Chapter 228: High-Grade Puppet Art

Several hours passed.

Qin Ming had already completed seven refinements.

Several of them still ended in failure.

Finally.

When he began the eighth refinement.

A burst of five-colored aurora rose from within the Xuan Jade Furnace, swirling and lingering above the elixir cauldron.

Qin Ming's expression brightened; he raised his hand toward the furnace and summoned forth a transparent elixir bearing six talismanic patterns, resting in his palm.

"Premium Soul-Returning Pill!"

After consuming all remaining materials, Qin Ming produced two ordinary-grade Soul-Returning Pills and two premium-grade Soul-Returning Pills.

For a second-rank supreme elixir of such extreme difficulty, this success rate was already exceptionally high.

Qin Ming studied the elixirs for a while, then stored them in a jade vial.

"Hmm, this unassuming elixir can restore a cultivator to their peak—briefly, like a fleeting bloom."

Though he had already refined the elixir in less than a month, he had no rush to deliver it to Canghai Xiancheng.

He would need to personally visit the Dingding Pavilion in Canghai Xiancheng in three months to retrieve spirit materials anyway; he might as well combine the trips.

In the time that followed.

Aside from cultivation, Qin Ming devoted himself to studying the Gao Jie Puppet Art he had obtained from Miao Renke's storage bag.

After years of research, Qin Ming had nearly reached the second-rank level in Puppet Art and the application of spirit-splitting and thought-dividing techniques.

The several grass-man puppets in his spirit field had also been upgraded to first-rank supreme.

Since returning from his last trip to Canghai Xiancheng, he had purchased additional materials and begun crafting second-rank puppets.

Inside his cave dwelling.

Qin Ming focused entirely on manipulating the object in his hands.

After meticulous refinement of numerous materials, the form gradually took shape, culminating in the insertion of a jet-black copper block into its core.

He assembled a puppet shaped like a spirit turtle.

Qin Ming coated its exterior with a layer of earth-yellow pigment, making it appear lifelike at a glance.

He then embedded a mid-grade spirit stone into the turtle puppet's core recess.

Instantly, the entire spirit puppet emitted a series of "crackling" sounds, its surface glowing with ink-green spiritual patterns.

The three-zhang-tall spirit turtle puppet stirred, then opened a pair of pale-green eyes, fixing them on Qin Ming, awaiting his command.

Qin Ming activated his Puppet Control Art, sending a thread of spiritual sense into the puppet.

The next instant.

The spirit turtle lifted its head, its massive shell glowing with earth-yellow light.

The spiritual pressure it emitted rivaled that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the early stage.

"Second-rank low-grade puppet! Finally crafted."

"Though it's only a low-grade second-rank puppet, there's still room for improvement."

Qin Ming gazed at his carefully crafted creation, satisfied.

This turtle puppet was a defensive type, capable of withstanding attacks below Foundation Establishment mid-stage, and it could also release a Water Arrow Spell—its power comparable to that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator's spell.

Puppet Art proved highly useful to Qin Ming, beyond merely helping him till soil and weed.

In future cultivation expeditions, should he encounter great opportunities—especially those tied to Core Formation, or even later Nascent Soul breakthroughs—

Even with ample lifespan, he could hardly remain indifferent.

Once Puppet Art reached mastery, these puppets would naturally serve as his frontline expendables.

They could significantly reduce his own risks.

Materials such as beast parts, spirit wood, and ores could all serve as components for puppet crafting.

Qin Ming had no shortage of such materials, so his learning and crafting proceeded smoothly.

From this point onward, besides Spirit Planting and Alchemy, Qin Ming had now elevated a third of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation to the second-rank level.

…

Two months later.

Through continuous improvements and material enhancements, Qin Ming produced two brand-new second-rank low-grade turtle spirit puppets.

Though their offensive power was weak, they were extremely durable and could now serve as scouts and expendables.

He still had ample spirit materials on hand; even if they were destroyed, he could simply remake them.

"The three-month deadline has arrived. Time to head to Canghai Xiancheng."

Qin Ming stored the two puppets in his storage bag, summoned his Silver-Winged Frost Bee, opened the Mist Illusion Array, and departed directly from Wangyue Island.

Conditions outside remained largely unchanged, though beast activity had noticeably diminished since before.

