I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

After chatting for a while.

Lu Feng took a sip of tea and got down to business, asking Wei Tu what puppet he planned to repair.

"This puppet is of great significance to me; it is an important fighting force within me and my primary means of dealing with the enemy..."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu did not immediately take out his "little monkey puppet," but instead pondered for a moment before uttering these words.

He wasn't lying when he said that.

He didn't intend to reveal his "seventh-order body refinement" realm directly within the "Heavenly Abyss Holy City," as the sudden appearance of a "Demon Lord" within the Holy City would be too conspicuous.

After counting and counting, the only thing he could rely on to provide combat protection was this "little monkey puppet".

It serves as a convenient cover, providing him with a strong guarantee of strength during this "transition period" in Tianyuan Holy City.

If he can be repaired even slightly and regain some of his original "combined power," it will be enough for him to deal with some crises at the level of a Demon Commander.

This is why, a few days ago, when faced with the olive branch extended by Cai Xiaozhu, he seized the opportunity and brought up the matter of "repairing the puppet."

This wasn't just an excuse to deepen his relationship with Cai Xiaozhu; it also concealed a deeper, more profound consideration within him.

That's killing two birds with one stone.

After hearing Wei Tu's words, Lü Feng, who had been in business for a long time, had a slight change of mind and immediately understood the meaning behind Wei Tu's words and his concerns.

—Puppets, like supernatural powers and secret arts, come in all shapes and sizes, and there isn't just one type. Once their information is leaked, they become targets, which not only fails to guarantee safety but could very well become a source of danger.

"Master Kou can rest assured. Lianwu Puppet Workshop is very famous in the Holy City and has many commissions for seventh-order puppets... In terms of reputation, it is trustworthy."

"If Master Kou is worried that I might leak information about that puppet, just add one more mid-grade magic crystal, and I will swear an oath to the Heavenly Demon to keep this secret."

Lu Feng smiled faintly and said in a friendly manner.

Such requests are very common in the manufacture and repair of puppets. He has already skillfully compiled a set of corresponding scripts and uses them as an additional service.

However, upon hearing this, Consort Cai did not take the initiative to "avoid suspicion" as Wei Tu had predicted.

The woman smiled sweetly, and with a flick of her delicate hand, she took out a mid-grade magic crystal and placed it on the table. "I am also curious about what kind of puppet Master Kou is trying to repair... that it has reached the point where it needs to be kept strictly secret."

"...Of course, Master Kou can rest assured that I will swear an oath to the Heavenly Demons to ensure that I will not reveal a single thing about everything I have seen and heard in this private room."

Cai Xiaozhu blinked her beautiful eyes slightly as she spoke, acting as if she were no outsider.

After speaking, she took the initiative to make a Heavenly Demon Oath in front of all the cultivators, promising to keep Wei Tu's identity a secret and not to covet the puppet in the slightest. She also made a firm demand that Lü Feng and Gong Shulan, who were present, also make the oath.

See this scene.

Wei Tu's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

Although this woman is somewhat "reckless," she is quite principled and knows her limits when it comes to important matters. At least he is willing to trust the oath she made to the Heavenly Demon.

Even if the ancient demon is cunning and enjoys fooling others, he would not make a fuss about the oath of the Heavenly Demon.

This is somewhat different from the seemingly benevolent but often broken-promise environment of the spirit world.

Most ancient demons choose to abide by the contract and act in accordance with it, demonstrating a strong sense of contractual spirit.

Furthermore, this "little monkey puppet," though important, is far from being a "damaged version" that would make Cai Xiaozhu, the offspring of the Demon Lord, willing to offend him, a sixth-grade high-level alchemist, for it.

Therefore, seeing that the cultivators had made the oath of the Heavenly Demon, Wei Tu hesitated for a moment, then patted the storage bag at his waist and took out the little monkey puppet that had been damaged by Prince Qing.

This puppet is half the height of a human and golden in color, but due to the huge, visible tear running from its abdomen through its back, it has lost all its spirituality and is now almost an ordinary object.

However, all the cultivators present, including Lü Feng, Cai Xiaozhu, and Gong Shulan, clearly felt a weak but terrifying pressure emanating from the little monkey puppet.

"A seventh-tier puppet?"

Cai Xiaozhu's tone was slightly surprised, and she felt a little regretful for the oath she had made to the Heavenly Demon.

Of course, I only felt a little regret.

Firstly, the monkey puppet was too badly damaged, and based on her experience, she did not believe it could be easily repaired.

Even if the repairs are successful, it can only exert a fraction of its original combat power at most.

From a seventh-tier puppet, it instantly plummeted to a "seventh-tier damaged treasure"!
Secondly, this little monkey puppet is not a "demon puppet," but a "spiritual puppet" used by spiritual cultivators.

In terms of specific control, it is undoubtedly much less effective than other "magical puppets" of the same level.

"The wound is fresh, but the aura is ancient. This spirit puppet... must have been obtained by this man surnamed Kou in one of the 'Five Minor Realms.' Although the Five Minor Realms have now been transformed into part of the Ancient Demon Realm by the Demon God and the Demon Ancestor, there are still considerable spiritual cultivation ruins within them... including some rare seventh-tier spirit puppets..."

