Protect Our Patriarch-Chapter 805 Book 6: 79: True Immortal Puppet! Wang Qiong Yi

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However, the Wang clan members who qualified to come here were already the best among their peers. Don't be fooled by the fact that many of them brought their families, wives, and children, and they didn't come as mere companions.

It was precisely because they were outstanding themselves that they could marry equally exceptional wives.

Many of their wives came from prestigious families, including noblewomen from the royal Shentu and Yun clans. Even within their own families, they were considered elites.

With such strong backgrounds, their offspring naturally had a higher success rate.

In fact, those who could attend this Advanced Military Academy were already the elite among nearly twenty thousand direct and collateral clan members. Although the number seemed large, it was actually less than five percent of the total.

Most members of the Wang clan were far from being this exceptional.

Of course, even for ordinary clan members, the Wang clan provided corresponding family benefits.

Based on the innate bloodline aptitude of the clan's children, the family could offer contribution debts to help them advance two levels of innate bloodline, which they could repay gradually upon reaching adulthood.

Similarly, if a child was born with only low-grade bloodline aptitude, the family could only assist them to the prodigy level. Unless they later relied on their own efforts to gain other opportunities, made significant breakthrough contributions, or if their parents and elders spared no expense to support them, this child would likely only reach the Purple Mansion Realm in their cultivation journey.

There were also corresponding standards for magical tools, spiritual food, medicinal pills, clothing, and daily necessities.

Even the wives married into the Wang clan had their own share of benefits.

Such welfare was built on the increasingly solid economic foundation of the Wang clan and the vigorous development of pillar industries like alchemy, agriculture, and tool refining. Ordinary families, even those related by marriage, could not match the benefits of the Wang clan.

As a result, many outstanding young women from prestigious families were eager to marry into the Wang clan, hoping to change their fate.

This time, the Wang clan and their allied families sent over seven hundred people to the academy. With so many people, it's no wonder that two medium-sized Domain-Crossing Flying Boats were packed to the brim.

The Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao seemed to be in a constant state of vibration, numb from start to finish. By the end, even when seeing Shouzhe, a Saint Son Grade B, she could only mutter a "welcome to the academy" with a dazed expression.

Clearly, her mind had long drifted elsewhere.

Due to the large number of people, just lining up to enter took a long time. Only after Wang Shouzhe and the other elders entered the academy did everything settle down.

This academy cave heaven was jointly established by the Holy Emperor of Shenwu and the Reincarnation Tree. Its scale was slightly larger than the Returning to Origin Small Cave Heaven and the Green Emperor's Small World, with a pure area almost equivalent to the entire Xinping Town. Of course, even at this scale, it was still considered a Small World level.

The children who entered first were well-mannered and disciplined, quietly staying on the teleportation plaza, their eyes curiously scanning their surroundings.

For many of them, it was their first time entering a Small World, and they couldn't help but be filled with curiosity.

The teleportation plaza was located atop a tall tower, with a spire reaching into the clouds behind it and a wide terrace in front.

Standing at the edge of the terrace and looking down, one could clearly see the undulating mountains below and two massive fortress-like buildings on either side.

Amidst the rolling mountains, one could vaguely see some hidden watchtowers, sentry posts, and turrets...

It was like a miniature battlefield.

Further away, at the end of the mountains, lay a vast plain crisscrossed with fields, large patches of spiritual farmland, spirit lakes, and spirit forests scattered throughout. Despite being overrun by various spiritual weeds due to neglect, from a distance, it still appeared vibrant and full of life.

"Over there is the living area. The spiritual fruits, vegetables, and fish needed for daily consumption in the academy are produced there. Unfortunately, the livestock puppets are damaged, and the spirit cattle and sheep previously raised have run off. Otherwise, you could have enjoyed fresh beef and lamb."

The voice of Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao echoed in everyone's ears.

After such a long time, she finally recovered from the shock and numbness, mustering the energy to introduce the academy's situation to everyone.

"As for the tower beneath your feet, it's called the [Trial Tower]. It's the most important building in the academy, where you will take on academy tasks and undergo your graduation exams in the future."

"The two fortress-like buildings ahead are your teaching buildings. Many teaching materials, equipment, and facilities are located there."

