**: Running and Jumping with Arms**

Ning Zhuo fell into thought.

He didn't know what the 'lifting ring' on the mechanism component was.

He also didn't know what the 'burst of magic energy' spell was.

But he knew about spirit stones, and he clearly understood his current lack of them.

"I spent a lot of time earlier exploring my surroundings. Now, the spiritual energy within the spirit stone inside me is less than forty percent."

"Choose the spirit stone!"

Ning Zhuo made his decision.

In the next moment, a ring of light appeared out of thin air before him. The ring expanded slightly and spat out a spirit stone.

Ning Zhuo hurriedly caught the stone. Simultaneously, the ring of light rapidly dissipated.

Carrying the second spirit stone, Ning Zhuo pushed open the door with effort and entered Room Two.

*Bang!*

The door automatically closed behind him.

Ning Zhuo turned and pushed the door, attempting to return to Room One.

The door didn't budge.

"Alright then." Ning Zhuo had no choice but to turn back and begin carefully examining Room Two.

Room Two's layout was quite different from Room One's. The room was long and narrow, empty, with floor and wall tiles that were square and emitted a brass-like luster.

Ning Zhuo spotted the door immediately.

It was directly opposite him.

Information was conveyed once again – pass through Room Two to enter Room Three.

After observing for a while and gathering no new intelligence, Ning Zhuo stepped forward, heading straight for the door.

However, after taking a few steps, he found himself moving backward.

He quickly looked down and saw the floor tiles slowly moving backward!

Ning Zhuo had no choice but to quicken his pace, increasing his speed.

The speed at which the tiles moved back also increased.

He walked faster and faster, forced into a run.

"If I'd known the test was like this, I should have chosen leg components more carefully."

Back in Room One, worried about spiritual energy consumption and pressed for time, and finding it difficult to match leg lengths perfectly, Ning Zhuo had simply made do.

The result now – his two feet weren't level, causing him to run with a limp, quite bumpily, which affected his speed.

When he reached the midpoint at his maximum speed,

Suddenly, a large log shot out from the right-hand wall.

One end of the log was fixed inside the wall, while the other end shot out, sweeping across like a giant's arm.

Ning Zhuo, who had remained vigilant, quickly leaped into the air, dodging the log.

But just as he was landing, another log shot out from the left-hand wall.

Ning Zhuo had already initiated a jump, but the floor tiles were continuously moving backward. His push-off wasn't sufficient, his footing unstable, and this time he jumped too low.

*Thud.*

A soft sound as he was struck by the log, sent flying in a long arc through the air, then crashing to the ground.

He slid backward along the floor for a distance before finally slamming into the first door and coming to a stop.

The puppet Ning Zhuo lay on the ground, dizzy and disoriented. It took several breaths for him to recover.

"There are mechanisms like this too?!"

"The runes on that log seem to have the ability to weaken the soul."

Ning Zhuo felt a wave of weakness in his soul.

He looked up and observed: the black runes on the log gradually faded, and the entire log slowly retracted into the wall. Then, the tiles on both walls shifted with a series of clicks, returning to their original state.

"I see!" Ning Zhuo had a realization.

"These sweeping logs are both obstacles and stepping stones for me."

"I need to leap up when they swing across, land on top of them, and use that force to jump forward."

The mechanism puppet's inherent speed was quite limited. By the midpoint, it started to be less than the backward speed of the tiles.

Relying solely on running, Ning Zhuo could never get close to the second door.

The walls were originally perfectly smooth, offering no leverage. But the protruding logs actually provided an opportunity.

With this new discovery, Ning Zhuo tried again.

He timed his jumps carefully, leaping successively. Reaching the fifth log...

*Thud.*

He was swept away by the log.

"The closer to the door, the faster the tiles move backward. I must accurately judge the backward speed to land steadily."

After summarizing his experiences and lessons, Ning Zhuo continued.

*Thud.*

When he jumped onto the eighth log, the difficulty increased again. A log shot out from the ceiling, slamming down from above and swatting him away directly.

Ning Zhuo crashed into the door, his body falling apart.

He reassembled himself piece by piece, finally reaching out with both hands to pick up his head and put it back on his neck.

"This head component is a bit too big too. Square-shaped, turning slowly... I should have chosen a smaller head."

"The key issue is the uneven legs, that has the biggest impact."

"Fortunately, I remember the positions where these logs shoot out. If I keep trial-and-error, I should be able to pass!"

*Thud!*

This attempt, he only managed three logs before being swatted back again.

Ning Zhuo stared at the log slowly retracting into the wall, utterly astonished: "What? The positions of these logs aren't fixed? They can change freely?"

The difficulty instantly skyrocketed tenfold!

On the throne in the main hall, the Longyuan Fire Spirit had been secretly observing the first trial-taker. When it saw the puppet Ning Zhuo standing still, not moving, it chuckled, making a gurgling sound.

The dull-witted puppet Ning Zhuo seemed to be putting on a lively puppet show for it. The Longyuan Fire Spirit, watching the entire spectacle, derived much amusement.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

Ning Zhuo failed to break through repeatedly.

"Not enough spiritual energy left."

He sighed inwardly, sat down cross-legged, and opened the small hatch on his belly.

Beneath the hatch was a compartment containing a spirit stone.

This spirit stone was already dim, almost completely depleted of spiritual energy.

Ning Zhuo pried out this stone and quickly inserted the second spirit stone in its place.

He closed the small hatch on his belly and even patted it gently with his small hand, ensuring it was securely fastened.

"When replacing the spirit stone, it must be done quickly, utilizing the spiritual energy still circulating within the puppet. This is probably the puppet's most vulnerable moment."

The replaced spirit stone still had a tiny bit of energy left.

But Ning Zhuo didn't dare to continue using it.

What if, during a冲刺 (charge/sprint), the spiritual energy was completely exhausted, leaving not a drop within the puppet body? Then he'd be completely immobilized.

"In this puppet form, consumption isn't just the spiritual energy from the stone."

"Every time I'm hit, the talismans on the logs weaken my soul once."

"I entered the palace with my soul. If my soul becomes too weak, even with spiritual energy, I'll be immobilized."

"Also, this puppet body is constantly accumulating damage."

Ning Zhuo inspected himself and found cracks and fine fissures on components like his arms and head.

"If the log positions are random, leaving no room for clever tricks, then I'll just have to put in the hard work."

Focusing his spirit and regrouping, Ning Zhuo launched another charge.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

Ning Zhuo was knocked back again and again, but with each attempt, he accumulated experience and increased his proficiency in controlling the puppet body.

His progress was visible to the naked eye.

When he charged into the final stretch, seven or eight logs activated simultaneously. They shot out frenetically. Some swept horizontally, some thrust straight, some fell from above, some even changed direction mid-path.

Ning Zhuo was struck down once more. One of his legs was shattered directly. His whole body crashed to the ground and was carried back to the first door by the receding tiles.

Before, with two legs, it was already bumpy and difficult.

Now, missing one leg, what was to be done?

After thinking, Ning Zhuo came up with a bold idea.

"Shall I give it a try?"

He removed his arms one after the other and attached them below his torso, replacing his thighs.

Then, he attached the only remaining leg to the right shoulder socket.

He transformed into a strange-looking puppet, a rather bizarre sight.

Ning Zhuo didn't rush to attempt immediately. Instead, he stayed put, practiced for a while, and gradually familiarized himself with his new form.

Half an hour later.

Ning Zhuo, now with only one arm left, managed to pass by sheer luck, crawling to the second door.

His condition was extremely poor; his soul had been weakened too much by the runes.

"Hurry, faster!"

He urged himself on, stretched out his hand with difficulty, and touched the door.

Instantly, information was conveyed.

Same as before, there were still three options.

First, Spirit Stone.

Second, Mechanism Component.

Third, Spell.

Ning Zhuo was at the end of his rope. Without time to examine carefully, he directly chose the spell.

In the next moment, he lost consciousness.

*(End of )*