Puppet

Chapter 29: Puppets

The so-called First-Rank Talisman Artifact and Second-Rank Talisman Artifact were classifications based on the number of talismans inscribed. However, because artifact refiners varied in skill, there could very well be claims such as "a First-Rank Talisman Artifact whose might rivals that of a Second-Rank Talisman Artifact."

Such cases were merely rare.

After all, optimizing the arrangement of talismans—even forming an entirely new talisman formation—was far beyond what an ordinary artifact refiner could accomplish. Some artifact refiners might spend their entire lives without ever managing to optimize a single Talisman Artifact or Dharma Artifact.

With the Evolving Method characteristic of the "Yellow Court Scripture," however, Lu Qingfeng could optimize every Talisman Artifact and every Dharma Artifact!

So long as he had enough experience points!

Lu Qingfeng pondered this inwardly, his heart brimming with delight.

Being able to refine the Scarlet Flame Alchemy Cauldron in the game meant that he could refine one in reality as well. At last, he could escape the predicament of using a boiler for alchemy and greatly increase his alchemy efficiency.

"But this artifact refinement—"

Lu Qingfeng gathered his thoughts and recalled his artifact-refining career over the past few years. He could not help shaking his head.

Alchemy was difficult!

The difficulty lay in mastering the properties of various medicinal materials, matching their proportions, controlling the heat, and so on.

Talisman crafting was difficult!

The difficulty lay in drawing talismans, the precision of each stroke, mastering Eroded Script, coordinating inner breath with cinnabar, the talisman brush, and talisman paper, as well as countless other details, including guiding the amount of spiritual energy.

As for artifact refinement, its difficulty encompassed nearly all of both.

First.

Before refining an artifact, one had to process various ores and metals. Though the steps seemed similar to processing medicinal materials, they were even more difficult. After processing them, one also had to combine them in different proportions and forge them while coordinating the heat.

Besides controlling the heat, this also involved controlling one's strength.

When Lu Qingfeng refined the Scarlet Flame Alchemy Cauldron, for example, he constantly issued commands, having nine apprentices control the firepower and airflow. At the same time, he used his inner breath to control the chaotic, disordered airflow inside the smelting furnace, condensing it into wave after wave of tremendous force to forge the metal inside the furnace into shape.

Zhang Zong used the Wind-Thunder Hammer to forge sword artifacts according to the same principle.

These things seemed similar to alchemy, but in truth, they were worlds apart.

Furthermore, Lu Qingfeng had to control his inner breath with microscopic precision, using it to guide the metal in the smelting furnace and outline countless incomparably complex Eroded Script characters, thereby forming talismans. He then had to arrange and combine those talismans into groups of talisman formations.

This was meticulous work. The process of outlining and arranging them consumed an enormous amount of mental energy.

It was also the greatest difficulty in artifact refinement.

First, there were countless Eroded Script characters. Every single one was a manifestation of the Great Dao, something that could only be understood but never put into words. They were complex and ever-changing, like images of the mountains and rivers of heaven and earth. Outlining them individually was already difficult; combining and even overlapping many of them to form talismans was harder still.

When drawing talismans, one at least held a brush in hand!

When outlining talismans during artifact refinement, however, one had to guide them with inner breath. This required training one's inner breath until it moved as easily as an arm, as well as becoming extraordinarily familiar with the properties and repulsive interactions of various metals.

This made artifact refinement faintly the most difficult of the three.

The reason Lu Qingfeng had taken nearly eight years to refine the Scarlet Flame Alchemy Cauldron was that he had been overcoming these difficulties one by one. The most important aspects were his understanding of Eroded Script and his control over inner breath.

After countless rounds of practice, Lu Qingfeng could now control his inner breath with microscopic precision and skillfully outline Eroded Script talismans.

Although it took a relatively long time, he would no longer need to waste time on inner breath when refining other Talisman Artifacts in the future.

"The Scarlet Flame Alchemy Cauldron was only a trial. Next, I should study Mechanism Arts and then master puppet refinement!" A glint flashed in Lu Qingfeng's eyes.

Ever since he had first witnessed a puppet's might eight years ago, Lu Qingfeng had taken an interest in them.

