Outside the planet of Si Xue, two men were moving slowly away from the incoming hoard of cultivators that were invading the planet.
One of the cultivators rushed forward and stopped in front of the two cultivators and said, "Master Rain, I don't have enough words to thank you for unlocking that formation. It will make our job far easier. I'll gladly inform the Fire King of your contribution to his cause," the cultivator said.
"Fire King? That dipshit? To hell with him, I didn't do this for his ass. I did it for my own, I don't really care what you lots do here. Also, who gave you permission to stop in my way?" Master Rain said.
He didn't look pleased and seemed to be angry for some reason.
"B-but Master Rain…" the cultivator said but before he could finish his words, Master Rain's retainer rushed forward and chopped off the cultivator's arm.
The Fire King cultivator didn't even register the fact that his arm was cut off until he saw it in the retainer's grasp.
"Here, Master Rain, he apologized for stopping you," the retainer said then sent a divine sense message, "Piss off or he'll kill you and everyone here, don't you see he is in a bad mood?"
The cultivator with one arm bowed down and said, "I apologize for my intrusion," then flew away as fast as he could.
The retainer sighed and threw away the arm then went next to Master Rain. "You don't look too pleased. What's wrong?" asked the retained.
"I found the one who managed to solve the Qi Reversal And Supplement theory." Master Rain said.
"Oh, then why are you in a bad mood?" the retainer said as he followed after Master Rain.
"Because it's a Nascent Soul Cultivator…" Master Rain said.
"Ah… that's not a high cultivation grade… no wonder you're angry," the retainer said.
"Not high? That's a damn ant! A stupidly weak, insignificant ant, a replicating monkey who can't even protect itself, can't even twist fate and fortune into its favor, an ant weak to the elements and whims of the strong, an ant managed to do what I couldn't do! Of course, I'd be pissed!"
"But even as insignificant as an ant… I'm sure that you could have taken him and nurtured him if you wish, I mean you did more to far less talented people." The retainer said.
"Talented? No, he isn't talented, lucky, maybe, smart, probably, but talent, he had none," Master rain said.
"What do you mean, Master Rain, there is no possibility for someone without talent to be able to understand inscription, smartness, and brains isn't enough." The retainer said.
Master rain waved his hand and a massive portal appeared in front of them, the two walked through it and they found themselves moving through a wormhole.
"I used my divine sense on him, he had no talent root, I found it strange how he is able to gain such a relatively high cultivation grade, but the moment I saw that skull it all made sense." Master Rain said.
"Which skull?" asked the retainer.
"It's one of the Poison God's Twelve Avatar Skulls." Master Rain
"Ah…those things still exist. That man even after his death still brings a lot of chaos… No wonder you didn't want to bring that Nascent Soul Cultivator"
"Yes, that child is only a soul substitute, once that skull decides to take over, he won't survive. And I don't want my teachings to belong to one of the Poison God's Avatars."
"I'm still impressed on how he managed to learn your teachings with such a low cultivation level." The retainer said.
Suddenly the wormhole seemed to end and the two were back to the upside-down mountain.
"That's not the only thing he did… Master Rain said. Look," He said and waved his hand manifesting a massive puppet enclosed in a spherical inscription that froze its movement.
"What is this?" asked the retainer.
"When I was working on the forbidden City inscriptions, I periodically get bored. So, I decided to make a small toy. This is a Demon Slaying Puppet, I wanted to make the strongest puppet under the Saint Lord cultivation level. For some questionable means…"
Master Rain then snapped his fingers and the formation around Y disappeared.
The massive Puppet immediately raised its swords and sent them towards Master Rain as if he wanted to rip his head off.
Master Rain however stopped the sword with two fingers. And tapping on the puppet's chest fully stopping its movements.
"Do you notice anything?" Master Rain said.
The retainer frowned, "Well, I'm surprised that if this is your puppet it actually dared draw its sword against you. Seems like that person managed to refin… wait. This thing isn't refined at all. How is that even possible?!" the retainer said.
"Exactly, that man isn't talented in cultivation at all. Isn't nearly powerful enough to wrest away my control over a puppet I made personally, no one at my cultivation level could even dream of doing so… but he did, somehow he managed to make this his, and it irks me to no end."
"This is most exquisite." The retainer said.
"Frustratingly so. Though I really, really, hate to admit it. This is impressive." Master Rain said and spat on the ground.
