The Art of Spirit Infusion

[Paper Craftsman Manual]

An item inherited from the Eight Gates miscellaneous arts; it cannot be acquired unless the previous owner gives their approval.

Passive Ability 1: Origami

A basic skill of the Paper Craftsman, granting the bearer the fundamental craft of paper folding.

Success rate: Please practice on your own.

Attached Skill 1: Paper Control Technique

Allows control of one to two paper dolls. Paper dolls can be equipped with weapons, but their total weight must not exceed 30 grams.

Control effect: Please practice on your own.

Each use lasts 30 minutes. If an extension is needed, it consumes an additional 2 Script Points every 10 minutes.

Cooldown: 5 minutes.

Each use consumes 2 Script Points; if using two paper dolls, the cost doubles.

Attached Skill 2: Spirit Infusion

Infuses and reinforces ordinary paper, increasing its resilience and strength.

Specific effects depend on the material (Toilet paper is ineffective!)

Each use consumes 3 Script Points.

The above are the basic appraisal effects. If you wish to upgrade these skills, please find a way to perform a deep appraisal.

Looking at the information floating before him, even though he was still very much a stranger to these prop cards, he could intuitively sense the importance of this item.

He couldn't help but replay Old Man Li's expression from that moment in his mind.

His deep gaze lingered on the prop card for a long time, a subtle arc finally creeping up the corners of his mouth before he burst into laughter.

Old Man Li had said many things back then, but never anything of substance. Whether it was his promise to teach him the craft of the Paper Craftsman or his instruction to keep this [Paper Craftsman Manual], it was all just empty talk.

Yet, Old Man Li probably never dreamed that his empty promises would actually come true!

If not for his nod of approval, he would never have been able to bring this [Paper Craftsman Manual] out of the Script Space.

Thinking about it now, it really is... fate, truly marvelous.

Seeing Xu Tong remain silent for so long, muttering to himself and smiling at the air, the young girl standing before the counter finally lost her patience.

"Are you done yet? What exactly is wrong with my face!!"

She glared at Xu Tong with furrowed brows. If this guy dared to lie to her, she would absolutely slaughter him.

After all, because of this face, she hadn't slept well for the entire day yesterday.

Seeing that the woman was on the verge of exploding, Xu Tong had to collect his thoughts. He gave a light cough and picked up a piece of paper from the table.

His eyes scrutinized her face carefully.

"You've applied too much powder, but it can't hide the spots surfacing on your skin. You've drawn your eyebrows too thick, and they don't suit your face shape. We could consider localized liposuction, laser spot removal, and bone-cutting corrective surgery, which can guarantee no surgical scars are left behind."

He earnestly searched her face for every possible flaw, listing one problem after another.

The girl's expression shifted between cloudy and sunny, her heart boiling with extreme rage. Under the table, a rhythmic tapping sound could be heard, though it was unclear what was making it.

Suddenly, Xu Tong paused: "In short, you have quite a few problems, but they are all minor. The biggest problem right now is..."

The girl's eyelids twitched involuntarily, and one hand moved instinctively beneath the table.

Xu Tong saw these small movements, of course, but he acted as if he hadn't noticed, silently taking the girl's other hand: "If I say it, I'll die. Do you believe me!"

"Huh??"

The girl's hand tightened under the table, and only after a moment did she smile and say: "Then why don't you tell me first."

"Some things lose their meaning when spoken aloud. I've written it on this paper. If you want to know, open it and see."

The girl lowered her head to find a ring blooming with a paper flower already slipped onto her finger.

"Only you..."

Someone gently pressed the play button on the radio sitting on the table.

As the light shone on her face, a rare, faint blush actually rose beneath her pale skin.

While she was still dazed, a hand suddenly slapped her shoulder hard from behind. Before she could recover, the teasing voice she hated rang out from behind her: "Oh my~~ this is a withered tree blooming, a once-in-a-century sight. The person is already gone, what are you still staring at?"

The girl looked up to see Xu Tong's back already disappearing behind the glass door.

Turning back around, it was unsurprisingly the Jiangnan woman who had served as the host for the script murder game earlier.

She wore a tight-fitting cheongsam that revealed her perfect curves, waving a paper fan in her hand, her large, charming eyes fixed on the ring on the girl's finger.

