Recaps

After refining a Meditating Doll, Su Qing realized he needed more dolls and a protected place for them to cultivate, but his own limits meant eight would be enough for now. He finished refining eight dolls, then turned his attention to earning money and preparing the Fire Spirit Sword Embryo for work on its runes.

• Su Qing confirmed that the Meditating Doll could cultivate on his behalf, but recognized its limitations, high cost, and need for a protected Spirit House.
• Su Qing calculated that his current cultivation limit allowed him to benefit from at most eight Meditating Dolls and decided to focus on improving his combat strength for the Black Tiger Mountain trip.
• Su Qing spent five days and nights refining dolls until he had eight, leaving the remaining materials unused.
• Su Qing considered the upkeep costs of his dolls and other Puppets and resolved to make more money.
• Su Qing found that Bear Two could not damage the Fire Spirit Sword Embryo and concluded he could only modify its runes.

Su Qing devised a ground-based puppet built around Qing He's Fire Spirit Sword Embryo and obtained Heavenly Spirit Gold to refine it. At the front line, Tang Wanqing's exhausted Bear King Team kept defending the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line as she pursued enough Spirit Crystals to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill.

• Su Qing planned to attach an Azure Steel Leg to the Fire Spirit Sword Embryo with a Heavenly Spirit Gold spring and equip it with Intelligence, Combat, Biomimetic, and Fire Runes.
• Qing He gave Su Qing all the Heavenly Spirit Gold at Hundred Treasures Pavilion, while Tong Xin protested that the shop needed the material for customers.
• Rogue Cultivators fortified the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line with Cloud Mountain Sect's Thunderfire Array as they waited for demonic beasts to attack.
• Tang Wanqing collected the Bear King Team's rewards, distributed pills and a Magic Artifact to her wounded teammates, and bathed in exhaustion.
• Tang Wanqing calculated that killing eleven or twelve more Tier 1 demonic beasts could earn her enough Spirit Crystals to seek a Foundation Establishment Pill, then fell asleep in the bath.

Su Qing completed the Sword-Human Puppet by combining Azure Steel Legs, spring components, and a Fire Spirit Sword Embryo, then named the newly created Puppet. Its creation unlocked three Artifact Puppet Blueprints, including the mysterious Cluster Hummingbird, which Su Qing suspected could become a widely useful trump card.

• Su Qing praised He Lian Xian's Sky Blue Springs and paid him with a Lizard Warrior, while asking him to prioritize two Defensive Artifacts.
• Su Qing saw Guo Qiao Lian buy armor for her White Tooth Elephant and reminded her that he was already working on her eight Lizard Warriors.
• Su Qing assembled the Azure Steel Legs, springs, and Fire Spirit Sword Embryo, inscribed the runes, and activated the Puppet with three hundred Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing named his successful creation the Sword-Human Puppet, and the System Panel unlocked three Blueprints, including the Cluster Hummingbird.
• Su Qing read the Artifact Puppet Type description and wondered what the Cluster Hummingbird could do.

Su Qing prepared for danger after a beast pack breached the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line, then delivered Qing He a powerful new puppet. The Forward Camp remained uneasy about the defense line, while Hundred Treasures Pavilion insisted its Black Tiger Mountain mission would proceed within a month.

• Su Qing saw one or two hundred Tier 1 demonic beasts racing toward the Forward Camp and realized the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line might be in trouble.
• Tens of thousands of Rogue Cultivators quickly killed the beasts, but camp residents worried about what their arrival meant for the defense line.
• Qing He told the Professionals that Hundred Treasures Pavilion would not change its trip to Black Tiger Mountain and expected to act within a month.
• Su Qing delivered Qing He the new Sword-Human Puppet, whose blue-steel limbs and crimson spirit sword impressed her.

Su Qing negotiated payment for the Sword-Human Puppet with Qing He, who had no Spirit Crystals, and secured a Spirit Contract promising materials from the Black Mountain Tiger hunt or a favor if she died. He then bought materials for Armored War Bears and ordered heavy weapons for his Puppets.

