I can identify everything, but this is an upgraded version of identification.

Elmwood City, Celestial Evolution Bureau, Earth Fire Alchemy Room...

The room was ablaze with heat, with flames raging from the ground, yet the only cultivator inside was not refining pills.

Instead, he wielded a butcher's knife and swiftly began to dispose of the monster's body before him.

The Xia Dynasty had excellent regional security; any demonic beasts with excessively high cultivation levels would be personally killed by officials with official positions.

This single, first-tier demonic beast was the only one that Su Changming finally found after searching all over the mountains and fields for a long time.

"This demonic beast has no innate skills and its bloodline is inferior. However, if it truly had innate skills, even with my puppet-making abilities, it shouldn't be able to preserve them."

Su Changming peeled off the skin and dismembered the bones, muttering to himself.

A truly skilled puppeteer can preserve the cultivation level of high-level demonic beasts and cultivators. Moreover, if it is a demonic beast, they can preserve its innate skills, and if it is a cultivator, they can preserve its cultivation secrets.

Of course, both must reach a point where they become integrated into one's bodily instincts.

The innate talents of demonic beasts go without saying; this is their reliance.

However, a cultivator may not necessarily internalize a particular technique.

Cultivators also possess spiritual bodies and have physical refinement abilities, so there's no need to worry that puppetry techniques create human puppets that are inferior to demonic beasts.

"Wait, what am I thinking? I'm not a murderer, why am I pondering the superiority or inferiority of human puppets versus demon puppets?"

Su Changming shook his head helplessly, laughing at his own thoughts.

"Made with bell-shaped ore as flesh and blood, cast iron ore as bones, and green vines as skin..."

After most of the day had passed, a "monster" resembling a black panther appeared before Su Changming.

They are so lifelike, as if they would pounce on you at any moment.

With a thought from Su Changming.

The black panther actually pounced on Su Changming.

"Not bad, it's worth adding so many rare minerals. The power of this claw is almost comparable to that of a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining."

Touching his arm, which bore some marks, Su Changming nodded in satisfaction.

With the addition of a large amount of upgraded and appraised ore, Su Changming's puppet's power was now approaching that of a second-tier demon beast.

It is precisely because the ore used is of a high grade that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it difficult to dismantle this puppet easily.

It can be described as a very deceptive puppet.

When others first see this not-so-strong leopard-shaped puppet, their first thought is to be wary of its attacks and speed.

But who would have thought that because so many high-grade ores were added to this puppet, even he, its master, would find it difficult to dismantle it?

However, this puppet is not without its flaws.

The high-grade spiritual materials used make it far more difficult to control than a first-tier puppet.

All in all, this puppet is still very powerful.

"Unfortunately, even if I have enough contribution points, there's only one low-grade Xuan-level puppetry technique in the Daoist Archives..."

Su Changming stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Most Foundation Establishment cultivators are already considered to have had a good time by practicing one or two Profound-level cultivation techniques.

However, the Xia Dynasty had a king of a different surname who had reached the Yuan Dan realm and practiced puppetry.

He didn't believe that the Great Xia Dynasty didn't have higher-level puppetry techniques.

"After all, it's just the Celestial Evolution Division of Elm City. If it were the Celestial Evolution Division of Hua City, it would probably have a higher level of puppetry."

Su Changming couldn't help but think.

"Since you're the first complete puppet I've ever made, I'll name you... Leopard~"

Looking at the "Black Panther" in front of him, Su Changming couldn't help but feel playful.

To control this object, he needs to devote 20% of his mind and use a mid-grade spirit stone.

He had tested it and found that the mid-grade spirit stones used on the puppets did not have the effect of identification and upgrading.

This further convinced him that only items used by himself or those that he personally appraised and upgraded could retain the upgrade effect.

Perhaps I could create a complex magic array to allow the spirit stones to exert a higher level of effect?

Su Changming pondered for a moment, but he had no clue how to create such a magic array.

They had no choice but to put it aside for the time being and consider it again when the formation was complete.

The next moment, Su Changming put it into his storage bag and took out a yellow plant root.

[Zen Wood Root: Consuming it can enhance spiritual awareness.]

That's all there is to it.

However, this item is of a grade as high as level four.

It took Su Changming a full half month to consume the whole Zen Wood Root until only a small clump remained.

His divine sense had reached a height of three hundred feet, almost the limit for a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Unfortunately, without a spiritual cultivation technique, his vast spiritual consciousness was of no use whatsoever.

Divine Soul Cultivation Techniques are extremely rare; they are treasures that protect any sect, no matter where they are placed.

Perhaps both the Flowing Cloud Sect and the Xia Dynasty possessed such techniques.

However, before he could truly become a core member of the Flowing Cloud Sect, he was forced to leave due to an encounter with the Blood Spirit Sect.

In the Xia Dynasty, he had absolutely no chance of becoming a true core figure.

It seems that this spiritual cultivation technique can only be learned through chance; we'll have to work on it gradually in the future.

Su Changming had not forgotten that his ability to appraise and upgrade techniques could be applied to cultivation methods.

Su Changming took out the jade slip he had prepared beforehand, and his expression showed some difficulty.

[The Jade of Transmission: Jade is hard and can hold knowledge for thousands of years without diminishing its value.]

Ordinary jade slips for transferring skills use image-recording jade, which is a third-order ore. Knowledge can be imprinted with a thousand-foot divine sense and made into jade slips for transferring skills.

While the Transmission Jade is also a material used to make the Transmission Jade Slip.

But those are materials that large-scale producers would use.

The knowledge gained through rubbings can be passed down for thousands of years, and can even record traces of one's origins for people to understand. Moreover, unlike image-recording jade, it does not shatter after a single use.

The problem is that it is extremely difficult to imprint knowledge into the Transmission Jade; only cultivators at the late Yuan Dan stage with strong spiritual sense can do it.

Unless he possesses a divine soul cultivation technique, or can raise the strength of his divine soul to the level possessed by a late-stage Yuan Dan cultivator.

The former goes without saying, and the latter is even more of a pipe dream.

"The hardness of this jade is comparable to that of a low-grade Dao artifact, which means it is comparable to the hardness of a weapon used by a Yuan Dan cultivator."

I wonder if I'll be able to leave a trace?

Su Changming was somewhat frustrated that the third-tier spiritual materials he had obtained after spending a lot of contribution points had no effect.

This item isn't particularly rare; most factions keep some in stock. After all, the jade slips used for transferring skills can record a person's image, which allows for faster comprehension than simply reading text.

With a thought, Su Changming took out his red beard and focused his mind.

In an instant, Su Changming unleashed a sword strike.

Even the legendary spirit jade, which is said to be as hard as a Dao artifact, showed a trace of its own.

Su Changming was quite satisfied upon seeing this.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his sword intent became stronger, his strength increased, and the power of his sword techniques naturally became even greater.

However, Su Changming was not complacent about being able to leave a mark on the Transmission Jade.

This simply means that one's destructive power is sufficient.

A true Yuan Dan cultivator possesses a multitude of magical techniques and methods, far beyond what a simple sword strike can achieve to overcome all other techniques.

Of course, if he can achieve the unity of man and sword, then it might actually be possible...