Chapter 60: Hundred Arts Pavilion
Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Hundred Arts Pavilion
For now, it couldn’t be helped. Lu Zhao decided to go buy some Cultivation Pills first. As he walked into the Zhang Family’s Alchemy Room, a familiar medicinal fragrance washed over him. The middle-aged Steward behind the counter looked up at the sound, and a smile appeared on his face when he saw it was Lu Zhao.
"Mr. Lu, you’re here," the Steward said at a leisurely pace. "What kind of Pills will you be needing today?"
Lu Zhao walked up to the counter, took one hundred and eight Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, and placed them neatly on the surface. "Thirty-six Ice Jade Pills."
The Steward’s smile froze. "Mr. Lu, that amount might be a problem. Ice Jade Pills now cost three Spirit Stones and fifty Spiritual Sand each."
Lu Zhao frowned. "Three Spirit Stones and fifty Spiritual Sand? Haven’t Ice Jade Pills always been three Spirit Stones each?"
"Sigh, you may not have heard, Mr. Lu, but the price of Pills has gone up." The Steward rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice. "You’re aware of the recent situation. Most Cultivators aren’t short on Spirit Stones, so they naturally want to focus on improving their Cultivation. As a result, the price of Pills that advance one’s Cultivation has skyrocketed. It’s not just Ice Jade Pills. Even Vessel-Protecting Pills and Cold Jade Pills have gone up by more than thirty percent."
Lu Zhao fell silent. The Steward had hit the nail on the head. With most Cultivators having plenty of Spirit Stones and being unwilling to take risks for the time being, where else could they spend them but on their cultivation? The prices of Pills that advanced one’s Cultivation were naturally driven up.
Hearing this, he quickly ran the numbers in his head. ’Although I have more Spirit Stones on hand than before, the cost of refining a Tier One Middle-Grade Puppet is also enormous. Thirty-six Ice Jade Pills at the new price would cost a full one hundred and twenty-six Spirit Stones. That’s enough to refine half a Tier One Middle-Grade Puppet.’
"Fine," Lu Zhao sighed, suppressing the frustration brought on by the soaring prices. "Just give me twelve for now."
"That will be forty-two Spirit Stones." The Steward swiftly retrieved a Jade Bottle and handed it to Lu Zhao.
After paying the Spirit Stones and stowing the Jade Bottle with its twelve Ice Jade Pills, Lu Zhao turned and left the Alchemy Room. He figured these prices wouldn’t last. Once the Cultivators’ reserves of Spirit Stones were depleted by these expensive Pills, the market would naturally correct itself. For the time being, however, the cost of cultivation had risen sharply.
After buying the Pills, Lu Zhao returned to his abode in the Cold Bamboo Garden. He began circulating the Little Spirit Rain Technique, and as Spiritual Qi was slowly drawn into his body, his turbulent thoughts began to settle.
A moment later, he took out and consumed one of the newly purchased Ice Jade Pills. Its Medicinal Power dissolved, transforming into a torrent of Spiritual Qi that surged through his meridians. Inside his Dantian, the six streams of pale blue Magical Power grew more solid and robust, nourished by the increasingly vast Spiritual Power. Lu Zhao’s Cultivation at the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation was steadily progressing.
A month passed as Lu Zhao focused on his cultivation and honing his Puppetry skills. One day, while he was organizing Puppet Materials in his stone house at the Cold Bamboo Garden, a Sound Transmission Talisman flew in. A clear message entered his mind: "Order: Proceed immediately to the newly established Hundred Arts Pavilion in the Marketplace and await instructions." A helpful note was even attached at the end with directions: "One hundred zhang southeast of the Guest Minister Pavilion."
’Hundred Arts Pavilion?’ A thought stirred in Lu Zhao’s mind. ’This must be the new pavilion Zhou Hua mentioned.’
He dared not delay. After tidying up, he hurried over to the Hundred Arts Pavilion.
When Lu Zhao arrived near the Guest Minister Pavilion, he saw a brand-new, three-story building with flying eaves, interlocking brackets, and vermilion-lacquered carved railings. A huge plaque hung above the door, inscribed with three large words: Hundred Arts Pavilion.
The moment Lu Zhao stepped into the main hall, a young Steward in a pristine green robe approached him with a smile. He clasped his hands in greeting. "You must be Lu Guest Minister, Lu Zhao? My name is Zhou Lin. I have been waiting for you. Please, follow me."