Cai Xiaozhu's beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she pondered to herself.

After this thought flashed through her mind, she became even more interested in Wei Tu's strength. This "little monkey puppet" was able to suffer such a "new injury" and become a useless thing - didn't that mean that Wei Tu had once survived from the hands of a demon lord?
"Worth cultivating! Worth befriending!"

she thought to herself.

The Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce is not afraid of offending a "Demon Lord" who could save the Demon General's life. Compared to the threat of this "Demon Lord," this "Demon General" with great potential and considerable expertise in alchemy is undoubtedly more valuable!
"Hehe. Master Kou... you can't judge a book by its cover."

After his initial surprise, Lü Feng couldn't help but utter this remark of emotion.

"However, I am only a sixth-tier puppeteer and do not yet have the ability to fully repair this seventh-tier spirit puppet..."

"Master Kou, you should find someone more capable."

He shook his head and gave a wry smile.

With his expertise in puppetry, although he couldn't restore the "Little Monkey Puppet" to its original state, he could restore it to about 30-40% of its original size, making it barely usable.

However, this would inevitably take up a lot of his time and energy, and from a business perspective, this deal was not worthwhile, so he had to decline it.

Unless... Wei Tu adds more money!
Wei Tu had anticipated this matter.

The price difference between repairing a seventh-tier puppet and repairing a sixth-tier puppet is naturally enormous. The "rare spiritual materials" used in the former are several times, or even dozens of times, more expensive than those used in the latter.

However... he was inevitably a little short of money when it came to magic crystals.

Over the decades, although he had earned some magic crystals within the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce, it should be noted that in the beginning, what he refined was the "Spirit Shaping Pill," a task assigned to him... He was criticized by veteran alchemists and naturally did not earn much commission.

Thinking of this, Wei Tu subconsciously looked at Cai Xiaozhu beside him.

This woman is the "young master" of the Kui Dou Merchant Guild; given his status, he should be able to borrow some of her resources first...

"It seems I still owe Fairy Yu thirty mid-grade spirit crystals. We agreed that I would repay the debt in twenty years."

Suddenly, Wei Tu remembered this old story and felt a little sad and sentimental.

For hundreds of years, he was constantly hunted down and escaped with the [Boundary-Severing Stone]. Naturally, he had no chance to return to the "Thunder Swamp Continent" and go to the Myriad Spirits Immortal City to personally repay that debt in front of Fairy Yu.

but--

Just as Wei Tu was about to speak to Consort Cai, following the old precedent.

A clear, bell-like voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Senior Brother Lü may find it difficult to repair this seventh-tier spirit puppet, but I might be able to give it a try..."

As soon as these words fell.

Although Wei Tu's face remained calm, he looked at Gong Shulan, who was standing behind Lü Feng, with some surprise.

As an old friend, he knew Gong Shulan's talent and superb skills in the art of puppetry. Otherwise, she would not have been able to stand out in Tianyuan Holy City, become the personal disciple of the Demon Lord Lianwu, and the most famous fifth-order puppeteer under his command. But you should know that the little monkey puppet he repaired was a seventh-order puppet!
What means does a fifth-tier puppeteer have to repair a seventh-tier puppet?
Besides, the woman's "divine sense" also surprised him.

Generally speaking, it is very difficult for a Nascent Soul cultivator to secretly transmit their divine sense in front of a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator.

This woman's spiritual sense had already reached the "mid-stage of Void Refinement" level, spanning a major realm!

“Miss Mei has quite the nerve, relying on the favor of the Demon Lord Lianwu to even steal Master Lü’s business… I don’t think you can’t sense his surprise…”

"Furthermore, Miss Mei, you are merely a fifth-level puppeteer, yet you dare to claim you can repair my puppets? Are you perhaps trying to make fun of me?"

Wei Tu suppressed his surprise and spoke to the woman in a cold voice.

"Whether it can be repaired or not, you'll know once you try, senior. As for stealing business... since Senior Brother Lü has already stated that he doesn't want to do this business, what's wrong with me giving it a try?"

"Furthermore, would you think that I would deliberately squander my reputation? Among fifth-tier puppeteers, I am quite renowned... How could I possibly shoot myself in the foot over such a trivial matter?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Gong Shulan replied at an extremely fast pace, clearly having already prepared her response to his "question."

"I won't easily squander my reputation..."

Hearing this, Wei Tu had to admit that he trusted Gong Shulan more, even though she was not someone he knew well and was just a stranger.

"Ha! I can have you do the work for me. But I won't be so generous with the commission. You should know how much risk I'm taking by asking you..."

"If the repair is successful, that's fine. But if it fails, not only will the puppet be damaged even more severely, but it will also be difficult to find another suitable person within the Holy City to repair it..."

Wei Tu's eyes flashed, and he spoke these words in a sarcastic tone.

