The Clear Breeze Pavilion was known for producing its signature Clear Breeze Talismans. However, talismans were a thin-profit business, and with many competitors, their sect was naturally not considered wealthy.
The Qi Ling Sect, however, was different. The sect's Five-Wood Puppets were famous throughout several nearby provinces. Each puppet, even when refined only to the level of the mid-stage Qi Refining realm, was equivalent to a magical artifact and worth dozens of spirit stones. More importantly, such puppets were treasures that could be inherited, used to protect one's sect, and defend its foundations. For cultivation sects, these were far more valuable than talismans.
In fact, not just in the nearby provinces—across the entire continent, there were very few sects as proficient in puppet-making as the Qi Ling Sect. With such near-monopoly and exorbitant profits, the sect was overflowing with wealth. If not for the presence of two Foundation Establishment True Cultivators within the sect to deter would-be aggressors, their inheritance would have long ago been seized by others.
Even more crucial was the fact that no puppet-making method in the sect could create constructs on par with a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Otherwise, the continent's overlord sect, the Linglong Sect, would already have forcibly taken the Qi Ling Sect's craft for itself.
Once Elder Yun saw that the disciples before him had calmed down, he continued:"Snowy Melody Valley has recently placed an order with our sect for nearly a hundred puppets, to be completed within five years. The sect fears we lack sufficient manpower, so the rotation of sect duties has been adjusted.
From now on, the disciples I name will each follow the new duty assignments. Whoever dares to shirk their responsibilities—once discovered—will be locked in the Death Cavern."
At those words, everyone's heart sank. The Death Cavern was a forbidden ground where vengeful spirits and ghosts dwelled. The malevolent entities within were numerous, and if one truly entered, one's fate would be worse than death. The spirits there could devour a person's three souls and seven spirits, leaving them either dead or mindless husks.
"Zhao Mosheng—you will serve as a fire-tending boy in the Artifact Refinery."
"Huang Xuan—you will work as a woodcutting boy in the Spiritwood Garden."
…
"Ruan Jinghu—you will serve as a gate boy in the Qi Peak Secret Hall."
At this, many disciples could not help but feel envious. The Qi Peak Secret Hall was where completed puppets were finally perfected. Being a gate boy there was light work, and it often came with additional benefits.
"Li Yuan—you will serve as a carving boy in the Ling Peak Secret Hall!"
One by one, nearly twenty disciples were assigned to their respective posts. Once the assignments were finished, they immediately departed for their destinations, beginning a month-long period of sect duties.
Li Yuan headed for the Ling Peak Secret Hall. Unlike Qi Peak's Secret Hall, which was absolutely sealed off and mysterious, Ling Peak's hall was much more relaxed. After a puppet was forged into shape, disciples would carve restriction patterns on it here. Once completed, the puppets would then be sent to Qi Peak's Secret Hall, where elders personally inscribed the core restrictions.
Standing before the hall, Li Yuan presented his disciple token. After the two gatekeepers verified it, they allowed him entry.
Inside, a wave of scorching heat immediately rushed over him—the hall was connected directly to the Artifact Refinery, and many puppets required restriction carvings right after being forged.
Li Yuan was already experienced; in fact, his most frequent duty in the past had been the carving of restrictions. It was precisely for this reason that he had been assigned here again.
Within the hall stood row upon row of massive puppets, each more than ten feet tall. Only eight or nine disciples were present, fully absorbed in carving restrictions onto these constructs.
The overseer of the hall, Elder Feng, was an elderly man with graying hair. When he saw that only Li Yuan had arrived, his brows furrowed."Only you? Don't tell me you're trying to slack off with just one body?"
Li Yuan quickly bowed."Elder Feng, please don't misunderstand. A few more senior brothers should arrive shortly. I only came early because I was eager to learn more from you, Elder."
"Mm. That's better." Elder Feng stroked his beard and allowed a smile to form."You brat… Among this batch are twelve Armored Wood Puppets. You'll be responsible for carving restrictions into three of them.
This is the Thirty-Six Pattern Restriction—engrave it properly."
Li Yuan respectfully stepped forward, receiving a jade slip with both hands. His face lit with a smile."Many thanks for Elder's guidance! This disciple will give his utmost effort!"
"Good. Off you go." Elder Feng encouraged him with a kindly tone. "If you encounter any difficulty, come and ask me."
Li Yuan walked up to a towering puppet, pressed his divine sense into the jade slip, and began to study the restriction method.
