Chapter 31: I Don’t Want to Be on the List!

Lava Immortal Palace.

Within the preparation chamber.

Ning Zhuo jogged all the way to the five-sided stone pillar.

He discovered that each of the five faces of the pillar bore a ranking list: the Qi Refining List, the Essence Refining List, the Spirit Refining List, the Assessment Progress List, and the Stage Speed-Clear List.

To his surprise, his name appeared on the Speed-Clear List—and he was the only one.

Ning Zhuo had no time to ponder the hidden messages behind these lists, nor did he care why he alone was ranked. What mattered to him now was: how could he erase his name?

“If the four great factions cannot even protect a genius in the Qi Refining stage, what will become of me if I’m exposed? The consequences are unimaginable.”

“The heads of the three sects must have set up these ranking boards to encourage competition, to spur us onward. But someone as weak as I am simply cannot bear the weight.”

He circled the five-faced stone pillar. As it rotated, so did he. The name “Ning Zhuo” was carved in relief, protruding boldly.

“Can I grind it off?” he wondered.

He leaped up, but could not reach his name. He was the only one on the list, and thus his name sat at the very top.

Time for the hanging ring!

With a click, a blue-violet, prismatic diamond shot into the ceiling, fusing seamlessly with the copper roof. It was exceedingly firm.

The large wooden ring clamped around his neck. The inside of the ring spun, retracting a long, thin cord, which swiftly hoisted Ning Zhuo upward.

His head tilted as he rose, ascending until he was level with his name.

He reached out to try and scrape it off, but not a single chip of stone came loose. The pillar was rock solid!

He mentally ran through his available techniques; his one ice spell was useless here—no sense wasting time or spiritual energy.

“This must be dealt with, at any cost!”

Knowing he couldn’t solve this alone, he scanned the room as he hung suspended, his head cocked.

Only now did he truly take in the uniqueness of this chamber.

According to the information he’d received, this was the preparation chamber, distinct from Rooms One, Two, and Three.

It was exactly as described. The chamber was perfectly square, its walls and ceiling made of blue copper.

Light shimmered from an unseen source, casting gentle, ocean-blue ripples across the room.

At the center stood the five-faced pillar. Against the walls, five or six mechanical pedestals were stacked. Hanging on the walls were all manner of mechanical parts, dazzling in their variety. Several workbenches lined the sides, each equipped with a complete set of mechanical tools.

Seeing these tools and equipment rekindled Ning Zhuo’s hope.

“Perhaps I can use these tools to grind my name away.”

He manipulated the hanging ring, lengthening the thin cord and lowering himself to the floor.

Dragging the filament behind him, he jogged to one wall and reached for a torch hanging there.

The moment his hand touched the torch, an instruction echoed in his mind.

There was a fee to use the torch!

The charge was calculated by duration.

Ning Zhuo was momentarily stunned, then understood: “No wonder the spirit stone rewards for clearing rooms keep increasing!”

“In the trials, these spirit stones aren’t just for energy—they’re currency, too.”

He agreed to the payment, and only then did he manage to take the torch.

It was called a welding torch, a common tool for crafting mechanisms.

Wielding the torch, he hurried back to the center of the chamber.

After a few steps, he sprang off the ground, using the rotation of the wooden ring around his neck to retract the cord rapidly.

Once again his head lolled as he was hoisted up, swinging through the air until he was level with his name.

He extended the torch, channeling spiritual energy into it.

At once, the torch ignited, a flame the color of salted duck egg yolk blooming at its tip.

He poured in more spiritual energy; the flame surged forth in a furious, crown-like blaze. At its tapering tip, the fire sharpened into a bright blue-violet.

He pressed the flame’s point against his name, burning with all his might.

After a long while, not even a scorch mark appeared; his name remained as prominent and glaring as ever.

Gritting his teeth, Ning Zhuo had no choice but to give up.

The hanging ring, clamped under his chin, spun and lengthened the cord, letting him drop back down.

When he returned, the torch was gone, replaced by a rasp.

This was the Demon-tooth Sonic File, crafted from the fangs of a wild beast. When infused with spiritual energy, it emitted a piercing screech, whose volume and range could be adjusted. It was used for all sorts of grinding tasks.

Not only could it polish surfaces, but its sound could penetrate objects, smoothing their interiors as well.

Ning Zhuo tried using the sonic file on his name.

Meanwhile.

In the main hall of the Lava Immortal Palace.

On the throne, the Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit yawned in boredom.

The last trial had brought it much amusement, thanks to Ning Zhuo. When it sensed that Ning Zhuo’s soul had nearly recovered, it could not wait any longer—it drew his soul in once more.

The Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit wanted more entertainment from Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo’s second exploration of the palace—the bizarre way he’d hung himself in Room Two, the sorry state he was in after being beaten by the martial puppet—all of it had delighted the Fire Spirit.

But now, Ning Zhuo was fixated on erasing his name, refusing to move on. This, the spirit found dreadfully dull.

It transmitted a message directly: “The ranking pillar is indestructible!”

Receiving this, Ning Zhuo paused in his actions.

At any other time, he might have relented.

But his name being exposed was no trivial matter—Ning Zhuo simply could not give up.

Jaw set, he continued filing away at his name.

The Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit snorted, spitting a small burst of sparks in irritation.

In the next instant, it activated its supernatural puppet threads.

Ning Zhuo was instantly immobilized.

After a single breath’s time, he regained movement, but had no choice but to stop.

Looking up, his name—those conspicuous characters—still stood out, unchanged.

“What now?” Despair began to creep into Ning Zhuo’s heart.

“No, I can’t give up yet.”

This time, once on the ground, he did not reach for another tool.

Instead, he set his sights on the pedestals.

Each pedestal had a unique shape.

Ning Zhuo passed the balance bed, the array-engraving stand, leapt over the spiritual compression bench and the White Tiger Sharpening Wheel, and finally stopped in front of the Titan Hammer Stand.

“Lava Immortal Palace’s control over me is instantaneous. If I set up a simple mechanism, all I need is to press the initial switch, and the heavy hammer can strike the stone tablet!”

His large head quickly devised a clever plan.

He bustled about, selecting mechanical parts, dragging out the Titan Hammer Stand, and gradually assembling a catapult.