Taken from … and used for …

A Golden Core puppet?

Chu Liang carefully read through the information on this newly summoned puppet, feeling rather dazed. As a cultivator at the Divine Intent stage, his knowledge of the fourth stage—the Golden Core—was still limited, making it difficult to judge the true power of this reward. Nevertheless, the capabilities of this Golden Core puppet were clearly beyond his wildest imagination.

Forging a core for a puppet was something unheard of in the cultivation world.

Furthermore, according to the description, once the puppet successfully formed its core, the master’s own body could seemingly undergo the process again. Being able to operate both simultaneously during cultivation and combat—was that not equivalent to one person possessing two Golden Cores?

Two cores are undoubtedly better than one; if given the choice, no one would choose a single core. Yet, it was also undeniably a burden.

The Human Barrier focuses on self-cultivation, while the Earth Barrier focuses on resources. The resource consumption of the three stages of the Earth Barrier begins with the entry-level step of core formation. To forge a Golden Core, a cultivator must follow the recipe corresponding to their cultivation technique, gather all the necessary materials, and ignite three cycles of primordial fire using their own essence, energy, and spirit. Only after a grueling process can the core be formed.

The process is fraught with challenges; the higher the quality of the Golden Core, the harder it is to forge. Every successful cultivator typically accumulates at least three to five failures beforehand. The standard practice in the martial world is to prepare double the necessary materials for each attempt, so that if the first attempt fails, one can immediately strike again while the insights are still fresh.

However, gathering even a single set of materials costs a fortune.

This is precisely why the Golden Core stage acts as a bottleneck for so many. On the endless path of cultivation, a lack of talent does not make one give up, but a lack of funds is what truly leads to despair.

Coincidentally, Chu Liang could by no means be called wealthy. He was currently in the late stage of Divine Intent and approaching its peak, meaning he would soon need to prepare for his own core formation. He had yet to secure the resources for himself, let alone provide for a puppet’s core formation.

Regardless, this was certainly a good thing. But for Chu Liang, it felt like a poor family suddenly having a scholar to support, or a seventy-year-old man taking a young bride—one simply had to grit their teeth and provide for it, even if they couldn’t afford to. Whether the benefits of having two cores could truly justify the cost remained to be seen.

Chu Liang placed the blank, soulless new "Big-Head Doll" next to the smoking original one. Both dolls had oversized heads and short bodies, as if they shared a common lineage. However, Chu Liang felt a stronger preference for the old one. If nothing else, the old doll only required three Qi-Gathering Pills to operate for a day, while the new one demanded three Spirit-Gathering Pills!

A single Sword Coin could buy a gourd of Qi-Gathering Pills that would last for days, yet it could only buy two Spirit-Gathering Pills—not even enough to cover one day’s cost. Not to mention the double wages for working at night and the new puppet’s requirement for double consumption during combat. Did that mean fighting at night would cost quadruple wages?

Is there any justice left? Any law? If the time is long, you ask for more money; if the intensity is high, you ask for more money. At this rate, I might as well be working for you!

Unfortunately, there was only one of each puppet. If there were puppets like this everywhere, one could make them compete for the job. "Will you work for one Spirit-Gathering Pill a day? No? Then leave. Plenty of other puppets will take your place."

"I know the rules are three pills a day and double for combat, but everyone else has broken the rules and lowered their prices. You’re the only one sticking to the rules—what am I supposed to do? Sigh, it’s truly a dilemma."

...

The next morning, Xu Sui prepared a sumptuous breakfast for the master and disciple, but it was impossible for Di Nüfeng to wake up at this hour, and no one dared to wake her, so Chu Liang enjoyed it alone.

The Kunwu master was in the grass hut, but it was silent. It was no ordinary hut, but a small world sealed with restrictions—a celestial technique known as "The Sea Holds the Mountains." That seemingly small hut might contain a city larger than Taotie City, and no images or sounds from within would leak out.

"Many thanks, Brother Xu," Chu Liang said, thanking him for his hospitality, then asked, "How much longer will Master Kunwu need to finish forging the sword?"

