Li Feng glanced at his Rank 1 Puppet Master talent, the one he had obtained during the gacha draw, which also the only time heâd ever used the gacha draw, since it was ridiculously expensive.
Not only that, he had also gotten an incomplete Puppet blueprint from the same draw, which he hadnât properly checked yet.
It wasnât that Li Feng had forgotten; it was just that his strength was already so great that he had no real reason to use a puppet, not to mention, he already had Goldie.
But now, faced with a situation where he might need more manpower, creating additional puppets suddenly seemed like a brilliant idea.
With that thought, he removed his arms from the softness he had been enjoying and took out the blueprint.
Li Feng unfolded the aged talisman paper, as it crackled softly.
Strange runic lines could be seen curved around a humanoid outline, with segmented joints and core channels sketched in a way that hinted at something far more advanced than a simple construct.
Even incomplete, the design carried a certain...menace.
Jing Lu shifted closer, her soft skin brushing against his arm as she leaned in to get a better look.
Her large breasts bounced slightly with the movement, still exposed and pale while illuminated by the bonefire light yet she seemed to have completely forgotten modesty in her curiosity.
"A puppet?"
Even though she wasnât a puppet master, she could tell it appeared to be a puppet blueprint, judging by the humanoid silhouette and the many mechanical parts.
Li Feng didnât reply, narrowing his eyes as he continue studying the blueprint.
With his talent, he almost instantly recognized it as a combat puppet and not a simple one at that.
âSpirit-conducting wood? Compression joints?â
He looked a little surprised to realize that this was actually a blueprint for a peak Rank 1 combat puppet.
This wasnât some random trash drop, as he had first thought.
Whoever had designed this clearly knew their craft.
Then he frowned as he noticed the most important part had been torn off.
"...Half of the core matrix is missing," he murmured.
A puppet core was essential if you wanted the puppet to function on its own.
So if Li Feng made a puppet using this blueprint now, it would be nothing more than an empty shell that requiring him to control it constantly with some other method like strings, which didnât suit his style, considering he had other... enjoyable activities to attend to and was already busy everyday.
Even if he wanted to use some controlling technique, without a core, it wouldnât work.
Not to mention, all of those methods are extremely limited in control range, which would make them useless for his intentions of searching for Yue Lan.
Hearing his words, Jing Lu looked at him curiously.
"Eh? You can make a puppet, senior brother?"
She sounded a little surprised; she hadnât expected Li Feng to have a talent in this unique field, even though he was already quite powerful.
Li Feng smiled lightly.
"Yes, it just something I have learned in my free time."
Jing Lu and Ning Jianli blinked, unable to hide their astonishment.
Not only was he monstrously strong, it seemed his comprehension was absurdly high as well.
Ignoring their shocked expressions, Li Feng continued.
"But as you can see, the blueprint is incomplete....the core is missing."
Ning Jianli, who was standing behind him, couldnât help but ask,
"Canât you make your own core, senior brother?"
Li Feng shook his head.
"I could, but it wouldnât be compatible like the original core design."
He continued, pointing at the vein-like lines drawn across the puppetâs limbs and torso, which looked like thin channels branching out like roots.
"Usually, a complete puppet blueprint comes with both the body and the core design, made to function as one," he explained.
"These arenât decorations," Li Feng continue. "Theyâre conduit pathways. Every puppet has them, but this design is custom-built for a very specific core."
He traced a finger along one of the thicker conduits running down the puppetâs spine.
"See this? The way it curves... the thickness... even the spacing? Itâs meant to sync with a single, unique core matrix. So if I try to shove in a different one....."
He tapped the blueprint lightly.
".....it wonât flow properly. The puppet might stand and walk, but it wonât fight the way itâs meant to."
Jing Lu and Ning Jianli leaned in, staring at the blueprint like disciples pondering over a forbidden scripture, their expressions shifting between confusion and awe.
Ning Jianli tilted her head. "So... itâs like forcing the wrong cultivation technique into your meridians?"
