Chapter 1335: Bazahei

"Alright, don't regret it if you get hurt..."

Qing Yu shook her head, displeased, and took out a card, handing it over. "If you really can't hold on, just crush the card, and the puppets will stop attacking..."

"Thank you!"

Zhang Xuan clasped his fists, turned, and walked in the direction Senior Sister Shui had gone.

"He's truly courting death!" Seeing him leave, Qing Yu snorted coldly.

"What's wrong?" Another attendant walked in, saw her displeased expression, and smiled, looking over.

"Nothing much. Just a fellow at the preliminary Nascent Embryo realm who insists on challenging Alley C. He wouldn't listen to any advice..." Qing Yu shook her head.

"Preliminary Nascent Embryo realm... Alley C? Is he out of his mind?" The new attendant's mouth dropped open, full of disbelief. As an employee of the Righteousness Hall, she knew very well the difficulty of Alley C. Countless geniuses at the peak of the Nascent Embryo realm had come and returned empty-handed. For a young man only at the preliminary Nascent Embryo realm to attempt it... was he seeking death?

"I don't know if he's crazy, but I do know he's got quite a lustful heart!" Qing Yu snorted.

"Lustful heart?" The attendant was puzzled.

"Senior Sister Shui just went into Alley C, and he wants to go too. Isn't his motive obvious?" Qing Yu said.

"This..." The attendant suddenly realized. "The Puppet Alley of the Righteousness Hall prioritizes 'righteousness.' In multi-person assessments, multiple puppets appear, and one must cooperate and trust each other to succeed. Seeing Senior Sister Shui enter Alley C, and then going in himself, he clearly wants her to take care of him and to get closer... How shameless!" The Righteousness Hall's Puppet Alley assessment can be done in single-person or multi-person mode. Single-person assesses individual strength, while multi-person assesses cooperation. Given his strength, rushing in like that clearly shows he intends to cooperate with Senior Sister Shui and seize the opportunity to get closer to her. Senior Sister Shui was beautiful and came from a good family, making her quite famous in the Saint Son Hall. Many had similar intentions, but he was the first to be so blatant about it. His lustful intentions were truly enormous.

"Indeed. But with such weak strength, rushing in like this probably won't make Senior Sister Shui like him; it'll just make her dislike him!" Qing Yu smiled faintly. "Senior Sister Shui has been coming for a month straight, clearly intending to pass the assessment solo. For him to rush in and try to cooperate, ruining her plan, and most importantly, dragging her down... she'd be lucky not to be disgusted. How could she possibly develop any affection?"

"That's true. Just wait, he'll probably come back half-dead in a little while..." The attendant also chuckled.

Unaware of the attendants' conversation, Zhang Xuan followed Senior Sister Shui, and soon arrived before a gateway. The character "丙" (C) was inscribed on it. Senior Sister Shui took out a card, swiped it gently in front of the door, and the stone door slowly opened. Seeing her enter, Zhang Xuan imitated her, following closely behind.

Before his eyes, a spacious room appeared. Like an arena, it was a circular space, surrounded by seals that could isolate aura and combat power, preventing damage to the walls.

"Who are you?" Just as she positioned herself in the center of the hall, ready to face the puppets, she saw him walk in, and Senior Sister Shui's pretty face fell. Two people entering simultaneously triggered the cooperation mode, meaning at least two puppets would appear, completely different from a solo assessment.

"I'm here for the assessment too. Doesn't the Puppet Alley assessment allow an unlimited number of participants? You do your assessment, don't mind me..." Zhang Xuan smiled. The jade token only mentioned that the Puppet Alley allowed multiple people to be assessed simultaneously, without detailed rules. Therefore, he didn't know that the so-called multi-person mode referred to cooperation; he thought it meant each person would undergo their own separate assessment. Since the other person had entered first, he could also observe the difficulty and be prepared.

"Don't drag me down, or I'll make you suffer a miserable death!" Her eyes narrowed, and Senior Sister Shui snorted coldly.

"Drag you down? Drag what down?" Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned and about to ask for clarification when he heard the creaking sound of mechanisms within the room. Immediately after, a door directly ahead opened, and a puppet walked out.

*Boom!* At the same moment, the surrounding formation activated. This formation, similar to a Nascent Embryo realm spirit attack, made the air viscous, restricting movement and power.

"Hmph!" As the puppet attacked, Senior Sister Shui had no time for further words. Her delicate body twisted, and she met it head-on. It had to be said that Senior Sister Shui's strength was indeed not weak. Her cultivation was at the peak of the Nascent Embryo realm, but her combat power was comparable to someone at the Half-Step Domain realm.

"The cultivation technique she practices has a water attribute, flowing continuously. Although the power of each attack isn't great, when connected, they become like a raging flood, making her unstoppable!" Zhang Xuan nodded inwardly. Senior Sister Shui, true to her name (Shui means water), might have individual attacks far weaker than the puppet's, but when combined, they were like the powerful surge of a river, impossible to resist. A single drop of water might not have much impact, but with prolonged dripping, it can pierce through stone. This girl before him was exactly like that: seemingly soft, yet the puppet's torrential attacks could never break through her defense, as if a hammer was striking river water. No matter how strong the impact, the water would always return to its original state after the force passed.

