C20 Wooden Puppet Lane

At the final checkpoint, the number of participants had dwindled to around two thousand.

The outcome of the second stage was the elimination of six hundred contestants, many of whom were halted by the major obstacles. Nevertheless, the majority managed to clear this round.

Guided by the Deacon, the two thousand entrants proceeded to the area behind the city, entering the vast and enclosed Wooden Puppet Lane, standing three meters high, ninety-nine meters wide, and stretching for three thousand meters.

The bricks lining the sides and ceiling of Wooden Puppet Lane were all crafted into ten Talisman Artifacts, each imbued with a single talisman that endowed them with exceptional durability.

While these bricks might not withstand an assault from someone at the Fiend Congealing Stage, any attack from a lower level would be rendered ineffective upon impact, leaving no mark whatsoever.

Within Wooden Puppet Lane, an array of wooden puppets stood in disarray, connected and powered by intricate mechanisms.

The spaces between the Wooden Man Stances were too narrow for anyone to pass through. To navigate the lane, one had to manipulate the horizontal poles on the Wooden Man Stances, which in turn activated the surrounding wooden puppets.

The slightest movement of any Wooden Man Stance could set off a chain reaction, affecting the movements of nearly a hundred others, with no discernible pattern. To successfully traverse this gauntlet, participants needed quick reflexes, agile movements, and a mastery of at least one martial arts technique.

The ends of the horizontal bars were soft to prevent injury from their rotation. However, they were coated with dye, and if a participant was caught between two bars, the dye would stain their body, resulting in immediate disqualification from the test.

On this occasion, Yun Tailai had yet to locate Wang Yue, but Wang Yue had already sought him out, approaching him to stand face-to-face with a group of over a dozen people.

The humiliation Yun Tailai had suffered at the Rolling Wood Bridge, where Wang Yue had blocked his way, leaving him too intimidated to move, now fueled his anger. Unable to stay composed in Wang Yue's presence, he clenched his teeth and spat out, "I haven't even been looking for you, and here you are, showing up uninvited. You've got some nerve!"

"Perhaps he realizes he can't evade us, so he might as well approach us with confidence. That way, he might still intimidate us," someone sneered.

"Don't be so sure. Our Junior Brother Wang doesn't even show respect to a True Inheritance Disciple. What are we to him?"

"Exactly, an Outer Sect Disciple standing up to a True Inheritance Disciple? Junior Brother Wang is certainly the first to do so."

The group burst into raucous laughter.

"But that's as far as it goes. Don't bother pleading for mercy; it won't help. This time, I'm determined to leave you behind, even if it means failing the assessment myself," Yun Tailai said menacingly. "No matter how skilled you are, show your worth by breaking the arm of the Wooden Man Stance. Otherwise, prepare to be eliminated!"

The Wooden Man Stance was made from ordinary wood, yet it was reinforced by a Hundred Dao Talisman Artifact. Every talisman inscribed on it was designed to enhance its sturdiness.

A Wooden Man Stance of the Hundred Dao Talisman Artifact level was indestructible, not just for those at the Qi Refining Stage, but even for those at the Fiend Congealing Stage.

Yun Tailai and his cohorts had a plan: to test strength by pushing the Wooden Man Stance, enveloping it with successive layers of Wooden Puppet Stances.

Wang Yue, however, remained unfazed and spoke with assurance, "All your talk is futile. For me, Wooden Puppet Lane is a straight shot. It's impossible for you to block my path. In fact, each of you trying to stop me will be the one who's stopped. None of you will escape, and all of you will fail at the Wooden Puppet Lane challenge."

"Of course, I'm aware that you all have another chance. Fail now, and you can attempt the Inner Sect Assessment again in half a year. But by then, you'll be no more significant to me than blades of grass by the roadside, not even worth a second glance," he continued. "Before that time comes, I'll make sure you understand the steep price of coveting Yuan Yi's reward: each of you is destined to spend another fruitless half year in the Outer Sect."

He was insufferably arrogant!

Wang Yue's demeanor had thoroughly enraged them.

Seeing that he had accomplished his goal of infuriating everyone present, Wang Yue refrained from further comment.

Indeed, his objective was to provoke them.

Wooden Puppet Lane was a place that demanded caution, no less challenging than Rolling Wood Bridge—in fact, it might be considered even more daunting.

After all, one could crawl across a rolling bridge, but crawling through Wooden Puppet Lane was out of the question. And as for flying over, only those fearless enough to leap were considered true heroes in this place, not to mention those attempting to cross using the Light Body Cultivation Method.

This challenge, strictly speaking, had no time limit. Unless participants were to line up and cross one by one, they wouldn't exceed the time limit.

After the third challenge commenced, Wang Yue was biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to make his move.

Whether one entered early or late didn't make much difference. The sect had calculated everything in advance. Although there were differences in timing, the difficulty level remained constant.

Entering early meant exerting force with every step to manipulate the Wooden Man Stance, which would suppress one's agility, though the patterns of the Wooden Man Stance were not overly complex.

Entering late meant confronting the intricate patterns of the Wooden Man Stance, but with careful attention to one's agility and the ability to adapt and shift, there was no need for frequent strikes, thus preventing one's agility from being hindered by the exertion of punches and kicks.

