"Da, da--"
Lie Yunting walked with a steady gait, his dark red outfit gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the glow of the Night-Luminescent Pearl.
The moment they stepped into the passage, all six puppets moved simultaneously.
He drew his sword, its blade flashing crimson like fire, and engaged in fierce combat with the six puppets.
His Sword Technique was fierce and domineering, with each strike carrying a scorching wave of energy.
Fifty moves.
Eighty moves.
One hundred moves.
He had several wounds on his body, his dark red outfit was soaked in blood, and his face was as pale as paper.
But he persisted.
One hundred and twenty moves.
He seized a fleeting opening, and with a swift movement, rushed towards the other end of the passage.
We are almost there--
The Mantis Puppet's scythe slashed from the side with astonishing speed.
He couldn't dodge in time and had no choice but to parry with his sword.
"Clang--!"
Amidst the clang of metal, he was jolted several meters to the side, a sweet taste rising in his throat, and a mouthful of blood surged up.
Before he could regain his footing, the Giant Bear Puppet's two paws slammed down from the other side.
He had no chance to avoid it and was hit squarely on the back.
"Puff--"
He coughed up blood and flew forward, crashing heavily into the entrance of the passage.
A golden barrier appeared, enveloping him, and three jade boxes containing rare and precious materials fell into his hands.
He looked down at the jade box in his hand, his eyes filled with resentment.
Just a little bit more, just a little bit more and we'd make it through.
A golden barrier enveloped him, and he disappeared at the entrance of the passage.
In the hall, the prodigies from various prefectures gazed in the direction where Lie Yunting had disappeared, and remained silent for a moment.
Even Lie Yunting, who ranked first on the East Foothills Prefecture Prodigy Ranking, failed.
The fifth level was indeed beyond their capabilities.
Next, Songquan Prefecture Lu Qingyun ranked first on the Songquan County Prodigy Ranking, stepped into the passage.
This man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall and slender, with a handsome face and a refined air about him.
He wore a long, gray-blue robe, with a sheathed longsword hanging at his waist. The sheath was simple and unadorned.
The moment he stepped into the passage, he drew his sword, its blade flashing like water, both gentle and sharp, as he engaged in a fierce battle with the six puppets.
His swordsmanship was exquisite and his Body Movement were agile, but he was still struggling to defend himself against the attacks of six Third Grade Middle Stage puppets.
After hundreds of moves, he was slashed across the shoulder by the Mantis Puppet's scythe and sent flying backward.
A golden barrier appeared, enveloping him, and three jade boxes landed in his hands.
He remained silent for a moment, and was then escorted out of the Ancient Ruins.
Su Wanqing ranked first on the White Egret Prefecture Prodigy Ranking, followed closely behind.
This person was about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with a slender figure, a beautiful face, and a hint of aloofness between her brows.
She wore a Moon-White long dress, with a slender soft sword hanging at her waist. Her steps were light, and she landed silently.
The moment she stepped into the passage, she drew her sword; the blade flashed like silk, soft yet deadly sharp.
Her Sword Technique was unpredictable and her movements were elusive, but she still struggled to withstand the combined attack of six puppets.
After hundreds of moves, he was struck on the shoulder by the Fierce Tiger Puppet's claw and sent flying backward.
A golden barrier appeared, enveloping her, and three jade boxes landed in her hands.
Her face was pale, her eyes filled with resentment, but she had no choice but to be sent out of the Ancient Ruins.
The last person to enter the passage in the first Zhou Fang of the Taishun Prefecture Prodigy Ranking is the one who enters the first week.
This man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a burly build, broad shoulders and a rugged face.
He was dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, with a heavy, ghost-headed broadsword strapped to his back, and his steps were steady and powerful.
The moment he stepped into the passage, he drew his sword, its blade flashing like a bolt of lightning, fierce and domineering, and engaged in a fierce battle with the six puppets.
His swordsmanship was powerful and heavy, each strike carrying the force to Mountain-Splitting Stone-Cracking.
However, he was also struggling to hold out against the combined attack of the six puppets.
After hundreds of moves, he was punched in the chest by the giant ape puppet, and sent flying backward.
A golden barrier appeared, enveloping him, and three jade boxes landed in his hands.
He gritted his teeth, his face ashen, as he was escorted out of the Ancient Ruins.
The top four counties on the Prodigy Ranking outstanding talents— East Foothills Prefecture, Songquan Prefecture, White Egret Prefecture, and Taishun Prefecture —all failed.
The fifth level's hall was silent.
The remaining geniuses from the other prefectures remained silent for a long time as they watched the Prodigy Ranking from East Foothills Prefecture, Songquan Prefecture, White Egret Prefecture, and Taishun Prefecture being successively eliminated by the golden barrier.
If even these four people failed, how could they possibly succeed?
"I'll do it."
A voice rang out, carrying a hint of self-abandonment.
A prodigy from East Foothills Prefecture strode towards the passage.
His pace wasn't slow, but it carried an inexplicable air of perfunctoriness.
Faced with the combined attack of six puppets, he couldn't even last ten moves before being slapped away by the Giant Bear Puppet.
A golden barrier enveloped him, sending him out of the Ancient Ruins.
Another person stepped forward.
In just over ten moves, he was slashed across the chest by the Mantis Puppet's scythe and sent flying backward.
The third person, the fourth person, the fifth person...
One figure after another stepped into the passage, and another was sent away by the golden barrier.
No one held out any hope anymore; they simply went through the motions of this final formality.
The best performer was a prodigy from White Egret Prefecture.
He withstood the onslaught of six puppets for dozens of moves, even managing to get close to the middle of the passage at one point.
