Sixth Level of Qi Refining

After taking stock of his puppets, Qin Fei went to the market with the little more than two hundred Spirit Stones he had left.

Fortunately, Technician Number One had little combat capability and had not been damaged this time.

Otherwise, if he had lost his automation as well, rebuilding it would have taken considerable time and effort.

Qin Fei estimated that restoring his puppets to their peak number would take roughly four or five days.

As it happened, he intended to use that time to focus on cultivation.

Perhaps because he had fought a fierce battle and escaped death by a hair's breadth, a curious feeling rose in his heart.

A breakthrough in his cultivation realm might come within the next two days.

Pedestrians streamed through the market without end. Since Shangyu Market's expansion, even the marketplace itself had grown considerably.

The street where Qin Fei had once set up his stall had changed beyond recognition.

Shops lined both sides, the street was neat and clean, and the vendors all had fixed stalls. The days when anyone could simply spread out a beast hide and set up shop were gone.

Yet no one knew that undercurrents had long been churning beneath this peace.

When he reached the spot where he and Old Zhang had once set up their stalls, he found a young man and woman sitting there.

As Qin Fei approached, they began playing off each other.

"Yesterday, I went into the mountains with the Demon Beast hunting team and killed a Purple Cloud Mammoth!"

"Why go after that Demon Beast? It's hard to deal with, and transporting it is difficult too."

"Hehe, there's something you don't know. We used just one Wooden Ox Puppet to bring it back."

A wave of familiarity washed over Qin Fei, as though he were looking at his former self.

He came to the stall and asked, feigning curiosity:

"Does this Wooden Ox Puppet really have that much storage space?"

"Of course. If you don't believe me, fellow cultivator, you can try it yourself."

"How much?"

"Forty spirit essences. The price is fair to young and old alike."

Qin Fei nodded lightly, then patted the man on the shoulder and turned to leave.

The stall owner was left standing there in a daze, muttering:

"At least make a counteroffer."

Qin Fei walked away with a smile on his face.

If he had guessed correctly, this man was probably a second-tier agent recruited by Wang Hu, perhaps even a third- or fourth-tier one.

Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses were no longer a rarity in this market; people sold them everywhere.

Even if someone wanted to trace them back to their source, it would be harder than climbing to heaven.

That was the advantage of the agency model.

Qin Fei gathered his thoughts and went to several of the spiritual material shops he frequented to buy materials.

As before, he had to visit many shops before he had gathered everything he needed.

He had only a dozen or so Spirit Stones left, but when he passed a stall selling Demon Beast meat, Qin Fei did not skimp.

He bought a whole side of Demon Beast meat, along with two legs.

After he returned to the puppet scrapyard, the smell of meat soon filled the little courtyard, though the Black Tortoise Breath-Concealing Array kept it from escaping.

Qin Fei sipped the broth, his heart exceptionally tranquil.

Things had been moving too fast lately, one matter following another. It was rare for him to have time to rest.

After leisurely finishing the Demon Beast meat, he sat for a while in the courtyard pavilion and fed the little fish in the pond before returning to the secret chamber.

He sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion and slowly circulated the Everlasting Spring Art.

Over the next few days, he divided his time between refining puppets and practicing his Cultivation Method.

His puppet reserves grew quickly. As long as he had enough materials, automation would soon restore them to their peak.

The feeling that a breakthrough was near also grew stronger, and the spiritual power within him was approaching fullness.

While he was in seclusion, a major event occurred in Shangyu Market.

To the north of Shangyu Market, where human and Barbarian Tribe territories bordered each other, someone discovered a secret realm.

It was said that the secret realm was filled with vast quantities of heavenly materials and earthly treasures and rare materials.

The news caught the Lin and Lu Households off guard, leaving them to hastily prepare for battle.

The Barbarian Tribe had also learned the news from somewhere and sought to get a share of the secret realm. The two sides had already clashed several times without a victor.

At that moment, the Lin Household suddenly announced on its own that, to devote its full strength to preparing for battle and contending for control of the secret realm, it would temporarily postpone its marriage alliance with the Lu Household.

