"Xu Yi, Xiao Yu will be very happy to see you later."
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang stood at the mountain gate of Kunlun Academy, his smile as bright as his large white teeth.
Xu Yi raised an eyebrow and teased, "Xiao Yu's happiness probably isn't just because she's seeing me."
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang chuckled, showing a rare hint of embarrassment.
After leaving Lingyun Mountain that day, Xu Yi and the other four split into two groups.
Yin Li, Zuo You, and Fei Hua returned to the Beast Taming Sect, while Xu Yi and Xiong Zhuang Zhuang came to Kunlun Academy.
As Xu Yi arrived at Kunlun Academy again, her heart was filled with a thousand emotions.
"Junior Brother Xiong, is that you?"
The man on duty at the academy today saw Xiong Zhuang Zhuang and called out his name with a smile, then noticed Xu Yi beside him, "She is..."
The man was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up with surprise. "Xu Yi! It's Senior Sister Xu Yi! Long time no see. Are you back to visit the teachers, Senior Sister?"
Xu Yi had been a mountain of pressure on the disciples of Kunlun Academy, her monstrous talent causing them great suffering.
Later, when the disciples learned that Xu Yi had broken through her cultivation and graduated from the academy, many were overjoyed, as if they were about to celebrate with song and dance.
The man, named Che Anzai, was a disciple of the Xuanqing Sect. He had entered Kunlun Academy three hundred years before Xu Yi, which was why he addressed Xiong Zhuang Zhuang as Junior Brother Xiong.
Since Xu Yi had graduated from Kunlun Academy much earlier and her cultivation was higher than his, he addressed her as Senior Sister.
"Junior Brother Che." Xu Yi did not find Che Anzai's address unusual; on the contrary, she accepted it quite readily. "I am indeed here to visit some teachers, and I hope you can help me inform them."
Although Xu Yi was a disciple who had come from Kunlun Academy, she was no longer affiliated with it after her graduation. Therefore, she needed prior notification to enter.
"Please wait a moment, Senior Sister Xu."
Che Anzai did not believe Xu Yi's request would be refused, but he still followed protocol and sent a message to the academy's teachers.
As expected, within the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea, several figures hurried over.
"Teacher Li, Teacher Liu, Teacher Yu, why have you come in person?"
Both Xu Yi and Xiong Zhuang Zhuang were somewhat surprised to see the three teachers together, and they quickly bowed.
Teacher Li, feigning anger, twitched his beard. "Good for you, Xu Yi. You disappeared for thirty years and finally deigned to show your face. I thought you had forgotten all about this old teacher."
"How could I possibly?" Xu Yi smiled ingratiatingly and stepped forward, intending to help Teacher Li, but he dodged her by flicking his sleeve.
Xu Yi continued, "I recently obtained the inheritance of a great artifact refiner, which is why I couldn't keep in touch with you. As soon as I finished my seclusion, I rushed here, just waiting to discuss it with you."
"Great artifact refiner?" Teacher Li's eyes lit up, and he immediately abandoned his intention to tease Xu Yi. "Which great artifact refiner are you referring to?"
Xu Yi gave a mysterious smile and then whispered two words into his ear, "Qi Mo."
"Good, good, good!"
Teacher Li laughed heartily, grabbed Xu Yi's sleeve, and pulled her towards the inside of Kunlun Academy. "Come, let's go to the Artifact Building, and you can tell me all about your gains."
"Teacher Li, Teacher Li!"
Yu Chun Dao and Liu Yin Xiao had intended to speak to Xu Yi as well, but before they could even open their mouths, Xu Yi was already being led away by Teacher Li.
The two exchanged a look, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Based on their understanding of Teacher Li, even if they stopped Xu Yi now, he would certainly not give them much opportunity to talk to her.
Never mind, they could always call Xu Yi later after she escaped from Teacher Li's clutches to ask her questions individually.
"Xiong Zhuang Zhuang, you come with us." Liu Yin Xiao glanced at Xiong Zhuang Zhuang casually.
"Yes."
Xiong Zhuang Zhuang had already guessed what they would ask, so he readily agreed and followed the two away.
Che Anzai watched the departing figures with envy, shook his head, and murmured with a sigh, "There's such a huge gap between elite disciples. Look at Xu Yi, even after graduation, she's still so popular. It's just not comparable."
Artifact Building.
Before Xu Yi could even sit down, Teacher Li impatiently asked, "Where did you get Qi Mo's inheritance? Did he leave behind his most masterful forging techniques? How much have you learned?"
Seeing his haste, Xu Yi became more leisurely. She slowly pulled over a cushion and sat down. "Teacher Li, you have too many questions. Which one do you want me to answer first?"
Teacher Li glared at her, "Then answer them one by one."
"Alright, let me think about where to begin..."
Xu Yi then recounted the story of how she discovered the secret realm in the desolate city and later returned to it.
When Xu Yi mentioned that there were puppets in the secret realm that behaved indistinguishably from real people, Teacher Li's eyes widened even further.
However, when Xu Yi later said that she had sealed all these puppets, Teacher Li became even more distraught, calling it a terrible waste.
Xu Yi paid no heed, knowing that Teacher Li was simply speaking out of overwhelming excitement.
Once he calmed down, he would only praise her actions, as this was a shared sentiment among artifact refiners.
"I had heard of Qi Mo's great name since I began refining artifacts, but I didn't have a deep impression of him at the time. It wasn't until I saw the magical artifacts he forged that I understood why he was called Qi Mo.
His mind cannot be explained by conventional means; it is as elusive as a antelope's horn, as soaring as a celestial steed.
I often regret not having met him. Now that you have obtained such an incredible opportunity, you must cherish it."
"This disciple understands."
Teacher Li nodded with satisfaction seeing Xu Yi's serious demeanor, and then steered the conversation back to the puppets he had mentioned earlier.
"Since you believe that nurturing puppets with divine souls is not advisable, have you considered other methods?"
"Of course, but my methods still have some flaws, and I need your guidance."
Xu Yi nodded emphatically. This was the main reason she had come to find Teacher Li.
She had spent twenty years in the secret realm learning Qi Mo's unique forging techniques and another ten years integrating what she had learned with her own methods. During this time, she had also dedicated herself to studying puppets.
On the night the Saintess Sect held its meeting, Xu Yi's puppets proved useful.
That night, she deployed two puppets. One was used to disrupt Wan Yanxue's plans, while the second was a substitute puppet used for her escape.
Both puppets played a crucial role at critical moments, and Xu Yi was satisfied with the outcome.
However, she was also aware of their many shortcomings. If it weren't for the urgency of the situation and the darkness of the night, those two puppets would not have been able to deceive Wan Yanxue and the Holy Attendants so easily.
Xu Yi was self-aware; her puppet techniques were vastly inferior to Qi Mo's. She hoped to perfect her puppet arts with Teacher Li's guidance, at least to enable her to control puppets more flexibly.