10,000x Cultivation: I Gain Power by Adopting Training Acolytes

**[Soulbound Puppet]**​

Combat Strength: Golden Core Peak

Description: Possessed by a Nascent Soul cultivator's remnant soul. Powered by three Golden Core beast cores embedded in left leg, right leg, and forehead. Weakness: Destroy all cores or strike the soul fragment itself, located at chest center. Conventional qi ineffective—requires specialized energies (e.g., Xu Ming's Golden Dragon Qi or Wu Xiaopang's Tyrant's Essence).

"Nascent Soul…" Zhang Yun's breath hitched. This tomb's master wasn't just some Golden Core upstart—it housed the lingering will of a being who'd once touched immortality. Even a sliver of such a soul could unravel minds.

The puppet's hollow voice echoed like rusted gears: "To evade my blade merits praise. You've earned the right to my final trial." It gestured toward the cottage's yawning doorway. "Enter."

Xu Ming's knuckles whitened around his sword hilt. "Master, that thing spoke—"

"Stay behind me," Zhang Yun ordered, stepping over the threshold.

The cottage's interior defied expectations—a sparse tearoom dominated by a sandalwood table. Three porcelain cups steamed with ominously distinct brews: amber-hued, crystalline clear, and blood-crimson. The puppet moved with eerie grace, filling each vessel from matching pots.

"Three teas," it intoned. "Two enhance, one cripples. Choose wisely, and my Nascent Soul legacy shall be yours."

Xu Ming's eyes flickered with temptation. A Nascent Soul inheritance could vaporize the Lin Clan overnight. Yet his gaze remained locked on Zhang Yun—the man who'd reignited his extinguished hope. Beside him, Wu Xiaopang fidgeted but held firm.

Zhang Yun studied the cups through Immortal Eyes:

**[Amber Brew]**​

Ingredients: Sunspring Water + Spirit Yellow Leaves

Effect: Qi amplification (contains hidden soul fragment for possession anchoring).

**[Clear Brew]**​

Ingredients: Century Soulwither Herb + Sunspring Water

Effect: Soul degradation (prepares host for effortless possession).

**[Crimson Brew]**​

Ingredients: Century Bloodvine + Sunspring Water

Effect: Bloodline enhancement (contains secondary soul fragment).

Viper's hospitality, Zhang Yun thought coldly. Two teas planted possession anchors; the third softened victims into docile vessels. This "trial" was a slaughterhouse conveyor belt.

"Well?" The puppet's voice sharpened. "Will you linger until the teas cool?"

Zhang Yun approached the table with exaggerated reverence. "This crimson brew—is it steeped in blood, Senior?" He lifted the scarlet cup, watching the puppet's reactions through peripheral vision.

"Bloodvine essence," the puppet corrected, its jade-carved fingers tightening imperceptibly. "A rare accelerant."

"Fascinating!" Zhang Yun swirled the liquid, nostrils flaring at its metallic tang. He moved toward the amber cup. "But perhaps the traditional choice…"

The puppet's chest core pulsed faster.

Abruptly, Zhang Yun slammed the crimson tea into the construct's face. "Your turn to drink, corpse!"

Sizzle!

Acidic steam erupted as the possessed puppet staggered, its jade surface blistering. Zhang Yun's follow-up punch cratered its chest, azure qi swirling around his fist. "Ming! Xiaopang! Now!"

Xu Ming moved like dragonfire—Golden Dragon Qi blazing through his palms to sear the puppet's left leg core. Wu Xiaopang's Tyrant's Essence followed, crushing the right leg node into powder.

The cottage shook as the Nascent Soul fragment shrieked—a sound that liquefied stone and shattered teacups. "Insects! You dare—"

Zhang Yun's laughter cut through the chaos. "We'll 'dare' your tomb apart, grave robber!" His boot heel smashed downward, pulverizing the final core in the puppet's forehead.

The construct exploded into jade shrapnel, its howling soul fragment dissipating like smoke. Silence fell, broken only by the drip of molten stone.

Xu Ming stared at the wreckage, then at his master. "You… you knew?"

Zhang Yun wiped bloodvine residue from his sleeves. "Nascent Souls don't gift legacies. They steal flesh." He kicked aside a smoldering puppet arm. "Now let's see what this parasite truly guarded."

Behind the shattered tea table, the wall mural rippled—a hidden vault door emerging from illusionary mountains.