Battle Puppet, Flame Martial Envoy!

A flash of white light passed, and his mind cleared.

The Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion had upgraded once more, and Qin Fei felt that his mastery of puppetry had somehow improved considerably.

Things he had only dimly understood before were now crystal clear.

He had also gained new insights into puppet-making.

The Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion truly has endless wondrous uses. If I make another Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse now, I should be much faster.

That was what Qin Fei thought, but what concerned him most were the new blueprints that had just appeared.

They're Battle Puppets!

Battle Puppets were, as the name suggested, puppets used for battle.

In fact, this was not the first Battle Puppet Qin Fei had obtained. The Puppet Soldier he had made at the very beginning was also a Battle Puppet.

Unfortunately, the Puppet Soldier's strength was limited. In a cultivation world teeming with powerful experts, it could barely serve as cannon fodder.

If he sent it to face an enemy on the battlefield, a few spells would probably blast it to pieces.

The two Battle Puppets he had just unlocked were evidently different.

Qin Fei focused on the blueprint, and a vast amount of information flooded into his mind.

[Flame Martial Guard]

[Strength: Qi Refining Third Layer]

[Talent: Natural affinity for fire; fire power +5%, fire resistance +5%]

[Formation markings: Li Fire Formation]

As the information poured in, Qin Fei immediately understood how to craft the Flame Martial Guard.

It was a fire-attribute puppet with strength comparable to the Qi Refining Third Layer.

It could cast some simple fire-attribute spells and was controlled with Divine Sense and powered by Spirit Essence.

Compared to the earlier Puppet Soldier, its strength had increased by who knew how many times. It was a puppet that could truly be used to confront enemies head-on.

Although the materials it required were expensive, Qin Fei had just acquired a large sum, so that was no problem.

After learning how to craft the Flame Martial Guard, Qin Fei turned his attention to the next blueprint.

Exclusive Puppet? What's that?

It was the first time he had heard the term, and for a moment he was at a loss.

[Flame Martial Envoy · White]

[Strength: Qi Refining Seventh Layer]

[Talent: Natural affinity for fire; fire power +10%, fire resistance +10%]

[Exclusive Puppet: Bound by a covenant of Essence Blood; requires no Divine Sense; cannot be used by outsiders; unique]

As the information surfaced in his mind, a glimmer of understanding rose in Qin Fei's heart.

This blueprint actually recorded the method for crafting a Late Qi Refining puppet.

According to the blueprint, the puppet was called the Flame Martial Envoy. It was an Exclusive Puppet of the Heavenly Craft Creation Pavilion, and only the pavilion master could use it.

To use it, the pavilion master had to form a covenant with Essence Blood. After that, he could command it with a single thought, without expending large amounts of Divine Sense.

At that, Qin Fei's heart shook.

Normally, controlling a puppet required Divine Sense, and the stronger the puppet, the more Divine Sense it required.

Take Qin Fei himself: he was now at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, and if he commanded puppets of the same realm, he could control only one at a time.

If he commanded puppets at the Qi Refining Third Layer, he could control three at once. The lower a puppet's realm, the more of them he could control.

A Late Qi Refining puppet like the Flame Martial Envoy was of such a high realm that, under normal circumstances, he would be unable to command it.

Yet this Exclusive Puppet required no Divine Sense. He only needed to form a contract with Essence Blood to use it.

Qin Fei knew perfectly well what that meant.

Once he crafted this puppet, it would be as if he had gained a Late Qi Refining guard out of thin air. It would be no exaggeration to say his strength had greatly increased.

The only pity was that the Flame Martial Envoy was unique. He could control only one at a time, and even if he crafted a second, he would be unable to use it.

Qin Fei did not mind. He could control a Late Qi Refining puppet while still at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. What more could he ask for?

He looked at the materials needed to make the Flame Martial Envoy and could not help drawing a sharp breath.

The materials it required were extravagant. By a rough calculation, even if he succeeded on the first try, it would cost around a hundred Spirit Stones.

If he failed a few times, the price would be astronomical.

Qin Fei suddenly felt that the six Spirit Stones he had earned earlier were not so appealing anymore.

And that was without counting the Spirit Stones needed to command the puppet. A Late Qi Refining puppet's consumption each time it took action was also terrifying.

Why do I feel like I'm getting poorer and poorer?

People said the path of puppetry was a bottomless pit, and now it seemed it truly devoured wealth.

Qin Fei grumbled, but the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Having cards to play was a different matter from having none.

Now he held a ready hand; it was only a matter of how he would win.

"Spirit Stones! I need Spirit Stones!"

Over the following days, Qin Fei stayed shut up at home except when he went out to buy materials, devoting himself to studying the art of puppetry.

Crafting the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse was no longer a problem, so he decisively stopped the simulations in his sea of consciousness and turned to practicing with the Flame Martial Guard.

The Flame Martial Guard had the strength of the Qi Refining Third Layer. Although it was weaker than he was, commanding several at once could still provide considerable fighting power.

Most importantly, the materials this puppet required were relatively cheap.

As for the Flame Martial Envoy, Qin Fei had not given up simulating it either; it was simply a lower priority.

After all, those materials were expensive, and earning money took time.

As for his cultivation, Qin Fei also took Spirit Ascension Pills every day and refined their medicinal power.

He understood that, no matter what, cultivation was the foundation.

And so, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Then, one day, Old Zhang, whom he had not seen for a long time, suddenly came to visit. He carried a jug of wine and looked quite happy.

A girl of twelve or thirteen followed behind him, carrying a bag of dishes to go with the wine. She was Old Zhang's granddaughter.

Qin Fei naturally welcomed them both inside with warmth.

Old Zhang was the only person in all of Shangyu Market he could call a friend, and he had helped him a great deal over the years.

The girl was named Zhang Youqing. Qin Fei had watched her grow up, and she was quite endearing.

"What wind blew you two here today?"

Qin Fei joked as he greeted them.

"What, am I not welcome? Let me tell you, lad, I've brought you an enormous benefit today."

Old Zhang kept him in suspense, stopping abruptly as if to say that if Qin Fei did not drink with him to his satisfaction, he would not tell him.

But when he saw that Qin Fei had already broken through to the Middle Qi Refining Stage, he still laughed and cursed a couple of times, saying things like, "The Heavenly Dao is unfair! To think a lad like you made a breakthrough!"

Zhang Youqing merely covered her mouth and laughed at the side. She liked watching her grandfather and older brother bicker.

Though Qin Fei was curious about the benefit, he did not ask. He knew Old Zhang could never keep things to himself.

Sure enough, after three rounds of wine, Old Zhang could no longer contain himself and brought it up.

He mysteriously took something out and placed it on the table.

"Lad, what do you think of this?"

Qin Fei looked closely, and his expression turned exceedingly strange.

Old Zhang thought Qin Fei had been astonished by his item and burst out laughing:

"Though you broke through to the Middle Qi Refining Stage before me, in the way of craftsmanship, I'm a step ahead of you. I became a First-Tier Talisman Master first."

He still did not know that Qin Fei had already made a breakthrough, and continued showing off:

"But don't be discouraged. I know your puppetry skills are still just short, so I spent a great deal of money on this especially for you. If you can fathom its secrets, perhaps you won't be far from becoming a First-Tier Puppet Master."

Old Zhang spoke animatedly, then picked up the object from the table and tossed it gently onto the ground. An ox-shaped puppet appeared.

"Watch closely, lad. This puppet is called a Wooden Ox. It contains eighteen zhang of storage space and can carry eighty thousand jin. It's a genuine first-tier puppet.

"It's been selling like hotcakes on the market lately. I was certain it would be useful to you, so I bought it and brought it back. Now, how are you going to thank me?"