Chapter 30: A Ranking with Only One Name

Ning Zhuo increased his strength.

Whoosh.

One of the rhombus-shaped colored gems suddenly shot out, embedding itself into the copper-red wall.

A delicate thread linked the colored gem to the wooden ring. Ning Zhuo tugged at it and found that although the thread was terrifyingly thin, it was extremely tough.

He walked a few more steps to the wall and studied the embedded gem closely.

He had thought the gem would be driven into the wall like a nail, but to his surprise, it had fused seamlessly with the wall’s surface. The part of the gem touching the wall had completely transformed into red copper, and only near the thread could he still see a faint blue-violet glow.

It was as if the gem and the wall had always been one, except a tiny bump now protruded outward, with the bump connected to the hanging ring above.

“How marvelous, how marvelous!”

“How was this done?”

“Did they use talismans, or carve a miniature formation, or is the colored gem made of some special material?”

Ning Zhuo’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued; he longed to take it apart on the spot and study it for three days and nights.

“Unfortunately, now is not the time!”

Ning Zhuo knew exploration was his priority.

He took the hanging ring and looked himself over, searching for a suitable place to wear it. The puppet body’s limbs were all thinner than the ring; his upper and lower arms were the same thickness, as were his thighs and calves.

Ning Zhuo was not about to simply hold the ring in his hand. When braving Room Two, he would need both hands free. Having one hand occupied would be a huge hindrance.

This minor problem didn’t stump him for long. Very soon, he had an idea.

He pulled off his own head, slipped the hanging ring over his neck, and then reattached his head. With this, his oversized head wedged the hanging ring perfectly in place.

Satisfied with the arrangement, Ning Zhuo pushed open the door and stepped into Room Two.

The heavy door closed firmly behind him. Ning Zhuo tried pushing it but it wouldn’t budge.

He looked at the familiar corridor-like Room Two, but instead of rushing ahead, he practiced with the hanging ring for a while.

Once he felt confident, he began his attempt.

Bang, bang, bang...

He failed several times in a row, each time being swept back by the obstacles. But he remained calm, far less anxious than during his first attempt.

After a short while—

He made it to the middle section.

Two massive wooden beams crashed toward him in succession. Ning Zhuo leaped into the air, with nowhere to dodge.

No matter.

“I have the hanging ring!” he thought.

The wooden ring wedged under his large head suddenly shot out a colored gem, which embedded itself in the ceiling with a crisp ding.

The thread was strong as steel. As the force pulled on him, Ning Zhuo let his head tilt, and he dangled in midair, avoiding the swinging beams.

Another giant beam dropped from above, aiming straight at him.

Ning Zhuo immediately withdrew his magical energy, letting the thread snap at its root. The ring and the gem separated cleanly.

He dropped, dodging the beam, and then shot out another colored gem, this time anchoring it to the wooden beam itself.

As the beam retracted, it carried him along with it.

In this way, Ning Zhuo’s head would occasionally tilt, and, hanging by the neck, he managed to clear Room Two and reach the second door.

“No wonder it’s called the hanging ring. What a well-chosen, succinct, and apt name,” Ning Zhuo thought, straightening his head with both hands.

With the hanging ring, passing Room Two was drastically easier.

He was now almost entirely intact, save for a cracked left leg and a single broken finger on his right hand.

This was a world of difference from the battered state he’d been in after his first attempt.

“If only I’d chosen the hanging ring the first time...” Ning Zhuo considered, then shook his head slightly. “That would have been worse.”

The hanging ring consumed mystical energy at a faster rate.

If he’d chosen it on his first try, he would have run out of energy and been immobilized.

Ning Zhuo touched the second door.

The reward message came straight to his mind: two spirit stones, a glass flying knife component, and the spell Grasping Fire.

Last time, his soul had been worn to the bone, and he’d hurriedly chosen a spell without time to think.

Now, in good shape, he could choose carefully.

“The number of spirit stones as a reward has increased to two.”

“The glass flying knife is an offensive construct component.”

“Grasping Fire... seems to be a counterpart to Embracing Ice.”

With only thirty percent of his energy left, he had little choice and selected the first reward—two spirit stones.

After a final glance at Room Two, he pushed open the door and entered Room Three.

A message came—Defeat the Kung Fu Puppet, pass Room Three, and enter the preparation chamber.

“Isn’t there supposed to be a Room Four?” Ning Zhuo thought, surprised.

Room Three was round, its edges shadowed, with the center brightly lit.

“It’s like a circular arena,” he observed, immediately spotting a tall, thin wooden puppet standing in the center.

It was made from yellow wood, its surface streaked with black lines. Bold characters were inscribed vertically on its chest: Kung Fu!

Sensing his presence, the puppet’s eyes suddenly lit with a yellow glow. It wiped its wooden nose with a thumb, then lowered into a half-crouch, one foot in front of the other, arms positioned in a classic martial stance—one palm extended forward, the other behind its back, ready to receive him.

It flexed its forward palm, beckoning Ning Zhuo to attack.

“Interesting,” Ning Zhuo smiled. “I did learn some hand-to-hand skills back at the academy.”

With two new spirit stones in hand and eager for more intelligence, he strode forward to engage.

Within just a dozen breaths, Ning Zhuo’s puppet body was almost beaten to pieces.

“No chance—I’m outmatched!” he thought, and in desperation, lunged forward to grab the puppet’s waist.

The arena puppet struggled at once, hammering Ning Zhuo’s back and head with elbows and fists.

The pounding sounded like a sudden storm.

Desperately, Ning Zhuo channeled his energy and played his trump card.

Spell—Embracing Ice!

Crack...

Tiny sounds followed as the puppet was encased in ice, gradually freezing solid.

“Without Embracing Ice, there would be no way to pass this level,” Ning Zhuo realized, and when he tried to damage the Kung Fu Puppet further, a message warned him off.

He crouched, smashing his fists into the puppet’s head.

The ice broke apart, but the puppet’s yellow eyes glowed steadily.

Ning Zhuo tried to pry the eye components loose, only to be warned again—Destruction of the arena puppet by force is forbidden!

The third door’s rewards were again threefold: ten spirit stones, a mini flying box construct component, and the spell Grafting Wood.

Having used much of his power to cast Embracing Ice, Ning Zhuo prudently chose the ten spirit stones.

He pushed open the door and entered the preparation chamber.

The chamber was spacious, far larger than the previous rooms. In its center stood a five-sided stone pillar.

One face of the pillar read:

Qi Refinement Ranking.

First Place: Ning Zhuo, Third Level of Qi Refinement.

Ning Zhuo: ...

The pillar rotated with a click to another side, displaying:

Assessment Progress Ranking.

First Place: Ning Zhuo, Room Three.

Beneath it, no other names—he alone was listed.

Ning Zhuo tilted his head: Hm?!

A few breaths later, he jolted as if struck by lightning, a chill running through his entire being as he realized the gravity of the situation.

“Damn!”

“Am I... about to be exposed?!”