A dual glow of light green-like tender grass and emerald-like jade leaves flickered across Li Ye's body, alternating and blending, faintly forming the shadowy illusion of vegetation around him.
With eyes tightly shut, Li Ye focused his full attention on his dantian and qi sea, his expression somewhat solemn.
Spiritual energy continuously converged upon him, refined along his meridians as it shed impurities. It traveled to his dantian and was further refined by the whirlpool within his qi sea, leaving only the purest essence to merge into the fourteen drops of liquid mana below.
Originally a light green hue reminiscent of young leaves, the liquid mana had now deepened into a rich emerald, resembling carved jade.
Each drop glistened with crystal clarity, with subtle patterns of grass and trees swirling inside as if they were gemstones formed from condensed flora.
Suspended above these drops and within the swirling qi sea, a single flame gently flickered.
The flame burned a pale cyan-white, with the blue now dominating. It appeared calm and restrained, and even the high temperatures typical of foundation-level true flames had weakened. Yet in truth, it harbored profound potential still in the process of maturing.
As he gradually emerged from his arduous cultivation, a glimmer of emerald light flashed through Li Ye's eyes.
Feeling the changes within him, his spirits lifted significantly.
"The transition is finally complete. I've fully converted my Qingyuan Art mana into Wood God Art mana…"
"The quality of my mana has taken a true leap forward. Just a single drop of this Wood God Art liquid mana now holds nearly twice the power of its Qingyuan counterpart!"
"There are also paired techniques… At the Foundation Establishment stage, only two can be cultivated: the Wood God True Flame and the Verdant Spirit Light."
The Wood God True Flame had been gradually reforged throughout Li Ye's cultivation transition. Starting from his original Foundation True Flame, it had been used as the base to slowly shape this new, specialized flame.
It would still take some time to fully nurture and complete the transformation.
As for the Verdant Spirit Light...
Li Ye lifted his hand and at his fingertip, a wisp of emerald light condensed. With a flick
Whoosh
The glow shot out, piercing the floor of the cave dwelling which was paved with first-rank jadeite leaving a small hole behind.
Then with a wave of his hand and a shift in his incantation, the wisp of green light reversed course, flew back from the pit, and hovered before him.
It then unfolded into a thin, translucent shield.
When layered atop his existing protective aura, the combination enhanced his defensive capability.
"An all-purpose technique both offensive and defensive… classic utility pick."
Li Ye casually dispersed the spirit light.
"For me, it's more of a supplementary tool."
"But it still needs further nurturing and accumulation before it's truly combat-ready… A wisp this small likely couldn't even pierce an enemy's protective light."
With today's cultivation session complete, he slowly rose and exited the cave-dwelling, heading toward another hall.
Upon entering after disabling the protective formation he saw a humanoid puppet standing motionless inside.
Though it was only a bare skeletal frame, it was already etched with intricate rune patterns, perfectly aligned with the puppet's internal design. When moved, its mechanical structure and embedded formations could work together to unleash astonishing agility and precision.
"Refining this life-bound puppet must be done with utmost care. Though it's not a one-shot deal and can be refined and upgraded further using the Heavenly Craft Scripture…"
"If I want it to start at second-rank quality enough to help me quickly master the first level of the Heavenly Craft Scripture and break into the second I'll need to put in serious effort."
Standing before the puppet's skeleton, Li Ye's eyes still held a hint of contemplation and hesitation.
The puppet's main frame had been crafted from the trunk of the Voidrealm Tree. Though a wood-attribute material, it also carried latent spatial properties. Its compatibility and potential for upgrades were extremely high fully capable of supporting a wide array of component installations.
There were many intricate aspects to refine and improve upon, each requiring thoughtful design.
Li Ye had considered whether to build his life-bound puppet in a humanoid or beast form.
After much deliberation, he chose the humanoid path.
