Chapter 1716: Chapter 1716: Mechanical Path

"Does this mean I’ve passed?"

Li Feng turned to look at the Nine Layers Mountain disciple who was dumbfounded, and the other person nodded while closing his mouth, "You’ve passed."

"Come with me, I will take you to the next test."

"Oh, by the way, my name is Yan Zhao, Yan like the swallow, Zhao like Zhao Country."

Yan Zhao, changing from his previous aloof demeanor, actively introduced himself and took the initiative to guide Li Feng, who stepped off the Force Measuring Stone.

"Li Feng."

Yan Zhao was about to lead Li Feng into the training field behind them, but at this time, Bai Xiaosheng in the crowd couldn’t stand it anymore.

The fact that Li Feng actually hit with Nine Tripods Power was not just shocking but enough to stun everyone.

What was his purpose in following Li Feng? Wasn’t it because there were many secrets on Li Feng worth spying on? Besides, Li Feng himself was intriguing, and following him would definitely yield news. As a spy, how could he miss this opportunity?

And sure enough, the news had already arrived; how could he be absent now?

"Wait, I want to test as well."

Bai Xiaosheng stepped forward swiftly, loudly stopping Yan Zhao from leaving. Yan Zhao turned to look at Bai Xiaosheng, but said, "It’s already over, come back tomorrow."

"No, but I came with Li Feng. We are friends."

Bai Xiaosheng quickly presented Li Feng. The Nine Layers Mountain’s test, aside from the first martial arts strength test at the entrance as a threshold, all other tests were conducted in the internal training ground, which was not open to outsiders.

Yan Zhao frowned as he glanced at Bai Xiaosheng, then turned to look at Li Feng.

"He did come with me."

Li Feng did not directly plead; he spoke because Bai Xiaosheng shared a lot with him on the way but asking him to plead with Yan Zhao was out of the question.

"Then give it a try."

Yan Zhao gave Li Feng some face by allowing Bai Xiaosheng to test at the Force Measuring Stone. Without a second thought, Bai Xiaosheng walked to the Force Measuring Platform, took a deep breath, and then punched the Force Measuring Stone.

A moment later.

A phantom of a tripod appeared on the Force Measuring Stone, roughly half-full; this punch just barely passed the line.

"Let’s say you passed."

Yan Zhao looked at Bai Xiaosheng in surprise because Bai Xiaosheng’s physique was no match for Li Feng’s; in front of Li Feng, he was as weak as a woman.

Bai Xiaosheng looked at the lucky passing number and quietly let out a sigh of relief. It was a good thing he knew some Power Control Techniques; otherwise, this level would have been truly difficult to pass. Bai Xiaosheng jumped off the Force Measuring Stone and caught up to Li Feng.

"Heh, I nearly didn’t pass, but still, Brother Li, you’re amazing. A casual punch is Nine Tripods Power. Tsk, that’s impressive."

Bai Xiaosheng complimented him.

Li Feng chuckled lightly but didn’t respond. The punch seemed casual, but it was anything but.

In the outside world, Li Feng trained his body from a young age. Unlike Kunlun Void, the spiritual energy in the outside world wasn’t as dense, so achieving the level of a Grandmaster was extremely difficult, not to mention transitioning from Postnatal to Innate. Merely Qi Refining and Meridian Condensing had already stopped countless people in their tracks. A simple Foundation Establishment in the outside world was akin to being an Immortal.

For this reason, the application of power in the outside world had reached a peak long ago. Li Feng certainly didn’t lack skill in using power.

With a solid foundation, entering the Kunlun Void means one’s strength would almost certainly soar drastically. However, this wasn’t the reason Li Feng could achieve Nine Tripods Power. The key was his Bone Strengthening and Marrow Cleansing in the Heaven Tower, where he absorbed Thunder Power to reforge his bones.

Bones are the foundation of the flesh, and with bones as strong as vajra, naturally, the power was not weak.

In fact, Nine Tripods Power wasn’t even his limit. The Force Measuring Stone displayed Nine Tripods because that was its maximum capacity; after all, it was just a basic Force Measuring Stone.

The three of them walked directly through the main gate of the Nine Layers Mountain’s training field. Beyond the main entrance, it was not yet the core area but rather a shadow wall.

"Here is the second exam point."

Yan Zhao said.

Li Feng frowned as he looked at the shadow wall in front of the entrance. It seemed nothing could be seen inside, and on either side of the wall were two different passages. Li Feng was a bit puzzled, while Bai Xiaosheng took a deep breath beside him.

"Could this be the infamous Mechanical Path, known for its Nine Turns and Eighteen Curves, leaving people with no way to defend?"

"Mechanical Path?"

Li Feng squinted his eyes upon hearing Bai Xiaosheng’s description.

"Exactly, this is the second test, the Mechanical Path. All the mechanisms within are crafted by the Xuanji Sect, and the only way to pass is to walk out of the Mechanical Path unharmed, reaching the gate at the end."

"Inside the Mechanical Path, various mechanisms are concealed, not just for display but genuinely deadly ones. As for what the mechanisms are, that remains undisclosed. In short, this Mechanical Path heavily tests an individual’s reaction and adaptability."

"Also, there’s one rule: no use of cultivation techniques allowed. If caught, it’s an automatic failure."

Yan Zhao turned his head to look at Li Feng and Bai Xiaosheng: "One left, one right; you can proceed simultaneously. The mechanisms on the left and right are different, but the difficulty is the same."

Li Feng responded with an ’oh’ and looked at Bai Xiaosheng: "Which side will you choose?"

Bai Xiaosheng glanced left and right. Though he knew of the Mechanical Path, he had no specific information, as he hadn’t planned to try it before.

"I’ll pick the left." Bai Xiaosheng casually chose a side, then said to Li Feng, "Brother Li, shall we compete to see who clears this round first?"

"Oh, sure."

Li Feng glanced at Bai Xiaosheng and agreed readily.

Seeing the two about to compete, Yan Zhao chimed in, "If it’s a competition, there should be some stakes, right?"

Bai Xiaosheng looked at Yan Zhao; this guy seemed to be on the right track. He was still pondering how to bring up the stakes.

"Money is too mundane; how about the loser answers three questions from the winner?"

Li Feng glanced at Bai Xiaosheng, seeing that this guy was determined to dig something out of him.

"Fine, I have no objections."

Li Feng agreed, and Bai Xiaosheng smiled slightly. Though he lacked confidence in strength, he was immensely confident in his movement technique and reflexes. His skill in escaping was at the Grandmaster Level.

"Then I’ll count to three, and you both can start."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

Yan Zhao counted to three, and Bai Xiaosheng with a tap of his foot, flew into the Mechanical Path like a leaf in the wind, while Li Feng dashed in as well from the other side.

Beyond the shadow wall, it was clearly a man-made labyrinth.

Eh, not quite a labyrinth, as labyrinths have multiple paths and are designed to confuse. Although the Mechanical Path had labyrinth-like qualities with its heavy walls on all sides and a sealed top,

it wasn’t a labyrinth because there was only one path. To reach the end, there was only one way through, following the path straight to the finish.

Of course, as a Mechanical Path, beyond the Nine Turns and Eighteen Curves that disoriented people, there were also the pervasive and inescapable traps and mechanisms.