Chapter 659: You Better Be Careful

"So you're saying you can't solve it?"

Seeing his dejected face, Luo Qiqi couldn't help asking.

"If I said I could solve it... would you let me continue?" Wu Zhen looked over.

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Xing Yuan gritted his teeth: "If you dare try again, believe me, I'll kill you right now?"

No kidding, although they really wanted to open the true underground palace, they didn't want to die here either!

Especially him—his face was already swollen and disfigured from the needles. The other party had only tried three times and ended up like this. If they continued, the mechanism might not even be opened before he kicked the bucket!

"Then what do we do?"

Knowing there was a mechanism but unable to open it, they couldn't just stand here hesitating forever!

"Let me give it a try."

Seeing everyone's worried expressions, Zhang Xuan stepped forward.

When he touched the stone tablet earlier, a book had formed in his mind. It wasn't that he didn't care about Wu Zhen and let everyone fall into the trap, but the art of mechanism was profound and extensive. He was captivated by its complexity at first glance, and by the time he came to, Xing Yuan's face was already covered in silver needles, suffering terribly.

"You?"

Seeing him step out, Wu Zhen frowned: "You... have studied the mechanism profession too?"

This guy was proficient in alchemy and formations—surely he didn't understand mechanisms as well!

The art of mechanisms, though not as famous as formations or alchemy, was even more intricate and difficult to learn. Especially the details—a slight error could lead to a huge mistake; it couldn't be taken lightly.

In this profession, he considered himself a super genius, one in ten thousand. After studying for so long, he was only a five-star. He couldn't solve it, yet this guy pops up... Could he be even better?

Impossible!

"I know a little." Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

"A little?"

Wu Zhen shook his head: "If you only know a little, you definitely can't solve it. You saw how I tried just now—any slight deviation could trigger the mechanism and shoot needles! The first few times, the needles were harmless; even if hit, you could recover. But if the later needles are poisoned... I'm afraid none of us will survive!"

"Forget it, you'd better not try. Without absolute certainty, I'm afraid we'll all die here..."

"No one has absolute certainty, not even you, right?"

Seeing him block, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

You didn't have certainty either, yet you tried three times in a row. And you say 'harmless'? Ask Xing Yuan if he thinks so.

If you said that to him, he'd probably beat you to death on the spot!

"Hmph, how can you compare me to yourself? I come from a family of mechanism masters. At three, I could make an automaton that moved on its own. At seventeen, I was already a four-star mechanism master. After entering Hongyuan Academy, I studied under the empire's only six-star mechanism master, learning many techniques and knowledge..."

Flicking his sleeve, Wu Zhen lifted his head, full of confidence: "Although I failed three times in a row, it doesn't mean I have no confidence. Even if this is a six-star treacherous mechanism, as long as I try a few more times, given enough time, I can solve it..."

"How about this: since you want to try, I have no right to stop you. Let me ask you two basic questions. If you can answer them, it'll show you really know something about mechanisms, not just messing around."

Wu Zhen looked over.

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan paused.

"Who is the most famous mechanism master in the Hongyuan Empire over the past ten thousand years?" Wu Zhen asked.

"This..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

He had hardly read any books on the mechanism profession, so how would he know who was the most famous in the Hongyuan Empire?

Not to mention that—he didn't even know the name of the Hongyuan Emperor or the principal of the Master Teacher Academy.

"You don't even know that?"

Seeing his embarrassment, Wu Zhen frowned: "Then you definitely don't know who originated the treacherous flow mechanisms, right?"

"No idea."

Zhang Xuan shook his head: "I just want to solve the stone tablet. What does that have to do with knowing these things?"

"Of course it matters!"

Hearing him say that, Wu Zhen's eyes were full of frustration: "This is the most basic requirement for a mechanism master. Not knowing this shows you know nothing about the profession. How can you find the nodes or solve the mechanism? I don't deny you have unique insights in alchemy and formations, but the path of mechanisms is different from those two. It's not something you can solve just by feeling good about yourself..."

"Let me first explain the origins and complexity of mechanism masters, as well as some principles of mechanisms. Then you can consider whether to continue..."

Seeing this guy rambling on, his ears about to grow calluses, Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered to listen anymore. He strode to the stone tablet, flipped his wrist, and the Ice Rain Sword appeared in his palm.

"What are you doing? This is a mechanism, not something else. Using a sword will only trigger more attacks..."

Just as he was going on and on, seeing this guy pull out a long sword, Wu Zhen nearly fainted from anger.

Are you here to be funny?

