In this world, Yanji was the art of controlling puppets. For Puppet Masters, it served not only in warfare, slaughter, and self-defense, but also in everyday labor and the hundred crafts. It could rightly be called a compulsory discipline.
Even the Mechanism-Performance Method alone had undergone several transformations before finally developing into its current form: direct control through Magic Power and sensing components, with neither visible strings nor physical channels of connection.
In ancient times, however, all Mechanism Puppets had been controlled through suspended threads and strings.
Thus, this art of manipulating strings was considered the source and forebear of the Mechanism-Performance Method. Since it had originally been used to perform plays for Puppet Masters' own amusement, it also bore the name "String-Puppet Theater."
Its origins could be traced back to the mortal era, to a folk art that used soft threads and iron wires to control the joints of Mechanism Puppets, transmitting force to pull their mechanisms;
Once it entered the realm of the transcendent, specially crafted spirit-material threads replaced mundane ones, but they could still be detected and severed, often robbing the puppets of their fighting strength.
It also suffered from such weaknesses as a limited number of puppets that could be controlled, simple mechanical switches, and an inability to perform more precise, delicate movements. Worse still, enemies could easily follow the strings back to attack the Puppeteer himself. Thus, the art had gradually been swept aside by the times.
But there was a saying: the great Dao was simplicity itself.
Often, the most powerful things, which were also the most reliable and practical, lay hidden within the most primitive methods.
The divine artisan Yan Shi had spread his teachings throughout the world, carrying these primitive arts to new heights. Building upon them, he had even created a