Ning Zhuo could neither hear, see, nor smell, once again plunged into a world of darkness.
But he was delighted.
"I finally got in!"
"From now on, I can use this method to actively enter the Lava Immortal Palace."
The previous way had been too passive.
"Perhaps I can even activate the 'Trial Disciple' mark and leave the palace at will?"
This thought lingered in his mind, though he didn’t need to test it just yet.
As he pondered, Ning Zhuo activated the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, releasing spiritual power.
The scattered spiritual power soon connected to the first mechanical component.
Just like the previous two times, it was still his left arm.
Next came the head.
And once again, it was still that oversized head.
Skillfully assembling himself, Ning Zhuo then hopped down the small mountain of mechanical parts with a skip in his step.
He hobbled toward the door.
This time, to save time, he didn’t bother matching the lengths of his legs.
"With the Hanging Loop, even if I limp, I can still pass through Room Two."
"My priority is to get off the leaderboard. At minimum, I’ll need three trips."
But when he touched the door, he didn’t see the Hanging Loop as a reward option.
The three options were a spirit stone, a Returning Silk Coil (mechanical part), and a Qi Breath Technique (spell).
"No Hanging Loop?!" Ning Zhuo froze.
The next moment, he slapped his forehead, making a thudding sound as his small wooden hand hit his large head.
"That was a mistake!"
"I should’ve deduced this earlier."
"On my second attempt, I noticed the Ice Embrace Technique was replaced by Fire Grip Technique."
"This suggests that the reward options aren’t fixed. It’s likely that after choosing one, it rotates."
"If the spells vary, then so must the mechanical rewards."
"Only the spirit stone option remains unchanged, which dulled my awareness of this."
Everyone makes mistakes.
And so does Ning Zhuo.
Of course, it was mostly because he was eager to conceal his identity.
Gazing at the three rewards, Ning Zhuo quickly chose the Returning Silk Coil.
He avoided the spell, as he intended to leave the leaderboard this time.
While he could use the trial disciple mark to reenter the palace, he hadn’t yet fully grasped this mechanism. It might carry unknown restrictions.
"For example, what if I have to wait several days before I can reenter?"
Ning Zhuo didn’t want any complications at this crucial juncture. Right now, his top priority was getting off the leaderboard!
He wasn’t willing to take unnecessary risks.
He also skipped the spirit stone.
Currently, his spiritual power was sufficient.
The Returning Silk Coil was transmitted over.
It was a coil of metal wire, relatively thick.
On closer inspection, the surface gleamed with intertwined gold and silver threads.
Ning Zhuo was quite familiar with it.
Sitting on the ground, he detached both of his lower legs.
Then he unraveled a section of the Returning Silk Coil and twisted it with his nimble fingers into a coiling spiral, resembling a whirlwind.
Next, he installed this coiled wire at the knee joint, adding a new type of connection between his thigh and shin.
Finally, he reattached his lower legs.
Repeating the process, he also reinforced his elbows with the Returning Silk Coil.
Standing up, he tested his movement and found it satisfactory.
Finding nothing to practice in Room One, Ning Zhuo directly entered Room Two.
He sprinted on the retreating floor tiles.
With the Returning Silk Coil connecting his thighs and shins, every step compressed the coil.
When compressed to a certain point, it would release energy, snapping back to its normal length, giving Ning Zhuo added propulsion.
Previously, Ning Zhuo had advanced by running steadily.
This time, however, he leaped with each step, covering significant distances.
On his earlier attempts, he would fall behind the retreating tiles mid-way.
But this time, his leaps kept him well ahead, even past the midpoint.
When a giant wooden beam swung his way, Ning Zhuo leaped effortlessly, landing directly on it.
"Before, I needed to jump with both legs. Now, my single-leg jumps are both higher and faster than my previous double-leg ones!"
Ning Zhuo bounded from the beam to the wall, occasionally touching down on the floor tiles.
After two failed attempts, he crossed the final obstacle on the third, reaching the door.
"The Returning Silk Coil is actually more suited to Room Two than the Hanging Loop," Ning Zhuo assessed.
At that moment, he thought of the Speedrun Leaderboard.
"The Sage of the Three Sects set up these challenges not only as tests but also as lessons."
"The speedrun goal encourages us trial disciples to continuously refine our skills and master the use of mechanical constructs."
"What if Meng Chong were to attempt this challenge?"
"Could he wield these mechanical components as adeptly?"
"No, the determining factor isn’t that, but rather his puppet. The puppet he commands with supreme talent must be far superior to mine!"
During his raid on the Purple Sun Courtyard, Ning Zhuo had used a mechanical construct to observe Meng Chong ambushing Han Ming.
"Although Meng Chong was bolstered by abundant medicinal power and overflowing spiritual force, his powerful strikes were due to his Wild Sprint Thunderclap."
As a walking library of knowledge, Ning Zhuo fully understood the weight of supreme talent, but witnessing it firsthand had still shaken him to his core.
What was supreme?
Low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade were all within the ordinary range.
Supreme talent transcended the usual limitations, existing on a level beyond.
Only one such talent would emerge among millions of cultivators.
Cultivators with supreme talent, once grown, inevitably became the pride of sects and pillars of nations.
"The Meng family is a massive clan in the Southern Bean Kingdom, with countless members. Given such vast numbers, a supreme talent is bound to emerge occasionally."
Ning Zhuo felt no envy.
If he possessed low-grade early wisdom talent and the mysterious arm talent, why couldn’t others have something better?
Why shouldn’t others have something superior?
What right did he have to demand otherwise?
The year his mother died, Ning Zhuo learned a truth—this world did not revolve around him!
He was merely the protagonist of his own life, while each person was the protagonist of their own life.
All these protagonists played out their grudges, schemes, and ambitions on the grand stage of the world.
"And that’s precisely what makes this world so exciting."
Although Meng Chong had yet to enter, Ning Zhuo already sensed an impending pressure from behind.
Concealing his identity was merely a precaution to stabilize his initial advantage.
But how long could he maintain that lead once Meng Chong formally joined?
Ning Zhuo wasn’t sure.
All he could do was keep moving forward.