Chronicles of the Green Vine: A Mortal’s Path to Immortality

The Art of Mechanical Puppets is one of the hundred arts of cultivation, considering puppets as a special kind of magical artifact. They are controlled by spirit stones and divine sense.

The strength of puppets varies.

A first-order puppet is equivalent to the strength of a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. A second-order puppet can rival an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, while a third-order puppet is equivalent to the attack power of a Golden Core cultivator.

However, the crafting methods for high-level puppets in the current cultivation world have been lost. Even being able to create puppets equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators is rare.

Judging by the spiritual energy on this Cyan Ape puppet, it's roughly equivalent to the late stage of Qi Refinement. It belongs to the first order. Although its strength isn't great, ordinary people don't have such things.

There are several different puppets in the corner of the stone cave behind it, indicating that the person controlling them is definitely not a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It seems the person who spoke earlier is the hidden Golden Core elder here.

Following the puppet, he soon saw a cyan-black stone door. It was engraved with some mysterious patterns that looked like runes, yet also like meaningless carvings.

The Cyan Ape puppet stretched out its wooden claws and pressed on the stone door. The stone door flashed with five-colored spiritual light a few times and then opened.

"Go in. You have one day."

Zhang Ling bowed to the Cyan Ape puppet and walked in.

Inside was a circular space of a dozen or so zhang in size. At a glance, there were several rows of jade shelves filled with jade slips, books, papers, and other items.

These books all had various spiritual lights, all with restrictions. They couldn't be easily viewed.

Suddenly, Zhang Ling noticed a gray stone tablet in front of these jade bookshelves. He walked closer and carefully read the information on it, then frowned and pondered deeply.

The stone tablet recorded some distinctions between cultivation methods.

It roughly described the differences in cultivation methods in the current cultivation world, divided into several major categories based on power and secret techniques.

The first type of cultivation method has a cultivation speed that is average, or even slow. But it often comes with some good secret techniques and methods to defeat enemies, and its power is strong. Cultivating this type of method emphasizes a solid foundation.

The second type is the opposite, with a very fast rate of spiritual energy advancement. But there are gains and losses. The power of this type of cultivation method is not great, and those who choose this type of method are generally not strong.

However, cultivators have limited lifespans. Foundation Establishment cultivators only have a mere two hundred years. There are still quite a few cultivators who choose this type of method, after all, the cultivation of techniques after Foundation Establishment is not comparable to the Qi Refinement stage.

Although the Foundation Establishment stage is only divided into three small realms: early, middle, and late, each small realm is not easy to break through.

It may take ten years, or even decades, to break through a small realm. Moreover, there is also the hurdle of forming the Golden Core.

Cultivators who practice the second type of technique value the advancement speed of the technique, hoping to advance to a higher realm in their limited lives.

In addition to these two types, there are also very few third types, which are top-level techniques sought after by cultivators.

This type of technique combines the advantages of the first two types, with powerful attached divine abilities and secret techniques, and a fast cultivation speed. But this type of technique also has drawbacks.

This type of technique is picky, with many restrictions on cultivation.

It requires the cultivator to have special spiritual roots and some special physiques, and often requires specific spiritual objects to assist.

The cultivation process also has considerable risks, and carelessness can lead to eternal doom. Exploding and dying is common.

Thinking about these differences in cultivation methods, Zhang Ling began to look at the techniques in front of the bookshelf.

He first walked to the first row of bookshelves and picked up a blue book. This book was wrapped in a layer of gray light.

Zhang Ling released his divine sense and touched the light on it. Immediately, the information of this technique appeared in his mind.

"Illusion Sea Art, a water-attribute technique, origin unknown, divided into nine layers, can be cultivated all the way to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. It is a complete technique, with the attached divine abilities Water Mist Art and Cloud Sea Bewilderment."

This water-attribute technique belongs to the first type, emphasizing steady and solid cultivation.

Then Zhang Ling looked at more than a dozen different types of techniques. Due to the restrictions added to these books, he could only see some simple introductions.

But it also made Zhang Ling realize the richness of the Hao Yuan Sect's collection.

