Chapter 5: The Resounding Sound of Kowtows

Chapter 5: The Resounding Sound of Kowtows

"At least five more Body Forging Pills are needed to have a chance at breaking through..."

Walking along the path toward the Puppet Hall, Chen Feng silently reflected as he refined the single Body Forging Pill he had obtained from the Disciples' Hall.

"My hope... lies in the Puppet Hall!"

Challenging the puppet array would ultimately reward him with Body Forging Pills—this was the very reason Chen Feng dared to propose a duel with Ye Zheng in the Combat Hall.

However, every disciple of the Dao Academy only had one opportunity to attempt the puppet array.

"Heh, isn’t this Chen Feng? What, planning to challenge the puppet array for Body Forging Pills to boost your cultivation?"

"Even if you manage to reach the Fifth Level of the Body Forging Realm... no... even if you somehow reach the Sixth Level, you’d still be no match for Brother Zheng."

A young man with a somewhat gloomy appearance appeared before Chen Feng, his face full of mockery.

"Ye family?" Chen Feng, who had been meditating while waiting in line, opened his eyes and frowned.

"Correct. My name is Ye Wenjie." The gloomy-looking youth wore a smug expression.

"You people really are like lingering ghosts." Chen Feng’s expression turned cold, his gaze sharp as a blade, making Ye Wenjie feel as if he had been pierced by a sword. Unconsciously, his face paled, and he took a step back.

"Chen Feng, do you have the guts to compete with me?" Realizing he had retreated, Ye Wenjie shouted in furious embarrassment.

"How?" A cold smile curled at the corner of Chen Feng’s lips.

"I’m at the Fifth Level of the Body Forging Realm, so I’ll challenge the Fifth-Level puppet array. You’re at the Fourth Level, so you’ll take the Fourth-Level array. Let’s see who can obtain more puppet tokens. The loser must surrender all the tokens they earned from the challenge to the winner—and kowtow three times." Ye Wenjie grinned viciously. "The elder of the Puppet Hall and everyone present can serve as witnesses."

"I’ll bear witness."

"Me too."

Over a dozen people in the Puppet Hall eagerly joined in.

"This old man can serve as a witness," the Puppet Hall elder mused.

"Then let’s compete." Chen Feng took a deep breath, his voice low and sharp. A surge of pent-up frustration coiled inside him, demanding release.

Ye Yunqi, Ye Fei, Ye Zheng—and now this Ye Wenjie. These persistent Ye family members truly thought he was weak and easy to bully?

"Everyone, do me a favor. For the next challenge, let the two of us go first." Ye Wenjie smirked darkly as he addressed the crowd.

Never ones to pass up a spectacle, the onlookers quickly agreed.

Before long, Ye Wenjie entered the first puppet array, while Chen Feng stepped into the second.

Inside a square room, a door stood open on one side for exit, while a closed gate loomed ahead, a water clock hanging above it to mark the time. In the center of the room stood a towering figure—a puppet with a bald head, a single eye, and a body forged from refined iron, its joints wrapped in leather.

"Puppets are formidable, impervious to blades and arrows, possessing immense strength. Most martial artists of the same cultivation level are no match for them..."

Staring at the iron puppet a few meters away, Chen Feng silently pondered.

Defeating the puppet within the time limit would earn him a token. The Dao Academy naturally wouldn’t make it easy—if it were too simple, wouldn’t everyone pass effortlessly?

To claim the reward, one had to prove their worth through genuine challenge.

"Every puppet has a weak point marker, and only by striking it can it be defeated..."

Chen Feng's gaze was razor-sharp as it swept over the puppet's body, yet he couldn't locate the weak point marker.

The puppet's single eye suddenly glowed red, emitting a series of grating, obscure sounds. The massive figure, previously motionless, erupted into action, stirring a fierce gust of wind as it charged recklessly forward.

Chen Feng's expression hardened. A flicker of alarm crossed his mind, but he swiftly dodged, circling around to the puppet's back.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a red mark the size of an egg on the puppet's back. His focus sharpened. Without hesitation, he channeled his Tendon and Bone Force, drew his sword, and thrust.

Wind Shadow Sword Technique!

In an instant, the sword moved like a fleeting shadow—swift, precise, and deadly—striking the red mark on the puppet's back.

A crack echoed. The puppet, mid-turn, froze. Its red eye flickered a few times before dimming completely.

The struck red mark split open, revealing a circular token the size of an egg. Chen Feng plucked it out. One side was engraved with the words "Puppet Hall," while the other bore the character "One."

This was the puppet token—proof of which level he had cleared and which puppet he had defeated. It was also what he needed to exchange for Body Forging Pills.

One token could be exchanged for one Body Forging Pill.

Storing the token, Chen Feng pushed open the sealed door and entered the next chamber.

Two towering figures stood side by side.

The puppet array had nine levels. The first level had one puppet, the second had two, and so on, with the ninth level featuring nine puppets.

