Combining two weapons in an attack is already very difficult. Trying to add a third and fourth is quite unrealistic.
Thus, Ning Zhuo secretly called out again, "Boss, help me!"
"Coming, little brother!" Sun Lingtong had been preparing all along.
On the surface, Ning Zhuo appeared to be challenging the barrier alone, but in reality, it was a joint effort of two.
Brothers united, their combined strength can cut through metal!
Meanwhile.
Ao Pan’s right arm muscles bulged as he swung the bronze sword, trying to cut through the enemy’s relentless assault.
The sixth Mysterious Armor he faced was a massive Siege Hammer, designed specifically for attacking city gates. But now it was being used against Ao Pan alone.
Ao Pan’s sword strikes were fierce, but the Siege Hammer was truly overbearing.
With each clash, the bronze sword emitted painful groans, and the enormous counter-force threatened to shatter Ao Pan’s arm bones.
Ao Pan retreated repeatedly, the stone ground beneath his feet, hard as iron, had long since fractured into countless spiderwebs, with debris scattering everywhere.
Ao Pan swiftly grabbed the bronze spear floating by his side with his left hand.
He thrust the spear forward, the tip breaking through the air, tracing the trajectory of the Whip Technique.
First the spear blocked, then the sword followed, finally managing to stop the Siege Hammer.
"Now’s the time!" Ao Pan quickly slapped his waist and drew out the bronze whip.
With the whip in hand, Ao Pan’s entire demeanor subtly transformed.
Snap.
The shadow of the whip appeared, then vanished abruptly!
When it reappeared, the whip had already coiled around the hammer’s head, the tip piercing into its body like a living thing.
Instantly, countless spiderweb-like cracks covered the hammerhead, and the Siege Hammer halted abruptly!
Ao Pan lunged forward, embracing the Siege Hammer and exerted all his might to refine it.
Meanwhile, the bronze whip broke apart inch by inch, becoming unusable.
"What a pity!"
"This whip was the first bronze artifact I ever encountered. It was a stroke of luck and a regret."
At the critical moment, Ao Pan still trusted the whip more. It was the weapon he excelled at the most.
Now that the whip was gone, the bronze artifacts around Ao Pan were no longer as handy.
Ao Pan tidied up the broken whip pieces and continued forward.
...
Tie Zheng’s battle with the Mysterious Armor had reached its most intense moment.
The bronze knife in Tie Zheng’s hand whirled like a wheel, shattering three Ice Arrows consecutively.
Ice shards scattered, and the chill spread along the blade, instantly covering it in a layer of thick frost.
Tie Zheng decisively let go of the knife, and with a flick of his hand, summoned a bronze long rod.
He used the rod to deflect a Flame Arrow, which suddenly exploded, forming a surging Fire Wave.
The Fire Wave left scorch marks on Tie Zheng’s exposed skin.
Tie Zheng rapidly retreated.
His opponent—a bronze bow—floated in the distance, its string moving like a living thing, automatically opening and closing. Deep Blue Ice Arrows and Red-hot Arrows alternated precisely, weaving a lethal web of arrows.
Tie Zheng wielded the long rod, maintaining a solid defense.
Ao Pan is a Golden Core Level Body Cultivator, and his main cultivation method focuses on Body Refinement. Tie Zheng, however, is a Golden Core Level Martial Cultivator, and has at least a Master Level proficiency with all kinds of weapons.
Tie Zheng was already over three hundred seventy years old, and in such a lengthy cultivation life, being a traditional martial cultivator, reaching the Master Level was no difficult task.
It was precisely because of his profound mastery that a cold flash passed through Tie Zheng’s eyes at that moment, and he knew very well in his heart, "Most of my techniques cannot be used here."
"To break through the web of arrows would require sustaining moderate injuries at least."
"That won’t do!"
Tie Zheng gathered intelligence and knew that in many past instances, there were clearly strong individuals who, by exhausting their strength without restraint in the second challenge, were suddenly transported to the third challenge and thrust into chaotic battles, resulting in unsatisfactory outcomes.
"My physical foundation is not as strong as Ao Pan’s, so I need to maintain my body’s condition."
"In that case, I’ve made my decision."
"Strike, Light Snatch!"
Suspended at his waist were twelve Beast Head Copper Bell Balls, and at that moment, one of them suddenly trembled and shot out into the air.
The ball emitted a piercing screech in mid-air, abruptly cracking apart.
A liquid-like bronze flowed out from within, and in the next moment, condensed into a lithe Bronze Leopard-shaped Blade Beast.
It had no eyes or ears, and its entire body was composed of countless slender blades vibrating at high speed.
The bronze bow and arrow reacted extremely fast, instantly firing three arrows in succession. Two ice arrows blocked the path, while a fire arrow shot straight at the Blade Beast!
