105: Substitution

"Cough, cough..."

Huang Shi leaned on his blade, feeling a dull ache in his chest and the taste of rust in his throat.

He couldn't conserve his stamina anymore.

He took a deep breath, his white clothes fluttering without wind, and dōyako once again lit up with dazzling electric light.

"Thunderbolt Flash!"

This time, he wasn't moving on his own; instead, he was carried by the wooden blade in his hand, flying and rapidly leaping off the walls.

Leaving several long purple streaks across the entire room.

The electronic eyes of the Psionic Cannon Spider flashed red, calculating Huang Shi's position as the cannon barrel on its abdomen restlessly rotated.

"Over here!"

Huang Shi's figure suddenly appeared to the side and rear of the Cannon Spider, and the wooden blade, accompanied by a shriek that tore the air, slashed toward the connection point between the cannon barrel and the spider's abdomen.

"Clang!"

A crack was forcibly cut into the connection point of the Psionic Cannon Spider's barrel.

Eerie blue energy leaked out, making a "sizzling" sound.

Having succeeded with one strike, Huang Shi did not linger in battle, allowing dōyako to continue carrying him away.

"It's not over yet!"

He adjusted his posture mid-air, twirling the wooden blade in his hand as more lightning energy surged onto the blade.

"Lightning Cutter!"

Silver-white lightning converged at the tip of the blade, letting out a sharp cry as it shot directly toward the Psionic Cannon Spider's wound.

The crystallization of the lightning power from Lightning Cloud and dōyako.

The blade tip accurately pierced the Cannon Spider's wound, and violent lightning exploded inside its body.

The Psionic Cannon Spider completely shut down, and plumes of black smoke rose from its body.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Huang Shi landed on the ground, leaning on his wooden blade and gasping for breath; the combo he just executed had nearly exhausted most of his stamina.

It would be impossible to continue clearing the third floor.

It wasn't exactly as Bai Ye thought; he had indeed improved quite a bit over the years.

But the speed at which a Beast Tamer grows stronger cannot compare to a Demonic Beast; his progress was still too limited.

He looked at Bai Ye, who was ready to act at any moment, and managed a strained smile.

"How was that?"

"Still too slow."

Huang Shi: "..."

"Fine, I admit I'm weak. I'll leave the next few floors to you."

"Mhm, I'll take the next floor."

Bai Ye nodded, took a step, and walked straight toward the ascending elevator leading to the third floor.

The two stepped onto the ascending elevator leading to the third floor, one after the other.

Huang Shi stood behind Bai Ye, pulled a bottle of Energy Drink from his backpack, and gulped down a few mouthfuls to recover his spent stamina.

One minute later, they arrived at the hall on the third floor.

Just like the previous two floors, it was still a spacious silver-white metal room.

"Third floor trial, begin."

The cold electronic voice sounded right on time.

The floor in the center of the hall cracked open, and two dark shadows rose from beneath the platform, accompanied by the roar of machinery.

They were two Mechanical Demonic Beasts resembling leopards, with sharp blades at the ends of their four limbs, glinting with cold light under the illumination.

[Name]: Mechanical Swift Leopard

[attribute]: mechanical

[Rank]: Elite Beginner

"Two Elite Beginners?"

Huang Shi frowned upon seeing the opponents this time; when he came before, there was only one.

Could it be that the Trial Tower adjusts the number of Demonic Beasts based on the number of people?

Thinking of this possibility, cold sweat involuntarily broke out on Huang Shi.

If that were the case, his choice of someone who could temporarily contend with an Elite Advanced Demonic Beast was fundamentally wrong.

Thankfully, the one who came was Bai Ye, who could fight Lord-level opponents.

In the arena, the electronic eyes of the two Mechanical Swift Leopards quickly lit up after sensing the approach of a living creature.

Their bodies were like two arrows shot from a bow, turning into two black afterimages, flanking Bai Ye from the left and right.

The blades at the ends of their limbs scraped dazzling sparks across the floor, creating sharp sounds of slicing air.

Just as the sharp claw of the Mechanical Swift Leopard on the left was about to touch his neck, he stepped to the left and slammed his right fist upward into the Mechanical Swift Leopard's lower jaw.

The Mechanical Swift Leopard's body folded strangely in mid-air.

Its hard alloy jaw was smashed to pieces by the punch, scattering countless parts and wires.

It turned into a pile of scrap metal and heavily crashed against the distant wall.

The mouth of the other Mechanical Swift Leopard attacking from the right was directly blocked by Bai Ye's fist.

The program determined it should bite off Bai Ye's hand, but the System analyzed that what was in its mouth was a special alloy far superior to its own material.

Bai Ye let out a low shout and pulled hard with his arm.

Its heavy body slammed fiercely onto the metal floor.

Before it could struggle, Bai Ye stomped on its head, crushing the entire mechanical head into pieces.

The entire process took less than three seconds.

Huang Shi rubbed his eyes. Damn it, he didn't see clearly just now!

He should have brought a Camera if he had known.

"Why are you spacing out? Let's go."

Bai Ye interrupted Huang Shi's thoughts.

He snapped back to reality and saw Bai Ye looking disdainfully at the two piles of mechanical wreckage being slowly absorbed by the metal floor.

"Tsk, they don't even leave a single part behind. This lousy tower is too stingy."

Bai Ye grumbled discontentedly.

For him, entering a Secret Realm and not even being allowed the step of scavenging for spoils felt like a knife cutting into his flesh...

The mechanism of this Tower of Inheritance is garbage. It's so stingy, no wonder it has lasted for so long.

Huang Shi's mouth twitched, and he quickly followed.

"Do you have some strange obsession with Spoils of War?"

"You wouldn't understand. This is the basic quality of a good man who is diligent and thrifty."

"..."

Huang Shi decided to shut up.

Remembering his previous miserable life, he felt that Bai Ye was right.

The two stepped onto the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

The opponent on the fourth floor was an Elite Intermediate Mechanical Feathered Hunter Eagle.

Although flying made it a bit troublesome, Bai Ye still seized the opportunity and smashed it with one punch.

In the corner, Huang Shi mechanically chewed on Potato Chips, staring blankly at the violent scene before him.

Ripping apart a Mechanical Eagle with bare hands?

He now seriously suspected that Bai Ye actually had dual Talents, possessing a strength-based Talent like "Rage" or "Immense Strength" in addition to Body Integration.

"Powerful enough. I like it."

He whistled, a gleeful smile appearing on his face.

Anyway, he wasn't the one getting beaten up; watching the show felt great.

Bai Ye landed on the ground, holding a broken mechanical wing in his hand.

Unfortunately, he could only watch helplessly as the wreckage and broken wing of the Mechanical Feathered Hunter Eagle were absorbed by the Trial Tower, vanishing without a trace.

"Gone again."

Bai Ye pouted in dissatisfaction.

This lousy tower is truly dirt poor.

He waved at Huang Shi and continued rushing toward the next floor.

Sorry, but all he wanted now was to quickly reach the floor where he could exchange for a Talent. Every time he saw a precious Mechanical Core disappear from his hands, he felt an indescribable pang of heartache.

Huang Shi quickly stuffed the last potato chip into his mouth, clapped the crumbs off his hands, and hurried to follow.