Each puppet was impervious to blades, possessed immense strength, and had combat prowess at the peak of their respective realm. Moreover, their weak point markers were randomly placed and varied in size, adding to the challenge.

A howling gust surged as the two puppets charged from both sides.

...

At the first puppet array, a figure emerged—Ye Wenjie. His face was slightly pale, his breathing uneven.

"Brother Wenjie, how far did you get?" an acquaintance immediately asked. "With your strength, clearing the third level should be no issue."

Ye Wenjie responded with a disdainful sneer. With a wave of his hand, a row of puppet tokens materialized on the table before the Puppet Hall elder.

"One... two..."

"Seven tokens!"

"Brother Wenjie not only cleared the first three levels but also defeated one puppet in the fourth level. Impressive!"

"Indeed!" The Puppet Hall elder stroked his beard and nodded, his gaze carrying a hint of approval. "Reaching the fourth level places your strength among the top hundred of all Fifth Level Body Forging disciples in the Dao Academy."

Hearing the elder's praise, Ye Wenjie swelled with pride.

The Dao Academy had over ten thousand disciples, with thousands at the Fifth Level of Body Forging. Ranking in the top hundred was enough to place him among the elite.

"And where is that trash Chen Feng? Did he already flee?" Ye Wenjie scanned the area arrogantly but found no sign of Chen Feng, prompting a mocking laugh.

"Brother Wenjie, he hasn't come out yet," someone nearby replied. "Let's wait a little longer."

"Fine, we'll wait," Ye Wenjie sneered.

Another moment passed, and Ye Wenjie grew impatient.

"Is he deliberately stalling inside?"

"The puppet array has a time limit. No matter how much he delays, he’ll have to come out eventually."

As they murmured, a figure emerged from the second puppet array.

His robes were tattered, his hair disheveled, his face pale. His gait was unsteady, as if every step pained him.

"Trash, you finally came out. You kept me waiting for so long." Ye Wenjie's gaze instantly locked onto Chen Feng, his face filled with mockery at the sight of Chen Feng's disheveled appearance. "Did you even pass the first level?"

Chen Feng gave Ye Wenjie a cold glance and walked straight to the Puppet Hall elder, unhurriedly taking out the puppet tokens and placing them on the table.

"One... looks like he passed the first level..."

"If he couldn’t even pass the first level, he might as well go home and plant sweet potatoes."

"Oh, two... three. He actually passed the second level. Not bad."

When Chen Feng took out the fourth puppet token, Ye Wenjie’s brows furrowed slightly, but a cold smirk still lingered on his face.

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Seven!"

The smile on Ye Wenjie’s face vanished completely.

Chen Feng took out the eighth puppet token, and gasps of shock erupted around them. Even the Puppet Hall elder raised an eyebrow in surprise, while Ye Wenjie’s face turned ashen.

"Hiss..."

"Terrifying!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Fifteen!"

"He actually has fifteen!"

"He cleared the fifth level!"

The dozen or so youths sucked in sharp breaths, utterly stunned. The Puppet Hall elder stared at Chen Feng, dumbfounded.

"You cheated!" Ye Wenjie’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot as he screamed hysterically.

At the same time, he swiftly reached for the puppet tokens on the table. A sharp sword hum pierced the air as a cold blade light shot toward him.

Ye Wenjie’s expression twisted, and he jerked his hand back.

"You lost." Chen Feng pointed his sword directly at Ye Wenjie, his gaze sharp and tone indifferent. "According to the bet, your seven puppet tokens belong to me now. And you must kneel and kowtow three times."

"I didn’t lose!" Ye Wenjie roared without hesitation, immediately drawing his blade and slashing at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng erupted with Tendon and Bone Force, countering with a single sword strike that split into three shadows.

The moment their blades clashed, the Puppet Hall elder swung his staff, forcing both of them back.

"No unauthorized fighting in the Puppet Hall." The elder’s furious gaze bore into Ye Wenjie. "Ye Wenjie, kneel and kowtow."

"No..." Ye Wenjie trembled, grinding his teeth.

"Kneel!" With the elder’s furious shout, Ye Wenjie’s legs buckled, and he crashed heavily to his knees. A staff pressed his head down, forcing him to kowtow three times until his forehead turned bruised.

"As expected of the Ye family—even the sound of your kowtows is impressive." Chen Feng taunted.

Hearing this, Ye Wenjie was so enraged that he spat blood and collapsed to the side. The other disciples watched in horror, their faces filled with dread. Truly, killing a man and then destroying his spirit.

"Thank you, Elder, for upholding justice. Please exchange all the tokens for Body Forging Pills." After glancing at the unconscious Ye Wenjie, Chen Feng felt refreshed and spoke respectfully to the Puppet Hall elder.

With twenty-two Body Forging Pills in hand, Chen Feng quickly left the Puppet Hall and headed back to his quarters, ready to consume and refine all the pills to boost his cultivation in preparation for the upcoming battle in the Combat Hall.