember how I told you that Duskland is rich in resources, and that if a cultivator wants to achieve big things, they have to fight a little for it?”
Wei Tianchong realized that Tang Jie was really planning on carrying out missions in Duskland territory.
Missions were a necessary part of life for every student. They both grew from battle and profited from it.
Upon understanding Tang Jie’s plan, Shi Meng asked, “So where are you going to carry out this mission?”
“The Transverse Range,” Tang Jie replied.
“The Transverse Range?”
Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng paled at these words.
Shi Meng shouted, “That place is crawling with fiend beasts. Are you sure that’s where you want to go?”
“Yes!” Tang Jie firmly replied.
“It’s too risky.” Shi Meng shook his head. “With just the three of us, it won’t be any good.”
Past missions had all been arranged by the school and supervised by a teacher to ensure that the students were safe. After all, fiend beasts were fierce and spell arts did not have eyes. No one could say what might happen.
But this time, it was just the three of them. Going to a place crawling with fiend beasts for a mission was far too risky.
Tang Jie replied, “That’s why I said I’m going, but you two don’t need to come. Young Master, I’m afraid I’m going to have to borrow your puppet again.”
No matter how slow Wei Tianchong was, he was still able to see the problem. “Tang Jie, did you plan to go to the Transverse Range from the very start? That’s why you left the academy early, took me to the secret market, and put so much effort into the puppet.”
“Yes!” Tang Jie didn’t try to hide anything. “I have business in the Transverse Range, something that I probably can’t do alone.”
All that effort was for the sake of the reward, investment for the sake of profit!
The Wei Clan had invested in Tang Jie, and wasn’t all Tang Jie had done for Wei Tianchong also an investment?
Tang Jie faced far too many difficulties in entering the Returned Remnants of the Martial Lord.
Putting aside the great formation, Godhead Palace alone presented a formidable barrier.
This was particularly because there was no hiding the fact that Tang Jie was attending the Immortal Fortune Conference from Godhead Palace. He was not entirely clear of suspicion, so Godhead Palace would undoubtedly be keeping an eye on him, and would perhaps even try to use him or capture him.
This was precisely why Tang Jie needed to make so many preparations, and going to the Transverse Mountains was part of this. As for the secret market, that was the preparation for the preparation. Without Wei Tianchong’s Grade 3 combat puppet, Tang Jie wasn’t confident in his success.
“If that’s the case, we might as well go with you,” Wei Tianchong said. “We should just avoid places that are too dangerous.”
But I need to go to those dangerous places this time, Tang Jie said to himself.
But he kept this part quiet, only shaking his head and saying, “Young Master, the greatest help you can give me is loaning me your puppet. As for the Transverse Range, I still hope to go there alone.”
Wei Tianchong was taken aback, suspiciously looking at Tang Jie. “Tang Jie, are you hiding something from us?”
Tang Jie chuckled. “Who doesn’t have secrets? In truth, I’m just looking for a few lucky encounters to serve as hidden cards that I can reveal at the Immortal Fortune Conference. But if others found out, they might take precautions. Thus, Young Master, for the sake of all I’ve done for you over these last few years, can you help me with something?”
“Tell me.”
“I will go alone to the Transverse Mountains. But you and Shi Meng can’t tell anyone. If someone does ask, say that I was with you the entire time.”
“Deal!” Wei Tianchong nodded. “Why not take Luo Yue too? Luo Yue recently entered middle grade, and she should get stronger by going with you. In addition, she can also teach you the Blackwater Soul Possession, which will let you exhibit more of the puppet’s power.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Wei Tianchong laughed, patting his chest. “Relax. I’m still True Person Changfeng’s disciple. I’m not the me of the past who wouldn’t be able to survive without a puppet. Just do what you need to. If you run into danger, don’t worry about anything else. Keeping yourself alive is most important, so you can even throw away the puppet if that’s what you need.”
Tang Jie was deeply moved by these words.
The Wei Tianchong of the past who had required his support had truly grown up.
This wasn’t just growth in strength. More importantly, it was growth in mindset.
It was Yan Changfeng, not Tang Jie, who granted him this maturity.
He had to admit that there was a reason that renowned teachers produced excellent disciples.
This wasn’t only because Yan Changfeng knew how to teach disciples, but also because of his illustrious reputation.
At Yan Changfeng’s side, Wei Tianchong’s status as a scion of a great clan no longer mattered. He was just an ordinary “Little Eighth.”
Any person at Yan Changfeng’s side, even one of his servants, would have a status comparable to Wei Tianchong, and Wei Tianchong’s senior brothers were all renowned individuals, with even the worst of them, Nan Baicheng, being a Spirit Master.
The enormous shift in status had forced Wei Tianchong to change his thinking and begin to consider matters from the angle of a “lower person”.
Lady Wei didn’t need to give him any reminders about this. Any young master with a normal mind would be cautious when standing in front of one of the 19 Celestial Chiefs, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Hedonistic wastrels would become obedient children and foolish youths would figure out how to read faces.
This was the survival instinct the weak had toward the strong, a natural shift that came from an enormous difference in status. Anyone who couldn’t do this would be eliminated.
Tang Jie could teach Wei Tianchong something one hundred times and still not have Wei Tianchong understand or remember. But Yan Changfeng only needed to say one sentence for Wei Tianchong to remember, for he would not dare to forget.
His hobbies, his way of doing things, his perspectives on life—his disciples had to remember all of it, even take it as the highest standard of human achievement.
This was the importance of one’s overall environment.
To make a person mature, one needed to give them an environment that could make them mature.
Compared to Yan Changfeng, Tang Jie might have been able to raise Wei Tianchong to this level, but it would have taken him ten times the effort. This was precisely the reason Tang Jie had been so determined to make Wei Tianchong a True Inheritor.
Now, he was finally getting repayment for his efforts. Without Wei Tianchong, Tang Jie had no idea where he would get a puppet, and for his plan, he direly needed a capable assistant.
Even so, Tang Jie still decided to refuse the help of the little fox. After all, he really couldn’t let others know what he was going to do next.
The next morning, Tang Jie said goodbye to Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng, and set off on his own.
As he watched Tang Jie leave, Wei Tianchong said, “Shi Meng, why do you think it is that Tang Jie went off on his own?”
“Didn’t he say it was to seek lucky opportunities?” Shi Meng asked.
“Do you really believe that?” Wei Tianchong asked.
“Mm?” Shi Meng was confused. “Young Master, what do you mean?”
Wei Tianchong casually said, “I admit that I’m not someone who likes to use his head often, but I’m not stupid. Shi Meng, don’t you think that Tang Jie has always been hiding something?”
“This… Young Master,” Shi Meng chuckled. “In truth, all of us servants have our own worries.”
“It’s not the same,” Wei Tianchong replied as he watched Tang Jie’s distant figure. “I sense that he’s hiding a secret. I don’t dare make a judgment on anything else, but at least this time, I’m sure that he’s not looking for some lucky opportunity. If he were, he wouldn’t have refused Luo Yue. Since he doesn’t want Luo Yue’s help, it means… he has a secret he doesn’t want Luo Yue to know.”
Wei Tianchong paused, and then he firmly said, “Something that he doesn’t want us to know!”
“Huh?” Shi Meng was shocked. “Then why didn’t you just ask him?”
Wei Tianchong chuckled. “Because I’m no longer that person who was so lacking in tact. He must have a reason he doesn’t want us to know. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t believe in us, or maybe he doesn’t want to implicate us. Regardless, it’s not to hurt us. And if you want to know someone else’s secret, the best method isn’t to argue, but to use your actions to prove that you have the right to share in that secret!”
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