Su Jie asked around for directions, and this time, he finally found the location of the Puppet Hall.
It was situated at the edge of the Mountain Gate's territory. That wasn't really a problem; many departments like the Refining Hall had their risks, such as explosions occurring from failed artifact refining.
"This place, it truly is dilapidated!"
Su Jie looked at the Puppet Hall. Although it covered a large area, it was very old inside.
The wooden vermilion door was mottled and peeling, stubborn weeds grew through the gaps in the blue stone pavement of the courtyard, the iron railings were speckled with rust, and the corners of the roof beams had become a haven for spider webs.
Su Jie pushed open the semi-closed door and confidently stepped inside.
"Brother Zhu, the Poison Demon Vine extract is ready. Do you think we need to dry it further and extract the fibers?"
"Take this Xuanbing Stone for grinding; we need it in powder form to enhance the puppet's resistance to cold."
"The movements of this puppet arm are too rough. Who was in charge of handling this? I can't even straighten the arm."
"Top Grade Spirit Stone? Where am I supposed to find you a Top Grade Spirit Stone now? Just make do with Mid-grade Spirit Stones; a little less power is not too bad."
Bursts of discussion came from the yard. About thirty disciples were busily engaged there, some processing materials, others assembling puppets, and some testing the puppets' functionalities.
Su Jie did not immediately approach to disturb them but stood aside and watched.
He saw the disciples clearly divided their tasks on a vast, flat ground, using their physical prowess far beyond that of ordinary people to calibrate and train a combat puppet standing two and a half meters tall.
This combat puppet was covered in a bright blue color, with a round head that featured gems as eyes and sensors.
The body was similar to that of an ordinary person, with broad feet and arms that could freely extend and retract. The materials used were extraordinary, including Purple Rhyme Gold Mulberry Wood, Polar Crystals, Moon Spirit Iron, Poison Demon Vine, and Earth Flame Steel Bone...
As Su Jie's Divine Sense swept over the area, he recognized that even the spiritual materials he knew were worth over two thousand Spirit Stones.
If one considered the seven or eight Mid-grade Spirit Stones used as the driving source, the cost of such a combat puppet was approaching three thousand Spirit Stones, enough to empty the entire fortune of an ordinary inner disciple.
Such a combat puppet, gauged by the depressions it made on the ground, weighed nearly ten tons.
Once the combat puppet was adjusted, the test was conducted by a topless, burly man whose voice was extraordinarily loud.
"Move aside, move aside! I'm going to test this Angry Flame Puppet now."
The burly man shouted and the surrounding disciples hurriedly scattered, gathering at another side to watch.
Su Jie naturally blended into the crowd, observing with the others.
"Heave, Angry Flame One, target the rock ahead."
The brawny man manipulated the spell, and the two gemstone eyes of the blue puppet shone brilliantly. Its heavy body moved in light footwork, flowing nearly at ground level at high speed.
A miniature formation emerged on the puppet's surface, and brilliant blue flames blazed furiously, igniting the entire body. It then swung its fists at a faux-mountain ten meters high in front of it.
The blue flames transformed into a dragon-like fire, instantly blasting the faux-mountain into fragments.
Large pieces of broken rock flew through the air, stirring cheers among the group of disciples.
The puppet opened its mouth, spewing a series of fireballs accurately at the falling rocks, further blasting them into smaller pieces, showcasing its long-range attack capabilities.
The next moment, the puppet slammed powerfully into a solidly cast steel plate, directly deforming and indenting the steel plate while staying undamaged itself, demonstrating a good defense capability.
Finally, in testing its strength and speed, the puppet was capable of achieving speeds over a hundred meters per second. If not for the concern of Spirit Stone energy consumption, its highest speed could break three hundred meters, and it could lift steel columns weighing hundreds of tons.
After a series of tests, the arena immediately erupted in applause.
The disciples' faces were elated, and they began discussing excitedly.
"This Angry Flame Puppet is really not bad. Based on combat capability, it must have the strength of a Fourth-grade Puppet, right?"
"Definitely, Brother Zhu is really amazing! He designed this puppet all by himself."
"Let's make more of them. With our speed, we can produce one in half a month."
"Are you paying? The costs for this Angry Flame Puppet were only gathered by everyone scrimping and saving."
The mood slightly dampened towards the end of the discussion.
"I can sponsor some."
Just then, a voice suddenly rose.
"Who, who wants to sponsor us?"
The group of disciples looked around and soon noticed Su Jie speaking.
The disciples looked surprised, realizing that a stranger had mixed into their group.
"Your awareness for security is completely lacking!"
Su Jie shook his head. These disciples had probably not left the Puppet Hall for days while working on the Angry Flame Puppet and were unaware of the major event of Su Jie's advance to the Secret Realm.
"Wait, you're Brother Su."
Suddenly, a disciple recognized Su Jie's face. As the first among disciples, his face was well-recognized in Ghost Ridge Palace, even by these disciples who spent all their days in the Puppet Hall doing research.
Meanwhile, the burly man who was testing the Angry Flame Puppet suddenly shouted out, his face full of shock.
The surrounding disciples were collectively stunned, their eyes filled with astonishment.
"Brother Su advanced to the Secret Realm, and his breakthrough even triggered a heavenly phenomenon. I saw it when I was outside earlier."