"However..." Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao looked at the dense crowd before her, her expression once again turning conflicted and troubled, "The academy used to admit only a few students at a time, and even with teachers and other support staff, the total number never exceeded fifty. With so many of you, accommodation and meals will be a big problem..."

The design of the Military Academy was originally for small-scale elite education, and it never anticipated enrolling over seven hundred students at once. Even when many puppets were still functional, accommodating so many students would have been a challenge, let alone now when many are damaged.

"Regarding this issue, there's no need for Spirit Artifact Senior to worry." Wang Zong'an, responsible for communicating with the Spirit Artifact, said with a smile, "We anticipated this problem in advance and made some modest preparations. I have a proposal here for you to review."

As he spoke, he handed a plan to Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao.

He had originally prepared the information on a portable Heavenly Recording Disk, which could be viewed directly on a crystal screen. However, considering that the Wang clan's crystal screens and Heavenly Recording Disks had been significantly modified by the Wang's Research Institute and might not be compatible with the academy's equipment, he had also prepared a paper document.

Now, it came in handy.

Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao's eyes lit up as she read the document: "Issuing tasks for repairing puppets, organizing spiritual farmland, and constructing accommodation areas as academy missions? That's a good idea. Let's do it~"

With that, she quickly drafted a series of tasks and posted them in the Trial Tower.

The new students, under the arrangement of Wang Zong'an and other main elders, began to work together, taking on tasks to clean, repair puppets, dredge, clear weeds, and so on.

Additionally, some clan members stayed behind to plan the area, set up military tents, and establish various living facilities for eating, drinking, sleeping, and defecating.

For this academy trip, each of them had stored a large amount of "dry food" in their storage rings, so food wouldn't be a problem for the time being. After all, they came to the academy to study and learn, not for leisure and tourism.

Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

The legendary founder of the puppet master profession, Wang Ningxi, known as the [King of Puppet Crafting], was guiding the younger generation in repairing the cleaning puppets, helping these young clan members integrate the puppet knowledge they had learned through practical experience.

The clan's tool refining industry, as well as its alchemy industry, could not rely on a single person for inheritance. The Wang clan had long established a complete alchemy system and tool refining system.

As an important branch of tool refining, the puppet master profession had already cultivated a large number of professional technical talents over the years.

"Ningxi Ancestor."

While busy, a young man in his hundreds flew swiftly on a flying sword and landed hurriedly beside Wang Ningxi.

His face was filled with excitement, and as soon as he landed, he quickly reported to Wang Ningxi: "Ningxi Ancestor, I found an incredible puppet while cleaning."

This young man was Wang Hongliang, a talented youth from the lineage of the Great Ancestor Wang Shouxin, who had reached the first level of the Purple Mansion Realm by his hundreds.

In the past, or in other families, he would have been a super elite.

But in the talent-rich Wang clan of today, he was merely an ordinary elite, with a bloodline talent only at the peerless D-grade level. Most importantly, he hadn't inherited a scripture!

There was no choice; the Wang clan had too many talents now, with a significant shortage of Immortal Scriptures and an even greater shortage of scriptures.

After a series of internal competitions, there were over a hundred people ahead of Wang Hongliang waiting for a scripture.

The reason Wang Shouzhe wanted to accelerate the establishment of the Advanced Military Academy was precisely because the family's scriptures were too scarce. No matter how many scriptures were acquired from outside, they couldn't fill the gap, and over time, the gap only grew larger.

It could be said that most of the prospective students coming to the Military Academy were waiting in line for scriptures. Some were even waiting for Divine Realm inheritances...

"So it's Hongliang~" Wang Ningxi, interested in the news, put down his guidance work and patted him on the shoulder with a smile, "Lead the way, let's go take a look."

With that, a group of people followed along, ready to watch the excitement.

Wang Hongliang's discovery was in the cafeteria.

The puppet sat slumped in a corner of the kitchen like an injured cultivator, motionless, as if it were dead.

The puppet's realism was high, and if not for the exposed mercury-like metal structure at the damaged joints, even Wang Hongliang, who wasn't specialized in puppet crafting, wouldn't have realized it was a puppet.

Wang Ningxi examined the puppet briefly, and his expression turned serious.

