Puppet Art seemed to share certain principles with artifact refining techniques, yet it was distinct from artifact refining. Artifact refining placed greater emphasis on inscribing formations, while puppets relied more heavily on the precision and coordination of their various components.
Xu Qingtong mobilized both his primordial spirits and spent three days studying the Han Clan Mechanism Art from beginning to end. Although he could not yet put it into practice, he had essentially taken it to heart.
To study puppet construction more deeply and directly, Xu Qingtong gritted his teeth and took out one of the six Puppet Guards he had obtained from Han Minghui's cave abode.
The puppet was silver-gray all over, forged from Xigu silver. Its joints were lined with fine teeth that meshed so tightly that, without close inspection, the gaps were almost impossible to see.
After examining it for a while, Xu Qingtong took out the Cloud-Howling Sword. Following the process recorded in the Han Clan Mechanism Art in reverse, he dismantled the puppet little by little.
It took nearly two hours before he finally finished tearing the Puppet Guard limb from limb and taking it apart.
Looking at the jumble of pieces before him, Xu Qingtong felt his head begin to ache. This was harder than making a real person!
But I've already taken it apart. Wouldn't all that effort be wasted if I didn't study it properly?
With that thought, Xu Qingtong could only steel himself and pick up the dismantled components one by one, examining them closely and pondering them carefully. Only once he understood a piece thoroughly did he set it aside and pick up another.
As his research deepened, Xu Qingtong gradually came to understand the intricacies of puppet construction. Put plainly, making a puppet required solving two kinds of problems: