Daze Market.
On the road out, Chen Sanshi's mind kept replaying the events at Dusk Valley. Combined with the recent turmoil along Beiyang Dao, he could not shake the feeling that something major was about to happen.
Wait—
Mount-Moving Hermit had been ordered to kill him. Could that also be connected to this matter?
Come to think of it…
No one had come looking for him until now.
The calmer things appeared, the more uneasy Chen Sanshi felt.
He altered his appearance and remained vigilant the entire way, arriving at a shop that sold magic artifacts. There, he dismantled the Red-Winged Snake on his body and sold it off as materials, also asking them to refine the snake tendon into a bowstring.
The mid-grade second-tier Purple Thunder Bow was finally completed. As for arrows, he replaced them with a one-time concealed weapon magic artifact—
Golden-Scaled Flying Blades.
Afterward, he purchased a large quantity of materials related to cultivating puppet techniques, intending to further study the Heavenly Derivation Ten Thousand Soldiers Art. At the very least, he needed to forge a Natal Puppet and send it back to the capital, Chang'an. That way, when he entered seclusion later, handling state affairs would not be delayed.
The reason he had waited so long and even changed identities was naturally to avoid letting anyone connect him to Mount-Moving Hermit's death.
After finishing all this,
Chen Sanshi returned to Little Bamboo Peak and continued cultivating the Water-Element Breathing Method.
Skill: Water-Element True Force
Progress: 78/100
Whenever his meridians and spirit reached the brink of damage, he would stop and switch to cultivating the Swallowing Fire Art. When he grew fatigued again, he would take out the puppet materials.
This set of puppet materials was no small expense. The spiritual wood alone was costly, and there were more than 10 specialized carving knives for magic artifact work, along with specially prepared spiritual ink for inscribing runes. A considerable amount of spirit stones had been consumed.
Crafting a puppet could roughly be divided into several steps:
1. Forming the body.
2. Inscribing the runes.
3. Opening the spiritual light.
4. Dotting the eyes.
Throughout the process, not only was mana required, but divine sense had to be used to precisely grasp every subtle transformation within. It bore striking similarities to many other arts.
Thus, for Chen Sanshi, it was not entirely unfamiliar. In fact, since he cultivated Alchemy, Formation, and Talisman Drawing simultaneously—all of which touched upon the laws of Heaven and Earth—the difficulty of practicing puppet techniques was greatly reduced.
After wasting around 5 sets of materials, he had essentially grasped the methods of the earlier steps, progressing at remarkable speed.
From the sixth attempt onward, he could reliably reach the "opening the spiritual light" stage each time.
Starting from the ninth attempt, he was always able to reach the final "dotting the eyes" step.
"The fifteenth attempt!"
Chen Sanshi silently counted in his heart as he looked at the fierce tiger he had carved before him. It was lifelike and imposing, yet its pupils were hollow and lifeless.
Just as one speaks of dotting the dragon's eyes to bring it to life, the "dotting the eyes" process was the final and most critical step.
Only by successfully dotting the eyes could the puppet move.
Moreover,
The "dotting the eyes" of puppet technique was not merely carving with a knife or drawing with a talisman brush. It resembled alchemy, requiring one's divine sense to perceive the transformations of the Great Dao.
The so-called "puppet technique" being an immortal art could more accurately be described as—
Creation.
According to the Heavenly Derivation Ten Thousand Soldiers Art, the puppets crafted by a puppet master were not entirely dead objects. As for how "alive" they could become, that depended entirely on the puppet master's ability.
Chen Sanshi formed hand seals. A formation disk condensed purely from mana rotated continuously in midair. Not far away, the intricate runes on the puppet's surface lit up in succession like rolling waves, establishing a mysterious resonance between the two.
In his vision, the puppet before him was no longer mere wood. It was constructed from strands of Heaven-and-Earth laws—though some laws were incomplete, others chaotic.
Chen Sanshi's task was to bring order to that chaos.
He focused intently, manipulating the formation disk in his hands. The mana within his body, even the physical strength of his flesh, drained at an astonishing speed. Cold sweat soon beaded across his forehead.
Until a certain instant—
It was as though a key aligned perfectly with its lock, as though he had discovered the mechanism's activation method. Everything suddenly became incomparably harmonious. The originally chaotic laws settled into orderly alignment.
"Buzz!"