• Su Qing refused Qing He's offer of assistance in place of payment and demanded that she pay for the Sword-Human Puppet and its materials.
• Qing He admitted she had no Spirit Crystals and offered Tier-2 Demonic Beast materials from the Black Mountain Tiger hunt as payment.
• Su Qing agreed to take the materials if the hunt succeeded, claim the Puppet if Qing He died, and receive one favor from her under a Spirit Contract.
• Su Qing bought three sets of Armored War Bear materials from Tong Xin for three thousand Spirit Crystals per set.
• Su Qing ordered paired War Blades and heavy War Hammers for his Puppets, prompting Tong Xin to praise his unusual Puppet-refining skill.

Su Qing bought a Wind-Thunder Hammer, War Blades, and Magic Artifacts, then earned Spirit Crystals by selling prosthetic legs. After five days, he began refining a Dual-Blade Lizard and successfully finished the puppet, leaving it ready to activate.

• Su Qing bought the Wind-Thunder Hammer from Tong Xin for twelve thousand Spirit Crystals and purchased ten Demon Slaying Sabers and several Magic Artifacts.
• Su Qing promoted his Lizard Warrior and prosthetic legs, secured orders, and earned nearly twenty thousand Spirit Crystals over five days.
• Su Qing examined the Dual-Blade Lizard’s requirements and calculated that its two War Blades made the puppet costly to refine.
• Su Qing attached the two War Blades to a Lizard Warrior and successfully refined his first Dual-Blade Lizard.
• Su Qing activated the puppet, and spiritual light from its Energy Slot illuminated its runes.

Su Qing refined a successful Dual-Blade Lizard and an Explosive Hammer War Bear, adding powerful Puppets to his arsenal. After neighbors noticed the War Bear wielding its hammer, Zhang Hai arrived to visit.

• Su Qing failed to refine several Dual-Blade Lizards before successfully creating one that could wield two War Blades and use combat skills.
• Su Qing refined for a full day and night, using all ten War Blades, then rested and considered beginning the Immovable Heavenly King Technique’s internal refinement.
• Su Qing studied the Explosive Hammer War Bear blueprint and spent three days refining its materials, succeeding with two Puppets.
• Su Qing and his Puppets fitted a thousand-jin Wind-Thunder Hammer onto the first Explosive Hammer War Bear, whose demonstration startled the Rogue Cultivators nearby.
• Su Qing stored the War Bears when he heard Zhang Hai call from outside the Spirit House.

Su Qing met Zhang Hai, who thanked him for the Exorcism Talismans that had protected him from the Headless Evil Spirit. Zhang Hai explained that the Gao Family Butcher Shop had vanished after its evil occupant fought three Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving the Living Area safe for now.

• Su Qing welcomed Zhang Hai and brought him to a tea house, where Zhang Hai thanked him for the talismans protecting his courtyard.
• Zhang Hai told Su Qing that he had become a Tier 1 Formation Master by refining the Golden Light Array.
• Zhang Hai explained that the Headless Evil Spirit had killed unprotected cultivators in the Living Area, while Su Qing’s talismans had saved him twice.
• Zhang Hai recounted that Gao Erqiang, covered in foul-smelling heads, had fought three Foundation Establishment cultivators at the Gao Family Butcher Shop.
• The battle left one Cloud Mountain Sect disciple dead, another injured, and the Fate Comes Pavilion Master wounded; afterward, the Gao Family Butcher Shop vanished and the Headless Evil Spirit stopped appearing.
• Su Qing and Zhang Hai agreed that the Wandering Evil’s departure was good for the Rogue Cultivators, and Zhang Hai praised Su Qing’s cultivation and Puppets.

Su Qing learned that the Cloud Mountain Sect had conscripted Rogue Cultivators and suspected the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line had fallen. At the Forward Camp, True Inheritance disciple Yuan Tianye accused Su Qing of deceiving the sect and demanded that he kneel, leaving Su Qing to see him as a naive fool.