Mechanism techniques are as fine as hair. Even with a thousand-machine probe, you have to find the exact spot without the slightest deviation. You're directly pulling out a sword? Seriously?

Just as he thought the guy was simply causing trouble, he saw the young man seem to heed his advice, hesitate for a moment, and put the sword away.

"That's more like it..."

Nodding, just as he thought the guy was being reasonable, he saw him flip his wrist again, and a large hammer appeared in his palm.

This iron hammer was even larger than those used by artificers to forge weapons, like the ones wielded by laborers on a construction site, and its material was extremely crude—no one knew where it came from.

"What are you doing..."

Stunned into stammering, he saw the young man raise the iron hammer and smash it straight against the stone pillar!

"Holy shit!"

His vision went dark, his chest tightened, and he nearly spat blood.

He had used the Thousand Mechanism Thorn to crack the stele and nearly got killed by the flying needles—and you're using an iron hammer to smash it? If you want to die, there are better ways!

Fumbling, he opened the Thousand Mechanism Umbrella, cowered behind it like a quail, not daring to move, and then heard a sound like a great bell ringing, making his scalp tingle.

Crack! Crack!

A series of crisp sounds, like peeling an eggshell, and then... silence.

"All right, it's open!"

Just as he was wondering why no needles had shot out, he heard the young man's calm voice. He cautiously poked his head out from behind the umbrella, took one look, and froze on the spot.

"This... this..."

His eyes bulged as if they might pop out, like he'd seen a ghost.

The stele in front had vanished, replaced by a tall doorway and a flight of stone steps descending straight down to the riverbed not far away.

"It's open?"

Not just him; Luo Qiqi and Xing Yuan were also stunned.

Wu Zhen, a five-star Master Artificer, a renowned mechanism expert in the entire academy, had poked and jabbed, showering everyone with needles, and accomplished nothing... This guy just took a hammer and smashed it open!

What the hell?

Is Wu Zhen the five-star Master Artificer, or are you?

"The real underground palace is beneath the river. No wonder the air here is so fresh but we couldn't find a vent—the secret is here!"

After the shock, Luo Qiqi couldn't help speaking.

Since arriving, they'd noticed the room had fresh air and excellent ventilation, but they couldn't find any vents or trace the source of spiritual energy. Now that the underground palace was open, they understood the secret lay directly beneath the river.

The fresh air in the underground palace all came up from the river.

"Since we've found the underground palace, let's go down quickly! Let's see if it's really connected to Senior Wu Yangzi!" Princess Yufei nodded.

Although she didn't like this Zhang Xuan, she had to admit he possessed abilities ordinary people lacked.

Otherwise, he couldn't have found this true underground palace so quickly.

"The underground palace is open, but I think we shouldn't enter just yet."

Zhang Xuan said.

"Why?" Princess Yufei looked at him.

Since this was a sealed, hidden underground palace, any secrets would surely be answered inside—why not go in now?

"Before and after the bridge, there are two steles. The first is called 'Wangxiang Ju' and the second 'Wangyou Ju.' Since they're both called 'Ju,' I think the other stele might also be a passage. Before entering, we should choose first."

Zhang Xuan explained.

This palace had only one bridge and two steles. Now that one stele was broken, the other might also have a similar underground palace beneath it.

"Right!"

Everyone nodded.

They'd been so excited by the broken stele that they hadn't considered this. On reflection, that stele might indeed be another passage.

If so, there were two names, two choices.

"Yes, the priority is to break that stele first, then make a choice..." Seeing everyone understood, Zhang Xuan nodded and was about to continue when he felt his hand loosen—the iron hammer had been snatched away.

Then a calm voice came: "I'll go break that one..."

Looking up, he saw Wu Zhen already running across the bridge to the first stele, raising the hammer to smash it.

This guy was too eager to prove himself.

A five-star Master Artificer, failing three times in a row, only to have an amateur smash it open with a hammer—the frustration was understandable.

Now that there was another stele to prove his skill, how could he let the other steal the spotlight? He grabbed the hammer and charged over.

Carefully recalling the angle, direction, and even force the young man had used, he let out a loud shout, swung the hammer with a whoosh, and brought it straight down on the stele.

"You..."

Before he could react to the man's speed, Zhang Xuan was stunned. Before he could finish speaking, he heard a grinding sound from the stele across the river.

Then a shower of needles shot straight at the guy on the other side.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Without any defense, Wu Zhen didn't even have time to open his Thousand Mechanism Umbrella before his vision went dark and he turned into a pincushion.

"...Careful!"

Zhang Xuan's last two words finally came out.