And the young man with a calm expression behind him was the person they had met a few days ago.
After Li Yan and Zhu Luomu flew here, he did not let Zhu Luomu leave immediately.
He was just coming over to talk to Shuang Chongshan for a few sentences. It was a good opportunity for Zhu Luomu to know about this matter as well, so he could handle it later.
Otherwise, he would have to explain things again later, which would be a waste of time.
However, with such an artifact refiner joining the sect, he would still explain the reason to Xing Ming later. At the same time, he would tell him not to covet Shuang Chongshan's puppet mechanism art.
This was not because Li Yan was truly benevolent. Firstly, it was impossible for him to cultivate the "Divine Puppet Art."
At the same time, it was not easy to cultivate an artifact refiner. It was not enough to just have the cultivation method. It also required years of cultivation, which would cost an inestimable amount of raw materials.
The act of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs was not suitable for the current development of "Falling Star Valley."
However, this still touched a chord deep in Li Yan's heart. Seeing Ming Ling, who was also of the human race, reminded him of Zhao Min.
From the bottom of his heart, Li Yan did not want to really break up a loving pair of Dao Companions.
As soon as he entered the room, Li Yan glanced faintly at Shuang Lianzhou, then moved his gaze to the old man. With his hearing, he had naturally heard what the other had said just now.
"This junior pays his respects to Senior. It has been a few days since we last met, and Senior's style is as before!"
Shuang Chongshan glared at his son and quickly signaled for the two of them to pay their respects with him.
"Hahaha, it seems Fellow Daoist Shuang has thought it through. I will say it again: here, no one will dare to covet the art you practice. What the sect needs is your finished products."
As he spoke, Li Yan had stopped in front of the three of them.
He raised his hand and made a virtual gesture. The bodies of the three, Shuang Chongshan and the others, stood up uncontrollably. Li Yan didn't want to waste any more words and got straight to the point.
"For you to address this junior in such a way, Senior, is to belittle him. You can just call me by my name."
"If I can join the sect, everything will be arranged by you, Senior. It is my duty to serve. My family of three only hopes to be able to cultivate in peace and safety in our spare time!"
Hearing the other party address him as "Fellow Daoist," how could Shuang Chongshan dare to accept?
And hearing Li Yan repeat the previous agreement, his heart was filled with joy, and he quickly expressed his wishes.
The conversation between them was too direct, leaving Zhu Luomu, who had already flashed to the side, completely confused.
On the way here, he had not dared to ask about the origins of these three people, but just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by Elder Zhang.
"Oh, Luomu, come here. These three are the Shuang family..."
Li Yan then turned his head to look at Zhu Luomu and immediately began to introduce them. He then briefly explained some of Shuang Chongshan's background but did not mention that he was being hunted or the matter of the Duye Clan.
"...I had the idea of recruiting them into the sect before. Now that they are here, you can make the arrangements."
"Oh, and it's best to arrange for them to be in the core disciple area. I will explain these matters to Senior Brother!"
Only then did Zhu Luomu know that this was a family of three who were skilled in refining puppets.
The sect also had a few Foundation Establishment cultivators who were skilled in mechanism puppets, and their skills were not low.
But for Elder Zhang to ask them to live directly in the core disciple area was actually not in line with the sect's rules.
The few martial brothers who also refined puppets, the most powerful one could already refine a puppet equivalent to a Great Perfection of Qi Condensation cultivator.
But he was only allocated a courtyard in the valley with relatively good spiritual power and was not qualified to enter the core disciple residential area.
But Zhu Luomu did not dare to go against this Elder Zhang's wishes.
He had long been handling many of the sect's affairs on behalf of his master, Xing Ming. Others might not know about Zhang Ming's affairs in "Sacred Demon City," but he knew many secret details.
Elder Zhang seemed to have killed a mid-stage Golden Core expert in "Sacred Demon City" and severely injured one or two Golden Core cultivators.