Riding his Silver-Winged Frost Bee at full speed, Qin Ming raced across the sky; after over an hour, he arrived at Canghai Xiancheng.

The soil outside the immortal city remained a vivid crimson—clearly, several waves of beast assaults had struck during this period.

"Hehehe!"

"Here's a fat sheep!"

"Brother, please stop!"

"Robbery! Robbery!"

As Qin Ming paused just outside Canghai Xiancheng, having just stored his Silver-Winged Frost Bee in his spirit beast bag and prepared to send a message to Lü Liang to open the formation for entry—

Two flashes of light darted past; a fat and a thin cultivator blocked his path.

Their gazes were sinister, radiating the spiritual power fluctuations of early Foundation Establishment, smirking at Qin Ming.

Clearly, they were bandits who had taken advantage of the beast flood chaos to lie in wait near the immortal city.

"Brother, you've got real guts—venturing out alone in such turbulent times."

"Since you're alone, don't blame us, the She Mountain Twin Demons."

"If you surrender peacefully, we'll spare you some trouble."

"Perhaps I'll let you suffer less—ahahaha!"

Qin Ming was annoyed—he hadn't encountered a single beast attack on his journey.

Yet just as he neared Canghai Xiancheng, he ran into two bandits.

But these two were nowhere near the caliber of Lin Zi's bandit gang.

Qin Ming's lips curled into a smile. "Two fellow cultivators, I happen to have a treasure I feel a strong affinity with you two—care to take a look?"

"What treasure?!"

"Hurry up and show it! If you try any tricks, we'll make you understand why flowers are so red!"

Qin Ming chuckled, then patted his storage bag; two turtle puppets shot out as streaks of light, appearing instantly before him.

"Second-rank puppets!"

The moment the turtle puppets appeared, the She Mountain Twin Demons gasped in shock.

What had been a two-on-one situation instantly reversed into a three-on-two.

In truth, Qin Ming had patiently endured their banter simply to test the strength of his two newly crafted second-rank spirit puppets.

He'd been looking for a test subject—and here they came, perfectly matched: two early Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Oh! Brother, you've misunderstood!"

"We mistook you for someone else—our apologies!"

"We're leaving now."

But as they turned to flee backward—

Zzzz! A silver streak flashed into existence directly before the She Mountain Twin Demons.

The fat and thin cultivators abruptly halted mid-retreat.

They turned to see what blocked their escape—and when they recognized it, their pupils shrank violently; they nearly wet themselves. Behind them loomed a silver-winged frost bee the size of a calf, radiating the overwhelming spiritual pressure of a second-rank mid-stage beast.

And it appeared to be the pet of that unassuming cultivator just moments ago.

"Oh my god! Is this the 'fat sheep' you meant?"

"I think we're the ones who look like fat sheep."

They were drenched in sweat—hadn't even begun their first robbery, and they'd already stepped on an iron plate.

"Esteemed cultivator, we were blind to your greatness—please spare us!" They turned back and bowed deeply to Qin Ming.

Suddenly! Over a dozen green-tipped poison-dart spirit instruments shot straight toward Qin Ming's face.

The She Mountain Twin Demons clearly didn't expect Qin Ming to spare them—they chose to strike at his own body, the "weakest" link.

If they subdued Qin Ming, the puppets and spirit beast would surely obey them.

But reality always differs from fantasy.

In an instant, one turtle puppet lunged sideways, its shell expanding violently, glowing with earth-yellow spiritual light.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

A series of clashing sounds rang out—their desperate, lethal ambush was entirely blocked by the turtle puppet.

The two brothers stared, dumbfounded.

Then the two turtle puppets advanced from front and back, charging toward the cultivators.

Instantly, the two puppets clashed with the two bandits in fierce combat.

Meanwhile, Qin Ming and his Silver-Winged Frost Bee watched calmly from the sidelines.

Various spells exploded and danced through the air.

Despite the Two Sha of She Mountain exerting every ounce of strength, they could not break through the turtle golem's defense.

But whenever they tried to use their speed advantage to flee, the terrifying silver-winged frost bee would appear before them in a bizarre manner, gradually.

The two tribulation cultivators had been drained of all their magic power by the two turtle golems.

They were already at their last breath.

