Turning the corner, a Xuanti Kuilei suddenly appeared.

Ning Zhuo did not hesitate, rushing forward to attack it fiercely. He quickly destroyed it, rendering it unusable.

He had already done this five times.

In a true competition, he naturally would not have the magnanimity he showed when sharing the jade slips before.

“Strange, why do I only see Xuanti Kuilei? Where are the others?” Ning Zhuo wondered to himself.

Che Zhuzi watched on in growing silence.

Ning Zhuo, with a step ahead, stayed ahead, widening his lead further and leaving the second-place contestant far behind.

The unfortunate ones were the cultivators behind Ning Zhuo; they painstakingly explored, only to see one paralyzed Xuanti Kuilei after another.

“Damn it, another broken one!”

“Who is this scoundrel doing this?!”

“Don’t let me find him! If I do, I’ll kill him!”

It was truly infuriating.

This labyrinth was quite complex, and the suspended threads weaving through it constantly consumed the cultivators’ divine sense and magic power, which was already a strenuous task.

After all that effort, just as hope appeared, it turned into disappointment. “Damn it, damn it, you good-for-nothing!” Pan Si Niangzi subconsciously clenched her fists, wishing she could step in herself and block Ning Zhuo.

At this rate, Ning Zhuo would enter the center of the labyrinth, the final duel location, unscathed.

Compared to his effortless progress, other cultivators would frequently encounter each other midway, engaging in fierce clashes, mutually depleting their energy, and even ending in mutual destruction.

Ning Zhuo would be well-rested and would undoubtedly hold a great advantage in the final duel.

This was not what Pan Si Niangzi wanted to see.

She secretly gritted her teeth, “I can’t let Ning Zhuo have it too easy. The more difficult it is for him, the greater my chance of success.”

Thinking this, she swayed her waist, gracefully walking over to Che Zhuzi, hugging his muscular arm and pressing it against her chest.

“Brother Che.”

“This isn’t fun at all.”

“He’s almost guaranteed first place; there’s no excitement.”

“I want to see him fight with all his might, I want to see him struggle. Otherwise, how can your ‘Xingyun Minor Trial’ be considered a challenge, Brother Che?”

“What if this big-headed fellow succeeds in breaking through and then goes around saying that your Xingyun Minor Trial is too easy? Where would that leave your reputation, Brother Che?”

Pan Si Niangzi batted her eyelashes like silken threads, speaking in a sweet, coquettish voice.

Che Zhuzi immediately looked as if his soul was being given away. He patted Pan Si Niangzi’s hand, “Alright, alright, if you want to be entertained, your brother will indulge you.”

With that, he waved his large hand, and the labyrinth instantly underwent a drastic change. Countless walls began to move, and Ning Zhuo quickly maneuvered his Xuanti Kuilei to dodge, momentarily flustered.

Others were in an even worse situation than him.

Some were controlling their Xuanti Kuilei, engaged in combat, and were severely disrupted, their entire battles overturned!

The drastic changes in the labyrinth quickly ceased.

The new layout was vastly different from before; Ning Zhuo was originally closest to the center, but now the center of the labyrinth had directly changed.

As a result, there were immediately more than a dozen cultivators who were not far from Ning Zhuo.

And on the paths near Ning Zhuo, many cultivators were still controlling their Xuanti Kuilei, groping around.

Thus, Ning Zhuo encountered his first, second, and third opponents. “Finally, living people!” He focused completely, fighting with all his might.

Because he relied solely on a single void-suspended thread, many of his control abilities could not be fully utilized.

This led to both combatants having very similar control abilities, and encounters often turned into wars of attrition.

After defeating the third opponent, the surface of the Xuanti Kuilei controlled by Ning Zhuo was already pockmarked with dents.

“This can’t go on!”

“The Xuanti Kuilei are almost integrated; since I’m not inside the labyrinth, relying only on the suspended thread and the puppet, I can’t disassemble other puppets at all. This means I can’t add, subtract, or replace parts.”

“Wait a minute…”

A sharp glint flashed in Ning Zhuo’s eyes; at this moment, he understood Che Zhuzi’s objective.

So, in the engagement with the fourth opponent, Ning Zhuo first engaged head-on, every move stiff and straightforward, with discernible patterns.

“Opportunity!” Ning Zhuo cried out in his heart, suddenly seizing the long-awaited chance. He controlled his Xuanti Kuilei to execute a slide, coming behind the opponent.

Then, the puppet reached out, grabbed the suspended thread on the opponent’s back, and directly tore it off.

Without control, the opponent immediately revealed a huge weakness, taking several hard punches that left multiple fist-shaped dents in its entire back.

But soon, the opponent’s suspended thread bypassed Ning Zhuo’s Xuanti Kuilei and reconnected.

Ning Zhuo then went for the suspended thread again.

