Chapter 396: Chapter 381: Eagle Lion Beast Advances! [2nd Update]
A Tier Five Demon Pill helped Zhang Yunpeng and the Yellow Sand Sect stabilize people’s hearts and foundations, and Zhouyang naturally received an equivalent return for his gift.
After the birthday celebration, Zhang Yunpeng first fulfilled his promise to let him borrow the puppet craft inheritance, making all the puppet craft heritage obtained by the Yellow Sand Sect from the extinction of the Yin Puppet Sect available for Zhouyang to study.
Moreover, he additionally gifted Zhouyang a present, a copy of the incomplete high-level Ice Element cultivation technique "Ice Soul Scripture", which lacked the cultivation method after the Golden Core Stage.
Zhouyang had heard of the name "Ice Soul Scripture", knowing it to be the most authentic profound sect Ice Element technique.
It was clear that Zhang Yunpeng gave this item to him to be passed on to his first disciple, Lu Xuewei.
Such a high-level technique, missing its cultivation method after the Golden Core Stage, is not of great value, but not cheap either, making it perfectly suitable to be given as a gift.
Moreover, Zhouyang could not refuse.
The Ice Element technique currently in his possession, the best of which is merely an intermediate technique, clearly a waste of Lu Xuewei’s Top-grade Spiritual Root Talent after Foundation Establishment.
Back then, Zhou Guangxiang had reluctantly chosen to cultivate an intermediate Earth Element technique after Foundation Establishment, which had deeply saddened Zhouyang; he naturally did not want his disciple to repeat the same mistake.
Although "Ice Soul Scripture" misses the crucial post-Golden Core cultivation method, it is one of the most suitable techniques for an Ice Spirit Root cultivator before the Golden Core Stage.
If Lu Xuewei could truly cultivate to the Golden Core Stage relying on this technique, she would naturally have ample time to either find the missing parts of this technique or switch to another high-level Ice Element technique.
Thus, after browsing those puppet craft heritages in the Yellow Sand Sect for over a month, Zhouyang directly returned to the Zhou family and ordered the family’s finance hall to assist him in gathering materials for refining Tier Three and Tier Four Puppet Beasts.
Meanwhile, he personally utilized the materials he already had at hand to begin experimenting with the new puppet crafting methods he had learned.
The Yellow Sand Sect’s puppet craft heritage recorded twelve types of Tier Three Puppet Beasts and four types of Tier Four Puppet Beasts refining methods; besides the Tier Three "Vajra Battle Tiger" and "Flaming Lion" puppets Zhouyang already knew, other Tier Three Puppet Beasts included "Iron Claw Flying Eagle," "Profound Earth Turtle," "Sharp Clawed Leopard," and "Unihorn Giant Rhinoceros."
The four Tier Four Puppet Beasts were "Steel Armor Iron Tiger," "Giant Sword Warrior," "Cold Ice Profound Turtle," and "Thunder Burst Ape."
Zhouyang acquired over a hundred Tier Three "Yin Soul Stones" and a dozen Tier Four "Yin Soul Stones" from the "Sealed Demon Cave", ensuring he was not lacking the most crucial materials for crafting puppet beasts.
Upon obtaining the puppet beast refining methods, he raided all his reserves and managed to gather materials for over ten Tier Three Puppet Beasts, although none for Tier Four Puppet Beasts.
There was no other choice, even though the size of Tier Four Puppet Beasts is considerably smaller than Tier Three ones, however, relevant Tier Four Spiritual Objects are much harder to acquire compared to Tier Three ones.
From the four Tier Four Puppet Beast refining methods Zhouyang got from the Yellow Sand Sect, each required a large amount of Tier Four Spiritual Gold for crafting.
Unless deliberately collected beforehand, finding enough Tier Four Spiritual Gold to refine one Tier Four Puppet Beast was nearly impossible for most cultivators.
Zhouyang possessed many treasures, including Tier Four Spiritual Gold, but their attributes varied, not all suitable for crafting Tier Four Puppet Beasts.
In contrast, Tier Three Spiritual Gold was plentiful as the Zhou family controlled several ore veins, and Zhouyang had previously collected Spiritual Gold while refining puppet beasts, plus occasional spoils from enemies defeated in battle, amassing fourteen sets of materials.
Faced with the inability to gather Tier Four Puppet Beast crafting materials, Zhouyang had to first hone his skills with these materials.
With his current artifact refining skill, refining Tier Three Puppet Beasts was easy; among fourteen sets of materials, twelve Tier Three Puppet Beasts were made while two sets were accidentally damaged, including three Tier Three Top-Grade Puppet Beasts, five Tier Three Middle-Grade Puppet Beasts, and four Tier Three Lower-Grade Puppet Beasts.
The newly refined puppet beasts, except for the three highly graded ones stored by Zhouyang as family assets in the clan’s secret vault, the rest were deposited in the clan treasure vault for Foundation Establishment cultivators in the clan to exchange and use.
Thanks to him being a Tier Four Refiner, Zhou family Foundation Establishment cultivators’ magical artifacts were quality pieces.
Now, with these Tier Three Puppet Beasts available for exchange, in future, Zhou family’s Foundation Establishment cultivators, when confronting same tier opponents, as long as not unluckily facing extremely formidable ones, chances of being defeated were minimal.
Zhouyang had long realized that cultivation clans cannot match the personnel count of cultivation sects, hence his strategy for the Zhou family was one of elite development.
