SCREEECH—

Zhaang Ye fiercely blocked the Puppet’s strike, his body suddenly retreating over fifteen zhang away as he gasped for breath.

Though utterly exhausted, Zhaang Ye felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

The Puppet’s strength was freakishly powerful. The moment one entered a fifteen-zhang radius, it would immediately attack. After repeated probes, Zhaang Ye had finally gained a sliver of understanding regarding the Combat Skill it unleashed. He could now get within twelve zhang of the Puppet.

Do not underestimate this short distance of three zhang. To cover just these three zhang, Zhaang Ye had spent a full two Hours, and the number of times he had made a probing attack reached twenty-one.

He had his Dragon Elephant Power, fused from Ancient Elephant Power, to thank for being able to neutralize the Puppet’s deathly aura. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to keep probing it again and again.

During these repeated probes, Zhaang Ye discovered that his internal Dragon Elephant Power had actually grown slightly after devouring the Puppet’s deathly aura time and again. Although the growth was minuscule, Zhaang Ye was still thrilled. This meant he didn’t need to worry about that terrifying deathly aura at all; he could attack with confidence and probe the Puppet’s Combat Skill.

While Zhaang Ye repeatedly probed the Puppet, Situ Houtu was doing the same.

Situ Houtu had already been stalled before this Puppet for more than four Hours. He was now able to get within eleven zhang of it.

Situ Houtu was on the verge of getting within ten zhang, but he couldn’t feel happy about it.

He discovered that Zhaang Ye was even more formidable than he had imagined. In just two short Hours, he had actually launched twenty-one consecutive probes, as if he were completely unafraid of the corrosion from the deathly aura.

Situ Houtu glanced at Zhaang Ye and thought, ’This kid is a little too incredible. My Cultivation has reached the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Peak, and I’ve been stuck here for a full four Hours just to get within eleven zhang of the Puppet. But this kid actually managed to get within twelve zhang in only two Hours. It’s truly unbelievable.’

After twenty-one probes, night had fallen. Although Zhaang Ye and Situ Houtu were no ordinary people, they didn’t dare risk their lives against the Puppet at night. Seeing the late hour, both men tacitly chose to stop, sitting cross-legged on the path to silently wait out the darkness.

Early the next morning, Zhaang Ye and Situ Houtu both tacitly began a new round of probing.

The Puppet’s attacks were terrifying, but both Zhaang Ye and Situ Houtu tacitly chose to block them head-on.

With their Body Techniques, they could have dodged the Puppet’s attacks after gradually familiarizing themselves with it, but dodging meant they could no longer get a clear look at how the Puppet struck. Therefore, even though blocking head-on was exhausting and dangerous, they had no other choice.

After each period of probing, Zhaang Ye would sit cross-legged, recovering his stamina while silently analyzing the Puppet’s openings and weaknesses. Situ Houtu did the same; after each session of probing, he would regulate his breathing for a while and silently analyze the Puppet’s openings.

Both men’s Comprehension was outstanding among their peers. Through constant probing and analysis, they learned more and more about the Puppet and got closer and closer to it.

Two Hours later, Zhaang Ye finally got within eleven zhang.

Four Hours later, Zhaang Ye got within ten zhang.

Six Hours later, Zhaang Ye got within nine zhang.

Eight Hours later, Zhaang Ye got within eight zhang.

By this time, Situ Houtu had also displayed his superb Comprehension. Through repeated probing and analysis, he too had managed to spot many of the Puppet’s openings and had reached the eight-zhang mark.

At this point, Situ Houtu had developed a sense of admiration for Zhaang Ye.

The Combat Skill used by this Puppet was filled with the aura of the ancient Wilderness; it was clearly an Ancient Combat Skill. This type of Ancient Combat Skill looked simple, but it was exceptionally difficult to overcome. In addition, the Puppet’s power was incomparably tyrannical and faintly contained a deathly aura. With all these factors combined, the Puppet’s strength surpassed even that of a Martial Arts Seventh Layer expert.

Although the Puppet couldn’t move, its attacks were still exceptionally terrifying. A typical Martial Arts Fifth Layer expert facing such an attack would likely be unable to withstand a single blow before falling into the ten-thousand-zhang Abyss below.

Under these circumstances, the fact that Zhaang Ye could repeatedly take the Puppet’s ranged attacks head-on and slowly comprehend the openings in its Combat Skill showed that his strength and Comprehension were truly extraordinary.

Even a genius like Situ Houtu couldn’t help but admire Zhaang Ye’s strength and Comprehension.

As Situ Houtu admired Zhaang Ye, Zhaang Ye was also secretly admiring Situ Houtu.

He was able to probe again and again because his Dragon Elephant Power was not afraid of that deathly aura. If he didn’t possess the Dragon Elephant Power, Zhaang Ye would never have been able to make repeated attempts, and his rate of comprehension wouldn’t have been so fast.

Situ Houtu didn’t have Dragon Elephant Power. The fact that he could rely on his exquisite Cultivation to make attempt after attempt showed his truly extraordinary strength. It was no exaggeration at all to call him a once-in-a-century genius.

