46: Master Ma, please enlighten me.

Lin Du stepped into the Bronze Gate.

Buzz—

The Bronze Gate was like a portal connecting to another world. After a dizzying sensation, Lin Du found himself in an unfamiliar world.

Before him was a crimson battlefield.

Blood stained the ground red, and corpses clad in black armor lay strewn about. Broken weapons were everywhere.

Faintly, several shattered banners with the character "Qin" could still be seen on the ground!

Around the bodies of the human warriors, there were also many motionless mechanical monsters on the ground.

These mechanical monsters varied in size.

The largest were as big as houses, while the smallest were the size of pet cats and dogs.

The metal on the mechanical monsters emitted a mysterious luster, and their internal mechanical structures were astonishingly intricate, a marvel of craftsmanship... Swoosh—

Beneath a human corpse, a Mechanical Spider the size of a washbasin suddenly sprang up.

Red light flickered in the Mechanical Spider's two small eyes, and a large metal net shot out from its body, enveloping Lin Du.

Monster: Mechanical Spider (normal-level)

Level: 14

Description: Low-level mechanical creature, skilled at hiding and ambushing.

Lin Du charged towards the metal net.

A flash of a blade in his hand, the SS-grade silver charm blade "swish" pulverized the metal net, then, with undiminished momentum, it chopped the Mechanical Spider into mechanical fragments... [Killed: Mechanical Spider Lv.14]

[Obtained: Experience +3211, lifespan value +0.75 hours]

Lin Du had come with a mission this time.

He wanted to break the Qin Kings Underground Palace Instance record and receive the daily upgrade reward, so he couldn't waste too much time on the first floor.

The Qin Kings Underground Palace Instance had a total of five floors, and the difficulty of each floor would drastically increase.

When it was designed, Lin Du hadn't left many major loopholes in the instance, so he had to seize every moment to clear the levels... After the Mechanical Spider died, it was as if a switch had been flipped.

Instantly, dense, scalp-tingling "rustling" sounds came from the ground.

Mechanical creatures of various forms drilled out of the ground, appearing in Lin Du's line of sight.

Mechanical Centipedes, Mechanical Scorpions, Mechanical Giant Rats, Mechanical Mantises... Although these were all low-level mechanical creatures, their numbers were simply too great, to the point of being unsettling.

Lin Du was not flustered in the slightest.

He moved his feet, his figure weaving through the army of mechanical creatures like a ghost.

Wherever he passed, the silver charm blade harvested the lives of mechanical creatures like a grim reaper's scythe; not a single mechanical creature could withstand a single blow from the silver charm blade.

[Killed: Mechanical Spider Lv.14]

[Killed: Mechanical Scorpion Lv.13]

[Killed: Mechanical Centipede Lv.14]

[Killed: Mechanical Mantis Lv.13]

[Obtained: Experience +2511, lifespan value +0.59 hours]

Soon, a path was cleared through the army of mechanical creatures!

Lin Du followed the path directly to the first floor's gate-keeping boss.

The Qin Kings Underground Palace Instance's setup was somewhat similar to the Heavenly Wolf Dungeon; to advance to the next level, one didn't need to kill all the monsters in the current level.

As long as the gate-keeping boss could be dealt with, players could enter the next level... This setup sounds easy, but in reality, not many players could achieve it.

There were no less than three to four thousand monsters on the first floor of the Qin Kings Underground Palace Instance, and their levels were generally similar to those of the players.

It was not an easy task for players to avoid the monsters' pursuit and interception unscathed and confront the gate-keeping boss directly.

Most players would still choose to clear out all the monsters, adjust their status, and then challenge the gate-keeping boss with full effort.

This was the safest method!

Lin Du's situation was different.

The speed of the Death Clown Class was top-tier among all classes, and coupled with this abnormally powerful equipment, Lin Du was fully qualified to use speed to shake off the mechanical creatures.

The mechanical creatures on the first floor couldn't even touch a corner of Lin Du's clothes... Roar—

Approaching the passage from the first floor to the second, a deafening roar sounded.

From the passage, a Mechanical Scorpion with nine tails emerged.

This Mechanical Scorpion was as large as a car, and its nine Scorpion Tail Needles glowed with an eerie, multicolored light.

It crawled at a swift pace, reaching Lin Du in the blink of an eye.

Monster: Mechanical Nine-Tailed Scorpion (Lord-level)

Level: 14

Description: The gatekeeper of the first floor of the Qin Kings Underground Palace, its nine Scorpion Tail Needles can pierce through gold and iron.

After universe ol arrived on Ancestral Star, it underwent significant changes from its initial design.

To Lin Du's surprise, the boss of the first floor had already reached Lord-level. The difficulty of the subsequent four floors was unimaginable...

The Mechanical Nine-Tailed Scorpion's primary attack method was its nine Scorpion Tail Needles.

The Scorpion Tail Needles whipped around, stabbing at Lin Du's body from all directions.

Whoosh—

Lin Du advanced with his blade, his figure flickering and disappearing from the Mechanical Nine-Tailed Scorpion's sight.

When he reappeared, he was already above the Mechanical Nine-Tailed Scorpion's head.

"Death Slash!" The silver charm blade was as fast as lightning, accurately piercing the center point between the Mechanical Nine-Tailed Scorpion's two small eyes.

Crack—

The Mechanical Nine-Tailed Scorpion's body stiffened, and the sound of damaged components crackling came from its head.

Lin Du's strike went straight for the kill, directly destroying the Mechanical Nine-Tailed Scorpion's control core.

[Killed: Mechanical Nine-Tailed Scorpion Lv.14]

[Obtained: Experience +9899, lifespan value +13.88 hours]

Clang—

A white box dropped to the ground.

White-grade equipment in hand!

Lin Du had no time to open the box; after putting it into his backpack, he rushed to the next level.

Lin Du had been immersed in various games for many years, and he always firmly believed in one truth.

In all martial arts, speed is paramount!

As long as I'm fast enough, enemies will never catch me.

Lin Du understood the physical weaknesses of various creatures in universe ol, and coupled with his speed advantage, he could display astonishing monster-killing efficiency... Lin Du successfully arrived at the second underground floor of the Qin Kings Underground Palace Instance.

The moment he stepped in, thousands of gazes from all around simultaneously looked over.

This floor no longer had Mechanical Spiders or Mechanical Scorpions... Instead, there were humanoid mechanical creatures.

These humanoid creatures were all three to four meters tall, giving off a Transformers vibe.

Monster: Junior Mechanoid (Elite-level)

Level: 14

Description: Sentient mechanical warriors, possessing immense strength and proficient in various combat arts.

Swoosh—

The nearest Junior Mechanoid launched a swift set of "Lightning Five-Linked Whips" attacks at Lin Du.

This punch was fast, fierce, and unpredictable!

Lin Du curled his lips into a smile, striking a standard Tai Chi opening pose.

"Master Ma, please enlighten me!"

...