Qi Ping had considered the code name "Bee Daoist" for a long time. In the future, as he accepted and completed black market tasks, the use of his swarm would inevitably be exposed. Rather than trying to hide it, he decided to lean into it as his primary identity, using it to mask his other strengths.
'You think I only excel at taming bees? That's just the tip of the iceberg! You aren't even qualified to see the full variety of my swarm.'
He would never reveal the true number of his bees or the full extent of his other companions like the Stone Spirit and Ya Ya. His own strength, combined with the Five-Element Armor and arrays, was his true trump card.
Furthermore, no one currently knew he could command a Rank 2 swarm. Only a few people knew he had Golden Marrow Bees, but those were common in the cultivation world. Unless someone investigated every single bee farmer in the Great Sky Domain—a feat that would likely draw the ire of the righteous sects—no one would find him.
"Most importantly, my territory is completely hidden. No one can find me."
'I can also use this "Bee Daoist" persona to sell high-grade honey. It's a perfect cover. The Pharmacist Bees should be able to research some low-cost, high-value recipes soon!'
He needed spirit stones for everything—the vein essence, high-level trees, manuals, and new companions. Since Plant Growth was already strained, he had to rely on the swarm and the Tree-Spirit Contract to generate wealth.
"Bee Daoist. Code name recorded."
"The token can be used to accept tasks, initiate trades, and more. All functions are recorded within. Explore them at your leisure."
"My thanks!" Qi Ping replied.
The Box Puppet gave a slight mechanical nod, left the token on the ground, and departed. The small gesture of the nod surprised Qi Ping. 'What a sophisticated puppet!' This was his first time seeing such craftsmanship.
'Does it carry the will of an entity, or does it have its own?'
There was no clear answer in the cultivation world, but it was known that anyone who tried to plot against these puppets ended up dead, regardless of their cultivation. This meant even the Qingyuan Sect Leader would face certain death for trying to seize one.
'I wonder if a puppet's body can carry a soul?'
Qi Ping had always wanted a clone technique to allow him to travel the world, trade, and gain experience without risking his main body. Such techniques were usually restricted to the Nascent Soul stage and above, but he had a few ideas. Some spirit beasts possessed soul-splitting talents. If he could share such a talent, he could begin working on a clone.
The soul was one half of the equation; the vessel was the other. Posessing a body through "Soul-Seizing" was too difficult for a split soul, but seeing this puppet gave him a new direction.
'Can I combine puppetry with the Tree-Spirit Contract?'
'If I can create a Treant Clone, traveling the world will be much easier. With Plant Growth, upgrading a tree-based body would be convenient.'
He decided to pursue this. Once he had the spirit vein, he would use the black market to look for puppetry manuals and spirit beasts with soul-splitting talents.
He took the token to a safe location and sent his divine sense into it. It was simple: just tasks and trades. He could spend spirit stones to refresh the task list, which was sorted by region and rank. Once a task was completed, he could submit it through the token, and the black market would verify and award points.
The trade function allowed him to search for items within his point-range.
'I have to pay to refresh tasks and search for items? It's like a pay-to-win game!'
He wondered which genius had come up with this monetization scheme. His token currently had ten thousand points—effectively credit he had paid for. The black market must have amassed incredible wealth this way. Despite the cost, he couldn't refuse. Their reputation was ironclad, and they could truly find anything.
'One good thing: the token doesn't need to be refined. It doesn't track identity.'
He liked the respect for privacy. Refining an item often left a traceable signature, but this token could be used simply with spiritual energy. He immediately checked the tasks.
(Task: Blank)
Click to refresh... -200 spirit stones.
(Foundation Establishment Task: Assassinate Qin Sheng-yun, a core disciple of the Qingyuan Sect. Late-stage Foundation Establishment, practices the Infant-Swallowing Art...)
Qi Ping: "..."
He would have to be insane to take that task.
Click to refresh again... -200 stones.