• Zhang Hai explained that White Cloud Market Town had forced Rogue Cultivators to pay a monthly exemption fee or serve the Cloud Mountain Sect, and that he had been sent to the Forward Camp to set up formations.
• Zhang Hai told Su Qing that a Tier-2 Formation Master and several Tier 1 Formation Masters had also arrived, prompting Su Qing to suspect the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line could no longer hold.
• Su Qing sold Zhang Hai two Lizard Warriors and then saw Yuan Tianye directing Rogue Cultivators as they installed formations around the Forward Camp.
• Yuan Tianye demanded that Su Qing salute him as a True Inheritance disciple, and Su Qing replied that he had been expelled from the sect.
• Yuan Tianye accused Su Qing of hiding his cultivation to avoid serving the sect, while Su Qing concluded that Yuan Tianye was too naive to understand the Cultivation world.

Su Qing left Yuan Tianye’s attempt to command him unanswered, while the Cloud Mountain Sect sealed the Forward Camp and angered the rogue cultivators. After learning that a Level 2 Guest Elder of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion could earn protection, Su Qing considered using his puppet-making skills to qualify, but worried that his cultivation could not support Tier 3 rune work.

• Su Qing ignored Yuan Tianye’s demand to kneel, and the rogue cultivators refused Yuan Tianye’s order to stop him.
• Yuan Tianye continued setting formations as the Cloud Mountain Sect prepared to keep the rogue cultivators from leaving the Forward Camp.
• Su Qing asked Tong Xin whether the Hundred Treasures Pavilion could protect him, and Liang Hai Shun explained the status and requirements of a Level 2 Guest Elder.
• The rogue cultivators voiced their anger at the Cloud Mountain Sect and encouraged Su Qing, who accepted puppet-material orders before returning to his Spirit House.
• Su Qing calculated that advancing his Biomimetic Runes might qualify him as a Tier 2 Puppet Master, but feared his cultivation was too low to draw Tier 3 Runes.

Su Qing gave Yuan Tianye a Beauty Snake puppet to win his goodwill and obtain a Cloud Mountain Sect Outer Disciple token as danger grew at the Forward Camp. He returned to his Spirit House with new puppet blueprints and planned to strengthen himself before attempting to return to the Market.

• Su Qing decided against killing Yuan Tianye and crafted him a Master-level Demoness Puppet as an apology gift.
• Yuan Tianye was enchanted by the puppet, accepted it, and gave Su Qing a Cloud Mountain Sect Outer Disciple token.
• Su Qing celebrated that the Beauty Snake had won Yuan Tianye's favor, while expecting it to undermine his cultivation.
• The System unlocked blueprints for the Phantom Leopard and Heavenly Demoness, and Su Qing considered the Phantom Leopard's assassin abilities.
• Su Qing decided to pursue an auction for the Beauty Snake but chose to craft the Cluster Hummingbird first to improve his strength.

Su Qing refined a swarm of Cluster Hummingbirds, small artifact puppets powered by Spirit Crystals and equipped with concealed Spirit Needles and Explosive Stones. Despite the low success rate, the surviving hummingbirds proved effective at scouting the Forward Camp and could replace the Wood Spirit Servants for tasks that risked discovery.

• Su Qing examined the Scorpion Venom Needle set and found that his Mid Qi Refining Stage cultivation made it difficult to control many needles for long.
• He overheard the Beauty Snake transmitting lascivious sounds through its Sound Listening Rune and eventually cut off the transmission to resume his work.
• Su Qing and the Wood Spirit Servant assembled hummingbird bodies, loaded them with Explosive Stones and Spirit Needles, and spent two days and nights imprinting the required runes.
• After feeding the finished puppets Spirit Crystal fragments, Su Qing found that only twenty-seven of the three hundred and sixty hummingbirds had successfully activated.
• Su Qing sent the surviving hummingbirds to scout the Forward Camp, where their speed and concealment kept them unnoticed.
• Su Qing concluded that the Cluster Hummingbirds could replace Wood Spirit Servants for tasks that might expose them to the Rogue Cultivators.

Su Qing armed his Hummingbird Puppets with Explosive Stones and prepared for the defense of the Forward Camp as the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line collapsed. He learned that Tang Wanqing's team was trapped near the camp, leaving him concerned about their fate.

