The Puppet’s strike was as heavy as a mountain and as fast as lightning. Just as even the Fourth Hall Master shook his head, a golden light suddenly erupted from Zhaang Ye’s entire body. With this burst of golden light, Zhaang Ye’s Heavy Saber actually managed to block the Puppet’s blow head-on, not retreating even half a step!

"Hm?"

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s performance, a hint of surprise appeared in the eyes of all four Hall Masters.

None of them had expected that Zhaang Ye, who did not look particularly sturdy, could block a strike from the Puppet weighing tens of thousands of pounds head-on.

While the four Hall Masters were still marveling in secret, Zhaang Ye made his move. He suddenly shot out his free hand, landing a punch on the Puppet’s body.

With that punch, the four Hall Masters clearly saw the Puppet’s sturdy body slightly deform. The light in its eyes also dimmed a little from the blow. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

After the first punch, Zhaang Ye threw a second and a third in quick succession. Despite weighing tens of thousands of pounds, the Puppet was sent stumbling back by his blows, almost getting knocked off its feet!

A flash of green.

Taking advantage of the moment the Puppet was staggering unsteadily, Zhaang Ye’s figure flashed, and he calmly flew past it.

Seeing Zhaang Ye get past the Puppet, the four Hall Masters in the great hall were all greatly surprised. The Fourth Hall Master couldn’t help but pump his fist and laugh heartily. "Excellent! I didn’t think this kid Zhaang Ye had so much power. He even managed to brute-force his way past a fifty-thousand-pound Puppet. At this rate, he should have no problem entering the Inner Hall."

The Third Hall Master’s eyes glinted. "Fourth, don’t celebrate too early. The next Puppet weighs seventy thousand pounds, and its attack speed is a notch faster than the first. Zhaang Ye might have been able to brute-force his way past the first Puppet, but I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to get past the second one with strength alone."

Seeing the strength Zhaang Ye had displayed, the Third Hall Master didn’t dare speak with absolute certainty. However, he was still pessimistic about Zhaang Ye’s chances. After all, these Puppets were placed on the path to test the youths’ Comprehension. Zhaang Ye’s method of using brute force was not the orthodox way.

A trace of worry also flashed in the Fourth Hall Master’s eyes. The first Puppet weighed only fifty thousand pounds, with a maximum strike force of seventy thousand pounds. But the second Puppet weighed seventy thousand pounds, and its strike force reached a terrifying one hundred thousand pounds!

One hundred thousand pounds of force could crush any Martial Arts Fifth Layer expert to death. Although Zhaang Ye’s Body Refining Technique was impressive, it probably wouldn’t be enough to withstand such immense power.

Under the gazes of the four Hall Masters, Zhaang Ye sped along the path, his speed somehow even faster than when he was on level ground.

Seeing this, looks of approval appeared in the Hall Masters’ eyes. The Third Hall Master said with a smile, "This little fellow Zhaang Ye is a bit too bold. Above this vast Abyss, even Situ Houtu, whose Cultivation has reached the Fifth Layer Peak of the Martial Dao, wouldn’t dare use his Body Technique at full power. I can’t believe he dares to go at full speed, unafraid of falling."

The Great Hall Master watched Zhaang Ye’s figure with a thoughtful expression. "The Body Technique Zhaang Ye is using should be the Cloud Stepping Technique. Although the Cloud Stepping Technique is only a Mid-Level Body Technique, Zhaang Ye has clearly cultivated it to a state of perfection. He has also faintly incorporated a trace of Rotating Power into it, which is enough to maintain his balance. He should be able to handle any unexpected situations..."

The Second, Third, and Fourth Hall Masters also noticed that trace of Rotating Power within Zhaang Ye’s Body Technique, and all three were visibly moved. The Cloud Stepping Technique might only be a Mid-Level Body Technique, but it was an exceptionally refined one. Incorporating Rotating Power into such a refined technique was by no means an easy feat.

Zhaang Ye was not yet fifteen, yet he could naturally integrate Rotating Power into the Cloud Stepping Technique. Such Comprehension was far beyond his peers and likely not inferior even to Situ Houtu’s.

A hint of regret appeared on the Second Hall Master’s face. "This Zhaang Ye... if he had come to take the test ten years from now, he would definitely be able to enter the Inner Hall. But he’s only fourteen now. I don’t think his chances of passing are high."

The strength Zhaang Ye had unintentionally revealed also made the Third Hall Master see him in a new light. The Third Hall Master nodded. "If Zhaang Ye cultivates for another ten years, his Cultivation will surely reach the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage, and his Body Refining Technique will advance even further. Passing our True Hall’s test would be a piece of cake for him then. But as for now... his chances are not great. Putting everything else aside, this test of Comprehension alone is not so easily passed."

Zhaang Ye’s performance was already outstanding, but the Second and Third Hall Masters remained pessimistic about his chances. They both agreed that it would be difficult for Zhaang Ye to pass the test.

The Fourth Hall Master said nothing. His eyes were fixed on Zhaang Ye’s figure as he silently thought, ’Good kid, you have to pass this second trial for me, get into the Inner Hall, and make me proud!’

「On the White Jade Path.」

Zhaang Ye sprinted along the path.

The further he went, the stronger the winds surging up from the vast Abyss below became. However, Zhaang Ye had comprehended the Force-Dissipating Technique. He could even dissipate the wind’s force in his family’s Wind Cave, so while the gales on the path were strong, they had little effect on him.

