A Ranking with Only One Person

Ning Zhuo increased his effort.

Whoosh.

One of the rhomboid-shaped colored diamonds suddenly shot out, hitting the red copper wall.

A thin thread connected the colored diamond and the ring.

Ning Zhuo tugged at it and found that although the thread was terrifyingly thin, it was very tough.

He walked a few more steps to the wall and carefully observed the colored diamond that had shot out.

He had originally thought that this colored diamond had shot into the wall, like a nail. However, he found that the colored diamond had actually melted and fused with the wall surface.

The part that was in contact with the wall had completely transformed into red copper. Only near the thin thread could a faint blue-purple shimmer still be seen.

It was as if it had originally been one with the red copper wall, but a small bump had protruded outwards. This bump was connected to the Hanging Ring.

"Marvelous, marvelous!"

"How was this done?"

"Was a talisman used, or was a miniature magic array carved, or is the material of the colored diamond itself different?"

Ning Zhuo's desire to research was ignited. He wished he could disassemble it on the spot and study it thoroughly for three days and three nights.

"What a pity, the timing isn't right now!"

Ning Zhuo knew that exploration was the most important thing.

Holding the Hanging Ring, he looked down at his body, unable to find a suitable place to wear it.

The puppet Ning Zhuo's hands and feet were much thinner than the circle. His upper arms and forearms were the same thickness, and his thighs and calves were also the same.

Ning Zhuo would not hold the Hanging Ring directly in his hand.

When entering Room Two, he needed both hands free. Having one hand occupied would be very inconvenient.

This small problem did not stump Ning Zhuo.

Soon, he thought of a solution.

He first pulled off his head, then put the Hanging Ring around his neck, and finally reattached his head.

This way, his large head would firmly hold the Hanging Ring in place.

After finishing the installation, Ning Zhuo pushed the door open and officially stepped into Room Two.

The door closed heavily and firmly behind him. Ning Zhuo tried pushing it again, but it wouldn't budge at all.

Looking at the familiar corridor-shaped Room Two, Ning Zhuo did not rush to charge forward. Instead, he practiced with the Hanging Ring in place for a while.

After practicing to a certain extent, he began to attempt it.

Bang, bang, bang...

After several consecutive failures, Ning Zhuo was swept back.

His mindset was stable, completely without the anxiety he had felt the first time.

A moment later.

He sprinted to the middle section.

Two giant wooden logs crashed towards him one after another. Ning Zhuo leaped into the air, with nowhere to dodge.

It doesn't matter.

"I have the Hanging Ring!" Ning Zhuo thought to himself.

The wooden ring stuck under the large head suddenly shot out a colored diamond, which embedded itself in the ceiling with a ding.

The thread was extremely tough. Ning Zhuo felt the force, his neck twisted, and he was directly suspended in mid-air, not falling down, successfully avoiding the giant logs.

Another giant log descended from the sky, smashing straight down.

Ning Zhuo then withdrew his magic power. The thread instantly broke at the root, and the wooden ring and the shot-out colored diamond completely detached.

Ning Zhuo fell down, dodged the giant log, and then shot out another colored diamond, which nailed itself onto the giant log.

When the giant log retracted, it also carried him along with it.

Just like that, Ning Zhuo's head occasionally twisted, and in a hanging posture, he successfully passed through Room Two and arrived before the second door.

"No, it truly lives up to its name, the Hanging Ring. The name is well-chosen. Concise and to the point, just right." Ning Zhuo sighed in his heart, reaching out with both hands to straighten his twisted large head.

Using the Hanging Ring drastically reduced the difficulty of passing through Room Two.

Ning Zhuo was now mostly intact, only his left leg was cracked and one finger on his right hand was broken.

This was a world of difference compared to the miserable state he was in during his first exploration.

"What if I had chosen the Hanging Ring last time?"

Ning Zhuo thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "That would have been even worse."

The Hanging Ring would exacerbate the consumption of spiritual power.

