Of course, the Five Elements Formation Map that the Zhang Family Brothers had sold him served as a fairly reliable reference. So, Su Ping took out a marker and began to draw on the Soul-Settling Paper. He drew solid lines, dashed lines, and arrows—a rather complex design. These lines represented the Energy trajectories, which were not just complex in appearance but equally so in actual operation. But then, when was cultivating a Pet Beast ever a simple affair? After meticulously drawing on five pieces of Soul-Settling Paper, Su Ping finally completed the basic prototype of the Five Elements Formation Map. He let out a long sigh of relief.

He first handed it to Qian Yi, explaining, "The solid lines are the channels for direct Energy transmission. The dashed lines are the channels for Energy fusion after the next Paperman is connected, and the arrows indicate the direction of Energy transfer! You direct them to do it well."

That was one of the advantages of Papermen. Unlike the flesh-and-blood bodies of common Pet Beasts or other such physical constructs, their paper bodies didn't require meridians or a soul and Spirit as a medium for Energy transfer. This was also one of the main reasons Su Ping believed Papermen could complete such Cultivation.

Qian Yi's perceptiveness was unquestionable. In Swordsmanship, combat, and the operation of Energy, the little guy was one in a million. In this, Qian Yi certainly took after its master. Both were absolute geniuses in their respective Domains.

But while this was true for Qian Yi, it seemed these other Papermen weren't quite as capable. Under Qian Yi's control, all five Papermen indeed changed into the required form. They then assembled into the pentagonal shape of the Five Elements Formation Map. Once this formation was joined, problems inevitably arose.

BANG!

A muffled sound resonated as the formation before Su Ping violently shattered. The five Papermen then burst from the center, scattering outwards in five directions like celestial maidens scattering blossoms.

Qian Yi deftly caught the Paperman hurtling toward Su Ping's face and tossed it back to its original spot. It then darted in five directions, retrieving the other four Papermen—which had been embedded in the walls more times than it could count—and threw them back into place for reassembly. Qian Yi then looked at its master, who was deep in thought, for what felt like the hundredth time.

The message in its gaze was clear: Can this thing really work?

The metaphorical question mark above Qian Yi's head seemed to nearly complete a full 360-degree loop, a portion of it now glowing an intense red. This indicated its puzzlement had reached an absolute peak. Clearly, the little guy didn't understand. Why doesn't Master just have these peak-Level Papermen assemble into swords of various Attributes, and then let them complete their corresponding Evolution? What's he trying to do here? What use is such a large pentagon anyway? Is it supposed to be some kind of exploding boomerang? Imagining such a use, the little guy felt a flicker of understanding, but Su Ping's actual intentions remained a complete mystery.

Su Ping paid no mind to Qian Yi's uncertainty. He was aware of the little guy's doubts; in fact, he had anticipated this situation.

Su Ping reckoned there were two reasons for the failure. The first, and simplest, was that these Papermen hadn't channeled their Energy according to the trajectories he had drawn for them to merge. Consequently, the mutual repulsion of their Energies naturally led to the explosion. However, observing Qian Yi, Su Ping believed the little guy had already instructed them correctly. The other reason was also quite simple: the Papermen's ordinary-type Energy was incapable of fusing in the complex manner required by the Five Elements Formation Map, unlike how distinct elemental energies would normally interact.

This also made Su Ping realize that Paper Body Joint wasn't something that could be achieved casually. Previously, the successful assembly of sword forms had been a combination of serendipity and his own improved understanding of Sword-type Pet Beasts. This deeper knowledge was largely thanks to the Cultivation journal left by Fengdu Sword King, Yu Liangqing. It was under those circumstances that the assembly of Qian Yi's Sword Device forms had been so smooth, with Energy activation proceeding without a hitch. Otherwise, attempting to hastily assemble them into just any form would likely result in what he just witnessed: an explosion during assembly, their Energies repelling each other almost instantly.

Yet, Su Ping was far from discouraged. On the contrary, he felt reinvigorated. After all, research and Cultivation are, in essence, processes of identifying and solving problems.

With this thought, Su Ping exhaled and gave Qian Yi the command to continue. Then, another fifteen new Papermen emerged. Luckily, plenty of Paperman materials had been prepared beforehand. During Su Ping's absence, Lao Guan had kept everyone busy, ensuring the daily nurturing with Soul-Settling Paper remained up to standard. Thus, these Papermen had grown quite well.

Su Ping quickly assessed them, sorted those of approximately equal Level into five groups, and then called Lao Guan, who was on standby.

"Lao Guan, bring down materials for fifteen! They are..."

Fifteen sets of materials! Although the materials weren't of a high Level, Lao Guan's ability to produce them immediately was a testament to the current resources and financial capacity of Heart of Woods.

Fifteen sets of materials were brought for fifteen new Papermen. Meanwhile, the original five, which had already been assembled once, continued to practice the formation. These fifteen new Papermen were first instructed to assemble into swords of their corresponding Five Elements Attributes.

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