It not only has the Hao Yuan Sect's inherited techniques, but also some other types of techniques. These techniques were mostly collected by the Hao Yuan Sect's high-level figures over the generations.

For example, a "Purple Light Golden Yuan Art", with the attached divine ability "Mist Shadow Clone", can create clones identical to oneself at any time and place to confuse the enemy.

The higher the cultivation level, the more clones can be created, and the power is not small.

A "Crimson Flame Demonic Fire Art" is a demonic technique that can cultivate a kind of Crimson Flame Demonic Fire, which is extremely powerful.

There are also techniques that do not have attributes, and cultivators of any spiritual root can cultivate them, excelling in being neutral and peaceful.

The Hao Yuan Sect does not restrict disciples from cultivating any kind of technique. In the current cultivation world, techniques are roughly divided into Immortal Dao, Demonic Dao, Buddhist, and some Confucian, in addition to the division by power.

Zhang Ling felt his eyes were dazzled. There are many techniques here, each with its own characteristics.

……

After more than half an hour, Zhang Ling began to look for a technique suitable for himself. His spiritual roots are earth, metal, and water three spiritual roots.

Techniques of these three attributes can be cultivated, but he has been cultivating earth-attribute spiritual power for more than ten years, so naturally choosing earth-attribute techniques is the most suitable.

The five elements of spiritual energy in the world generate and restrain each other, and can also be transformed into each other. Only by finding the most suitable technique can one go further.

Two hours later, Zhang Ling selected three techniques that he liked.

"Earth Yuan Art" increases mana slowly during cultivation, and also has a very practical small divine ability "Earth Spirit Armor". It can condense spiritual armor with mana when fighting enemies, equivalent to a cultivator's ordinary spiritual power shield.

The defense is amazing, which can be called an excellent means of preserving life, and this spiritual armor can also gradually increase its defense as the technique improves. It is a technique that focuses on defense.

"Yellow Sand Spirit Art" is a top-level technique, after cultivation there is a secret technique "Wind and Sand Art". This is a secret technique combined with wind spiritual power. Whether in attacking, trapping enemies, or escaping, it is a not weak method.

But to cultivate it, one must refine a dual-attribute treasure of earth and wind. Only with this treasure can one cultivate to great success.

But the secret method of refining this treasure has been lost. Of course, other methods can also be used to refine dual-attribute treasures, but external force greatly reduces the effect.

The last technique is called "Dry Earth Art". Despite its unremarkable name, it is also a top-level technique. Cultivation advances quickly, but it requires the assistance of specific spiritual pills. Ordinary cultivators do not have the financial resources to support this.

Among the three techniques, the easiest to cultivate is undoubtedly the "Earth Yuan Art". This type of technique lies in gradual progress, and the safety factor is also the highest. Just follow the steps to cultivate, and the probability of problems in the middle is not high.

The second is the "Yellow Sand Spirit Art", the recorded secret technique Wind and Sand Art has many uses.

The disadvantage is that the refined treasure is incomplete, and this kind of treasure is not an ordinary thing. Without the assistance of a treasure, there are considerable hidden dangers in the process of cultivation. Once the spiritual power in the body is unbalanced, it will lead to cultivation deviation.

……

As for the "Dry Earth Art", after cultivation, the spiritual power in the body will be transformed into Thick Earth True Essence, which is extremely condensed. The spiritual power is 30% more than that of cultivators of the same level.

The attached secret technique is called "Heavy Yuan Profound Light". It condenses powerful gravity. Once covered by the Heavy Yuan Profound Light, the pressure on the body greatly increases. Although the attack power is not strong, this auxiliary secret technique can often play an incredible role with the cooperation of other treasures.

Moreover, among the attached spiritual pills, there is a magical pill called Heavy Yuan Pill. As long as one cultivates to the Foundation Establishment Completion stage, with the help of this pill, it is said to increase the chance of forming a core by 10%.

This technique also has some origins. It is the inherited technique of a sect called the Qian Yuan Sect ten thousand years ago. Although it is also a fragment, it can be cultivated to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm.