"Hahahahaha—"

In the great hall, the Fourth Hall Master let out a hearty laugh. He looked at the Second and Third Hall Masters and said, "Haha, so the little guy really is from my Three Western Counties! Second, Third, you’ve lost! Hurry up and hand over the Spirit Fruits!"

The Second and Third Hall Masters wore bitter expressions. They slapped their thighs in regret, each taking out a verdant fruit with leaves still attached. The fruit was exceptionally green, with faint wisps of mist swirling around it. The leaves beneath were just as lush and tender, a single glance enough to whet one’s appetite and make them want to swallow the fruit and leaves whole in one go.

As soon as the two fruits appeared, a faint, fresh fragrance filled the entire hall, smelling exceptionally pleasant.

The Fourth Hall Master unceremoniously took the fruits from their hands and said smugly, "Second, Third, you two really miscalculated this time! Haha, to think that my Three Western Counties would produce such a genius! It seems this year, my Three Western Counties will finally have a disciple enter the Inner Hall!"

Having just lost a Spirit Fruit in a bet, the Second Hall Master looked pained. Seeing the Fourth Hall Master’s smug expression, he couldn’t help but try to dash his hopes, "That’s not a given. The first stage only tested Body Technique. The next one tests Comprehension. I don’t think this Zhaang Ye will necessarily pass it."

The Third Hall Master also nodded and said, "This Zhaang Ye is still a month shy of fifteen. At his age, his understanding of the Martial Dao is bound to be insufficient. I’m afraid he’ll find it difficult to clear this second stage."

Hearing their words, the smug look on the Fourth Hall Master’s face faded slightly. The Second and Third Hall Masters had a point. Although Comprehension was largely innate, without long periods of study and contemplation, one’s understanding of the Martial Dao would certainly lack depth.

’Comprehension also needs to be accumulated. If a person has seen countless Combat Skills and Cultivation Techniques, their horizons naturally broaden, and their insight into the Martial Dao becomes far stronger than others. Zhaang Ye is only fourteen. At this age, he should be diligently practicing his Cultivation Method. He probably hasn’t even seen many Combat Skills. Expecting him to pass this Comprehension stage... it might be a bit difficult...’

Seeing the Fourth Hall Master’s expression, the Third Hall Master gave a sly laugh and said, "Zhaang Ye may have passed the first stage quickly, but he’s sure to slow down in the second. On the contrary, the other youths will definitely catch up and surpass him. In my opinion, your Three Western Counties will once again have no one enter the Inner Hall!"

Although the Fourth Hall Master didn’t dare hold out too much hope for Zhaang Ye in his heart, he refused to admit defeat verbally. He snorted and said, "Zhaang Ye is young, so perhaps his accumulation in the Martial Dao is a bit lacking. But his Comprehension is extremely high. Passing this second stage will be absolutely no problem. We’ll just have to wait and see!"

In the canyon, Zhaang Ye stood beside a sheer cliff face.

The cliff face was as if it had been carved by blades and hewn by axes, so smooth that not even a bird could find a foothold. Looking down, all he could see was a roiling thick fog; it was impossible to tell how deep it went. Zhaang Ye stood beside the cliff for a short while and felt gusts of cold wind surging up from below. The bone-chilling cold made even him feel a sense of unease.

Thirty feet from the cliff, a massive stone stele stood, engraved with a single, enormous character: "Comprehension." The character’s calligraphy was exceptionally fluid; it was impossible to see where the stroke began or ended, and it faintly exuded a mysterious aura. Under normal circumstances, Zhaang Ye would have been happy to sit down and quietly contemplate the profound meaning contained within the character.

But now, Zhaang Ye’s gaze was drawn to the nine small paths in front of the stele.

Thirty feet beyond the stone stele lay nine small paths that looked as if they were carved from white jade. These jade-like paths were incredibly smooth and only about three feet wide. They lay silently across the top of the foggy chasm, stretching far into the distance toward the opposite side of the cliff, their total length unknown.

The nine paths had no railings and were exceedingly smooth. To cross them, one misstep would mean instantly falling into the deep valley below, to a death that would leave no corpse intact.

Zhaang Ye studied them for a moment and drew in a sharp breath. ’It seems the only way to cross the canyon is by taking one of these nine paths,’ he thought. ’They’re a bit dangerous, but with my strength, it shouldn’t be a problem to cross. Hmm, that powerhouse Situ Houtu has probably already made it across.’

With that thought, Zhaang Ye took a deep breath, unleashed his Cloud Stepping Technique, and suddenly shot forward onto one of the paths.

When walking on such a path, one could not be overly cautious or timid. The more timid and afraid you were, the more mistakes you would make. So, Zhaang Ye simply executed his Body Technique, preparing to dash across the path in one go.

Of course, Zhaang Ye was prepared. If he happened to fall, he had a Long Whip at his waist. He would only need to crack it to use his Power-Borrowing Technique and get back onto the path.

Like a cloud, Zhaang Ye instantly drifted several hundred yards.

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, and his rapidly advancing figure came to an abrupt halt.

