: Yuan Dasheng

2024-07-31 Author: Gu Zhenren

: Yuan Dasheng

A massive mechanical ape appeared before Ning Zhuo.

The ape stood at least four or five times the height of Ning Zhuo’s puppet form. Its body was exceptionally burly, with arms as thick as Ning Zhuo’s puppet torso.

Yet, the ape was far from clumsy.

With a gentle push, it opened the first door, stooped low, and slipped inside. The door’s height didn’t even reach its waist.

Immediately, a trap was triggered—a heavy hammer platform swung down, aiming to crush it.

Without even looking up, the mechanical ape raised its arm to intercept the hammer. At the same time, it straightened its body, rising like a mountain erupting from the ground!

Instead of blocking the hammer head-on, its sturdy arm met the impact softly, using clever force to redirect the hammer’s trajectory.

*Bang!*

The heavy hammer platform, guided by the ape’s arms, veered off course and smashed into the side wall.

The mechanical ape remained composed. From the moment it entered the room, it had stood its ground without moving an inch, merely straightening its posture.

After neutralizing the trap, the ape examined its arm. Had it resisted forcefully, its wooden arm would have shattered. But now, it only bore a few minor cracks.

"Using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds!" Ning Zhuo instantly realized that this mechanical ape’s close-combat skills likely surpassed even those of the martial puppets.

Its movement was effortlessly graceful, blending softness with strength, showcasing a beautiful display of power.

The mechanical ape continued forward.

*Whoosh.*

It triggered another trap—a golden net shot up from below, attempting to ensnare it.

The ape leaped lightly, extending its arms to precisely grasp the edges of the net.

It performed a backflip mid-air.

Despite its heavy body, it landed with only a soft sound.

Meanwhile, the golden net was torn apart by its force, draping over its body like a protective cloak!

Ning Zhuo was stunned.

"This is definitely a martial arts master!"

The ape’s movements were fluid and seamless, turning enemies’ tools into its own. Its strength was immense—enough to tear the net—yet its control was exceptionally precise.

Ning Zhuo watched as the mechanical ape advanced rapidly, outpacing the retreating floor tiles.

Along the way, large horizontal logs shot toward it. The ape swung its arms, sometimes smashing the logs like a hammer, other times piercing through obstacles like a spear.

It leaped with agile grace, moving with effortless power, then stood firm, unwavering like a pillar in a grand hall.

Step by step, it dismantled every trap it triggered, resembling an elegant, dancing bulldozer.

Upon reaching the second door, it paused to think. After a few breaths, it chose spirit stones as its reward.

Seeing this, Ning Zhuo thought, "With such a large body, its spiritual energy consumption must be significant. No wonder it needs spirit stones."

After observing, Ning Zhuo reinserted the monitoring device into the corner.

He hurried to the third room.

The scene there shocked him once more.

Thirty to forty martial puppets lay scattered, most severely disabled, some completely dismantled.

In the past forty to fifty days, Ning Zhuo had lost count of how many times he had entered the Molten Rock Immortal Palace.

This was the first time he had seen the martial puppets destroyed!

Ning Zhuo quickly retrieved the monitoring device to review the footage. After watching, he fell silent.

Upon entering the third room, the mechanical ape was immediately swarmed by the martial puppets.

Despite its large size and superior combat skills, it only had two arms and two legs. Logically, it should have been at a disadvantage.

But after reviewing the footage, Ning Zhuo understood the saying, "Every part of a martial arts master’s body can be a weapon."

The mechanical ape rolled, leaped, and crawled across the room. Its fists, feet, elbows, head, chest, back, tail, and even its hips served as weapons.

It swung its arms, sweeping puppets aside.

Its elbows pierced through puppet chests like drills.

A lift of its head sent puppets flying to the ceiling. When they fell, the ape whipped its tail like a lash, sending them crashing into others.

Like a whirlwind, the mechanical ape circled the room multiple times.

The martial puppets charged relentlessly, only to be thrown back one after another.

Finally, when the ape stood motionless in the center of the room, all the puppets lay defeated, the yellow light in their eyes dimmed.

Ning Zhuo gained a new insight: "Now I understand."

"This is the correct way to pass the third room!"

"Using martial arts to fight can destroy the puppets. If you rely on tricks with spells, destroying them is explicitly forbidden."

"This mechanical ape’s martial skills are truly remarkable!"

Ning Zhuo sighed in admiration.

He had always relied on spell tricks to pass the third room.

Not only had he learned all the spells, but he had also gained extensive casting experience through weekly ranking rewards, making him an expert.

"If I were to fight it, I’d need to keep my distance and use long-range spells to have any chance of winning."

"In close combat, I’d stand no chance at all!"

It wasn’t uncommon for cultivators in the first three layers of Qi Refining to be killed by mortal martial artists.

After seeing the mechanical ape choose spirit stones again and leave the third room, Ning Zhuo quickly replaced the monitoring device and followed.

In the preparation room, he found no one else.

This relieved him but also made him more tense.

On one hand, he wouldn’t have to fight in the cramped space. On the other, it meant the mechanical ape had already moved deeper inside.

After checking the monitoring device, Ning Zhuo saw that the ape had circled the room, carefully examining various tool stations and even picking up some crafting tools before setting them down.

Finally, it lingered before the five-sided stone pillar leaderboard, studying it for a long time.

Ning Zhuo was relieved to see that the ape didn’t infuse the pillar with spiritual energy, meaning it didn’t obtain the trial disciple mark.

Ning Zhuo also approached the five-sided stone pillar.

When he saw the leaderboard, his heart sank.

He now held first place in only four categories. In one category, he had been pushed to second place.

"I’m tied for first in the Qi Refining ranking, but I’ve fallen behind in the Essence Refining ranking. I’ve already reached the third layer of Essence Refining!"

"What’s going on?"

Clearly, the mechanical ape had some other opportunity, having cultivated the Demon-Tainted Blood Tendon Technique early on!

"Yuan Dasheng?" Ning Zhuo stared at the mechanical ape’s name, deep in thought.

"The mechanical ape is clearly a non-human demonic cultivator."

"From its martial skills and behavior in the preparation room, it’s evident that it possesses considerable intelligence."

"It has a name, and I feel like I’ve seen this name somewhere before…"

Ning Zhuo had many questions.

How did this demonic cultivator named Yuan Dasheng obtain the Demon-Tainted Blood Tendon Technique so early?

Did it live in Fire Persimmon Immortal City?

At first, Ning Zhuo thought the mechanical ape might be a Blaze-Fused Demonic Ape from the volcano. But subsequent observations dismissed this idea.

"Where have I heard this name before?"

(End of )