Chapter 269: Chapter 255 Light Touch

One person and one tiger engaged in a fierce battle.

At first, the other Black Bone Tigers were still laughing, but soon, the weakest two couldn’t laugh anymore.

Zhou Leng went all out against the Vitality Stage Middle Period Black Bone Tiger, surprisingly not falling behind.

Aside from somewhat weaker power, no shortcomings were visible in other aspects.

Even more terrifying, Zhou Leng seemed to have transformed, as if he had a deep-seated vendetta against the Black Bone Tiger, unable to satisfy his hatred unless he killed it.

The Vitality Stage Early Period Black Bone Tiger showed a hint of fear in its eyes.

It turns out this Furless Fierce Ape is so fierce; if it really fights desperately, I’m doomed to die.

After battling for more than ten minutes, Zhou Leng spat blood and flew backward.

The Vitality Stage Middle Period Black Bone Tiger, swaying, took a step forward, intending to pursue, but its body shook and couldn’t move.

“Roar…” The Vitality Stage Middle Period Black Bone Tiger shouted at Zhou Leng, its gaze full of respect.

The other Black Bone Tigers also growled softly, respecting their opponent.

Vitality Stage Early Period, fiercely battling Vitality Stage Middle Period.

Zhou Leng fought with delight, showing a faint smile and nodding.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the Innate Black Bone Tiger ran over, spat out a fruit, and signaled for him to eat it.

Zhou Leng thanked the Innate Black Bone Tiger, ate the fruit, and sat down to meditate, absorbing its medicinal power.

The other Black Bone Tigers turned and left. Before leaving, the Innate Black Bone Tiger took out more than thirty Orange Blossom Fruits and tossed them to Zhou Leng.

After absorbing the medicinal power, Zhou Leng got up, collected the Orange Blossom Fruits, and ran with all his might.

Even upon reaching Mammoth Lake, he did not stop until his True Qi and physical strength were completely exhausted. He jumped into the lake with a splash and fell into a deep sleep.

This sleep was incredibly sweet.

Outside Mammoth Valley.

The Eight-toothed Mammoth clan raised their long trunks, erected eight mammoth tusks, and roared at the sky.

Behind them, a small yellow dog imitated them, barking at the sky, resembling a husky draped in yellow fur.

“Awooo…”

Dozens of Eight-toothed Mammoths formed a disordered line, stomping the ground, leaving it clouded with dust as they charged into the hundreds of Multi-headed Lion Group ahead.

Both sides clashed.

The small yellow dog silently retreated to the rear.

Mammoth Lake.

After a long while, Zhou Leng opened his eyes, slowly got up, walked out of Mammoth Lake, and shook his body, scattering water droplets.

The psychological shadow caused by the two trials dissipated mostly.

There was a new determination in Zhou Leng’s eyes, stronger than before.

Zhou Leng recalled yesterday’s experiences, speculating another possibility.

“The second and third layers might still have another kind of test.”

“That is, creating a trial that is absolutely impossible to pass in a short time.”

“If I doggedly persist in the trial, I’m sure to suffer setbacks and be unable to recover.”

“If I give up because of fear or indulge in the third layer, my Martial Arts path will surely be broken.”

“For me, temporarily giving up the second and third layers and directly going to the fourth layer to endure the burning of Red Lotus Fire is the best choice.”

“Everything is just a temporary hurdle.”

“I’ll practice, then come back and overcome it!”

Zhou Leng set aside his inner obsession and began daily cultivation.

After cultivating, he ran all the way to the Martial Arts Bureau and headed towards the Copper Man Array.

Last time, he broke through the sixth layer of the Copper Man Array but was defeated at the seventh.

At that time, he hadn’t acquired the Giant Body.

He took out his phone, tapped into Martial Arts City, and entered the Martial Arts Space of his friend Mountain and River Origin.

Some content was displayed, some was not.

He clicked on the Copper Man Array progress.

Mountain and River Origin broke through the eleventh layer but was defeated at the twelfth.

