……Chapter Five Hundred and Fifty-Six: The Soul Lock …… Although it did not possess deep knowledge of the art of puppetry, artifact spirits, being a tangential branch of artifact refinement, naturally offered Lei Dong many suggestions from that perspective. Furthermore, this arena spirit possessed keen intelligence and astonishing learning capabilities. As Lei Dong continuously improved in puppetry, the spirit advanced just as rapidly.

“This is a Divine Sense Lock; it was quite common in my era,” the artifact spirit stated plainly after a single glance. “Its principle relies on the uniqueness of an individual’s soul wave signature to confirm the opening and closing of the lock.” Upon hearing this, Lei Dong’s brow furrowed, and the divine sense echo replied, “Can it be broken?” “Difficult, extremely difficult,” the artifact spirit responded swiftly. “The Divine Sense Lock was so prevalent in my era precisely because its defensive capabilities were excellent, making it very hard to bypass.

After all, mimicking an individual’s soul wave isn't difficult, but achieving an exact match is far from easy. If it weren't so, it wouldn't have been extensively utilized by many high-level cultivators to guard their cave residences. If the opener makes even the slightest error, the Divine Sense Lock instantly triggers a piercing alarm upon locking.” Indeed, it was impossible for anyone to enter the Scripture Pavilion so easily.

Lei Dong’s brows knitted tightly in fleeting thought. Breaking the Divine Sense Lock wasn't inherently hard; a forceful blast would suffice to damage it. But wouldn't that commotion immediately alert the entire Myriad Puppet Sect that an intruder was present?

However, if calculations could determine the Nascent Soul stage cultivator guarding the secret chamber, there was a high probability that this individual was the lock’s opener. But would forcing him to open the Divine Sense Lock be too reckless? As Lei Dong hesitated, the artifact spirit suddenly added, “Although bypassing it is extremely difficult, after extensive research by my master, a method for breaking it has been discovered.” Lei Dong was stunned, nearly wanting to smash the wretched arena into dust right then.

What kind of mockery was this? Playing games with him? As if sensing Lei Dong’s fury, the artifact spirit hurriedly flattered him with highly humanized deference: “Um, just a small jest from earlier.

But truthfully, without my master’s extensive research, this Divine Sense Lock is indeed incredibly hard to crack.” “Speak quickly, or I’ll just scrap you entirely,” Lei Dong was thoroughly annoyed. The artifact spirit immediately relayed the method. …… The next day, Lei Dong found the Core Disciple Reserve Executive, a Golden Core stage attendant, and secretly spent a sum of spirit stones to persuade him to search the Scripture Pavilion for any insights on puppetry for him to review.

Logically, Lei Dong had not passed the final test and was not yet an official core disciple. However, his second-place finish in the Puppet Competition, coupled with his unique talent in puppetry, meant his selection as a core disciple was practically guaranteed. Thus, granting him exceptional access to review materials was not a major issue.

Moreover, more importantly, rumors suggested a Nascent Soul elder within the sect was paying close attention to this Gongsun Dong, even intending to take him on as a personal disciple. Satisfying minor wishes in advance was considered a sort of investment in courting a rising star. After some minor maneuvering, Lei Dong secured permission to enter the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion for the duration of one stick of incense, during which he could personally select one jade slip or text.

This was considered a reward for the new batch of disciples. Of course, Lei Dong wasn't the only one to receive this honor. Many of the top ten core disciples hailed from prominent families, and within the Myriad Puppet Sect, their connections were intricate, with nearly every one backed by a connection to a Nascent Soul expert.

Naturally, they also gained this benefit of accessing the Scripture Pavilion. Furthermore, they held an advantage over Lei Dong; having connections within the sect, they would know exactly which items held true value? This left Lei Dong speechless; spending spirit stones to clear connections only ended up benefiting others without cause.

But he didn't mind; those puppet technique insights might be useful to these juniors, but for him, they were non-essential. His sole objective for this trip was the Divine Transformation stage puppetry techniques. Even slightly inferior Nascent Soul level puppets wouldn't help him much.

Only Divine Transformation level puppetry was the ideal he pursued. The group of ten entered the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, led by the Golden Core attendant. Arriving openly like this was an entirely different experience from sneaking in quietly the night before.

Lei Dong dared not use his divine sense to scan the area freely, but he could deduce that the mechanical puppets and formation guardians from last night were currently in a deactivated state. “Reporting to the Elder, this junior abides by the Grand Elder’s decree to bring this generation of rising stars to the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion for the time of one stick of incense,” the Golden Core attendant stated respectfully into the void. Following this, he carefully placed a uniquely shaped token in his palm.

