The Puppet Association

The Puppet Association is located in the most prosperous area of Heavenly Pivot District.

It was a vast complex of buildings, with towering structures, the tallest of which was more than ten stories high.

Squads of puppet guards are patrolling, their steps precise and powerful.

In front of one of the antique halls, a large Chinese character "puppet" hangs.

A group of puppet maids waited at the door, greeting the guests coming and going.

"Fellow Daoist, what day is it today? Why are there so many people from the Puppet Association?"

Qin Fei casually grabbed a passing young cultivator and inquired.

The man raised an eyebrow, about to lash out, but when he sensed Qin Fei's deep and unwavering aura, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Senior, today is the day for the Puppet Master to determine their ranks. All the people you see here are here to participate in the ranking assessment."

The young cultivator was somewhat apprehensive.

"Rank determination?"

"Indeed, the Puppet Association's ranking system is quite authoritative. If you can be certified as First-Tier Puppet Master, you'll be highly regarded when joining various powerful factions."

Qin Fei seemed to be deep in thought.

When Zhijian spoke with Wei Zhao, he heard that the Puppet Association was carrying out reforms to destroy the husband's property.

In the world of cultivation, there were originally no standards for recognizing Puppet Master.

A puppeteer who can create Puppet Master of the corresponding grade is considered to be of that grade.

Now, the Puppet Association has come up with a set of standards, clearly intending to establish norms for the art of puppetry.

Qin Fei couldn't help but sigh, the Puppet Association's ambitions far exceeded his imagination.

It is said that the president of the Puppet Association is a Third-Tier Puppet Master and also a Core Formation cultivator. Such a major event would surely require his support.

"Forget it, ranking is meaningless to me. I'll just go find Fellow Daoist Wei."

He entered the main hall, his Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation spreading out, and the surrounding cultivators made way for him.

"Senior, are you also here to participate in the assessment?"

The puppet maid responsible for receiving guests did not step forward; instead, a female cultivator hurriedly ran out.

"I'm looking for Wei Zhao, Fellow Daoist Wei."

The female cultivator was slightly taken aback, then said apologetically, "Senior, Fellow Daoist Wei is one of the examiners for this assessment. The assessment is about to begin, and I'm afraid we won't have much time to meet. Perhaps you should return for now and come back after the assessment is over."

She dared not let anyone in casually; if it delayed the assessment, it would be a serious matter.

However, since the person in front of her was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she dared not offend him and could only bite the bullet and explain.

Qin Fei raised an eyebrow and asked, "When will it end?"

"There are quite a few people signing up this time; it will probably take half a month to complete the process."

Upon hearing this answer, Qin Fei shook his head immediately.

"Just go and report it. Tell them Qin Fei requesting an audience. If anything goes wrong, it's on me."

He understood the woman's concerns, but he was unwilling to wait that long.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, his puppets will be available for sale on the market within half a month.

Before that, he needed to establish a relationship with the Puppet Association.

The woman hesitated for a moment, but after seeing his cold gaze, she ran off to report it.

Before long, several figures came out to greet them warmly.

"Young friend Qin, you've finally arrived! I was just thinking about the disaster in Shangyu Market, young friend—"

Wei Zhao was extremely happy, but after sensing Qin Fei's aura, he stopped talking abruptly.

"Foundation Establishment! You actually Foundation Establishment!"

His expression shifted from shock to elation.

He had always thought highly of this junior, and now that he had even caught up in cultivation, he was even more delighted.

"Is this fellow Daoist the exceptionally Higher Vehicle person you spoke of?"

Beside him stood an elderly man, who was smiling as he sized up Qin Fei.

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Qin is only in his thirties, yet he is already at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage and Second-Tier Puppet Master. At such a young age, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for me to call him a Higher Vehicle of exceptional talent, would it?"

Wei Zhao looked smug, as if he were the one who had broken through.

"That's natural. When I was that age, I was just a Qi Refinement cultivator."

