176: Master Lu

"That... Chu Yuan, what on earth happened? Explain quickly!"

The two powerhouses who arrived included Shen Zhengqing, and the other was the principal of Shendu Martial Academy, whom Chu Yuan had seen on a promotional board by the roadside...

Even for Shendu Martial Academy, before Shen Zhengqing was rehired, the principal was actually the only Eighth Realm Martial Artist there.

This was already considered quite good; some lower-ranked martial academies only had a Seventh Realm Martial Artist as their principal...

Chu Yuan looked helpless: "I really don't know! It looked sturdy enough, so why was it so fragile..."

Shen Zhengqing snapped: "Don't you think about it, why would a group of Martial Artists who haven't even reached the Fifth Realm need such high-end combat Puppets?"

Chu Yuan spread his hands: "So, it's my fault for being too strong?"

The old man surnamed Lu had calmed down by now. He pushed the principal aside with disdain and said with a dark Face: "You are Chu Yuan? You were right, I didn't account for you being a variable..."

Chu Yuan was stunned for a moment. Was his Face really that effective?

Then he saw Shen Zhengqing frantically winking at him in secret...

A secret mental fluctuation came through: "Chu Yuan! That old man Lu is petty and holds grudges... If you don't coax him now, you'll have trouble later."

Chu Yuan asked curiously: "What kind of trouble?"

"Our Great Qin only has this one forging Great Master; the others are all lacking... Think about it yourself."

Chu Yuan understood. The higher the martial Realm, the higher the requirements for equipment, so naturally, custom-made is best.

Therefore... sooner or later, there will be a time when he needs to ask for help from this Master Lu.

If, by then, he refuses to take your order;

Or even if he takes it, he deliberately puts your order at the back of the line...

Even for his ink shadow, he couldn't use it for his entire life. The predecessor to his ink shadow had exploded only a few months ago...

Master Lu looked suspiciously at Chu Yuan and Shen Zhengqing: "What are you two whispering about behind my back?"

The two were using mental transmission in front of him, so he could naturally sense the mental fluctuations, even if he couldn't discern the content.

Chu Yuan coughed lightly: "Ahem, well, Master Lu..."

He prepared to listen to Shen Zhengqing and coax the old man.

He had known another master surnamed Lu before, but he was a carpenter and equally petty... he even wrote the Lu Ban Book to deal with those who offended him...

"Alright, alright, I said it's fine, so it's fine." Old man Lu saw the look on Chu Yuan's Face and knew what he wanted to say, so he waved his hand to interrupt him.

Then he picked up the now motionless combat Puppet and turned to leave.

"Issue a notice, say that the combat Puppets need upgrading and debugging, and the trial grounds will be closed for the next two days."

The principal nodded quickly: "Oh, oh, okay."

Chu Yuan was surprised again. Was this... covering for him?

"Chu Yuan, come with me," Old man Lu spoke up again.

"..." He knew it wasn't that simple...

Chu Yuan followed the old man to a forging room.

It was unexpectedly tidy inside, with various Materials neatly arranged in categories in one corner.

There was still some residual heat in the room; it seemed the forging furnace had just been turned off not long ago...

Old man Lu placed the combat Puppet on a table and then ignored it.

He produced a long saber and a set of armor from somewhere and tossed them to Chu Yuan, looking at him with hope: "Try it?"

Chu Yuan was a bit confused, but he still gripped the long saber. A familiar feeling washed over him, making his pupils shrink involuntarily.

"This is... Blood Sea... Blood Sacrifice Grand Array!?"

"What Blood Sea?" Master Lu asked meaningfully.

"Nothing..." Chu Yuan shook his head, holding the long saber and examining it back and forth. Familiar patterns emerged on it: "To actually be able to integrate such a complex Formation into a weapon, it is truly a work of supernatural craftsmanship..."

Master Lu didn't press for an answer and waved his hand: "Don't bother mentioning things everyone already knows.

I want you to feel it; how much of the original Formation's power can this blade achieve?"

Although there was no target present for him to test a strike on, based on his understanding of the Blood Sea Soul Locking Formation, Chu Yuan quickly reached a conclusion.

"One tenth."

Old man Lu's gray eyebrows knit together, seemingly unsatisfied, and he muttered: "Only one tenth..."

"It's enough." Chu Yuan poured in his spiritual power, and the blade trembled as blood-colored chains extended from the hilt.

Part of them wrapped around his arm, while the other part embedded into the blade, extending its length...

"Single-target and group attacks are different; one tenth of the power is enough.

Besides, how big is the blade? Even if the Formation patterns can be replicated, there certainly aren't enough Materials!" Chu Yuan said casually, but in his mind, a scene had already emerged.

Wielding this evil blade against an enemy, just barely scratching their skin;

And the opponent would pop right in front of him, turning into two round Medicinal Pills... or be slurped up like yogurt...

Master Lu naturally understood this logic, so he stopped dwelling on it and gestured toward the armor: "Take a look at this too."

Chu Yuan already had a hunch. When he lifted the armor with both hands, sure enough... what was engraved on it was the Spirit Gathering Array!

He had uploaded two Formations in total, and Master Lu had integrated both into the items...

"How is it?"

Chu Yuan smacked his lips and said bluntly: "Not great."

Master Lu didn't get angry and asked: "Why?"

"It's too lackluster... The original purpose of armor is protection.

If you just want to create a portable Energy Gathering Array... why not engrave it on a Formation Plate? The loss of power would be smaller that way..." After Chu Yuan finished complaining, he changed the subject: "Of course, your craftsmanship as a Great Master is still superb..."

"Sigh, I naturally know that defensive Formations should be engraved in armor... but there aren't any suitable ones, are there?" Master Lu stared into Chu Yuan's eyes and said gently: "Chu Yuan, you are very talented in the Dao of Formations. I wonder if you have any good suggestions?"

Chu Yuan sneered inwardly, 'Yeah, right, as if I'd believe that...'

How could protective gear for high-Realm Martial Artists just be a simple pile of Materials? It must have Formation circuits!

A forging Great Master's greatness lies in the embedding of Formations;

If it were just swinging a hammer to smash Materials into the desired shape... then anyone could be a forging Great Master!

"I've been busy Cultivating recently and haven't really studied Formations much..."

"How can that be!? Aren't you wasting your talent!" Master Lu said anxiously, then stuffed a crystal into Chu Yuan's hand: "This contains some of my insights into Formations. Take it and study it well."

"How could I accept this..." Chu Yuan put it away calmly and said gratefully: "Then many thanks for your kindness, Great Master!"

"It's rare to see someone so talented in the Dao of Formations; how could I bear to let such a pearl be covered in dust?

If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me anytime."

"I certainly will! Then I shall... go back and study?"

"Go on... Hey, take these two pieces of junk with you!"

Master Lu didn't believe that the so-called Blood Sacrifice Grand Array (Modified) and Energy Gathering Array (Modified) were actually modified by Chu Yuan himself;

Chu Yuan also knew that Master Lu wouldn't believe that the two Formations he uploaded were really things he had tinkered with...

But one still gave away his own Cultivation insights, and the other accepted them without hesitation;

It was just a tacit understanding...