The hollow pupils of the puppet tiger flared with a fierce golden light. As its agile body shifted, faint gusts of gang qi stirred in its wake.
Dotting the eyes—successful!
Mid-grade first-tier puppet!
Skill: Heavenly Derivation Ten Thousand Soldiers Art (First Layer)
Progress: 0/500
Effect: Natal Puppet
Natal Puppet: Forge a puppet and bind it as your Natal Puppet. Linked by essential blood and controlled by divine sense.
Chen Sanshi extinguished the formation seal and let out a long breath.
From this moment on, he was a first-tier puppet master.
However, controlling a puppet still required him to form hand seals and issue simple commands. After all, he was only at the late stage of Qi Refining, and his divine sense was limited.
Only the Natal Puppet mentioned in this inheritance could act freely. At later stages, one could even divide a portion of the soul into it, achieving an effect akin to a clone.
"It can begin now!"
The puppet tiger had merely been practice.
The Natal Puppet was the true objective.
Chen Sanshi spent 7 days and 7 nights carving a wooden figure from spiritual wood before a bronze mirror, shaping it into a form resembling himself.
Crafting a Natal Puppet required far higher standards than an ordinary puppet and consumed far more mental energy. Chen Sanshi understood that slow and meticulous work produced fine results, so he could only polish it bit by bit.
During breaks, he could also take care of other matters.
The Swallowing Fire Art he cultivated was an incomplete technique. It only covered from Qi Refining up to Foundation Establishment, but lacked the early Foundation Establishment portion and everything beyond.
From the beginning, Chen Sanshi had been reluctant to switch techniques. After all, if cultivated to the later stages, this technique could produce a divine ability.
With that in mind, under cover of night he left Little Bamboo Peak. After altering his appearance, he headed to the black market on the central lake island of Daze Market and sought out the seller who had traded the Swallowing Fire Art.
Each time he came to the black market, he used a different face, so there was no need to worry about his identity being exposed.
"Swallowing Fire Art?"
Duan Silu snorted. "That kind of dubious-origin technique—I don't have any continuation of it here. Fellow Daoist, would you like to take a look at some other techniques?"
"I still wish to cultivate the same technique," Chen Sanshi said directly. "The price is negotiable."
"Heh—"
Duan Silu stroked his chin. "That's truly a troublesome matter. How about this—I'll make some inquiries for you, see whether the original channel still has techniques from the Tianyan Sect, and then we can discuss it further. How does that sound?"
"Very well."
Chen Sanshi agreed.
He did not linger and immediately returned to Little Bamboo Peak. At dawn, he attended the banquet, unwilling to miss any news regarding the Foundation Establishment Pill.
"One appeared not long ago."
Deng Wuchang raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "Unlike independent cultivators, the major clans of Beiyang Dao obtain Foundation Establishment Pills much more easily.
"Behind them, almost all have Golden Core sects.
"Every few years, the sects grant them opportunities to participate in internal assessments. Most of the time, they can obtain 1 or 2 Foundation Establishment Pills.
"For example, this year, the Zhu family secured 3 pills. One of them was put up for auction and was quickly exchanged away by the Qian family at an exorbitant price."
Chen Sanshi nodded.
It seemed the auction route truly would not work. Even if he were fortunate enough to encounter one, it would immediately attract the attention of stronger forces. Whether in financial resources or martial strength, he was far inferior.
"Brother Xiao,"
Qu Lingchuan said with emotion, "stop burying yourself in alchemy. In my view, you should start focusing on studying combat from now on. If you step onto the arena in the future, you might still have a sliver of hope. For the sake of our years of friendship, I can teach you a few fierce spells without asking for any return."
"Mm," Zinan added. "When the time comes, I'm also willing to lend you 2 top-grade first-tier magic artifacts."
"I can't help you in combat," Deng Wuchang chuckled. "But if you're willing to pay spirit stones, when the Nine Nether Forbidden Land opens, I'd be willing to accompany you and try your luck."
"Thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoists. Xiao will remember it."
Chen Sanshi clasped his fists lightly.
He had known these people for neither a particularly long nor a particularly short time. There was some measure of friendship between them.
At least, so long as there were no greater conflicts of interest, they truly were willing to help within their abilities.
"What are your plans for the future?"
Chen Sanshi changed the subject.