If he had chosen the Hanging Ring during his first exploration, Ning Zhuo would have been unable to move due to the depletion of his spiritual power.

Ning Zhuo touched the second doorway.

Reward information went straight to his heart: two Spirit Stones, the Mechanical Component Glass Flying Knife, and the spell Grasp Fire Technique.

During the last exploration, Ning Zhuo's soul was weakened to the bottom, and he didn't have time to look closely, hastily choosing the spell.

Now he was in good condition and could choose calmly.

"The number of Spirit Stone rewards has increased to two."

"The Glass Flying Knife is an offensive Mechanical Component."

"Grasp Fire Technique... seems to be a set with Embrace Ice Technique."

Ning Zhuo's spiritual power was only at 30% at this moment, leaving him with little room for choice. He directly chose the first reward – two Spirit Stones.

After glancing back at Room Two, he pushed open the door with force and officially entered Room Three.

Information came through – Defeat the Kung Fu Puppet, pass through Room Three, and enter the Preparation Room.

"Wasn't it Room Four?" Ning Zhuo's heart stirred slightly.

Room Three had a circular structure, with the light dimming towards the edges and the center being the brightest.

"It's like a circular arena." Ning Zhuo immediately spotted a tall, thin wooden puppet standing in the very center of the room.

The puppet was made of yellow wood with black lines etched on its surface. On its chest, two large characters were written vertically: Kung Fu!

The puppet sensed him, and its eyes suddenly lit up with yellow light. It rubbed its wooden nose with its thumb, then slowly half-squatted, adopting a half-bow stance with one foot forward and one back. Then, with one hand extended forward and the other behind its back, it struck a pose towards Ning Zhuo.

Its front hand moved, signaling Ning Zhuo to attack.

"Interesting." Ning Zhuo smiled. "I also learned some boxing and kicking in the academy."

He had just obtained two Spirit Stones and wasn't lacking motivation. Furthermore, he was keen to gather more information, so he immediately stepped forward and initiated the fight.

After only a dozen breaths, the wooden puppet was about to be beaten to pieces by Ning Zhuo.

"Can't win, the gap is too big!"

Ning Zhuo suddenly wrapped his arms around its waist.

The defending puppet immediately struggled, constantly hitting Ning Zhuo's back and head with its elbows and fists.

The sounds of bang bang bang were like a sudden downpour.

Meanwhile, Ning Zhuo frantically channeled his spiritual energy, unleashing his trump card.

Spell - Embrace Ice Technique!

Crack...

After a series of subtle sounds, the defending puppet's surface was covered in ice, gradually rendering it immobile.

"Without the Embrace Ice Technique, it would have been impossible to pass this stage." Ning Zhuo attempted to damage the Kung Fu Puppet but was warned by a message and had to stop.

He half-squatted and swung his fists, launching a continuous attack on the puppet's head.

The ice layer was shattered, but the puppet's two large yellow eyes in its head remained lit.

Ning Zhuo tried to pry off the eye components and received another message – violent destruction of the defending puppet is not allowed!

The reward options for the third door were still three.

Ten Spirit Stones, the Mechanical Component Small Flying Box, and the spell Grafting Wood Technique.

In the previous fight, he had consumed a lot of spiritual energy to activate the Embrace Ice Technique. To be safe, Ning Zhuo chose the ten Spirit Stones.

He pushed open the door and entered the Preparation Room.

The Preparation Room was spacious, far exceeding the previous three rooms. In the center of the Preparation Room stood a Five-Sided Stone Pillar.

On one side of the stone pillar was written:

Qi Refining Board.

First Place: Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo: ...

The stone pillar creaked and turned to another side, which read:

Assessment Progress Board.

First Place: Ning Zhuo.

Below it was empty, with only him on the board.

Ning Zhuo tilted his head: Hmm?!

After a few breaths, Ning Zhuo felt as if he had been electrocuted. His body and mind trembled violently, and he fully realized the seriousness of the problem.

"This is bad!"

"Am I... am I about to be exposed?!"