Heaven's Chosen, Puppet-String Souls

His face remained calm, but deep in his eyes flickered a madness he could barely suppress.

Through Fang Xun's body, Li Shun once again felt the nature of the Life Qi Furnace trait he had extracted from Shentu Xin.

"Possessing this trait doesn't mean the flames burn at their fiercest from the start."

"They begin as a tiny spark."

"Right now, for instance, most of the Liqi in Fang Xun's body hasn't been stirred."

"But once the Life Qi Furnace starts burning, it's almost impossible to stop. The flames are bound to grow until all his Life Qi is spent and his body crumbles into drifting ash."

"People instinctively cling to life. To anyone outside that band of Jun Family madmen, this constitution is a curse through and through."

"And yet... my Square Inch Puppets can ignore it!"

Li Shun's spirits soared.

"Puppets neither live nor die. Even if one is destroyed after entering the world, its source within the Square Inch Space remains unharmed. Given time, the puppet will restore itself."

"That means I can use this trait with almost no burden at all."

"And perhaps..."

"Burning Life Qi strengthens techniques in its own right. With the Life Qi Furnace trait on top of that, a puppet willing to suffer the consequences might unleash, in an instant, power that crosses a major cultivation boundary."

Emotion surged through Li Shun, and he struggled for a long time to calm himself.

In the end, he resisted the urge to have Fang Xun ignite the Life Qi Furnace on the spot.

With a thought, Li Shun withdrew the trait.

The dark-red light instantly returned to the Square Inch Space, where it hovered quietly in the central core.

"This trait isn't just for Fang Xun. I can grant it to any puppet in