The seventh layer corresponds to Vitality Stage Early Period.

The eighth layer corresponds to Vitality Stage Middle Period.

The ninth layer is ordinary Vitality Stage Late Stage.

The tenth layer is Vitality Stage Peak Period.

The eleventh layer can only be cleared by the world’s top Vitality Stage or by Innate alone.

Zhou Leng looked again at other publicly available data from Mountain and River Origin.

Mountain and River Origin’s No True Qi Weightlifting reached 15 tons.

Zhou Leng’s No True Qi Weightlifting a few days ago was 12 tons.

Mountain and River Origin’s True Qi Weightlifting reached 52 tons.

Zhou Leng’s True Qi Weightlifting reached 45 tons.

Both their stats far exceed Vitality Stage.

In pure strength alone, they even surpass ordinary Innate.

The strength of the ordinary Innate of the Human Race is far inferior to a Giant.

However, their destructive power is not as great as Innate.

Zhou Leng took off his Gravity Cultivation Armor, entered the Copper Man Array, and selected the seventh layer.

Walking in, two completely human-shaped copper-colored puppets stood at the end of the hall.

These two puppets were Demonized Puppets crafted by Demon Spirit Masters.

Up to now, Zhou Leng still remembers the last time he entered, almost having his bones shattered by a punch.

Facing his “enemies,” Zhou Leng proactively approached them.

The two Brass Puppets also came forward.

Like last time, one jumped and kicked from mid-air, and the other swung a punch from the front.

Last time, in Zhou Leng’s eyes, the two puppets coordinated closely, moved swiftly, and had strong power.

Now, Zhou Leng stepped forward, performing a straightforward front kick, striking the chest and abdomen of the puppet before him.

Amidst a loud noise, the puppet flew backward, tumbling on the ground.

Its abdominal cavity sparked, exploded with a bang, and parts flew everywhere.

While kicking the front Brass Puppet, Zhou Leng reached out and caught the ankle of the puppet kicking from the air.

Grabbing the ankle, he slammed it down hard.

Bang…

The puppet shattered, limbs severed, leaving only a leg in his hand.

Instant kill.

The piercing alarm sounded, and the doors at the front and back opened.

In chaotic footsteps, several staff members rushed in, including a Vitality Stage Demon Spirit Master with a dark face.

Seeing the scene before them, they paused for a moment and hurriedly checked.

“Are you really in the Early Period of the Vitality Stage?”

“Yes.”

“How much True Qi did you use?”

“I didn’t have time to use it yet.”

The air was silent save for the sound of the Demonized Puppet’s flames.

“What’s your name?”

“Zhou Leng.”

“Zhou Leng? The second among the newcomers, ranked 19th nationally?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s fine.”

Everyone looked resigned. This newcomer who could barely keep up with the Mountain and River Origin was already quite famous in Rucheng.

Having two newcomers in the first echelon was a major achievement for the Martial Arts Bureau in Rucheng.

After all, the first echelon used to belong only to Xiong City.

“Can I go to the eighth level?”

“You can, but… take it easy, the Demonized Puppet is a good friend to us Demon Spirit Masters.” The Demon Spirit Master looked heartbroken, as if Zhou Leng had broken not just his puppet, but his girlfriend.

“Alright, I’ll be careful next time. I really didn’t expect the puppet to be so fragile,” Zhou Leng said.

Everyone was silent.

Zhou Leng walked towards the exit, and the people behind him whispered in discussion.

“His strength surpasses that of Mountain and River Origin back then.”

“When Mountain and River Origin passed the seventh level, he seemed to be only in the Early Stage of Body Refining.”

“This kid is also quite robust, he might acquire the Body of Wonders or a special Martial Body.”

“It’s wrecked, can’t be repaired.”

“Quickly inform the Demon Spirit Masters in the next few levels, if something seems off, give up immediately.”

“How much does a Vitality Stage puppet cost?”

“The materials aren’t much, over ten million, but crafting and harmonizing take a lot of time. If you really want to sell it, it won’t be less than thirty million.”