Creak! Creak!

The sound of the Wooden Man Stance rotating was subtle, yet when all the stances turned in unison, the noise became distinctly audible.

"What's this? Are you planning to corner me here and prevent my entry?"

Wang Yue chuckled. Such a scenario was clearly implausible. If necessary, he could simply call upon a Deacon, and every single one of his blockers would be disqualified.

While the Inner Sect Assessment allowed for some interference to prevent others from passing, it certainly did not condone despicable tactics such as physical assault or obstruction.

"Enjoy your arrogance for just a moment longer!"

Yun Tailai stepped aside, fixing Wang Yue with a steely gaze, as another had already stepped into Wooden Puppet Lane ahead of him.

Wang Yue offered a faint smile, sparing any further conversation. Within a few strides, he had entered Wooden Puppet Lane. With swift and nimble movements, he covered a distance of seven or eight meters in the blink of an eye.

"Intercept him!"

Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, two assailants launched their attack simultaneously.

Despite the mechanisms within Wooden Puppet Lane transferring the force exerted on one Wooden Man Stance to another location, making it impossible to control whether it rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, this didn't hinder the manipulation of the specific Wooden Man Stance he was pushing.

Confronted with two horizontal rods swinging towards his midsection, Wang Yue didn't attempt to counter the combined strength of the two attackers with his own. Instead, he subtly stepped back, causing their assault to miss its mark. With a deft step, he navigated past the two Wooden Man Stances.

His maneuver was clever, yet few could discern the intricacy of it. It appeared straightforward, but in reality, it was the outcome of Wang Yue's acute situational awareness.

Inside Wooden Puppet Lane, one must be vigilant of all directions, including above and below—not merely what lies ahead. Finding such an opening was exceedingly challenging.

The Wooden Man Stances were equipped with rods at all levels, and while an opportunity might present itself from the front, a sudden sweep from the side could force one to abandon the chance.

Moreover, without manual intervention, the rotation of the Wooden Man Stances was unpredictable, lacking any discernible pattern—one moment they might rotate clockwise, the next, counterclockwise.

Thus, while navigating the lane, one didn't need to exert full strength to move the Wooden Man Stances, but using a moderate amount of force to adjust their rotation was essential.

Relying on his heightened senses, Wang Yue could almost be described as strolling with ease through Wooden Puppet Lane, much to Yun Tailai's dismay.

"Surround him!"

"It's no use; he's too far ahead. We can't catch up."

"Useless..." Yun Tailai clenched his teeth, choking back the rest of his insult.

To his surprise, the very words he had struggled to suppress were spoken aloud by Wang Yue ahead of him: "A bunch of trash!"

A bunch of nobodies?

A bunch of nobodies!

Teng!

Blood boiling, the faces of a dozen men flushed crimson with uncontainable rage. They had been scorned by someone of a lower realm, belittled.

"A warrior can be killed, but never insulted!"

"Wang Yue, I'm going all out against you!"

Wang Yue turned, his expression serene, "If you truly believe you're not nobodies, then step up and knock me out of the competition. I'll be waiting."

Bang! Bang!

The group dispersed, casting aside their hesitation, throwing punches to block and engage the Wooden Man Stance.

"Bring it on!"

Wang Yue chuckled and suddenly charged at one of them.

With the group spread out, he only needed to face one opponent at a time.

Confronted by the onrushing Wang Yue, the man faltered. Despite his previous bravado, he was visibly intimidated by Wang Yue.

Once fear set in, his resolve crumbled, resulting in a hesitant and timid defense—exactly what Wang Yue had intended.

Out of all the opponents, this man appeared to be the most timid. A quick test confirmed it.

"Ha!"

Wang Yue closed in on him. The man thought of fleeing, but by then, it was too late.

The best Fist Technique for Wooden Puppet Lane was the Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique. With a light touch, Wang Yue manipulated the Wooden Man Stance, throwing his opponent into disarray.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of punches and kicks echoed. However, the Wooden Man Stance was designed to redirect force, and brute strength was not the best solution. Before the rest could close in, Wang Yue had already driven his opponent into a perilous state with a few swift strikes.

"Time to exit the stage!"

Front! Back! Left! Right!

Eight Wooden Man Stances, eight horizontal poles, all striking simultaneously.

The first to be eliminated!

Wang Yue's efficiency was remarkable. They were still repositioning their encirclement when he swiftly dispatched his opponent.

The second target, the third, the fourth...

Terror struck, hearts chilled!

One after another, Wang Yue sent them out of the arena. From over a dozen, they dwindled to six. But now, they had Wang Yue surrounded.

Six individuals surrounded Wang Yue, sealing off all possible escape routes. Every Wooden Man Stance that neared him fell within their striking distance.

"It's time to bring this to a close."

Yun Tailai's voice carried a weight of gravity. The cost of attempting to eliminate Wang Yue had been exorbitant. The toll it took on so many participants was a bitter pill to swallow.

Wang Yue parried two sweeping rods and declared with equal solemnity, "Indeed, the time has come to finish this."