Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 199: Refining Puppet Beasts

In the early years, the Wang Clan was destitute. Cultivators had to scatter to the four winds just to earn a few Spirit Stones. But since Wang Hao’s rise, the clan’s finances had stabilized. Now, they were short on manpower, not money.

The two elders stared at the raw ore. They felt more certain that destroying the Tang family had been the right decision. In the cultivation world, weakness was itself a sin. People condemned demonic cultivators, yet few dared pursue those who had reached Nascent Soul.

The Tang family’s only crime was possessing a treasure they couldn’t protect.

After the initial euphoria faded, Wang Hao spoke up. “Our problem now is extraction. We can’t flood this place with cultivators without raising suspicion. And if we use an army of mortals, the supply lines will be too visible. Sooner or later, someone will notice.”

The Tang family was a cautionary tale. If the Qingyuan Sect or a stronger rival discovered this mine, the Wang Clan would face extinction.

Wang Yanzhao’s excitement dampened. “True. Too few people, and the yield is worthless. Too many, and we expose ourselves.”

Wang Longyou smiled, turning his gaze to Wang Hao. “The solution is standing right here.”

“Me?” Wang Hao blinked. “Sure, my Qi reserves are deep, but you can’t seriously expect a Foundation Establishment cultivator to dig rocks all day.”

Wang Hao shook his head. He had other ways to earn spirit stones and would not sacrifice his cultivation time to mine.

“You misunderstood. I mean your skill at making puppets,” Wang Longyou said. “We can mine with puppets and leave only a few cultivators to operate and guard them.”

Wang Hao paused. Of course.

Puppets were stronger than most Qi Refining cultivators. Ape puppets had four limbs and fingers that could grip tools; under a cultivator’s control, they could do simple mining work.

A Qi Refining cultivator’s divine sense could control at most five puppets. With a dozen or so cultivators, the Wangs could match the mining output of more than fifty.

“But making that many puppets by myself could take years,” Wang Hao said. The models best suited to mining needed strength and dexterity, and most of the ones he had made had already gone to the clan’s Qi Refining cultivators.

Making a puppet took more steps than forging a magic tool: choosing material, preparing it, carving it, inscribing runes, assembling the parts, and finally inserting a beast soul.

Preparation took the longest. Like timber for a bookshelf, puppet wood needed to be cut and left to dry for a year or two; damp wood would warp or split. Even though Wang Hao’s farm produced Yin Purple Pine, preparing it still took time.

The materials he had obtained from the Huang family and Pill Cauldron Sect had helped sustain his earlier work.

“There is no rush,” Wang Longyou said. “We can add puppets gradually. We should first wait for the disturbance around the Tang family to subside and watch what happens. Choose some gifted younger clan members to train so they can share the work.”

Wang Hao did not want the job, but no one else in the family could do it. Training new clan members might take even longer, so for now he would rely on his existing apprentices.

The three could only make middle-grade first-tier puppets. Mining efficiently required at least high-grade first-tier or low-grade second-tier puppets.

Low-grade second-tier puppets used valuable materials and were not economical for mining. High-grade first-tier puppets would be the mainstay.

He would train the three intensively after returning home. Even if they could not make high-grade first-tier puppets alone, they might prepare raw materials and build components, taking much of the time-consuming work off his hands.

The three inspected the area again, used spells to close places that might be discovered, set a concealment array, and left Wang Wenjiang and the other guards there.

“Let’s return, choose the right people, and gather puppet-making materials for Wang Hao,” Wang Yanzhao said. “We will begin mining in six months.”

He gave the three guards bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills and some Fasting Pills. “Stay here for now. Report anything unusual at once. These will last you a year, and someone will replace you then. The family will reward you.”

“Yes, Patriarch!” The three bowed deeply.

Guarding a Spirit Stone mine was a plum assignment. The Qi density here was higher than the clan’s best secluded cultivation chambers, and the pills were worth two years of salary. They would have been fools to refuse.

Time flowed like water. Six months passed in a blink.

In a bright room, Wang Hao worked on a high-grade first-tier puppet while three apprentices watched intently.

He had spent the past six months training them there and promised a Foundation Establishment Pill to the first who made a high-grade first-tier puppet.

The incentive worked. Their skills hadn’t exactly skyrocketed, but they had improved faster than ever before.

The apprentices were Wang Wenshui, Wang Wencai, and Wang Yanrong.

Wang Wencai was the frontrunner. His success rate for Middle-Grade puppets was over 50%, and he was already attempting High-Grade assemblies. The other two were lagging, with success rates below 30%—burning through materials faster than they produced results.

The family had spent thousands of spirit stones training them. The hardest part of learning a cultivation craft was paying for enough materials to practice; puppetry was even harder than alchemy or artifact refining.

But teaching had sharpened Wang Hao’s own skills. He could now reliably craft Tier 2 Low-Grade puppets. With sufficient materials, he could churn one out every ten days.

When Wang Hao inserted a demon beast soul into its core, the high-grade first-tier Great Strength Ape Puppet moved its hands and feet. The puppet was complete.

“Did you understand? Ask about anything you missed,” Wang Hao said.

Wang Wencai and the others asked several questions. Wang Hao answered each in detail, then took out more materials and repeated the crucial steps for them to watch.

Their talent was mediocre. Without this level of hand-holding, they would never learn.

With tens of thousands of clansmen, the family might have found a few gifted apprentices.

By nightfall, Wang Hao was mentally worn out. Teaching required more than patience.

“That is enough for today. Practice it yourselves. Understanding it in your head is not enough; you have to make one. The family has given you plenty of materials. Do not waste its support.”

“Yes, Elder! We will work hard!”

They were slow learners, but their attitude was good. Wang Hao left them to keep practicing.