Chereads / Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master / Chapter 30 - Chapter 29: Hangman's Noose

Chapter 30 - Chapter 29: Hangman's Noose

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With the valuable experience from the first time, Ning Zhuo was no longer a stranger to the darkness.

He didn't hesitate, fully channeling the Spiritual Power from the Spirit Stone, and operated the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.

Click.

He drew the first mechanical component over and assembled it.

It was an arm.

He attracted another component and successfully assembled it.

It was a wooden head.

Ning Zhuo regained his vision.

He lay on top of the towering pile of mechanical components, reached to touch his head, and found it was still a large, square blockhead.

"Why is it this kind again?"

"In the wind when running or jumping, it negatively impacts my journey through the second room."

Ning Zhuo rotated his blockhead, using his only hand to drag his body, climbing everywhere.

He patiently selected the legs until he picked two of matching lengths before stopping.

Previous experience taught him that spending time on this was completely worth it.

Not only that, he also chose the arms, deciding to select ones as long as possible.

"I want long arms and long legs."

"And I want to swap for a smaller head."

Ning Zhuo failed.

When he flipped through and picked out a small head, just about to replace it, he received new information—initial puppet body, according to innate aptitude, cannot be freely changed in Room One.

"There's this limitation too?"

Ning Zhuo was stunned, then fell into thought.

"If it's according to innate aptitude to assemble a puppet, it means—Meng Chong and the others would have much stronger puppets than mine from the start."

"It also means that these mountainous mechanical components, despite appearing similar, actually have significant differences in performance."

Ning Zhuo immediately thought of himself again.

"I used the Early Wisdom Pill in the womb, so I have the talent of early wisdom."

"It is precisely this talent that gave me this big head? So, I cannot replace it with a small head."

*"With the talent of early wisdom, I possess this big head. It shows that having a big head is beneficial, it just hasn't been manifested yet."*

*"Additionally..."*

Ning Zhuo thought of a clue.

His first attracted mechanical component was an arm, not the big head!

"It was like this the first time, and the second time as well. The arm component is prioritized over the head component."

*"Does this mean that I actually have a hidden talent, and this talent is related to the arm, and even superior to the early wisdom aptitude?"*

*"Ning Zhuo was quick-thinking and observant, able to spot problems from details."*

This was also possible.

Because the talents in cultivation were myriad and bizarre, there were too many to count. Though the Ning Family had been conducting immortal aptitude tests, they could only cover basic and common talents. Many special aptitudes couldn't be detected through conventional means.

Perhaps, the hidden talent was in Ning Zhuo's arm, long unnoticed by the family.

Ning Zhuo continued to ponder the recent information.

"The message said this was the 'initial puppet body' and also said it couldn't be 'freely' changed in 'Room One.'"

*"Does this mean that, in fact, the body could be updated? In a certain other room, perhaps changes could be made freely?"*

In just a few breaths, Ning Zhuo unraveled this seemingly ordinary message and gleaned several hidden keys.

Despite the information's reminder, Ning Zhuo still held on to a bit of hope and attempted to assemble wing components.

If he could attach wings, passing through the second room would be much easier.

As expected... it didn't work.

"So, these wing, short horn, claw components, etc., are prepared for non-human entities."

"In the future, could there be non-human competitors appearing in Lava Fairy Palace?"

Ning Zhuo climbed down from the mound of mechanical components.

During this process, he made a significant observation.

He quickly discovered the traces he had left during his first exploration.

"So, this room is indeed the Room One from my first exploration."

This observation result was very important!

*"This isn't a room exclusive to me."*

*"In fact, the abundance of mechanical components here also serves as a reminder."*

*"During exploration, the changes I made seem to have been retained to some extent?"*

*"Another critical question—is it possible that when exploring the Immortal Palace, I might encounter others in the same room?"*

Ning Zhuo walked to the first door, only then pausing his contemplation, and reached out to touch the door.

The information came through, just like before, presenting three options again.

One, a Spirit Stone.

Two, a Mechanical Component Hangman's Noose.

Three, a stroke of Spell.

Ning Zhuo had planned ahead and chose the Hangman's Noose without hesitation.

His current Spiritual Power was still at seventy percent, much more than during the first exploration. Moreover, the rewards for passing through the second room would still include a Spirit Stone.

*"In the long run, choosing a spell would be most beneficial. But right now, what Ning Zhuo needed most was immediate combat strength. Selecting the Hangman's Noose would allow him to advance further in this exploration."*

*"In the early stages, information is the most important."*

*"Therefore, I need to explore as far as possible. This way, I can gather enough information which will form the foundation for making the right decisions."*

*"Sigh, I wonder what stage Meng Chong and the others have reached."*

*"Hopefully, I can catch sight of their traces soon."*

The teleportation circle appeared once again, spat out a wooden circle, and then slowly vanished.

Ning Zhuo held this wooden circle for close observation.

The wooden circle's diameter was about half a foot, with a thick body, adorned with eighteen diamond-shaped crystals.

These crystals glowed with a bluish-purple shimmer. Whenever Ning Zhuo slightly changed his viewing angle, the shimmer also changed, creating a dazzling effect.

"Is this the Hangman's Noose? How is it used?"

"Isn't there an explanation?"

Ning Zhuo didn't receive any information regarding the Hangman's Noose.

He understood: The reward of mechanical components also tested a cultivator's proficiency in Mechanical Techniques.

It required him to figure out the correct usage by himself.

With this realization, Ning Zhuo subconsciously pressed the Hangman's Noose against his forehead.

There was no reaction.

Ning Zhuo chuckled to himself awkwardly, "I forgot, I no longer have Divine Sense."

*"Divine Sense originated from the Divine Sea, which was the Upper Dantian for cultivators."*

*"In this world, cultivators had three Dantians in total: the Upper Dantian Divine Sea, the Middle Dantian Qi Sea, and the Lower Dantian Essence Sea."*

*"The Upper Dantian, located at the forehead Divine Sea, served as the source of consciousness, where thoughts condensed into the void."*

*"The Middle Dantian, situated in the chest Qi Sea, was the palace of Mana, where energy gathered like clouds, storing strength and power."*

*"The Lower Dantian, inside the abdomen Essence Sea, was the confluence of bloodlines, where essence merged, forming the root of life."*

*"Ning Zhuo's current puppet body was entirely wooden, lacking the three Dantians. Even the 'Mana' he used was merely 'Spiritual Power' drawn from Spirit Stones."*

Ning Zhuo grasped the Hangman's Noose with his hand, attempting to infuse it with Spiritual Power.

Soon, the diamond-shaped blue-purple crystals embedded on the Hangman's Noose's surface lit up one by one.

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