Suddenly, a mysterious and powerful force swept up the token. After a dozen breaths of silence, an aged yet resonant voice spoke: “The handwritten decree has been confirmed. You are qualified to enter for the duration of one stick of incense.

You are forbidden to touch anything with your hands; only one item may be selected. Once chosen, you must exit immediately, or blame this old one for ruthlessness.” “We obey the Elder’s command.” Faced with a Nascent Soul expert, regardless of how outstanding their innate talent, none dared display any arrogance or carelessness. Putting aside the sheer power and terror of Nascent Soul cultivators, which one among them hadn't been a peerless figure in their youth?

Among the ten core disciples present, though each possessed formidable aptitude, perhaps only one or two of them would ultimately achieve the Nascent Soul stage. In the presence of such figures, these favored sons of heaven had nothing to boast about. While the others dared not let their attention wander, Lei Dong required extreme concentration.

The small device he had refined overnight was monitoring soul wave fluctuations without pause. As expected, the Nascent Soul cultivator’s mental waves emanated outward, brushing against the Divine Sense Lock at the entrance to the second floor. With a kacha sound, the Divine Sense Lock opened, and as the defensive formation activated, the circular door slowly parted, revealing a shadowy corridor.

Immediately, illumination formations flickered to life, flooding the passage with bright light. The other nine core disciples all displayed looks of excitement; the treasures on the second floor were far beyond the miscellaneous items on the first. They were eager to begin.

But Lei Dong’s mind was elsewhere. He sent a pulse of divine sense toward the artifact spirit: “How is the situation?” “Perfectly executed. I have successfully stolen its soul wave signature.

By simulating that signature using a special method, we can open this Soul Lock. It appears this Soul Lock is not much different from those of my era; there have been few improvements. Clearly, this sect must have excavated this ancient artifact from some ruin and attempted to replicate it.” The artifact spirit rambled on, “If I were designing this Soul Lock, I certainly wouldn't…” “Enough, this is not the time for idle chatter.” Lei Dong immediately cut it off.

Having confirmed the perfect recording, he had no patience to listen to further nonsense. As he followed the main group filing into the second floor, he instructed the spirit, “Spirit, you are responsible for mapping the terrain and noting the entrance status of the lower floor. Since that Nascent Soul cultivator’s mental waves are constantly monitoring this area, I cannot freely deploy my own divine sense for reconnaissance.” The artifact spirit snorted, “To be so timid around a mere early Nascent Soul cultivator—you shame my master.

My master could swat dozens of creatures like this with a single palm.” “If you utter another word of nonsense, I’ll postpone the arena maintenance by a thousand years,” Lei Dong said dismissively. Having spent much time with this spirit, he had gradually learned its temperament. It was the type that became more presumptuous when treated kindly, yet grew obedient when addressed sternly—a thoroughly troublesome disposition.

As expected, the artifact spirit quieted down and began observing the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion using its unique methods. Lei Dong walked in at an unhurried pace, his eyes sweeping around. The second floor was noticeably smaller than the first, suggesting the most valuable items resided below.

However, the Divine Transformation level puppetry he sought would certainly not be kept here. He walked along the shelves, observing with his eyes. He couldn't use his divine sense for fear of alerting the early Nascent Soul cultivator.

Simultaneously, a voice reached Lei Dong’s ear: “Walk fifteen steps forward, turn left. Quickly take the slightly grayish jade slip in the corner. Don't misunderstand; it’s simply thanks for showing a little restraint toward me during the final match.

Others might not know, but I know you still held back.” Lei Dong paused slightly, then immediately recalled Li Chuchu’s voice, and chuckled while touching his nose. He had indeed held back in the finals, but that was due to his own plans. Yet, listening to Li Chuchu’s tone, he sensed an odd flavor.

Could she possibly think he had developed feelings for her, which is why he willingly conceded the championship? That seemed likely. Perhaps she wanted to repay the favor now.

No wonder she often avoided his gaze these past two days. Lei Dong could only smile in response. He immediately strode toward the object and used his Foundation Establishment stage divine sense—barely strong enough—to sweep over it, spotting the inconspicuous jade slip.

Just as he was about to draw it over with his sense, another divine sense wave, extremely domineering, swept over the item first, pulling it toward its owner. The movement was aggressive and utterly unforgiving. Before Lei Dong could react, another familiar divine sense fluctuation, seemingly laced with anger, fiercely collided with that wave, snatching the jade slip and flinging it back toward Lei Dong...RM