Twelve twelve.

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Fu Tingyun naturally disliked installing chaotic and disorderly formations into the puppet’s body. Yet, he disliked even more the idea of having multiple ugly things cluttering around. Su Xiaoyuan’s cramped, chicken-cage-like room was already a mess; adding another puppet would mean squeezing it under the bed. No, the space beneath the bed was already full—if that ugly thing had to come, it would have to hang on the wall. Fu Tingyun had no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils. Besides, even if the formation were installed, whether it would work was still up to him.

The puppet, already embedded with complex formations, now had an additional minor formation inside it, forced into a corner by the overwhelming and grimly profound main array. A red thread winding around the main formation peeked out, seemingly observing the newcomer from afar.

“The formation is installed. I’ll teach you how to use it,” Elder Qin said, looking at Fu Tingyun’s puppet. She had originally intended to demonstrate using it, but an inexplicable unease suddenly washed over her. Her intuition was always accurate, so she readily switched to Ruan Mianmian. “May I borrow your puppet for a moment?”

Ruan Mianmian generously pushed Song Jinshu forward. “Elder, feel free to use it.”

Elder Qin demonstrated the activation talisman for the formation. “Currently, both puppets are in an active state. You don’t need to turn them off when not in use.”

After activating the formation, a translucent light screen appeared before Song Jinshu, about the size of a scroll, with floating text—a functional menu divided into four major sections: “Beginner Trial,” “Advanced Inner Sect,” “Simulation,” and “Willpower.”

Su Xiaoyuan and Ruan Mianmian understood the first two sections.

“What are ‘Simulation’ and ‘Willpower’?” Ruan Mianmian asked.

Elder Qin concentrated spiritual power at her fingertip and clicked on [Simulation]. “Let me show you. You can use this now.”

A submenu opened with many indicators like “Gender,” “Cultivation Path,” “Disposition,” and so forth.

Elder Qin explained as she clicked through options: “When you have a specific target but the difficulty is too great and you’re unsure, you can configure the puppet according to your target and practice first.”

Su Xiaoyuan’s heart stirred. Could she set the puppet to imitate Fu Tingyun?

But she quickly dismissed the thought; her knowledge of Fu Tingyun was limited. She only knew he cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness and would cut down anyone at a moment’s notice.

Ruan Mianmian rolled up her sleeves, eager to try. “Let me, let me!”

Elder Qin stepped back and let her operate.

Ruan Mianmian tapped options while muttering: “Gender: male; Cultivation path: magic cultivation; Disposition: gentle, open to all, fickle, flirtatious; Preferences… I don’t know these preferences…”

She scratched her head. “He never told me these. I should’ve asked him.”

Su Xiaoyuan glanced over and immediately lowered her head, blushing deeply.

Preferences referred to sexual proclivities. Aside from the ones even she knew, there were countless bizarre and unfathomable ones.

Elder Qin noticed her reaction and sighed in frustration at their lack of effort.

Ruan Mianmian continued scratching her head. “Mystical gates, meridian connections… I don’t even know which meridians are more vulnerable…”

Su Xiaoyuan’s head bowed lower. Mystical gates and meridian connections were what modern folk called sensitive zones. Did they have to research these in advance?

Seeing Ruan Mianmian almost scratching her head bald, Elder Qin said, “Leave the unknown blank for now.”

“Gathering intelligence is an important skill. Once you enter the inner sect, you’ll receive specialized training.”

But could they really gather Fu Tingyun’s proclivities? Su Xiaoyuan doubted it. Wait—someone born without desires probably had no such preferences, right?

Ruan Mianmian set what she knew and asked, “Elder Qin, what is ‘Willpower’ for?”

Elder Qin replied, “You won’t need this for now, and having this function on a puppet… is usually a bit complicated…”

Both looked at her curiously.

Elder Qin sighed helplessly. “Alright, let’s try it.”

She nodded at Ruan Mianmian. “You go ahead.”

