Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Three-year-old Ning Zhuo moved a small furnace out and immediately refined a new material for Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong sneered, "I don’t even need a pill furnace. Watch carefully."

He stretched out his palm, and a flame ignited in his palm.

He threw the medicinal materials into the fire one after another and quickly obtained a brand-new material.

"How about it?"

After checking, Ning Zhuo clapped his hands repeatedly, "Brother Sun, you’re amazing! You don’t need a pill furnace, and you did it by hand. It’s faster and better than mine!"

Sun Lingtong shook his head, "This is nothing, you must stay humble."

Ning Zhuo nodded heavily in agreement.

…

The process went smoothly, and he succeeded in one go.

Sun Lingtong was slightly surprised, knowing he must be faster and make better symbols than Ning Zhuo.

Outwardly relaxed, he deliberately yawned, his eyelids drooping as he casually pinched the pen. But in reality, he was fully concentrated, completing the drawing in one stroke!

After comparing, Ning Zhuo gave a thumbs up and sincerely praised, "Brother Sun, you're awesome!"

"Compared to you, I really can't measure up. You’re truly amazing."

Sun Lingtong sighed, "There are countless geniuses. Compared to them, I’m as insignificant as an ant. Little Zhuo, you must stay humble."

Ning Zhuo nodded repeatedly, "I know, I’ll remember!"

…

Five-year-old Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and began arranging a formation on a blank array disc.

After three hours, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and said with some shame, "Brother Sun, I failed."

Sun Lingtong witnessed the entire process, his heart trembling. Ning Zhuo had given it his all, and although he failed, his formation skills far exceeded the standards of his age!

Sun Lingtong maintained a calm facade, "Not bad at all, now watch me."

He quickly arranged the formation, completing the array disc in just one hour.

Ning Zhuo inspected the array disc and was sincerely convinced.

Sun Lingtong wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking, "Formation techniques aren’t my specialty. Luckily, I secretly tampered with the array disc last night."

He said to Ning Zhuo, "This is nothing, I still have a lot of room for improvement."

Ning Zhuo strongly agreed and quickly pointed out many shortcomings in the array disc.

Finally, he told Sun Lingtong, "Brother Sun, I’ll keep working hard. Don’t worry, I won’t get complacent or proud!"

"That’s good, that’s good." Sun Lingtong nodded, full of comfort.

Secretly, he felt uneasy, thinking, "He’s only five, what will happen next year?"

After this, he decided to secretly take time to study various cultivation arts to deal with the increasingly formidable Ning Zhuo.

…

The competition for six-year-olds was about controlling spirit beasts.

Ning Zhuo was full of fighting spirit and confidence, "Brother Sun, my Fiery Majestic General is very strong. I personally hatched it at the start of the school year and have been raising it since. For this school’s small exam, I sealed more than half of its power in advance, and it still easily ranked fifth."

Sun Lingtong nodded, expressionless, "It seems your fighting chicken is indeed formidable. Mine, on the other hand, has only been in my hands for a little over a month."

He secretly chuckled.

In reality, more than a year ago, he realized he could no longer suppress Ning Zhuo, so he specifically investigated past exam topics. He even confirmed this year’s small exam content in advance.

Therefore, he secretly nurtured his fighting chicken for far longer than Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo released his Fiery Majestic General, while Sun Lingtong released his Xiao Heizi (Little Blackie).

The General launched the first attack, its wings spreading like blades, swooping towards its opponent with a fierce wind.

Xiao Heizi dodged nimbly, quickly counterattacking with its sharp beak and claws striking at the General's chest.

The two chickens fought more and more fiercely, feathers flying, and blood splattering.

Ning Zhuo gave it his all, casting spells from time to time to protect the Fiery Majestic General.

But in the end, the General’s full-strength attack was dodged by Xiao Heizi, who leaped into the air and tore open the General’s comb, securing victory.

The General fell to the ground, on the verge of death.

Xiao Heizi also swayed, having reached its limit.

Ning Zhuo panted heavily, his small face flushed, disappointment written all over his face, and his eyes lost their light.

He trembled, rushing to the field, placing both hands on the General, and casting healing spells with all his might.

The General's injuries soon stabilized, its breathing became steady, and it fell into a deep sleep.

After a while, Ning Zhuo raised his head and said in a low tone, "Brother Sun, I lost again."

He couldn’t hide the dejection in his expression.

Only then did Sun Lingtong’s tense mood gradually ease.

He had thought he had a huge advantage, but unexpectedly, the chicken fight had been so evenly matched that it wasn’t until the very end that victory was decided.

He knew his victory was unfair; he had secretly invested far more in Xiao Heizi than Ning Zhuo had.

Feeling guilty, Sun Lingtong sincerely praised, "You did very well. If you had gone all out, your General would surely be the top in the school."

Ning Zhuo shook his head, "What’s the point of being the top in the school? Compared to the whole Huoshi City, I’m nothing. In all of Southern Dou Country, I don’t even rank. Let alone, there are other cultivation nations out there. I’ve always been no match for Brother Sun, I always lose…"

Sun Lingtong gritted his teeth, trying to console him, "I almost lost just now."

"Really."

"Wasn’t that last move of yours a mechanical technique?"

Ning Zhuo nodded, "Yes, I usually use puppet strings to train the General. Later, I referred to some cultivation techniques and designed some commands. When I give the command, the General will fly down and kill its enemies. At the same time, it will trigger the talismans hidden deep in its feathers, greatly enhancing its attack power."

Sun Lingtong was momentarily stunned, sincerely praising, "Amazing! You’ve already started using various methods to train your fighting chicken."

"You’re not limiting yourself to what the school’s elders have taught."