The Blur moved.
Its speed was so swift and precise; the ice arrows only pierced its afterimage, while the fire arrow was left far behind.
The bronze bow continued its rapid shots, forming wave after wave of arrow nets.
The Blade Beast, swift and fierce, penetrated the arrow nets, clamping its mouth onto the bronze bow’s body!
"Got it." Seeing this, Tie Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
The cultivators of Xuan Armor Cave were in an uproar.
"What’s going on here?"
"Wasn’t there an array prohibiting cultivators from using other means?"
"No, Tie Zheng didn’t cheat. This Blade Beast of his is actually transformed from a piece of Mysterious Armor."
Tie Zheng cleverly exploited the rules of Xuan Armor Cave, silencing the questioning cultivators.
In previous rounds, there were also cultivators who used their own Mysterious Armor.
This was also within the permissible range of the rules.
Xuan Armor Cave hoped to see such a scene, where the circulating Mysterious Armor could demonstrate its value, aiding in the long-term operation of the entire cave mansion.
The Hao-surnamed cultivator pondered: "Tie Zheng brought a bronze artifact and even transformed it into a living Blade Beast. This is a great advantage."
"He remained unscathed on the sixth piece of Mysterious Armor, maintaining an excellent condition."
"He might just win final victory and become the champion of this Xingyun Trial."
Thinking of this, the Hao-surnamed cultivator turned to check on Lu Zeng’s status.
Lu Zeng was the last of the three Golden Core cultivators.
At this moment, he was also actively battling the sixth bronze artifact.
Beside him, five bronze artifacts attacked in turn, launching a relentless assault. Lu Zeng took the offensive to defend, holding the upper hand with a stable formation.
His concerns were similar to those of Ning Zhuo, Tie Zheng, and others, so he also displayed his adept Mechanical Manipulation Technique.
However, by doing so, while Lu Zeng remained unharmed, his divine sense was enormously taxed.
As for the Foundation Establishment level cultivators...
Zhang Wangxing was the first to engage the sixth bronze artifact.
On the battlefield, he was forced to jump around frantically, appearing extremely embarrassed.
The cultivators of Xuan Armor Cave pointed and laughed, as if watching a comedy. They had long anticipated this scene.
Zhang Wangxing previously relied on the special nature of his own body to exploit loopholes. But when it came to the sixth Mysterious Armor, it could harness mana to unleash sword aura and blade energy, causing tremendous physical damage.
Zhang Wangxing lacked proficiency in Mechanical Techniques and was very basic in the use of weapons, causing him to fall into an absolute predicament immediately in the face of the current situation.
After Zhang Wangxing, it was Rust Disaster Craftsman, Ban Ji.
Ban Ji carefully stored away his severed finger. He practiced Demonic Skills, but primarily cultivated the Upper Dantian Divine Sea; his divine sense was strong, but his body was weak.
He was not yet capable of regenerating severed limbs, and such a completely severed wound could not like Ning Zhuo sprout new flesh, ultimately filling the gap and reconnecting the finger.
With one arm, he wielded the bronze knife, showcasing a prowess not seen before. Even when facing the bronze sword that exhaled sword light, he could parry and occasionally counterattack.
"Having a sword in hand is truly different!"
"This bronze knife is itself of Master Level; using it in actual combat, every move feels like a master guiding me hand-in-hand."
"This manner of practice is incredibly addictive."
"With more real combat experiences like this, my time to advance to the Master Level Martial Artist will inevitably be greatly shortened."
Elsewhere, Rust Disaster Craftsman was exerting his innate ability to its fullest, attempting to corrode the sixth Mysterious Armor he was facing.
The effect was very poor.
The Mysterious Armor was protected by mana, causing Rust Disaster Craftsman’s innate ability to hit a solid wall.
Ning Zhuo held his head, feeling dizzy.
He and Sun Lingtong had overworked their brains while deducing.
The two brothers were not deducing a combination of weapons.
Ning Zhuo heeded Sun Lingtong’s advice: "Little Zhuo, instead of concocting some combination of knives, swords, spears, fists, and shields, why not orchestrate them into a battle formation?"
"We’re both familiar with battle formations!"
"Moreover, many of your weapons are already in ruins; reaching the third round will be another grand melee. Even if we think of a combination technique now, could you really use it effectively then?"
"Even if you snatch similar weapons from others’ hands, they are only similar, which would massively affect the effectiveness of the combination technique."
"Conversely, it’d be better for us to design a battle formation directly, ensuring that when we incorporate new Mysterious Armor in the future, they can join the battle formation, offering us greater stability and security!"
After hearing these words, Ning Zhuo nodded solemnly: "Boss, you’re right, I’ll listen to you!"