Ning Zhuo increased the pressure.
Swish.
One of the diamond-shaped colored crystals suddenly shot out, striking the red copper wall.
A fine thread connected the colored crystal and the ring.
Ning Zhuo tugged at it and discovered that although the thread was terrifyingly thin, it was very resilient.
He took a few steps forward, coming to the wall, and closely examined the embedded colored crystal.
He had originally thought the crystal had punctured the wall like a nail, but instead, he found that the crystal had fused seamlessly with the wall.
The part where it contacted the wall had completely transformed into red copper, only near the thread could faint traces of blue and purple light be seen.
It was as if it had been part of the red copper wall all along, with only a small protrusion on the outside. The protrusion connected to the hangman's noose.
"Marvelous, marvelous!"
"How is this achieved?"
"Did it use a talisman, carve a miniature array, or was the material of the crystal itself different?"
Ning Zhuo's desire to research was ignited; he wished he could dissect it on the spot and study it for three days and nights.
"What a pity, the timing is not right now!"
Ning Zhuo knew exploration was the most important thing.
He held the hangman's noose, looking down at his body, trying to find a suitable place to wear it.
The joints of Puppet Ning Zhuo were much thinner than the ring; his upper and lower arms were of uniform thickness, as were his thighs and calves.
Ning Zhuo would not directly hold the noose in his hand.
When venturing into the second room, he needed both hands free. Occupying one hand would be very inconvenient.
This small problem could not stump Ning Zhuo.
Soon, he thought of a solution.
He first detached his head, then placed the noose around his neck, and finally, reattached his head.
In this way, his large head firmly fixed the noose.
After finishing, Ning Zhuo opened the door and formally stepped into the second room.
The door closed behind him with a heavy, forceful thud; Ning Zhuo tried to push it again but found it immovable.
Seeing the familiar corridor layout of the second room, Ning Zhuo did not rush but practiced using the hangman's noose for a while.
After reaching a certain level of proficiency, he began to attempt it.
Bang, bang, bang...
He failed several times, being swept back each time.
His mindset was very calm, completely unlike the agitation of the first time.
A moment later.
He sprinted to the midpoint.
Two giant wooden beams came crashing in tandem, and Ning Zhuo jumped into the air with no way to dodge.
No problem.
"I have the hangman's noose!" Ning Zhuo thought.
The wooden ring stuck under his large head suddenly shot out the colored crystal, embedding it in the ceiling with a ding.
The thread was extremely resilient, and Ning Zhuo, with a tilt of his neck, hung in mid-air, successfully avoiding the giant beams.
Another giant beam descended from above, aiming directly at him.
Ning Zhuo retracted his mana, instantly breaking the thread at its root, severing the ring from the embedded crystal.
He fell, dodging the giant beam, then shot out another crystal, embedding it in the beam.
As the beam retracted, it conveniently carried him along.
In this manner, Ning Zhuo occasionally tilted his head, dangling himself to successfully traverse the second room and reach the second door.
"Indeed, the name 'hangman's noose' is quite fitting, concise, and to the point," Ning Zhuo thought as he adjusted his tilted head back into position.
Using the hangman's noose greatly reduced the difficulty of passing through the second room.
Now fully intact, Ning Zhuo's body had only minor damages: a cracked left leg and one broken finger on his right hand.
This was vastly different from the dire state he had been in during his first exploration.
"What if I had chosen the hangman's noose last time?"
Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment and then shook his head slightly: "It would have been worse."
The hangman's noose accelerated the consumption of spiritual power.
If he had chosen it during his first exploration, Ning Zhuo would have been immobilized by the depletion of his spiritual power.
Ning Zhuo touched the second portal.
The reward message reached his mind directly: two spirit stones, a glass flying knife mechanism part, and the grasping fire technique.
Last time, Ning Zhuo's soul had been so weakened that he hurriedly chose a spell.
Now, in good shape, he could choose leisurely.
"The number of spirit stones rewarded has increased to two."
"The glass flying knife is an offensive mechanism part."
"The grasping fire technique... seems to be a set with the embrace ice technique."
With only 30% of his spiritual power remaining, Ning Zhuo had no other choice but to select the first reward—two spirit stones.
After glancing back at the second room, he pushed the door open and formally entered the third room.
The message arrived—defeat the Kung Fu Doll, pass through the third room, and enter the preparation room.
"Isn't it supposed to be the fourth room?" Ning Zhuo wondered.
The third room had a circular structure, with the edges becoming increasingly dark and the center being the brightest.
"It's just like a circular arena," Ning Zhuo immediately noticed the center of the room, where a tall, skinny wooden puppet stood.
The wooden puppet was made of yellow wood, with black lines running across its surface. On its chest were two large characters: Kung Fu!
The puppet sensed him, and its eyes suddenly lit up with a yellow glow. It wiped its wooden nose with its thumb, then slowly crouched into a semi-crouched stance with one foot forward and the other back. One hand extended in front, palm open, while the other rested behind it, striking a pose towards Ning Zhuo.
It motioned with its forward hand, signaling Ning Zhuo to attack.
"Interesting." Ning Zhuo smiled, "I also learned some martial arts at the academy."
Possessing two new spirit stones, with no shortage of motivation and a desire to gather more information, he immediately stepped forward to start the fight.
In just a few breaths, Puppet Ning Zhuo was almost disassembled.
"I can't win, the gap is too large!"
Ning Zhuo suddenly grabbed its waist.
The Kung Fu Doll immediately struggled, using its elbows and fists to pummel Ning Zhuo's back and large head.
The pounding sounded like a sudden downpour.
But Ning Zhuo channeled his spiritual power wildly, using his trump card.
Spell—Embrace Ice Technique!
Crack...
With a series of fine crackling sounds, the surface of the Kung Fu Doll became covered in ice, gradually restricting its movements.
"Without the Embrace Ice Technique, it's impossible to pass this level." Ning Zhuo attempted to destroy the Kung Fu Doll, but a warning message made him desist.
He squatted down and with several punches, attacked the puppet's head continuously.
Ice shards flew as the puppet's head fractured, its yellow glowing eyes never dimming.
Ning Zhuo tried to remove the eye components, but another message warned him—violent destruction of the Kung Fu Doll wasn't allowed!
The third door's reward choices remained three.
Ten spirit stones, a small flying box mechanism part, and the grafting technique.
Having consumed much spiritual power to use the Embrace Ice Technique in the recent battle, Ning Zhuo played it safe and chose the ten spirit stones.
He opened the door and entered the preparation room.
The preparation room was spacious, far exceeding the first three rooms. In the middle stood a five-sided stone pillar.
On one side of the pillar was inscribed:
Qi Refinement Leaderboard.
First place: Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo: ...
The pillar spun with a click, revealing another side that read:
Assessment Progress Leaderboard.
First place: Ning Zhuo.
Below, there was no one else listed, only him.
Ning Zhuo tilted his head: Huh?!
A few breaths later, Ning Zhuo felt as though he had been electrified; his entire being shook fiercely as he realized the gravity of the situation.
"Oh no!"
"Am I, am I exposed?!"