"Artificial fool... truly marvelous!"
Li Ye let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.
Seeing that the Assessment Hall no longer reacted to any activity, he commanded the puppet squad to continue exploring with the token in hand.
Perhaps because the assessment had already been activated earlier, and the process had run its course, the self-operating mechanism of the hall had completed its programmed sequence.
Now, even when the puppet squad moved about within the ruined structure, there was no further response. It was no different from the other dilapidated buildings.
The core disciple token already carried high clearance. Now, with the True Disciple imprint added, its authority had risen even further.
Even though the restrictions on this Assessment Hall were extremely high and composed of formations Li Ye couldn't fully decipher, possibly of the third or even fourth tier most of them still opened to him in the presence of the token.
"According to what I read about the token earlier, the True Disciple imprint only grants a single-use access to True Disciple-level privileges like redeeming techniques, puppets, pills, or magical treasures from major halls..."
"But with the current chaos in the formations and the blurry recognition systems, it's practically functioning as if I am a True Disciple. That's... unexpectedly useful!"
Watching the puppet squad move freely throughout the Assessment Hall with near-zero restrictions, a growing smile crept across Li Ye's face.
Controlling them from afar, he even discovered that with the True Disciple imprint, he could influence a small number of formations above the third tier.
He held back from meddling too much, however, afraid a reckless command might trigger unforeseen consequences.
"It's clear this place has fallen after the collapse of the Mechanism Palace. Apart from some basic recorded data, there's not much left in terms of treasure. Hard to say whether it was all transferred away for battle support or simply looted when this place was overrun…"
Li Ye searched around a crumbling structure that seemed to be a Law Enforcement Hall.
Aside from a few places with extremely dense and powerful formations that he dared not approach, he thoroughly explored the building of a small island with a large open space and the ruins of a collapsed tower.
In the end, all he found were some spiritual materials and puppet parts.
Most were first and second-tier items. If the formations here hadn't remained partially active, the spiritual essence of those low-grade materials would've long since dissipated, rendering them no different from mundane trash.
But what truly delighted Li Ye was discovering some third-tier materials and puppet components in what appeared to be a warehouse connected to a formation.
"This is Azure Fire Sand… and that's Xuan-Yuan Heavy Iron…"
Li Ye carefully identified them. Even with all his accumulated knowledge, he could barely recognize these rare items.
Fortunately, the puppet components were much easier to understand he didn't have that problem with them.
"These are outer armor plates, skeletal frameworks… looks like standardized parts. I wonder if the Heavenly Craft Scripture contains any relevant entries. Even if I'm not skilled enough to unlock their full potential, I could still outfit my second-tier puppets with them to boost their defense."
He recalled the puppet squad. The satisfaction of this haul was almost impossible to suppress.
Third-tier materials were suitable for crafting magical artifacts!
Their inherent strength and spiritual properties were on a whole different level compared to second-tier items. In the outside world, these would spark bidding wars among Core Formation-level sects!
With these in hand, he might even be able to trade for a decent-quality Core Formation pill!
After over a year of scrounging ruins and salvaging what amounted to scraps, Li Ye was finally beginning to see the true depth of heritage left behind by this ancient grand sect.
And this was just one small part. There were still many functional structures left to explore among the ruined islands scattered around this lava-filled underground palace…
Even just the Heavenly Craft Scripture itself, along with those third-tier spirit materials and puppet components, was already an incredible stroke of fortune.
Spending over a year on this? Even several more years would be well worth it!
Carefully storing away every spirit material and puppet part above the second tier, Li Ye's expression turned solemn. He channeled a stream of spiritual power into the core disciple token, which now bore a strange new imprint.
As soon as the power was activated, three streaks of spiritual light suddenly shot out and flew straight toward Li Ye's forehead.
He had refrained from using his divine sense to touch the token as a precaution, yet even a mere infusion of power triggered such a reaction completely unexpected.
These three beams of light, imbued with information, didn't dissipate. They were stored within the token and instantly activated upon the slightest provocation!
Swish swish swish
Li Ye didn't resist. Instead, he quickly retracted his divine sense, guarding his spiritual sea tightly. At the slightest sign of danger, he was prepared to sever the affected part of his consciousness, even at great cost.
Fortunately, despite the passage of millennia, the puppet intelligence managing the Assessment Hall hadn't made any errors in storing the sect's secret techniques.
One after another, vast streams of knowledge exploded in Li Ye's mind as the mysteries of the Heavenly Craft Scripture slowly began to unfold before him.
Having long grown accustomed to using his panel system to elevate his skill levels, Li Ye was already familiar with the rush of insight that came from such surges of information. He quickly absorbed and internalized everything.
Though the Heavenly Craft Scripture was deep and complex, Li Ye only spaced out momentarily before regaining his focus and anchoring the influx of knowledge deep within his spiritual sea.
"So this is the Heavenly Craft Scripture…"
Li Ye's expression turned calm, his gaze slightly distant, almost mechanical and emotionless. But as the corners of his lips lifted in a smile, his usual demeanor returned in full.
The Heavenly Craft Scripture wasn't restricted by spiritual root types. Any cultivator could train in it it was a cultivation method that fused the Dao with craftsmanship.
Its focus was on mechanisms and puppets, but it also incorporated the essence of formation arrays, talismans, artifact crafting, and other technical arts, all harmonizing with cultivation itself.
From life-bound puppets, and mechanical battle armor, to puppet avatars, spirit puppets, and even grand mechanism palaces…
The combinations and transformations available were limitless in their power!
A single puppet, when refined to a high enough level, could rival or surpass the combat strength of many cultivators!
With a life-bound puppet at the core, leading a formation of puppets in battle, their flexibility might allow one to fight a hundred foes with ease.
What made it even more impressive was that this scripture could be practiced as either a primary or secondary cultivation method it didn't conflict with any other technique.
Li Ye could try cultivating it right away without worrying about incompatibility with his existing methods. That alone saved him an enormous amount of effort.
"Even though I still haven't found any solid leads on the Thousand Thoughts Divine Refinement Technique..."
Li Ye silently organized the information, though the smile on his face never faded.
"But the Heavenly Craft Scripture includes a divine sense cultivation method by default… known as the Heavenly Craft Puppet Control Art!"
"During the refining of a life-bound puppet, the divine sense naturally strengthens as part of the process. There's a unique subtlety to it… it's surprisingly similar to the split-thought and projection method from the Thousand Thoughts Divine Refinement Technique!"
The main difference between the two?
The Heavenly Craft Puppet Control Art focused more on amplifying the divine sense centering it around puppet refinement and control, enabling the user to command many puppets at once with precision and strength.
Meanwhile, the Thousand Thoughts Divine Refinement Technique emphasized splitting the divine sense, allowing one to project fragments of consciousness and act through them with a completely different kind of subtlety.
"But if I can cultivate both techniques…"
"Wouldn't that cover each other's weaknesses and leave no blind spots at all?"
Li Ye murmured, glancing toward the small island where the ruined Mechanism Pavilion stood.
"I wonder if… the full version of the Heavenly Craft Scripture might still be inside that pavilion…"
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