One must know, how long had Zhang Ming been at the Golden Core stage? And he was fighting against cultivators of a higher level than him.
This made Zhu Luomu think of Zhang Ming back when they were both at the Foundation Establishment stage during the great sect war. This person seemed extremely easygoing, but once he attacked, it was with the intention of killing the opponent.
Whether it was his heart or his methods, they were ruthless and vicious.
In a flash, Zhu Luomu had thought of many things, but he had already quickly agreed.
"This disciple obeys. For such a small matter, there is no need to trouble you, Martial Uncle. I will just inform the Sect Master."
Hearing this, the three, Shuang Chongshan and the others, were told by this senior that he would give them this kind of treatment. And when he had described his background earlier, he had deliberately omitted many important things.
This was clearly to protect his secret in secret. They couldn't help but be overjoyed. It seemed they had really come to the right place.
"From the tone of this deacon-like cultivator, Senior Zhang's status in the sect may be even higher than I imagined. He doesn't seem to be an ordinary elder."
The status of a Golden Core cultivator in a second-rate sect was certainly not low, but if there were several Golden Core cultivators at the same time, having status and having a say were completely different things.
Obviously, this Elder Zhang had both status and a say.
Li Yan also nodded at his words. He was very satisfied with Zhu Luomu's ability to handle matters. He thought for a moment and then turned to the nervous Shuang Lianzhou and said.
"Oh, and take out your puppet and let Luomu see it, so he can have an idea!"
"Usually, the sect's affairs are handled by him. Afterward, he will use this to measure the number of spirit stones to be given to you each month, as well as the level of artifact refining materials you can consume."
"Since you have joined 'Falling Star Valley,' some things should be decided in advance. It's better not to be muddle-headed."
Li Yan's words first stunned the three, Shuang Chongshan and the others, but they quickly understood this Elder Zhang's meaning.
He was letting them show their strength in front of this cultivator surnamed Zhu, so as to set their corresponding status in the sect.
And through these few short sentences, they had already heard another layer of meaning. This cultivator surnamed Zhu had a high status in the sect and was someone they needed to befriend.
Shuang Lianzhou was also a smart person. He understood that Li Yan knew his father's red tiger magical treasure puppet was destroyed, which was why he was asking him to step forward.
He immediately flicked his sleeve, and a small, exquisite cyan puppet appeared in the middle of the hall. This object grew with the wind. Amidst a hazy cyan light, it instantly grew to the size of an adult.
It was his own natal magical treasure---the "Three-legged Green Luan."
He was also extremely polite and cupped his fists at Zhu Luomu.
"Senior Brother Zhu, this is the natal magical treasure that this little brother refined some years ago. Please give me your guidance. Of course, this little brother's skills are still shallow. My father is the true master in this."
Although his words were polite, the moment he took out the "Three-legged Green Luan," his demeanor suddenly changed, and he unconsciously exuded a strong sense of confidence.
Although Zhu Luomu specialized in pill refining, he could be considered half an expert in artifact refining. At least his eye was not something most cultivators of the same rank could compare to.
Before the "Three-legged Green Luan" appeared, although Zhu Luomu was all smiles, he was just watching with a casual attitude.
His second junior brother was also an artifact refiner, and a first-rate one in the sect.
Puppet mechanism art was just one of them. Zhu Luomu also often discussed this art with his junior brother.
In his mind, as long as the puppet mechanism art of the person in front of him could be compared to his second junior brother's, then arranging for them to live in the core disciple area could also be justified. At least that way, he would not bring criticism upon himself.
The moment the "Three-legged Green Luan" appeared, Zhu Luomu's Divine Sense also casually swept over it. Then, he let out a light "huh."
"The aura of this puppet is contained within and circulates. Its aura is hidden but not released. To be able to do this, the means are truly not bad!"
But in the next moment, when his Divine Sense carefully came into contact with the "Three-legged Green Luan," the smile on Zhu Luomu's face suddenly froze.
"Foundation... Establishment... stage... puppet?"