Lu Zhao nodded and followed Zhou Lin through the bustling front hall to an elegantly furnished Quiet Chamber on the second floor. The scent of sandalwood drifted through the air, insulating the room from the clamor outside.
"Please have a seat, Lu Guest Minister." Zhou Lin gestured for Lu Zhao to sit before taking a seat himself. He got straight to the point. "I imagine you have some questions about the establishment of the Hundred Arts Pavilion."
Lu Zhao nodded. Seeing this, Zhou Lin continued his explanation. "This is a new institution established by the family to coordinate all the Cultivators of Hundred Arts under our banner. The goal is to integrate resources and strengthen collaboration. We hope to provide all of our Pill Masters, Artifact Masters, Array Masters, Talisman Masters—and of course, Puppet Masters like yourself—a better environment to improve your skills, reduce resource constraints, and ultimately enhance the family’s overall strength..."
Lu Zhao listened quietly, but he was sneering on the inside. ’The Cultivation Realm has its fair share of bureaucratic doublespeak. This all sounds so high and mighty, but "integrating resources" is the real truth of it. As for "reducing resource constraints" and "enhancing the family’s overall strength," that’s more likely the result of political maneuvering by the higher-ups.’
Unaware of Lu Zhao’s thoughts, Zhou Lin continued his enthusiastic introduction. "The pavilion’s facilities are all-inclusive. Pill Masters have dedicated Earth Fire Alchemy Rooms. Artifact Masters have Artifact Refining Chambers, complete with Artifact Refining Furnaces. Array Masters have special Array Performance Quiet Chambers, and Talisman Masters have their own places for Gathering Spirit and meditation..."
He paused, his gaze falling on Lu Zhao with a slight smile. "As for Puppet Masters... if you don’t mind, Lu Guest Minister, you may temporarily use one of the Artifact Rooms. The layout can be slightly modified to suit your needs."
Lu Zhao felt a pang of resignation. ’Just as I thought. People who don’t know any better always lump Puppet Masters in with Artifact Refiners.’ In reality, while Puppetry required a foundation in Artifact Refining, its core lay in carving the Puppet Core Spirit Patterns, setting up the Spirit Control Array, and the art of "Enlightenment" used to bestow spirituality upon the Puppet. It was just that this final step was not typically used for Low-Tier Puppets. Puppetry was actually much closer to the arts of Arrays and the Refining Spirit Dao.
However, Lu Zhao didn’t bother to explain. From the perspective of simply refining puppet bodies and processing materials, the environment of an Artifact Room was indeed far superior to his own crude stone chamber.
"Thank you for your consideration, Steward Zhou," Lu Zhao said, nodding in acceptance.
Zhou Lin’s smile widened. "Excellent. Also, you need not worry about your status as a Guest Minister Elder. The Hundred Arts Pavilion wasn’t established to replace the Guest Minister Pavilion. You will remain on the Guest Minister Pavilion’s roster, entitled to its Salary and mission system, while simultaneously being under the jurisdiction of the Hundred Arts Pavilion and accepting its assigned tasks. The two roles can coexist."
Lu Zhao tensed slightly. ’A dual identity means dual obligations, but it could also mean more opportunities.’ He immediately latched onto the key point. "Tasks? Does the Hundred Arts Pavilion have any tasks for a Puppet Master at the moment?" Right now, his main concern was finding a stable outlet for his work.
"There are no specific Puppet Refining tasks at the moment," Zhou Lin said, shaking his head. Then his tone shifted, and a smile returned to his face. "However, the pavilion does have a long-term task you might find interesting, Lu Guest Minister: taking on an apprentice."
"An apprentice?" Lu Zhao frowned.
"Precisely," Zhou Lin explained. "The family wishes to cultivate a new generation of talent in the Cultivation Hundred Arts. If you are willing to take on a student and teach the basics of Puppetry, you will receive an additional stipend of three Spirit Stones per month. The apprentice’s daily expenses would also be covered by the pavilion. What do you say, Lu Guest Minister?"
Lu Zhao fell silent for a moment, a faint smile touching his lips. He knew this was just the Zhou Family’s way of binding him more closely to them, while also taking the opportunity to cultivate the next generation of Puppet Masters.