In fact, Dahuang had already tracked Zheng Jinbao more than once.
The previous few times, it hadn't noticed anything unusual.
But...
This time was different.
Zheng Jinbao went to meet two people.
The auras of those two people were identical to the auras of the two Middle Stage of Qi Refining Tribulation Cultivators Dahuang had detected last time!
'So it really is Zheng Jinbao.'
After receiving the news, Li Chang'an wasn't surprised at all.
After all, if someone hadn't been pulling the strings, why would the Tribulation Cultivators be so fixated on him?
"Keep an eye on them, and be careful yourself. Don't let them spot you."
Li Chang'an instructed Dahuang.
Then, he took out the Puppet and observed it carefully.
'Just from the outside, it really is just an ordinary, low-value Puppet. I don't know where the inheritance is hidden.'
The Divination only showed there was an inheritance inside the Puppet, but it didn't say in which part.
Li Chang'an could only search for it meticulously.
A moment later.
He began to carefully dismantle the Puppet.
The Puppet was already in tatters, so taking it apart was quite easy.
About a quarter of an hour later.
A large pile of fragmented parts now lay before Li Chang'an.
He had disassembled it as thoroughly as possible, yet he still hadn't found anything that contained the inheritance.
'No wonder the Zheng Family's Puppet Master couldn't see anything wrong with it.'
Li Chang'an pondered for a moment.
'In that case, I'll have to take a small risk.'
He picked up a piece of the Puppet and gave it a forceful jolt.
CRACK!
The part shattered on cue.
Tiny fragments fell to the floor.
Li Chang'an shook his head slightly, picked up another Puppet part, and repeated the action.
As time passed.
More and more parts were reduced to fine dust.
After a long time.
As Li Chang'an shattered another part, a dim Jade Scroll fell out from within.
CLANG. It fell to the ground.
"Huh?"
Li Chang'an's eyes lit up, and he immediately picked it up.
He quickly scanned the contents of the Jade Scroll, and a smile instantly appeared on his face.
'It really is a Puppetry inheritance!'
The inheritance was actually hidden within the materials used to make the Puppet.
Had anyone else bought this Puppet, they most likely would have missed the inheritance inside.
Thankfully, Li Chang'an had the guidance of his Divination.
...
For the next month, Li Chang'an didn't study puppetry, but instead continued to delve into his Talisman Art.
His Cultivation at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer made painting Talismans much easier for him.
On this day, at noon, Li Chang'an smiled as he looked at the Talisman he had just finished painting.
The quality of this Talisman surpassed that of an ordinary Tier One Middle Grade Talisman; it was clearly a high-quality one!
'Not bad. The quality is excellent!'
Li Chang'an was particularly satisfied.
At this point, his Talisman Art had temporarily reached its limit.
He didn't know when he would be able to obtain the subsequent inheritance.
'It's time to take a look at this Puppetry Technique.'
Li Chang'an put away his Talisman Paper and Talisman Brush and dedicated himself completely to the path of puppetry.
Soon, he discovered that the path of puppetry shared some common ground with the Path of Talismans and Seals.
'The reason Puppets can be controlled is that the Puppet Master carves patterns inside them to guide Magical Power.'
This carving process was very similar to Talisman Painting.
It was simply a matter of replacing the Talisman Paper with the Puppet's body.
Therefore, Li Chang'an learned quite quickly.
He couldn't help but recall a rumor he had once heard.
'It is said that all techniques are interconnected, and all paths eventually converge into one.'
Of course, such a realm was far too profound.
It was far beyond the reach of the current Li Chang'an.
He shook his head, focused his mind, and continued studying.
...
「One month later.」
Li Chang'an slowly put down the Jade Scroll.
He had finished learning all the content in the Jade Scroll regarding the Tier One Low Grade Puppet inheritance.
'For now, there's no need to learn the more advanced content. I'll first try to make a Tier One Low Grade Puppet.'
Li Chang'an purchased some Puppet Materials.
