"Hah, I'm really tired."
I lazily stretch out on the wooden bed.
"I haven't had any real sleep for a long time."
Indeed, staying inside the farm with those terrifying worms was nerve-wracking.
"At least the Sea of Corpses is close to deserving the title of a 'sea.'"
I look inside my dantian, where twenty featureless corpses are gathered in the center of the dantian.
"If I keep this pace, I'll enter the middle stage of Qi Gathering soon."
I feel excited as I think about the speed of my cultivation.
"At this rate, my dreams might come true faster than I imagine."
I smile a silly smile as I sink into fantasies of conquering the world and possessing a gigantic harem.
"You're awake."
Wei Wang's voice pulls me out of my daydreams.
"What is it?"
I look at Wei Wang's pale face in confusion.
"What, did you forget that I had to stay in the farm all day because—"
An annoyed look appears on Wei Wang's face.
"Oh right, the puppet! What happened to it?"
"Come with me."
Wei Wang sighs tiredly as he leads me outside.
"Look."
"Amazing."
Outside the wooden house stood a Flesh Puppet with a gigantic humanoid appearance, reaching a height of two and a half meters, with a muscular body sculpted as if it were a Roman statue—although its face was merely a chaotic, featureless mass of flesh.
Even its hands had fingers.
'How did he do it?'
I look at Wei Wang with admiration.
Only someone who has suffered through carving fingers knows how difficult it is.
"Try controlling it."
"Um… how do I control it?"
I speak to Wei Wang in confusion.
"Didn't you read the scroll I gave you?"
"I read part of it—the puppet-making part. I don't think I focused on the rest of the scroll's contents."
I feel like I'm dying of embarrassment as I say this.
"…"
"Haaah… fine, I'll teach you myself."
Wei Wang sighs in despair as he begins teaching me how to control the Flesh Puppet.
"First, you must place your will inside the Sea of Corpses, then extract it from your dantian and transfer it into the puppet's body, then use it to control the puppet. But remember—don't transfer the entire Sea of Corpses, or you'll remain weak and unable to protect yourself. Using 50% or 60% is enough."
"Understood."
"Yes."
I nod my head after listening to Wei Wang's explanation, from which I understood nothing. But since I'm too embarrassed to ask him to repeat it, I begin trying to control the puppet.
At first, I focus on the Sea of Corpses inside my dantian, which has come to consist of twenty featureless corpses, and begin trying to cast my will into it.
"Hmm, this is strangely easy."
I don't encounter any problems dividing my will into twenty parts.
"What a strange sensation."
I suddenly feel as if I've gained twenty additional limbs.
"Now, the second step."
I focus my will within the Sea of Corpses on trying to leave my dantian.
"Damn it, this is hard."
This is where the difficulty begins. I feel as if I'm trying to force something through a solid wall.
"It seems you're trying to extract the Sea of Corpses from your dantian."
Suddenly, Wei Wang's calm voice reaches my ears.
"Don't try to pull it out by force—you'll only fail. You have to treat it as if you're using a technique, like the Skull of Decay."
Upon hearing this, I feel as if I've reached enlightenment. I stop trying to forcibly extract the Sea of Corpses and instead begin breaking it down into spiritual power and slowly drawing it through my body.
"I succeeded."
I feel overwhelming joy as I see a miniature version of the Sea of Corpses appear in my hand.
"Good. Now transfer it to the puppet."
In sync with Wei Wang's words, I look toward the Flesh Puppet standing in front of me.
"The decisive moment has arrived."
I let the miniature Sea of Corpses transfer into the rigid body of the puppet.
"This—"
I feel as if the twenty additional limbs I gained from dividing my will across the Sea of Corpses have gathered into one distinct limb.
I feel as if the puppet has become a part of my body, and indeed, when I focus my will, the puppet moves clumsily and falls flat on its face.
"Good. Now you can start training to manipulate the puppet over time."
Wei Wang smiles at me with a relieved smile.
"Wait—what is that over there?"
Just as I'm about to focus on training puppet manipulation, I notice a black dot in the air.
"What?"
"That thing in the air."
"Damn it."
As the dot draws closer little by little, despair appears on Wei Wang's face as if he has seen death itself.
"What is it, senior brother?"
I feel a sense of ominous dread as I see Wei Wang's expression.
"We're in trouble."
Before I can question Wei Wang about what he means, the black dot reaches the ground.
It turns out to be a gigantic bird made of dark bluish-black corpse flesh, like a featherless falcon—yet it was still able to fly.
"Outer disciple Wei Wang and outer disciple Salem, you are ordered to come with us to the sect's lands."
A rough-looking disciple appears atop the flesh falcon, with a savage appearance and a bloody aura surrounding him.
"Damn, damn, damn—what brought the Iron Guards here?"
Wei Wang mutters in a low, terrified voice as he speaks in despair, staring at the disciple on top of the flesh falcon—specifically at the badge on his chest.
It was a badge made of a material resembling red jade, depicting three laughing skulls.