The sect's willingness to pass this secret method around so casually was not because of blind trust. The truth was, the Thirty-Six Pattern Restriction applied only to the Armored Wood Puppets. Without the core restriction patterns carved in the Qi Peak Secret Hall, these puppets could not be activated at all.
Moreover, the secret arts used to forge the puppet bodies were another separate inheritance. For anyone hoping to steal the puppet-making legacy, they would need all three parts: the forging methods, the outer restriction carvings, and the core restrictions.
Back then, Li Yuan had also assumed there were only these three elements. But after glimpsing a portion of the Ten-Thousand Puppet True Scripture, he realized there was actually a fourth: one needed to capture and bind a soul within the puppet using a special secret art. Only then could a puppet be considered truly complete.
Li Yuan's own cultivation was still weak, and improving his realm would not be easy in the short term. Strengthening himself through external means was also difficult. Puppets, however, offered one of the very few viable paths.
He had already mastered twenty-four of the restriction patterns. The Armored Wood Puppets required all thirty-six. Carving restrictions was similar to drawing talismans—one guided spiritual power with divine sense to etch profound lines into the puppet's body.
But unlike talismans, failure here did not destroy the material.
Over its thousand-year history, the Qi Ling Sect had long since refined these restriction methods. Only successful carvings would imprint onto the puppet; if one failed, the only loss was some spiritual energy and divine sense. This greatly reduced costs, allowing even early-stage Qi Refining disciples to handle outer restriction work.
Li Yuan threw himself into the task wholeheartedly. In the past, he carved restrictions only to complete his duties. Now, he did so as practice for crafting puppets of his own.
Working for others and working for oneself—those were entirely different matters.
Though progressing in spell techniques was still extremely difficult for him, restriction carving did not fall under that category. He was learning at a surprisingly quick pace.
Each day, Li Yuan carved nine restriction patterns. Within four or five days, he could complete the outer restrictions on one Armored Wood Puppet. Working tirelessly, within a single month he finished five puppets. Elder Feng was overjoyed and constantly praised him.
After thirty days, Li Yuan emerged from the Secret Hall, his face pale and weary. The other seven or eight disciples from his duty rotation also stumbled out with fatigued bodies. None had the energy for idle chatter; each dragged themselves back to their cave dwellings.
Li Yuan paused to watch as the next group of disciples filed into the Secret Hall and Artifact Refinery to begin their own month of work.
"This scene… feels oddly familiar," he murmured under his breath.
Too exhausted to climb further, he found a large tree at the mountain's base and slumped beneath it, falling into a heavy sleep.
Qi Ling Peak was guarded by the sect's patriarch, and no one dared to kill within its gates. Thus, even this secluded spot was safe.
Li Yuan's body could no longer carry him forward, and he quickly slipped into unconsciousness.
In a haze of dreams, Li Yuan once again found himself in that mysterious space. Before him stretched an ancient tree steeped in dense spiritual energy. The stone stele that once displayed three cultivation techniques now showed only a few lines of words.
Realizing this was no dream, his heart tightened, and he focused intently on the text:
"The Profound Origin Ten-Thousand Wood Realm:Nourish life through nature, sustain fate through its flow.Only those who protect my Heavenly Qi Sect may be admitted.Descendants who seek the immortal path of longevity must be loyal to my sect.Only then may they channel qi to guide fate, endure nine revolutions to condense a Golden Core, and ascend to nurture the Nascent Soul!"
Li Yuan's mind reeled. The Heavenly Qi Sect?!
According to ancient tradition, without a Dao Master at the True Monarch realm, no sect dared call itself a "Zong" (true sect). Even the Linglong Sect, led only by a Golden Core master, could at most be called a "Pai" (school).
And any sect bold enough to bear the character "Heaven" in its name—how could that be ordinary?
Yet in the current cultivation world, there was no record of any "Heavenly Qi Sect." Except…
Except for his very own Qi Ling Sect!
Shock thundered in Li Yuan's chest. It seemed his sect and this mysterious Heavenly Qi Sect were deeply connected.
Glancing beyond the stele at the dazzling array of treasures, he steeled himself. Placing his palm solemnly against the stone, he declared:
"I, disciple Li Yuan, hereby vow to uphold the trust of my forebears. Should the day come when I form my immortal foundation, I will devote myself wholeheartedly to guarding the Qi Ling Sect!"
(End of Chapter)