After covering more than a thousand zhang, Zhaang Ye came to a stop.

Before him stood another tall figure.

Zhaang Ye’s eyes flashed as he thought to himself, ’It seems there’s a Puppet every thousand zhang along this path. This one is a bit larger than the first, so it should be stronger, too.’

With that thought, Zhaang Ye walked toward the Puppet step by step.

CLANK!

This Puppet’s reaction was much faster than the first. While Zhaang Ye was still twelve or thirteen zhang away, it had already reacted, standing bolt upright as two beams of red light shot from its eyes, locking onto him.

Drawing from his experience with the first Puppet, Zhaang Ye ignored its reaction and continued to walk forward step by step.

When he was seven zhang away, the Puppet reacted again. It took a single, small step forward.

BOOM!

With that single step, Zhaang Ye felt the path beneath his feet begin to tremble violently, as if it would collapse at any moment. Faced with this situation, even the usually calm Zhaang Ye couldn’t help his heart from skipping a few beats.

’This thing made the path tremble violently with just a light step. It must weigh at least seventy thousand pounds! As the Puppet’s body gets heavier, its attack power increases accordingly. This thing’s strike must be at least eighty or ninety thousand pounds! Maybe even one hundred thousand!’ Zhaang Ye was stunned as he secretly assessed the Puppet’s strength.

He simply couldn’t imagine how a Puppet weighing tens of thousands of pounds could even be created.

Although the Puppet’s power was tyrannical, Zhaang Ye wasn’t too worried. ’No matter how powerful it is, it’s still an inanimate object. At most, it can only use one or two sets of Combat Skills. As long as I have enough time, I’ll eventually find a flaw in its skills and break them.’

’Furthermore, the Puppet has another weakness: it only attacks when someone enters its attack range. If I retreat outside its range, it can’t do anything.’

’With this weakness, I can probe it bit by bit and slowly find its flaws.’

Zhaang Ye took two more steps forward. CLANG! CLANG! Two long sabers appeared in the Puppet’s hands.

Each of the two long sabers was one zhang long and as wide as two palms. A dark light glinted on their surfaces, exuding a suffocating, bone-chilling cold.

WHOOSH! The Puppet abruptly raised the two long sabers and slashed out like lightning.

As it slashed, the formless air itself seemed to crack with a loud bang. An invisible gale surged forth. Before the sabers even arrived, the fierce winds were already cutting like sharp knives. A section of Zhaang Ye’s sleeve was sliced clean off by these wind blades.

Zhaang Ye’s figure flashed, and he retreated fifteen zhang away, a hint of joy on his face.

’This Puppet isn’t just stronger than the first one; it’s also faster. That slash just now created a sonic boom, and the resulting saber wind could injure from a distance. That means its striking speed is faster than sound.’

’The Puppet’s speed and strength are both exceptionally formidable. But it has a weakness—both of its weapons are long sabers.’

’Long sabers can slash faster than the speed of sound, but they also have a weakness. Because of their length, the Combat Skills they can execute are limited to wide, sweeping attacks. If I can exploit this weakness and get in close, I can take it down.’

Having formulated a plan, Zhaang Ye no longer hesitated. He stepped forward, repeatedly probing the Puppet’s attacks. On the tenth probe, a sharp light flashed in his eyes. Just as the Puppet slashed out with its long sabers, he advanced instead of retreating, turning into a phantom-like blur and rushing forward. At the instant the two long sabers crossed, he slipped past them to the Puppet’s side.

But just then, the unexpected happened. The Puppet lifted one of its legs and kicked at Zhaang Ye.

The Puppet weighed tens of thousands of pounds; a kick from it would carry no less than eighty thousand pounds of force. If that kick landed, no matter how powerful Zhaang Ye was, he would be severely injured, coughing up blood, and thrown into the vast Abyss.

Facing this life-and-death moment, a golden light suddenly exploded from Zhaang Ye’s eyes. He circulated the Dragon Elephant Skill in his body at full power, and his entire fist turned golden in an instant. BAM! BAM! He landed two punches on the Puppet’s thigh.

RUMBLE!

After Zhaang Ye’s modifications, the Dragon Elephant Skill was several times more powerful than its original version. Furthermore, the Dragon Elephant Power within his body was the purest form of strength. This all-out attack from Zhaang Ye was truly earth-shattering. The two thunderous sounds from his punches hitting the Puppet’s thigh transformed into ripples visible to the naked eye!

After taking two punches, the Puppet’s entire body was knocked backward, teetering on the edge and about to fall into the vast Abyss.

Zhaang Ye glanced at it, threw two more punches for good measure, and then turned to leave.

「In the great hall.」

The four men watching Zhaang Ye stared in disbelief as he knocked the Puppet down. But when they saw him land the final two punches, their disbelief turned into bemusement, and all four of them burst out laughing. After a moment, the Third Hall Master shook his head and said, "This kid Zhaang Ye... he’s just too violent. The Puppet was already down, but he still had to add two more punches."

The Second Hall Master nodded in agreement. "Is this kid really planning to brute-force his way through the whole thing? Heh, the third Puppet is even stronger than the second. I’d like to see how he handles that."

The Fourth Hall Master’s eyes lit up, and he laughed loudly. "It may be a bit violent, but I like it! I hope he keeps up the violence and smashes the third Puppet to pieces too!"

(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.)