Ban Ji’s expression was somewhat grim, unable to hide his serious mood.
Because the Clan Fate Mechanism Chain had already predicted it, Ban Ji had started preparing several years earlier.
He spent a lot of time and energy diligently honing his skills with knives and swords, both close combat weapons, and also had impressive hand-to-hand combat skills.
He was doing it all for the Xingyun Trial of the Nine-layered Profound Armor.
The Mysterious Armor meant much more to him than to ordinary people. It would significantly benefit him in overcoming each outburst of Immortal Aptitude.
This was evident.
"The more bronze artifacts I defeat now, the more they become my gains."
"If I can reach nine in the second stage, I’ll be the first place right away."
"But that level of difficulty is too high. According to calculations, my limit is to obtain at most seven bronze artifacts. I must reach the third stage, seize other competitors’ Mysterious Armor, gather nine to claim first place."
Becoming the first place was Ban Ji’s goal.
Even with Golden Core Level Body Cultivators and Martial Cultivators as competitors, Ban Ji had considerable confidence.
Because in the three tests within the Xuan Armor Cave, cultivation levels were mostly banned, drastically narrowing the gap between Golden Core and Foundation Establishment Realms, allowing for direct competition. If Qi Refinement Realm cultivators participated in the trial, they would be enhanced by the formations. In short, the cultivators organizing the Xingyun Trial would reduce the discrepancies in cultivation levels and other aspects, trying to highlight the role of martial arts and divine sense.
Ning Zhuo’s arrival put pressure on Ban Ji.
Ban Ji thought carefully: "The first two stages are tackled alone, giving me a definite advantage. Only in the third stage will I face Ning Zhuo."
"By then, I will definitely teach Ning Zhuo a lifetime unforgettable lesson. I’ll seize all the Mysterious Armor on him, boost my count to nine, and secure first place!"
"Before that, I’ll gather as much Mysterious Armor as possible."
Clearly, the more Mysterious Armor a cultivator refines and masters, the greater the advantage in the third stage and the higher the chance of claiming first place.
Ban Ji’s expectation was to obtain a bronze sword or bronze knife in the initial encounters. These were his best weapons, allowing him to unleash the martial art of Sword and Saber Combination, fully displaying his personal combat power.
But by now, he had reached the third bronze artifact, not even seeing the shadow of a knife or sword.
"Actually, a flying knife is also a knife... damn it!"
Ban Ji was quite annoyed and puzzled.
"That shouldn’t be the case."
"Logically, knives and swords are the most common weapons, so even if they appear randomly, they should be the most numerous and common."
It was precisely for this reason that Ban Ji chose knives and swords as his main focus.
Looking at the flying knife and chain hammer in his hands made him incredibly frustrated. Both belonged to the category of unconventional weapons. And in front of him, an eager Wolf Fang Club left him speechless.
"I hope the fourth and fifth bronze artifacts contain a sword and knife."
"But the bronze artifacts that appear later in the second stage are increasingly difficult."
"If I can’t fully unleash my combat strength, I won’t reach the later stages. The best limit is seven artifacts, and this time it’s sure not to be achieved."
This meant Ban Ji only had chances in the fourth, fifth, and sixth attempts.
Ning Zhuo faced the bronze knife.
Buzz!
The next moment, the blade sliced through the air, thrusting straight at Ning Zhuo.
The tip of the knife moved in a trajectory as straight as a ruler, evidently a standard thrust.
Ning Zhuo raised his wrist, and the bronze sword in his palm greeted it directly.
"Ding!" A crisp sound resounded as sparks flew.
The tip of the bronze sword hit the knife tip with impeccable precision.
Ning Zhuo himself couldn’t grasp such pinpoint accuracy, but the basic sword techniques within the bronze sword helped him make adjustments, resulting in every sword move being executed flawlessly.
While Ning Zhuo possessed many sword move techniques from other cultivators, these were not his own.
There were many discrepancies between this experience and him personally.
For example, differences in physical qualities, some people have longer arms, some are taller, some have more endurance, and some have greater strength.
Moreover, differences in temperament. Facing the same move, some people lean towards defense, while others consider dodging first, and some use attack as a form of defense.
Thus, experience is experience. For Ning Zhuo, it’s a case of mismatched compatibility.
Simultaneously, experience also conflicts with each other.
This is why Ning Zhuo needs time to transform and absorb these skills in order to digest this wealth of knowledge.
This kind of real combat experience is particularly enlightening.
In close-quarters combat, the shift between offense and defense happens extremely quickly. Any slight oversight becomes a flaw, leading to defeat. Therefore, Ning Zhuo must remain fully concentrated, with no time to overthink. Often, decisions, whether to dodge, block, or prepare a counterattack, stem from within, from his innate instincts.
This allowed him to make quick selections among the various options provided by experience.
A counterforce traveled through the bronze sword body, passing to Ning Zhuo’s arm and even up to his shoulder.
Ning Zhuo rapidly retreated.
The bronze sword guided his wrist to twist, discharging the counterforce along the movement of the sword body.
At the same time, it blocked the bronze knife’s second attack.
Once again, the bronze sword provided crucial assistance to Ning Zhuo.
If fully relying on himself, Ning Zhuo wouldn’t have been able to dodge the follow-up attacks from the bronze knife and would definitely have been injured.
In battle, the bronze sword reacted automatically with incredible speed, promptly correcting Ning Zhuo’s response.
This kind of response inscribed itself in Ning Zhuo’s memory, his eyes bright with realization: "I’ve learned something!"