Chapter 123

"Moon God Slash — Crescent!"

Mao Tu’s leg shot out in a swift arc, gathering ice-element spiritual energy. A shimmering crescent slash formed in an instant and whizzed through the air, cutting across three battle puppets. They were immediately frozen into solid blocks of ice.

“Again,” Han Luo murmured to himself.

He had just reviewed his close-combat skills through Mao Tu. Now it was time to shift to long-range techniques. Although he planned to dedicate time in the future to study powerful divine abilities, there was no harm in practicing some minor spells now—things like forming a fireball, wind blade, or ice spike. These simple spells were so elementary that a single glance was enough for him to grasp them.

This was the perfect opportunity to both train Mao Tu and deepen his own practice—killing two birds with one stone.

The long-range combat training continued for four full hours. Han Luo also incorporated movement techniques, teaching Mao Tu how to disengage from enemies, how to escape when outmatched, and how to respond in high-pressure situations. In truth, he revealed almost all of his combat knowledge—almost, because knowing Han Luo, he probably kept a few tricks up his sleeve.

When training finally ended, he heard a faint buzzing—doo doo doo, doo doo doo—like a toy robot low on power. Mao Tu, after all, wasn’t a cultivator. Her spiritual energy came entirely from Han Luo’s true body.

Fortunately, he was well-prepared. Taking out a colorless immortal pill, he swallowed it. At once, his dantian array began to spin again, drawing in icy spiritual energy until it was fully replenished.

That should be enough.

Han Luo exited Mao Tu’s body. “Mao Tu, activate battle mode.”

As his command fell, a chorus of mechanical clicks and whirs echoed around her. Her form shifted, accompanied by the sound of transforming gears. A brilliant white suit of armor appeared on her body, replacing her usual maid-like appearance with the aura of a snow-covered battle goddess.

This too was intentional on Han Luo’s part. Mao Tu’s core was refined using ice-element spirit stones, so her combat design was built around the ice attribute.

Suddenly, a battle-type puppet tiger appeared at the base of the mountain, emanating the aura of a fifth-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Without hesitation, Mao Tu burst into motion, her long legs kicking off the ground as she transformed into a streak of white light charging toward the beast.

Roaring under Han Luo’s command, the tiger lunged at Mao Tu. In the blink of an eye, the two clashed.

Boom!

The resulting shockwave tore through the surrounding landscape, uprooting grass and shaking the earth.

The tiger roared again, raising a paw to strike, but Mao Tu—unafraid and empowered by her newly learned combat techniques—stepped back swiftly, evading the strike. She retaliated with a vicious kick straight to the tiger’s skull.

Bang!

The beast was sent tumbling dozens of meters before it came to a shaky stop. Just as it tried to rise, Mao Tu’s elegant silhouette dropped from the sky. Her foot landed squarely on its lower back.

Crack!

A crisp snap echoed as the tiger’s spine shattered. With its mobility destroyed, the tiger collapsed. Mao Tu leapt away immediately and began chanting softly. Her body radiated a chilling, otherworldly aura.

"Moon God Slash — Crescent."

She lifted her long leg once more, gracefully sweeping it across the air. The motion carved a luminous arc that glowed with icy blue light and passed through the tiger’s body in a flash.

In an instant, the beast was frozen solid.

Without pause, Mao Tu pulled out an explosive talisman, ready to finish it off.

“Stop!”

Han Luo’s voice rang out, halting her just in time. Obediently, she withdrew the talisman.

Not bad, Han Luo thought. She’s picked up the basics well, but still needs more refinement and practice to truly master them.

He raised his hand and summoned another battle puppet—this one stronger, at the sixth stage of Qi Refining.

Mao Tu received the command and immediately sprang forward to fight again, honing her combat technique.

In the days that followed, she continued battling a growing number of puppets. Han Luo observed from the sidelines, carefully recording her shortcomings and noting areas for improvement. Crafting a puppet was no easy task—it demanded immense time, energy, and focus. That’s why so few people pursued it seriously.

Part of the difficulty was due to the complexity involved; only the most talented could grasp it. The other part was time—why spend so long refining a puppet when that time could be spent cultivating one’s own strength?

But Han Luo was different. What others viewed as a waste of effort, he saw as a critical part of his long-term strategy. Puppets weren’t just tools to him—they were weapons of the future and essential to some of his grandest plans.

Mao Tu’s learning ability was astonishing. Within just a few days, she went from fighting a single puppet to simultaneously fending off over a dozen with ease. Her combat style now bore the clear imprint of Han Luo’s teachings.

“Stop,” he commanded.

Mao Tu returned. Her armor was battered, her clothes torn into ribbons, and her once-clean face was now smudged with grime. She looked like a refugee rather than the graceful warrior from before.

Clearly, she had reached her limit. After all, her body was made from spirit wood—less durable than spirit iron. Spirit wood puppets were fine for ranged combat, but struggled in close quarters.

“Lie down on the bed,” Han Luo ordered.

She obeyed without hesitation.

He stood over her, cracked his knuckles, and rotated his shoulders.

Time to begin.

Placing his hand on her dantian, he opened it to reveal an intricate array at the core. In the center lay an ice-element spirit stone—her energy source. Like a cultivator’s dantian, it was where all her spiritual power came from.

Han Luo recalled the weaknesses he’d noted earlier and began refining her design. Using a spirit pen, he adjusted the array to make it more efficient and powerful.

Once the dantian modification was complete, he turned to optimizing her combat systems.

In theory, a perfect puppet’s spiritual patterns should be drawn in a single, uninterrupted stroke—ensuring flawless spiritual flow. But Han Luo wasn’t there yet. He hadn’t studied puppetry for long, nor had he discovered the ideal configuration for Mao Tu.

Even if he could draw a perfect array, a single mistake—like accidentally using a fire element for an ice-based puppet—could render the whole system useless or even explode.

That’s why he had to keep testing, revising, and gradually working toward the ideal design for Mao Tu. His goal was to not only complete a seamless spiritual array but also tailor it specifically to her attributes.

When that day came, he would possess a puppet unlike any other—perfect, powerful, and uniquely his.

As he worked, time flew by. Day after day, he continued refining Mao Tu with laser focus.

Before he knew it, three years of his ten-year plan had already passed.

His understanding of puppetry had improved by leaps and bounds. And Mao Tu was no longer his only creation.

But the sheer pace of his crafting consumed resources at an alarming rate. One day, when he went to the exchange hall to restock on spirit wood, a single comment from Senior Sister Lou left him utterly stunned…