Before Li Ye could excitedly select and attempt to redeem the complete Heavenly Craft Scripture, another line of text popped up on the mirror's surface:
"Nie Yanyu, recorded cultivation: Mid-Stage Golden Core. You may redeem levels one to three of the Heavenly Craft Scripture using the True Inheritor Mark…"
"Tch"
Li Ye sucked in a breath of cold air was this thing messing with him?
Just moments ago, he'd witnessed the wonders of an "artificial fool" back at the ruined Assessment Hall and managed to freeload three layers of the Heavenly Craft Scripture and even snag a True Inheritor Mark for free.
And now this mirror platform was telling him that one True Inheritor Mark could only get him the first three layers of the scripture?
What a joke getting it free back there felt way better!
"Forget it…"
Shaking his head helplessly, Li Ye decided to try filtering the available techniques again this time using Wood Spiritual Root as the criterion, to see if there was something more suitable for higher-level cultivation.
Qingyuan Technique wasn't bad, and its paired spells were practical enough. But compared to something like the Heavenly Craft Scripture, it fell short!
The Heavenly Craft Scripture, however, leaned heavily toward utility-based cultivation its many techniques centered on puppetry and integrated the essence of countless disciplines.
If one chose it as their primary cultivation method, any issue with their core puppet during a duel could drastically impact their overall power.
Conversely, if it were only used as a supplementary technique not altering one's core magical attributes then the drawbacks would be minimal.
Though Li Ye was impressed by the many techniques it demonstrated and truly liked it, he wasn't willing to adopt such an obvious weakness unless he had no other choice. He'd never rashly take it on as his main cultivation method.
The three layers of the Heavenly Craft Scripture, together with the included craftsmanship techniques, were already enough to meet his current needs.
It was sufficient for now no need to waste this rare opportunity hunting down every last technical inheritance here.
But if he let this chance slip by, trying to find a wood-element main cultivation technique out in the wild that could rival the Heavenly Craft Scripture… would be next to impossible.
As the search filtered results again, a list of technique names and brief descriptions appeared on the mirror's surface.
At the very top was a technique called Wood God Art.
"Originated from the Wood God Sect. A legacy cultivation technique…"
Li Ye raised his brows when he saw that.
"So this Heavenly Craft Hall even has legacy techniques from the Wood God Sect? Did they get their hands on it while scheming for that divine tree inheritance? Maybe they took it straight from the sect's higher-ups?"
"Complete with secret arts, and contains content from Qi Refining to early Nascent Soul Realm. Allows smooth progression through stages…"
Li Ye carefully read the description and browsed a short sample of the cultivation method.
Even just contemplating that small section caused him to instinctively recall the sensations he'd experienced during the spiritual imprinting when he had briefly taken on the form of the Voidrealm Tree.
"Sowing and urging growth… visualizing the divine tree, absorbing the essence of plants as cultivation fuel…"
As he connected these ideas with the method's content, he immediately felt his spiritual power stir within, as if it were beginning to evolve to a higher level.
But as the excerpt ended, his spiritual energy slowly calmed again leaving behind a faint sense of disappointment and yearning.
Still, he had to admit…
Li Ye was tempted.
He hadn't even finished reading a single full section of the cultivation method, and yet it had already stirred him so deeply.
If he could view it in its entirety, he might very well make a breakthrough on the spot!
The profound Dao insights contained within this technique were far beyond what Qingyuan Art could offer.
What's more, the Voidrealm Tree he had planted now was very likely a descendant sprout of the Divine Tree once nurtured by the Wood God Sect. Every year, it steadily produced Voidrealm Essence, nourishing his cultivation.
If this Wood God Art truly resonated with the tree, his cultivation efficiency might improve significantly.
In terms of spiritual power quality and overall combat capability, this technique also far outclassed Qingyuan Art.
Whether striving for higher realms or fighting to defend his path, this was undoubtedly a superior choice.
Making Wood God Art his primary method, while using the Heavenly Craft Scripture to supplement it and refine his mastery of various disciplines that would allow Li Ye to unify his cultivation path completely and reach a whole new level of transformation.
Still, even with all this in mind, Li Ye didn't make a hasty decision. He carefully browsed through several other wood-element techniques.
Though each had its brilliance, all were slightly inferior compared to Wood God Art.
More importantly, none of them stirred his heart or evoked the feelings he had when he briefly became the Voidrealm Tree during his spiritual enlightenment.
"If I let this chance slip by, I might never get another like it… I'll take the Wood God Art!"
Li Ye's gaze sharpened, all lingering doubts vanished, and his puppet decisively selected Wood God Art.
Whoosh
Runes began flowing across the surface of the mirror on the stone platform. Around the hall, various array wards activated, seemingly pulling data from somewhere for verification.
One by one, intricate texts appeared on the mirror's surface. Wrapped in spiritual light, they surged into the disciple token placed on the platform.
Throughout this process, each of the nine puppet avatars under Li Ye's control remained fully focused watching for any clues that might lead to the true location of the Mechanism Pavilion's hidden library, hoping to find a way to take it all in one sweep.
But such mechanisms were part of the Heavenly Craft Hall's deepest secrets. Even now, with the Pavilion collapsed and its array wards a chaotic mess, there was no way someone like him with only second-rank array mastery could see through the illusion.
Moments later, everything settled back into stillness.
The True Inheritor Mark on the disciple token faded and disappeared, and the token returned to its normal state.
As the puppet reached out and lifted the token from the stone platform, the previously activated formation's residual energy backlashed slightly. With just a brief moment of disruption, the mirror surface of the platform cracked and shattered into countless uneven fragments.
Li Ye's mouth twitched. Through the puppet's vision, his spiritual sense glanced over at the only remaining intact mirror platform nearby.
"At least there's one left… If I manage to obtain another True Inheritor Mark in the future, I can come back here to redeem it…"
He had originally thought that after using up the True Inheritor Mark, he could check if his other disciple tokens held any remaining contribution points. With a bit of luck, they might add up to something significant.
That way, he could trade for some alchemical recipes or secret techniques on the side.
But now that the stone platform's mirror shattered after just a single use, he didn't dare take any more chances.
The formations here were complex and tightly woven, with third and fourth-rank arrays interlaced. There was no way Li Ye could locate the real archives of the Heavenly Craft Hall. His only option was to use these mirror platforms to access the hall's legacy.
And now that only one remained, he wasn't about to risk it for a few minor gains.
"That's enough for today…"
Inside the third safe zone, Li Ye let out a long breath and recalled his puppets with a satisfied expression.
In just one day, he had acquired the Heavenly Craft Scripture and the Wood God Art two powerful legacy techniques from Nascent Soul-level sects as well as numerous second- and third-tier spiritual materials and puppet components…
Such a harvest would be enough to cause a major stir if it happened in the outside world, yet to him, it was just another milestone in exploring this ancient palace.
With the True Inheritor Mark on his core disciple token now used up, he no longer had the freedom to move about unchecked. It was time to quit while he was ahead.
"Once I switch my main cultivation method to the Wood God Art and craft my life-bound puppet with the Heavenly Craft Scripture as support… then I'll consider pushing forward with the exploration again."
Li Ye resolved silently in his heart.
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