"You little vixen, see if I don't split that mouth of yours." Whether it was because her good moment had been interrupted or because she was annoyed by the teasing, the girl flew into a rage, swung the axe from under the table, and hacked at the woman.

The other woman dodged to the side, her tongue still sharp: "Ouch, where did this wild man come from? Just a touch and you're like this. If I fed you some honey-coated stick, wouldn't you tear this whole house down!"

As she spoke, the woman swung her fan, smashing it toward the girl's face.

The music on the radio continued to play.

Under the bar lights, two alluring women were locked in a scuffle. It started off normally enough, but as they grappled, the shadows on the wall nearby began to twist and distort more and more...

It was a pity Xu Tong didn't see this; otherwise, he certainly would have stayed to enjoy the show a while longer.

Stepping out the front door, he found himself in a bustling shopping mall filled with a constant stream of pedestrians. Looking back, the door to the murder mystery game had vanished, replaced by the entrance to the Tongrentang Pharmacy.

The display screen above the door was still flashing slogans about promotional discounts and free eggs.

He took a deep, long breath and closed his eyes. As the image of what he had seen in the mirror on the table flashed through his mind, he couldn't help but grin. "How thrilling. I've lived through another one, heh."

With that, he turned and headed straight for the jewelry store nearby.

Sunlight filtered through the sheer white curtains, and the sound system was playing a violin piece titled Siberian Gale.

He used his knife and fork to gently slice the beef on his plate, bringing it to his mouth at a leisurely pace. Occasionally, he would look up, watching the shimmering light reflecting off the distant Kaiyuan Lake.

On such a sunny afternoon, no one would be in a particularly bad mood.

But Xu Tong was the exception.

The room was a mess; the bed, the floor, and even the sofa were strewn with all sorts of paper, and the trash can was overflowing with crumpled, discarded sheets.

On a small table to the side sat various delicate objects—some folded into gold ingots, others into daggers.

There were even little calves and silly-looking pigs, their expressions so vivid they looked more like fine handicrafts.

Even the knife and fork before him were products of his Spirit Infusion.

As the cutlery sliced through the beef, it made a soft, rasping sound against the plate, appearing almost identical to real steel.

Yet, he was far from satisfied.

The success rate for Spirit Infusion was terrifyingly low.

After two days of sleepless experimentation in his room, he had calculated the success rate for the technique.

For the ordinary yellow paper he bought from the funeral supply shop, the success rate was 60%.

This wasn't particularly high, though after two days of frantic practice, he had managed to push it up to 65%.

However, even after Spirit Infusion, these yellow papers lacked the hardness and durability he required; they couldn't kill a person, let alone a chicken.

So, he tried a different approach, switching to paper with higher density like A4, but the results were still unsatisfactory, with a success rate of only 50%.

No, sometimes it was even less than 50%.

He had also prepared silver and gold foil; the silver foil occasionally yielded a success, but the gold foil had yet to work even once.

For this, he had already spent a full 80 script points—he was burning through money like a madman.

Still, it wasn't without its gains.

The failures in Spirit Infusion had brought about a massive improvement in his Paper Control Technique.

To the point where he was now too lazy to even feed himself, letting two paper figures holding the cutlery feed him instead. Perhaps he was too exhausted, for he closed his eyes and began to rest.

Just then, the music ended, and the local news broadcast began to play at random.

Among other things, there were reports about the recent spike in car accidents and reminders to drive safely. As he listened, Xu Tong's ears twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.

He heard the news anchor interject with this report:

"Yesterday, Mr. Li Qixiang, founder of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, passed away. His handmade kites set several world records; among them, the largest, the China Dragon, measured 87 meters in length. The dragon was incredibly lifelike, with fifty-seven segments representing the fifty-six ethnic groups..."

Listening to the news report, Xu Tong fell into deep thought. After a moment, he sat up abruptly, packed his things, and prepared to head out.

When it came to craftsmanship, even if he spent ten years behind closed doors, he might not figure out the true path. He decided to head to the old town; he remembered there was a street there dedicated to funeral supplies.

However, just as his hand reached for the door handle, he froze. Staring at the purple-glowing invitation card stuck to the handle, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Huh? What a coincidence!"