Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1072: Chapter 397: Great Use for the Soul Searching Technique (2)

Ning Zhuo remained non-committal, momentarily lost in thought.

"What Silk Lady said is most likely true. I have the means to perform Soul Searching, which I can easily verify on her."

"Right now, she is like fish on the chopping block, and I am the butcher; there is no need for her to deceive me here. It would be pointless!"

"It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t know Ban Ji’s upcoming moves."

"Firstly, I can send others to closely monitor Ban Ji and gather intelligence. Secondly, I can scour the entire Myriad Images Sect for all Xingyun Trials related to mechanical techniques, as any could be Ban Ji’s target."

Ban Ji secretly plotted against Ning Zhuo, but Ning Zhuo was not one to sit and endure, immediately considering a counterattack.

"Doesn’t Confucianism also emphasize that it is impolite not to reciprocate?"

"On the surface, the matter with Ban Ji seems troublesome, but it’s actually an opportunity."

With his strength to back him, after a moment of analysis, Ning Zhuo realized that counterattacking Ban Ji held more significance.

"My real test will come from the higher-ups of the Myriad Images Sect, who covet the position of White Paper City Lord and might make a move against me."

"Wen Ruanyu, to protect me, has hidden things for me, but it can’t last forever. She has also enlisted the assistance of the Confucian cultivators to help me gain fame."

"The Confucians have already conducted two rounds of the Xingyun Trials, but there are probably additional stages."

"With the help of the Confucians, I can gain fame and make a spectacular entrance within the Myriad Images Sect. On this foundation, if I can strongly suppress Ban Ji, it would undoubtedly add glory and provide me with intimidating influence externally."

Originally, Ning Zhuo could only defensively hold his ground. But his rapid progress in Soul Searching techniques led to his learning capacity exploding by dozens of times, an insanely exaggerated improvement.

This led to him having ample spare capacity, not only to handle these Xingyun Trials but also to have extra strength to launch external campaigns.

"The Ban Family is renowned in the Flying Cloud Country."

"Defeating Ban Ji would be the best move to establish my authority!"

Thinking of this, Ning Zhuo couldn’t help but smile lightly.

Silk Lady, who had been keenly observing, noticed the fierce battle intent within Ning Zhuo’s smile and became flustered and tense, fearing he might cast the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique on her.

Ning Zhuo, having sorted out his thoughts, turned his gaze back to Silk Lady.

Silk Lady dared not meet Ning Zhuo’s eyes and quickly lowered her head, looking at the floor tiles. Simultaneously, her posture shifted from limp sitting to kneeling, portraying an image of utter vulnerability and submission, awaiting his discretion.

Ning Zhuo said calmly, "Silk Lady, you are a Demon Cultivator, laden with guilt. But since you show a good attitude in admitting your crimes, I will give you a chance."

"You have some talent in setting up arrays, so go to the cabin and arrange a formation. I want to plant Wen Song and Wu Song there."

This was part of Ning Zhuo’s development plan after mastering the Pine Wave Qi Cultivation Technique.

Among Ning Zhuo’s current followers, Qing Chi was amnesiac and excelled in military formations. Chef Enyi was good at cooking. Gongsun Yan, who sought Ning Zhuo’s favor, was an artifact refining expert.

He lacked an expert in array formations.

Upon Silk Lady’s surrender, she immediately filled this gap.

Silk Lady breathed a sigh of relief and immediately expressed her determination to exhaust all efforts to complete the task.

Ning Zhuo then placed her into the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon at his waist, carrying her with him for constant monitoring.

After arranging Silk Lady, Ning Zhuo slowly stood up, surveying the empty array space around him.

Mana Suspended Threads.

In the next moment, threadlike tendrils extruded from each of his fingertips, each formed by condensed Five Elements Mana, spiraling with a kaleidoscope of colors.

Ning Zhuo’s Divine Sense reached into his storage bracelet, and with a casual wave, he unleashed a large number of small bamboo puppets.

As these bamboo puppets scattered through the air, Ning Zhuo’s Five Elements Mana Suspended Threads, like serpents hunting prey, precisely ensnared each of the bamboo puppets.

The rest of the bamboo puppets fell to the ground, but ten were suspended in mid-air by the mana threads.