• Su Qing equipped eighteen Hummingbird Puppets with fragments of Explosive Stones and planned to finish converting his Scorpion Venom Needles into Hummingbirds within ten days.
• Su Qing sold a Lizard Warrior for two thousand Spirit Crystals as Rogue Cultivators prepared for the worsening danger at the Forward Camp.
• Rogue Cultivators returning from the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line reported that a Small Beast Tide had breached the defenses and scattered or destroyed the defending teams.
• The Cloud Mountain Sect strengthened the Forward Camp with arrays, defensive artifacts, and additional disciples, while Su Qing was assigned to hand in one Lizard Warrior every ten days.
• Shopkeeper Liu told Qing He, Ma Tuan, and the others that the Auction had been postponed until after the Small Beast Tide.
• Su Qing heard that Tang Wanqing's Bear King Team was trapped more than ten li from the Forward Camp and feared they might be doomed.

Su Qing saw Tang Wanqing and the Female Cultivators trapped by demonic beasts near the Forward Camp and led his puppets into battle to rescue them. He saved Sun Yan from a Scythe Mantis, and as she was brought to him, he prepared to treat her severed legs.

• Su Qing spotted Tang Wanqing and more than thirty Female Cultivators surrounded by a Spirit Spider King, Scythe Mantises, and smaller spirit spiders.
• Tang Wanqing fought the Spirit Spider King and opened a path for Sun Yan and the other Female Cultivators to escape.
• A Scythe Mantis killed several Female Cultivators and severed both of Sun Yan's legs after she attacked it.
• Su Qing sent two Armored War Bears and Lizard Warriors into the fight, and they killed the Scythe Mantis and carried Sun Yan away.
• Sun Yan recognized Su Qing as he arrived on a Golden Treasure Hound, and he prepared Spirit Needles to treat her.

Su Qing remotely deployed his puppets to rescue Tang Wanqing and the Bear King Team from a demonic-beast swarm, then realized his forces could rival an entire Hunting Grounds team. After the battle, Tang Wanqing reunited with him at the Forward Camp’s outskirts, while Sun Yan remained injured but was promised a new leg.

• Su Qing treated Sun Yan’s wounds while Tang Wanqing used Su Qing’s puppets to fight the Spirit Spider King and Scythe Mantis.
• The Spirit Spider King tore apart Bear One, but Bear Two’s armor held it in place as Tang Wanqing attacked with spiritual arrows.
• Su Qing assessed his puppets’ strength and realized that releasing his full force could let him defeat the entire swarm.
• Tang Wanqing killed the Spirit Spider King with her third arrow, while the Dual-Blade Lizards killed the Scythe Mantis and escorted the Female Cultivators to Su Qing.
• Tang Wanqing reached Su Qing and exchanged greetings with him after he promised to get Sun Yan a new leg.

Su Qing returned to the Forward Camp with Tang Wanqing and rescued wounded survivors, where he fitted Sun Yan with Azure Steel Legs. After discussing the coming Beast Tide, Tang Wanqing warned him that a Demonic Cultivator had sabotaged the Thunderfire Array at the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line.

• Su Qing and Tang Wanqing returned to the Forward Camp with the spoils and wounded survivors, then brought them to Guo Qiao Lian's crowded clinic.
• Su Qing offered Sun Yan a choice of replacement legs, and she chose Azure Steel Legs to improve her combat strength.
• Su Qing installed the legs, and Sun Yan soon began helping care for the other wounded Female Cultivators.
• Su Qing and Tang Wanqing caught up on their recent hardships and discussed Cloud Mountain Sect's plans and the Forward Camp's defenses against the Small Beast Tide.
• Tang Wanqing told Su Qing that the Thunderfire Array had been deliberately damaged and that a Demonic Cultivator had killed its guards.

Su Qing prepared for a dangerous expedition to hunt a Tier-2 Tiger King, recruited Tang Wanqing to join his party, and upgraded his Puppet squad with Spider King Legs. After completing a team of four Dual-Club War Bears, he broke through to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

• Su Qing agreed that Tang Wanqing could accompany him to Black Tiger Mountain, and he reassured her that Qing He, Ma Tuan, Liang Hai Shun, and other capable cultivators would join the expedition.
• After Tang Wanqing left, Su Qing repaired his damaged Puppets, sold demon beast materials for a profit, and considered improvements to his Puppet squad.
• Su Qing equipped Bear Two with two Spider King Legs as clubs, then crafted three more Dual-Club War Bears with differently colored legs.
• After finishing Pink Stick Bear One, Red Stick Bear Two, Blue Stick Bear Three, and Purple Stick Bear Four, Su Qing's sea of consciousness expanded and his cultivation advanced to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

Su Qing completed a Mantis Swordsman and expanded his forces with more Dual-Blade Lizards, including a powerful Lizard Captain. Confident enough to head for Black Tiger Mountain, he left his Spirit House and discovered the Forward Camp had been transformed into a fortified military stronghold.

