Chapter 420: The Second Puppet Academy

"That person has already been slain by me; you four may leave first.

I am afraid I cannot accompany you any further."

Lin Chao took a look at the four of them and committed their faces to memory.

After all, in such a situation, those who were still willing to stay behind were not bad at all.

Yuwen Kang and the others also understood Lin Chao's words.

Lin Chao had displayed such strength and had an unfathomable background; he was certainly no ordinary person.

"Brother Lin, as we travel the world, we shall meet again if fate allows." Yuwen Kang bid farewell to Lin Chao.

Xue Yang also felt a strange sense of emotion.

When he had just saved Lin Chao, he had thought he was a God Bone possessor who had just undergone Awakening.

Now it seemed he had been completely wrong.

Under Lin Chao's gaze, the four of them departed.

Only Lin Chao remained within the Ancient God Temple.

"In a little while, the Ancient God Temple will close."

The next time it opens will be in several years.

If one is trapped inside when it closes, they will be plunged into the Void and will surely die.

However, Lin Chao had no such concerns; after slaying the man in the gold mask, Lin Chao had obtained quite a few Ancient God inheritances, and coupled with the inheritance of the Ancient Mountain God, it could be said that all the Ancient God inheritances in this Ancient God Treasure Hall had already fallen into his hands.

He needed to spend some time simply digesting these inheritances before leaving this place.

This was a good place to digest the inheritances and recover his strength.

While Lin Chao was recovering his strength and digesting the inheritances, the entire Lu Province City underwent a massive upheaval.

The events within the Ancient God Treasure Hall had already been reported to the imperial court by the young God Bone possessors.

Within the imperial court, people even came from the Heavenly Court to Lu Province City to investigate the matter.

Yuwen Kang and Xue Yang, who had close ties to Lin Chao, were both called in for questioning.

Of course, they had only met Lin Chao by chance and did not even know his name, so they were unable to provide any information.

However, the matter of the Ancient God Temple and the man in the gold mask had attracted the attention of the Heavenly Court.

Every time a new Ancient God Temple opened, experts from the Heavenly Court would enter to prevent accidents from occurring.

Dengyang City.

Second Puppet Academy.

In the classroom, twenty-three students were sitting upright, listening to the teacher's lecture.

Time passed quickly, and soon, the elderly teacher waved his hand: "Today's lesson ends here.

You have all fully mastered the thirty-seven types of mortise-and-tenon structures of ancient puppets.

It is time for me to assign your course project; it is very simple... successfully craft an Intermediate-Grade ancient puppet.

There is no limit on its lifespan."

The students below were invigorated upon hearing this.

They could finally begin crafting Intermediate-Grade ancient puppets.

Once they succeeded, it meant they could graduate from the Second Puppet Academy.

Then, they would become respected Puppet Makers, holding a rather high status in the Ancient Tang Empire.

There were very few people in this profession, but it was highly sought after, and one could live a life without worry.

At this moment, the elderly teacher set his gaze upon a young man and coughed before saying: "Lin Gui, your course project is different from the others.

The puppet you craft must have a lifespan limit, tentatively set at ten years."

Hearing this, the students' expressions shifted slightly.

"Ten years of lifespan; Teacher Mo is really strict with Junior Lin Gui!"

"Can Junior Lin Gui be compared to us?

Although he is a transfer student and hasn't been in our academy long, he has displayed astonishing talent that has even attracted the attention of the big shots in the Inner Academy.

I reckon that once he finishes his coursework, he will enter the Inner Academy!"

Hearing the words "Inner Academy," the students present all wore expressions of envy.

To enter the Inner Academy, the minimum requirement was the ability to craft a High-level Puppet.

As for them, being able to craft an Intermediate-Grade puppet was their limit.

A High-level Puppet?

I'm afraid they would only have a sliver of a chance to step into that realm decades after graduation!

There was no point in thinking about it now.

Lin Gui looked at the teacher and stood up without any timidity: "Very well, Teacher."

Teacher Mo nodded with satisfaction: "Lin Gui, the Inner Academy has granted your previous request to enter the Inner Academy Library Pavilion to read ancient texts; this is your identification badge."

As Teacher Mo spoke, he handed an identification badge to Lin Gui.

Lin Gui took it: "Many thanks, Teacher."

The other students in the room looked at Lin Gui with both envy and jealousy in their eyes.

After the class ended, Lin Gui took the identification badge and left the classroom.

Lin Gui was the alias Lin Chao was using at this time.

After absorbing the Ancient God inheritances in the Ancient God Temple and recovering from his injuries, Lin Chao had left the Ancient God Temple.

He chose to come to Dengyang City and join the Second Puppet Academy.