"You’re already innovating, and most importantly, the results in actual combat are outstanding!"

Ning Zhuo still felt downcast, "Thank you for your praise, Brother Sun, but you don’t need to comfort me. I understand!"

"I need to work even harder. This battle exposed many of my weaknesses."

"I’m really nothing compared to you all. The gap is just too wide."

"I have to work even harder to make up for the difference in talent!"

Sun Lingtong fell silent, wondering if he had gone too far over the years.

…

The competition when Ning Zhuo was seven, however, made Sun Lingtong furious!

"Little Zhuo, what’s going on? A whole year has passed, and although you’ve made some progress in the hundred arts of cultivation, it’s not much."

"What have you been doing?"

"Have you been studying seriously?"

Ning Zhuo lowered his head and admitted his mistake, telling Sun Lingtong that he had been spending time with his classmates, getting addicted to playing with marbles.

Sun Lingtong asked carefully what marble games were, and upon finding out that the game was boring, he was deeply pained, "You’ve become obsessed with this? It’s simply ruining your will to achieve!"

He scolded Ning Zhuo harshly for the length of an incense stick.

Ning Zhuo’s eyes filled with tears, "Brother Sun, I won’t do this again. I’ll study hard!"

"I know I’m really bad, and I have too many shortcomings."

Hearing this, Sun Lingtong was stunned and couldn’t help but think: Have I been suppressing Ning Zhuo’s achievements too much, distorting his perception, making him lack a sense of accomplishment and confidence, thus losing the motivation to improve himself?

"Actually…" Sun Lingtong pondered his tone, "Little Zhuo, you’ve actually done quite well before. Don’t be too hard on yourself."

Ning Zhuo replied, "I know, Brother Sun. You don’t have to comfort me! I understand everything."

Sun Lingtong: "…"

…

At the Kindergarten for Benevolence, Li Leifeng was holding a puppet show.

Sun Lingtong sneaked in, stealing the cultivators’ personal belongings to fund his daily cultivation needs.

After Li Leifeng's performance ended, he went to the private box to thank Elder Zhou of the Zhou family for his generous donation to the show.

Elder Zhou of the Zhou family also wanted to make friends

with Li Leifeng and asked about his methods of raising children.

"Under your guidance, the orphans in the Kindergarten for Benevolence have been trained well, they are obedient, sensible, and diligent."

"Sigh, my son Zhou Zhenshen, however, is mischievous and a troublemaker. He hates school and has no interest in learning at all. It’s truly worrisome!"

Li Leifeng asked a few questions and, after understanding the situation, smiled and said, "My advice is to let him play."

Elder Zhou was puzzled.

Li Leifeng continued, "From what you’ve just said, I understand that your son is being too strictly monitored. Aside from school lessons, he has multiple supplementary lessons at home, leaving him with almost no time to play."

"It’s because he plays too little that a blade of grass, a pen, even a cloud in the sky can keep him amused, and his mind wanders, daydreaming."

"You must understand: no matter how smart a child is, they have a child’s heart. Playing is their nature and a necessary part of their growth."

"Only by playing continuously can they find joy, happiness. Once they’ve played enough, a blade of grass or a pen will no longer hold any temptation."

"This is the growth they need."

Hidden nearby, Sun Lingtong listened intently.

From then on, he no longer stole money from the Kindergarten for Benevolence.

Sun Lingtong excitedly found Ning Zhuo.

"You’re really lucky to have met me!" He suddenly said something that left Ning Zhuo feeling baffled.

"Come on, I’ll take you out to play!"

Seven-year-old Ning Zhuo could hardly believe it, his eyes filled with surprise, "R-really?"

"Of course!" Sun Lingtong raised his head proudly, grabbing Ning Zhuo’s arm, and flew away.

In a dark alley.

Sun Lingtong "encouraged" Ning Zhuo, "See that unpleasant person? Steal something from him for fun, just like I taught you earlier!"

Ning Zhuo hesitated, "Stealing from others isn’t right, is it?"

"What are you afraid of? Trust your Brother Sun, I won’t harm you." Sun Lingtong patted his chest and kept egging him on, "It’s thrilling, especially the first time. It’ll make you feel really excited!"

Under his guidance, Ning Zhuo chose a local thug and stole his purse.

The thug frantically searched, almost stripping himself bare.

Ning Zhuo hid in the shadows, laughing out loud.

Before leaving, he even seemed to toss the purse back near the thug’s feet.

Sun Lingtong patted Ning Zhuo’s shoulder, "How does it feel? Exciting, right?"

"Yes! It was fun." Ning Zhuo said.

Sun Lingtong sighed, "Sometimes, when I’m in a bad mood, I stroll down the street, find someone I don’t like, and steal from them."

"Hahaha, after stealing, I always feel much better!"

Ning Zhuo hesitated, "Brother Sun, maybe we shouldn’t do this. The school teaches us to follow the righteous path and do righteous deeds. Stealing isn’t good behavior."

Sun Lingtong rolled his eyes, then slyly smiled, "The elders at the school are right. But what I’m teaching you is the same thing."

Ning Zhuo stared, confused.

Sun Lingtong said, "Don’t you understand the principle of punishing evil and promoting good? Punishing these wicked people is an act of accumulating virtue and righteousness."

"The thug you just taught a lesson to usually bullies kind and honest poor people. You only scared him a little, and he didn’t actually lose anything. You really let him off easy!"

Ning Zhuo squinted, "Then I’ll go back and steal from him again."

Sun Lingtong nodded, "Sure, I’ll go with you."

"This time, I’ll teach you a new way to steal. Try it out, the feeling will be different from before."

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