Their trip to Divine Mist Peak left both men feeling rather defeated. It took several days for them to recover before Zhang Xian received another message from Zhenhai:

“There’s an evening class at Heavenly Puppet Peak tonight; I won’t be going myself. Someone will receive you there.”

Under the moonlight, following the directions led him towards where evening classes were held on Heavenly Puppet Peak. A massive vermilion archway stood at its entrance, bearing eight large characters inscribed horizontally across its plaque:

Heavenly Puppets Command Fate / Ten Thousand Mechanisms Return To Their Origin

On either side stood two lifelike humanoid puppets: the left one was a thousand-armed Guanyin with kind, benevolent features, while the right one was a three-headed, eight-armed Vajra guardian deity glaring fiercely.

“What are you doing standing at the entrance, Junior Brother?”

A voice as warm and smooth as jade came from behind him. Turning around, he saw a handsome man dressed in pure white clothes smiling at him. His features were picturesque, lips red and teeth white—devastatingly handsome, comparable even to Xuanwei from the small world…

Cupping his hands in salute, he said, “I am Zhang Xian from Spirit Sword Peak, here to attend class.”

The handsome guy gestured invitingly, saying, “Please follow me, Junior Brother.”

Following him through the archway, the scene transformed immediately, leaving Zhang Xian stunned by the sight before his eyes.

The hall inside was bustling and crowded, more like a huge plaza than a classroom. Cultivators gathered in twos and threes; some were adjusting puppet joints, some combing puppet hair, and some were even hugging puppets and whispering secrets.

Most eye-catching were the various figures moving among them: all handsome men and beautiful women, including styles with black stockings and long legs, white stockings and pure innocence, cute cat ears, and enchanting fox tails… Looking closer, he saw that a white-stocking beauty’s knee joint clearly showed visible puppet articulation.

Zhang Xian twitched the corner of his mouth. “This is…”

“This is our daily interaction at Heavenly Puppet Peak,” the handsome guy explained, leading Zhang Xian to a quiet desk.

Sitting down, Zhang Xian looked bewildered, asking, “Where is the teacher giving the lecture?”

“The Head Teacher often says the puppet path emphasizes practical experience.” The handsome guy smiled and pointed to a figure not far away, saying, “The Head Teacher is there, but he doesn’t give lectures. Class is just a free exchange.”

Following his gaze, Zhang Xian saw a tranquil white-haired girl kneeling at a desk in the center of the plaza. Her hair was snow-white, eyes icy, and she wore a blue-white dress, exuding an ethereal aura.

Sensing his gaze, the girl slightly raised her eyes, nodding gently towards him.

So beautiful!

Zhang Xian was somewhat dazed. The girl’s appearance was peerless, ethereal, almost perfect!

Pity she’s not a Daughter of Destiny. Sitting down and looking around, he noticed many cultivators accompanied by puppets of different styles: some pouring tea, some grinding ink, some massaging their master’s back.

Then his gaze was suddenly attracted to a row of girls not far away. They had uniformly oval faces, willow-leaf eyebrows, cherry lips, and pairs of impressive ‘truths’ seemingly bursting forth. The key point was that they all looked identical. Each sat properly at a desk, while opposite them sat a cultivator pouring his heart out.

Even more surprising, among those cultivators, he saw Green Wood Peak’s Senior Brother, Lu Rendin.

“That is…”

“Oh, that is Supervisor Zhiyin,” the handsome guy explained. “She specializes in treating heartbreak, unstable Dao hearts, and cultivation anxiety…”

“Why do they look identical?”

“Nonsense, they are all puppets made by the Supervisor!” The handsome guy rolled his eyes.

Zhang Xian stared at the row of girls, thinking, She simultaneously controls a dozen puppets? The Heavenly Puppet Peak Supervisor is indeed awesome…

“Junior Brother seems to also like her, but you need an appointment. Tsk, no wonder you joined Spirit Sword Peak. Everyone is broad-minded, but looking is okay. You cannot fall for them though, since they are all puppets…”

“If the Head Teacher and Supervisor don’t teach, and I want to learn puppet making, who do I find?” Zhang Xian went straight to the point.

“Naturally, find me!” The handsome guy’s eyes lit up. He took a humanoid puppet from his storage ring and handed it over, saying, “Here, a free gift, a beginner set!”

Taking the puppet, Zhang Xian looked at the increasingly familiar figure outline and facial features…

“This wouldn’t be…”

“An imitated version of Supervisor Li Fuxi!” The handsome guy said as if it were only natural. “How about it? Resemble her? Took me a month to make!”

Zhang Xian’s hand trembled, almost dropping the puppet to the ground.

He carefully looked around, afraid that the next second Li Fuxi would charge in with her sword drawn.

“Do you have others?” he asked, lowering his voice.

The handsome guy revealed an understanding smile, saying, “Want Lin Yinyin or Liu Qingxuan style? But there’s no ready stock here; you need to find other senior brothers to commission them…”

Zhang Xian: “…”

With his mind swirling with Yun Wanqing’s conjecture regarding the ‘Bing Jie’ reincarnation technique, he said, “Uh, Senior Brother, I think you misunderstand me. I want to make a puppet of my own body type…”

The handsome guy’s hand froze mid-air. “Junior Brother is so narcissistic?” he said, looking heartbroken. “Heavenly Puppet Peak, when making puppets, always makes their own ideal type!”

“Or are you into men? That also won’t do, yourself… yourself… oh my, simply unconscionable! I recommend Wangya Head Teacher style; my friend has ready stock…”

Zhang Xian: “…”

Suddenly remembering something, he pointed to the row of busty girls, saying, “You say Heavenly Puppet Peak all make their own ideal type, then Supervisor Zhiyin elder sister—”

“Supervisor’s ideal type is a big-breasted cute girl, ah.”

“So he himself—”

“Supervisor Wei Miyou, haven’t you heard? Height eight feet, waist also eight feet, a genuine macho man,” Chen Tiexin said matter-of-factly.

“Then the Head Teacher also—” Zhang Xian glanced at the extraordinarily beautiful white-haired girl, his tone stiffer.

“Head Teacher’s ideal type is aloof white hair, ah.”

The handsome guy continued, saying, “Head Teacher Su Yuanshen is also male, ah. But it seems nobody has seen his true face; he even attends sect internal meetings using a puppet to attend. Didn’t you know?”

Zhang Xian felt his worldview somewhat shattering. He suddenly pointed at the handsome guy opposite him and said, “Then who are you?”

Before him, the handsome man suddenly flipped his long hair, revealing a charming smile, and said, “I am your Fourth Senior Sister, Chen Tiexin, ah. Eldest Senior Brother didn’t tell you?”

Zhang Xian: “…”

Finally, unable to buy a finished puppet, he directly took a batch of production materials to start from scratch. Recommended by Chen Tiexin, he bought several puppet books:

《Ten Finger Frenzy Dance: From Beginner To Burial》

《How To Make Master Not Recognize Your Puppet Substitute》

《Heavenly Puppet Peak Single Cultivator Self-Rescue Guide》

In the following period, besides bathing and cultivation, he buried his head in diligent study.