When he managed to open the puppet's spiritual stone energy slot, he gasped.

The energy slot had eight slots, and the energy of the spiritual stones inside had long been exhausted, with the stones reduced to powder. Yet, amidst the powder, there was still a trace of immortal spirit energy.

Powered by Immortal Spirit Stones!

And it required a full eight Immortal Spirit Stones for power.

The Wang clan's most powerful puppet at present was Ancestor [Wang Xiao Jia], who had late Void Realm strength and was powered by top-grade spiritual stones. The only puppet he had seen powered by Immortal Spirit Stones was his tool refining master, the [Elder of Tianji]'s puppet body.

However, the Elder of Tianji's puppet body required only four Immortal Spirit Stones at a time, half of what this one needed.

"Go invite Ancestor Wang Chenlun and my Ancestor Grandfather." Wang Ningxi had a suspicion but didn't dare to activate it casually, so he immediately sent someone to invite the ancestors.

In no time, Wang Shouzhe, Wang Chenlun, and Wang Baosheng arrived.

"This is an immortal puppet. It was assigned to the Military Academy for security, responsible for maintaining order and safety. How did it end up with depleted energy and damaged?" Wang Chenlun recognized the puppet immediately, his face showing surprise.

Wang Baosheng also seemed to recall something, though his memory wasn't as complete. He vaguely remembered some details, but they remained somewhat blurry.

Seeing their reactions, Wang Ningxi felt relieved.

"Since it's a 'family puppet,' it should be safe." Wang Ningxi glanced at Wang Chenlun, who nodded slightly, then turned to Wang Shouzhe, "Ancestor Grandfather, I didn't bring that many Immortal Spirit Stones. Do you have any?"

Wang Shouzhe nodded slightly and handed him eight Immortal Spirit Stones.

"Thank you, Ancestor Grandfather."

Wang Ningxi took the Immortal Spirit Stones and immediately replaced them in the immortal puppet, then closed the energy slot cover.

"Beep~"

A soft chime.

With the energy from the Immortal Spirit Stones, the immortal puppet self-checked and activated.

Under everyone's gaze, it slowly stood up, and an invisible True Immortal-level pressure spread in all directions.

The imposing aura suppressed the surroundings.

The young Wang clan members watching quickly retreated, even Wang Ningxi stepped back a bit.

Only Wang Shouzhe remained calm, seemingly unaffected by the pressure, still observing the puppet with interest.

"001, calm down. There's no danger here." Wang Chenlun, seeing this, quickly shielded Wang Baosheng with his sleeve and scolded, "Quickly retract your pressure!"

"So it's the Reincarnation Holy Sovereign." The immortal puppet was taken aback, hurriedly retracting its pressure and bowing respectfully.

"What happened?" Wang Chenlun withdrew his protective hand from Wang Baosheng, his expression slightly grave, "Was there an external invasion?"

"It wasn't an external invasion." At this time, Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao also noticed the situation and appeared, explaining, "Over ten thousand years ago, we were hit by energy fluctuations from the Shenwu World, causing internal instability and near collapse. At the critical moment, 001 stepped up to protect our academy and pushed the academy's Small World into a hidden space fold."

"Due to excessive energy consumption, 001 fell into a dormant state."

I see.

Everyone's expressions relaxed.

As long as it wasn't an external invasion, everything was manageable.

"I'll handle the repairs for this immortal puppet." Wang Ningxi eagerly volunteered. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Repairing a puppet of this level would greatly benefit his puppet crafting skills. If possible, Wang Ningxi would love to disassemble it completely for research, as the gains would be even greater.

Such an intense gaze made 001 feel a shiver of crisis. This seemingly normal young man wouldn't have any peculiar hobbies, would he?

"Ningxi, show respect to our family ancestor [Wang Qiongyi]." Wang Shouzhe sternly reprimanded, "Don't entertain thoughts of dismantling the ancestor."

He knew Ningxi all too well. With a single glance, he could guess what Ningxi was thinking.

Wang Qiongyi?

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

001, Wang Qiongyi, was also bewildered.

When did he become Wang Qiongyi?

Wang Ningxi quickly understood, looking at his Ancestor Grandfather with admiration.