"Father will likely need about two more days. If you feel bored, Young Hero Chu, you can go out and explore. There are plenty of places to visit in Taotie City," Xu Sui laughed.

"Oh? Does Brother Xu have any recommendations?" Chu Liang asked. Since he had finally come all this way and the city was so prosperous, it would be a shame not to look around. Though he had nearly died yesterday—but that was just an accident.

"Taotie City is named after the gluttonous beast, so it is top-tier when it comes to food. There is a Gourmet Quarter in the east, with shops covering all the major cuisines of the Nine Provinces. At night, there are many food stalls that are full of local flavor and very lively," Xu Sui introduced.

"A bit further north of the Sword Hut is the Alley of Curiosities, where many cultivators set up stalls. There are all sorts of strange and rare items, and the prices aren't as high as in the shops, so people often find good deals there."

"In the west, there is the Pleasure Street, filled with brothels and houses of ill repute—perhaps hundreds of them, large and small, both overt and hidden. In such nice weather, the top courtesans and musicians might perform on the street later to attract customers. However, as a member of a prestigious righteous sect, I imagine you wouldn't be interested in those."

"The south side is more chaotic. That is where most people enter the city, and all kinds of people congregate there. The law enforcement team monitors the south most strictly, yet trouble always arises. Residents like us rarely go to the south side."

"I see, no wonder I encountered such chaos yesterday," Chu Liang nodded. "Thank you."

"You are too kind, Young Hero Chu. If you want to go out, just tell me, and I will arrange for someone to show you around." Xu Sui had a good impression of Chu Liang, finding the young man polite and well-mannered, unlike his master, who wore the word 'scoundrel' on her face.

"No need for the trouble, I'll just wander around on my own," Chu Liang said with a smile, declining the offer.

Later that day, he walked out of the Sword Hut.

He waited by the roadside for a bit until a carriage pulled by a mountain-climbing beast heading to the west side arrived. To his surprise, as soon as he boarded, he saw a few familiar figures, and his eyes lit up slightly.

In a corner of the carriage, the "three little ones" were huddled together. In the middle was a tall youth with a dazed look, seemingly troubled; on the left was a short, thin boy with undisguised terror on his face; and on the right was a short, fat boy with a very weak aura.

"What a coincidence," Chu Liang greeted them.

"Ah!" The three were shocked to see him.

The short, fat boy, in particular, rolled off the seat and tried to crawl under it, muttering something like, "It’s already the 'Gan' character, if I get hit again it’ll be the 'Wang' character, no more, no more..."

Chu Liang watched his bizarre behavior and looked at the other two. "What's going on?"

"I... my brother has been under a lot of stress lately," the tall youth said, stiffening his neck. "What do you want?"

The short, thin boy helped from the side, "Yeah, you promised not to hit us anymore."

"I mean no harm," Chu Liang said with a smile. "We just happened to run into each other, you don't need to be afraid. How about this? Let's shake hands and make peace."

As he spoke, he reached out a hand toward the tall youth.

"Ha..." The tall youth finally managed a forced smile and shook Chu Liang's hand.

Just then, the mountain-climbing beast stopped. The two quickly stood up, dragged the fat boy from under the seat, and said, "We've arrived, we're leaving first."

With that, the three of them scurried away.

"How strange," Chu Liang muttered. "And why did that fat guy's voice sound so familiar?"

He didn't think much more about it. Instead, he flipped his hand, and an exquisite treasure chest appeared in his palm. The red exterior shimmered with light, the material looked very sturdy, and there was no lock; the box was solid, inlaid with a single piece of jade. It seemed that special technique would be required to open it.

Last night, he had studied the "Sleight of Hand" divine ability and was worried he wouldn't have a place to test it. Seeing these three little ones just now, he had acted on impulse to try it out on them to see the effect. After all, the ability had been obtained from them in the first place, so it was only fitting to use it on them.

What is taken from the people, is used for the people.