The Golden Puppet's words, though delivered with a menacing tone, brought a wave of relief to Li Chuchu. It meant her great-grandfather would certainly intervene in the matter. She immediately feigned a pitiable look, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, and began to recount her conflict with Zhao Wu, embellishing the details as she whispered.

Meanwhile, Lei Dong was also observing the Golden Puppet with a degree of awe. By now, he had begun to discern the key differences between this Golden Puppet and ordinary automatons. There was no one controlling it from behind the scenes, nor was it being operated by a spirit artifact. What was truly astonishing was that this Golden Puppet was Elder Li; Elder Li himself was this very construct.

Such an art was truly breathtaking. It seemed the (Pluto King) might have used Ghost Clan members to instill sentience into his puppets. However, the Ghost Clan possessed inherent advantages that others could never match. Furthermore, the ones the used were all at the Soul Transformation () level. Yet, Elder Li, whose intrinsic strength appeared to be only at the peak of the Nascent Soul () stage, gained true Soul Transformation-level power upon merging with the puppet. The underlying principle was utterly baffling to Lei Dong, no matter how hard he racked his brain. It was perfectly normal that he couldn't figure it out; after all, the Myriad Puppets Sect had invested countless effort and time to develop such technology—how could someone simply deduce it through casual thought?

Still, Lei Dong managed to surmise that this technology must have some immature aspects. Otherwise, why would the Myriad Puppets Sect possess two Soul Transformation-level puppets? The elder surnamed Zhao was clearly also a peak Nascent Soul expert; why hadn't he merged with a puppet to achieve an alternative form of Soul Transformation? It was likely not that he was unwilling, but unable, because his tone and behavior betrayed a deep envy and resentment toward Elder Li.

Upon hearing the report, the Golden Puppet turned and sneered repeatedly: "Elder Zhao, you truly have no self-respect. You are nearly a hundred years old, yet you remain so overbearing and unreasonable, taking your anger out on a junior. Hmph, it was clearly your Zhao Wu who stirred up trouble and ended up suffering the consequences, only to drag your old ancestor into it. Choose another heir; someone so narrow-minded will surely fail to achieve anything significant." There was a distinct implication in his words, leaning heavily toward veiled criticism.

"You..." Elder Zhao hadn't expected his lecture to backfire so spectacularly, turning a scheme to discipline someone into a loss for himself. However, his initial purpose in coming to lecture Lei Dong on behalf of his great-grandson was primarily to vent. In the ongoing struggle for leadership within the Myriad Puppets Sect, he had suffered a significant defeat against Elder Li, who now possessed the might of a Soul Transformation puppet. Already harboring resentment, since he couldn't overtly attack Li Chuchu, the best target for his frustration was Gongsun Dong, who seemed connected to her. Moreover, doing so could clear obstacles for his great-grandson's succession path, allowing him to gain an advantage over Elder Li in nurturing the next generation and thus venting some of his suppressed anger.

Yet, despite his pettiness, Elder Zhao was a man of sharp intellect, cunning, and seasoned craftiness. Having suffered a setback, he immediately countered: "It is true that my little Wu was somewhat reckless due to his youth, but which youth isn't? However, your Chuchu girl, I hear she possesses first-rate aptitude and talent, even excelling in conduct and winning hearts. Yet now, she is here fooling around with some man, acting as if her life depends on it. Perhaps she is unfit to inherit your position?"

Qualifying for succession was no trivial matter. An heir had to excel in every aspect and the timing had to be precise—too early or too late would not do. Elder Zhao and Elder Li were roughly the same age, both having perhaps another three hundred years according to their lifespans. Both were currently fortunate enough to have produced an exceptionally gifted descendant in their respective families—prodigies that might appear only once in several millennia. Consequently, each had designated one as their successor.

Of course, "appearing once in several millennia" didn't mean these two descendants were necessarily superior to talents like Wanyan or Dongfang Fu. At best, their aptitude was comparable. The reason such talents were rare within a single family over millennia was simply due to the vastness of the Great Qian Continent (). Its expanse was immense, teeming with peerless prodigies, with super-geniuses appearing every year. But those true super-geniuses might not emerge from families like the Li or Zhao clans, which weren't even considered the absolute pinnacle, nor might they necessarily surface within the sphere of influence of the Myriad Puppets Sect.

With the resources commanded by the two Grand Supreme Elders of the Myriad Puppets Sect, cultivating a genius of this caliber to the Nascent Soul stage was practically guaranteed, barring any unforeseen accident. Whether they could advance all the way to the peak of Nascent Soul depended on luck. Reaching Soul Transformation was even more remote.