Zhou Leng entered the eighth level.

The puppets went from two to three, their speed and strength slightly enhanced, but essentially unchanged.

Zhou Leng reduced his strength, with one punch, a puppet flew out, fell to the ground, and its limbs flopped around like it was drowning, unable to get up.

It regressed from a Demonized Puppet to a toy robot.

“Alright, you pass,” a voice came from the speaker.

What do you mean, pass?

Zhou Leng withdrew his hand and walked into the ninth level.

The ninth level had Late Stage Vitality Puppets, truly different, bigger and sturdier.

This time, Zhou Leng could not break it without using True Qi.

With a slight use of True Qi, Qi, Blood, Body, and Power twisted into one force.

Bang…

It caught fire again.

“Stop! You pass! Go directly to the tenth level, hold back a bit, and I’ll make the puppet kowtow to you a few times.”

Zhou Leng nodded, it’s not easy for everyone, so let’s take care of public property.

After entering the tenth level, he began to hold back, continuously lightly striking the puppets’ bodies, slowly accumulating points.

Six Brass Puppets surrounded and attacked him, and there was no way to dodge.

After all, it was equivalent to a Late Stage Vitality attack, even with Qi protecting his whole body, his skin still broke.

Soon, the percentage on the display dropped to 0%.

The bell rang, signaling the end.

The six Brass Puppets knelt on the ground together, their heads banging wildly against the floor.

“Really kowtowing…”

Zhou Leng walked out of the tenth level and entered the eleventh level.

Inside, only one puppet stood.

Zhou Leng’s gaze sharpened.

This puppet was entirely different from ordinary puppets.

Standing two and a half meters tall, with a silver body and gemstone eyes emitting a ghostly light, as if it had subtle emotions.

Innate Puppet.

All over the Innate Puppet’s body were various round strike points.

Only by hitting these red circles could one score points and achieve victory.

Buzz…

A faint blue light appeared on the surface of the Innate Puppet.

Demon Spirit Shield.

Zhou Leng felt relieved, with Innate level spell protection, he didn’t have to worry about breaking it.

Zhou Leng took a deep breath and moved forward proactively.

The Innate Puppet took large steps forward.

Zhou Leng first tested it out and soon found the Innate Puppet’s weaknesses.

A puppet was still a puppet, with fast straight-line movement speed, even surpassing his own.

But its lateral movement and small-range maneuvers barely reached the level of a normal Late Stage Vitality.

This was a flaw common to high-level puppets, sacrificing agility in exchange for defense and destructive power.

The Innate Puppet’s steps were not nimble, but its upper body and arms were shockingly fast; the speed and force of its punches caught Zhou Leng off guard at first, leaving him with only the option to dodge.

Gradually, he became familiar with the puppet’s attack methods.

This Innate Puppet was a neutered version, deliberately weakened in some areas of strength.

Relying on the flexibility of the Eight Trigrams Step, Zhou Leng continuously attacked the red circles.

Facing the Innate Puppet, it was now impossible to come away unscathed.

Even so, Zhou Leng withstood multiple hits from the Innate Puppet, striking the red circles multiple times, and passed the eleventh level.

Coming out of the eleventh level, he looked at his body.

Even though the Innate Puppet was weakened, its destructive power exceeded that of a Middle Period Black Bone Tiger in the Vitality Stage.

His body was bruised and swollen, with some muscles even smashed to the point of nearly being turned into mincemeat.

Zhou Leng sat down to meditate, using Qi manipulation for healing.

The wounds on his body were diverse: splits, erosion, indentations, all healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Qi Blood seemed like an invisible needle and thread, stitching and connecting ruptured blood vessels, shattered muscles, and split skin.

In his Martial Arts perception, all muscle fibers and blood vessels were under the control of invisible skillful hands, rapidly constructing, arranging, and regrouping like knitting a three-dimensional sweater.

On a microscopic level, it was as if time was rewinding.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep