"Fourth Uncle, what you say makes perfect sense, that's what my father always says too." Gongsun Qing seemed awestruck by Lei Dong's faint, profound aura, sticking out her tongue playfully and admitting obediently, "I will definitely cultivate diligently and strive to break through to the late stages of Qi Refining as soon as possible."

"Silly girl, why is it that every time your father says something, you invariably refute him with disdain?" The second son of the Gongsun family was thoroughly exasperated, shaking his beard with a mixture of annoyance and amusement, "Is it because you are good-looking that everything you say automatically holds weight?"

"No, it's because Father, you are almost sixty years old and only at the mere early stage of Foundation Establishment, whereas Fourth Uncle, in his twenties, is already nearing the peak of Qi Refining. Therefore, what Fourth Uncle says holds more weight than you." Gongsun Qing, seemingly drawn by the hidden might radiating from Lei Dong, affectionately took his arm, ignoring her father’s irritation, and spoke only to him, "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, what does your Shalou look like? Could you show Qing'er?"

Hearing this, the crowd also showed looks of eager anticipation. Firstly, the Gongsun family was a lineage of puppeteers; while their spellcasting skills were not strong, they had secured their standing solely on the back of their relatively excellent puppet artistry, right up to the present day. Secondly, the old Patriarch Gongsun had made it clear that his expectations for his fourth son involved securing a position among the core disciples of the Myriad Puppet Sect.

Gaining entry into the core disciple ranks of the Myriad Puppet Sect was no simple matter that could be swept through merely with exceptional talent or high cultivation. The Puppet Grand Competition—at its heart, this competition was a contest of each participant’s unique skill in puppetcraft. If this young man, Gongsun Dong, showed no prowess in puppetry, why would the elder Gongsun harbor such high hopes for him?

One must realize that the puppets used in the Puppet Grand Competition had to be designed and refined personally by the competitor. The arbiters of the Myriad Puppet Sect naturally possessed a special ability to observe the refinement aura left on every component of the puppet, verifying if it matched the creator's own aura. Though the principle is obscure to many, the Myriad Puppet Sect had adhered to this practice for tens of thousands of years since the Ancient Great War, and the chance of error seemed infinitesimally small.

Furthermore, the Myriad Puppet Sect possessed an additional safeguard against cheating: all family disciples being promoted to core disciple status must, within a stipulated secret chamber, using specified schematics and limited materials, independently refine a puppet within a maximum period of six months, after which they would compete for ranking among the existing core disciples.

If discrepancies arose between the prior and subsequent puppets, indicating too vast a difference, the Myriad Puppet Sect would launch an investigation. Once evidence of prior cheating was uncovered, the consequences would be severe; all parties involved in the fraudulent activity would be subjected to the ultimate penalty. The rationale behind this strictness was simple: the Myriad Puppet Sect had established its reputation entirely upon puppet refinement. Only through absolute rigor in the art of puppetry could they have possibly evolved from an obscure sect to their current standing in merely tens of thousands of years.

Consequently, Gongsun Qing's suggestion instantly piqued the interest of many.

"Qing'er, do not cause trouble with your Fourth Uncle today; this is a momentous day for him to be recognized by the clan. If you wish to see a puppet, we can discuss it another time," the old Master Gongsun said, his face turning slightly pale. He secretly fretted; he had only imparted the secrets of puppet artistry to this Senior for one month. Even if this Senior was a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was impossible to refine a puppet in such a short time. Now, his granddaughter was unintentionally slighting the Senior in front of so many guests. If this caused the guest embarrassment, things could turn sour.

Most high-level cultivators were inherently proud beings. Despite the Senior’s current amiable demeanor, who knew what might erupt if he were truly provoked?

"Father, no matter. Since Qing'er is interested, as her Fourth Uncle, I must naturally indulge her," Lei Dong had witnessed the puppets of Gongsun Qing and Luo Hongqing before. Although Lei Dong’s own 'Big Yellow' was not yet fully perfected, it already far surpassed theirs in both appearance and combat capability. Moreover, Lei Dong could temporarily substitute a powerful and agile Divine Sense for the spirit within the puppet to direct its fighting, thus smoothly deceiving the onlookers.

This was not mere showing off on Lei Dong's part. Rather, he wished to use this opportunity to display his own mastery of puppet arts, perfectly solidifying the narrative that he was the secret weapon meticulously cultivated by old Master Gongsun. Should any private investigations arise in the future, this demonstration would only lend credence to the story. Lei Dong’s true goal was, of course, to successfully obtain the God Transformation level puppet techniques, but given his commitment to keeping his promises, he did not wish to directly cause the ruin of the entire Gongsun family after achieving his aims—even though this family was, in his eyes, no more significant than ants.

Seeing that Lei Dong had no objections, old Master Gongsun let out a great sigh of relief and nodded his assent, "Dong'er, as Qing'er’s elder, you must humor her a little more."

With the old Patriarch Gongsun agreeable, the other curious guests burst into cheers and flocked towards the clan’s martial arts field. Gongsun Qing and Lei Dong stood facing each other. Gongsun Qing went first, rapidly manipulating her fingers to form seals. After a burst of light mist, she summoned her mechanical puppet named 'Pink Maiden.' This was a puppet she had meticulously refined since she first began studying puppet arts, and she planned to continuously adjust it over the next three years to strive for a good result in the Puppet Grand Competition. Gaining core disciple status was out of the question; the Myriad Puppet Sect only recruited a mere ten core disciples every decade. The extended families numbered in the hundreds, and each one fought tooth and nail for the position. Before Lei Dong’s arrival, the Gongsun family was too low-ranking to even dream of contending for a core disciple spot.

Lei Dong, mimicking the motions, enacted a seal and retrieved the puppet from his storage ring. The massive, strangely shaped 'Big Yellow,' several feet high, immediately drew murmurs of discussion upon its appearance.

This was mainly because the exterior of Big Yellow was quite unique and deviated significantly from traditional puppets, especially since Lei Dong had deliberately refined it in a flashy, eye-catching bright yellow hue.

"Fourth Uncle, I never expected you also liked painting your puppets in strange colors," Gongsun Qing openly admired Lei Dong's Big Yellow. "It looks quite handsome, but I wonder how its combat power measures up?"

"We'll know once we test it," Lei Dong replied, resting one hand behind his back, making a gesture of invitation.

"Fourth Uncle, be careful." Gongsun Qing directed her Divine Sense, and the Pink Maiden puppet immediately lunged forward in a standard dash, its speed quite impressive, covering several yards in the blink of an eye before powerfully launching a punch toward Big Yellow.

Since Lei Dong's Big Yellow was still a semi-finished product, it could not fight autonomously. Thus, Lei Dong channeled his Divine Sense into it, personally commanding Big Yellow to engage. The yellow and the pink puppets clashed, resulting in a cacophony of strikes. Because Big Yellow was designed under a different concept and incorporated far more components, its agility far surpassed that of the Pink Maiden puppet. Under Lei Dong's Divine Sense, an array of bizarre and incredible maneuvers were displayed, executed with flawless, dazzling precision.

The onlookers had never witnessed such flexibility in puppet joints! They stood dumbfounded, almost speechless. In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Lei Dong felt it was enough. He executed a precisely angled punch, easily sending the Pink Maiden puppet flying backward.

Those present, especially the experts within the Gongsun family, immediately recognized that Lei Dong’s puppet was extraordinary and powerful. It was clearly no match for Gongsun Qing’s puppet. The only reason the fight lasted as long as it did was visibly due to Lei Dong holding back.

"Qing'er, you let me win," Lei Dong said calmly, cupping his hands in a slight bow.

"Fourth Uncle is indeed formidable. What is the name of such a powerful puppet?" Gongsun Qing was completely convinced of her loss. During the fight, she had even deployed the Blazing Cannon technique, but the yellow puppet had deftly dodged it.

"Big Yellow," Lei Dong shamelessly appropriated the widely known name. With a movement of his Divine Sense, Big Yellow transformed from its humanoid combat form into a single-seater vehicle configuration in an incredibly ornate and dazzling manner, hovering gracefully before Lei Dong, its entire surface gleaming bright yellow, filled with streamlined, exquisite beauty, "That was its humanoid combat mode. Now, it is a flying vehicle."

"What a beautiful flying vehicle." Gongsun Qing's eyes widened, and she pleaded, "Fourth Uncle, take me for a spin."

Lei Dong did not refuse. He let her sit in the co-pilot seat while he took the driver's seat, guiding the vehicle with his Divine Sense straight into the sky. Although this was merely a trial, low-performance flying vehicle from Lei Dong, its speed far exceeded expectations. Like a soaring bird, it danced through the air for a while before descending once more onto the martial arts field.

Although Gongsun Qing possessed flying artifacts, this was her first time riding such a peculiar flying vessel. The sensation was exhilarating, and her small face was flushed with excitement, "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, this is too much fun! I want to refine a puppet like this too."

"Very well. I'll give you the blueprints; you can take your time refining it for fun," Lei Dong was indifferent to the request, as his true target remained the God Transformation-level puppet techniques.

"That's wonderful, Fourth Uncle!" Gongsun Qing happily accepted the jade slip, finding her Fourth Uncle more and more pleasing to her eye the more she looked.

The reason Lei Dong showed off so brazenly was purely to establish the reputation of this 'Gongsun Dong,' to attract the attention of certain families, and ideally, to spread his fame widely so that his future exceptional performance would not appear too abrupt. As for the potential enmity arising from drawing too much attention, Lei Dong paid it no mind. These were merely immortal cultivation families; how far could they possibly scheme against a junior?

"Everyone, my fourth son will represent the family in the Puppet Grand Competition. Are there any objections?" Old Master Gongsun, having witnessed the creation of such a peculiar puppet by this Senior, was inwardly astounded, yet he seized the moment to press the matter.

Naturally, no one voiced any opposition, but a pair of venomous eyes fixed intensely upon Lei Dong in secret, filled with bitter jealousy. Clearly, Lei Dong’s sudden appearance had seriously threatened someone's position.

……(To be continued)