Chapter 122

He saw a massive, three-zhang-tall robot walking grandly into the hall under the stunned gazes of a group of inner sect disciples.

This robot was entirely silver and shimmering. Its head was flat with only two holes, but its body was square, and its legs were exceptionally slender. Yet, it walked with great agility, showing no signs of clumsiness. Crucially, a massive, pitch-black spiked club was strapped to the robot's back.

"This is..."

Wang Yu's eyes were nearly popping out of his head.

"What, Wang Shidi hasn't seen this giant mechanical puppet newly produced by the Tiangong Sect?

This Jin Gang-type puppet is made entirely of various rare materials, and inside, five or six types of attribute spirit patterns, such as 'lightweight' and 'sturdy,' have been inscribed. The key is that the interior space is huge, allowing the controller to hide directly inside. It is claimed to be impenetrable to anyone below the Foundation Establishment stage.

But the price is also astronomical; it is said that one unit costs thirty thousand spirit stones. I wonder which spoiled brat from a great family would actually dare spend so many spirit stones to purchase one." Wan Shan, standing nearby, said with envy and jealousy.

Tiangong Sect!

Thirty thousand spirit stones!

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu didn't know whether to be surprised by the Tiangong Sect or shocked by the sky-high price of this Jin Gang puppet.

Just then, the giant robot had already walked to the front row in a few steps. Suddenly, a small door opened in its abdomen, and a fair-skinned, clean-looking youth jumped out.

"Li Shixiong, Yun Shijie."

The youth had handsome features and a sunny face. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he greeted Li Yan and Yun Yun Cai Shang.

But the moment the latter two saw the fair-skinned youth, their expressions changed drastically.

"Chen Shixiong."

Both of them actually stood up immediately and bowed to the fair-skinned youth.

"What Shixiong? I've said it before, I am Shidi. If anyone calls me Shixiong again, I'm going to lose my temper." Upon hearing this, the fair-skinned youth threw a tantrum.

Seeing this, Li Yan and Yun Yun Cai Shang could only offer bitter smiles to each other.

"I'm really fed up with you two. Every time we meet, you have to remind me that I'm very old. It's really infuriating." The fair-skinned youth grumbled, flicking his sleeve toward the giant puppet. Instantly, a flash of white light passed, and the Jin Gang puppet vanished without a trace.

Only then did the youth sit grandly on the stone stool in the middle of the first row.

"Wan Shixiong, who is this..."

Witnessing this scene from afar, Wang Yu couldn't help but ask Wan Shan beside him.

But Wan Shan, at the moment he saw the fair-skinned youth, was even more shocked than Wang Yu, replying in astonishment:

"It seems to be our Four Symbols Gate's number one true disciple, Chen Tianxing Dashi-xiong. He is the existence closest to the Golden Core among all the true disciples. But I saw him once a few years ago, and he was a youth back then. How has he become so small now?"

Wang Yu was also startled upon hearing this and couldn't help but take a few more looks at the fair-skinned youth.

At this time, more inner sect disciples walked into the stone hall, but no other true disciples appeared.

After a full quarter of an hour, when the entire hall had gathered two hundred inner sect disciples, a group of people finally walked in from a side door of the hall and ascended the stone platform.

There were four people in total. At the front were an old man and a young girl, a man and a woman. Behind them were two Foundation Establishment cultivators wearing Four Symbols Gate elder robes.

The old man at the front had a somewhat long face but sparse hair. The young girl behind him appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen, with clear black and white eyes and a face full of scholarly air, as if she were a girl from next door.

As soon as the four ascended the platform, the hall below fell into absolute silence.

A yellow-faced elder of the Four Symbols Gate stepped forward first, coughed lightly toward the platform, and said:

"I think there is no need for me to say much; all you junior disciples should know who the fellow Daoist behind me is.

Fellow Daoist Master Master Qi Miao' spellcraft is profound and famous throughout the entire Wu Nation's cultivation world, so I will not waste any more words. I invite Fellow Daoist Master Master Qi Miao to come forward and lecture.