As expected of Ancestor Grandfather, he had instantly established the puppet's identity, even deciding on its name and rank.

"Rest assured, Ancestor Grandfather." Wang Ningxi solemnly promised, "I'll just repair Qiongyi Ancestor's body, I won't do anything reckless."

"To better repair Qiongyi Ancestor in the future, it's necessary to understand the structure of the immortal body." Wang Shouzhe said modestly, "But be sure to act within your limits, don't harm Qiongyi Ancestor's health."

"Ningxi understands."

Wang Ningxi's eyes lit up, instantly comprehending.

He quickly assisted Wang Qiongyi to the side, beginning a detailed inspection of his damage, addressing him as "Qiongyi Ancestor" with utmost respect.

"……" Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao finally snapped out of her shock, her eyes wide with disbelief, "Wait, 001 is the academy's guardian puppet, how did it become your Wang clan's ancestor?"

"Sister Spirit Artifact, that's not quite right." Wang Anye arrived gracefully, "The entire academy belongs to the Holy Emperor of Shenwu, but now the Holy Emperor has reincarnated into our Wang clan's bloodline, so naturally, the academy belongs to us."

Wang Anye had many nicknames, such as [Son of Fortune], [Sword and Formation Master], [Peerless Male God], and so on, including [Spirit Artifact Sister Killer].

When it came to persuading spirit artifacts, the Wang clan usually sent Anye.

Now was the time for him to shine.

With his exceptional charm and well-timed sweet words, it didn't take long for Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao's goodwill towards him to increase significantly, gradually acknowledging that the academy was indeed Wang Baosheng's property, and by extension, the Wang clan's family property!

Once this was confirmed, Wang Anye began inquiring about the inventory of treasures, casually suggesting that these were also Wang clan's assets and should be entrusted to the Wang clan for safekeeping.

Unexpectedly, upon mentioning this, Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao shook her head urgently: "That's not possible. The resources in the treasury are meant to reward students for cultivation, and the top-grade treasures are rewards for graduation exams."

"Sister, can we get rewards without exams?" Wang Anye asked again.

"No, even if you're so handsome and your demeanor matches my aesthetic." Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao shook her head like a rattle, "But it's still not possible. To obtain treasures, you need to exchange contribution points or pass the graduation trial... These are the academy's operational rules personally established by His Majesty the Holy Emperor."

"Baosheng, come and modify the operational rules..." Wang Anye looked at Wang Baosheng.

"Yes, Great-Grandfather." Wang Baosheng was a bit bewildered, scratching his head, "Sister Jiuxiao, how can I change the operational rules?"

"You just need to re-consecrate my spirit artifact core and rewrite the operational rules into my core." Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao didn't hide anything, explaining in detail.

After speaking for a full quarter of an hour, Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao finally concluded: "However, because I'm a highly advanced spirit artifact, your divine sense needs to reach the True Immortal Realm level to re-consecrate my core. To forcibly break the barrier set by your previous life, it would require divine sense strength at the Dao Master level."

"……"

Wang Baosheng looked at her with a deep gaze, silent for a long time.

She had said a lot, but it was all useless. Forget about cultivating divine sense to the Dao Master level, even reaching the True Immortal level would take ages.

"So, we can only obtain rewards through exams?" Wang Anye frowned and asked.

"For now, that's the only way." Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao was also helpless, "I dare not violate the operational rules, or I risk having my intelligence forcibly erased."

"Alright then."

Wang Anye nodded, then called Fugui, Ningxi, and Baosheng over to carefully inquire about the exam methods, the contents, and the information on the treasures stored in the treasury.

Except for Baosheng, the three of them were already quite experienced in this work. In less than an hour, they had figured out all the rules and knew the treasures stored in the treasury inside out.

Wang Ningxi compiled the treasures into a list, placed it in a portable crystal screen, and handed it to Wang Shouzhe for review: "Ancestor Grandfather, the situation isn't great~ This Advanced Military Academy doesn't have any scripture inventory, and the other resources are scarce."

"Why are there no scriptures?" Wang Shouzhe asked with some seriousness, his brows furrowing as he reviewed the treasure inventory.

"This is an Advanced Military Academy." Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao was quite justified, "Every prospective student is recommended from the Intermediate Military Academy, and based on their achievements, they would have already received scriptures there."

Wang Anye frowned, suddenly beckoning to Wang Hongliang, who was watching the excitement not far away: "Hongliang, come over. Show Sister Jiuxiao your IOUs."

Wang Hongliang hurriedly ran over, pulling out a small stack of IOUs from his storage ring and displaying them to Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao.

The handwriting on these IOUs was clear, detailing debts for "a bottle of High-Grade Bloodline Aptitude Improvement Liquid," "a bottle of High-Grade Essence version," "five top-grade spiritual stones," "a scripture," "a Dao artifact," and so on!

The debtor was the spirit artifact of the Intermediate Military Academy...

It even stated, "Please have the superior spirit artifact provide the exchange" and so on.

Now, the spirit artifact sister of the Intermediate Military Academy, due to owing too much debt, had "fallen" to become a family service-type spirit artifact for the Wang clan, receiving an annual salary.

And similar IOUs were abundant among the young members of the Wang clan.

As the Wang clan continued to produce more elite members, requiring more rewards, the spirit artifact sister's meager salary was a mere drop in the bucket. The debt snowballed, making it unlikely she could ever redeem herself.

After reading the IOUs, Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao was silent for a moment before speaking with difficulty: "It's not that I want to default, but my treasury only has some top-grade spiritual stones... There's no High-Grade Essence, scriptures, or Dao artifacts. Mainly, the academy is too advanced, and these aren't needed..."

"However, I can submit a request to the superior for inventory replenishment, asking them to send a specialist to supplement the Intermediate Military Academy's insufficient inventory."

"Isn't this just blatant lying?" Wang Fugui pulled his son aside, signaling Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao to open her eyes and see clearly, "Your superior is right here... Sister Jiuxiao, submit a replenishment request for me to see?"

Uh...

Wang Baosheng felt awkward.

It seemed that the treasures he collected in his past life were too few, not enough for the Wang clan to exploit.

"Enough." Finally, Wang Shouzhe waved his hand, stopping them from continuing, "Sister Jiuxiao is just a spirit artifact, don't make things difficult for her."

"Yes."

Everyone responded in unison.

Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao's goodwill towards Wang Shouzhe increased significantly.

This handsome head of the family was the most reasonable one~

She awkwardly promised, "When our academy has resources, we'll definitely repay the debt."

"No worries, since Sister Jiuxiao is a high-level spirit artifact, your information processing ability must be strong. If you can't repay the debt, you can work it off. Once it's repaid, you'll regain your freedom." Wang Shouzhe decisively concluded.

"!!!"

Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao was stunned.

This, this... she was already trapped? She had become a working spirit artifact for the Wang clan?

"Given the limited number of prizes in this Military Academy, let's hurry and finish the tasks to claim the prizes. Everyone has their own responsibilities waiting." Wang Shouzhe solemnly instructed, "Fugui, Ningxi, you both have experience, quickly draft a plan to clear this instance..."

"Yes, Ancestor Grandfather." Fugui and Ningxi responded in unison.

Before leaving, Wang Shouzhe looked at Baosheng, couldn't help but pat his shoulder, and said with a sigh, "Baosheng, your past life wasn't easy."

With the academy so poor, the Wang clan couldn't rely on it to solve their problems. The shortage of scriptures still had to be addressed by themselves.

With so many children in the family possessing great prodigy B-grade or higher aptitude, acquiring hundreds of scriptures at once was clearly unrealistic, whether buying from the Holy Domain or excavating relics, it couldn't be done quickly.

The current strategy had to be to settle for the next best thing.

It seemed that the long-planned scripture completion project needed to be accelerated.

Wang Baosheng felt his face flush with embarrassment at Wang Shouzhe's words.

It was all because he wasn't strong enough in his past life, failing to collect more treasures for the Wang clan to exploit~~

Soon, three days passed.

Everything had settled, and everyone had passed Spirit Artifact Jiuxiao's preliminary review, obtaining official academy enrollment.

But on this day.

The Advanced Military Academy welcomed its first wave of "graduates," as many seasoned individuals who had just obtained student status submitted their graduation applications at the Trial Tower according to plan.

Thus began a grand operation to exploit resources and clear the instance.

……