Chapter 52: Unexpected

Peak Qi Refining Stage Three!

Zheng Jian's soul was drawn into the palace.

The instant he received the news, his innate talent, Piercing Insight, was triggered.

"Pass through Room One to enter Room Two?"

He subconsciously activated the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art.

A moment later, when he touched the door and chose his reward, he concentrated once more, trying to activate Piercing Insight.

Nothing happened.

Zheng Jian was not discouraged. After analyzing, he chose the hanging ring from the mechanism components.

Although he wasn't skilled in mechanisms, he had deep experience in crafting artifacts and quickly figured out its true use.

But just as he was about to push open the door, an unparalleled sense of dread overwhelmed him!

"I will die! I will die! I will die!!"

The intuition granted by Piercing Insight made his body and mind tremble.

Zheng Jian gritted his teeth, his courage further ignited: "So, there's something deadly behind the door?"

"How can I know if I don't see it with my own eyes?"

He pushed open the door.

He walked in.

Bang!

He shattered.

...

Dungeon.

Ning Zhuo gently extended the chain, saying to Han Ming, "You've worked hard these past few days, rest well."

He had always restrained Han Ming with chains, keeping her standing.

Since Han Ming had changed her attitude and actively cooperated with Ning Zhuo, transferring her soul essence, Ning Zhuo had been gradually relaxing the restraints. This time, lengthening the chain would allow Han Ming to lie directly on the ground.

Han Ming was also exhausted. After falling to the ground, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Ning Zhuo absorbed all the soul essence from the Soul-Seizing Shuttle, finding that his soul power was nearly fifty times its original amount!

"Soul foundation, Golden Silk Jade Dew Cake, and various elixirs have allowed me to maintain rapid soul refinement."

"Demonic arts are the fastest, but the Mirror Platform Spirit Unlocking Art's speed is surprisingly not inferior."

Now, Ning Zhuo had cultivated both arts to the first level.

This was the fastest period of progress he had ever experienced.

Almost every day, there was visible improvement.

This made him obsessed with cultivation, unable to extricate himself.

...

Zheng Jian went all out, pushing open the first door.

Bang.

Zhou Zhu gritted his teeth, smashing open the first door.

Bang.

Zheng Jian: "Hmph, changing my approach, this time I'll use the hanging ring's line to block the giant hammer overhead. It should buy me some time."

Bang.

Zhou Zhu: "Following the method taught by A-Shen, this time I should be able to make a breakthrough."

Bang.

...

First in all five rankings!

Essence Refining Stage Two, Spirit Refining Stage Two.

Ning Zhuo joyfully collected his rewards.

Spirit stones were a must-have, and he even chose them twice.

Immediately, he received two hundred spirit stones.

There was no other way, with the addition of Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian, Ning Zhuo's mechanism trap consumption was even faster.

With the remaining three choices, Ning Zhuo chose two spells and one mechanism component.

He had already tested that if he chose a spell he had already learned, he would gain more experience and insights, saving him a great deal of time and energy, making it the most cost-effective option.

As for the other mechanism component, he verified his previous conjecture. Components selected from the rankings would be treated as inheritance, passed down to the next exploration.

However, the mechanism components Ning Zhuo exchanged were basically used to set up traps.

...

Ning Zhuo's arrangements caused Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian's exploration experience to immediately decline from initial surprise to astonishment, then to pain, and finally to despair.

"Why, why is it so difficult?!"

"How long has it been? We can't even get past the first door?"

Zheng Jian and Zhou Zhu looked at each other.

They had already met and confirmed each other's identities.

"This can't go on. Zhou Zhu, we can only have hope by working together," Zheng Jian proactively suggested.

Zhou Zhu nodded: "Alright, you go first."

Zheng Jian was stunned, staring at him: "What are you joking about? You're so tall and sturdy, like a pillar. If I rush in with you, you can hold up the heavy hammer, buy me some time, and I can rush past."

"Why can't you be the one to hold it up for me?" Zhou Zhu retorted.

Neither could convince the other, and they were deadlocked for a while.

Neither was willing to pave the way for the other.

...

Through hidden mechanism components, Ning Zhuo observed this scene afterward.

"It seems that the day when the Zhou family, the Zheng family, and the City Lord's Mansion cooperate is not far off," Ning Zhuo realized.

This was inevitable.

Without cooperation, they couldn't even pass the first door, only cooperation offered hope.

In fact, the higher-ups of the Zhou and Zheng families had reached a consensus, believing that sincere cooperation was the foundation for passing the test!

Zhou family: "The Three Sects' Immortals are compassionate, guiding us to coexist peacefully and cooperate."

Zheng family: "That must be it. The emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace, the rumors have begun to spread widely. We must seize the time, cooperate sincerely, and strive to seize the Immortal Palace before the outside world reacts!"

After reaching a consensus, the Zhou and Zheng families secretly contacted the City Lord's Mansion.

Meng Chong was sought out, and when he learned the two families' intentions, he sneered disdainfully: "Weaklings huddle together, true experts are solitary!"

Meng Chong, after having undergone special training, was once again drawn into the Lava Immortal Palace.

Under the excited gaze of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, he pushed open the door and entered.

Crack!

A soft sound, followed by a burst of electricity.

The fishing net came to trap, but was a beat too late.

The heavy hammer smashed down, hitting nothing.

Between the walls, there were tough, transparent silk threads everywhere.

Meng Chong identified the position of each thin line, following the gaps, penetrating all obstacles!

He raised his head high, standing in front of the second door: "Hmph, a mere Room Two is nothing more than this."

He chose the spirit stone reward, and with a sudden burst of strength, pushed open the door, stepping into Room Three.

Inside Room Three, thirty to forty martial arts puppets raised their heads in unison, pairs of eyes emitting a glaring yellow light.

These were all the ones that Ning Zhuo had frozen and painstakingly moved from the subsequent levels to Room Three.

Meng Chong: ...

A moment later, his soul returned to his body.

Because he had used immortal resources too many times, Meng Chong's cheekbones were now protruding high, and large eye bags were already showing a blue-purple color.

"Room Three is even harder!" He glared, wanting to get up and continue practicing. But he was too tired, just as he wanted to get up, his eyes darkened and he fainted directly.

...

"As expected of a superior talent," Ning Zhuo sighed sincerely after watching Meng Chong's successful passage.

"Although Meng Chong hasn't joined forces for now, he's still going solo. But his success will definitely further stimulate the Zhou and Zheng families to join forces."

"Knowing the real situation, these three forces will definitely urge others to switch to the new cultivation method."

"So, next, I will face an increasing number of cultivator teams."

Ning Zhuo gradually felt that he couldn't suppress them anymore.

The more people there were, the more troublesome another matter would become. That was, the probability of Ning Zhuo being discovered entering and exiting the Immortal Palace, thereby exposing him, would increase sharply.

On this day, he entered the Lava Immortal Palace again.

"What's going on?!" He entered Room Two and found that all the mechanisms had been destroyed.

The Heavy Hammer Platform had been pushed to the side of the wall.

The horizontally striking giant logs were all broken.

The scene was a mess.

He quickly retrieved the hidden mechanism components and replayed the previous images.

The next moment, Ning Zhuo's body and mind were shaken violently.