Do You Know a Puppet Master?
"Puppet Technique? What's that?"
Although he could roughly guess the meaning from the name, Yi Xuan was still curious and asked Zhuo Ning to explain it to him.
"Puppet Technique is a secret technique mastered by a small number of cultivators, and those who can master it are called Puppet Master!"
Zhuo Ning took a sip of tea and continued, "The so-called Puppet Technique is a secret art in which Puppet Master control the puppets they create to kill enemies! And puppets can be all sorts of things, some resembling humans, some resembling Demon Beast, and even some resembling weapons!"
Upon hearing Zhuo Ning's introduction, Yi Xuan's first thought was of marionettes.
But what Zhuo Ning said next made Yi Xuan feel somewhat incredulous.
"Those powerful Puppet Master can even create puppets that can rival Nascent Soul Cultivator. I once saw a Puppet Master who served in the imperial court in the Immortal Kingdom. Every puppet he created had the strength of Nascent Soul cultivator, and many experts in the Spirit Transformation Realm were no match for him!"
Yi Xuan was surprised to learn from Zhuo Ning that the Puppet Master was so powerful.
However, Yi Xuan didn't care about the strength of those puppets. After all, if we wanted strength, Yi Xuan's Black Tortoise No. 1 was no worse than the so-called puppets.
What Yi Xuan cared about was the controllability and flexibility of the puppet.
Hearing Yi Xuan's concerns, Zhuo Ning waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry at all. The humanoid puppets I've seen are no different from real humans. They can even be disassembled into small pieces to act independently, which is something humans can't do!"
With Zhuo Ning's assurance, Yi Xuan felt relieved. It seemed that the Puppet Master's skills could indeed help Yi Xuan complete the design of the bionic robot in a short time.
However, a problem arose: the Puppet Master Zhuo Ning mentioned was from the Blazing Sun Immortal Kingdom in the Central Continent.
Even if Yi Xuan were willing to spend the time to take Zhuo Ning there, Zhuo Ning was just a down-on-his-luck prince. What right did he have to order a Puppet Master capable of fighting against Spirit Transformation expert to impart all his knowledge to him?
Do you know any Puppet Master who live nearby? I want to learn!
Hearing Yi Xuan's words, Zhuo Ning's eyes widened and he said, "Do you think I'm a master cultivator? Why would I pick and choose based on distance? I only learned about that Puppet Master in the Immortal Kingdom by chance. Do you think I, given my circumstances, would have the chance to meet other Puppet Master?"
Yi Xuan understood that Zhuo Ning was telling the truth.
Although there was no news of Puppet Master for the time being, at least the idea for the bionic robot had a direction. For the next period of time Yi Xuan spent his days inquiring about Puppet Master inside and outside the Azure Cloud Sect, and his nights practicing the "Clear Origin Body Tempering Instruction" at home, putting all his scientific research on hold.
Unfortunately, half a month has passed, Yi Xuan has questioned almost everyone inside and outside the Azure Cloud Sect, not even sparing his own master and Supreme Elder Li.
The old matriarch was injured in the previous incident at the Gazing Immortal Sect and had been in seclusion ever since, so Yi Xuan did not want to disturb her.
Even after asking so many people, he hadn't gotten even the slightest bit of information. Now, Yi Xuan was asking everyone he met, "Do you know Puppet Master?"
It was fine with people he didn't know well, but people like Fatty Lin or Mu Anqing, whom Yi Xuan knew, were asked by Yi Xuan again and again.
In addition, Yi Xuan is Sect Protector, and the disciples are afraid of offending him. Therefore, whenever Yi Xuan appears, the other disciples consciously avoid him, which makes Yi Xuan very depressed.
Although there was no progress in Puppet Master, Yi Xuan's cultivation progressed rapidly. In just half a month, he had completely mastered the "Clear Origin Body Tempering Instruction" and, under Zhuo Ning's guidance, had entered the Houtian Realm, which is equivalent to the Qi Refining Realm of immortal cultivators.
