The warehouse door opened, revealing stacks of various woods, each emitting its distinct woody aroma.
"Spiritual Teak: 20 Lower Spirit Stones per square meter, Profound Iron Wood: 25 Lower Spirit Stones per square meter, Spiritual Banana Wood: 30 Lower Spirit Stones per square meter, Agarwood: 40 Lower Spirit Stones per square meter, and this Tier Two Spirit Peach Wood, 120 Lower Spirit Stones per square meter. Spirit Peach Wood is mainly made from the branches of a century-old Water Moon Peach, which is ideal for refining wooden puppets," Lin Huirong explained to Li Mu with a smile as she introduced the selection of spirit woods in the warehouse.
Seeing the thick, glossy red Spirit Peach Wood, Li Mu's heart stirred.
The "Thousand Mechanism Puppet Technique" not only records seventy-two methods of refining puppets, but it also details the characteristics of various puppet refining materials. For low-tier wooden puppets, the best material is Spirit Peach Wood.
Spirit Peach Wood has a yin attribute, suitable for the attachment of divine sense. After being refined into a puppet, it is even more suitable for divine soul control. Spirit Peach Wood is also the main material for refining Spirit Communication Magic Swords, and it's quite expensive.
"Is there any discount on the price? I want Spirit Peach Wood," Li Mu asked tentatively while looking at Lin Huirong.
"I'm sorry, young master, but we at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion only offer discounts to customers who have spent a certain amount," Lin Huirong said with an apologetic smile.
"I'll take two square meters of Spirit Peach Wood for now. Can you hold onto the rest for me? I'll come back in a few days when I'm more financially free," Li Mu nodded, speaking with a hint of embarrassment. He also wanted to buy more, but his Spirit Stone Bag was already empty.
"Spirit Peach Wood sells rather slowly, so it'll definitely still be here when you return in a few days," Lin Huirong said with a slight smile, not giving a definitive answer.
Li Mu nodded, paid with spirit stones, and left the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion with two square meters of Spirit Peach Wood. He rented a carriage on the street to return to Little Liang Mountain.
After moving the two square meters of Spirit Peach Wood into the courtyard, Li Mu prepared his engraving knife and began carving the wooden puppet.
Parchment puppets obtain control through the drawing of puppet patterns and the secret method of preparing with Demon Beast Essence Souls, but wooden puppets are different. For wooden puppets, one must inscribe puppet array patterns, embed spirit stones to provide driving force, and set up a Spiritual Control Array within the puppet core. Using divine sense to control the puppet core, one can thus gain control over the puppet.
Initially, Li Mu only intended to refine some Surveillance Puppets to guard against unknown risks.
Now that he had two square meters of Spirit Peach Wood, Li Mu decided not to waste its properties. He planned to refine an additional Labor Puppet to help with daily farm work.
Although his Puppet Refining Technique had reached level four, Li Mu only had a heap of 'experience' and had never worked with engraving before. To increase the success rate of carving the puppet patterns, Li Mu first gathered some ordinary tree branches to practice his carving skills.
The engraving knife danced over the wooden branches, sending wood chips flying like rain.
After half an hour, a wood carving, somewhat resembling a Red Wolf, formed in Li Mu's hands.
"Too rough, still far from carving a real puppet. I need much more practice," Li Mu sighed, dissatisfied with the sculpture's shape.
Quickly, Li Mu devoted himself to practicing wood carving crafts, tending to farm duties during the day, carving wood sculptures, drawing spirit talismans at night, and spending spare time feeding the Colorful Spirit Chicken or teasing the Red Wolf—living a simple yet fulfilling pastoral life.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
As usual, Li Mu cast the Clear Wind Rain Summoning Skill on the Spirit Field, fertilized and weeded the Cui Ling Fruit, and then prepared to return to the courtyard to attempt carving his first puppet. It was at this moment that a Sword Control figure slowly descended from the sky.
Li Mu noticed the newcomer immediately, stopped in his tracks, and smiled to greet the visitor.
"Senior Brother Xu, what a rare visit! What brings you to Little Liang Mountain today?" Li Mu asked, surprised to see the visitor.
Xu Lijin retracted his Flying Sword and landed in front of Li Mu, his eyes full of shock. He had previously tested Li Mu's cultivation when helping him set up the Spirit Summoning Array; Li Mu's talent was extremely low, and his cultivation was only at Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
In just about ten days, not only had Li Mu's cultivation realm risen by two layers, but his divine sense also seemed much stronger; otherwise, he wouldn't have noticed him approaching so quickly. Xu Lijin was completely baffled.
Looking at Li Mu, Xu Lijin asked bluntly, "Junior Brother Zhao, appearances can indeed be deceiving! It's only been a few days, how did your cultivation break through to Qi Refining Seventh Layer?"
Li Mu maintained a calm expression, using the same excuse he had given Old Man Zhang before, attributing his breakthrough to consuming a mysterious Spirit Fruit.