Since arriving here, he had seen the three of them busy day after day, yet their cultivation showed no progress. At this rate, reaching Golden Core was essentially hopeless.
That question left them momentarily speechless.
Qu Lingchuan shook his head with a bitter smile. "I'll stay at Daze Market for another 10 years, save up more spirit stones, then leave Beiyang Dao and see whether I can find a sect and become an outer sect steward."
"As for me…"
Zinan hesitated. "I haven't decided."
"When I reach the late stage of True Force!"
Deng Wuchang said, "I'll head to the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge in the Southern Great Wilderness and participate in the upper sect's demon-slaying campaign. I'll risk my life—live one day at a time."
As they spoke of the future, there was more confusion and unease than hope, even a faint thread of despair.
Among independent cultivators, their talent could be considered good. But in the eyes of various sects, they were not top-tier.
The sects had their own disciples whom they cultivated. Resources naturally went to their own people first. How could outsiders like them ever rank high?
Unless they were willing to risk their lives and gamble on survival against overwhelming odds.
"Perhaps…"
Qu Lingchuan gripped his wine cup, his voice bitter. "Foundation Establishment is the end of our Dao path."
"Mm."
Chen Sanshi said thoughtfully, "If in the future there were a sect or force willing to accept you, guarantee resource support—would you be willing to pledge allegiance?"
"Isn't that obvious?!"
Deng Wuchang laughed. "As long as there are resources, absolute loyalty unto death isn't realistic, but giving our full strength each time wouldn't be a problem."
"I can forge."
Zinan murmured, nodding faintly. "Risking my life isn't possible, but forging iron is no problem."
"I can kill people—better than Deng Wuchang."
When speaking of it, Qu Lingchuan showed a trace of pride mixed with sorrow. "After all, I stood to the end on the arena. Because of that, quite a few people later sought revenge on me. I found it too troublesome, so I had no choice but to work at the market."
Chen Sanshi nodded.
Each of these people possessed their own abilities.
In truth, they were highly suitable for recruitment into the court.
Unfortunately—
He had no resources.
To truly move them, at the very least he would need enough resources to support them up to the Golden Core level.
But within Tianyong City of the Great Han, there were still a group of young people who had only just stepped into Qi Refining waiting to be supported. Not to mention these people—he simply could not afford to raise them.
After the banquet ended,
Chen Sanshi returned to his cave dwelling to continue cultivating.
He no longer remembered how many times he had swung his blade, attempting to fuse Water-Element True Force into the spirit within his body.
Whether he went to seek a Foundation Establishment Pill next or to explore some secret realm, if forced into action, he urgently needed a means of self-protection.
The pursuit that "Xiao Feng" could attract and the pursuit that "Chen Sanshi" could attract were not on the same level. There would be far more room for maneuver.
Water and fire were inherently incompatible. That was a fixed law.
But one could prevent water and fire from directly contacting each other, creating a perfect balance between them and storing it within the body.
Following this line of thought, within the shrine of his internal spirit, Chen Sanshi deliberately left spiritual power as "walls," using this method to ensure the two forces would not conflict.
After attempt upon attempt—he himself did not know how much time had passed—his True Force and blood qi were depleted several times before he gradually discovered the method.
The spirit within his body, originally pure blazing heat, split into two: water on the left, fire on the right, like a divine statue with two faces.
Skill: Water-Element True Force
Progress: 0 (increases with realm advancement)
Effect: Harmonizing Water and Fire
Harmonizing Water and Fire: Water and fire True Force balanced in yin and yang, nourishing the physique and flowing freely.
Water-Element True Force!
"Buzz!"
As Chen Sanshi mobilized his True Force, layers of water curtains flowed along the surface of the broadsword in his hand, as though what he held was not a weapon, but a long river.
Harmonizing Water and Fire!
He sheathed the Xuan Yuan Sword he had purchased and firmly engraved the insights he had just gained into his heart.
If 2 breathing methods could work, then what about 3? The Five Elements Breathing Methods? Or even more?
Just as when he had practiced the martial path of qi and blood in the mortal world, cultivating multiple techniques could expand the meridians.
Perhaps mixing multiple breathing methods might yield extraordinary effects.
That could wait for the future.
After sitting cross-legged to nurture and recover part of his strength, Chen Sanshi resumed working on the puppet technique. The crafting of the Natal Puppet had only the final few steps remaining.