Seeing Zhu Luomu's somewhat stiff expression, although the faces of the three from the Shuang family remained calm, their hearts were extremely satisfied.
Especially Shuang Lianzhou. He had never dared to show his artifact refining skills before. At most, he could only admire them himself.
This time, to be able to meet a Golden Core cultivator like Li Yan, who was not greedy for the Shuang family's inheritance, and now for them to take out their puppet, this was a rare opportunity to show off.
All of Shuang Lianzhou's skills, apart from showing them to Ming Ling, who was of lower cultivation than him, he could only hide his abilities in front of outsiders, not daring to expose too much.
It was not an exaggeration to say that he was usually just admiring his own work. To see someone else's surprised expression was a rare treat, and Shuang Lianzhou was naturally very excited.
Shuang Chongshan secretly gave Shuang Lianzhou a look, and Shuang Lianzhou immediately understood.
He and his natal magical treasure were connected in mind. With a light extension of his Divine Sense, the "Three-legged Green Luan," which had been standing quietly on the ground, burst into brilliant light. After a clear, crisp cry, it slowly rose into the air.
And at this moment, the aura emanating from the "Three-legged Green Luan" was rising steadily.
"It's... it's a... a... peak... initial-stage... Foundation... Establishment... puppet?"
"That's right, this is the power of this puppet!"
Shuang Lianzhou's voice came over, with a hint of pride. It was just that the words that Shuang Chongshan had strictly warned him of for many years, "always hold back three parts," lingered in his mind.
He had already understood the other layer of meaning in Shuang Chongshan's eyes and had finally grasped the limit.
He did not forcefully activate the full power of this puppet. This puppet could at most exert the power of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
Of course, for this puppet to reach such power was not solely due to Shuang Lianzhou's refining. He did not have that ability yet.
Because it was his natal magical treasure, to reach the mid-stage Foundation Establishment power, the key components were tempered by Shuang Chongshan.
And Shuang Lianzhou's cultivation had only just entered the mid-stage Foundation Establishment not long ago and could not fully exert the true power of this puppet.
Unless he forcefully used a secret method to activate it at all costs, only then could he briefly burst out with the power of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment for more than ten breaths.
But in that case, his own Divine Sense would be severely damaged, and it would be very difficult to recover.
"This... this, what is the highest-grade puppet you can refine?" Zhu Luomu asked excitedly.
Shuang Chongshan secretly glanced at Li Yan, and Li Yan's voice sounded in his mind.
"This is enough. There's no need to expose all your puppet refining techniques now. You can decide for yourself after you become familiar with 'Falling Star Valley' in the future!"
"It depends on the grade of the refining materials. There's a certain chance of refining a mid-stage Foundation Establishment puppet, about a thirty percent chance!"
Shuang Chongshan hesitated for a moment before answering. At the same time, he was even more grateful to Li Yan in his heart. He knew that the other was afraid that he was worried about exposing the "Divine Puppet Art."
So, while letting him obtain a not-low status in the sect, he tried his best to preserve his own secrets, so as to relieve his anxiety.
Shuang Chongshan's answer also left him some leeway.
"A thirty percent chance of refining a mid-stage Foundation Establishment puppet?"
Zhu Luomu was somewhat agitated.
"Senior... Senior Brother Zhu, this requires mid-to-high-grade artifact refining materials, and of course, a suitable earth fire!"
Shuang Chongshan reminded him again. He was already politely calling him Senior Brother.
"Mid-to-high-grade artifact refining materials, and a suitable earth fire?
"No problem. As long as you list them, Senior Brother Shuang, the sect should be able to provide them."
"As for the earth fire, if you've inquired about 'Falling Star Valley,' you'll know that we have a pretty good earth fire ore vein."
"Martial Uncle, for you to be able to find such an artifact refining grandmaster, this is simply... simply too precious for the sect!"
"By the way, does Master know about this? He'll definitely be very happy if he knows."