A hundred feet ahead of him, a tall figure stood silently in the middle of the path.

This figure had no aura of life, but Zhaang Ye could clearly feel it sizing him up coldly. The intangible, icy killing intent it emanated put him on high alert.

Zhaang Ye looked closely and saw that the tall figure was a Metal Man, completely black from head to toe. This Metal Man was somewhat taller than an average person. Standing in the middle of the path, it completely blocked the way. If Zhaang Ye wanted to pass, he would have to knock it aside.

’This Metal Man is strange...’

Zhaang Ye pondered for a moment, then slowly took three steps forward.

As soon as his body entered the hundred-foot range, the pitch-black Metal Man moved. Its two eyes suddenly lit up. With a loud CLANG, its fists unfurled, assuming a profound offensive stance. An invisible killing intent shot out, locking firmly onto Zhaang Ye.

The moment the Metal Man moved, a look of understanding appeared in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. ’So this Metal Man is indeed a Puppet,’ he thought. ’I wonder how strong it is?’

Puppets were generally created by Artifact Refiners. Through an Artifact Refiner’s clever methods, a Puppet could often execute one or two sets of Combat Skills. Some of the larger families owned such Puppets, and the young members of the family had to defeat them before they were allowed to go out and adventure.

Understanding its nature, Zhaang Ye no longer hesitated. With a flip of his wrist, he took the Heavy Saber from his back. He took a sudden step forward, entering the thirty-foot range.

The Puppet seemed to be able to see Zhaang Ye. The moment he entered the thirty-foot range, two beams of light shot from its eyes, locking onto him. At the same time, its body tilted slightly, and two short spears appeared in its hands. With a loud SWOOSH, SWOOSH, the two spears suddenly transformed into two nimble black dragons, hurtling toward Zhaang Ye with a fierce gale.

Seeing the Puppet attack, Zhaang Ye’s heart leaped. The sheer force of the wind generated by the twin spears was almost enough to make him lose his footing. It was clear how immense the power behind them was. If he were hit by the two spears, he would be instantly knocked off the path and fall into the ten-thousand-zhang abyss.

Just as the twin spears were about to strike, Zhaang Ye’s figure moved slightly, and he drifted back sixty feet.

Once Zhaang Ye was sixty feet away, the Puppet ceased its attack. It just stood there quietly, the light in its eyes still locked onto him.

’This Puppet’s strength is immense, and its moves are extremely profound. I’ll have to come up with a plan to defeat it...’ Zhaang Ye thought to himself as he sized up the Puppet.

After thinking for a moment, Zhaang Ye once again closed to within thirty feet.

The moment the Puppet launched its attack, Zhaang Ye immediately dodged back again.

Zhaang Ye advanced and retreated, retreated and advanced, probing it again and again.

After testing it dozens of times, a hint of delight finally appeared in Zhaang Ye’s eyes.

「In the great hall.」

The several Hall Masters were watching Zhaang Ye’s progress. Seeing Zhaang Ye forced back by the Puppet’s first move, the Third Hall Master laughed and said to the Fourth Hall Master, "Fourth, see that? Zhaang Ye can’t even get past the first Puppet. There’s no way he’ll be able to enter the Inner Hall and become an Inner Hall Disciple. It looks like your Three Western Counties will come up empty-handed again."

The Second Hall Master also smiled and nodded.

The Fourth Hall Master snorted. "Can’t you see? Zhaang Ye is repeatedly probing the Puppet’s strength. Once he has a clear understanding, he will surely find a way to break its Combat Skill and charge past it in one go." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The Third Hall Master laughed loudly. "I know he’s probing. The problem is, Zhaang Ye has already probed dozens of times and still can’t find a flaw in the Puppet’s moves. Isn’t his Comprehension a little too poor? Look at Situ Houtu from the Nine Southern Counties—he’s already passed two Puppets!"

Hearing the Third Hall Master mention Situ Houtu, the Second Hall Master, who was in charge of the Nine Southern Counties, couldn’t help but reveal a flicker of pride.

Just as the Fourth Hall Master was about to speak, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Zhaang Ye is making his move! Huh!"

The other Hall Masters in the great hall also let out a sound of surprise.

On the path, Zhaang Ye’s figure suddenly flashed forward, sweeping ahead like a Tornado. The Heavy Saber in his hand carved a profound arc as it swung down heavily, striking squarely against the Puppet’s twin spears.

The Third Hall Master said with schadenfreude, "That kid Zhaang Ye actually dares to clash head-on with the Puppet! He’s courting death!"

Seeing Zhaang Ye bring out his saber to clash with the Puppet, both the Second Hall Master and the Great Hall Master shook their heads slightly. This Puppet was created by an Artifact Refiner thousands of years ago. It weighed over fifty thousand jin and could strike with tens of thousands of jin of force. The only way to get past the Puppet was to honestly find a flaw in its moves and slip past through the opening.

Zhaang Ye hadn’t found the Puppet’s flaw and chose to clash head-on instead. That was simply suicide! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)