Ruan Mianmian, unaware of the consequences, tapped on Willpower. Song Jinshu’s expression changed; he raised a hand to brush back his forehead hair, then suddenly, like a spasm, shoved Ruan Mianmian toward the wall. “Woman…”

“Hey!” Ruan Mianmian threw a punch at the puppet.

Song Jinshu was struck and flew backward, hitting the opposite wall with a thud.

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Elder Qin pinched the bridge of her nose. “See?”

Ruan Mianmian exclaimed, “Holy cow! That scared me so much, I got goosebumps all over.”

Elder Qin said, “I told you it’s complicated.

“This function was originally meant for puppets to flirt and tease their masters to train willpower, but puppets lack true intelligence, so it ends up like this...

“Still, willpower is crucial in cultivation. When you harvest energy from others, you need to keep your mind clear and not fall into temptation.”

Su Xiaoyuan nodded. They had already learned this in safety lessons.

After all, if you harvest energy while doing math, losing clarity could easily backfire.

“All right, let’s look at the Beginner Trial,” Elder Qin said, retrieving Song Jinshu from the wall and purifying him with a cleansing incantation.

For a puppet worth twenty currency units, Song Jinshu’s quality was surprisingly good.

“Not bad, more durable than he looks,” Elder Qin commented.

She returned to the main menu and selected Beginner Trial.

It was divided into two categories: “Single Skill Practice” and “Examinations.”

Elder Qin explained, “You repeatedly practice the single skills until you master them. The exam will pick three questions from these for testing.”

Ruan Mianmian said, “Only three?”

Elder Qin shot her a sideways glance. “At your current level, you wouldn’t pass a single one!”

She opened Single Skill Practice. “The items progress step by step. Just follow the order.”

The first item was “Communicating Affection Through the Eyes.” After selecting it, Elder Qin glanced at the Song Jinshu puppet.

The puppet immediately spoke in a mechanical voice, “Grade A, Level 1. Congratulations on passing ‘Communicating Affection Through the Eyes.’ Your skill is impressive. Keep it up, and with time, you will surely achieve greatness.”

Fu Tingyun: “…” He absolutely would not allow his puppet body to utter such a nauseating voice.

Su Xiaoyuan and Ruan Mianmian applauded enthusiastically. “Wow! Elder Qin is amazing!”

Elder Qin replied calmly, “Just a trivial trick.”

She considered for a moment. “There are nine items in the Beginner Trial. I’ll set a time limit for you: seven days per item. You can finish in about two months, then spend the remaining twenty days consolidating.”

“Seven days per item? I can do seven items in one day,” Ruan Mianmian boasted confidently.

Elder Qin smirked. “Don’t brag. Try the first item first.”

Ruan Mianmian stood on the desk, grasped the puppet’s shoulders, and said, “Look at me.”

Su Xiaoyuan seemed to see fear on the puppet’s face.

Ruan Mianmian gave a strange smile, blinking her large eyes and tossing what she thought was a flirtatious glance.

The puppet’s mechanical voice sounded inside: “Grade D, Level 3. Sorry, you failed the ‘Communicating Affection Through the Eyes’ test. Your eyelids flutter like a rabbit, and your gaze is expressionless. Don’t be discouraged; keep trying.”

“This thing must be broken!” Ruan Mianmian angrily kicked the puppet.

Elder Qin laughed. “If you could pass so easily, would you need lessons?

“You’re still beginners. You need the atmosphere, so keep the formations active. If you pass by accident, review afterward and think about what you did right.”

She turned to Su Xiaoyuan. “By the way, the Wushan Festival is just a few days away. Have you found a companion yet?”

Su Xiaoyuan had been worrying about the Beginner Trial and Fu Tingyun, forgetting everything else.

The Wushan Festival, called a “festival,” was actually a special event unique to the Cloud and Rain Sect. After thousands of years of development, it had become quite secular.

The festival lasted seven days around the third day of the third lunar month, incorporating customs from the Shangsi Festival. The sect and Guo City would hold many celebrations.

According to sect tradition, disciples paired up to attend together.

