“Second layer of qi refining, hahaha!” Meng Chong shouted in joy from within the cultivation chamber.
He was thoroughly enjoying this speed.
Ever since activating Wild Sprint Thunderclap, his cultivation had skyrocketed, a stark contrast to his prior cultivation pace, bringing him immense satisfaction and a sense of achievement.
The more he cultivated, the more exhilarated he felt, becoming increasingly absorbed.
Wild Sprint Thunderclap, Wild Sprint Thunderclap, Wild Sprint Thunderclap!
He grew more and more reliant on this supreme talent, using it with increasing frequency.
Fei Si sensed something amiss and gently advised him to be cautious.
Meng Chong pulled back slightly, but he still frowned as he cultivated.
He felt genuinely frustrated. “Slow, too slow!”
“It’s like a snail’s crawl!!”
Of course, this was just his perception.
After unleashing his natural impulses, he found himself becoming ever more impatient.
“Just once more, just one more time.”
“One more use won’t hurt, right?”
“Just once more, the last time.”
Wild Sprint Thunderclap, Wild Sprint Thunderclap, Wild Sprint Thunderclap…
“Wahaha!” Meng Chong’s enthusiastic laughter echoed through the cultivation chamber.
Ning Zhuo entered the palace for the sixth time.
He formally stepped into Room Four.
Room Four’s layout was similar to that of Room One, with mechanical parts stacked everywhere.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit observed Ning Zhuo, watching his every move with a blank expression, giving no hints.
Ning Zhuo attempted to assemble the mechanical parts, only to be instantly immobilized by the Life-Hanging Thread.
He immediately tried to activate the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, but to no avail.
He approached the exit, touched the door, and once again received a message about rewards.
“Is this enough to pass?”
“No, this room must have a purpose. I just haven’t figured it out.”
Contemplating briefly, Ning Zhuo attempted the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, but nothing happened.
Upon seeing this, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit instinctively rose, supporting itself on all fours, no longer lying down as before.
It seemed nervous.
Suddenly, an idea struck Ning Zhuo, and he abandoned the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, casting a spell instead.
First, he used the Ice Embrace Technique.
Upon casting it, he immediately attracted a mechanical part that flew toward him.
Quickly, Ning Zhuo caught it, though the impact forced him to step back.
“Guessed right!” he thought, exhilarated.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit slammed its claw in frustration, gnashing its teeth.
Ning Zhuo had figured it out again!
The newly obtained mechanical part was a hefty forearm with a hand, capable of floating in mid-air.
Ning Zhuo continued casting spells, obtaining another floating arm, a wooden mechanical staff, and a set of twelve mechanical rings.
“The more spells I master, the greater the enhancements I gain in this room.”
“This level mainly tests techniques and spells.”
Ning Zhuo advanced to Room Five.
A long corridor lay before him, at least ten times longer than the one in Room Two.
What kind of mechanical traps awaited this time?
At the City Lord’s Residence.
“Hahaha!” Meng Chong laughed, head held high.
“Peak of the third layer, and it only took three days! Who can be faster than me?”
Three days and nights, with nearly no rest, had brought him success.
“I will be the first to enter the Immortal Palace!!”
“Now, how do I actually enter…”
In the next instant, darkness consumed Meng Chong’s vision as his soul was forcibly extracted.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit sprang up in excitement.
It had been awaiting this moment for a long time.
Eagerly, it transmitted a message to Meng Chong: “Lava Immortal Palace, mechanical inheritance, Life-Hanging Thread, qi refining test… Activate your innate talent, fully execute the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, pass through Room One to reach Room Two!”
The main hall of the Immortal Palace suddenly formed a fiery whip, striking the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.
With a loud crack, the whip forced it to the ground.
It lay there in pain, baring its teeth in excitement as it saw Meng Chong, now motivated by the vital clue, begin frantically running the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique.
At the same time, faint sparks started to emerge from around his body.
Crackling sounds grew louder as the sparks intensified.
The mechanical parts piled up like a small mountain began trembling, as five components shot forth.
The components flew toward Meng Chong, assembling themselves onto his main body in mere seconds.
Meng Chong straightened, fists clenched, chest thrust forward, releasing a shout.
The electric sparks around him gathered into a burst of lightning, shooting skyward, forming a dazzling pillar of thunder.
Rumble…
The mechanical part mountain shook and collapsed under his power.
Amidst the dust, Meng Chong strode forward, head held high.
Upon touching the door, he received the reward message.
“The Lava Immortal Palace’s inheritance test is rather interesting!”
Without even glancing at the options for mechanical parts and spells, he selected spirit stones.
“Room Two, here I come.”
With a mighty shove, he flung open the door, striding in confidently.
Boom!
He triggered a trap, and a thousand-pound hammer stand descended from above.
Meng Chong had no time to react before he was smashed into countless wooden fragments.
“What happened?” Lacking a puppet body, Meng Chong’s soul was sent back to his flesh.
He was bewildered.
Reflecting on it, he realized, “Seems I triggered a trap after opening the door.”
Meng Chong pondered a moment, then summoned Fei Si.
After hearing of Meng Chong’s experience, Fei Si warmly congratulated him, showering him with praise.
Meng Chong snorted. “I am the number one talent of the Meng Clan’s generation. I won’t let my grandfather down! What should I do now?”
Fei Si sighed, “So, the Lava Immortal Palace’s inheritance test shifts drastically at the qi refining stage!”
“All this time, I’ve been reading about the Sage of the Three Sects, analyzing his thoughts and temperament.”
“If my guess is right, Young Master Meng, one of the rewards hidden in the portal contains a key item that will offer great assistance.”
Meng Chong fell into thought. “Spirit Stones, Hanging Loop, or Qi Breath Technique… which one?”
“And, when can I re-enter the Lava Immortal Palace?”
Despite having soul essence left, he’d have to wait three hours after this failure.
Ning Zhuo entered the palace for the seventh time.
Last time, he had exhausted all his spiritual power in Room Five.
“Room Five is similar to Room Two; I need to dash and dodge through all obstacles to reach the end.”
“The difficulty has at least tripled!”
“Although I’ve obtained quite a few mechanical parts, I’m not familiar with them. Trying to evade rapidly while carrying them is a huge burden.”
“The additional parts also increase the drain on my spiritual power.”
“Hmm?!”
Entering Room Two, Ning Zhuo discovered that the trap he had set up had been triggered once.
The thousand-pound hammer stand…
He had previously assembled it to smash the leaderboard pillar. On his fourth palace entry, he had an idea and moved it to Room Two, setting up a trap.
On his fifth entry, he was thrilled to find the trap still intact.
Testing proved successful!
Thus, with the help of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, Ning Zhuo added many new features to Rooms Two and Three.
“Meng Chong has entered the palace.”
“Yes, and he got smashed.”
“Now that I know the minimum interval is three hours, I can roughly calculate the timing and try to avoid him.”
A sense of urgency arose in Ning Zhuo’s heart, and he looked cautious.
“A supreme talent…”
“This time, I’ll add a few more traps.”
“Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease!”