• Su Qing bought the Mantis Swordsman Blueprint, refined a stronger-than-usual Puppet, and sent it to patrol with two squads of Lizard Warriors.
• Su Qing refined four Dual-Blade Lizards after wasting more than thirty sets of materials, including a larger Lizard Captain equipped with Mantis Blades.
• Su Qing put the Lizard Captain in command of the Dual-Blade Lizards and Lizard Warriors, completing his latest round of Puppet refinement.
• Su Qing decided his forces were strong enough to visit Black Tiger Mountain and set out to earn Spirit Crystals for a Tier-2 Spirit House.
• Su Qing found the Forward Camp rebuilt with paved roads, vendors, houses, Cloud Mountain Disciples on patrol, and Iron Horse Knights drilling troops.

Su Qing learned that the demonic beasts had paused after taking the Dwarf Mountain Defense Line, then visited the Forward Camp’s Stall Area to arrange a stall and bought a copied Dao Heaven Talisman Wall fragment. He planned to test whether the Fake Wall could grant him Proficiency after he had set up his stall.

• Su Qing heard that the demonic beasts had not yet attacked the Forward Camp, though their growing numbers could eventually force another conflict.
• Su Qing learned that the Rat King Team controlled the Stall Area and charged ten Spirit Crystals a day in rent.
• Su Qing discovered that the cold was unusually severe and briefly dispelled his Dharma Robe’s protection to test it.
• A stallholder claimed that a broken fragment on his stall was copied from the Dao Heaven Talisman Wall by Lin Shanlu, and Su Qing bought it for six Spirit Crystals.
• Su Qing suspected the fragment was a Fake Wall that could not convey Dao Patterns, but wondered whether it might still grant him Proficiency.

Su Qing learned that Liu Yun'er was near the Forward Camp, making his Demoness Puppets dangerous to sell, and bought escape and protection talismans from Tong Chang. Tong Chang also hinted at an opportunity in the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range that might appear within two years, but Su Qing remained focused on protecting himself from the Demoness.

• Niu Thirteen waived Su Qing's stall rent, and Su Qing set up his puppets in the busy Stall Area.
• Su Qing sold all five Lizard Warriors but could not sell any Demoness Puppets.
• Wei De Bao warned Su Qing that Liu Yun'er was nearby and was rumored to have arranged the demon beast descent, so Su Qing put away the Demoness Puppets.
• Tong Chang told Su Qing that an opportunity might emerge near Hundred Beasts Mountain within two years and said Tier 3 Biomimetic Runes were required to contend for it.
• Su Qing bought a Tier-2 Clarity Talisman and questioned Tong Chang's price for a Tier-2 Fire Escape Talisman.

Su Qing killed Xiao Ziqiang and several other thief cultivators after they stole his Storage Bag, then promoted his Lizard Warriors to the onlookers. Feng Tianyang, angered by the deaths and the damage to his reputation, prepared to confront Su Qing and demand funeral expenses.

• Su Qing cursed the Old Daoist for charging him over ten thousand Spirit Crystals for talismans, then headed home from his stall.
• Xiao Ziqiang stole Su Qing’s Storage Bag and passed it through several thief cultivators as he fled.
• Su Qing used divine sense to send the Storage Bag through seven or eight thief cultivators, killing them before it pierced Xiao Ziqiang’s chest.
• Su Qing urged the onlookers to earn Spirit Crystals honestly and promoted his Lizard Warriors before leaving.
• The Rogue Cultivators discussed Su Qing’s strength and warned that Feng Tianyang might retaliate.
• Feng Tianyang told his subordinates he would confront Su Qing and demand that he pay funeral expenses for Xiao Ziqiang and the others.

