Chapter 926: Depressed Puppet

"Special? What could be special?" Wei Ranxue asked, puzzled.

Zhao Bingxu hesitated for a moment before saying, "To be honest, the eighth level isn't guarded by a puppet. It's guarded by a clone that Dean Mo Liuzhen created using one of his own ribs."

"A clone?" Wei Ranxue was stunned.

"That's right," Zhao Bingxu confirmed. "Back then, when Dean Mo Liuzhen reached the peak of Mortal Transformation Nine-layered and attempted the challenge again – unlike the first time when he only reached the seventh level – he made it to the eighth. And... he even defeated the puppet on that level. Feeling there were significant flaws, he personally intervened, took out one of his ribs, and, with the help of geo-core crystals, re-fashioned the guardian of this level to match his own strength and combat skills!"

"Geo-core crystals? Those rare minerals that can only be found deep within the earth?" Wei Ranxue frowned. She had heard of these crystals; they were an extremely rare mineral, incredibly hard, and contained intense heat energy, making them remarkably effective for body tempering and puppet crafting. It was said that these crystals had been depleted thousands of years ago, making even a single piece difficult to find. Yet, Mo Liuzhen had used them to craft a puppet... just thinking about it felt extravagant. Even if it was just used as a primary material, its power couldn't be underestimated! It was likely that even a peak Semi-Saint, or a Saint Realm One-layered expert, could be defeated by it.

"Not only that, but he also left a trace of his own consciousness within it," Zhao Bingxu continued with a wry smile. "This means the guardian of the eighth level is no longer an ordinary puppet. It's exactly like Dean Mo Liuzhen was back then, possessing a body impervious to pain and nearly invulnerable defensively. Even the original Mo Liuzhen would have found it difficult to defeat, let alone our current dean!" It wasn't that he didn't trust the dean, but the dean's current strength was only at the early stage of Mortal Transformation Nine-layered, which was quite low. When Dean Mo Liuzhen had created this puppet, he was already at the peak of Mortal Transformation Nine-layered, not far from becoming a Half-Saint. Both were super geniuses, but there was nearly a full major realm difference, and the latter was a tireless, pain-impervious monster. No wonder Zhao Bingxu had no confidence whatsoever.

Wei Ranxue was speechless. If what he said was true, it would indeed be too difficult for the dean to win... one could even say it was impossible.

"Further talk is pointless. Let's go up and see for ourselves!" Xu Changqing waved his hand.

"Right!" The others nodded and proceeded towards the eighth level together.

This level was equally quiet, devoid of any signs of battle. However, the ground was heavily cratered and shattered everywhere, making it evident that a fierce battle had taken place.

"We're late; the battle must have ended a long time ago..." Zhao Bingxu remarked, glancing around. As master teachers, their eyesight was astonishing, allowing them to easily discern that the battle had occurred about a day ago. This meant the outcome of the fight had been determined yesterday.

They hurried to the center of the room and searched separately. They saw no one and found no broken parts. "Who won?" they exchanged puzzled glances. If, like the previous level, the floor had been littered with fragments and parts, they would have known without a doubt that the dean had successfully defeated the puppet. But now the ground was clean, with nothing but battle traces. Could it be that the dean had lost? Yet, if he had truly lost... where was the puppet? Why was it also missing?

"There's blood here!" Wei Ranxue suddenly stopped, her expression anxious. The others came closer and indeed saw a pool of blood on the ground, indicating a significant injury. "It's the dean's..." Their fists clenched. Although this puppet was a clone made from Dean Mo Liuzhen's rib, it had no blood. The blood on the ground clearly showed that the dean was no match and had been injured on the spot.

While the previous seven levels had been relatively simple, this one was proving to be incredibly difficult to pass.

"Although he's injured, everyone, there's no need to worry too much," Zhao Bingxu explained, seeing their concern. "The puppet on this level contains Dean Mo Liuzhen's consciousness, so it shouldn't try to kill the dean!" The puppets on the first seven levels possessed only basic sentience, knowing only to fight and guard. They had no human emotions. However, since Dean Mo Liuzhen had left his consciousness here, it naturally possessed his disposition and thoughts. Upon learning Master Zhang's identity, it should not resort to lethal force! In that case, the dean was safe; at least his life would be guaranteed.

"Look!" As they pondered what the dean might have experienced here, they heard an exclamation from the dean of the Calligraphy and Painting Academy. They quickly looked to where he was pointing, his finger directed towards the ceiling, his face blank with shock. Following his gaze, everyone else was also stunned. There, stuck firmly to the ceiling wall, was a figure deeply embedded, forming a large "big" character imprint. Its eyes were tightly shut, indicating it was likely unconscious.

"It's the puppet created by Dean Mo Liuzhen..." Zhao Bingxu recognized it and quickly stated. Knowing who it was, the many elders didn't hesitate. They all flew up and carefully extracted it from the wall. Zhong Dingchun and the dean of the Heavenly Crafts Institute came forward to help treat it. A moment later, it slowly regained consciousness.

Upon seeing them, the puppet's face flushed crimson with anger, and it burst into curses: "Damn it... who was that shameless scoundrel who came to challenge me earlier?"