"Fall!" After more than a dozen consecutive exchanges, the girl's delicate brows rose, and she let out a soft cry. Her swirling palm found an opening and pressed against the puppet's chest. True essence surged, and the puppet immediately staggered back seven or eight steps, leaving a trail of footprints on the ground. Steadying itself, the puppet didn't fall. Instead, it grew enraged, letting out a roar as if thoroughly provoked, and its speed became even faster than before. *Rip!* The air seemed to tear as sturdy claws, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, came before the girl.

"Although her attacks are continuous and her defense is excellent, her flaws are also obvious... Unfortunately, her offensive power is insufficient, and she often can't seize good opportunities..." Zhang Xuan stroked his chin, shaking his head with a sigh. The girl's continuous attacks could indeed unleash astonishing power, but once interrupted, their force would diminish. Moreover, even if she encountered opportunities, if her power hadn't accumulated to its peak, she couldn't cause significant damage. Just like that last move, when the puppet revealed an opening, he could have shattered its head with a single punch. Yet, the girl only made it retreat a few steps, causing no substantial damage... thus, she would be judged as not having passed the assessment. "What a pity!" Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan was filled with regret.

While he shook his head and sighed with emotion, the girl on the other side was nearly driven mad. Seeing the puppet charge again, her pretty face paled, and she quickly bent backward, forming a graceful arc. *Rip!* Although her dodge was swift, the puppet's claws were too fierce. With a sharp sound, a piece of her clothing was torn off, and a blood mark appeared on her shoulder. Having failed to strike a vital point, the puppet grew somewhat enraged. It changed its move mid-air, transforming its claws into a palm and pressing down fiercely. Although it didn't possess true qi, the power within its body had reached the Half-Step Domain realm. Coupled with the surrounding formation, it unleashed an irresistible force. As its palm descended, the entire hall's space seemed to solidify, making escape impossible. Seeing the palm about to land, Senior Sister Shui gritted her teeth, seemingly employing a secret technique. Her figure contracted, like a stretched noodle, and in the blink of an eye, she escaped from the pressure of the palm wind. When the secret technique ended, her pretty face was pale, indicating immense exhaustion.

She took a rapid breath and turned to look behind her, only to see the young man who had inadvertently caused the cooperation mode, arms crossed over his chest, one hand propping his chin, watching with keen interest.

"You..." Her silver teeth clenched, feeling like she was about to explode. "Since this is a cooperative assessment, shouldn't you be doing something? Standing there motionless like a dead person, what do you intend to do?" Just as she was about to call out, the portal ahead *creaked* again, and another puppet charged out.

Because the young man had not yet entered the arena proper, this puppet, upon appearing, charged straight at her again. One puppet was already hard for her to handle; with two charging at her simultaneously, the pressure instantly increased, and her head was covered in sweat.

"This puppet's strength is similar to Zhang Qian's..." Unaware of the girl's thoughts, Zhang Xuan continued to observe. No wonder Alley C was so difficult to pass; the puppets' strength was indeed formidable. Zhang Qian was easily defeated by him, but in reality, he was a Half-Step Nascent Embryo realm expert. Coupled with his status as a genius from the Zhang clan, it was normal for him to fight above his level outside. With both puppets possessing such strength and attacking in coordination... they were indeed not easy to deal with. However, Senior Sister Shui being able to hold out for so long was quite commendable.

"What a pity, she's definitely going to fail!" He sighed with emotion. After watching for a while, he had accurately assessed her true strength. Defeating even one puppet alone would be difficult, and with two collaborating, she certainly stood no chance. Failure was only a matter of time. No wonder she hadn't been able to pass the assessment for a month; this challenge was indeed very difficult.

"In a moment, when I begin, if I can just shatter both puppets with one move, without giving them a chance to coordinate, it will save a lot of trouble..." Pondering the strategy, Zhang Xuan nodded inwardly. The two puppets coordinated exceptionally well. Even he would suffer a disadvantage if he encountered them. Therefore, if he were to begin the assessment, he would strike first, seizing the initiative. "Eliminate one instantly first."

"Damn it..." Sweat beaded on her forehead. Senior Sister Shui could no longer hold on. She had thought the young man would make a move, but he was still standing aside, his face full of an observer's amusement. Her chest heaved with anger, feeling like it would explode. "How long are you going to keep watching?!"

"Huh?" Unexpectedly, she had spoken to him. Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned. "Then... what else can I do?"

"You... you..." Trembling with fury, Senior Sister Shui was too enraged. Her movements became erratic, and she was struck by a puppet's palm. A burning pain shot through her shoulder, and she couldn't help but yell, "Aren't you going to do anything?!" What the hell... You ran in here, activated two-person mode, and now you expect me to fight the monsters alone while you play around on the side... And you ask what else you can do? Even if your strength is low, you could at least draw a monster!

"Make a move?" Zhang Xuan's face was contorted in a dilemma. If he interfered with her assessment, it would be a violation... After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth, held a fist to his chest, and with a face full of sincerity and expectation, he shouted encouraging words. "Senior Sister Shui, you can do it! Senior Sister Shui, go! Go, go, Ba-zha-hei!"