This Academy is one of the top three puppet academies in the Ancient Tang Empire, and it has produced a vast number of Puppet Makers.

There are many talents here regarding puppet making, and it also provides quite a lot of materials.

For Lin Chao, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge.

Coming here to learn some puppet-making methods is better than saving time by fumbling around on one's own.

Moreover, this place can provide many materials for making puppets, which is also of great use to Lin Chao.

After all, his goal is to make a God-Tier Puppet.

Making a puppet requires taking it one step at a time.

He certainly cannot make a God-Tier Puppet in a single step.

Although, taking it slow will always lead to a day of success.

But for Lin Chao, this is too much of a waste of time and materials.

The materials for making a God-Tier Puppet are limited; wasting one means one less God-Tier Puppet will appear in the world.

So Lin Chao came here to lay a good foundation, then achieve success in one stroke and create a God-Tier Puppet.

Lin Chao walked toward his private casting room.

The private casting room is located in the inner courtyard; only those in the inner courtyard have their own private casting rooms.

Lin Chao is quite special, so he also exceptionally has his own private casting room.

"Lin Gui, you're here." On the way, a young woman wearing short-sleeved work clothes greeted Lin Chao enthusiastically.

A layer of cloth was bound across her chest, making what was already flat appear even flatter.

Because the weather was very hot, she was dressed very coolly; her flat abdomen and the skin around her arms were all exposed to the air, and her skin was not snow-white, but a healthy wheat color.

She was free-spirited and unconstrained by trifles, throwing herself heart and soul into casting puppets, and did not care about these things.

Many students called her generous but not wealthy.

"Senior Sister Wang Lu." Lin Chao also greeted her.

Senior Sister Wang Lu is the daughter of the inner courtyard dean, and she has a very high status and position in the inner courtyard.

"When will you graduate from the outer courtyard?

After you graduate, are you interested in coming to my casting workshop?" Wang Lu extended an olive branch to Lin Chao.

This little junior brother had shown astonishing talent the moment he arrived at the Second Puppet Academy.

The Second Puppet Academy had always had a puppet-making puzzle, which Lin Gui solved on his very first day.

It is precisely because of this that Lin Gui was qualified to exceptionally join the Second Puppet Academy and gain the attention of the inner courtyard.

Wang Lu also thought highly of Lin Gui and hoped to recruit Lin Gui to work in her own puppet casting workshop.

"Sorry, Senior Sister Wang Lu, I am still lacking in many aspects of puppet making, and I want to study alone for a period of time before considering whether to join a workshop." Lin Chao refused.

He would not stay here for too long.

Moreover, if the Ancient God Temple opens, it would be convenient for him to leave and collect materials.

If he joined a workshop, it would be difficult for him to leave.

In his own private casting room, he could leave at any time, and he would not be discovered.

"What a pity." Wang Lu was somewhat disappointed; she patted Lin Chao on the shoulder, "Study hard, the future of our Academy depends on you young people."

Lin Chao also smiled: "Senior Sister, you are also very young."

Wang Lu was indeed not old, only in her early twenties, just a little older than Shivana.

"Right, when you leave later, go to Dayu Hall to collect some gifts.

Yesterday, the Heavenly Phenomenon Workshop made a breakthrough, and the inner courtyard is overjoyed; everyone can collect a gift.

You are also a part of the inner courtyard, don't miss out." Wang Lu mentioned this with a pleasant mood.

The Heavenly Phenomenon Workshop is the largest workshop in the inner courtyard of the Second Puppet Academy.

It can be said that all the Puppet Makers in the inner courtyard count as part of the Heavenly Phenomenon Workshop, serving the Heavenly Phenomenon Workshop and also serving to realize that supreme ideal of the Second Puppet Academy.

That is... to replicate and forge a Legendary Puppet!

It can be said that the primary goal of the several major puppet academies today is to make a Legendary Puppet, and they are all working hard for it.

Unfortunately, the making of a Legendary Puppet is not that simple.

The Second Puppet Academy has been established for several hundred years and has always been working hard for this goal, but it is still a long way from success.

"A Legendary Puppet has been made?" Lin Chao asked.

"You think too much!

If a Legendary Puppet were made, my dad would definitely have run to Wangcheng by now and moved that Legendary Puppet to the front gate of the First Puppet Academy.

The Heavenly Phenomenon Workshop just had a small breakthrough, solving a difficulty in forging a certain material; we are still a long way from making a Legendary Puppet."

Wang Lu patted Lin Chao's shoulder again, then patted her own buttocks, said a few words to Lin Chao, and turned to leave.

Lin Chao watched Wang Lu leave; along the way, he saw many Puppet Makers.

These Puppet Makers seemed to be in a very good mood.

