Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

Qiaogongtang served as the core base for Cui Ming's implementation of the mechanical prosthetics project and subsequent research.

but...

Only the land was approved; Cui Ming still had to figure out how to make the factory himself.

Cui Ming was happy with this arrangement, since according to the plan, none of the original workshops in the Tang Clan met the requirements and needed to be demolished and rebuilt.

Therefore, it's not a bad idea to build a factory according to one's own wishes.

To accomplish their plans, the factory must be substantial.

Normally, even with a large amount of manpower and resources, it would take several months to build a factory of this scale.

However, Cui Ming once again demonstrated his inhuman abilities.

After confirming the location, he did not rush to have his apprentices and ordinary disciples engage in physical labor.

Instead, he first led his core apprentices, mobilized all the resources in the workshop, and worked day and night to produce dozens of basic mechanical arms.

These robotic arms have relatively uniform structures and are designed for repetitive or strength-intensive tasks such as load-bearing and material handling.

Subsequently, after selecting an auspicious day to begin construction, all the disciples who came to assist, whether inner or outer disciples, witnessed a scene they would never forget.

Cui Ming stood alone in the center of the chosen open space, his eyes closed and his mind focused.

The next moment, six sophisticated mechanical arms on his back slowly unfolded. At the same time, all fifty basic mechanical arms placed around him seemed to be pulled by invisible threads and came to life.

hum!

Amidst the deep, resonant sounds, the fifty mechanical arms, like a living steel forest, began to move in an orderly fashion.

Several robotic arms transformed into excavating tools, rapidly digging the foundation;

Some began to carry the heavy stones and timber in a relay-like manner;

Some are undergoing precise architectural assembly;

Others inscribe reinforcing runes on the completed parts of the object...

All the actions were orderly and parallel, as if several well-coordinated elite engineering teams were working simultaneously.

The air was filled with the sounds of mud flying, wood being cut, and metal clashing.

But the construction site was not as noisy and bustling as usual; only cold mechanical puppets were operating at an astonishingly high speed.

Meanwhile, the revered Senior Brother Cui Ming stood in the center, his figure as steady as a mountain, his hands and the six mechanical arms behind him dancing gracefully.

His face showed no sign of fatigue or burden, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, as he controlled a terrifyingly large number of mechanical puppets, rapidly constructing his own workshop.

The Tang Clan disciples who came to help were all dumbfounded, and they almost dropped their tools.

Although they knew that this Senior Brother Cui was skilled in mechanical arts, they never imagined that his skills were so superb that he could almost single-handedly create an army!

The disabled apprentices who had just joined the Qiaogongtang were so excited that they trembled all over, their eyes filled with boundless fanaticism and worship.

Because they were following someone who could create miracles!

Little did they know how excited Cui Ming was at that moment.

The excessive strain of operating fifty mechanical arms drained Cui Ming's energy, constantly depleting his meridians. Yet, through the system's reversal and the effects of the Earth Flow, his meridians were repeatedly stretched and pulled.

Squeeze dry, fill up, squeeze dry, fill up...

Meanwhile, the negative effects of the earth and wood flow continued to strengthen Cui Ming's internal organs and meridians under the reversal of the system.

Cui Ming persevered through this painful yet joyful state.

Therefore, the project, which was originally expected to take several months to complete, was completed at an astonishing speed thanks to Cui Ming's powerful divine soul, which controlled fifty mechanical arms as the main force, with the assistance of many disciples and apprentices.

In less than half a month, a sturdy, functionally well-organized, and rudimentary Qiaogongtang factory was erected on the back mountain of Tangmen.

The factory buildings are tall, the workbenches are neatly arranged, the assembly line is in its initial planning stages, and there are areas specifically for learning and research and development...

All of this foreshadows the quiet beginning of a new era led by Cui Ming within this ancient assassin sect.

At this moment, the Tang Clan disciples who had witnessed Cui Ming's tireless work for a whole week were filled with admiration, and a rumor gradually spread among them.

Is Senior Brother Cui Ming so obsessed with puppetry that he has turned himself into a puppet?

Otherwise, how could someone control so many puppets beyond the reach of ordinary people, and not need to sleep for seven days and seven nights? How could they still be human?

Cui Ming had known about the rumors circulating within the sect that he had been transformed into a puppet for a long time.

Just kidding, he was in charge of building the entire Qiaogongtang, so adding his own spies inside wouldn't be too difficult.

These words came from several of his young disciples who witnessed him working tirelessly for seven days and nights to operate the mechanical arm to build the factory, and who were deeply moved by his actions.

He did not get angry about this, nor did he seem to want to clarify anything.

On the contrary, he thought it was quite good.

This hazy sense of awe and detachment serves as his best camouflage.

