Ning Zhuo stood before the five stone pillars, touching the surface with his palm and immediately receiving information.
He was awarded for ranking first on the Qi Refining Leaderboard, Speedrun Leaderboard, and Progress Leaderboard!
The rewards offered were the usual three: spirit stones, mechanical parts, and techniques, from which Ning Zhuo had to select one.
“There are a hundred spirit stones in the rewards!” Ning Zhuo’s heart shook slightly.
The most he had previously earned as a checkpoint reward was ten spirit stones.
One hundred spirit stones—ten times that amount!
He decided right away to take at least one spirit stone reward.
Previously, he had taken many supplies from the preparation rooms to set up mechanical traps.
The Buddha Heart Demon Seal couldn’t allow these items for free; each had a cost.
As his trap setups increased, his spirit stones had run low.
With an additional hundred spirit stones, he now had no concerns.
The mechanical parts reward offered a dozen options, including the Hanging Loop, Returning Silk Coil, and Small Flying Box.
There were also familiar spells, such as Ice Embrace Technique, Fire Grip Technique, and Wood Fusion Technique.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit observed Ning Zhuo closely.
Seeing him lower his head in contemplation in front of the leaderboard, the Fire Spirit’s face took on a nervous expression.
Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo began to sense the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
To his disappointment, he discovered that he could only choose one reward from the leaderboard rankings.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit saw Ning Zhuo’s failed attempt and snorted slightly, still looking tense.
“Strange.” Ning Zhuo sensed something was amiss.
“Very odd, indeed.”
He was skilled at noticing problems in subtle details.
“Each top rank reward actually offers the same three options.”
“But the value of these options is unbalanced.”
“The spirit stone reward offers a hundred stones, while the other two options are similar to previous checkpoint rewards.”
“I’ve used most of these rewards before, and I’ve basically mastered the spells.”
“It’s unlikely that the Sage of the Three Sects would make such an oversight… which means the other two reward options must have hidden value beyond their surface appearance.”
“Let’s try them all!”
With his plan in place, Ning Zhuo decided to use his three reward opportunities to select each option once.
The hundred spirit stones were genuine.
For the mechanical part, he chose the Hanging Loop.
For the spell reward, Ning Zhuo selected one he hadn’t mastered yet—Metal Gathering Technique.
The next moment, information about the spell entered his mind.
Ning Zhuo was moved!
The Metal Gathering Technique allowed him to extract metal and condense it between his fingers.
That alone wasn’t enough to excite him.
What truly mattered was the additional insight that came with it—a wealth of cultivation understanding.
Although Ning Zhuo had just obtained the Metal Gathering Technique, thanks to these insights, he instantly gained the experience of someone who had practiced it for two and a half years!
“An enlightenment infusion? Instilling a predecessor’s cultivation experience in the successor?”
“Incredible, truly incredible.”
“With this, I can save an enormous amount of time and effort.”
Ning Zhuo was thrilled.
Unlike Meng Chong and others, Ning Zhuo lacked the same background; he could only rely on leaderboard rewards to offset some of his opponent’s advantages.
Having tested the spell reward, Ning Zhuo carefully inspected the Hanging Loop mechanical part.
It seemed almost identical to previous checkpoint rewards.
However, Ning Zhuo now had a new hypothesis, which he would wait to verify in the future.
When the time limit expired, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit eagerly brought Meng Chong back into the Immortal Palace.
For the portal reward, Meng Chong chose a mechanical part.
He stared at the Hanging Loop in his hand, puzzled. “How do you even use this thing?”
Gritting its teeth, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit transmitted instructions to him, including the operating method and a blueprint.
In an instant, two fiery whips formed in the main hall and lashed at the Fire Spirit with force!
Crack, crack.
The Fire Spirit clenched its claws, enduring the blows with gritted teeth, its body trembling in pain, face twisted.
Receiving the instructions, Meng Chong realized, “So, that’s how it works.”
However, he frowned, as such trinkets didn’t appeal to him.
He preferred a direct approach.
This time, he gently opened the door a crack.
After a moment’s thought, he aimed the Hanging Loop in a certain direction, releasing a blue-purple dart.
The dart quickly fused with the wall, solidifying.
Meng Chong manipulated the Hanging Loop, tightening the slender cord.
“Using the cord to gain speed, a full-force dash across!”
Meng Chong channeled his supreme talent, Wild Sprint Thunderclap.
In an instant, electric light flickered across his body.
The thin cord retracted forcefully as he threw the door open and dashed forward with all his might.
Crack! Electric light flashed brightly!
His speed peaked instantly, like a bolt of lightning piercing the air.
But in the next moment, a massive net sprang from the floor, wrapping Meng Chong tightly.
Every thread of the net was made of Returning Silk, granting it exceptional elasticity and toughness.
The net stretched like a bowstring.
Meng Chong’s speed plummeted, and within a few breaths, he lost all momentum.
He shot back as if catapulted, crashing into the now-closed door.
Thud.
The next moment, the thousand-pound hammer stand crashed down from above.
Meng Chong… was shattered.
Once back in his body, Meng Chong yelled in frustration.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit clapped its hands in frustration, anger on its face.
In the dungeon.
Han Ming slowly raised her head, looking at the returning Mysterious Puppet Master, her face pale and worn, her spirit nearly broken.
How many times had her soul essence been drawn out?
She couldn’t remember.
Some times, she had been barely conscious.
She no longer cursed or shouted at Ning Zhuo, having neither the energy nor the spirit to fight anymore, resigned to her bleak reality.
Reality had crushed her pride, leaving her to desperately contemplate survival.
“No, please, don’t control me anymore. I’ll cooperate.”
“I’ll draw out the soul essence for you myself.”
The Mysterious Puppet Master Ning Zhuo was slightly stunned but then nodded. “You’ve finally come around, Han Ming. That’s good. I’m glad for you.”
Rage flickered within Han Ming, but she held it back.
“Please, give me the Soul Capturing Shuttle and ease the restrictions on these chains a little.”
Ning Zhuo smiled. “No hurry. Have some food first.”
He directed a dozen small puppets to feed Han Ming. Some sat on her shoulders, holding long spoons to feed her soup.
Others stood on her chest, lifting drumsticks and pork trotters.
Still others worked in pairs, each holding one end of a chopstick to bring her vegetables.
After a rich meal, another puppet, holding a handkerchief, descended from her hair to wipe her mouth.
Finally, three puppets presented various fruits, serving as dessert.