For a period of time afterward, he locked himself in his room. Besides his Cultivation, he focused solely on making Puppets.
All beginnings are difficult.
On his first attempt, he failed at even carving the most basic patterns, directly causing a large piece of material to be wasted.
'Making a Puppet is very time-consuming. It can't be done in a single stroke like Talisman Painting.'
Li Chang'an was very patient. He wasn't discouraged and continued to try again and again based on what he had learned.
Before he knew it, two months had flown by.
A large pile of discarded Puppet Materials had accumulated in the corner of the room.
Finally, on this night, Li Chang'an successfully created his first Low Grade Puppet.
This Puppet was in the shape of a spider, not a humanoid, simply because the method for creating a humanoid was more complex.
"Move!"
With a thought from Li Chang'an, the Spider Puppet began to move.
Its movements were smooth and agile.
As if it were a real spider.
Li Chang'an nodded slightly, particularly satisfied.
'My Puppetry Skills have basically reached the Entry-Level.'
Next, Li Chang'an began to attempt making more complex Puppets.
During this time, Dahuang had been continuously tracking the two Tribulation Cultivators.
During this period, the two of them had not returned to their stronghold outside the Marketplace. Instead, they had been living inside the Marketplace the whole time, in a location very close to Li Chang'an's residence.
Hidden in the shadows, the two watched Li Chang'an at nearly every moment.
They didn't know, however, that Li Chang'an was also watching them.
'They still haven't made a move after all this time.'
Li Chang'an thought for a moment and made a judgment.
'It seems they don't have the guts to act inside the Marketplace. They can only wait for an opportunity when I leave on my own.'
That made sense.
A Foundation Establishment Ancestor was stationed right in Qinghe Marketplace.
Moreover, the Zheng Family's patrol teams circled the Marketplace day and night, searching for any suspicious individuals.
This was all due to the struggle between the three great families.
But the Tribulation Cultivators were affected.
In recent days, quite a few Tribulation Cultivators had been discovered.
Those who hadn't been found yet were hiding cautiously in the shadows, not daring to show their faces at all.
'This is good too. The longer this drags on, the more advantageous it is for me.'
With the help of his Divination, Li Chang'an's strength was growing far faster than those two Tribulation Cultivators.
In the days that followed, he would occasionally take a stroll through the trading area, collecting various Puppet Materials and seeing if he could find any hidden treasures along the way.
...
「One month later.」
That night, just after Midnight, an Auspicious Trigram, which he hadn't seen in a long time, appeared before Li Chang'an's eyes.
[Divination Has Been Refreshed]
[Today's Divination: Auspicious]
[You go Treasure Hunting in the trading area, buy a seemingly ordinary brown stone, and after shattering it, you unexpectedly discover an "Earth Element Pearl".]
'An Earth Element Pearl?'
Li Chang'an's brow twitched as a pleasant surprise washed over him.
This Earth Element Pearl was a precious Earth Element Treasure.
It could be used for refining an Earth Element Magical Artifact.
But it had an even more widely known use—helping an Earth Element Demon Beast advance in rank!
The Spiritual Power it contained was extremely gentle and had no side effects, making it an excellent Treasure for assisting an Earth Element Demon Beast's advancement!
'With this pearl, Dahuang can advance from the Tier One Middle Stage to the Tier One Late Stage.'
Originally, according to Li Chang'an's estimates, it would have taken Dahuang several more years to advance.
This unexpected joy had moved the timeline up considerably.
...
「The next morning.」
Li Chang'an hurried toward the Marketplace's trading area.
Behind him, two cold gazes were fixed intently on his back.
"This kid must be part turtle! He hasn't left the Marketplace this whole time! He's barely even left his house!"
The two Tribulation Cultivators hid in the shadows, their hearts surging with killing intent.
Due to the disappearance of the Wu Yun brothers, they had been forced to stake out Li Chang'an themselves.
The months-long stakeout had made them extremely irritable, and their patience was nearly worn out.
"Big brother, why don't we take a risk and just attack him directly?"