< Chapter 30: A List for One Person >
Ning Zhuo increased the force.
Swoosh.
One of the diamond-shaped colored crystals suddenly shot out, hitting the copper-red wall.
Between the colored crystal and the hoop, there was a fine thread connecting them.
Ning Zhuo tugged at it, discovering that although the thread was incredibly thin, it was extremely strong.
He took a few steps forward, approaching the wall to closely examine the colored crystal that had been shot out. He initially thought that the crystal had been embedded into the wall like a nail, but to his surprise, it had actually fused with the wall.
The part of the crystal that touched the wall had completely transformed into copper-red, with only a faint blue-violet glow near the thread still visible.
It was as if it had originally been part of the copper wall, and only a small protrusion stuck out, which connected to the hoop.
“Fascinating, fascinating!”
“How was this achieved?”
“Was it done using a talisman, or was a miniature formation engraved, or is the material of the crystal itself different?”
Ning Zhuo’s curiosity was piqued, and he was eager to dismantle it on the spot and study it for three days and nights.
“Unfortunately, now is not the right time!”
Ning Zhuo knew that exploration was more important.
He held the hoop, looked down at his body, and couldn’t find a suitable place to wear it.
The puppet Ning Zhuo’s hands and feet were much thinner than the hoop, and his upper arms and forearms were of equal thickness, as were his thighs and calves.
Ning Zhuo wasn’t going to hold the hoop directly in his hand.
When exploring Room 2, he needed to have both hands free. Having one hand occupied would be very inconvenient.
This small issue didn’t trouble Ning Zhuo.
Soon, he came up with a solution.
He first removed his head, then placed the hoop around his neck, and finally reattached his head.
This way, his big head held the hoop firmly in place.
After finishing this setup, Ning Zhuo pushed open the door and officially entered Room 2.
The door closed behind him with a heavy thud. Ning Zhuo tried pushing it, but it wouldn’t budge.
Looking at the familiar hallway-like Room 2, Ning Zhuo didn’t rush forward. Instead, he stayed in place and practiced with the hoop for a while.
After reaching a certain level of proficiency, he began to attempt moving forward.
Bang, bang, bang…
After several consecutive failures, Ning Zhuo was swept back.
However, his mindset was calm, unlike the first time when he had been agitated.
Moments later, he sprinted to the midpoint.
Two large wooden beams came crashing toward him, and Ning Zhuo jumped into the air, unable to avoid them.
No worries.
“I have the hoop!” Ning Zhuo thought.
The wooden hoop stuck under his big head suddenly shot out the colored crystal, which embedded itself in the ceiling with a ding.
The thread was very sturdy. Ning Zhuo applied force, tilted his neck, and dangled in midair, successfully avoiding the beams.
Another beam came down from above, crashing toward him.
Ning Zhuo canceled his mana, and the thread instantly broke at the base. The wooden hoop and the colored crystal that had been shot out were completely detached.
Ning Zhuo fell, dodged the beam, and then shot out another colored crystal, which embedded itself in the beam.
As the beam retracted, it carried him along with it.
Thus, with his head tilting now and then, Ning Zhuo successfully crossed Room 2 by dangling and arrived at the second door.
“No wonder it’s called the hoop. The name is quite fitting, concise, and apt,” Ning Zhuo thought as he used both hands to straighten his tilted head.
Using the hoop, the difficulty of crossing Room 2 had drastically decreased.
Ning Zhuo was now fully intact, except for a crack in his left leg and a broken finger on his right hand.
This was a world of difference from his first exploration, where he had been severely damaged.
“What if I had chosen the hoop the first time?”
Ning Zhuo thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
“That would have been worse.”
The hoop would have accelerated spiritual power consumption.
If, during his first exploration, he had chosen the hoop, Ning Zhuo would have been immobilized due to exhausted spiritual power.
Ning Zhuo touched the second door.
The reward information directly reached his mind: two spirit stones, a glass flying knife mechanical component, and the spell Fire Grasping Technique.
During his last exploration, Ning Zhuo’s soul was at its weakest, so he hurriedly chose the spell without examining the other options closely.
Now, in good condition, he could choose at leisure.
“The reward for spirit stones has increased to two.”
“The glass flying knife is an offensive mechanical component.”
“Fire Grasping Technique… seems to be a set with the Ice-Embracing Technique.”
With only thirty percent of his spiritual power remaining, Ning Zhuo had no other choice but to select the first reward—two spirit stones.
After glancing back at Room 2, he then forcefully pushed open the door and formally entered Room 3.
The message arrived—defeat the Kung Fu puppet, pass through room three, and enter the preparation room.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be room four?” Ning Zhuo pondered.
Room three had a circular structure, with the light dimming towards the edges and the brightest spot at the center.
“It’s like a circular arena.” Ning Zhuo immediately noticed the center of the room, where a tall, slender wooden puppet stood.
The puppet was made of yellow wood, with black lines crisscrossing its surface. On its chest, two large characters were written vertically: “功夫” (Kung Fu).
The puppet sensed him, and its eyes suddenly glowed yellow. It wiped its wooden nose with its thumb, then slowly squatted, positioning itself in a half-bow stance with one foot forward and one foot backward. It then extended one palm forward and placed the other behind its back, adopting a combat posture towards Ning Zhuo.
It moved its forward palm, indicating for Ning Zhuo to attack.
“Interesting,” Ning Zhuo smiled, “I also learned martial arts at the academy.”
Having recently obtained two spirit stones, he felt motivated. Moreover, he was eager to gather more intelligence. Without hesitation, he stepped forward to engage in battle.
Within just a few breaths, the wooden puppet had Ning Zhuo almost in pieces.
“Can’t win, the gap is too wide!”
Ning Zhuo suddenly hugged its waist.
The puppet immediately struggled, using its elbows and fists to constantly strike Ning Zhuo’s back and head.
The banging sounds resembled a sudden rainstorm.
Ning Zhuo, however, frantically channeled his spiritual power and unleashed his trump card.
The spell—Icy Embrace Technique!
Crack…
After a series of subtle noises, the guarding puppet was covered in a layer of ice, gradually becoming immobile.
“Without the Ice-Embracing Technique, it’s impossible to pass this stage.” Ning Zhuo attempted to destroy the Kung Fu puppet but was warned by a message, so he had to stop.
He squatted down and swung his fist, repeatedly striking the puppet’s head.
The ice layer shattered, and the puppet’s yellow eyes remained glowing.
Ning Zhuo tried to remove the eye components, but again received a message—violently damaging the guarding puppet was not allowed!
The reward options for the third door were still three: ten spirit stones, a small mechanical flying box, and a grafting spell.
In the recent battle, he had consumed a lot of spiritual power to unleash the Ice-Embracing Technique. To be on the safe side, Ning Zhuo chose the ten spirit stones.
He opened the door and entered the preparation room.
The preparation room was spacious, far exceeding the previous three rooms. In the center of the room stood a five-faced stone pillar.
On one face of the stone pillar, it read:
Qi Refining Ranking.
First Place: Ning Zhuo, Qi Refining Third Layer.
Ning Zhuo: …
The stone pillar rotated with a cracking sound to another face, which read:
Assessment Progress Ranking.
First Place: Ning Zhuo, Room Three.
Below, there was no one else, only him on the list.
Ning Zhuo tilted his head: Hmm?!
A few breaths later, Ning Zhuo seemed to be struck by lightning, his body and mind shook violently, and he fully realized the severity of the problem.
“Crap!”
“I’m exposed?!”