In fact, since the Myriad Puppets Sect established itself after the ancient war and the subsequent Great Depression, tens of thousands of years had passed, yet the sect had produced very few true Soul Transformation level cultivators. The elders surnamed Zhao and Li, realizing they had long since entered their decline phase with almost no hope of further advancement in cultivation, tried the puppet fusion technique the sect had been researching. Fortunately for Elder Li, he succeeded, while Elder Zhao failed no matter what he tried. Consequently, after the passing of the previous generation of Grand Supreme Elders, the Li-surnamed Grand Supreme Elder gained the dominant position, earning the support of the core forces at the Nascent Soul level due to his Soul Transformation combat power.

The reason was simple: it wasn't that Elder Li was exceptionally humble or particularly concerned for his subordinates. The sole reason was that he was stronger than Elder Zhao, and significantly so. The strong naturally garnered more followers and allegiance.

Upon hearing Elder Zhao begin to denigrate Li Chuchu, the Golden Puppet merely continued to scoff: "Old Zhao, I advise you to cease wasting your energy. The relationship between my Chuchu and Gongsun Dong was personally sanctioned by me. I myself came from a humble background and was bullied relentlessly throughout my early journey. Having diligently fought my way to this position today, I naturally feel a great affinity for Gongsun Dong, who possesses unparalleled talent despite his humble origins. To tell you the truth, I believe Gongsun Dong's future achievements might even surpass your Zhao Wu. Call me opportunistic, or say I'm making an investment, but I have extremely high hopes for this Gongsun Dong."

Ah? Even Li Chuchu was taken aback by her great-grandfather’s declaration. Of course, she knew the term "sanctioned" was an exaggeration. But for her great-grandfather to express such admiration for Gongsun Dong in this manner? Perhaps there was genuinely a sliver of intent to encourage his relationship with... At this thought, Li Chuchu felt both joy and anxiety. Joy, because her grandfather didn't seem to oppose her fondness for Gongsun Dong. Anxiety, because this "Gongsun Dong," whose background was unknown and whose intentions remained veiled, sent her into a state of nervous turmoil.

"Hmph." Elder Zhao was momentarily choked for words. He had to admit, Gongsun Dong had displayed champion-caliber strength during the Myriad Puppets Sect contest, even managing to wear down his great-grandson. Although Gongsun Dong was older than his great-grandson and possessed a lower cultivation level, none of that negated the fact that Gongsun Dong was an exceptionally rare genius. If he had also originated from a major clan with abundant resources, his strength and achievements at this age would be far greater.

Irritated by this turn of events, Elder Zhao chafed: Must his Zhao family be perpetually suppressed by the Li family starting from his generation? However, it seemed this Gongsun fellow’s character wasn't entirely sound? Perhaps there was an opportunity... Provoked by the Golden Puppet, Elder Zhao began to ponder whether his own Zhao family had any young, attractive girls with decent aptitude? Even if he couldn't snatch Gongsun away, the least he could do was sabotage this match.

With this thought, Elder Zhao actually began to smile: "Since that is the case, then I must have been meddling unnecessarily. At the same time, I congratulate Brother Li on acquiring such an excellent son-in-law. Congratulations, congratulations! Since Brother Li is here, then I need not linger here awkwardly. I shall proceed to investigate and apprehend the wanted criminals." The verbal sparring match thus concluded. Elder Zhao then mounted a flying spiritual treasure and swiftly departed, leaving behind a trail of hearty laughter.

As for the Golden Puppet, Elder Li, though he appeared victorious over Elder Zhao, was internally furious enough to nearly cough up blood. It was fortunate that he possessed human consciousness within a puppet body, preventing him from succumbing to a genuine rise in vital energy that could cause death. Nevertheless, he was intensely agitated. He unleashed a golden light that enveloped the two of them, and in barely fifty breaths, they arrived at an ancient yet elegant cave dwelling.

The Golden Puppet stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes flashing with golden light as he fixed his gaze upon Lei Dong: "Boy, my great-granddaughter is, by far, the most outstanding among all my descendants. Ever since her childhood, I personally designated her as the family successor and my inheritor. Are you aware of this?"

"This junior was unaware before, but I know now." Lei Dong breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He could tell that the Golden Puppet hadn't detected his true identity. He replied with a manner that was neither overly submissive nor arrogant: "This junior certainly did not anticipate that Chuchu's elder would be a supreme expert at the Soul Transformation level."

"Good, very good. Even in my presence, you remain composed. You are indeed worthy of the unwavering devotion Chuchu holds for you." The Golden Puppet offered a slight measure of praise, his tone softening. "But you miscalculated. Although I currently possess Soul Transformation strength through this puppet body, I lack the Soul Transformation realm. In essence, I remain a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, and it is likely I will never have the chance to truly step into the Soul Transformation realm in this lifetime. As for hope, you and Chuchu, should you be supported by endless, abundant resources, both have a sliver of a chance. But it is only a sliver, after all. While aptitude is crucial for breaking through to Soul Transformation, destiny and immense fortune are far more important."