Other than that, one event was a purification bath in the sect’s spiritual stream—almost communal bathing. Although no one had to be fully naked, it was still awkward.

Su Xiaoyuan glanced at Ruan Mianmian. “I’ll go with Kaishan…”

Elder Qin clicked her tongue. “Do you plan to harvest energy from women in the future?”

Su Xiaoyuan shook her head.

Elder Qin said, “Then why are you always glued together?

“You must seize every chance now to get used to interacting with men. The Wushan Festival is a perfect opportunity.”

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Su Xiaoyuan understood Elder Qin had her best interests at heart.

Because it was a Cloud and Rain Sect specialty, many Wushan Festival activities were designed for couples—it was essentially a large-scale dating simulation.

But where was she supposed to find someone?

Her eyes suddenly caught sight of the puppet, and she immediately grabbed at a lifeline. “I could…”

Before she finished, Elder Qin firmly interrupted, “No. You need to interact with real people. A puppet is not a real man…”

At that moment, she felt a chill in her heart, as if needles were pricking her back. She turned to look behind her—no one was there except Su Xiaoyuan’s puppet, its hollow gaze staring straight ahead.

Elder Qin rubbed her temples. She must be overworked lately.

She resumed the conversation. “Xiaoyuan, why did you join the Cloud and Rain Sect?”

“Uh…” Su Xiaoyuan couldn’t answer.

“Is there someone you care about?”

Su Xiaoyuan hesitated, then nodded slightly. Ling Yue Immortal was a heavy stone pressing on her heart; by any measure, he could be considered her beloved.

Elder Qin sighed. “No matter your reasons, now that you are part of our sect, you cannot resist these matters.”

Su Xiaoyuan understood, but her mother had guarded her strictly, restricting her from interacting with men. She had never had a male friend, so now she was utterly inexperienced.

“The pairing isn’t for harvesting energy from each other—it’s a learning process, understand?” Elder Qin said.

Su Xiaoyuan nodded. “Okay, Elder Qin. I will try my best.”

“Forget it, I don’t expect you to find someone yourself,” Elder Qin said. “I’ll arrange an inner sect senior brother to guide you.”

Su Xiaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Elder Qin!”

Ruan Mianmian, carefree, said, “What about me? I want one too!”

Elder Qin glanced at her. “I’ll arrange one for you, but don’t go killing my disciples.”

“What does Elder Qin take me for!” Ruan Mianmian protested. “Elder Qin must arrange a handsome senior brother for me. I will cherish him dearly!”

Just then, a gentle and melodious male voice sounded outside the door: “Elder Qin, are you busy?”

“It’s Elder Bai,” Elder Qin greeted. “She’s helping two disciples install formations.”

Elder Bai’s fox-like eyes curved into crescent shapes. “Xiaoyuan and Mianmian, right?”

Both greeted Elder Bai.

Elder Qin said to them, “I have other matters. You should study the usage on your own. If anything is unclear, come ask me.”

They bade farewell to the elders and left.

Outside the courtyard, Fu Tingyun clearly heard the voices of the two elders.

“They’re still beginners. It wouldn’t hurt to let them gain another year of experience in the outer sect. Don’t push them too hard,” said the male with fox-like tone.

“It’s precisely because the sect leader and you are too lax that we’ve been cornered by the Wind and Moon Sect,” the other replied.

“Are they giving you trouble on this trip to Wushan?”

“That old thief of the Wind and Moon Sect is relentless.”

“They’ve been trying to swallow us for centuries. Haven’t succeeded yet, right?”

“Times have changed. Their sect leader recently allied with the leader of the Mystic Wing Sect. They’re likely waiting for a chance to strike us. Extra guards are being deployed at this year’s Wushan Festival to prevent trouble.”

“Good.”

…

Fu Tingyun withdrew his spiritual awareness and stopped listening.

Where people gathered, there would be infighting—even in this insignificant sect.

But he hadn’t expected the Mystic Wing Sect, such a low-tier faction, to be so brazen outside.

Truly, shallow waters teem with turtles.