As for inscribing runes and opening spiritual light, there was nothing special to mention; they followed exactly the same process as crafting an ordinary puppet.
The only difference lay in the final "dotting the eyes," which required expending his essential blood to empower the puppet.
Essential blood, as the name implied, was blood of essence. Excessive consumption would shorten one's lifespan. Therefore, spells involving essential blood were known as "forbidden techniques."
Crafting a Natal Puppet did not require such a heavy price. Only a single drop was needed to establish the connection.
Chen Sanshi placed a drop of blood from his fingertip onto the wooden figure's forehead. It immediately fused into it and vanished.
Next, he adjusted his hand seals, using divine sense to slowly realign the puppet's chaotic laws until, with a movement of his mind, a special resonance was established.
He could not only control the puppet at will, but also obtain its vision.
It was finally complete!
"I'll call you Chen Lei!"
Chen Sanshi dressed it in a black robe and placed it into his storage bag.
Next, he would travel to Eastern Divine Continent and deliver the wooden puppet to the Daming Palace. In the future, this would save him a great deal of time.
It would also prevent him from earning the reputation of "neglecting state affairs."
Everything was prepared!
Chen Sanshi only needed to send the Natal Puppet back to Eastern Divine Continent before returning to Little Bamboo Peak to use second-tier spiritual qi for long-term seclusion.
In high spirits, he opened the door of his cave dwelling.
Yet he saw, not far away before the bamboo grove, 2 or 3 figures standing there—apparently members of the Li family.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao!"
The middle-aged man in the lead stepped forward and greeted him. "I am Li Shun'an. I did not dare disturb Fellow Daoist's seclusion, so I have been waiting here."
Li Shun'an, steward of the fifth branch of the Li family, at the early stage of Foundation Establishment realm, usually responsible for maintaining order at Daze Market.
The two standing behind him were younger members of the Li family, both only at the early stage of Qi Refining.
Chen Sanshi confirmed their identities in his mind. A sudden association arose, and a chill spread through his body. Yet on the surface, he remained calm and smiled faintly.
"Fellow Daoist Li has come unannounced. May I ask what brings you here?"
"There is indeed a matter—and for you, it is good news."
Li Shun'an made a gesture of invitation. "Please come to the main peak of Daze to discuss in detail."
"Heh."
Chen Sanshi declined politely. "I am currently refining pills and cannot conveniently travel far. If there is something to discuss, I would trouble Fellow Daoist Li to speak here."
"Very well."
After a moment of hesitation, Li Shun'an said, "Does Fellow Daoist Xiao know that the Bai family is harboring a demonic cultivator?"
"Oh? Such a thing?"
Chen Sanshi shook his head. "I only focus on alchemy and know nothing of other matters."
"It is absolutely true."
Li Shun'an said slowly, "Moreover, that demonic cultivator has hidden demonic creatures within the Medicine Valley, intending to carry out a blood sacrifice massacre in Beiyang Dao. The matter is of grave importance. Beiyang Dao requires Fellow Daoist Xiao's assistance!"
"You jest, Fellow Daoist."
Chen Sanshi showed weakness. "I am merely at the late stage of Qi Refining and am not skilled in combat. Even if I wished to eliminate a demonic cultivator, I fear my heart would be willing but my strength insufficient."
"You need not take action personally."
Li Shun'an said, "You only need to do 2 things.
"First, seize an opportunity to inspect the situation within the Medicine Valley and report back to me.
"Second, when the Demon Suppression Division launches its encirclement, you will be responsible for setting up formations from within to coordinate with us."
He looked at Chen Sanshi without speaking, then flicked his sleeve. A deep blue pill quietly appeared, hovering above his palm and shining brilliantly.
Foundation Establishment Pill!
The Foundation Establishment Pill countless Qi Refining independent cultivators dreamed of.
The instant it appeared,
the pill formula was deeply imprinted in Chen Sanshi's mind.
"This is a Foundation Establishment Pill."
A faint curve rose at the corner of Li Shun'an's mouth. "If Fellow Daoist agrees to cooperate, once the Bai family is exterminated, this Foundation Establishment Pill will be yours. How about it?"
By this point,
Chen Sanshi had basically confirmed that the one who had originally tried to kill him was none other than the Li family standing before him.
Because—
Changsun Miao!
