It let out a low growl, its feet and hands gripping the wall, its crimson-gold body ascending like a dragon!

With several leaps, it arrived beneath Meng Chong.

In the instant it exerted its strength, its body suddenly expanded, as if a colossal war bow were drawn to its limit, radiating the beauty of power.

Its right arm shot out fiercely, yet despite its overwhelming force, it possessed an ethereal grace, like a white crane spreading its wings.

Then, Da Sheng’s palm descended gently, its five fingers as nimble as they were in life, resting upon Meng Chong’s wooden puppet head.

A gentle twist, a subtle turn.

As it landed on the ground, its toes touched down first, followed by its arms, which cascaded down its sides like a cloak or wings, seemingly slow yet swift, leaving behind a trail of brilliant crimson afterimages.

A forceful gust of wind howled, yet its landing was nearly silent.

In stark contrast, the sound of Meng Chong crashing to the ground echoed loudly throughout the third trial.

Yuan Da Sheng let out a soft sigh, glanced at Meng Chong’s severed head in his hand, then flipped his wrist, his palm unfolding like flowing water.

Meng Chong’s head fell to the ground like a wooden ball, rolling a short distance before coming to a halt.

Although the wooden puppet’s features were limited in expression, one could still discern a hint of the wide-eyed shock that Meng Chong had felt in his final moment.

At the same moment, within the City Lord’s mansion…

Meng Chong’s eyes snapped open.

As if awakened from a nightmare, the sensation of death flooded his senses, deeply impacting his spirit.

“Haa… haa…” He gasped for air, drenched in cold sweat.

If Han Ming were to see him, he might not recognize him. At this moment, Meng Chong was gaunt and emaciated, like a patient afflicted with a chronic illness, never seeing the light of day. His once robust physique had become withered and thin, his cheekbones protruding high, his eye sockets sunken deep.

Originally, his gaze had been frighteningly sharp. But now, his eyes were dull and lifeless.

“Strong, this clockwork ape is incredibly strong!”

“But I will not lose.”

“With a bit of special training, I will definitely turn the tables, defeat it, and successfully pass this trial!”

Meng Chong was severely shaken, but remained undeterred.

However, as he attempted to sit up, even this small movement caused his vision to blacken, and he immediately fainted.

*Thud!*

He fell back onto the bed.

The servants outside the room had heard the commotion, knowing that Meng Chong’s spirit had returned to his body. Upon hearing this thud, the servants immediately felt a sense of foreboding, calling out to him in haste, receiving no response.

The two servants were so anxious that their faces flushed red. In a state of panic, they conferred and finally agreed to break down the door.

“Young Master Meng Chong!”

“It’s bad, Young Master Meng Chong has fainted!”

Cries for help spread throughout the City Lord’s mansion’s rear courtyard, creating a scene of chaos and commotion.

In the underground workshop…

Ning Zhuo’s mouth hung slightly open, unable to conceal his surprise.

This was quite different from what he had anticipated.

The surprise was almost overwhelming.

“The combat strength of the Crimson-Gold Battle Ape – Da Sheng, is far superior to Meng Chong.”

“After this practical test, Meng Chong’s Thunderous Rush of Immortal Talent has improved, but it is still no match for Yuan Da Sheng.”

“The turning point was that Meng Chong himself developed a problem, seemingly unable to use Thunderous Rush anymore.”

Ning Zhuo surmised that this must be due to his spirit inhabiting the Immortal Palace.

Without a physical body, many things become inconvenient.

Just as Ning Zhuo had to use the Lifeline Thread to channel his perception of the Buddha-Heart Demon Mark.

Meng Chong’s situation was similar.

The activation of Thunderous Rush continuously consumed the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit. The consumption itself was already intense, and the transmission through the Lifeline Thread resulted in significant losses. The energy that reached the wooden puppet’s body was then recklessly and frequently used by Meng Chong.

“If I were to clash with Meng Chong in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, his Thunderous Rush would be even more effective!”

“In contrast, the Crimson-Gold Battle Ape – Da Sheng, being a clockwork ape, experiences no difference in combat strength inside or outside the Immortal Palace.”

“Da Sheng’s close-quarters combat ability is extremely powerful. Meng Chong is simply no match for it in this regard.”

