C8 Devil Puppet

In just over a month, he's managed to advance from Body Refining Level Four to Body Refining Level Nine. It's unbelievable..." The speaker was at a loss for words to convey the amazement.

Another chimed in, "Such a shame, though, with the Medicine Poison so deeply ingrained, he'll never succeed in Qi Refining in his lifetime."

"Absolutely. I heard he devoured every last herb when making his medicinal soups. Who knows how much Medicine Poison has built up in his system. He's lucky to be alive, let alone dreaming of mastering Essence Refining Qi Transforming and reaching the Qi Refining Stage. He's delusional!"

"So, what's our next move?"

"Just leave him be. Pass the message along, that's all we need to do."

In fact, this sentiment wasn't exclusive to Yuan Yi's followers; those at Copper Willow Peak who knew Wang Yue shared the same view.

With the Medicine Poison so deeply rooted, Wang Yue's prospects for Qi Refining were bleak. He was considered a lost cause.

When confronted with cautionary advice about not rushing for quick gains, Wang Yue merely smiled, opting not to elaborate.

Overexplaining was futile. Misunderstandings were preferable, even desirable—the more, the better.

Wang Yue did take a serious look at the Breathing Arts, committing them to memory, yet he refrained from practicing them. With the Food Sunset Technique at his disposal, a premier Qi Refining Technique, the basic Breathing Arts were unnecessary.

The true value of the Breathing Arts lay in the annotations of past sect seniors, encapsulating the essential elements of Essence Refining Qi Transforming. This knowledge was what Wang Yue sought.

A superior cultivation technique doesn't guarantee a smooth journey. Those who achieve success with lesser techniques are the ones who truly command respect and are worth emulating.

Over the five thousand years since the Myriad Qi Profound Sect's inception, up to a hundred million practitioners have engaged with the Breathing Arts. Among such vast numbers, there have been numerous prodigies.

The casual insights of such individuals could very well reveal the core nature of Qi Refining. The challenge lies in one's ability to grasp these truths.

Otherwise, the sect wouldn't have taken the trouble to revise and incorporate these annotations directly into the text, transforming a few thousand words of the Breathing Arts into a tome spanning seventy to eighty pages.

Even after discarding the superfluous notes, four distinct books on the Breathing Arts remained, each with entirely unique commentary.

Wang Yue might have been better off not delving into these annotations, but once he started, he found himself engrossed. He went through all four books consecutively, absorbing the various commentaries on the Breathing Arts, yet he still craved more.

He grasped only a fraction of the knowledge, but it left him feeling profoundly fulfilled.

Since his transmigration, whether due to the fusion of two souls or the lightning strike he endured, his memory had grown exceptionally sharp. He wasn't quite at the point of never forgetting anything he saw, but he was close.

He committed the annotations from all four Breathing Arts books to memory with deliberate effort, ensuring he wouldn't easily forget them.

These insights were invaluable treasures, often overlooked by Outer Sect Disciples. Wang Yue mused that if he hadn't been practicing the Food Sunset Technique, requiring only the Breathing Arts as a cover, he might have been among those who failed to recognize their worth.

It was akin to the proverbial act of buying a casket and returning the pearl within.

"However, I'm still just shy of the mark. I've reached the level of Essence Refining Qi Transforming, with my body brimming with blood and Qi. I've indeed reached it, but to successfully enter the Qi Refining Stage, I'm missing that final piece."

At this juncture, the optimal strategy was to engage in dedicated cultivation in solitude. Armed with the four sets of annotations on the Breathing Arts, he had enough material to advance to the Qi Refining Stage.

By focusing on his training behind closed doors, he could navigate the Body Refining Stage and Qi Refining Stage without complication. Following in the footsteps of those before him was the wisest course of action, sparing him the confusion of seeking his own unique path.

The annotations in the Breathing Arts made it clear that even upon reaching the Fiend Congealing Stage or the Astral Refining Stage, there was no need to carve out a personal journey. The well-trodden path laid out by his predecessors was the most direct route to success.

Only upon reaching the Spirit Transformation Stage does one need to carve out their own path, rather than wholly following in the footsteps of those who came before.

Yet, as the saying goes, the tree may crave stillness, but the wind keeps blowing. Yuan Yi's followers would never allow Wang Yue the tranquility needed to cultivate.

Despite their belief that Wang Yue had no chance of advancing in Qi Refining, they wouldn't give him even the slightest opportunity.

Attaining Body Refining Level Nine meant he could potentially reach the Qi Refining Stage at any moment. No one could be certain whether the Medicine Poison had truly incapacitated Wang Yue, but they were resolute in preventing him from reaching the Qi Refining Stage.

"Quickly, now!"

In the dead of night, several figures stealthily hoisted a large black cloth bag up to Copper Willow Peak.

"Take care not to release these Devil Puppets too soon."

"We've arrived. This is the spot. Set the Devil Puppets up properly."

Once the large black cloth bag was erected, it resembled a towering figure, standing two and a half meters tall.

If these black cloth bags were likened to two giants, they were ominously positioned to face Wang Yue's residence.

"Most of the residents from the Sixteen Academies on Copper Willow Peak are out today, leaving few behind. There's no need to worry about collateral damage."

"Hold on... What if Wang Yue ends up dead?"

"If he dies, all the better. But given this kid's abilities, I doubt a single Devil Puppet could kill him."

"Enough chatter. The Devil Puppet is about to awaken. Time for us to leave!"

Shortly after the group vanished, the black cloth bag began to stir.

Rip!

"Roar!"

Bathed in moonlight, a monstrous figure with a bull's head opened its eyes, the crimson glow within piercing the darkness, exuding a savage and bloodthirsty presence.

This was no human, nor was it any ordinary creature.

With a sudden jolt, its shoulders trembled, and hundreds of bone spikes erupted from its shoulders, joints, and knuckles – a clear sign of a sealed Devil Creature.

The Devil Creature sprang into action, leaping toward Wang Yue's house, its ferocious and domineering essence impossible to hide in the night.

Crash!

Amidst the flying debris, Wang Yue was already clad in martial attire, his hands sheathed in iron finger guards. His punch, powered by Explosive Strength, struck the Devil Puppet's waist. The tough material minimized the impact, merely tearing through a layer of skin.

The Devil Puppet was clearly covered in a protective membrane, boasting formidable defense capabilities that even Explosive Strength couldn't penetrate.

"Devil Puppet?" Wang Yue finally got a clear look at his adversary. "Yuan Yi, that audacious scoundrel, has some impressive tricks up his sleeve. He's actually managed to acquire a Devil Puppet, an item used in the Inner Sect Assessment. Is he worried I won't make it through my first assessment, so he sent one for me to practice with?"

"No, that's not right."

After a brief skirmish, Wang Yue noticed something amiss.

"The Devil Puppet shouldn't be this weak. Even the least powerful ones, crafted by the Underground Devil Man, possess the strength of the Qi Refining Stage. Otherwise, they wouldn't serve as the final challenge in the Inner Sect Assessment, eliminating nearly half the candidates."

Could it be a novice's failed creation?

That was the only explanation Wang Yue could think of. Obtaining a Devil Puppet at the Qi Refining Stage was no easy feat, but acquiring one that had failed in its refinement was much simpler.

Devil Puppets originated from the Artifact Hall, where the corpses of Underground Devil Men were used as the base material for crafting magical tools. The Artifact Hall recruited a large workforce annually, and the failure rate for newcomers attempting to refine Devil Puppets was not insignificant. It would be too wasteful to simply destroy these defective creations.

Inner Sect Disciples sometimes ventured out on journeys to complete tasks for the Karma Hall, and they would often purchase one or two of these flawed Devil Puppets from the Artifact Hall. These puppets could undertake hazardous tasks on their behalf, such as exploring traps and other dangers.

With this realization, Wang Yue's nerves steadied considerably.

Facing a genuine Devil Puppet, Wang Yue would undoubtedly be outmatched. However, against a botched Devil Puppet with merely Body Refining Stage capabilities, he might stand a chance.

"Moon Mirror Lake!"

As water and moonlight merged into one, Wang Yue demonstrated his mastery of the Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique, now honed to a preliminary level of proficiency. His arms undulated like gentle ripples, entwining the Devil Puppet's thick, thigh-sized arm. With a series of crisp snaps, he shattered the bone spurs protruding from the puppet's limb.

"Break it!"

With a muffled sound, Wang Yue released the Devil Puppet's arm and retreated. The limb now hung limply, clearly indicating that its bones had been broken.

The Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique wasn't typically suited for opponents at the Body Refining Stage. Yet, Wang Yue had managed to wield it impressively at this level. Such innate talent with the fist technique would surely astonish anyone who witnessed it.

The broken arm only further enraged the Devil Puppet, which opened its mouth to emit a howl before charging once more.

These Devil Puppets lacked any semblance of reason. Regardless of whether an arm or both legs were broken, they would relentlessly crawl towards their enemy to deliver a bite.

"Winding Finger Softness!"

As the Devil Puppet's fist came at him, Wang Yue's palms wrapped around it, his fingers and palms deftly avoiding the bone spurs. With a pull and a yank, the spurs clattered to the ground.

"The subtleties of the Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique truly lie within its annotations."

Now without its bone spurs, the Devil Puppet's punches were ineffective.

Facing another punch from the Devil Puppet, Wang Yue didn't bother with any fancy maneuvers. His muscles swelled, and he met the attack with explosive strength.

Crack!

Fist met fist, and the disparity in their builds was stark—akin to an eagle preying on a chick, with a significant difference in power.

Wang Yue's punch didn't inflict much damage on the Devil Puppet, but he was sent flying by its return blow. His blood roiled, and he tumbled out of the room, landing in the courtyard, where he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of tainted blood.

"At last, this long-standing poison has been purged!"

The courtyard was deserted; everyone had fled at the sight of the Devil Puppet, a creature too terrifying for them to face.

Despite coughing up blood, Wang Yue felt invigorated. The clash of fists had accelerated his blood circulation and vibrated his organs, which in turn facilitated the faster absorption of the accumulated medicinal strength within his body.

Twenty days' worth of medicine, which might have taken months to process, was now being absorbed more rapidly. No matter how effective the Food Sunset Technique, it couldn't assimilate all the medicinal strength. At least half had built up inside him, and if it wasn't absorbed, it would eventually be expelled.

I never expected that combat could actually speed up the absorption of the medicine's power.

"Of course, the medicinal power is stored within the flesh and blood. As the flesh and blood undergo changes, the absorption of the medicinal power naturally speeds up."

"Let's keep going!"

Bang! Bang!

Wang Yue once again went toe-to-toe with the Devil Puppet, snapping off its bone spikes one by one. Getting impaled by those spikes would be no laughing matter; even the Iron Finger Gloves wouldn't stand a chance against them.

As the medicine was assimilated more quickly, the fight between Wang Yue and the Devil Puppet grew increasingly even. They were well-matched, and neither could gain the upper hand with a single punch.