Chapter 1318: I Enter the Gui Alley

To be honest, he really didn't mean to do it.

The puppet charged too fast; he just instinctively slapped it. Who would have thought it was so fragile?

Its head was knocked clean off?

Senior Sister Water was also stunned.

This puppet had tormented her to no end; she had tried every trick but couldn't defeat it. Yet this guy, with a casual slap, sent it to the ground, head gone... Wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?

Is he really that strong?

Her body trembled. Even if she was slow, she now understood: the man before her was no novice but a super expert!

A single finger could pin the puppet down, a slap could knock its head off... His combat power was far beyond hers!

"I really didn't mean it. Here, let me put your head back on, and you can continue attacking... As long as it doesn't count as a violation for me!"

No longer caring about instructing the girl, Zhang Xuan quickly crouched down, picked up the puppet's head, and placed it on its neck.

He was just here to pass the trial and read books... What if he was judged as interfering with someone else's test and lost his qualification? That would be troublesome.

"You..."

Just as she thought he was an expert, seeing this action, Senior Sister Water nearly exploded with anger again.

As a test taker, accidentally destroying a puppet happened sometimes, but did he have to apologize like that?

Besides, putting the puppet's head back on... was useless!

Puppets, unlike humans, don't die from losing their heads, but their necks are full of intricate mechanisms involving artisan techniques. They require professional repair... What good would just putting it back do?

Frustrated, she wanted to scold him, but then saw the puppet charging again.

Shaking her head helplessly, knowing she couldn't dwell on it, she met it head-on.

The one-on-one battle resumed.

After a few moves, she repelled the puppet again, then hurriedly glanced at the young man not far away.

She saw him helping the puppet up and reattaching its head to its neck.

"There, all done..."

Satisfied, he patted his hands and nodded to himself: "I not only put it back but also fixed some previous flaws. It should be fully restored now!"

"Roar?"

Looking down at itself, the puppet looked bewildered.

"Don't worry, I didn't mean to disrupt your test. Continue your test; I won't interfere..."

Zhang Xuan quickly waved his hand.

"Roar a roar?"

The puppet scratched its head, slowly extended its fist, and tapped Zhang Xuan's shoulder, then suddenly remembered how he had slapped its head off, quickly retracted its hand, and jumped back.

It tilted its head, looking at him, gesturing as if asking, "You really won't interfere?"

"I won't!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Roar!"

Excited, the puppet shook its body and immediately turned to charge at the girl in the arena.

"I..."

Her scalp tingling, Senior Sister Water nearly fainted.

Bro, are you deliberately trying to screw me over?

In duo mode, you cooperate to pass the trial. Knocking off the puppet's head means you're halfway through... And now you put it back...

Are you sick?

I can't even handle one, and now there's another...

Are you trying to get me killed?

She had thought he was trying to get her attention and win her favor, but now it seemed... it would have been better if he had just harassed her; at worst, she'd lose her chastity, not her life...

Her delicate body trembling, just as she was about to curse, the charging puppet attacked.

This punch was faster and fiercer than the one from the puppet she was fighting. Before it even reached her, she felt her body suppressed as if by a domain, unable to move.

"What's going on?"

Her pupils contracted, and Senior Sister Water's body shook.

She had been fighting that other puppet for ages; its strength, even if greater than hers, wasn't by much. When did it become so powerful?

But there was no time to think; she raised her hands to meet it.

Slap!

The force from her hands rebounded upon contact with the puppet's fist. Her chest tightened as if struck by something, and she couldn't control herself, flying backward.

Pfft!

In midair, she spat blood.

Her back slammed hard into the wall, leaving a "大" shaped imprint.

"You..."

Hanging on the wall, her body twitching, Senior Sister Water felt the world had gone dark.

That puppet had been average at best, and she could win with full effort. But after its head was knocked off and he modified it, it became this strong?

How could she fight this...

Forget it, she'd just concede...

This trial felt more frustrating than the entire previous month.

She took out her trial token and was about to crush it when she remembered they were cooperating. Once she conceded, both would lose. Gritting her teeth, she looked at the young man.

"We're partners. I can't win, so I'm going to concede... Will you concede too?"

"Partners?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"When you and I entered the Bing Alley at the same time, the formation defaulted us as partners. If one concedes, the team concedes..."

Senior Sister Water explained.

"Team concede? You mean if you concede, I lose?"

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He thought they were each taking their own test, but it turned out they were testing together?

Was that even possible?

"Yes!" Senior Sister Water gritted her teeth.