Li Feng nodded, lips curling faintly.
"Exactly. Itâll work....but not well. And in the worst case... itâll go boom."
Jing Lu flinched. "Boom?"
"Mm. Exploding puppets are surprisingly common," he said casually, as if discussing something normal.
"But this one is a Peak Rank 1 combat puppet. If it explodes, itâll probably take half a courtyard with it."
Both women stiffened.
Li Feng chuckled and continued.
"Thatâs why the designer built both the body and core at the same time. Theyâre meant to match perfectly. You change one, you affect the other."
He pointed at the torn upper section of the blueprint.
"And the missing half is exactly the part that explains how the core connects and build."
After his words ended,
A brief silence followed.
Jing Lu hesitated, voice soft. "So... what will you do, Senior Brother Li?"
Li Feng seem to think for a moment before rolled up the blueprint and stood up.
"Iâll see if I can find a way to complement the missing core."
But then he paused, glancing at both women.
It seemed he would have to postpone tonightâs secret little foursome... for now.
He couldnât help but let his gaze linger on Jing Lu, who nonchalantly still had her large ample breasts exposed, swaying enticingly with her breath.
With a sigh of reluctance, he smiled gently.
"Iâll be immersing myself in this problem for a while, but call me if anything important comes up."
Both women nodded.
But just then, Ning Jianli, who seemed to notice Li Fengâs desirous gaze, stepped up to him.
"Senior Brother, it seems youâre still not satisfied."
She parted her lips, letting a long, red tongue slip out as a trace of saliva glimmered seductively.
Ning Jianli simply pointed at her mouth, as if to say:
âDo you want to use my mouth?â
Li Feng who was an expert in such matters, immediately understood her intention.
He couldnât help but want to praise this dedicated sword maid of his, so attentive to his desires.
But to Ning Jianliâs surprise, Li Feng shook his head.
"Maybe later."
Her body froze slightly at his words.
She knew how much Li Feng loved mortal indulgence just from their short time together, so she couldnât help but feel something must be wrong with her since he had rejected her.
Seeing her serious face tint with panic, Li Feng couldnât help but smile as he found it cute.
He reached out and patted her head.
"Ah, donât misunderstand. Iâll make sure to use your mouth later, but for now, I want to finish creating the puppet."
Li Feng knew he could always have his fun later.
But for now he want to have more puppets, so he could find Yue Lan faster.
....If he indulged now, he might not stop and probably go on until dawn.
Hearing his words, Ning Jianli closed her mouth and nodded obediently, letting his hand ruffle her head.
"Umm~..."
With such an understanding woman, Li Feng smiled and headed back toward the cave.
With a wave of his hand, the rock next to the entrance slowly moved into place, sealing the cave shut.
Thump!
As for why he was sneaking away and seemingly look like he was preparing to go into seclusion....
It was simple.
Once inside the cave,
Li Feng took out the Divine Brick.
Whoosh!
Its rough appearance remained the same, but it seemed to grow livelier as it floated around the cave on its own, curious about its surroundings.
Li Feng couldnât help but smile after feeling that the Divine Brick also seemed to grow stronger, now that it could fly casually on its own.
"Let me know if someone comes looking for me."
This was the reason why he sealed the entrance.
It was to hide the fact that he was gone.
And he also didnât want to reveal the Divine Weapon existence to anyone.
Divine Brick was one of his trump cards, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
It wasnât that he didnât trust those female disciples but Li Feng understood all too well that in this cultivation world, there were always countless ways for secrets to leak, even indirectly.
So thatâs why, unless absolutely necessary, he preferred to keep the Divine Brickâs existence a secret for now.
The Divine Brick seemed to nod as it bobbed gently up and down.
With that, Li Feng vanished.
The reason he retreated into the Divine Brick was that he had a potential solution in mind for the missing puppet core, and even for the material issue too.
But he needed to check and test it something out first.
And most importantly, to solve all of these problems,...
....he would need Little Ling, the Divine Vitalis Soul Tree, to help him.