All junior disciples, take note: simply listen quietly. If you have doubts or do not understand, you are not permitted to interrupt the lecture without authorization. Otherwise, the light punishment will be expulsion from the hall, and the heavy punishment will be handled according to sect rules."

Once the yellow-faced elder finished speaking, he stepped back, yielding his position.

Master Master Master Qi Miao, who had sparse hair, smiled slightly and walked forward without ceremony. With a flick of his sleeve, a ball of silver light flew out. After flickering in the wind, it transformed into a five-colored lotus platform.

Master Master Master Qi Miao stepped onto the lotus platform and sat cross-legged.

After the five-colored lotus platform rose slowly, the old man's weathered voice emanated from it:

"I am Master Master Qi Miao. I entered the Dao at ten, began learning spells at thirteen, mastered thirty-one tricks at twenty-five, established my foundation at thirty-five, mastered twenty-eight entry-rank spells, reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment at seventy-five, mastered eighty-seven types of spells, and at one hundred and fifteen, reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, mastering one hundred and thirty-seven types of spells. I consider myself to have some attainments in the path of spellcraft. Responding to your sect's invitation to lecture, I will not hold back and will publicly share some of my insights here. As for how much you can comprehend, that depends on your own fortune, junior disciples.

I believe that spells are formed by Heaven, techniques are formed later, and patterns are formed by comprehension..."

Master Master Master Qi Miao' voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone in the hall.

Some opened their eyes and listened intently, some closed their eyes to slowly comprehend, and others directly took out books and used pen and ink to quickly record every word they heard.

Master Master Master Qi Miao' lecture clearly went from shallow to deep, from general to specific, from tricks to entry-rank spells, and then to second-rank spells.

During the lecture on Qi Refinement stage spells earlier, Wang Yu had only been listening silently. But when the content reached second-rank spells of the Foundation Establishment stage, crystal light flickered deep in his eyes, and he activated the overclocking synchronization mode.

"... Second-rank spells, also known as Foundation Establishment spells, can generally only be controlled and cast by Foundation Establishment cultivators. But in reality, if there are Qi Refinement disciples whose innate divine sense is stronger than others, comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators, they can also release second-rank spells.

Because the essence of second-rank spells is actually a superposition or mixture of tricks and entry-rank spells, second-rank spells are also called dual-layer spell pattern spells.

If everyone still doesn't understand, I will take the six-pattern 'Spark Spell,' most commonly used in the Qi Refinement stage, as an example..."

While sitting cross-legged on the lotus platform, Master Master Master Qi Miao spoke while forming seals with one hand, using his finger to trace in the void before him.

Six white light orbs slowly emerged and eerily gathered into a group, forming a crude circle.

"Each light orb represents a spirit pattern symbol, and six spirit pattern symbols form a Spark Spell spirit pattern diagram.

If one views a Spark spirit pattern diagram as a single spirit pattern symbol, then composing a larger six-pattern Spark diagram from six such spirit pattern diagrams is a simple superimposed spirit pattern diagram, which is the dual-layer spirit pattern diagram that makes up a second-rank spell."

Master Master Master Qi Miao continued speaking, not stopping his hands, and his fingers continued to trace five more times in the void.

Immediately, more than thirty other white light orbs emerged one after another, forming five other crude circles, condensed and orderly.

Master Master Master Qi Miao simply used his hands to manipulate these crude circles in the void. Immediately, the six crude circles dispersed, but vaguely formed an even larger circle.

Wang Yu looked at the complex image composed of thirty-six white light spots on the lotus platform, memorizing every word of the old man while quickly analyzing it with his super-mind.

"Golden Core stage third-rank spells are actually the same principle. Third-rank spells are triple-layer spirit pattern diagram spells. If we take the Spark Spell as an example, this triple-layer superimposed spirit pattern diagram is taking six dual-layer Spark superimposed spirit pattern diagrams and composing them into an even larger triple-layer superimposed spirit pattern diagram..." As Master Master Master Qi Miao lectured, he flicked his sleeve, and instantly, dense white light spots surged out. A moment later, they converged in the air into an incomparably huge image.