New Blueprint, Zhang Yu Motor Vehicle

With Yunxiu gone, Qin Fei could finally enter seclusion as he had wished.

He was holding a set of bamboo slips, reading them with great interest.

They contained Yunxiu's insights and reflections on puppets, which she had left behind before departing.

Though they were all personal observations, they were nevertheless incredibly precious to Qin Fei.

No one had ever taught Qin Fei the Puppet Technique, and he had never received any systematic instruction. He had taken what was commonly known as the unorthodox path.

Though flashes of inspiration occasionally brought him ingenious ideas, they could not disguise his weak grasp of the fundamentals.

Yunxiu, on the other hand, had learned from the Heavenly Secrets Sect and lacked nothing in the way of fundamentals. The two complemented each other perfectly.

Qin Fei read her insights over and over, finding them immensely rewarding. He found answers to the many things that had puzzled him before.

His skill with puppets improved yet again, which made him quite happy.

Qin Fei did not neglect his cultivation either. He took Spirit Ascension Pills every day without fail.

Taking too many pills could lead to resistance.

But Qin Fei understood that if he relied solely on his own aptitude to cultivate, he might never even touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. Why should he worry so much?

Only after raising his cultivation realm would he be qualified to consider what came later.

As for how to solve the problem, the cultivation world had countless wondrous things. There would always be a way.

After reading through the newly acquired Divine Soul Sensing Chapter several times, Qin Fei began cultivating it as well.

Perhaps he had some talent in the way of the divine soul, for he progressed quite rapidly.

Qin Fei was thrilled. Sure enough, when fate closed a door on you, it also opened a window.

As his cultivation deepened, he increasingly felt the wonders of the Divine Soul Sensing Chapter.

His divine soul grew more solid almost every day. Though it became smaller overall, its quality improved tremendously.

His thinking became sharper, and he forgot almost nothing he had read or seen.

There had been things in his cultivation method that had baffled him no matter how hard he thought. Now he understood their meaning at a glance.

It seemed even his comprehension had improved.

And once his divine soul had condensed to a certain degree, its total amount began to grow as well.

If it had been only a bowl of water before, now, drop by drop, that bowl was nearly overflowing.

His divine soul changed with each passing day, and his cultivation grew stronger daily. Qin Fei was intoxicated by the feeling.

During his seclusion, winds and clouds gathered over Shangyu Market as well.

The first wave of displaced people finally arrived, numbering two to three hundred thousand.

Most of them had decent cultivation and belonged to the middle and upper ranks of Rogue Cultivators, which was why they had arrived ahead of the others.

They settled on the outskirts of the outer city, forming what looked like a city beyond the city.

Qin Fei's little courtyard had originally been in a remote area, but with the arrival of these displaced people, it had instead become the center of the outer city.

Qin Fei could not help lamenting that he had never had such good fortune in his previous life.

To deal with the displaced people, the Lin Household in the inner city issued dozens of measures in one go.

These included prohibitions against magical combat, flying, smashing up shops, and so on.

An enforcement team was even specially deployed. Anyone found violating these regulations would be executed on the spot.

But measures were one thing; there were always those bold enough to disregard them.

Ever since the displaced people arrived, magical combat had become commonplace in the city, and burning, killing, and looting were even more frequent sights.

The Lin Household's enforcement team simply could not catch them all, and in the end, they just turned a blind eye.

The city's flight ban, however, was strictly enforced. Since targets in the air were far too conspicuous, few cultivators dared to defy it.

Besides these things, a few rumors were also circulating in the city.

The most important among them caught Qin Fei's attention.

First, this wave of displaced people was only the advance party. A much larger group was still behind them: the main body, numbering seven to eight hundred thousand.

Second, the Lu Household, a Foundation Establishment Lineage that had been driven out of Qinghe Market, had joined the Lin Household in the inner city in its entirety. Together they had formed the Foundation Establishment Lineage Alliance and jointly governed Shangyu Market.

It was said that the Lu Household had not originally intended to come to Shangyu Market. As the saying went, one mountain could not hold two tigers. They had already been dealt a devastating blow by the Barbarian Tribe and did not want to come into conflict with the Lin Household as well.

But the Lin Household's Foundation Establishment Ancestor had personally extended the invitation, showing an exceptionally rare degree of sincerity. Only then had the Lu Household been persuaded.

With the addition of the Lu Household, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in Shangyu Market had surged to six, doubling in one stroke.

Among them, the two ancestors, one from the Lin Household and one from the Lu Household, were at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Each household also had two Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators.

Opinions throughout the market were divided over the Lu Household's arrival.

Some were pessimistic about it, and their arguments were well reasoned.

The two great households were evenly matched in top-level strength. One was the local serpent, the other a tiger from outside.

There might be no trouble in the short term, but once they had spent enough time together, a rift was bound to form.

Some cultivators, however, believed that the Lin Household had shown extraordinary resolve, and that the union of the two great Foundation Establishment Lineages was the way of the future.

With the barbarians' oppression growing ever more severe, only by huddling together for warmth could they obtain a sliver of hope for survival.

Otherwise, neither the Lin Household nor the Lu Household could safeguard the market on its own.

The results of Shangyu Market's union were also plain to see.

At the very least, among the small settlements within several thousand miles, Shangyu Market was now one of the strongest.

Though Qin Fei stayed at home, he knew all about these things.

Tiezhu and Old Zhang shared any news they heard with him, and Wang Hu also brought some information every time he visited.

But he had no time to pay it any attention. In the secret room, the Technician Number Ones were constantly busy, like a group of competent engineers.

Puppet after puppet was manufactured, and his experience kept rising.

Qin Fei was somewhat glad that he had developed a way to automate puppet refinement earlier.

Otherwise, he probably would not have had so much time to cultivate.

People said you could not have both fish and bear's paw, but now he wanted both cultivation and Spirit Stones!

[Wooden Ox completed, experience +1]

[Flowing Horse completed, experience +1]

[Second-Generation Puppet Soldier completed, experience +1]

The Second-Generation Puppet Soldiers were the puppets Yunxiu had controlled, those with the strength of the Second Layer of Qi Refinement.

Qin Fei had studied them carefully that day and worked out the blueprint.

These puppets were quite strong and were genuine Battle Puppets. Qin Fei intended to put them up for sale, and expected they would fetch a good price.

Though the Flame Martial Guards could also be mass-produced and possessed the strength of the Qi Refining Third Layer, Qin Fei had never intended to sell them.

It was more worthwhile to keep good things for his own use.

His experience continued to accumulate, and finally, on this day, Qin Fei opened his eyes.

[Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion (lv2) (300/300) (upgrade available)]

He did not hesitate. He had waited a long time for this day.

Yes!

A flash of white light passed, and the brick-and-tile house in his sea of consciousness grew a little larger.

Qin Fei nodded slightly and brought up the full information panel.

[Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion (lv3) (0/400)]

[Pavilion master: Qin Fei]

[Puppets: Inheritance Wooden Lock (inheritance puppet), Flame Martial Envoy (Exclusive Puppet), Flame Martial Guard (first-tier puppet), Second-Generation Puppet Soldier (first-tier puppet), Technician Number One (first-tier puppet), Wooden Ox (first-tier puppet), Flowing Horse (first-tier puppet), Puppet Soldier (unranked)]

[Bonuses: puppet speed +3%, power +3%, consumption -3%]

[Blueprint available to unlock: Zhang Yu Motor Vehicle (first-tier puppet)]

P.S. There will be an extra chapter tomorrow. I hope all fellow Daoists will come show your support and keep reading. The extra chapter will be released at 12 noon.