Clearly, breaking through a difficulty in material forging is a thing worth being happy about.

"The forging of Ink Gold?"

Lin Chao muttered to himself and entered his private casting room.

Inside the private casting room, there were various small tools and a large pile of materials stacked up.

Because ancient puppet making is supported and invested in by the official Ancient Tang Empire, these materials seem as if they are worthless.

Every private casting room is filled with various materials.

There are materials ranging from those for entry-level puppets to High-level Puppets.

On one hand, it is to let Puppet Makers understand more production techniques; on the other hand, it is also in the hope that some Puppet Makers might have a flash of inspiration and solve the puzzle of making a Legendary Puppet.

At this moment, Lin Chao stood before the massive furnace.

His hands guided the materials, and quite a few flew out.

These materials were all materials for crafting a Legendary Puppet.

Under Lin Chao's guidance, these materials began to be forged, melting into liquid, with some even turning into gas.

"The most important thing for a Legendary Puppet is the strength of the puppet's body.

Therefore, forging the materials and bringing out the metal's own properties is particularly critical."

Lin Chao muttered to himself.

At this time, he was attempting to craft a Legendary Puppet.

"A God-Tier Puppet is several coefficients harder than a Legendary Puppet.

The most important thing is the compatibility between the divine office and the materials.

So, it is not enough to just bring out the properties of the materials; one also needs to forge the materials to... have Divinity."

While forging the Legendary Puppet, Lin Chao accumulated experience and pondered the method for forging a God-Tier Puppet.

Time passed minute by minute, and a humanoid figure slowly appeared before Lin Chao.

This humanoid figure was slightly shorter than Lin Chao, wearing simple armor, holding a long blade in its left hand, and carrying a bow and arrows on its back.

At first glance, it appeared powerful yet restrained.

"The Legendary Puppet is finished, but unfortunately, it has some flaws."

Lin Chao inspected this first Legendary Puppet he had manufactured, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Although this Legendary Puppet possessed Legendary strength, its stats were very average in every aspect.

Its speed, strength, and destructive methods were all very average.

An ordinary Legendary could not kill it, but it could not kill an ordinary Legendary either.

"It would be great if I could install an Arcane Eye on it."

Lin Chao murmured.

Although this work was not perfect, it was considered quite good for Lin Chao.

After trying a few more times and accumulating enough experience, he would be able to enter the Ancient God Temple and attempt to forge a God-Tier Puppet.

"Alright, while the furnace fire hasn't died out yet, let me finish the assignment Teacher Mo gave me.

Hmm... this puppet has flaws, so why not..."

Lin Chao thought for a moment.

He felt it would be better to make use of the waste, modifying this puppet into a twin puppet.

On the surface, it would just be an Intermediate-Grade Puppet.

However, it could be activated in special circumstances to display the strength of a Legendary Puppet.

No sooner said than done, Lin Chao began to modify this Legendary Puppet.

Inside the inner courtyard.

A group of young Puppet Makers were sitting together, and Wang Lu glanced toward the private casting room: "How many more days do you think Junior Brother Lin Gui will take to come out? He has already been inside for a day."

"Teacher Mo's assignment... is not difficult.

An Intermediate-Grade Puppet with a ten-year lifespan is very difficult for students of the outer courtyard, but for us, it's a piece of cake; we could finish it in three days."

"Why three days? One day is enough."

"Indeed, Teacher Mo's assignment is just for them to assemble it; they don't even need to forge the materials themselves. It won't take more than two days for Lin Gui to come out."

At this moment, a middle-aged man suddenly said: "Has Lin Gui's identity been investigated clearly?

He suddenly came to our Academy, I fear there is something strange, we must be on guard."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lu slapped the middle-aged man on the head: "Senior Brother, I think you've cast yourself silly from making puppets!

Junior Brother Lin Gui is single-mindedly devoted to studying the Puppet Making Method; how could he have any bad intentions?

Could it be that he came to steal our techniques?

Even if he did, so what?

Isn't the purpose of our several major puppet Academies to jointly manufacture even more powerful puppets?

We should carry forward the puppet manufacturing methods, not hide them in our own coffins!"

Wang Lu's words were agreed with by many people present.

The Senior Brother also smiled awkwardly.

"Junior Sister, it is I who was pedantic."

Just then, the private casting room opened, and Lin Chao's figure emerged from within.

Behind him followed a puppet.

Seeing Lin Chao, a look of joy appeared in Wang Lu's eyes!

"Junior Brother Lin Gui, very good, you managed to craft an Intermediate-Grade Puppet after only entering for one day.

Let Senior Sister see, how did you make this puppet?

Everyone, Senior Brothers, also give Junior Brother Lin Gui's puppet a score and offer him some guidance!"

(End of this chapter)