The cultivators of the Xuan Armor Cave were engaged in lively discussions.
"Indeed, the victor of this competition belongs to Tie Zheng."
"The Blade Beast is too strong! When it eliminated Lu Zeng and Ao Pan, it already hinted at the outcome of this trial."
The Hao-surnamed cultivator chuckled, "Not necessarily."
The cultivators immediately cast puzzled glances.
The Hao-surnamed cultivator didn’t provide an explanation but instead focused on Ning Zhuo in the arena, admiring the young man more and more.
By the edge of Cloud Sea Cliff.
Snap.
A crisp sound echoed as the teacup in Ban Jie’s hand revealed a crack.
"What? Ban Ji was eliminated!" Upon receiving this intelligence, Ban Jie’s heart was greatly shaken.
"Xuan Armor Cave..."
"According to the divination, this legacy has considerable significance for him."
"How could he be eliminated?"
"Most crucially, it wasn’t even Ning Zhuo who eliminated him; it was that Tie Zheng!"
"No, even if it wasn’t Ning Zhuo who eliminated him, it’s still good. After all, he’s Ban Ji’s human tribulation..."
"In this way, the winner this time is Tie Zheng."
"I just don’t know if he can ultimately clinch the first place."
Ban Jie furrowed her brows, her eyes unfocused. At this moment, her mind was in complete disarray.
Xuan Armor Cave.
The final battle of this trial had begun!
Ning Zhuo and three others surrounded Tie Zheng, launching their assault.
Various weapons clashed with each other, stirring up waves of air and triggering a series of explosions.
After a brief fight, the intensity of the battle rapidly declined.
After such a prolonged melee, the cultivators present were all greatly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Tie Zheng first fought against two, then took down Ban Ji’s group, and now faced with Ning Zhuo and others, he also found himself exhausted.
He wielded a bronze kitchen knife, panting heavily. Sweat and blood mixed over his entire body, soaking his disheveled hair at the forehead, leaving his breath weak.
Ning Zhuo and the others cast wary glances at the bronze kitchen knife.
Throughout the melee, this bronze weapon repeatedly displayed formidable power.
Tie Zheng squinted his eyes, his vision already doubling, knowing well that he had fought multiple tough battles, reaching his physical and mental limits.
"I can’t prolong this battle!"
He looked down, eventually shifting his gaze from the Beast Ball at his waist to the kitchen knife in his hand.
The next moment, he abruptly attacked with the knife.
Unpretentious and simple, it was just a blur of black shadow, yet imbued with the fierce strength to cleave a mountain and break a ridge!
Ning Zhuo and the other four dodged simultaneously.
By this time, Tie Zheng’s physical strength was depleted, and the speed of his knife strike was less than thirty percent of before. Ning Zhuo and the other four were also at their limits, their evasive maneuvers considerably slow.
With two crisp clangs, the knife carved a straight trajectory, slicing through two pieces of Mysterious Armor.
The momentum of the kitchen knife remained unabated, heading straight for Ning Zhuo’s chest.
Tie Zheng saw Ning Zhuo as the number one target, attempting to eliminate the most threatening rival first.
Ning Zhuo’s shield had long been lost, and even if he had it, it would still struggle to resist the sharpness of the kitchen knife.
But he remained calm. With a grasping motion in the air, a brand-new Mysterious Armor flew to his hand, transforming into a bronze whip!
Swish.
The whip led Ning Zhuo’s wrist and arm to rotate and flicker, the whip body as pliant as a willow in the breeze, extremely flexible, brushing lightly against the kitchen knife.
Softness countered hardness, bending into a straight!
The intent of the kitchen knife was thus neutralized, its offensive collapsing and easily blocked by Ning Zhuo’s other bronze weapons.
"You also passed through and obtained the seventh Mysterious Armor?!" Tie Zheng’s eyes widened.
The other three cultivators felt a chill.
Ning Zhuo was too good at concealing; he had been hiding such a significant card throughout the melee!
At this moment, even the cultivators of the Xuan Armor Cave were astonished.
"What’s going on? Where did he get the seventh piece of Mysterious Armor?"
"I clearly saw him acquire the sixth piece and then take a break until the third stage opened!"
"Cheating! Ning Zhuo cheated!!"
"No, maybe he’s like Tie Zheng, bringing an external Mysterious Armor with him."
The Hao-surnamed cultivator spoke calmly, "No, this is exactly the Mysterious Armor from our cave. Ning Zhuo did not cheat; it was I who disguised and concealed his actions."
The Hao-surnamed cultivator, who presided over this trial, admitted this, immediately drawing inquisitive glances.
He had been prepared for this moment, his expression unchanging, and spoke slowly, "I noticed something was off in the second stage."
"I foresaw that Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji would have a contest, so I temporarily altered Ning Zhuo’s subsequent performance."
"Sure enough, in the third stage, the Ban Family openly committed fraud, disregarding our reputation, infiltrating many people to support their Ban Ji."
The crowd finally realized.
The Hao-surnamed cultivator in the arena had the highest authority, capable of deeper manipulation of the Great Array of Xuan Armor Cave.
He fabricated and concealed before all the cultivators, fooling everyone present, including Ban Jie, who was nearby waiting for first-hand information.
In reality, after refining the sixth bronze fan, Ning Zhuo only paused briefly before rushing to the next battle relentlessly.
After a tough fight, he successfully acquired the bronze whip.
Later in the cave, Ning Zhuo always kept this trump card hidden, never easily revealing it.
The Hao-surnamed cultivator unveiled the truth, causing the cultivators to exclaim repeatedly.
"This Ning Zhuo is too good at hiding!"
"He’s incredibly patient, keeping such a trump card until the very end to use."
"Maybe he didn’t dare to show it? You know, in the first half of the melee, Ao Pan was present the whole time. If he saw such a good whip, he would certainly strive to seize it."
"Ning Zhuo’s luck is quite extraordinary! Not only did he acquire the seventh Mysterious Armor, but he also countered the Dao intent of the kitchen knife Tie Zheng obtained."