Azure Steel Legs, Iron Wolf Head, Dual Dexterous Hands

The Spirit Field District planned by White Cloud Market Town in its early years covered no more than a thousand li. Protected by the market's formation, ordinary demonic beasts found it difficult to enter. It was controlled by the authorities, and Spirit Planters rented plots by the year to supply the daily needs of all cultivators within the Market Town.

As time passed, some Spirit Planters could no longer bear the exorbitant rent and went beyond the Market Town to reclaim spirit fields. Though they occasionally suffered harassment from demonic beasts, the Spirit Crystals that ended up in their hands were far more plentiful.

As a result, more than half of the spirit fields now lay outside the Market Town. Villages where cultivators and mortals lived side by side had sprung up around them.

Ge Family Village was one such village.

This village had branched out from a Tier 1 Spirit Planter ancestor. After more than ten generations of propagation, it now had over a thousand households and was considered one of the larger villages in the Spirit Field District.

Su Qing had stayed here for two or three years, so the villagers were no strangers to him.

It was simply that he was no longer what he used to be. Riding a tall Iron-Footed Horse with a beautiful Female Cultivator at his side, he made people too embarrassed to approach and strike up a conversation.

Only when they saw Ge Changyuan walking ahead did they begin whispering among themselves.

"I didn't expect Changyuan to actually bring Su Qing back!"

"He was far too bold. How could he dare travel through the night?"

"An ordinary Prosthetic Limb would have been enough. Su Qing is a Tier 1 Puppet Master now—asking him to act couldn't have come cheap, could it?"

"Changyuan only has this one daughter. Of course he's willing to spend for her!"

"Su Qing's craftsmanship is beyond reproach. He made this arm for me two years ago. Once I put on a sleeve, outsiders can't tell whether it's real or fake at all."

Neither Su Qing nor Ge Changyuan had the leisure to pay attention to the villagers' chatter. Only Tang Wanqing listened intently.

She was indeed somewhat curious about the past of this neighbor of Su Qing's.

Originally, she had known only that Su Qing was an expelled disciple of Cloud Mountain Sect and a Tier 1 Puppet Master. Now that she learned of his history with Ge Family Village, her understanding of him deepened a little further.

He remembers old ties and made a special trip here. He's someone worth befriending.

Tang Wanqing glanced at Su Qing atop the Iron-Footed Horse. Seeing that the anxiety on his face did not appear feigned, she quietly thought to herself.

When they arrived at Ge Changyuan's home and saw Ge Ling lying in bed, enduring the pain without making a sound, Tang Wanqing could not help but ache for the little girl's misfortune just as Su Qing did.

"Brother Su, Ling'er can't cultivate anymore!"

Only when Su Qing bent down and rolled up Ge Ling's empty trouser leg did the little girl finally burst into tears.

Her tender little face was pale and bloodless, tears brimming in her misty eyes. Tang Wanqing felt a pang in her heart and could not help turning her head away.

Once things had reached the point of fitting a Prosthetic Limb, everyone present had already tacitly accepted the fact that her Dao Path had been severed.

Ge Changyuan and his wife had long prepared themselves. Inviting Su Qing over was only because they wanted him to fit her with a better Prosthetic Limb. They did not dare hope that she could recover as before.

Su Qing stared at her severed wound for a long while. Seeing that a Hemostasis Talisman had been applied and that the wound's surface was exactly as it had been when first severed, he finally let out a long breath of relief.

He smiled at Ge Ling. "Who said you can't cultivate? I'll make you the best Prosthetic Limb. Not only will it make sure you can run and jump around in the future, it'll also let you cultivate just as you did before!"

Ge Ling's Spiritual Root Aptitude was not bad. Like Tang Wanqing beside him, she had the potential to advance to the Late Qi Refining Stage and even Foundation Establishment. It would truly be a pity if she could no longer cultivate.

All along the way, Su Qing had been considering how to preserve Ge Ling's future in cultivation. Ever since he had maxed out the Proficiency of the Wood Spirit Servant and Spider Doctor, his understanding of Biomimetic Runes had surpassed what an ordinary Tier 1 Puppet Master could compare with.

He believed that with his current abilities, he had a not small chance of refining a pair of one-of-a-kind Prosthetic Limbs for Ge Ling.

At this moment, everyone present merely thought Su Qing was comforting the little girl and did not take his words seriously.