After all, he also discovered something: since obtaining the Reversal System, he not only doesn't need to sleep, but as his cultivation techniques have become more and more refined, he doesn't even need to eat anymore.

With his physical fitness constantly improving, Cui Ming clearly felt that his body was always full of vitality, both inside and out.

He even wondered if he...

Will they still age?

Instead of waiting until everyone notices something is wrong and then questioning it, it's better to subtly establish the persona of a madman who has cultivated puppetry and mechanical arts to the point of insanity from now on.

He guided them to gradually discover the "truth" that Cui Ming wanted them to discover.

and...

What he's about to accomplish is truly difficult to explain how a human being could possibly do it...

The persona of a genius madman who gradually transforms himself into a puppet can barely cover up the truth.

Even if the main building of Qiaogongtang is completed, it will only be the first step.

The improvement of internal facilities, the debugging of production lines, and the training of personnel all require time.

But Cui Ming didn't have time to stay here; he had many other things to do.

So from the very beginning, Cui Ming had his sights set on Liang Wu.

As the only weapon refiner in the sect, Liang Wu's professionalism is beyond doubt, and he is perfectly capable of serving as the apprentices' mentor.

Gathering the eager apprentices in the brand-new lecture hall, Cui Ming pointed to Liang Wu beside him and addressed the group.

"From this day forward, Senior Brother Liang Wu will be your first mentor. He will teach you the basics of mechanical arts. A weak foundation will lead to disaster. I hope you will study diligently and not be overly ambitious."

Chapter 39 Experiment

After settling the apprentices in, he spoke with Liang Wu, who was beside him.

"Senior Brother Liang, thank you for your trouble."

After saying that, Cui Ming handed over a basic teaching material and training plan that he had compiled overnight.

"We can proceed with the training according to this plan for now. I need to go out and find some materials. If you have any questions, please write them down and I will answer them when I return."

With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, Liang Wu snatched the plan from Cui Ming's hand and joked.

"Well, you've become a hall master so far, haven't seen you in a while. When will you let me take on a position?"

While joking, Liang Wu flipped through the plan Cui Ming had prepared. It was well-organized, progressing from easy to difficult, and even included key point analysis...

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking how lucky these apprentices were. When he first entered the school, he was only given odd jobs and not taught anything. The only instruction he received was a brief explanation of the basic concepts and a book.

There's no arrangement from easy to difficult, and there are so many annotations.

It all depends on your own understanding...

He sighed quietly, but on the surface he remained expressionless.

"A temporary post? Senior brother, you're dreaming."

"Huh? What? Now that you've become the head of the hall, you're putting on airs? You don't even want to give me an easy job?"

Liang Wu's face darkened.

"No, that's not it. Senior Brother Liang, don't even think about slacking off. You are the deputy head and mentor of my Qiaogong Hall."

"what?"

This surprised Liang Wu so much that he dropped the foxtail grass in his mouth.

"No... the deputy hall master? The mentor? Me? Why don't you... reconsider?"

"What are you still considering? You're the only weapon refiner in our Tang Clan. If you ask me, you should be the head of this hall. The Hall of Skillful Crafts, the Hall of Skillful Crafts. The head of the hall is a puppeteer? That's outrageous..."

It's unusual that Cui Ming is talking so much more today.

But when Liang Wu heard Cui Ming praising him so openly and subtly, he became smug.

"That's right, I taught you how to be the head of the Qiaogongtang, hahaha."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Having settled the apprenticeship arrangements, Cui Ming had one more thing to discuss with Liang Wu, so he spoke directly.

"Senior brother, I've heard that you created the Guanyuan Garden of our Tang Clan. I've always been very curious about it. Could you lend me the blueprints of the Guanyuan Garden? I'll repay you handsomely when I return."

Upon hearing this, Liang Wu merely raised an eyebrow and, without a second thought, tossed a sealed copper tube in front of Cui Ming.

In the rush, a hidden wire flew out and firmly wrapped around the copper pipe.

Liang Wu was speechless, but a knowing glint flashed deep in his eyes.

"I'm telling you, Ming'er, can't you even react to this? You should at least practice your martial arts."

Cui Ming didn't answer, he just grinned.

Using concealed wiring, the copper pipe can be easily disassembled and restored with a simple scan of the blueprint.

The copper pipe was intact, and even the seal was restored to its original state without any damage.

If Liang Wu hadn't watched Cui Ming unseal the seal and glanced at the blueprints on the spot, he probably would have thought Cui Ming hadn't opened it at all.

The hidden wire is used to send the copper pipe back.

"Senior Brother Liang, please keep this a secret for me. You will be in charge of Qiaogongtang for now. I will bring back a huge surprise soon."