The peak of the third layer of Qi Refinement!
Zheng Jian had been drawn into the Immortal Palace.
The moment he received the news, his innate Piercing Heart Insight was also triggered.
"Pass through Room One, enter Room Two?"
Without thinking, he activated the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
A moment later, he touched the door and, when choosing a reward, once again concentrated, wanting to trigger his Piercing Heart Insight.
There was no response.
Zheng Jian was not discouraged and, after analyzing, chose the hangman's noose mechanical part.
Though he was not adept at Mechanical Techniques, his deep experience in Artifact Refining quickly allowed him to figure out its true usage.
But just as he was about to push the door, an unparalleled sense of dread engulfed his heart!
"I will die! I will die! I will die!!"
The intuition granted by Piercing Heart Insight made his body and soul tremble.
Zheng Jian gritted his teeth, spurred on by more courage: "So, there's something deadly behind this door?"
"How would I know without seeing it for myself?"
He pushed the door open.
He walked in.
Bang!
He shattered.
...
The dungeon.
Ning Zhuo gently lengthened the chains, saying to Han Ming: "You've worked hard these days, take a good rest."
He had always used chains to restrain Han Ming, keeping her in a standing position.
Since Han Ming had changed her attitude and proactively cooperated with Ning Zhuo, transferring soul essence, Ning Zhuo had continuously loosened the restraints. This time, by lengthening the chains, Han Ming could lie directly on the ground.
Han Ming, very exhausted, closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep as soon as she lay down.
Ning Zhuo absorbed all the soul essence from the Soul Capturing Shuttle and found that his soul power had increased nearly fiftyfold!
"The soul's foundation, Gold Thread Jade Dew Cake, and numerous elixir pills have allowed me to maintain rapid Spirit Refining."
"Though demonic cultivation is the quickest, the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique is just as fast."
By now, Ning Zhuo had reached the first layer in both cultivation techniques.
This was the fastest progress he had ever made.
Almost every day, there were visible advancements.
This made him obsess over his cultivation, unable to extricate himself.
...
Zheng Jian tried his best, pushing open the first door.
Bang.
Zhou Zhu gritted his teeth, bursting through the first door.
Bang.
Zheng Jian: "Hmph, a change in approach. This time, I'll use the hangman's noose line to block the overhead hammer. It should buy me some time."
Bang.
Zhou Zhu: "According to the method taught by Ah Shen, I should be able to break through this time."
Bang.
...
First place on all five rankings!
Refinement of Essence at layer two, Spirit Refining at layer two.
Ning Zhuo happily received his rewards.
He chose Spirit Stones and picked them twice.
Immediately, two hundred Spirit Stones were in his hands.
There was no other choice. With Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian joining, Ning Zhuo's mechanical traps were being depleted faster.
For the remaining three choices, Ning Zhuo selected two spells and one mechanical part.
He had already tested it: if he chose a spell he had already learned, the experience and insights gained would save him a lot of time and effort, making it the most cost-effective option.
The additional mechanical part verified his previous hypothesis: parts chosen from the leaderboard would become inherited assets for the next exploration.
Nevertheless, most of the mechanical parts Ning Zhuo redeemed were used to set up traps.
...
Ning Zhuo's arrangements made Zhou Zhu's and Zheng Jian's exploration experience plummet from initial curiosity to astonishment, then to suffering, finally sinking into despair.
"Why, why is it so difficult?!"
"How long has it been, and we can't even get past the first door?"
Zheng Jian and Zhou Zhu exchanged glances.
They had already encountered each other and confirmed each other's identities.
"This won't do. Zhou Zhu, we can only hope to pass if we cooperate," Zheng Jian suggested.
Zhou Zhu nodded: "Alright, you go first."
Zheng Jian paused, glaring at him: "Are you kidding me? You're built like a pillar. If we charge in together, you can withstand the heavy hammer, and I'll have the time to get through."
"Why can't you give me cover?" Zhou Zhu retorted.
Neither could convince the other, leading to a stalemate.
Neither was willing to make a sacrifice for the other.
...
Through hidden mechanical parts, Ning Zhuo observed this scene afterwards.
"It seems the days of cooperation between the Zhou Family, the Zheng Family, and the City Lord's Mansion are not far off," Ning Zhuo thought with clarity.
This was inevitable.
Without cooperation, they couldn't get past the first door; only with cooperation did they have hope.
In fact, the higher-ups of the Zhou Family and the Zheng Family had reached a consensus, believing that sincere cooperation was the foundation for passing the trials!
Zhou Family: "The Three Ancestral Masters are merciful, advising us to coexist peacefully and collaborate."
Zheng Family: "It must be so. The Magma Fairy Palace is emerging, and rumors are already widespread. We must seize the moment, cooperate sincerely, and strive to capture the palace before the outside world reacts!"
After reaching a consensus, the Zhou Family and the Zheng Family secretly contacted the City Lord's Mansion.
When Meng Chong learned of their intentions, he sneered contemptuously: "Only the weak huddle together. True strongmen work alone!"
Having succeeded in his special training, Meng Chong was once again absorbed into the Magma Fairy Palace.
Under the excited gaze of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, he pushed the door and entered.
Click!
With a light sound, electric sparks shot out.
The fishing net missed its mark by a beat.
The heavy hammer struck nothing but air.
Between the walls were tough, transparent threads everywhere.
Identifying the position of each fine thread, Meng Chong weaved through the gaps, bypassing all obstacles!
He stood proudly in front of the second door: "Hmph, Room Two is trivial."
He selected the Spirit Stone reward, forcefully pushed the door, and stepped into Room Three.
Inside Room Three, thirty to forty Kung Fu Dolls simultaneously raised their heads, their eyes glowing with piercing yellow light.
These were all moved from subsequent checkpoints to Room Three by the hard-working Ning Zhuo.
Meng Chong: ...
A moment later, his soul returned to his body.
Due to excessive use of Immortal Aptitude, Meng Chong's cheekbones were now prominently high, and dark blue bags encircled his eyes.
"Room Three is even harder!" He widened his eyes, wanting to get up and continue cultivating. But he was too exhausted; just as he tried to rise, his vision went black and he passed out.
...
"Truly worthy of superior talent." After watching the footage of Meng Chong passing the obstacle, Ning Zhuo sighed with heartfelt admiration.
"Although Meng Chong hasn't joined forces yet, continuing to act solo, his success will undoubtedly spur the Zhou Family and the Zheng Family to team up."
"Knowing the reality, these three forces will surely urge everyone else to adapt quickly."
"So, next, I will face more and more teams of cultivators."
Ning Zhuo gradually felt the pressure building.
The more people there were, the more it complicated another matter. That was Ning Zhuo entering and exiting the Immortal Palace without being discovered, significantly increasing the chance of exposure.
On this day, he entered the Magma Fairy Palace once again.
"What's going on?!" Upon entering Room Two, he found all the mechanisms destroyed.
The massive hammer had been moved to the side wall.
The horizontal logs were broken.
The scene was in complete disarray.
He quickly retrieved the hidden mechanical part to review the previous scene.
The next moment, Ning Zhuo's heart and soul trembled.