Cui The Tinkerer

Exquisite flying boats contributed to the aerial traffic of the heavenly realm. The qi was bountiful all around, the common folk had no trouble bending it even if it is as basic as using a flying contraption.

Luckily for Zhen, she did not need to abide or congest in the traffic in the skies as her skillful control over her own qi allowed her to rise above the boats, riding straight to her destination. Where, you might ask? To visit a dear friend before she departs for Wodan forest.

Perfectly balanced on top of her ice sword, Zhen jumped thousands of feet off the ground. Her descent, dangerously fast enough that on ordinary human would splatter into pieces of gore. For Zhen, even if she did not do anything, her prime bones and muscles empowered by her cultivation would akin it to jumping from a single step of stair.

That may well be, Zhen summoned a gust of ice that broke her fall, a cultivator of her stature must act with grace instead of a brutish landing that would've left a crater. It is, after all, the front lawn of her dear friend.

Entering a workshop filled with all manners of trinkets, the woman that Zhen was looked for was unseen among the mountain of inventions. Battle might be the fastest way to reach cultivation's peak, but it is not the only road.

Through the eons, her friend's cultivation reached high enough to make breakthrough in immortality. Zhen's childhood friend shy away from the life and death scuffle that cultivators are drawn in like months to a flame. She instead focused all her qi and knowledge into building contraptions mighty enough for the entire Heavenly realm to give her the nickname, 'Almighty Tinkerer'.

From the mountainous pile of inventions, Zhen picked up one of the contraptions. A gauntlet of some sort with a something resembling an arrowhead on top connected to ropes compact and empowered by qi. Zhen pricked its sharpness, drawing blood.

(Impressive. For this to pierce my skin, Cui must have used enchanted metal. That woman never ceases to disappoint with her inventions.)

In her hands was a grappling hook doubling as mobile harpoon, a masterwork of a weapon capable of harming even her. Alas, it was but a toy for the likes of Zhen, her deadly arsenal of ice techniques far outclassed this invention of her friend.

Three wooden spheres rolled into view, sentient enough to avoid the clutter and check on who dares to intrude in their Mistress' abode.

The spheres unfurled, transforming into mechanical tigers made of wood. Guard puppets that do not tire and can shred intruders into bloody pieces. The wooden tigers all approached Zhen, nestling her legs as if they were made from flesh.

Zhen's hands obliged, gently caressing their heads. This behavior was to be expected, Cui shared the secret of making them, spirit beast cores.

"You three don't happen to know where your Mistress is, do you?"

The three puppets balled into a sphere once more, casually rolling and leading Zhen to their destination.

Zhen sighed, finding her friend collapsed on the floor, sprawled as if somebody had just knocked her out. Zhen knew her friend well enough, it was Cui, she knocked herself out.

The woman's short black hair was disheveled, wearing a robe typical to what a black smith would wear, blue and covered with grime from all the elements she needed to tinker with. The features on her face, youthful but beautiful, Cui was certainly a looker. But since she and Zhen have known each other since forever, Zhen treated her like a little sister. Pretty as Cui might be, Zhen held no attraction towards her. Zhen was certain Cui was in the same boat. After conquering the hearts of women left and right, it's nice to hang out everyone once and a while with one who's just a friend.

"Cui, wake up!"

There was no response.

From the tip of Zhen's fingers, she produced an ice cube, modifying its temperature a little bit to produce a slight spike into its coldness. Zhen dropped the cube straight into Cui's forehead. One second later the woman's eyes darted open.

"So cold, aaaaah!" Cui wiggled like a worm, flicking the source of the terrible chill on top of her head. Her eyes gazed at its source, the woman with pale hair laughing at the terrible prank she just pulled. "Zheeeen, you wicked woman! I hate you!"

"You stayed it up all night again, didn't you? You brought this upon yourself, if you are looking to rest then do so at your own room, never treat the cold hard floor as your bed."

Cui stood, shaking her friend by the shoulders, Cui said, "Zhen, you don't understand, I just finished my ultimate invention! I didn't stay up all night, I did so for weeks, perfecting its routine and making sure it doesn't go rogue!"

"You said the same thing about your sphere tigers, and the gatling needle, and the pyro bombs."

"Okay, they're all ultimate inventions in their own right, but this one is the real deal! This will shake the entire Heavenly Realm, I am sure of it! Come with me, I'll show you!"

+++

There it was, sitting lifeless at the center of Cui's lab arena located underneath her workshop. Usually a blast zone for her inventions, the Arena had scratches from what it had to endure but still tidy and well maintained.

"Cui, this is just a mannequin, I fail to see anything special about this."

"It's far from just a mannequin! Pull a strand of your hair and tie it to its wrist like bracelet!"

And so, Zhen did as Cui instructed. The usually calm Zhen had been at awe, the air around the doll hazed, as if an illusion that formed into a perfect copy of Zhen. From her white hair, to her creamy pale skin. Mimicking even Zhen's otherworldly beauty. But the mannequin's mimic did not stop at Zhen's looks. The doll had the same cultivation as Zhen. The peak that Zhen toiled for centuries, this doll managed to reach with just a strand of her hair.

"Cui, I do not like what you have produced here. What in Buddha's name are you planning to do with this invention, take over the entire heavenly realm?"

"No, of course not! This is training mannequin, it can aid cultivators in training! The materials needed for this are so damn rare but if we can mass produce, I can save the lives of many cultivators. No more life and death battles!"

"While it is thrilling to conquer one's self, there is fun to be had in defeating another, be it in a duel with one's life on the line or any other form of competition. Your intention is noble, but if you mass produce this, I can guarantee you that the masses will beg for you to turn this into a weapon. If you want to continue inventing in peace, heed my warning. Alas, this is your invention, I am simply giving you my thoughts."

"B-but I made sure that it reacts only to agression! This mannequin has no soul, it cannot be turned into a weapon!" Cui insisted.

"Cui, my friend, you know the realm we live in and the mysticism that happens all around. I can assure you that one day, this creation will break free from the constraints you set on it."