But this time, the opponent was prepared; when the attack came, it suddenly made a corresponding section of the spider silk shuttle through the void, disappearing from reality.

Ning Zhuo missed, but he wasn’t discouraged in the slightest.

He continued his attack.

After changing his tactical objective, his vision seemed to clear dramatically.

The opponent had to rigorously protect their spider silk, gradually becoming defensive, with less offense and more defense.

Che Zhuzi kept an eye on Ning Zhuo, and seeing this, thought, “Both of these are novices in using void spider silk, but clearly the big-headed junior has superior comprehension. His use of void spider silk is more灵性 (ling xing, spiritual/nimble).”

Pan Si Niangzi, on the other hand, had been paying close attention to Ning Zhuo, her heart growing increasingly joyful.

“In his current state, he definitely won’t get far.”

“Unless he acquires a new, intact Xuanti Kuilei.”

“Hehehe, excellent, the last intact puppet has already been taken by someone else.”

“Ning Zhuo, you are destined for a bitter struggle; you might not even make it into the top ten!”

The worse Ning Zhuo’s predicament, the happier Pan Si Niangzi became. This meant her chances of success were greater.

Ning Zhuo controlled his Xuanti Kuilei to suddenly squat, then forcefully kicked out his leg.

The opponent was caught off guard, and the puppet’s right knee was directly kicked inward, causing the entire puppet to crash to the ground.

“It’s over!” The controlling cultivator’s heart sank into despair for a moment.

But he waited, and Ning Zhuo’s decisive blow never came.

He quickly propped himself up on his left leg, barely standing, and saw Ning Zhuo controlling his Xuanti Kuilei to actively retreat a few steps.

“Is this person foolish? Is he letting me go?” A preposterous thought popped into the cultivator’s mind.

However, the next moment, Ning Zhuo attacked again.

After several rounds of offense and defense, the cultivator was once again knocked to the ground.

“It’s over!” He gritted his teeth, ready to accept the bitter taste of defeat, yet Ning Zhuo’s attack was long overdue.

The cultivator controlled his Xuanti Kuilei to stand up, and once again saw his opponent actively retreat, quietly watching him rise.

“Is this person trying to subdue me and form an alliance?” The cultivator suddenly thought of this, and quickly waved his hand, making gestures to indicate he understood.

“Alliance! I’m willing to ally with you!” He frantically expressed his intent, only to be met with Ning Zhuo’s attack once more.

*Bang bang bang…*

Falling, getting up to fight again, falling, getting up to fight again…

“What exactly do you want?!” The cultivator was tortured to the point of near madness.

He felt the humiliation and was so angry he wanted to withdraw, but he was unwilling to abandon the investment he had already made.

Buying void spider silk was truly a huge expense.

“This fellow—” Che Zhuzi and Pan Si Niangzi, who had the full overview, knew the reason.

Both looked at Ning Zhuo, somewhat stunned.

Ning Zhuo’s hair was tied up with hemp rope, constantly pulling upwards. The wooden awl in his hand repeatedly jabbed his thigh.

Head hanging from a beam, awl刺股 (ci gu, pricking the thigh)!

Actual combat was also excellent material for learning!

Ning Zhuo deliberately left his opponent, wanting him to serve as a practice target, constantly doing exercises to deepen his control over the void spider silk and his familiarity with the Xuanti Kuilei.

His progress was visibly rapid.

“This junior has quite a trick,” Che Zhuzi exclaimed with genuine admiration.

Pan Si Niangzi wore a trace of solemnity on her face, also sighing, “No wonder Ban Ji wants to deal with this person. With such a temperament and such a clear understanding of the situation—if he is allowed to grow, his future is unpredictable.”

“Fortunately, you have no future now.”

The thought that Ning Zhuo would soon fall into her hands, unable to live or die, made Pan Si Niangzi’s face flush with excitement.

The more outstanding Ning Zhuo performed, the greater Pan Si Niangzi’s sense of accomplishment would be after capturing him.

“I surrender, can’t I just surrender?!” Ning Zhuo’s opponent finally couldn’t take it anymore; his suspended thread actively detached from the Xuanti Kuilei and rapidly retreated.

Ning Zhuo, having gained much, continued to seek out his next opponent.

After repeating the process a few times, Ning Zhuo proactively stopped.

His brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression was grave as he fully controlled the void-suspended thread. Anyone seeing his expression would guess that his situation was precarious.

“While practicing and learning has improved my use of void spider silk by at least two levels, the Xuanti Kuilei’s condition has also deteriorated significantly.”

Ning Zhuo realized he couldn’t continue like this.

The later stages of learning yield less noticeable benefits. This is easy to understand: improving from zero to sixty is relatively easy.

But improving from eighty to ninety is much more difficult.

Moreover, these were insights he gained through practical combat, which inherently had a lower ceiling.

There was no time for rest; Ning Zhuo continued deeper.

In the end, only six Xuanti Kuilei made it to the central area, not even ten in total.