"What are these?" the retainer said as he noticed brass wires going from the chest through Y's arms and into his hand.
"These, they look like they were added later. They don't seem to mix well with the design." The retainer added.
"I didn't have time to inspect this, but let's see…" Master Rain said and got closer to the puppet.
Master Rain then tapped on Y's chest and it opened up revealing a reactor that was definitely not the one he made.
"Huh… a reactor… it's based on the one I made, but this one works on Qi… basic Qi. How is it even capable of powering this puppet though?" Master Y continued inspecting and began telling the retainer what he is looking at.
"Do you see this?" Master Rain pointed and a bright inscription shone.
"This is apparently a shock and absorption inscription, to stop the reactor from being damaged. And this, this is a heat sink of sorts, it transfers the heat from the reactor…to the brass wires…why?" Master Rain asked as he placed his hand under his chin.
"Look here Master Rain," the retainer said. "This is a spatial inscription, it's storing something."
"let me see." Master Rain said and unlocked the spatial inscription.
Hundreds upon hundreds of medium-grade spirit stones then poured out from that spatial inscription.
"Seems like he was using quantity over quality to supply the demon-slaying puppet with Qi. Instead of Saint Qi."
"I guess he didn't wish someone to notice the Saint Qi power signature coming out of the puppet." The retainer said.
"Interesting, though it's wasteful. I suppose he didn't have a choice." Master rain replied.
"It appears that this reactor is very primitive." The retainer added.
"Yes, it's so primitive that it should release unprecedented heat levels. And with the brass wires, he seems to use them to transfer the heat to the puppet's hands? But why?" Master Rain said, then he finally realized that the sword on Y's hands was not something he had left there.
"This isn't a sword I made, what is this thing?" Master Rain said as he removed the sword from Y's hand all too easily.
Frowning, Master rain sighed and cursed once again, "Damnation…"
"What's wrong Master rain?" asked the retainer.
Master Rain threw the sword into the retainer's hands.
The latter grabbed the sword which was way taller than himself with ease.
The retainer began inspecting the sword and it took him some time before he said,
"This weapon… it's pretty basic, it isn't even worth being called a Heaven Tier weapon. This is something that even someone under the ascendant stage could easily make. This shouldn't be used by a great Demon Slaying Puppet such as this."
Master Rain shook his head, "Look again, pay attention to the entirety of the weapon, and take note of the added inscription and costume made additions to my puppet."
Then he pressed on the trigger and the sword's saw-teeth began spinning.
The retained took another glance, then began linking the dots then finally said, "By the gods… I would have never thought of using neutron steel this way." The retainer said.
"He's basically using the excess heat and unfiltered Qi to make the sword heavier and sturdier, and more lethal. This thing, the moment it's supplemented with Qi and heat it would be far more than enough to kill even an ascendant."
"And all that was made by a brat at the Nascent Soul Stage." Master rain once again spat on the ground.
"I don't know how someone without a talent root managed to do this, but don't you think it's a huge waste of potential to just leave him there?"
"I told you, I can't take someone with the Poison God's Parasitic skull. What a damn waste!" Master rain spat once again.
"But no worries, though I can't pick his brains for information, I can easily figure out how he thinks, though he refined my puppet, it is still mine and I can make use of it. it should have recorded everything that happened to it since the day that brat took control of it. now let's see." Master rain said and began moving his fingers in all directions, creating more inscriptions than Shen Bao could even dream of making in a single second.
Soon enough, Master Rain's already angry and solemn attitude turned even dourer.
"What's the problem now?" asked the retainer.
"That monkey…he vexes me. I thought he was a Nascent Soul cultivator when he refined my puppet… he was actually a Core Cultivator and at the first stages even when he did that. Also, seems like my puppet wasn't refined, but had its commands overwritten and modified. I can regain control, but that kid made sure that the moment someone else tries and take control of this puppet it will and will delete its memories before it self-destructs." Master Rain said.
"Pretty cautious, but I doubt you won't be able to overwrite those commands again." The retainer said.
"No…I can't, he actually used my own method to secure my belongings. I'll actually need to think up of a new trick to overwrite this…that kid actually gave me homework. Shit. I'll actually need to use my brain for this…" Master Rain frustrated to no end sighed and sat down.
"Bring me some wine, I have nothing to do, might as well start working on this.. Perhaps I'll figure out a way on how to replicate that monkey's way of thinking."