Previously, it was to cover up his rise from Qi Refining Second Layer to Qi Refining Fifth Layer; this time, it covered from Qi Refining Fifth Layer to Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Since Old Man Zhang had returned to the Mortal World, their chances of meeting were slim, allowing Li Mu to continue using the excuse without fear of being exposed.
"I see, Junior Brother, you're truly blessed with luck! To come across such a fortuitous encounter," Xu Lijin exclaimed in envy, understanding finally dawning on him.
This guy must have incredible luck, acquiring not only Middle Grade Spirit Fields but also Spirit Fruits that enhance cultivation. Xu Lijin was dying of jealousy, but kept a cordial demeanor to secure a few Middle Grade Spirit Fields for himself.
Once confirmed that Li Mu's cultivation had indeed reached Qi Refining Seventh Layer, Xu Lijin realized his original plans could no longer be executed. If things got messy, it would be hard to clean up, so he frowned, pondering other strategies.
"Senior Brother Xu, did you come here just to see me?" Li Mu asked, frowning at Xu Lijin, unable to guess his intentions.
Xu Lijin laughed and explained, "I was just inspecting other Spirit Fields. While I was at it, I thought I'd drop by since you have the Spirit Summoning Array here."
"I see. Senior Brother Xu, the Spirit Summoning Array you set up is quite effective. The Spirit Grass sprouting in the new five-acre field is growing well. Let me show you," Li Mu offered, leading the way to the Spirit Field.
Seeing the five acres of new fields already covered with Wind Spirit Grass, which was lush and green, Xu Lijin couldn't help but sneer internally and silently curse, "Damn it, this fool planted the Wind Spirit Grass, the most spirit power-consuming crop, before the Middle Grade Spirit Field transformation finished!"
"Senior Brother Xu, the effect of the Spirit Field conversion is good. It's almost reaching the stage of a Lower Grade Spirit Field. Should the Spirit Summoning Array still be kept running?" Li Mu asked with concern.
"You're managing the Spirit Field wrongly. How about transferring these seven acres to me? I can offer you a larger plot of Spirit Field instead," Xu Lijin proposed meekly, attempting to negotiate with Li Mu.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu frowned, observing Xu Lijin with curiosity, trying to deduce his intention for wanting the seven acres. Seeing his anxious demeanor, Li Mu began to form a suspicion.
"Senior Brother Xu, what issues are there with how I manage the Spirit Field? Could there be some other transformation happening to them?" Li Mu inquired curiously. Suddenly, he imagined a possibility and exclaimed in shock, "Senior Brother Xu, did you mean for the Spirit Summoning Array to run for three months because these fields might advance to Middle Grade Spirit Fields?"
What!
Is he truly this smart!
Hearing Li Mu's words, Xu Lijin was taken aback.
"Junior Brother's joking! The spiritual energy near Qing'an Town is too deficient for Middle Grade Spirit Fields to develop. But the geography of Little Liang Mountain is exceptional, and a distant relative of mine has his eyes on this Spirit Field," Xu Lijin forced a smile, offering an explanation.
Ha!
If not for discovering someone was watching him, Li Mu might have believed him.
Now, with Xu Lijin personally trying to persuade him to give up the Spirit Fields, Li Mu felt even more assured in his judgment. Otherwise, he couldn't figure out why Xu Lijin would do such a thing.
"Senior Brother Xu, I've just planted Cui Ling Fruit, Spirit Rice, and Wind Spirit Grass in these Spirit Fields, investing a lot of my effort, so it's really inconvenient for me to part with them," Li Mu replied, smiling as he declined the offer.
What a joke! Even with better conditions, Li Mu wouldn't agree to Xu Lijin's terms.
These Spirit Plants are crucial for his cultivation and free skill points; Li Mu couldn't wait for them to mature quickly, let alone transfer the seven-acre Spirit Field.
Upon hearing this, Xu Lijin's face darkened. "Is there truly no room for negotiation?"
Li Mu thought for a moment, not wanting to completely offend Xu Lijin and quickly added, "Let's talk business after half a year, once I've harvested this batch of Spirit Plants. Additionally, I need appropriate compensation, and I ask Senior Brother Xu to agree to two of my conditions."
Xu Lijin was enraged and began to chuckle, "Oh! Tell me your conditions."
"First, if we're to exchange fields, I'd like a larger Spirit Field, ideally around thirty to forty acres," Li Mu said with a slight, apologetic smile.
"That's no problem. There's an abundance of Spirit Mountains around Qing'an Town, just keep in mind that such large Spirit Fields won't be as rich in spirit power," Xu Lijin agreed, then asked, "And your second condition?"
"You are an Array Cultivator, Senior Brother Xu. I would also like to learn some skills in this area," Li Mu added with a slight, apologetic smile.
Upon hearing this, Xu Lijin's expression immediately darkened.
"Alright, I will think about this further. Farewell!" Xu Lijin said, leaving a remark before summoning his Flying Sword and taking to the sky. If he stayed any longer, he feared he might lose his temper.
Watching the retreating figure of Xu Lijin leaving via Sword Control, Li Mu blinked, unable to comprehend why he had left so abruptly when they were just negotiating well.