She had assumed he knew what was going on, but it turned out he knew nothing... No wonder she was so frustrated.

"Don't concede..."

Zhang Xuan was startled.

Are you kidding?

He hadn't even read the books; how could he concede?

"I'll defeat this puppet..."

Now understanding, Zhang Xuan didn't dare waste time. He turned to the two puppets in the arena: "Your opponent is me. Come at me together!"

"Roar?"

The puppet that had just sent Senior Sister Water flying stepped back, shaking its head vigorously, its face full of confusion.

He said he wouldn't interfere, and now he wants to fight... What's going on?

"What? Not coming? Then I'll make the first move..."

With a snort, Zhang Xuan stepped forward into the center of the room.

Roar!

The other puppet, provoked by his open challenge, couldn't hold back and charged straight at him.

But before it could get far, it felt its arm grabbed.

Turning, it saw the puppet whose head had been knocked off holding it back, shaking its head desperately.

"Roar, roar?"

This puppet looked confused, still furious, as if ready to fight Zhang Xuan to the death.

"Roar a roar!"

Seeing it couldn't hold it back, the first puppet slapped it.

Caught off guard, the second puppet didn't react in time. Its vision went black, and with a thud, it fell to the ground, unconscious.

After doing this, the first puppet cautiously looked at Zhang Xuan: "Hehe roar!"

Then it slapped its own forehead.

Thud!

It also fell to the ground, unconscious.

"That's more like it!"

Seeing that the modified puppet had more vocalizations than the other and was quite sensible, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction and looked at Senior Sister Water, still hanging on the wall: "So... does this count as passing?"

"..." Senior Sister Water.

After a long while, she recovered. Suppressing her shock, she looked at the young man, more astonished than if she had seen a ghost.

Making puppets fight each other and even knock themselves out...

How did he do that?

"Did we... pass?"

She took a pill, rested a bit, and struggled to climb out of the wall, panting heavily.

To be honest, she still couldn't believe it.

Solo trials were hard enough, but cooperative trials were twice as difficult. To succeed under these circumstances... felt like a dream.

No wonder; she had been trying for a month without success. Now, having passed when she was already in despair, it was unimaginable.

"Since the puppets are defeated, it should count as passing, right?"

Zhang Xuan wasn't sure either. He glanced at the two puppets on the ground.

The first puppet seemed to sense his gaze; its body shrank, and it closed its eyes tighter.

"Hmm..."

Senior Sister Water nodded, wanting to say something but unable to. Just as she was at a loss, a mechanical sound rang out, and a large door slowly opened before them.

"Let's go see!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Inside the door was a bookshelf with some books on it.

This should be the reward for passing the Bing Alley.

"Okay!"

Senior Sister Water's goal in taking the trial was also this, so she followed closely behind.

There were only a dozen or so books, all of them very advanced techniques, far superior to those commonly seen.

"Lingxiao Technique," "Yushu Qiongtian Jue," "Jinhuo Xuan Gong"...

Zhang Xuan swept his gaze over them, recording all into the library. He mentally sighed, filled with disappointment.

He had hoped to piece together a Heavenly Dao technique for the Out-of-Body realm, but the number of books was still too few.

"Sigh!"

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan felt it wasn't worth it.

Spending a hundred high-grade essence spirit stones to take the trial and only seeing a dozen books was indeed too little.

Even though these techniques were high-level, combining them with what he had collected before to form a Heavenly Dao level technique was still very difficult.

"I've made my choice!"

Just as he was sighing, the girl's voice rang out.

Turning, he saw she had chosen a book called "Shuibo Xuanwen Gong," the only water-attributed technique among the many manuals.

"Not a bad choice..."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Although this technique might not be as strong as the one she was cultivating, combining them could provide mutual verification and greatly inspire her cultivation.

"Yes, I'll start copying. Have you chosen?"

Senior Sister Water looked at him.

The techniques obtained from passing the trial couldn't be taken away; they could only be copied.

"Me? You go ahead and copy. I still have more trials to take, so I won't stay here..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had already recorded all the books; there was no need to copy them.

"More trials?"

Startled, Senior Sister Water's eyes lit up, full of disbelief: "Are you going to... take the Yi Alley trial?"

This man had passed the Bing Alley so easily, so naturally he looked down on the techniques here and planned to challenge a higher passage.

Those who could pass the Yi Alley were rare—maybe one in a decade. Could this man succeed?

Suddenly, she was filled with anticipation.

"Yi Alley? No!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head: "I plan to take the Gui Alley!"