Gongshu Yi had seen the instrument tribulation before.
His master was the most renowned artifact refining grandmaster on the Nine Provinces Continent, and he had witnessed the "instrument tribulation spiritual light," which countless artifact refiners coveted, many times.
Yet, even after scouring all his memories, he could hardly recall any tribulation as grand as the lightning tribulation unfolding today.
He was almost certain that if this magical artifact could survive the lightning tribulation, it would undoubtedly become a top-tier artifact that would shock the Nine Provinces Continent.
Gongshu Yi retreated several steps, intending to wait until the tribulation ended before immediately inspecting the artifact's true form.
However, he never expected that as soon as he stood firm, the lightning tribulation that had roamed half the secret realm would abruptly vanish, as if everything that had just happened was merely his imagination.
Gongshu Yi, refusing to believe it, looked up. He saw the cracks above rapidly healing.
Was this… failure?
Gongshu Yi had never encountered such a situation before, and thus he was somewhat bewildered.
Just as he hesitated whether to step forward again, myriad rays of rosy light eagerly squeezed through the cracks into the space.
Gongshu Yi raised his arm, cupping the rosy light with his palm, his excitement uncontainable.
After a thousand years, he finally saw the instrument tribulation spiritual light again.
He wasted no more time, swiftly moving forward. In a single breath, he was before Xu Yi.
"May I see the artifact you have refined?" Gongshu Yi asked, looking into Xu Yi's eyes cautiously.
Xu Yi clearly felt Gongshu Yi's attitude towards her change again.
"Of course," Xu Yi replied with a smile, opening her palm. In the center of her palm lay a transparent stone, less than the size of her palm.
The most peculiar thing was a purple thread, finer than a strand of hair, moving within the transparent stone.
Even through the stone, Gongshu Yi could feel the immense pressure emanating from the purple thread.
Gongshu Yi's pupils contracted, and he blurted out, "It's the power of lightning! Could it be from just now…"
Xu Yi did not answer, instead offering a mysterious smile.
"The younger generation is truly formidable, truly formidable!" Gongshu Yi finally managed to shift his gaze away from the stone after a long while, unable to help but clap his hands and sigh.
"You flatter me. The successful refinement of this artifact was also beyond my expectations. Heaven's timing, earth's advantage, and human harmony—all were indispensable. Even I find it difficult to replicate."
Xu Yi spoke modestly, but her face was beaming with a clear smile.
This was her most proud creation to date, and she couldn't help but feel proud.
"Have you decided on a name for this artifact?" Gongshu Yi inquired in detail, showing his great fondness for the artifact.
"This artifact was refined by combining the Earth Core Azure Flame and the Unbounded Water. It is attribute-less and can absorb various types of attacks, storing them within its body…"
Gongshu Yi nodded as he listened.
It was precisely from the absorbed lightning tribulation that he had guessed the artifact's function. He was curious what name Xu Yi would give it.
It would surely be a deafening and profoundly meaningful name.
With such anticipation, he heard a name that he could never have come up with, no matter how hard he tried.
"Pixiu Stone," Xu Yi stated immediately, almost without any thought.
"Pixiu?" Gongshu Yi pondered. He felt the name was quite fitting. The Pixiu was an ancient divine beast that consumed but never expelled, capable of devouring all things, which matched the artifact's properties.
"A good name," Gongshu Yi praised. He then cast a reluctant glance at the Pixiu Stone and said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, to witness the birth of the Pixiu Stone today is truly a stroke of great fortune. I believe if your master were alive, he would certainly consider you a kindred spirit."
Xu Yi's heart stirred.
Gongshu Yi mentioned being a kindred spirit, not accepting her as a disciple.
She blinked rapidly, a hint of understanding dawning upon her.
As soon as Xu Yi finished her thought, the scene before her abruptly changed.
The piles of refining materials vanished, as did the refining platform of Southern Sea Copper Mother Heart. Xu Yi found herself in a spacious stone chamber, with a person sitting cross-legged in the center.
It was Gongshu Yi.
Just as Xu Yi was about to step forward to ask where she was, she paused.
Wait, this didn't seem like Gongshu Yi.
Although they looked identical, Xu Yi felt a subtle difference.
Xu Yi never doubted her intuition.
"Greetings, Senior Gongshu." As Xu Yi bowed her head, she heard a light chuckle from ahead.
This voice was also extremely similar to Gongshu Yi's; there was no discernible difference.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, how did you discover this?"
Xu Yi's little secret was exposed, but she felt no embarrassment. She straightened up and calmly said, "You and Senior Gongshu Yi should be of the same lineage, making you difficult to distinguish. I couldn't be certain, so I could only make a bold guess."
"Fellow Daoist Xu not only possesses extraordinary talent but also a sharper mind than most. That's right, I am not Gongshu Yi. My name is Gongshu Er," the man seated at the head of the table said with a smile.
Gongshu Yi, Gongshu Er. Following this pattern, there would likely be Gongshu San, Gongshu Si… Xu Yi's lips curved into a faint smile. This great refining master seemed as uncreative with names as she was, as these names lacked novelty but were easy to differentiate.
At this point, Xu Yi had not yet deeply considered why Gongshu Yi and Gongshu Er looked identical, still chuckling at their names.
"Gongshu Yi sent you here because he recognized your refining talent, but gaining my approval is not easy. Do not rejoice too soon." Gongshu Er, seemingly feeling that Xu Yi was mocking him, grew displeased and threatened in a cold tone.
Xu Yi was not annoyed by this. "I am already content with having refined the Pixiu Stone in the secret realm. As for other matters, I dare not force them."
Xu Yi was very interested in puppet crafting, but it wasn't something she absolutely had to learn. Teacher Li from Kunlun Academy also possessed many world-rare artifact refining techniques, and Xu Yi could ask for guidance anytime she wished.
Seeing that Xu Yi was not intimidated by his words, Gongshu Er snorted in anger twice and flicked a jade slip towards Xu Yi.
"This contains the art of controlling puppets. Study it first, and then answer my questions."
Xu Yi had not expected such a fortunate turn of events. Regardless of whether her answer pleased Gongshu Er, she would be able to observe the art of puppet crafting. This was truly a win-win situation.
Xu Yi, almost impatiently, immersed her divine sense into the jade slip, utterly captivated. The jade slip recorded how this artifact refining grandmaster, inspired by a flash of insight, wished to refine puppets identical to himself.
The artifact refining grandmaster's idea was to use puppets as his clones. In critical moments, the puppets could distract enemies, allowing him to escape. However, puppets without sentience, made to be indistinguishable from cultivators and without flaws, was an almost impossible feat. From the moment this idea arose, this great artifact master tirelessly attempted to refine puppets that would satisfy him. During this period, he experimented incessantly and sought new breakthroughs, refining over a thousand puppets, but none met his satisfaction.
After much contemplation, the artifact refining grandmaster discovered that the biggest problem was how to imbue puppets with sentience. This was also a problem that had perplexed artifact refiners on the Nine Provinces Continent for years.
Upon reading this, Xu Yi held her breath. The most crucial part was imminent. How had the artifact refining grandmaster overcome this challenge?