After killing three thief cultivators, Su Qing dismissed the meager loot and focused on the threat approaching his Spirit House. Feng Tianyang led the Heavenly Tribulation Gang into an ambush by Su Qing’s Puppets, and the confrontation ended with the Lizard Captain charging back at him.

• Su Qing collected three Storage Bags from the dead thief cultivators and concluded that refining puppets offered better prospects than robbery.
• Su Qing spotted a group of skilled intruders creeping toward his Spirit House and ordered his Puppets to test them.
• Li Wulang sensed that Puppets surrounded the group, and Feng Tianyang recognized the encirclement as he addressed Su Qing.
• Feng Tianyang drove the Lizard Captain back with a powerful strike and called for Su Qing to come out and talk.
• The Lizard Captain recovered and charged at Feng Tianyang again alongside four Dual-Blade Lizards.

Su Qing’s puppets killed Feng Tianyang and his gang after they attacked him, while the neighboring cultivators and Enforcement Team hastened to praise and accommodate him once they saw the outcome. The chapter ended with Su Qing looting the bodies as the camp’s residents recognized his strength.

• Feng Tianyang and his gang attacked Su Qing, but his puppets overwhelmed them, killing Li Wulang and several spell cultivators before surrounding Feng Tianyang.
• Feng Tianyang used his Golden Fire qi and Wind-Treading Boots to fight and flee, but the puppets killed him before he could escape.
• Su Qing emerged under his puppets’ protection and began looting the corpses after confirming Feng Tianyang was dead.
• Liang Hai Shun and He Lian Xian came out, praised Su Qing, and returned to their Spirit Houses when he said he needed to clean up.
• Liang Hai Shun realized Su Qing controlled far more puppets than other Puppet Masters, while He Lian Xian regretted failing to build a relationship with him.
• The Enforcement Team arrived, recognized Feng Tianyang and his gang, and offered to help Su Qing clean up the battlefield.

After killing Feng Tianyang and the other Robber Cultivators, Su Qing looted their belongings and upgraded two Puppets with a Spirit Stone. By dawn, news of his victory had spread across much of the Forward Camp, and he headed to the Hundred Treasures Small Shop with his spoils.

• Su Qing inspected his loot from Li Wulang and Feng Tianyang, including combat gear, cultivation materials, a Spirit House, and a Spirit Stone.
• Su Qing split the Spirit Stone in two and installed the halves in the Explosive Hammer War Bear and the Mantis Swordsman, increasing their endurance and combat strength.
• Su Qing found little of value among the two Dharma cultivators' belongings and used their Storage Bags to expand his carrying capacity.
• At dawn, Su Qing headed to the Hundred Treasures Small Shop while news of his victory over Feng Tianyang and the other Robber Cultivators spread through the Forward Camp.

After Su Qing’s victory over Feng Tianyang’s gang made him feared across the Forward Camp, he learned that Blood Lotus Fruits on Black Tiger Mountain were nearing ripeness and could improve bone structure. He sold his spoils, bought a heavy War Hammer, and prepared to return to selling Puppets despite his unease about the mountain expedition.

• Su Qing found that Rogue Cultivators and Professionals treated him with fearful respect after his victory, though he disliked how his reputation might hurt his Puppet business.
• At Hundred Treasures Small Shop, Tong Xin told Su Qing that Qing He and the other War Cultivators had gone to Black Tiger Mountain, where three Blood Lotus Fruits were about to ripen.
• Tong Xin explained that the fruits required Tier 2 blood essence to ripen, that Hundred Treasures Pavilion had prepared formations and Magic Artifacts, and that it had arranged with Cloud Mountain Sect to secure one fruit in exchange for their staying out of the matter.
• Su Qing realized the fruits might improve his poor bone structure, but he felt uneasy about the coming contest despite Tong Xin’s confidence that the main danger was the Black Mountain Tiger.
• Su Qing sold damaged gear and unused Pills for more than thirteen thousand Spirit Crystals, then spent the money and his remaining savings on a Tier-1 High-Grade Mountain Collapse Hammer.
• Su Qing refused Tong Xin’s reduced offer for Feng Tianyang’s Wind-Treading Boots and Golden Jade Armor, bought Puppet Materials, and headed to the Stall Area to sell Lizard Warriors.