The drastic changes in the labyrinth had not only affected Ning Zhuo but many others as well.

Ning Zhuo’s deliberate practice and learning bore fruit in the final stage!

During the probing phase, his flexible footwork, exquisite control over distance, and offense and defense against void spider silk were only subtly displayed, yet they made everyone realize—Ning Zhuo was not to be trifled with.

Therefore, during the chaotic battle, everyone subconsciously chose to avoid him.

Ning Zhuo also gained the opportunity to conserve his strength due to this correct strategy.

When only three people remained on the field, the other two finally reacted and launched a joint attack on Ning Zhuo.

“Come on!” Ning Zhuo, fighting two against one, inevitably fell into a bitter struggle. His two opponents were completely on par with Ning Zhuo in terms of control. The condition of their Xuanti Kuilei was also similar to Ning Zhuo’s.

Ning Zhuo also couldn’t use words or divine sense to provoke them.

Just as he was resisting with difficulty, Pan Si Niangzi suddenly made her move.

“Now is the moment!” she shrieked in her heart, unleashing her magic art with ferocity.

In an instant, Ning Zhuo’s divine sea and essence sea both churned.

The hidden poison erupted, making Ning Zhuo’s face flush, his head swell, his breathing become coarse, and his eyes bloodshot. At the same time, countless thoughts emerged in his divine sea.

These thoughts connected to each other, like strands of silk, intertwining and coiling, rapidly spreading, trying to cover Ning Zhuo’s entire divine sea space.

“Obsess over me, submit to me!”

“I am your master!”

“Ning Zhuo, you are no longer yourself. Your heart contains only me, is filled with me. You are my dog!”

From these silk-like thoughts, strong commands emanated.

Ning Zhuo:?!!

An extreme expression of disbelief appeared on Pan Si Niangzi’s face: “W-what’s going on? Why isn’t he affected by my charm?!”

“How is this possible?!!”

Pan Si Niangzi was incredulous, feeling as if she were in a dream.

Her proudest technique in her entire life had absolutely no effect on Ning Zhuo.

How could this be?!

“I was ambushed! But why didn’t the mechanism ring warn me? Oh, it’s because it posed no threat to me at all.” Ning Zhuo immediately realized.

He knew why the ambush failed.

The essence of such charm was to influence the divine sea, affecting a normal person’s self-perception.

But Ning Zhuo would not be affected.

Because of his Tianzi Benwo (Innate Self)!

With this innate talent, Ning Zhuo was immune to almost all related techniques. Of course, the contention here was like a spear and shield, also involving a battle of quantity.

Mo Ran Xue Jin Gong!

“Suppress it for me!”

With no problems in his divine sea, Ning Zhuo immediately activated his demonic art, directly controlling all abnormal reactions in his physical body.

Pan Si Niangzi acutely noticed Ning Zhuo’s change and couldn’t help but widen her eyes, roaring inwardly, “He just recovered like that? How did he do it?!”

What was the biggest common characteristic of the Three Sects’ supreme arts?

It was control!

Jingtai Tongling Jue excelled at communication and controlling sentient external objects. Wuxing Qilu Jue arranged the five elements clearly. And Mo Ran Xue Jin Gong was the most profound, using blood and tendons to control every corner of the body.

Not only that, Ning Zhuo’s five internal organs had also been reformed, which also invisibly exempted him from many techniques.

If it were other demonic arts, it might not have been so immediately effective. But Pan Si Niangzi was unlucky enough to encounter Mo Ran Xue Jin Gong!

Ning Zhuo easily resolved the trouble. He subconsciously shifted his gaze, as if piercing through space, and saw Pan Si Niangzi hidden in the array’s core.

“You won’t escape. If you don’t want to be my dog, then die!” Pan Si Niangzi vowed fiercely to herself.

She looked up at Che Zhuzi, again putting on a媚笑 (mei xiao, seductive smile): “Brother Che—”

She shook Che Zhuzi’s shoulder, about to speak alluringly.

Che Zhuzi once again showed a look of giving away his soul, patted Pan Si Niangzi’s hand, and said gently, “You have already lost; accept defeat gracefully.”

Pan Si Niangzi: “Wait a minute?!”

The next moment, she was aghast, her face pale.

She found herself bound, unable to move.

And the one who had acted against her was Che Zhuzi!

“You, weren’t you charmed by me?” Pan Si Niangzi stammered, retaining the right to speak.

Che Zhuzi smiled, “You are at the Foundation Establishment stage; you can indeed affect someone at the Golden Core stage. But no one knows that I have already castrated myself. Hehehe.”

At this point, Che Zhuzi’s face was full of pride.

“You are not a Kongxu spider; you don’t know that by casting off the flesh, one can save energy and increase the production of void spider silk by a full seventeen times!”

Pan Si Niangzi opened her mouth, unable to utter a single word.