Over the years, the more he learned about puppets, the more his heart stirred. This alternative kind of artifact, resembling the combat robots of his previous life, fit Lu Qingfeng's combat philosophy perfectly—

No need for close-quarters combat. Let artifacts clash!

In battle, countless puppets could swarm forward. No matter how many ranks above them you were, you would still be buried beneath the "Puppet Sea" tactic!

However, puppet refinement added Mechanism Arts to the foundations of artifact refinement and talisman crafting. Mechanism Arts encompassed biomechanics, physics, mechanical construction, and countless other fields—it could truly be called all-encompassing.

Even within the Hundred Crafts Sect, renowned for refining puppets, artifact refiners capable of refining puppets were exceedingly rare.

Zhang Zong had studied this art for more than twenty years, yet at present he could only refine some nearly useless auxiliary puppets. He had long since given up and switched to specializing in refining Talisman Artifacts and Dharma Artifacts.

"Zhang Zong is already a top-level artifact-refining apprentice. One step further and he'll be able to refine First-Rank Dharma Artifacts and become a First-Rank artifact refiner. He doesn't have time to squander. But I have a hundredfold time difference, so I have more than enough energy and time to study this!"

Lu Qingfeng made up his mind. In this life, aside from cultivation and alchemy, he would devote most of his energy to refining puppets.

For him, mastering offense, defense, escape, and at most one unusual Talisman Artifact was enough for practical use. After all, it was difficult to find excellent materials for refining Talisman Artifacts in Miaoyin City. Rather than spending his energy in the game refining all kinds of Talisman Artifacts and Dharma Artifacts, he might as well refine puppets.

"Even if the materials used to refine puppets are somewhat ordinary, they can still serve as cannon fodder. Victory can be won through sheer numbers!"

But Talisman Artifacts were different!

There was a limit to how many Talisman Artifacts Lu Qingfeng could use alone.

With that thought, puppets naturally became his first choice.

After his routine alchemy session, Lu Qingfeng took out the books on Mechanism Arts he had obtained from the guild and began studying and pondering them.

The Mechanism Arts of the "Primordial World" were the foundation of puppet refinement.

The Wooden Ox and Gliding Horse, the Wooden Bird and Flying Kite, the Armillary Sphere, the Seismoscope, and so on were all forms of Mechanism Arts, as well as several of the more basic types found among mortals.

More advanced were things such as Mechanical Wooden Men and Mechanical Wooden Beasts, which could move nimbly and perform all kinds of work.

These were already somewhat similar to the robots of the twenty-first century.

One level higher, they could be called puppets.

Puppets used the skeletons of various demon beasts and ferocious beasts, or unusual metals, as their frames. They were connected with beast sinews or by other means, giving them extremely strong defenses and allowing them to move freely.

They could imitate human bodies or beast bodies.

On this foundation, numerous talisman formations were inscribed using artifact-refining methods, granting puppets all kinds of inconceivable abilities. Some possessed invincible defenses and tremendous strength, allowing them to grapple with demon beasts. Others could release spells and excel at long-range attacks.

In short.

The source of every puppet's ability lay in the talisman formations its creator inscribed upon it.

Take the humanoid puppets of the Yuanyi Guild, for example.

The giant puppet controlled by Mu Yuanyi possessed powerful defenses and immense strength. In its hands was a serrated sword whose might rivaled that of a Second-Rank Dharma Artifact. Hidden within both its legs and arms were mechanisms capable of firing White Bone Mourning-Gate Arrows, making it impossible to guard against. Its left hand held a Dharma Artifact shield, used to block every attack.

With Mu Yuanyi concealed inside this giant puppet and controlling its combat through the control hub, it could amplify his own combat strength dozens of times over. So long as they were carefully honed together, whatever combat strength the puppet could theoretically reach was the combat strength it could actually display!

It was somewhat similar to the mecha of the interstellar age: a person entered it and controlled the puppet to fight.

That was naturally not what Lu Qingfeng wanted.

Thanks to "Fei Kuku" for the 1,000-unit reward.

Thank you all for your recommendation votes and collections!