No one without a bit of obsessive compulsion could ever craft a decent puppet. Seeing Lin Yue stop talking halfway through, Zhang Yang felt an immediate urge to kill him!

Zhang Yang spat, "You can't just do that!"

"Come on, spit it out! Are you deliberately keeping me in suspense?"

"..."

Lin Yue hesitated. "But I promised Senior Brother Wang Xiu I wouldn't tell!"

"Wang Xiu?" Zhang Yang paused. "That disgrace of the Sanqing Sects?"

He then muttered to himself, "Oh, right, that's old news. Senior Brother Wang Xiu is a great benefactor now, and my creditor to boot! Does this have something to do with him?"

Upon hearing Wang Xiu's name, Zhang Yang's eyes lit up, his curiosity growing.

"No, I must stick to my principles!"

"Come on, just tell me. Keep your voice down, and I promise I won't tell anyone else!" Zhang Yang pleaded. "You know me, I'm as tight-lipped as they come!"

"No way. Principles are more important!" Lin Yue remained firm.

"You son of a..." Zhang Yang grew anxious, then finally gritted his teeth. "You tell me, and next time I'll treat you to a visit to the All Fragrances Garden!"

Hearing the name 'All Fragrances Garden,' Lin Yue frowned. "Senior Brother Zhang, what kind of person do you take me for? For that price... I'll only say it once!"

Zhang Yang was speechless.

...

"Hey, have you heard?"

"What?"

"You don't know yet?"

"About what?"

"That business with Senior Brother Wang Xiu from the Divination Sect. You really haven't heard?"

"Nope, tell me!"

"If you haven't heard, then never mind. I promised to keep it a secret!"

"Don't be like that! Just tell me. You know my lips are sealed!"

"..."

"One trip to the All Fragrances Garden!"

"Two!"

"Deal!"

"..."

And that's how the news spread. There weren't many disciples in the Manipulation Sect, so it soon became common knowledge.

At first, many of the Manipulation Sect disciples refused to believe it. After all, how could a Divination Sect disciple possibly teach himself the skills of the Manipulation Sect to such an extent without any guidance? It was impossible! It was just too unlike a cultivation story!

But then, a disciple leaked the location of those puppets in the Ghost Immortal Blessed Land. Many disciples went to see for themselves, and when they returned, they were all stunned.

Damn it all! This thing was actually, unbelievably true?

...

「Late at night. In the Manipulation Sect.」

Inside the largest workshop, Gongshu Wumao was studying his latest puppet model. Suddenly, Mo Wuwei rushed in, panting, with a strange excitement in her eyes. "Master, have you heard? Senior Brother Wang Xiu is apparently also proficient in the Artificer Technique..."

"What did you say?" Gongshu Wumao adjusted his monocle, staring incredulously at his prized disciple.

Mo Wuwei also adjusted her glasses. "It's true! All the junior disciples are talking about it!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Gongshu Wumao scoffed. "The Artificer Path is mysterious and profound. Even a genius would need a considerable amount of time just to learn the basics, and that's with a master's guidance. He's a Divination Sect disciple! The only puppet he's ever been around is his master's coffin! You're telling me he's proficient in the Artificer Technique? Who would believe that?"

Mo Wuwei weakly added, "There's also the Mo Yu Qilin Armor!"

Gongshu Wumao stroked his beard angrily. "And how long has he had that Armor Puppet? Are you trying to tell me that with just a single Armor Puppet, he figured out the Artificer Technique on his own in two months?"

No wonder Gongshu Wumao was so furious. The matter was simply preposterous from any angle.

What a joke. The Artificer Technique was a serious field of study. To become successful through self-teaching? Making such a claim was nothing short of an insult to the discipline itself.

"I'll say it right here: if that Wang Xiu knows anything about the Artificer Technique, I'll change my name to Hairless!"

Mo Wuwei herself found it hard to believe. It went against her years of experience and learning. But... when the image of that graceful, white-robed figure came to mind, a voice echoed in her heart for some reason.

If it's him, maybe it's actually possible?

She bit her lip lightly and said, "But many of the disciples saw it with their own eyes!"

"Hmph!" Gongshu Wumao stood up abruptly. "Is that so? Then I'd like to see what sort of phantom they saw that made them mistake the discipline they've studied for so many years!"

With that, he tore off his work robe and pushed the door open to leave.

"Master... wait for me!" Mo Wuwei stood stunned for a moment before hurrying after him.

...

The early light was warm. Wang Xiu sat on a small hillside in the wilderness, looking down below.

The view here was excellent. He could easily see the disciples capturing Devil Souls, their shouts and laughter echoing intermittently. The content of their squabbles was rather amusing.

But Wang Xiu didn't smile. His gaze slowly moved, settling on a spot not far from him. A few Human Souls stood there dumbly, also looking down as if they too were enjoying the spectacle of the hunt.

Wang Xiu's brows furrowed slightly. The Devil Souls in this blessed land could be dealt with by turning them into Soul Pets. But what about the Human Souls? What was to be done with them?

The Ghost Immortal Blessed Land had accumulated Human Souls for thousands of years, and their numbers were no less than a million. Furthermore, it would continue to absorb wandering spirits from the surroundings indefinitely. This was, of course, an immense source of merit.

But if Wang Xiu had to guide them all to salvation himself, when would he ever be finished?

Wang Xiu's eyes narrowed in thought. After a moment, the vague outline of a plan began to form in his mind.

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