According to the Heavenly Craft Scripture, a life-bound puppet, once refined and continuously upgraded, would gradually form a deep spiritual bond with its creator.
By the time one reached the Core Formation stage, the puppet could even evolve into a fully autonomous puppet clone.
Fighting alongside the main body would effectively mean two Core Formation-level combatants.
And if one eventually broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, the puppet might even gain limited self-cultivation capabilities essentially becoming another version of oneself.
Naturally, Li Ye had to choose the form most compatible with his own cultivation and mental state…
If the puppet were beast-shaped, it could end up developing a mind too distinct from his own, potentially leading to fragmentation or worse, a dangerous betrayal.
Of course
A life-bound puppet was linked to its master through shared refinement. With daily cultivation deepening this connection, every joint session was another act of assimilation.
The odds of true rebellion were extraordinarily slim.
However, such matters if avoidable should be avoided. If a puppet were to ever rebel, the consequences would be devastating.
"No need to dwell on distant possibilities for now… With the framework complete, this puppet now possesses its core foundation. I can begin the refinement process and use it to assist in cultivating the Heavenly Craft Scripture…"
Li Ye smiled faintly. A formless glimmer of spiritual light emerged faintly between his brows, then shot into the puppet's frame.
This was a secret technique from the Heavenly Craft Puppet Arts. While similar in concept to the Thousand Thoughts Divine Refinement Technique, it was fundamentally different.
Both involved splitting divine consciousness, but this method wasn't a temporary control technique. Instead, it permanently separated a portion of his spiritual awareness to fuse with the puppet.
Once this strand of divine sense was planted, it became wholly one with the puppet.
It not only served to establish a connection for Heavenly Craft Scripture cultivation, but also marked the beginning of nurturing a puppet clone.
If the puppet were destroyed, the backlash would ripple through the connection and harm the cultivator as well.
However, unless one was a main-path Heavenly Craft Scripture cultivator, it wouldn't damage their foundation too severely. At worst, they'd need to regrow their spiritual sense and refine a new puppet.
As the divine sense merged into the puppet, the skeletal frame began to show faint signs of liveliness.
Li Ye's complexion paled slightly, and he activated the Thousand Thoughts Divine Refinement Technique to stabilize the disturbance in his sea of consciousness.
When it came to dividing divine sense, this technique was more adept. Once accustomed to it, even permanent separations could be done with minimal harm.
Smoothing his robes, Li Ye sat cross-legged. The puppet mimicked him, sitting down opposite him.
As they faced each other, Li Ye's gaze lingered briefly on the puppet before he began circulating the Heavenly Craft Scripture. The runes etched into the puppet lit up, and streams of mana surged from Li Ye into the puppet.
During this refinement process, his mana flowed through the runes, was tempered by the puppet, and then returned to him, enhancing his mastery of the scripture.
Although the Heavenly Craft Scripture leaned more toward utilizing external constructs, many of its secret techniques still required a high level of cultivation and puppet strength to execute.
Meanwhile, his divine sense was also subtly strengthened through its connection with the puppet's embedded shard of consciousness.
Through this constant exchange of mana and divine awareness, Li Ye's bond with the puppet deepened. Like a smith forging a weapon, the process gradually improved its essence and construction.
Time passed quietly.
After forty-nine full cycles of six hours forty-nine times seventy-two hours total their auras gradually stabilized. The puppet's rune patterns faded, merging seamlessly into its frame.
A subtle yet unmistakable change seemed to pulse within its structure.
Li Ye opened his eyes. The emerald glow of mana in his palm suddenly shifted turning a deep, mysterious black.
"I can now channel Wood God Art mana into the Heavenly Craft Scripture. This marks a true beginning…"
"With Foundation Establishment-level cultivation, refining a puppet to assist in scripture training is far more efficient than progressing through traditional means."
"It shouldn't take long to reach the second level. Once I do, this puppet paired with the scripture's techniques will be battle-ready!"
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