Qin Fei smiled slightly as he listened to the two men boasting about themselves.

His current strength is mainly due to the wonders of the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion and various fortuitous opportunity, and has absolutely nothing to do with his talent.

If he were truly a Higher Vehicle individual, his achievements would only be greater.

However, Qin Fei did not underestimate himself. Since his Spirit Root reached perfection, his aptitude had been greatly improved.

His current cultivation speed is far beyond that of Pseudo Spirit Root. According to his estimation, it is even faster than Dual Spirit Root, but still much faster than Triple Spirit Root.

Qualifications are no longer a hindrance to him; now, he just needs to go further on his Dao Path.

Faced with their praise, Qin Fei behaved with impeccable politeness and extreme humility.

"Fellow Daoists, please don't make fun of me. I was only able to successfully Foundation Establishment by sheer luck. It was a perilous experience, and I still feel lingering fear even now."

That wasn't a lie; they almost failed when Foundation Establishment.

But when it reached their ears, they took it all as a humble remark.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, there's no need to be modest. Come, let me introduce you. This is Ji Huan, another vice president of our Puppet Association."

"Old Ji's cultivation is much stronger than mine; he's already at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage."

"We've been friends for many years. We helped the chairman establish this Puppet Association back then, and he's someone you can trust."

Qin Fei solemnly cupped his hands in greeting, and Ji Huan responded politely in return.

"I'd heard about you from Lao Wei before, and seeing you in person, you're indeed a promising young man."

"Fellow Daoist Qin, don't leave tonight. Let's have a good drink together, and I can introduce you to some of the young talents in my Puppet Association."

Qin Fei himself had no objections; his purpose in coming here was to make friends with these people.

With two vice presidents now taking the lead, we're already halfway to success.

"Oh, right, this is for you."

Wei Zhao suddenly remembered something, took a small bag from his pocket, and handed it over.

Qin Fei was puzzled. He opened the package and found a set of standard robes and a token inside.

The token was made of some unknown material; it was icy cold to the touch. The back read "Puppet Association," while the front was engraved with the words "Second-Tier Puppet Master."

The robe is made of precious silk and satin. It has excellent texture and looks extraordinary at first glance. The word "puppet" is embroidered on the chest.

"This is the Puppet Association's rank certification and the corresponding Daoist robe. Fellow Daoist, please take it; it may be useful in the future."

"Don't worry, our Puppet Association is a loose organization with almost no constraints. Anyone who is Puppet Master is our friend."

Wei Zhao, fearing he wouldn't accept it, offered a special explanation.

Qin Fei nodded slightly. He hadn't originally planned to get certified as a Second-Tier Puppet Master, but Wei Zhao had actually taken care of it for him.

Well, having some things is better than not having them at all.

"With the assessment approaching, I hope my sudden arrival won't cause any disruption to everyone's plans?"

"Fellow Daoist Qin, what are you saying? It's just a first-level assessment; anyone else could do it."

Wei Zhao said nonchalantly, then beckoned to a disciple and instructed, "Hu Tian, you're in charge of this assessment. I'm going to have a few drinks with Fellow Daoist Qin."

The disciple quickly agreed.

After exchanging a few more polite words, the group headed towards the largest restaurant in the Heavenly Pivot District.

This building is named "Drunken Immortal Pavilion" and is famous for its exquisite wine.

Legend has it that the True Lord Heavenly Pivot once got drunk here, praising the wine as excellent, and personally inscribed its name.

With the support of this story, Drunken Immortal Pavilion's growth was unstoppable, eventually developing into its current scale.

When Qin Fei and his group arrived, a group of young cultivators were already waiting there.

These people are all young talents of the Puppet Association, and their cultivation levels are all in the Late Qi Refining.

Upon seeing Qin Fei and his group arrive, they all greeted them.

One of the thin men stepped forward and said respectfully, "Presidents, Senior Qin, the private room is ready. Please follow me."