Li Chen was now so poor that he could barely muster any interest in giving his Combat Puppet a layer of Painted Skin.
For him, it would have been little more than a casual bit of work, but ordinary Painted Skin served only as decoration, offering neither added defense nor special attributes. He simply could not summon the enthusiasm.
What Li Chen urgently needed was something that could strengthen him and help him gain a firm footing at Foundation Establishment. Ordinary beast hides were meaningless, while the hides of high-tier Demon Beasts, or even True Demons, were exorbitantly expensive. He had no spare funds to buy them.
He Ran saw what was weighing on Li Chen and consoled him. "This is only temporary. With your abilities, little brother, you'll soon be able to replace it with a genuine Three-Star Puppet, or even truly turn your own flesh into a puppet..."
Li Chen sighed again, poverty showing through his smile. "Just how much would flesh puppetization cost?"
"Besides, it's a bottomless pit. No amount of money could fill it. Better not reach for the clouds just yet-earning enough for everyday expenses comes first."
"Still, now that we're on the subject, it is something I'll have to do."
"Unlike cultivators of other paths, Puppet Masters don't spend much time and energy tempering their blood and vitality, or practicing divine abilities, spells, and martial techniques."
"The Puppeteer Dao Path focuses on investigating things to attain knowledge, on understanding the knowledge and principles behind the great Dao of heaven and earth."
"Perhaps the importance of the divine soul makes it necessary to raise our cultivation realm and study some aspects of the Primordial Spirit Way as well, but those are compulsory lessons shared by cultivators of every path. Once we've advanced, how we turn