Each of these bamboo puppets was outfitted with Vowel Reeds, a preparation Ning Zhuo made for Qinghuangzi’s Xingyun Trial.

Ning Zhuo utilized the Mana Suspended Threads to simultaneously control ten of them.

The ten bamboo puppets hung in the air, performing various actions.

After a dozen breaths, their movements grew increasingly rapid and precise.

"Effortless, far more so than before!" Ning Zhuo carefully perceived, a faint joy permeating his heart.

He had just extracted three souls from Silk Lady, crafted a soul cloth, then used the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique to burn the soul cloth, obtaining numerous memories.

Under the effect of the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique, Ning Zhuo felt as if he became Silk Lady, with his experience in manipulating spider silk suddenly surging.

Silk Lady’s true form was a spider, using spider silk as naturally as humans use their limbs and fingers.

This time, Ning Zhuo’s use of Mana Suspended Threads immediately benefited from it!

The subtlest hook, lift, twist, or press of his fingertips felt as if he was activating a part of his neural system. The Mana Suspended Threads seemed to become extensions of his body, bringing him a sense of seamless control.

And the ten bamboo puppets benefited as well, making them seem alive under Ning Zhuo’s command, with a fluidity that far surpassed before and the ability to execute detailed and nuanced movements.

"To achieve this level of control, a normal person would need at least over a decade of diligent practice!"

"Yet I accomplished it with just a single cultivation session!"

"The Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique... This is the advantage of Demon Cultivation. Always taking the unconventional path, riddled with side effects, but truly rapid in cultivation."

Every motion of the suspended threads shifted as Ning Zhuo’s thoughts changed. The varying intensity of tension appeared vividly on the Mana Suspended Threads, making controlling them feel as natural as breathing to Ning Zhuo.

"Then, next..."

Ning Zhuo’s ten fingers trembled slightly, and from each fingertip, a single Mana Suspended Thread suddenly split, multiplying into two.

In an instant, Ning Zhuo had twenty threads of Five Elements Mana Suspended Threads.

The additional ten threads also connected to the bamboo puppets on the ground, commanding them to stand up and move around.

The bamboo puppets seemed animated, running, rolling, and frolicking on the ground.

Ning Zhuo’s fingers occasionally trembled, hooked inward, or contracted, deftly and swiftly maneuvering the twenty threads.

"One session of the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique saved me at least five years of arduous training!" Ning Zhuo assessed, increasingly pleased.

As his fingers danced in the air, the bamboo puppets interacted naturally, clustering then dispersing like playful children.

Whenever Ning Zhuo handled complex manipulations, his little fingers on both hands would slightly tilt upward.

This frequent gesture caught Ning Zhuo’s attention.

He contemplated for a moment and identified the cause: "This is Silk Lady’s habit when manipulating spider silk, a subtle orchid finger gesture."

This gesture appeared enchanting and alluring for Silk Lady but seemed somewhat awkward and peculiar for Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo also felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Fortunately, such a small gesture can be corrected."

"The method is simple too, finding another Spider Demon, extracting, and burning its soul would quickly reduce the influence, wouldn’t it?"

"Even relying solely on my will, given some time, I could break this bad habit."

Ning Zhuo collected all the bamboo puppets and then took out the Azure-Iron Han Armor: Golden Swallow, donning it.

He activated the mechanical armor, spreading its wings in smooth, graceful arcs through the air.

This time, his focus stayed on the lustrous golden wings.

Each flap no longer carried the previous rigidity, flowing and harmonious, filled with a natural beauty, like the wings of a real bird.

"Excellent!" Ning Zhuo silently praised.

Earlier, the Soul-searching Spirit Sparrow had also been beneficial. After all, flight is vital for a bird.

"If I were to use the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique, the improvements could have been even more obvious!"

Ning Zhuo had learned Soul Searching techniques and applied them practically, gaining tremendous benefits.

In comparison, the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique undeniably held the top spot in efficacy, with the rest of the Soul Searching techniques at best serving as assistance.

For instance, the Three Souls Spinning Wheel Technique was designed to complement the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique, allowing a soul to repeatedly provide experience and memories.

Ning Zhuo decided to make extensive use of the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique!