The rewards in Room Two were two spirit stones, a glass flying knife mechanical part, and the Fire Grip Technique spell.
Ning Zhuo chose the spirit stones without hesitation.
In Room Three, he once again encountered the martial puppet.
Without a second thought, Ning Zhuo grabbed hold of it, allowing it to pummel him as he fully executed the Ice Embrace Technique.
Moments later, the martial puppet turned into a block of ice for the second time.
Its large eyes glowed yellow, seemingly glaring at Ning Zhuo for his lack of martial integrity.
Feeling apologetic, Ning Zhuo thought, “I know this checkpoint is meant to hone my puppet’s close combat skills."
"Unfortunately, I don’t have the time right now, but I’ll come back for further training if I have the chance.”
The rewards in Room Three included ten spirit stones, a small flying box mechanical part, and the Wood Fusion Technique spell.
Again, Ning Zhuo selected the spirit stones.
Finally, he returned to the preparation room!
Ning Zhuo felt a surge of excitement.
He noted the smooth, empty floor. “The puppet body I used during my second exploration has already been cleared away.”
He hurried to the five-sided rotating stone pillar and placed his hand on it.
“I want off the leaderboard!”
With determination, Ning Zhuo infused his spiritual power while channeling his soul essence, activating the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
The Buddha Heart Demon Seal didn’t disappoint Ning Zhuo, and soon he saw his name slowly sinking on the leaderboard.
But once his name had fully disappeared, it began to slowly rise back up!
“What’s going on?!” Ning Zhuo froze in shock.
In the main hall of the Lava Immortal Palace, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit gleefully raised its head and spat a large gout of flame.
Its expression was filled with a schadenfreude-like amusement, as if saying, "Serves you right for using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal to cheat!"
If he hadn’t been in a puppet body, Ning Zhuo would have broken into a cold sweat by now.
“I can’t conceal my identity?”
“This means I have to keep my name on the leaderboard.”
“Wait, maybe I can change my name?”
Ning Zhuo continued experimenting.
On his first attempt, he had a breakthrough, excitedly watching as his name transformed.
From Ning Zhuo to Ning Ji!
Roar!
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, still reveling moments earlier, now raised its head and let out a furious roar, causing the palace to quake.
On the peak of Fire Persimmon Mountain, the Lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City immediately opened his eyes, vigilantly staring at the palace within the volcano's crater.
After observing for a while and confirming that the palace had only trembled briefly, he slowly closed his eyes again and resumed meditation.
Ning Zhuo looked up at the leaderboard and shook his head slightly.
“Changing my name to Ning Ji won’t work. It’s too easy to trace back to me.”
“What if I change it to Meng Chong?”
“No, that would be even worse.”
“When Meng Chong comes to the preparation room, he’ll find himself occupying both first and second place. That would immediately give me away.”
“What name should I use?”
Ning Zhuo found himself stumped.
Even using a random name would still be a flaw.
After pondering for a moment, a flash of inspiration hit him.
Looking at the altered name on the leaderboard, he thought to himself, “This should let me fly under the radar for a while.”
In the main hall.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit repeatedly rammed its head against a pillar, feeling the torment of watching someone cheat without being able to stop it.
Despite being the palace spirit, its authority was limited in many areas.
With each impact of its head, the entire Lava Immortal Palace shuddered.
In the dense clouds above, the city lord suddenly opened his eyes, his brow furrowing, his gaze sharp with alarm. “Is another eruption imminent?!”
But after waiting tensely for a while, he only saw the Lava Immortal Palace tremble rhythmically, sending waves of magma roiling outward in a strangely consistent rhythm.
Relaxing gradually, the city lord shook his head in bafflement. “Is the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit having a fit? What on earth is it doing?”
Meanwhile, Ning Zhuo was overjoyed.
He discovered that changing his name on one leaderboard automatically updated it across the others.
There was no need for him to expend additional spiritual power or soul essence to alter each one individually.
“The reality is simpler than I imagined!”
“That’s why you must never fear difficulties. Sometimes, obstacles are more imagined than real.”
Ning Zhuo took a moment to encourage himself.
He still had ample spiritual power remaining and about half of his soul essence, enough to continue exploring.
Instead of rushing into the next challenge, Ning Zhuo decided to search around the preparation room.
When he tried to take a welding torch hanging on the wall, a prompt informed him of a charge.
This time, Ning Zhuo wasn’t willing to pay and attempted to use the Buddha Heart Demon Seal once more.
Seeing this, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit flicked its tail dismissively, letting out a cold snort full of disdain.
Before long, Ning Zhuo sighed in disappointment.
The Buddha Heart Demon Seal couldn’t make the tools free to use, nor could it even provide a discount.
Ning Zhuo realized he would need to explore its full range of permissions and limitations on a case-by-case basis.
He returned to the stone pillar leaderboard.
This five-sided stone pillar rotated periodically to display its five leaderboards.
Ning Zhuo placed his hand on it, activating the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
In an instant, the stone pillar froze, stopping its rotation.
Just as he was about to celebrate this small victory, a spark of realization jolted him.
He looked excitedly at the door of the preparation room.
He ran to the door, ready to push it open and enter the next unknown room, but then paused.
Turning around, he walked to the entry portal he’d initially entered through.
At that moment, in the main hall.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit pressed its forelimbs against the floor, staring intently at Ning Zhuo, its face filled with anxious tension.
Ning Zhuo activated the Buddha Heart Demon Seal and attempted to open the portal.
In the next moment, the door opened effortlessly!
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit raised its head in shock, letting out a furious roar and slamming its claw to the ground, scattering countless sparks.
Ning Zhuo opened the door and saw the familiar view of Room Three.
The martial puppet was still frozen in ice.
Holding back his excitement, Ning Zhuo stepped into Room Three and shut the door behind him.
Once again, he placed his hand on the door.
The reward options appeared again: ten spirit stones, the small flying box mechanical part, and the Wood Fusion Technique spell.
Ning Zhuo selected the spirit stone reward first, only to find that the transfer circle appeared but yielded nothing, not even half a stone.
He then selected the small flying box.
This time, he received a small wooden box capable of hovering mid-air.
Lastly, he chose the Wood Fusion Technique, receiving a detailed outline of the spell.
In the main hall.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit once again smashed its head against the pillar, roaring furiously.
Its voice echoed in all directions, carrying intense feelings of helplessness, frustration, and suppressed rage.
The Lava Immortal Palace erupted once more, sending beams of radiant light piercing through the sky.
“Here we go again?!”
The Fire Persimmon City Lord was forced to halt his cultivation, glaring angrily as he reluctantly reactivated the Immortal City Grand Formation to counter the rumbling Lava Immortal Palace.