Chapter 48: Mechanical Traps

"Second level of Qi Refinement, hahaha!" In the cultivation chamber, Meng Chong shouted with joy.

He was utterly enchanted by this rapid progress.

After activating the Rampant Thunderbolt, his cultivation soared at an astonishing pace, a stark contrast to his previous sluggish efforts. The surge brought him immense satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.

The more he cultivated, the more exhilarated he became, gradually slipping into obsession.

Rampant Thunderbolt, Rampant Thunderbolt, Rampant Thunderbolt!

This supreme innate talent grew ever more appealing and indispensable with each use.

Fei Si noticed something amiss and gently advised him.

Meng Chong restrained himself somewhat, but during cultivation, he frowned deeply.

He felt genuine discomfort. "Too slow, much too slow!"

"It's like a snail crawling!"

Of course, it was merely his illusion.

Having released his true nature, he found himself increasingly impatient.

"Just one more time, only once."

"Using it again shouldn't hurt."

"Once more, just one last time."

Rampant Thunderbolt, Rampant Thunderbolt, Rampant Thunderbolt...

"Ahahaha!" Meng Chong's invigorating laughter echoed throughout the cultivation chamber.

Ning Zhuo entered the palace for the sixth time.

He formally stepped into Room Number Four.

Room Four was much like Room One, filled with heaps of mechanical components.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit pursed its lips, expressionless, observing Ning Zhuo closely, watching his every move without offering any hints.

Ning Zhuo tried assembling the mechanical parts, but his movements suddenly stalled as he was instantly restrained by a thread of fate.

The youth tried to use the treasure seal, but it was futile.

He approached the exit, touched the door, and received information about the reward once more.

"Is it possible to clear the level like this?"

"No, there must be some purpose to this room. I just haven't figured it out yet."

Ning Zhuo pondered a moment, then attempted to activate the Five Elements Qi Law, but nothing happened.

At this, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit instinctively rose, supporting itself on all fours, no longer lounging as before.

It was starting to get nervous.

Suddenly, Ning Zhuo's mind stirred; he abandoned the Five Elements Qi Law and instead cast a spell.

First, the Embrace Ice Technique.

As soon as he cast it, a mechanical component was drawn toward him, flying directly into his hands.

Ning Zhuo quickly caught it, forced to take a step back from the force of its collision.

"Got it right!" His heart leapt with joy.

Smack.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit slapped its claw in anger, gritting its teeth.

Once again, Ning Zhuo had figured it out!

The newly arrived mechanical part was an arm with a large hand, robust and able to float in the air.

Ning Zhuo continued casting spells, obtaining another floating arm, a mechanical wooden staff, and a set of twelve mechanical rings.

"The more spells one masters, the greater the enhancements gained in this room."

"This level mainly tests techniques and magic."

Ning Zhuo entered Room Five.

A long corridor stretched before him, at least ten times longer than Room Two.

What sort of mechanical traps awaited him this time?

Lord's Mansion.

"Hahaha!" Meng Chong threw back his head and laughed, "Peak of the third layer, only three days spent—who could be faster than me?"

Three days and nights, nearly without rest, and now he had succeeded.

"I must be the first to enter the Immortal Palace!"

"But how do I get in..."

The next moment, Meng Chong's vision darkened as his soul was forcibly extracted.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit sprang up in excitement; it had waited for this moment for so long.

Eagerly, it transmitted a message to Meng Chong: "Lava Immortal Palace, mechanical legacy, soul-thread guidance, Qi Refinement trial... Unleash your innate talent, fully operate the Five Elements Qi Law, pass through Room One, reach Room Two!"

In the main hall of the Immortal Palace, a fiery whip instantly formed and lashed the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.

With a crisp snap, it was flattened to the ground.

The fire whip vanished, leaving the spirit grimacing in pain, its expression both fierce and exhilarated. For it saw Meng Chong, after receiving the crucial hint, wildly operating the Five Elements Qi Law.

Meanwhile, flickers of electricity began to spark around his body.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The sparks grew more numerous and louder.

The small mountain of mechanical components began to tremble, and five parts shot out.

They darted electrically, within moments crashing into Meng Chong's torso and snapping together.

Meng Chong clenched his fists, chest out, head raised, letting out a roar as electric light gathered and exploded upward in a pillar of lightning, impressive and mighty.

Thunder roared...

The mountain of components was toppled by the force.

Through the dust, Meng Chong strode forward, head high, chest out.

He touched the door and received the reward information.

"The legacy trial of the Lava Immortal Palace is truly interesting!"

Meng Chong didn't even look at the options for mechanical components or spells, choosing spirit stones directly.

"Room Two, here I come."

He pushed open the door forcefully and strode in, full of confidence.

Bang!

He triggered a trap—a massive hammer platform crashed down from above.

He didn't even have time to react before his puppet body was smashed to countless wooden fragments.

Without his puppet body, Meng Chong's soul was sent back to his flesh.

He was utterly bewildered.

Upon recollection, he realized, "It seems that after opening the door, I was caught in a trap."

Meng Chong summoned Fei Si without hesitation.

Fei Si learned of his experience, first warmly congratulating him, praising Meng Chong at length.

Meng Chong snorted, "I'm the foremost talent of the Meng family; I won't disgrace my grandfather! Now, what should I do?"

Fei Si sighed, "So, the legacy trial of the Lava Immortal Palace undergoes such a transformation at the Qi Refinement stage!"

"I've spent these days studying intelligence on the Three Sect Masters, pondering their thoughts, moods, and so on."

"If my guess is correct, Young Master Meng Chong, the rewards you encountered at the doors contain a key option that could help tremendously."

Meng Chong fell into deep thought. "Spirit stones, hanging rings, and a stream of energy—which one?"

"And when can I enter the Lava Immortal Palace again?"

Though his soul force remained abundant after this failure, he had to wait three hours.

Ning Zhuo entered the palace for the seventh time.

Last time, he failed at Room Five, exhausting all his stored spiritual power.

"Room Five is similar to Room Two—I must sprint and dodge, crossing all obstacles to reach the end."

"The difficulty has increased at least threefold!"

"Although I've acquired many mechanical components, I'm unfamiliar with them. Rushing and dodging with these extras is burdensome."

"The added mechanical components also consume more spiritual power."

"Wait?!"

Arriving at Room Two, Ning Zhuo noticed that his trap had been triggered.

The massive hammer platform...

He had previously assembled it to smash the ranking stone pillar. On his fourth entry, he moved it to Room Two, setting up a mechanical trap.

On his fifth entry, he was delighted to find the trap still in place.

The experiment had succeeded!

Thus, with the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, Ning Zhuo added many new things to Room Two and Room Three.

"Meng Chong entered the palace."

"Yes, and was smashed to pieces."

"I now know the shortest interval is three hours. That lets me roughly estimate the timing and avoid running into him."

A renewed sense of urgency welled up in Ning Zhuo's heart, his expression growing cautious.

"Such supreme innate talent..."

"This time, I'll add a few more traps."

"Otherwise, my heart will not be at ease!"