For the past two days, Liu Ming had been feeling particularly lucky.
Yes, each time he summoned a new clone, it was like drawing a card from a deck.
And for two days in a row, he had drawn nothing but rare prizes.
Yesterday's summon, Liu Thirteen, had shown an astonishing talent for alchemy.And today's summon, Liu Fourteen, appeared to be a bona fide genius in the art of talisman crafting.
Liu Fourteen himself wasn't yet fully aware of how gifted he was in the craft but one thing was already certain: his talent surpassed even that of Liu Nine.
When Liu Nine had first attempted talisman-making, he had to start from the most basic ninth-grade talismans. After wasting piles of materials, he had barely managed to stably create seventh-grade ones.
As for fifth-grade talismans that had taken him countless failures and enormous effort, and even now, he still failed often.
Of course, "failure" here didn't mean that the talisman crumbled into waste, but rather that his intended fifth-grade talisman often turned out as a sixth-grade or even seventh-grade one due to tiny missteps.
Despite all his practice and progress, Liu Nine still stumbled from time to time.
Liu Fourteen, however, succeeded in creating a fifth-grade talisman on his very first try.
Granted, part of that came from Liu Ming's increasingly vast knowledge of the art, stored within the shared memory of his clones.
But the fact that Liu Fourteen never failed not once in all his following attempts proved that this was no fluke. He was genuinely gifted.
With that, Liu Ming decided that Liu Nine could finally "retire" from talisman duties, and Liu Fourteen would take over as his new specialist.
To mark the distinction, Liu Ming even considered giving them new designations:Liu Thirteen would become Liu Dan, for his talent in alchemy.Liu Fourteen would be Liu Fu, for his mastery of talismans.
Together, Liu Dan and Liu Fu would become his most valuable assets, his secluded craftsmen, working tirelessly within the depths of his hidden cave to produce elixirs and talismans for him alone.
And if a future clone appeared with even greater talent, the name could always be passed on.
He even planned ahead: if one day a clone showed extraordinary skill in crafting weapons, that one would be named Liu Qi ("Qi" meaning artifact).
As for poor Liu Nine, even if he was now replaced, he wasn't useless.
In theory, having more hands making talismans could only help. Even if Liu Nine's pace lagged behind Liu Fu's, his contribution would still help replenish their dwindling supply.
After all, most of their talismans had been taken by Qin Yi for his upcoming expedition into the secret realm.
Liu Ming had even thought of selling some talismans to the Three Talents Pavilion to make a profit, but between his own shortages and the Pavilion's ruthless lowballing, he decided it wasn't worth it.
Still, perhaps letting Liu Nine remain in the cave to assist Liu Fu wasn't the best use of him either.
He had another idea.
He wanted Liu Nine to investigate the Three Talents Pavilion.
So far, through his various clones, Liu Ming had already uncovered the core cultivation techniques of the Xuan Sect, Luoshan City, and Blood Feast Valley.
But the Pavilion's secrets, their true core technique, still eluded him.
Logically, a place as influential as the Three Talents Pavilion had to possess its own unique cultivation method. They also surely recruited disciples, yet Liu Ming knew nothing of how.
All he had heard about them was their unscrupulous business practices, how they lured naïve new cultivators into their shadowy workshops, forcing them to labor day and night like slaves.
But beyond that? Nothing.
What about the shopkeepers, the managers, those who still retained their sanity in the Pavilion's mines and workrooms? Where did they come from? How did they cultivate?
They couldn't have been there from the beginning. They must have joined the Pavilion through some process, just like that "Manager Jin" he had once met.
That man had clearly climbed his way up from servitude, transforming from a mere laborer into a powerful overseer within the Treasure Hall.
There had to be a path like that, a hidden route into the Pavilion's inner structure.
But where was it?
Maybe it was as concealed as Luoshan City's initiation process, which would explain why none of his previous clones had been able to find it.
That only made Liu Ming more determined.
The demonic sects were far too dangerous; every unknown factor gnawed at his peace of mind.
If he could, he wanted his clones to infiltrate every corner of the demonic domain, to know everything.
Now, with Liu Fu assigned to talisman-making, he could finally send Liu Nine out, to spy on the Three Talents Pavilion.
Liu Nine's talent for talismans still far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators.
Mindless laborers couldn't craft high-level talismans, but he could. That alone gave him value, a possible way to infiltrate the Pavilion.
Of course, there was still the risk that the Pavilion would strip him of his consciousness the moment he entered, reducing him to a brain-dead worker like the others.
But this was worth a try.
If it succeeded, great.If it failed, well, Liu Ming would simply mark the Pavilion for vengeance.
With that decision made, Liu Nine — who had been quietly crafting talismans in the secret chamber, set down his brush.
He tidied his robe, composed himself, and slipped out of the cave toward the Three Talents Pavilion.
Meanwhile, inside a stone hut deep within Blood Feast Valley, Qin Yi finally received the cultivation manual he had chosen: The Blood Ghost Sacrificial Technique.
He skimmed through its pages, and indeed, the power described within was tremendous.
Once mastered, the summoned Blood Ghost could annihilate any cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, as long as that cultivator hadn't also practiced the same technique.
But when Qin Yi began to train with it, his brows furrowed.
This art was far harder than he had imagined.
According to the manual, one first had to manipulate one's spiritual energy with meticulous precision to reshape the very structure of one's flesh and blood, aligning it to suit the ritual.
Then, one had to endure the next step , allowing the summoned Blood Ghost to devour one's own flesh and blood.
Without complete mental resolve and acceptance of that pain, success was impossible.
In short, mastering this art before entering the secret realm was nearly hopeless.
The one comfort was that Liu Ming had already recorded the technique in his memory. Even if Qin Yi died inside the secret realm, Liu Ming's other clones could still learn and use it.
As long as one clone mastered it, Liu Ming would have a formidable defense, no Qi Refining cultivator could easily threaten him.
According to Su Meier, none of this year's disciples had yet reached Foundation Establishment.
That meant, once Liu Ming's side mastered the technique, his survival odds in the upcoming sect competition would be very high.
There were still more than twenty days left until the Grand Sect Trial.
That should be enough time to complete the cultivation of The Blood Ghost Sacrificial Technique, right?
Just as he was thinking this, a sudden knock came from his door.
Qin Yi frowned.
Who could it be now?
Surely not that seductive Su Meier again?
Didn't Liu Meng already persuade her to stay away?
Baffled, he called out toward the door, "Who is it?"
And to his shock, a familiar yet completely unexpected voice answered from outside
"It's me… Feng Wuya."