"Shameless scoundrel?" Hearing Dean Mo Liuzhen's consciousness refer to their current dean in such terms, everyone's mouths twitched. According to historical records, this former dean possessed unparalleled talent, yet his temperament and disposition were incredibly steady. It was precisely for this reason that countless future students worshipped him, and his name was enshrined for eternity. He was hailed as the undisputed greatest person in the academy for ten thousand years! How could such a composed individual completely lose his composure and curse so vehemently, appearing so agitated?

"That fellow was no match for me at all in our fight!" The puppet, containing Dean Mo Liuzhen's consciousness, fumed. "After a few moves, I knew he wouldn't win if we continued, so I told him to wisely leave... Who knew that guy would enthusiastically claim to admire me greatly, asking me to personally teach him martial arts? He even grabbed my hand and showered me with an endless stream of compliments..." The puppet's face was filled with regret, its eyes showing signs of having been tricked: "Hearing him say that, as a master teacher, I naturally couldn't refuse. I casually offered him a few pointers..." "Who knew that guy would cling to my hand and refuse to let go, insisting he wanted more contact with his idol... I was momentarily caught off guard and fell into his trap. I genuinely thought he admired me, but who knew, who knew..." The more the puppet spoke, the angrier it became, looking as if it might explode.

"Who knew what?" Wei Ranxue couldn't help but ask, seeing him stop mid-sentence.

"Who knew that shameless scoundrel wasn't admiring me at all, nor did he want me to teach him? Instead... he was using the geo-core crystals within my body to cultivate!" "You should be able to tell that I'm made from geo-core crystals... If that guy had absorbed them frantically, I would surely have noticed. But he... he drew the power bit by bit, all while sweet-talking me, and I didn't detect it at all. He practically devoured most of the energy from the crystals inside my body..." Even though the puppet had integrated a human consciousness, it was still just a puppet and not as sensitive to bodily control. Like a soulless golden figure, it was merely a body capable of moving and wielding power. If it wasn't actively fighting, it wouldn't even know what was happening to its own body.

"Without the crystals, my defense was, at best, somewhat weakened. But... somehow, that guy's physical strength increased dramatically in an instant. When we fought again, he sent me flying with a single punch... Without defense, and with his increased power... I was knocked out on the spot and embedded in the ceiling..." The puppet recounted the incident furiously. If it had known this guy intended to steal its geo-core crystals for cultivation, it would never have believed a single word he said, even if it meant death! Now look what happened: its defense was down, its combat power weakened... and it was beaten to a pulp. Having cultivated its entire life and met countless master teachers, it had never encountered anyone so shameless! The more it thought about it, the more aggrieved it felt, which made it burst into complaints upon seeing the elders.

"This..." After hearing the whole story, the elders exchanged glances, their faces twitching. It seemed the dean truly wasn't a match at first, but later, by interacting with the geo-core crystals within the opponent's body, he cultivated some martial art, which then significantly boosted his strength and allowed him to defeat the puppet... Doing something like this isn't uncommon in a battle, where even life and death can be set aside, but to use such a method for a challenge... it was indeed a bit unethical. However, if he had directly asked to borrow the opponent's geo-core crystals, not only would he likely have been refused, but he might have been beaten to death on the spot.

"Never mind," the puppet sighed, feeling much better after voicing its grievances, and waved its hand. "Battle itself is a matter of life and death; there's no room for deference. His ability to do this shows he's not a rigid or stubborn person. Such individuals usually break conventions and go further!" As master teachers, while they are role models and uphold their status, they cannot be too rigid. Otherwise, how could they innovate and progress? Leaving aside everything else, even Master Kong himself was not a stubborn person; he readily adapted. He once descended into the catacombs three times, disguised himself as a member of the Foreign Spirit Race, and infiltrated their ranks. He was even crowned a king and then an emperor, almost leading to their annihilation... If master teachers were overly concerned with their status, rigidly adhered to past concepts, lacked innovation, and avoided bold attempts, humanity would not have developed so splendidly in just a few tens of thousands of years.

"It's good that Senior can see it that way..." Hearing him say this, Zhao Bingxu and the others breathed a sigh of relief. This puppet contained Dean Mo Liuzhen's consciousness, and the person who defeated him was their current dean. When "immortals fight, mortals suffer," it wasn't appropriate to side with either. Since the puppet could understand on its own, it saved them the trouble of trying to persuade it.

"That fellow defeated me, so he must have entered the ninth level," the puppet said, nodding and standing up, glancing upwards. "The ninth level is a forbidden area. Even with an Elder's Token, you cannot enter. You should remain here!" The ninth level was inaccessible even with an Elder's Token. One could only succeed by relying on true combat prowess to overcome its guardian... Even the puppet, back when it was fully powerful, hadn't managed to do that.

"That's right!" Zhao Bingxu and the others nodded. They were aware of the rules. They had initially thought they would find the dean on this level, but now it seemed he had gone even further than they had imagined.

"Wait... Senior, your strength doesn't seem to be at the peak of the Semi-Saint realm..." As everyone was sighing with emotion, the dean of the Heavenly Crafts Institute suddenly spoke, having noticed something.