The Hao-surnamed cultivator immediately shook his head, "No, he is just exceptionally powerful. Considered one of the top in this batch. Truly fighting in the third stage, he will face a cultivator. Human spirituality is full of cunning, especially in strategy, something the Mysterious Armor cannot match."
"Ning Zhuo’s creation of the battle formation is rather shallow and could potentially be easily broken by others."
"Moreover, the third stage is a chaotic battle; the scene grows complicated, and anything could happen."
The cultivators critiqued Ning Zhuo, while the person involved was deep in thought, occasionally discussing with Sun Lingtong.
At this moment, Sun Lingtong was in the Shuyu Pavilion, having already cast two spells—Head-Suspended Beam and Awl-Thorn Vigilance Art—and with the support of Luoshu, was fully committed to partnering with Ning Zhuo to improve the Defensive Wheel Slash Formation.
Actual combat is the best teacher.
The recent battle exposed many issues with the novice battle formation and sparked countless inspirations for Sun Lingtong.
After re-evaluating the battle, both felt it was better to stabilize the formation and focus on enhancing the battle formation’s power rather than rushing to the next stage. This choice fully utilized Sun Ning’s advantages and appeared to be more reliable.
Thirty minutes later.
The cultivators’ vision suddenly widened as the array shifted, leading them into the true Xuan Armor Cave.
The dome was high and vast, devoid of any sunlight.
Here, time carved a marvelous scene with water as a blade and stone as a block.
Crystal stalagmites rose like a forest of spears, while stalactites hung down, resembling a formation of spears.
The cave walls had countless layers and hollows, with sedimentary rock patterns like solidified waves or the hammer marks left by a craftsman on armor plates.
The ticking sound was incessant.
Drops of green flowing copper dripped from the stalactites, landing in a small lake in the center.
Xuan Armor Cave, Qingliu Lake.
The lake water was condensed, like a gigantic emerald. The profound bronze hue was so rich it seemed to absorb all light.
This green flowing copper is the primary material for the Mysterious Armor.
The cultivators’ eyes were drawn to the lake water; they all knew the rules: before the official start of the third stage, cultivators have the chance to approach the lake to refine some water and acquire a blank Mysterious Armor!
The Mysterious Armor obtained in the past was not theirs. After the Xingyun Trial, all had to be returned to the Xuan Armor Cave.
However, here, what they gained from the Bronze Lake was a gift from the Xuan Armor Cave, uniquely theirs, which they could take with them after the Xingyun Trial.
The voice of the Great Array echoed through the cave, announcing the rules of the third stage.
Ning Zhuo listened carefully and found that the rules had not changed.
He quickly scanned the others: Ao Pan, Tie Zheng, Lu Zeng, Rust Disaster Craftsman, Ban Ji... and a pile of muddy flesh pierced by swords.
The flesh slowly reformed into Zhang Wangxing.
He half-kneeled on the ground, coughing blood continuously but feeling greatly encouraged inside, "Finally, finally I survived it!"
He had been using tricks and cheating before, which resulted in him being powerless against the sixth Mysterious Armor and having to flee desperately to buy time.
He had acquired the fifth Mysterious Armor, qualifying him for the next round, just waiting for the array to activate.
Ning Zhuo did not find Zhang Dadan and sighed inwardly, "The cultivators advancing to the third stage are not vastly different from what I expected."
Ning Zhuo did not trouble Ban Ji; instead, he immediately walked toward the lake.
The others did the same.
The urgent task was to refine some Qingliu Copper Lake water to obtain a blank Mysterious Armor. Each additional Mysterious Armor a cultivator had significantly increased their chances of winning.
Zhang Zheng was the first to reach the lakeside.
His expression was as serious as iron, standing firm. He slowly raised his arms, palms down, pressing against the lake surface from a distance.
Mana surged into the lake, then scooped up a mass of green flowing copper, slowly hovering in mid-air.
Zhang Zheng continued infusing mana, rapidly refining it.
Under everyone’s gaze, the green flowing copper gradually transformed into a shield.
He had blade beasts and various Mysterious Armors but lacked a shield. The previous battles made him deeply realize the immense value of a defensive weapon.
Ao Pan leisurely came to the lake as well.
He drew out mana, forming it into a whip shape, striking the lake water, then scooping up a large batch of green flowing copper.
The green flowing copper was imbued with mana and coalesced into a long whip in mid-air.
Lu Zeng was the last of the Three Golden Pills to arrive.
He took out his Lifebound Magical Treasure, the Thousand Mechanism Lotus, and directly threw it into the lake.
Ban Ji and the Rust Disaster Craftsman walked together.
Ban Ji immediately asked, eagerly, "Do you have a sword?"
He already had a bronze knife and had lastly encountered a bronze sword that he couldn’t defeat, prolonging the battle as he entered the third stage.
The Rust Disaster Craftsman handed his bronze sword to Ban Ji without any hesitation.
These weapons could be transferred.
Meanwhile, during the refining of green flowing copper, cultivators were also allowed to use methods to heal themselves.
Therefore, for Ban Ji, it was the best opportunity to reclaim the sword and restore the Sword and Saber Combination.
However...
Ban Ji was dumbfounded seeing the bronze sword, "This is your bronze sword?!"
He emphasized the word "sword," expressing emphasis.
The Rust Disaster Craftsman’s bronze sword had shrunk into a dagger.
The Rust Disaster Craftsman shrugged, "You know well my innate Golden Fiend. These Mysterious Armors are not suitable for me. Every time I use them, they have to endure the corrosion of my Golden Fiend."
Ban Ji snorted coldly, "You keep it for yourself."
He was still unwilling to give up, "You were entrusted by my Ban Family to assist me. Ban Jie wouldn’t have only this arrangement, would she have some other support?"
The Rust Disaster Craftsman’s eyes flashed, then he slowly shook his head, "Perhaps she arranged for others; I am just one of them."
Ban Ji snorted again and said no more.
He hurriedly tended to his injuries, reattaching his severed fingers.
Each of these severed fingers was carefully picked up and stored, greatly saving healing time.
Ban Ji was pressed for time; he had to heal and refine the Mysterious Armor.
Moments later, he clenched his hand, though weak, at least able to hold a sword and knife.
Ban Ji looked around, discovering almost everyone gathered around the small lake, refining Qingliu Copper.
During his entire lengthy healing process, no one came to help him, leaving Ban Ji deeply disappointed.
"I now have a bronze knife, so the blank Mysterious Armor I refine can only be a sword structure."
"Ah, if only I had a shield, it would provide a strong advantage in the chaotic battle."
Ban Ji’s gaze lingered on Ning Zhuo for a moment before moving on.
Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged by the lakeside. His Mysterious Armors were split into pieces, stored closely. From the outside, Ning Zhuo appeared empty-handed, with no one knowing how many Mysterious Armors he possessed.
Streams of Qingliu Copper were extracted by Ning Zhuo’s divine sense and mana, falling onto his person.
These Qingliu Copper were refined by Ning Zhuo, augmenting all his Mysterious Armors, comprehensively repairing them.
Mysterious Armors were not durable, prone to wear but due to the special material, also very easily repaired.
Others, even if choosing to repair, could at most do so with one or two items. For instance, Ao Pan preferred his previous bronze whip to break rather than repair.
The bronze whip was his first bronze weapon, too weak.
In such circumstances, fully refining a new bronze whip that completely aligned with his cultivation technique and whip technique was the optimal choice for him.
Ning Zhuo’s equal attention to all was similarly his optimal choice.
Because he had a battle array!
Soon, an unending stream of Qingliu Copper swiftly repaired all of Ning Zhuo’s Mysterious Armors.
Only then did Ning Zhuo begin to condense new Mysterious Armors.
The cultivators in Xuan Armor Cave saw Ning Zhuo’s Mysterious Armor and immediately wore peculiar expressions.
This was because Ning Zhuo’s Mysterious Armor did not resemble any conventional weapon; it looked like a human’s lower leg!
Everyone could only marvel: A genius’s thoughts truly differ from the average person’s.
The brief period of rest quickly passed.
The power of the Great Array enveloped once again, suppressing Golden Core to Foundation Establishment, uplifting Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment. The differences in cultivation level and other aspects among everyone disappeared, focusing competition on the Mysterious Armors.
Tie Zheng was the first to move, stepping slowly in front of Ao Pan, "Shall we spar a bit?"
With this movement, the chaotic battle of the third stage commenced.