Each of these two methods has its advantages and disadvantages. As for which one to adopt, it naturally depends on the person's own choice.
However, generally speaking, if a disciple from the Barbarian Ghost Sect isn't lacking spirit stones, they would mostly choose the first method since, for them, it is quite simple to spend a large sum to refine a ghost puppet and control a low-level battle spirit.
As for those disciples who are proficient in spirit communication arts but don't have many spirit stones, they would mostly opt for the second method to find a ghost creature.
This method, besides having to pay a certain amount of contribution points to enter the Ghostly Netherworld, does not require much other expenditure. And if one happens to find a ghost creature with greater potential by chance, it might even evolve into a fierce General-level ghost creature.