「Thousands of miles away, in the great hall.」

The four Hall Masters watched Situ Houtu and Zhaang Ye’s performance, all nodding slightly.

A trace of excitement flashed across the Fourth Hall Master’s face. "The attack range of this Puppet is fifteen zhang. These two have gotten within eight zhang in less than a day. It seems they won’t need three days to find the Puppet’s openings and pass the trial."

At this, the Fourth Hall Master let out a slight sigh of relief and smiled. "Judging by how he’s deciphering this third Puppet, Zhaang Ye’s Comprehension is no lower than Situ Houtu’s. With such good Comprehension, I really don’t know what he was thinking when he used brute force to pass the first two Puppets."

The Third Hall Master chuckled. "What’s so hard to understand? Zhaang Ye must have seen that Situ Houtu was ahead of him. In order to catch up, he was unwilling to spend time slowly finding the Puppets’ openings, so he just forced his way through. But this kid’s Cultivation Method is really formidable; he can even knock down a Puppet."

Hearing the Third Hall Master’s praise, the Fourth Hall Master couldn’t help but chuckle and say, "This kid’s strength is good, and his Comprehension is good too. Now we just have to see if he can get past the third Puppet within three days. If he can, then his potential is likely even a bit higher than Situ Houtu’s. He might just be another future True Dao Expert!"

When the Fourth Hall Master mentioned a True Dao Expert, the eyes of the other Hall Masters lit up.

After a moment, the Great Hall Master shook his head and laughed. "The True Dao is not so easy to enter. Even for a once-in-a-century genius, the chance of advancing to the True Dao is only one in ten. It’s too early to talk about this. We should just focus on watching these two little fellows’ performance."

The others all gave a wry smile and continued to watch Situ Houtu and Zhaang Ye.

The Puppet couldn’t move; all of its attacks were ranged. The closer one got, the greater the power of its attacks. At eight zhang away, a single strike from the Puppet was already equivalent to the full-force attack of a Martial Arts Fifth Layer Peak expert.

Neither Situ Houtu nor Zhaang Ye had reached the Martial Arts Sixth Layer in their Cultivation. To find the Puppet’s openings amidst such tyrannical attacks, they needed astounding Comprehension.

At this moment, Situ Houtu finally revealed his true ability.

Situ Houtu’s weapon was strange—a large shovel that emanated cyan light. The entire body of the Cyan Light Shovel glowed with a faint cyan luster, its head forged into a dazzling, incredibly sharp crescent moon. The shaft was four chi long and as thick as an arm, faintly carved with various strange beasts and creatures. Several small holes were also etched into it. When brandished, the entire shovel radiated a brilliant cyan light and emitted waves of terrifying, strange screeches.

Relying on this Cyan Light Shovel, Situ Houtu’s combat power increased greatly. Though the Puppet’s attacks were fierce, he skillfully blocked them one by one. With every blocked attack, Situ Houtu moved forward a little bit. In just a single Hour, Situ Houtu had advanced to within five zhang of the Puppet.

As Situ Houtu unleashed his true skills, Zhaang Ye also brought out his unique technique. His body began to spin like a Tornado, and amidst the rotation, he periodically slashed out with the Heavy Saber in his hand. He dodged most of the Puppet’s incoming attacks, and the few he couldn’t evade, Zhaang Ye simply shattered with his saber. His speed of advancement was not the least bit slower than Situ Houtu’s.

"Hm!"

Watching the Technique Zhaang Ye displayed, a trace of excitement appeared on the faces of the Hall Masters in the great hall.

The Fourth Hall Master took a sharp breath and said, "First, Second, Third Brother, am I seeing things? Why do I feel that Zhaang Ye’s Saber Technique faintly carries a trace of the Realm of a Space Storm?"

The Great Hall Master’s eyes glittered as he stared at Zhaang Ye’s figure. He said slowly, "You are not mistaken. That saber move of Zhaang Ye’s does indeed possess a trace of the Realm of a Space Storm. Besides unleashing its Rotating Power, his saber is also vibrating at high speed. Anything the blade touches is disintegrated. This ability is characteristic of a Space Storm..."

An excited expression appeared on the Fourth Hall Master’s face. "This Saber Technique of Zhaang Ye’s faintly contains a Supreme Truth of Heaven and Earth. Although its current power can’t compare to an Advanced Combat Skill, as long as it’s continuously perfected, its might will become terrifying. This kid... I really don’t know where he found such a Saber Technique. I’ll have to ask him about it sometime."

No matter how outstanding Zhaang Ye’s performance was, the Fourth Hall Master couldn’t believe that this Saber Technique was his own creation. In his view, Zhaang Ye had most likely stumbled upon this Saber Technique by chance. For Zhaang Ye to be able to cultivate it to this level with his current Cultivation was already quite impressive. A Self-Created Saber Technique? What a joke!

The other three Hall Masters shared the Fourth Hall Master’s thoughts. Approval showed in their eyes as they stared intently at Zhaang Ye’s Saber Technique, trying to grasp that sliver of the Supreme Truth of Heaven and Earth within it. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)