He had taken Changsun Miao's position!
From what he had recently seen and heard, he could roughly deduce that Changsun was also someone the Li family had planted within Dusk Valley.
Later, Bai Linxun had mentioned that Changsun Miao's hands had not been clean even before. He had long been eyeing the Medicine Valley, but at that time the Bai family could not find a second alchemist and had no choice but to tolerate him.
But after Chen Sanshi arrived, the situation changed drastically.
That was why the Li family or Changsun Miao had initially wanted to eliminate him first, leaving the Bai family with no alternative.
Later, Mount-Moving Hermit went missing.
In addition, they might have realized that Changsun Miao, already under suspicion, would have little chance in the future. So they changed their strategy and decided to win him over instead.
Chen Sanshi had actually been living in the house of the mastermind for so long!
Fortunately, Little Bamboo Peak was relatively bustling. The Li family feared that acting recklessly would damage their reputation and make it impossible to continue operating the market, so they had not dared to move easily.
No.
He could not stay in this place any longer.
Suppressing the myriad thoughts in his mind, Chen Sanshi pretended to agree. "Since this is about eliminating demons and defending the Dao, how could we cultivators refuse!"
"That is excellent."
Li Shun'an put away the Foundation Establishment Pill. "Then please sign this blood contract, Fellow Daoist Xiao."
As he spoke, one of the younger men behind him took out a scroll resembling parchment and slowly unfurled it before them.
Chen Sanshi feigned confusion. "A blood contract is required as well?"
"Of course."
Li Shun'an said firmly, "The matter is of great importance and cannot be leaked."
Chen Sanshi scanned the contents of the blood contract. It actually required him to pledge loyalty unto death. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Must it be signed?"
"It must."
The smile remained on Li Shun'an's face, but waves of Foundation Establishment-level mana were already emanating from him as a show of pressure.
"In that case—"
Under the other party's threatening gaze, Chen Sanshi picked up the brush as if to draw blood for ink. His voice, however, suddenly turned incomparably cold.
"Then you can go die!"
Clang!
A bone-chilling killing intent erupted. A stream surged out of the void, seized in his hand in a flash.
The fifth master of the Li family did not even react in time to understand what had happened. He only felt a chill at his neck, as though something had brushed past. His vision began to spin, and then he dropped straight downward.
He saw his own body still standing in place—only without a head. Blood burst forth like a fountain. The clear stream arced gracefully through the air.
Only then did the two younger men beside him react.
"Fifth Master—"
Crack—
As they shouted, the stream reversed direction. Wherever it passed, heads fell to the ground.
All of it happened in an instant.
After killing them, Chen Sanshi immediately grabbed the storage bag from Li Shun'an's corpse. Opening it, he confirmed that the Foundation Establishment Pill lay quietly inside.
After searching high and low in vain, it had come without effort!
He had been worrying about how to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill next—would he truly have to fight on the arena or risk death to seize one?
And now it had been delivered straight to his door!
With his current aptitude, a single Foundation Establishment Pill was entirely sufficient.
Unfortunately—
Little Bamboo Peak could no longer be stayed in.
The commotion just now had already drawn nearby patrols from the Demon Suppression Division and the Enforcement Hall.
"There's illegal combat at Little Bamboo Peak!"
"Go take a look!"
"Someone shouted 'Fifth Master'!"
"Quick!"
Several people flew through the air and saw Li Shun'an's corpse on the ground, along with Chen Sanshi attempting to flee more than 100 zhang away.
"Xiao Feng of Little Bamboo Peak killed the Fifth Master!"
"Stop him!"
However, how could these people be Chen Sanshi's match? Anyone who dared block him could not survive even a single exchange.
Just as he was about to escape into the open sky, a stronger mana pressure surged from behind.
Changsun, at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, flew through the air, his expression twisted with ferocity.
"So, Xiao Feng, you are actually a True Force martial artist!
"No wonder that fellow Mount-Moving Hermit vanished without a trace. He must have fallen into your trap!"
Roar—
A tiger's roar resounded through the mountains and forest.
A puppet fierce tiger burst out from Chen Sanshi's sleeve and lunged toward the daoist.
He himself soared through the air, attempting to seize the chance to escape.
This man was at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Chen Sanshi could not handle him yet. If entangled for too long, more middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators would soon arrive. At that point, things would be disastrous!