For those with missing body parts, the spiritual power gained through cultivation could hardly form a complete circulation within the body. Forget accumulating mana and seeking further advancement—even maintaining one's current cultivation was exceedingly difficult. They had never heard of a Prosthetic Limb that could participate in the body's internal Mana Circulation.

"Brother Su is just trying to cheer me up. It's fine even if I can't cultivate. Being a mortal like Mother isn't so bad either." Ge Ling forced out a smile and pretended to be strong.

Su Qing shook his head without explaining further.

He took out an assortment of tools from the Iron-Footed Horse.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, he began working.

First, he measured Ge Ling's wound and took a drop of essence blood from it.

He then dripped it into a section of lotus root, tender and white as jade.

Next, he used a talisman brush as fine as a hair to reach into the lotus root's hollow channels and inscribe runes. It was delicate work, and it took more than an hour before he finally finished.

Throughout the process, Ge Changyuan, Tang Wanqing, and the others were filled with questions.

Prosthetic Limbs were usually refined from Spirit-Calling Wood. Yet no one had ever seen a Prosthetic Limb refined from White Jade Lotus Root.

Only when Su Qing activated the runes and they saw fine lotus fibers extend from the White Jade Lotus Root, connecting in an instant to the countless blood vessels at Ge Ling's severed legs, did everyone look at Su Qing in utter astonishment.

Su Qing did not have time to answer their questions yet.

Once he sensed that the Spider Doctors he had secretly placed into the lotus root's hollow channels had begun their work,

he gripped his carving knife and, at Extremely Fast Speed, carved the White Jade Lotus Root into two long, shapely legs. Then, with strokes like dragons soaring and phoenixes dancing, he engraved Biomimetic Runes across their surface.

Only after Ge Ling began to feel pain coming from the lotus legs did he put away his carving knife and declare the Prosthetic Limb complete.

"Feeling pain is a good thing. Try circulating your mana again?" Su Qing straightened up and looked at Ge Ling expectantly.

Somewhat unfamiliar with the process and still unable to believe it, Ge Ling followed Su Qing's instructions and began meditating to regulate her breath.

A short while later.

Ge Ling opened her eyes. The tears she had long struggled to hold back now burst from her eyes, and her mother gathered her into her arms, comforting her again and again in distress.

Ge Changyuan hurriedly said from the side, "Daughter, don't be afraid. It's fine if you can't cultivate. Your father will buy you more fields. You can hire people to farm them in the future, and your life won't be any worse than anyone else's."

"No, it's not that I can't cultivate. I can cultivate! These legs can let me establish a Mana Circulation!" Ge Ling cried out, her eyes reddening at the corners.

"Really?" Ge Changyuan was both shocked and overjoyed.

"Mhm! It feels a little different from before, but I really can cultivate!" Ge Ling nodded heavily.

"This... Fellow Daoist Su, your craftsmanship... This old man thanks Fellow Daoist Su on behalf of my daughter!"

Ge Changyuan excitedly clasped Su Qing's hands, not knowing how to express his gratitude for a time.

Tang Wanqing, who had witnessed the entire process of Su Qing refining the Prosthetic Limb, had her rosy lips slightly parted. She was plainly astonished beyond measure.

Ge Changyuan merely assumed that Su Qing's skill was something every Tier 1 Puppet Master possessed, but Tang Wanqing knew exactly what Su Qing had done!

He had refined a Puppet creation never before seen in the cultivation world!

Like the Demoness Puppet—no, it would be even more sought after than the Demoness Puppet: a Puppet Prosthetic Limb that could drive every cultivator with an incomplete body yet hopes of cultivation remaining into a frenzy!

"What is this Prosthetic Limb called?" Tang Wanqing asked softly.

A Prosthetic Limb was just a Prosthetic Limb. Who had time to name it? Just as Su Qing was thinking this, a line of black text suddenly appeared on his System Panel.

[Independently refined a New Type of Puppet—Reformation Puppet (Spirit Lotus Leg).]

[Unlocked three Puppet Blueprints of this type.]

[Blueprint One: Azure Steel Leg (Tier 1 upper-grade)]

[Blueprint Two: Iron Wolf Head (Tier 1 upper-grade)]

[Blueprint Three: Dual Dexterous Hands (Tier-2 lower-grade)]

"Spirit Lotus Legs. That's right, this Prosthetic Limb is called Spirit Lotus Legs—a Puppet creation that can perfectly simulate the functions of a cultivator's legs!"

Su Qing spoke decisively to Tang Wanqing. An indescribable bearing filled his brows, making Tang Wanqing's heart tremble slightly and her cheeks flush red.