On the other hand, Yi Xuan unexpectedly broke through in his cultivation.
Since Yi Xuan last advanced to the Qi Refining Realm Ninety-Ninth Layer, he hadn't cultivated because he was worried that something bad might happen if he advanced to the Qi Refining Realm Hundredth Layer.
The Cultivation Method immortal cultivators are the same as those of martial artists. Even if one does not actively cultivate, the Cultivation Method will slowly circulate within the body, which, in Yi Xuan's opinion, is like idling.
Originally, the True Qi was circulating automatically in Yi Xuan's body, Yi Xuan estimated that it would take at least two years to advance.
Unexpectedly, when Yi Xuan entered Houtian Acquired Realm of the "Clear Origin Body Tempering Instruction", it seemed that he stimulated the True Qi in his body.
As Yi Xuan's physique grew stronger, the True Qi within his body began to circulate faster on its own, and even Yi Xuan, as the body's owner, could not stop it with conscious control.
The True Qi circulated through Yi Xuan's meridians for only a dozen cycles before he directly broke through to the Qi Refining Realm Hundredth Layer.
Fortunately, nothing bad happened after breaking through the hundredth floor, and Yi Xuan could eat and drink as usual again.
What's gratifying is that after Yi Xuan broke through to the Qi Refining Realm Hundredth Layer, the meridians in his body were actually widened by more than ten times. If the width of the meridians of a cultivator at the Twelfth Level of the Qi Refining Realm is like a line, then the width of Yi Xuan's meridians at this time is like a rolling pin, at least more than a hundred times that of the Twelfth Level of the Qi Refining Realm.
In this way, although the strength of the True Qi released by Yi Xuan was still that of the Twelfth Level of the Qi Refining Realm, the amount of True Qi he could release in an instant was more than a hundred times that of the Twelfth Level of the Qi Refining Realm.
Although I don't yet know what value this change will bring me, it's better than nothing at all.
Yi Xuan was overjoyed by the breakthrough in both his physique and True Qi. After thinking about it, he decided to take a day off and go to Fatty Lin's mansion for a good meal.
Upon arriving at Fatty Lin's residence, before Yi Xuan could even enter the living room, he heard Fatty Lin's voice from afar. "Just tell him I'm not home today, and to come another day. If he asks about Puppet Master, just say you really don't know! Go quickly!"
Fatty Lin was in the living room giving instructions to Lin Er when Yi Xuan walked in unexpectedly. Embarrassed, Fatty Lin could only put on a fawning smile.
"Yo! Brother Yi's here? Don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as I get any news about that Puppet Master of yours. Why don't you go back first!"
Yi Xuan hadn't expected that Fatty Lin would be so terrified after being pressed about the Puppet Master, so he shook his head and replied, "Alright, the Puppet Master thing is over. Did you really have to be like this? All I asked you to do was gather some information, and now you're avoiding me!"
Hearing that Yi Xuan had stopped asking about the Puppet Master, Fatty Lin breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he said irritably, "You have the nerve to say that? Is that how you ask for a favor? You keep urging me, urging me every day, and you even come to my door every day to urge me. You don't look like you're asking for a favor, you look like you're coming to collect a debt!"
Yi Xuan scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. He had indeed been a bit anxious these past two weeks and had been putting a lot of pressure on Fatty Lin.
After having a meal at Fatty Lin's house, Yi Xuan promised that he would never pressure Fatty Lin like this again, and only then did Fatty Lin forgive Yi Xuan.
After having a full meal, Yi Xuan declined Fatty Lin's offer to send someone to escort him back, and slowly made his way back to the alley by himself.
As Yi Xuan approached her home, her eyes glazed over, she noticed a dark figure at her doorstep.
Upon closer inspection, the smell of alcohol on his clothes instantly dissipated, and he asked with a somewhat ingratiating tone, "What brings you here?"