“Previously, Meng Chong was able to maintain the situation by relying on his Immortal Talent. Once his Immortal Talent becomes unusable and Yuan Da Sheng gets close, he has no chance.”

Concluding here, Ning Zhuo once again felt a strong sense of gratitude.

When analyzing intelligence, he had anticipated Yuan Da Sheng’s close-combat prowess, so he avoided a direct confrontation, even forgoing ambushes or sneak attacks.

The facts proved how wise his decision had been.

If he had used force directly, he would have been delivering himself to Yuan Da Sheng.

Ning Zhuo calmed his mind and strengthened his connection with the Crimson-Gold Battle Ape – Da Sheng.

After a few breaths, a white circle of light for teleportation appeared out of thin air, gradually growing larger in front of Ning Zhuo before finally spitting out the Crimson-Gold Battle Ape – Da Sheng.

The Crimson-Gold Battle Ape – Da Sheng was slightly shorter than him, but its physique was much more robust and majestic. Even standing still, its crimson-gold color scheme and resolute expression filled Ning Zhuo with genuine affection.

The youth rubbed his hands together, his lips curving into a smile that came from the depths of his heart.

He reached out to pinch Yuan Da Sheng’s muscles, but instead felt a cool sensation. The mechanical Yuan Da Sheng’s fur was very soft, while the exposed golden bones were incredibly hard.

This tactile sensation was something that the wooden puppet Ning Zhuo lacked.

Ning Zhuo inspected the ape all over and found some new, tiny scratches on the Crimson-Gold Battle Ape – Da Sheng’s body.

These were left by Meng Chong.

“The materials used to create the clockwork constructs provided by the Lava Immortal Palace to Refining Qi stage disciples are not of high quality.”

“The Masters of the Three Sects probably intended to give each trial disciple a relatively refined practice construct.”

If the Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit heard this analysis, it would surely be furious!

What did he mean by “relatively refined”?

Was this human language?

The Lava Immortal Palace had consumed an entire gold furnace for this! The material selection had also reached the limit specified by the trial.

Nothing was better than the Crimson-Gold Battle Ape – Da Sheng! Even the suspended coffins were far inferior to Yuan Da Sheng.

To illustrate, the normal standard was a wooden knife or sword, while Ning Zhuo’s clockwork Yuan Da Sheng was like a bronze or iron weapon!

Ning Zhuo tried to repair the clockwork Yuan Da Sheng.

There were many tiny cracks in the Vermillion Fire Glaze structure of its body.

If you looked closely at this structure, you would find that it was slightly transparent.

The information conveyed by the Lava Immortal Palace, although lacking clockwork blueprints, stated that the body structure was made of Vermillion Flame Stone.

Vermillion Flame Stone was abundant in Fire Persimmon Mountain.

Ning Zhuo had stored a lot of it in his material warehouse. He immediately took it out, baked it, and created a bright, luminous red fluid.

He infused this fluid into the cracks, quickly repairing them all to their original state.

Ning Zhuo then studied the monkey fur, revealing a troubled expression.

He did not understand how the monkey fur was made.

He decided to use his own method to create some monkey fur for Yuan Da Sheng, planting it in the exposed areas of the body.

On the surface, it appeared consistent with the original monkey fur over large areas. But Ning Zhuo knew that the defensive performance had decreased significantly.

With the repairs completed, Ning Zhuo began cleaning Yuan Da Sheng’s entire body.

Finally, he took out a handkerchief, occasionally breathing on it, to polish the golden bones of the Crimson-Gold Battle Ape – Da Sheng until they were gleaming, without a trace of dust. Only then was he satisfied.

Just as he was preparing to study the clockwork Yuan Da Sheng, someone came to deliver a message.

The messenger left, and Ning Zhuo glanced at the letter, raising his eyebrows slightly.

The letter informed him to go to the Zhou family tomorrow to check his cultivation progress and use the Zhou family’s formation to assist him in his training.

“So, the Ning family and the Zhou family have cooperated?”

“Hmm… Then, the Zheng family is probably involved as well.”

“The three families have united. What about the City Lord’s mansion?”

Ning Zhuo was not surprised. This change in the situation was within his expectations.

What made him think was what kind of image should he show to the three families?

After pondering for a short while, Ning Zhuo made a decision: “It’s time to show off some clockwork talent and make a splash.”