Qin Ming had tested the spirit golems enough; he immediately split off a strand of spiritual sense and infused it into one of the golems.

The turtle golem immediately spat out a blue water arrow that sliced through the air and pierced both cultivators' chests at an impossible angle.

"Aaah!"

The two screamed and tumbled helplessly from the sky.

Qin Ming didn't even lift his eyelids; he simply tossed out two black spirit seeds and activated the Thorns Spell upon them.

He then collected two blood pearls and two storage bags; as for the corpses, they would soon become food for passing beasts.

Qin Ming opened one of the storage bags and glanced inside—it seemed the Two Sha of She Mountain were bottom-tier tribulation cultivators, with only several ten thousand low-grade spirit stones and mostly ordinary items.

He waved one hand, and the two turtle golems shrank in size, flying to his side.

Qin Ming examined them closely; after the fierce battle, the golems bore only a few faint scratches, nothing else amiss.

"Hmm, good!"

He then stored the golems and flew toward the Immortal City.

…

On the way, Qin Ming sent a message to Lü Liang.

Half a stick of incense later.

Lü Liang rushed out from the city to personally grant Qin Ming entry.

"Oh my! Qin Daoist, I didn't expect you back in the Immortal City so soon!" Lü Liang greeted warmly.

Qin Daoist smiled: "Trouble you again, Lü Daoist—every time I come, you have to come open the gate yourself."

"Nonsense, Qin Daoist, you're being too formal!"

"What business brings you to the Immortal City this time? Can I assist you?"

"Nothing urgent—just a small matter. No need to trouble you, Lü Daoist."

"Oh? Then after you're done, please come to my residence for a visit—I'll have Wanjun prepare a fine feast tonight."

"Certainly, certainly."

As they spoke, they had already reached the inner city.

Lü Liang had official duties and departed first.

Qin Ming proceeded straight along the main road to the core district of Canghai Immortal City.

Following Wei Wuyang's instructions, he wound through several alleys until he arrived before an elegant pavilion, its plaque inscribed with the three large characters: "Linglong Pavilion."

It was a property operated by Lei Yuanzong in Canghai Immortal City.

Qin Ming stepped inside immediately.

Upon entering, an elderly blue-robed man with white hair stepped forward to greet him warmly.

"Oh! It's Qin Daoist!"

"I'm Mei, the shopkeeper of this Linglong Pavilion. Young Master Wei just informed me of your coming."

Qin Daoist briefly assessed Mei the shopkeeper and realized he was at Foundation Establishment late stage.

He returned the bow: "Mei Shopkeeper."

"This isn't a place to speak. Please come upstairs," Mei smiled slightly, gesturing upward.

Moments later.

After ascending the stairs.

Mei set up a soundproofing barrier and asked curiously: "Qin Daoist, you came so early—is there a problem with the Soul-Returning Pill refinement?"

"Can I assist you?"

"Is the spirit material insufficient?"

"If so, I'm afraid I can't help—spirit materials for Soul-Returning Pills are exceedingly hard to find."

Mei had not even considered the possibility that Qin Daoist had succeeded in refining the pill.

Only three months had passed.

In his view, even the most skilled second-rank Grand Alchemist would struggle to even understand the formula, let alone begin refining.

Yan Elder of Lei Yuanzong had studied for over half a year before attempting refinement—and the result was disastrous.

Qin Daoist shook his head. He had no intention of lingering; he wanted to settle the transaction, receive the spirit materials Wei Wuyang had promised, and leave.

He immediately produced two delicate porcelain vials and placed them on the table: "Mei Shopkeeper, thanks to Daoist Wei's favor, I've succeeded—two pills refined."

No sooner had he spoken.

Wum—Mei's gaze locked onto the vials Qin Ming offered, his mind going blank.

"Qin… Qin Daoist!"

"Already… refined?"

Qin Ming nodded noncommittally.

"Correct. One standard-grade, one premium-grade Soul-Returning Pill. Mei Shopkeeper may inspect them."

"What?!"

"Premium Soul-Returning Pill!"

"…"

Mei immediately opened both vials and upended them, revealing two pills.

As a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator of Lei Yuanzong, Mei had seen much in his long life.

When he saw the six pill patterns on one of the elixirs, his expression finally turned to shock.

(End of Chapter)