Although the "little monkey puppet" is important, it is not something he cannot give up right now. In his opinion, it is worthwhile to "damage the puppet" and test the woman again.

An old friend from another world is far better than a badly damaged puppet.

Moreover, what this woman said did seem to suggest she was somewhat confident. He certainly didn't want to spend more magic crystals if he could avoid it.

"Senior, you can rest assured about that. I don't ask for much. I don't need that many mid-grade magic crystals. I only need a portion of top-grade 'Demon God's Blood Essence'..."

"Of course, the raw materials for repairing the puppet will need to be provided by you, senior. This is something I cannot do for you."

Gong Shulan replied fluently, showing no trace of the "dullness" she displayed when standing next to Lü Feng.

"Demon God's Blood Essence..."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu paused slightly and frowned slightly.

The Blood Marrow of the Demon God, though renowned, has little direct relation to the "Demon God," who is comparable to a Tribulation-Transcending Immortal.

It is roughly equivalent to the "Azure Spirit Ointment" that human cultivators usually use when breaking through to the "Refining Void" stage—a kind of spiritual item used by demon generals when breaking through to the Demon Commander stage.

Offering a high-level spiritual item as payment isn't an outrageous request. In fact, it could be said that the price is quite low for an ancient demon who is openly a "late-stage Demon Commander."

But you should know—

The "Mei Shixue" in front of us is not some rogue cultivator with no background, but the personal disciple of the powerful "Lianwu Demon Lord"!
Loose cultivators don't have "Demon God Blood Essence" to use...

Could it be that the personal disciple of "Lord Lianwu" does not have a high-quality "Demon God Blood Essence" to break through his realm?
“It seems that you and Demon Lord Lianwu are not as close as Master Lü said…” Wei Tu’s eyes flashed, and he probed directly without any hesitation.

Unfortunately, upon hearing this, Gong Shulan was not easily fooled and revealed her "disagreement" with the Demon Lord Lianwu.

She made a firm statement that she would not force Wei Tu if he was unwilling.

“Master, you have certainly made preparations for our ‘Demon God Blood Essence’, but being able to break through on your own without relying on your power will undoubtedly earn you more of your favor.”

Gong Shulan paused for a moment, then added.

At this point, Gong Shulan felt a chill in her heart, believing that Wei Tu would not agree to her request.

Unexpectedly, just when her mood hit rock bottom, the gray-robed male cultivator in front of her suddenly nodded slightly and lightly agreed.

"Is what you said true, senior?"

Gong Shulan was slightly taken aback and asked with a hint of uncertainty.

Wei Tu was not the first person she approached.

With her eloquence and reputation, she persuaded many demon generals to steal Lu Feng's business... but basically, they would all perish when they reached the "Demon God's Blood Essence" stage.

Because no one dares to risk offending the "Pitying Centipede Demon Lord," who is at a higher level!
“Since you are confident, Fellow Daoist, there’s no reason for me not to do something that can save magic crystals… Besides, I happen to have a 'Demon God Blood Essence' left over from my previous breakthrough, so there’s no need to find someone else to buy it…”

"Of course, all of this is on the condition that you swear an oath to the Heavenly Demons, guaranteeing that you will not reveal that the 'Blood Essence of the Demon God' came from me..."

Wei Tu's indifferent reply somewhat dispelled Gong Shulan's concerns.

Secondly, what he said is true.

He does indeed possess a portion of "Demon God Blood Essence," but this portion of "Demon God Blood Essence" has not yet been refined.

—Because the so-called "Demon God's Blood Essence" is the "Demon God's Essence Blood" purified by the ancient demon from the "Demon God's Bloodline" within a sixth-order demon body...

He didn't have the essence and blood of the demon god.

However, he still possessed a considerable amount of the "Demon Ancestor's Holy Blood" obtained from the Dark Raven Tower. After removing the impurities and refining the essence, it became the "Demon God's Blood Marrow," a more precious and superior substance.

"After this woman advances to the rank of Demon Commander, I wonder... what changes will occur..." Wei Tu's heart stirred slightly as he looked forward to Gong Shulan's next move.

He did not believe that this woman bypassing "Loyal Centipede Demon Lord" to demand other "Demon God Blood Essence" was a suicidal act; she must have other secrets and schemes that she did not want others to know.

For safety reasons, he wouldn't reveal his identity to this woman, but offering her some help within his power wouldn't be difficult.

Of course, most importantly, he himself was not particularly afraid of "Lord Pity Centipede".

Even disregarding their hidden "strength," the mere fact that the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce is a sixth-tier high-grade alchemist is enough to make them act with great caution... After all, the "Kui Dou Demon Lord" who owns the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce is no weakling.

If they were to easily sell him off as their "pillar of the empire," the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce would have no reason to exist.

And "off-the-books tactics"...

He would be even less afraid.

Once he successfully advances to the "Fusion" stage, ordinary demon lords will be no match for him!
Even if they are no match for the enemy, they can still escape with ease using the [Boundary Stone] treasure.

And the time when he advances to the "Fusion" stage shouldn't be too far off. (End of Chapter)