But in the end, he was still struck in the side by the giant python puppet's tail, and flew backward, spitting out blood.
At this point, apart from Fang Han and the five from the Heavenly Origin Sect, all the prodigies from various prefectures who had made it to the fifth level had failed.
The wall directly in front of the main hall in level six has changed again.
Ripples spread, the walls became transparent, and then disappeared.
Then, another passage appeared.
"Seven puppets..."
When Fang Han saw the scene in the passage, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
In the center of the passage, seven metal puppets stood in a circle.
Tigers, Giant Bear, pythons, apes, Giant Eagle, and mantises—and in the center of them, there is an extra puppet.
It was a metal puppet shaped like a spider, entirely black, with eight slender metal legs supporting its disc-shaped body.
It is smaller than the Mantis Puppet, but it gives people a more dangerous feeling.
The ends of its eight legs were sharp as spears, gleaming with a ghostly blue light, with runes faintly flowing within them.
At the front of its body, more than ten compound eyes, dark red in color, were coldly staring at the passage ahead.
An oppressive feeling, several times stronger than that of the fifth level, emanated from the passage.
" Third Grade Late Stage "
Fang Han muttered to himself.
Following the pattern of the previous levels, the number of puppets increases by one in each level, and the strength increases by one minor realm.
The fourth stage: five Third Grade Early Stage.
The fifth stage: six Third Grade Middle Stage.
Therefore, the strength of these seven puppets in the sixth level should already be comparable to the Third Grade Late Stage.
Seven Third Grade Late Stage metal golems.
They work in perfect harmony, are tireless, feel no pain, and possess indestructible bodies, unafraid of danger.
Such a lineup would likely be troublesome even for an ordinary Second Grade martial artist.
The remaining five members of the Heavenly Origin Sect stood on one side of the hall.
Bai Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze lingering on Fang Han for a moment before shifting to the newly revealed passage.
His expression remained calm, revealing no emotion, but there seemed to be a hint of solemnity in his indifferent eyes.
Let's go.
He took the lead and walked towards the passageway.
The seven puppets moved simultaneously the moment they stepped into the passage.
The Fierce Tiger Puppet lunged straight at his face, the Giant Bear Puppet slammed down its paws from the left, and the python puppet launched itself out from the right.
The giant ape puppet leaped up from behind and slammed its fists down, while the Giant Eagle Puppet swooped down from above, and the Mantis Puppet puppet slashed out with its scythes.
The Spider Puppet was incredibly fast.
With all eight metal legs exerting force simultaneously, the pitch-black body left a twisted afterimage in the passage.
Instead of attacking Bai Yan directly, it circled around to his side and rear, its eight legs ending in sharp spears that thrust out from eight different angles, sealing off all his space to dodge or retreat.
Seven puppets, attacking from seven directions simultaneously.
More coordinated, more ruthless, and more deadly than the fifth level.
Bai Yan placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Clang--"
The longsword was drawn, its pale blue blade gleaming brilliantly.
The next instant, an aura never before seen erupted from his body.
That aura was no longer just sharp, but carried a vibrant, ever-renewing meaning.
It was as if spring grass and trees were sprouting from the soil, as if ancient trees were towering and lush, as if the entire mountain forest was awakening in that instant.
Wood Sword Intent
As the strongest of the twelve disciples of the Heavenly Origin Sect on this trip, he naturally grasped the Artistic Conception.
With the activation of the Wood Sword Intent, Bai Yan's combat power surged more than tenfold.
The pale blue sword light transformed into a streak of light, unleashing seven consecutive sword strikes.
Where the sword light passed, faint green phantoms appeared in the air—a phenomenon where the Sword Intent solidified into a tangible form, resonating with the power of heaven and earth.
"Clang clang clang clang clang clang--!"
Seven metallic clangs rang out almost simultaneously, converging into a long, resonant bell-like sound that echoed through the passageway.
The Fierce Tiger Puppet was sent flying backward, its Dark Gold metallic body slamming heavily against the wall with a dull thud.
The Giant Bear Puppet staggered backward, taking nearly ten steps before regaining its balance.
The giant python puppet's head was knocked to the side, and its massive metal body rolled several times on the ground.
The giant ape puppet's fists were knocked away, and it fell backward, crashing into the tunnel floor and leaving a long white mark.
The Giant Eagle Puppet was slashed into the sky by a sword, crashed into the dome, and then fell, its metal wings scraping white marks on the ground.
The Mantis Puppet's scythe-like forearms were jolted high into the air, and its Dark Gold metallic body slid back nearly ten feet, the eerie blue light at the blades flashing intensely.
The Spider Puppet's eight protruding metal legs were scattered and flung up by the sword strike, its dark body sliding back several feet, and the dark red light in its more than ten compound eyes flashed rapidly.
Bai Yan sheathed his sword and continued walking through the passage without stopping.
Xu Qing was the second to step into the passage.
Her right hand rested on the hilt of the sword, and the moment the longsword was drawn, its light was cold and sharp.
Even among the disciples of the Heavenly Origin Sect, very few have comprehended the Artistic Conception. She was just one step away from Artistic Conception, but ultimately she failed to grasp Artistic Conception.
Having failed to grasp the Artistic Conception of the art, she was at a disadvantage from the start when facing seven Third Grade Late Stage puppets.
In just over ten moves, her left shoulder was grazed by the Fierce Tiger Puppet's claws, tearing her moon-white robe and leaving a shallow bloodstain.
After several more moves, the giant python puppet's tail swept across her side, causing her blood to surge and a trace of blood to spill from the corner of her mouth.
She gritted her teeth and struggled with all her might.