< Chapter 52: Unexpected >
Qi Refining third layer peak!
Zheng Jian was soul-drawn into the palace.
The moment he received the message, his innate talent, Heart Piercing Insight, was also triggered.
“Through room one, into room two?”
He unconsciously began to activate the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
Moments later, as he touched the door to choose his reward, he once again held his breath, trying to trigger the Heart Piercing Insight.
No response.
Zheng Jian was not discouraged. After analyzing for a moment, he chose the suspension ring on the mechanical component.
Although he was not skilled in mechanism techniques, he had extremely profound experience in artifact refinement and quickly figured out its true usage.
But just as he was about to push the door open, an unparalleled sense of horror assaulted his soul!
“I will die! I will die! I will die!!”
The intuition granted by the Heart Piercing Insight made him tremble in body and soul.
Zheng Jian gritted his teeth, spurred on by even more courage: “So, there is something deadly behind the door?”
“Not seeing it with my own eyes, how would I know?”
He pushed open the door.
He stepped inside.
Bang!
He shattered.
* * *
Dungeon.
Ning Zhuo gently lengthened the chain and said to Han Ming, “You’ve worked hard these days, take a good rest.”
He had always used the chain to keep Han Ming standing.
Given that Han Ming had changed her attitude and was actively cooperating with Ning Zhuo, offering up the essence of her soul, Ning Zhuo was gradually relaxing the constraints. This time, lengthening the chain allowed Han Ming to lie directly on the ground.
He had already tested and found that if he chose spells he had already mastered, the experience and insights gained were more substantial, helping him save a great deal of time and energy—it was the most cost-effective option.
Additionally, he confirmed his previous hypothesis about the mechanical parts. The parts selected from the leaderboard would be treated as a legacy, passed on to the next exploration.
However, the mechanical parts that Ning Zhuo exchanged were mostly used to set up traps.
* * *
Ning Zhuo’s arrangements had turned Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian’s exploration experience from initial amazement to shock, then to pain, and finally into despair.
“Why is it so hard?!”
“How long has it been, and we can’t even get past the first door?”
Zheng Jian and Zhou Zhu looked at each other; they had met earlier and had confirmed each other’s identities.
“This can’t go on. Zhou Zhu, we need to cooperate if we hope to get through,” Zheng Jian initiated.
Zhou Zhu nodded, “Alright, you go first.”
Zheng Jian paused, staring at him, “Are you joking? You’re so tall and strong, just like a pillar. If we charge together, you can hold off the heavy hammer, and I’ll have time to dash past.”
“Why shouldn’t you be the one to hold it for me?” Zhou Zhu countered.
Neither could persuade the other, leading to a standoff.
Neither wanted to make sacrifices for the other.
* * *
Through hidden mechanical parts, Ning Zhuo observed this scene afterward.
“It seems that the day when the Zhou family, Zheng family, and the City Lord’s Mansion work together is not far off,” Ning Zhuo realized clearly in his mind.
This was inevitable.
Without cooperation, they couldn’t even pass the first door; only by working together was there any hope.
In fact, the upper echelons of both the Zhou and Zheng families had reached a consensus that sincere cooperation was the foundation for passing the assessment!
Zhou family: “The venerable elders of the three sects harbor compassion in their hearts, urging us to coexist peacefully and cooperate with each other.”
Zheng family: “It must be so. The emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace has already started to spread widely through rumors. We must hurry and sincerely cooperate to seize the palace before the outside world reacts!”
After reaching a consensus, the Zhou and Zheng families secretly contacted the City Lord’s Mansion.
Meng Chong was approached and, learning of the intentions of the two families, scoffed disdainfully, “Only the weak band together; the truly strong walk alone!”
Meng Chong, having undergone special training, was once again drawn into the Lava Immortal Palace.
Under the excited gaze of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, he pushed the door open.
Click!
A soft sound, and sparks flew.
The net was thrown too late.
The heavy hammer struck, missing its target.
Between the walls, tough transparent threads were everywhere.
Meng Chong identified the position of every thread, navigating through the gaps, bypassing all obstacles!
He stood tall and proud before the second door, “Hmph, just a second room, nothing more.”
He chose the spiritual stone reward, pushed the door forcefully, and stepped into room three.
Inside room three, thirty to forty kung fu puppets simultaneously raised their heads, their eyes emitting a dazzling yellow light. These were all frozen by Ning Zhuo, painstakingly moved from subsequent levels to room three.
Meng Chong…
After a moment, his soul returned to his body. Due to using too much immortal resources, Meng Chong’s cheekbones were now prominently protruding, and his large under-eye bags had turned a shade of purplish-blue.
“Room three, even tougher!”
He blinked his eyes, wanting to get up and continue his training. But he was too exhausted. Just as he attempted to rise, his vision blackened, and he passed out into a deep sleep.
* * *
“Truly a talent of the highest order,” Ning Zhuo remarked sincerely after watching the footage of Meng Chong navigating the challenges.
“Although Meng Chong is still operating solo and hasn’t teamed up yet, his success will surely spur the Zhou and Zheng families to intensify their cooperation.”
“Once they learn the true situation, these three forces will definitely push others to revise their strategies.”
“So, what I’m facing next will be more and more teams of cultivators.”
Ning Zhuo gradually felt overwhelmed.
The more people there were, the more complicated another issue became. That was the likelihood of Ning Zhuo being discovered entering and exiting the Immortal Palace, which could lead to his exposure increasing drastically.
On this day, he entered the Lava Immortal Palace again.
“What happened?!” As he entered room two, he discovered all the mechanisms had been destroyed.
The heavy hammer platform had been moved to the side of the wall.
The horizontal striking logs were all broken.
The scene was in complete disarray.
He quickly retrieved the hidden mechanical parts and reviewed the previous scenes.
In the next moment, Ning Zhuo was profoundly shaken.