The announcement shook the market. Everyone's attention was drawn to the secret realm, and no one mentioned the marriage alliance anymore.

In a splendid, gold-adorned hall of the Lu Household, a man abruptly snapped the neck of the beauty in his arms.

"The news of the secret realm actually leaked. Damn it!"

Not one of the people below him dared make a sound. Everyone knew the man acted without restraint and regarded human lives as no more than grass, even those of his own people.

The man was none other than the Lu Household's young master, Lu Tianchou, the husband Lin Man was to marry.

At that moment, an old servant beside him steeled himself and spoke up:

"Young master, could the Lin Household have already obtained the key to the secret realm? Otherwise, why would they suddenly announce the postponement of the marriage alliance?"

"So what if they have? Let the old fellows in the household fight them. Better if a few of them die and make room for the younger generation sooner."

His words were outrageously defiant, and no one dared respond.

Lu Tianchou, however, paid them no mind. He waved a hand and continued:

"Investigate that outer Attendant at the puppet scrapyard. In case the Lin Household hasn't obtained the key yet, we need a backup plan."

Qin Fei did not know he had been targeted. He had reached the final moment of his breakthrough.

Finally, on this day, a powerful surge of spiritual power suddenly erupted from his Dantian.

Qin Fei's Qi rose steadily for a full half an incense stick's time before gradually settling down.

Sixth Level of Qi Refining!

After the breakthrough, his spiritual power grew much more abundant. The Everlasting Spring Art's nature of building up slowly before bursting forth seemed to be coming to the fore: overall, his spiritual power was about ten percent more abundant than that of cultivators in the same realm.

His control over his spiritual power had also improved considerably, and he could use all kinds of Technique Methods with ease.

What mattered most to him was the improvement to his soul, for it determined how many puppets he could control.

After reaching the Sixth Level of Qi Refining, his Divine Sense had grown at a terrifying rate.

If it had been a bowl of water before, it was now like a wooden bucket filled to the brim.

He could operate his puppets with greater ease, and their number also began to soar.

Taking the Qi Refining Third Layer Flame Martial Guards as an example, he could now control more than twenty at once.

Qin Fei also came to understand deeply what it meant to have a happy problem.

For after his breakthrough, he needed to assemble an even larger puppet army.

"Forget it. I'll take it slowly."

Qin Fei comforted himself, then closed his eyes.

He had only just broken through and still needed to consolidate his realm.

He also needed to keep replenishing his puppet army. Otherwise, he would not feel at ease even going outside.

And so Qin Fei returned to his life of staying at home.

A few days later, his puppet army had finally been expanded back to its peak.

To his dismay, Qin Fei had wanted to make even more as spares, but he had no choice but to stop.

The reason was simple: he had run out of money.

"Looks like I'll have to take some orders from the merchant association. Senior Caiyi wanted to see me too. I wonder what it's about."

Qin Fei had always taken a halfhearted approach to the orders from the merchant association and Wang Hu.

He always put cultivation first. In his view, it was not worth delaying his cultivation for the sake of making money.

The results were plain to see: he had reached the Sixth Level of Qi Refining and was only one step away from becoming a great Late Qi Refining cultivator.

He simply had not expected the losses from this encounter to be so great that they had completely consumed the two hundred Spirit Stones he had kept in reserve.

That sum was already a considerable fortune to an ordinary Rogue Cultivator.

But for him, a practitioner of the Puppet Technique, it seemed rather insufficient.

Qin Fei could not help but lament that being a Puppet Master really was not a profession just anyone could afford.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion in his sea of consciousness had helped him run simulations, saving him an untold amount of materials.

Otherwise, he might still have been struggling to figure out how to become a first-tier Puppet Master.

Qin Fei put the puppets he had refined into his Storage Bag, then headed out.

At the merchant association, several cultivators were kneeling on the ground, their eyes full of terror.

Most shocking of all were their cultivation realms: every one of them was at Late Qi Refining.

"What happened?"

Qin Fei had only just arrived and did not yet know what was going on, so he looked at Tang Zhan beside him.

"Those assassins targeting the merchant association were all caught in one fell swoop by Senior Caiyi."

"Go on. Senior is waiting for you."