If Zhou clan cultivators could each face two opponents, or even multiple ones, then lower numbers would not be a disadvantage.
After all, more people mean more divided resources, while fewer people allow resource concentration for nurturing these few.
Time flew by, in the blink of an eye, four years had passed since Zhouyang returned to the clan.
The settling and interactions over four years gradually dissipated any sense of alienation caused by his extended absence from home.
He can now even call out every adult clan member’s name. Many clan members, even if he hasn’t met them, he has read related records from the clan’s Inheritance Hall documents and has some impressions.
Although this is partly due to the not-so-large number of Zhou clan members now, this situation undoubtedly proves that he has indeed devoted much effort to the clan. He still deeply loves the Zhou clan and those kindred clan members.
On this day, a crowd gathered in the square before the Zhou Family Ancestral Hall. Three to four hundred Zhou clan members, Zhou Family outsider cultivators, and Honored Guest Cultivators were sitting cross-legged in the square, intently listening to the Supreme Elder Zhouyang delivering teachings on the path of cultivation.
This Preaching Conference was ordered to be organized by Zhouyang last year, held once a year at an indeterminate time. Before each event, a notice is sent out to the entire clan three months in advance. Any cultivator who is free or wishes to attend can prepare beforehand.
Whenever Zhouyang himself or his Dao Companion Xiao Ying happens to have time, they will attend the conference and share their understanding of the cultivation path, answering some clan members’ questions.
If neither of them is free, there will at least be a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Zhou clan who will take some time to preside over the session.
"Hmm, you say you often feel chest tightness and irritability during meditation, unable to calm your mind, even taking [Clear Heart Pill] is useless. This situation is indeed unheard of; come, try meditating and channeling your power to let me see."
At the conference scene, a gold-red gleam appeared in Zhouyang’s eyes. Watching a middle-aged woman in a red dress who posed a question, instantly, the state of the magical power within this Seventh-Layer Qi Cultivation woman in the red dress was revealed in detail to his eyes.
After observing the woman in the red dress for a while, his gaze stopped at her lower abdomen, then withdrew his divine technique from his eyes, and with a look of sudden realization, nodded to the slightly flushed-faced woman in the red dress:
"I see, I understand now. This is caused by excessive consumption of Spirit Pills; there is alien Fire Element Spiritual Power residue in your Foot Shaoyin Meridian and Du Meridian. When you meditate and absorb Spiritual Qi through these meridians, the alien Fire Element Spiritual Power resonates with external Spiritual Qi, disrupting your practice."
"To resolve this issue is simple. You should find a Water Element Cultivator and have them perform Water Therapy Skill on you once daily; it should be restored within half a month."
Hearing that the issue troubling her for months was resolved by just a few words from Zhouyang, uncontrollable joy surged on the originally flushed pretty face of the woman in the red dress.
Full of joy and veneration, she quickly rose and knelt on the ground, kowtowing heavily to Zhouyang: "Supreme Elder, I have no way to repay your lifesaving grace, please accept my bow."
She, knowing her own situation best, realized not to take the ease of Zhouyang’s resolution lightly.
In fact, she had already sought advice from Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the clan before, but to no avail.
And from Zhouyang’s words, it was evident that if unresolved, not only would her cultivation not continue, she might even have an inner demon inflicted upon her.
Therefore, her words of lifesaving grace were not exaggerated at all.
"Are you Guang Shu’s newly-wedded wife from last month? No wonder you are unaware of the danger here!"
Zhouyang, looking at the kneeling woman in the red dress, first nodded, then shook his head, and with a serious expression towards the numerous low-tier cultivators, said: "Today, let me tell you juniors once again, even if there is no hope of Foundation Establishment in this life, when taking Spirit Pills to improve cultivation, it’s best to do so at intervals of at least over a year."
"Otherwise, not only will the accumulation of erysipelas thwart your Foundation Establishment, but it may also lead to having an inner demon like Guang Shu’s wife due to excessive consumption of Spirit Pills!"
These words were mainly spoken for the newly-joined Zhou outsiders and Honored Guest Cultivators like the woman in the red dress to hear.
Having endured harsh conditions before, upon joining the Zhou clan, suddenly having access to numerous Spirit Pills to boost cultivation, they are prone to excessive consumption, ruining their own path.
Originally, by staying in the Zhou clan for a period, they would naturally learn this from their elders or Dao Companions.
But there are always those like the woman in the red dress eager for quick results and achievements.
After all, all of Zhou’s treatment is closely related to cultivation level. There’s a significant difference in status and treatment between outsider cultivators at the Sixth-Layer and those at the Seventh-Layer Qi Cultivation.
The woman in the red dress, newly married into the Zhou family and having just obtained Spirit Pills to enhance cultivation, is understandably eager to advance and break through her realm.
Therefore, Zhouyang did not reprimand her but used her as a counterexample to remind and warn those junior cultivators eager for quick success.
After warning the numerous junior cultivators, Zhouyang was just about to ask if there were any other questions when suddenly a piercing screech pierced through from the peak of Red Tiger Mountain.
At the same time, an unrestrained and enormous presence burst forth from the summit of Red Tiger Mountain.
"It’s the Eagle Lion Beast, it succeeded! It has successfully advanced to a Tier Four Demon Beast!"
With a look of surprise, Zhouyang stood up and gazed towards the direction of the peak where the Eagle Lion Beast slumbered, eyes filled with delight.