This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 741 - 385: The Path of Trials - Bloodline Reward_2

Chapter 741: Chapter 385: The Path of Trials - Bloodline Reward_2

Li Ming’s eyelid twitched and he quickly reacted, switching the Defense Buff to Speed Buff, using offense as defense.

In an instant, he closed the distance. The high-speed friction caused parts of his skin to become charred.

Then he swiftly switched back to Defense Buff, punching with great force, bang!

The blow directly pierced through the opponent’s body. If he hit, his destructive power was still terrifying.

Afterward, the battle became a deadlock. Li Ming rarely engaged in close-combat fights like this; there were quite a few shortcomings in this buff state.

Even with the [Vortex Shadow] providing a 24-fold Speed Buff, at this level, it was becoming insufficient.

Although his Burst Level energy could reach 80S, it was like fighting with a limp leg.

When he was outside and could possess a Tank Guard, this shortcoming could be ignored, as he could transform the Defense Buff into Speed Buff.

But now, it was a bit troublesome. As the enemies escalated step by step, four opponents already made Li Ming feel pressed; it took him a protracted battle to overcome eight.

Sixteen opponents forced him to exhaust his methods, switching buffs back and forth, using [Gale Shadow Hunting] to weave through, while the marks from [Shattering Earth] piled up and kept exploding, the booms were endless, and he used every trick in the book.

"Bang!" A deafening explosion rang out, as if thunder had struck in his ears. The air compressed instantly from the punch, forming a visible shockwave that frantically spread outward.

The struck Life Form’s skull caved in immediately, fragments shooting in all directions.

At the same time, half of Li Ming’s body was torn apart by his own attack, [Super·Charging Strike], unleashing 250 times Power Amplification. But his body couldn’t withstand it and was directly shredded.

Fortunately, his enemy’s death was much faster than his own.

A mysterious force swiftly repaired his body. Gasping for air, Li Ming didn’t feel physically exhausted, though his mind was a different story.

[Lower Lord-Level Trial Passed. Evaluation—Top Level. Reward: Titan Bloodline Purification to 25%, one Lord-Level weapon.]

[Proceed to the Middle Lord-Level Trial?]

Li Ming’s eyes flickered. He couldn’t contain himself and chose to confirm.

Of course, this time he immediately opted to manifest a Tank Guard and the Mechanical Four Heavenly Kings, preparing to unleash his peak combat strength.

However, before the enemies could appear, the entire space suddenly fell into stillness.

[Warning. Trialist detected preparing to cheat. Trial canceled. Warning issued once.]

Can’t use external tools?

Li Ming paused, his teeth on edge, disarming himself.

He had suspected as much, which was why even during his first trial, though he was nearly beaten to death, he didn’t use them, choosing to see it through.

This attempt confirmed his hypothesis.

"No room for cheating, huh..." Li Ming sighed. Internal Control didn’t directly affect his body, and this place couldn’t detect it. But as for tangible tools like the Tank Guard and Mechanical Four Heavenly Kings, there was no way around it; he could only fight barehanded.

However, what he didn’t know was that beyond the gray mist, a mechanical face displayed an indescribable look of astonishment.

It was hard to imagine what such an expression would look like on a Mechanical Body.

"Where did those things come from!?" It could no longer hold back; realizing this individual was far from ordinary, it strode out uncontrollably.

"How did you do it!?"

Li Ming looked up in astonishment and saw a humanoid Mechanical Body with an angry, shocked expression emerge from the gray mist.

"You..." Li Ming hesitated, hearing the other bombard him with questions: "Who are you? How did you get in here? What were those Mechanical Bodies earlier!?"

Squinting, Li Ming scrutinized the figure, "You... are the Overseer here? How should I address you?"

The Mechanical Body paused before replying in a deep voice: "You can just call me the Observer."

Highly anthropomorphic... it was likely it had already evolved into a Mechanical Life Form. Li Ming speculated but wasn’t particularly surprised. A place like this harboring an Observer had been within his expectations.

It was just that its manner of appearance was somewhat peculiar.

"Trialist No. 1..."

"Call me Azure Dragon." Li Ming cut it off.

The Observer seemed taken aback, its earlier momentum diminished. After a pause, its voice calmed significantly.

"Azure Dragon, I don’t know how you got in here, but you clearly don’t meet the requirements, and you even used cheating methods."

"I now suspect that you cheated during the War General-Level Trial as well!"

"Oh?" Numerous thoughts flashed across Li Ming’s mind. This thing had been watching all along, and it had noticed something was off about him but didn’t interfere—or was unable to?

"So what?" he retorted.

The Observer hesitated, growing somewhat irate: "You’ve broken the trial protocols. You..."

Li Ming shook his head. "Your role should be more like a spectator or someone who answers questions. This place hasn’t expelled me, so why are you so reactive?"

The Observer was at a loss for words, clearly unable to comprehend why the Holy Castle couldn’t detect his violations.

"Coincidentally, I have several questions that need answers." Li Ming’s tone turned firm as he queried bluntly, "The rewards obtained through the trials—do they directly transfer back to reality with me?"

For the first time, the Observer felt stifled. Its processor raced, but due to the constraints of its core programming, it had to reply, albeit coldly: "Correct. The rewards will directly appear near you in an information-state conversion."

Li Ming nodded. "And what about the Titan Bloodline Purification? What are its effects?"

The Observer’s mechanical pupils shifted as it began to respond, only to hear Li Ming add, "All effects—good or bad—explain them in detail."

Though Mechanical Bodies couldn’t violate their core protocols, they could exploit loopholes and provide incomplete answers unless very specific and detailed questions were posed.

The Observer grew increasingly frustrated but solemnly replied: "Titan Bloodline Purification increases a life form’s lifespan, physical strength, and Source Material compatibility..."

"Source Material compatibility?" Li Ming interjected.

"It is a special substance. I can’t explain the details to you now, but it determines whether one can become a Dominator-Level Titan." The Observer’s tone was grave.

Li Ming pondered. Source Material... he possessed plenty of resources labeled as Source Material.

Genetic Essence... Evolutionary Source... was it just a coincidence in naming?

"Continue," he said, still deep in thought.

With a cold voice, the Observer added, "However, for life forms like you, it will suppress your Development Potential."

Initially in good spirits, Li Ming’s expression darkened upon hearing the last sentence.

Potential suppression was definitely not something he wanted to see.

And it was bound to suppress Root Development Potential, which was a critical issue.

"How severe is the suppression?" Li Ming asked with a frown, contemplating whether he’d have to make a trade-off.

At the same time, he realized the Observer might possess certain capabilities to access interstellar information.

Seeing Li Ming’s furrowed brows, the Observer felt slightly appeased. "According to current interstellar standards, it caps at Level 45."

"How much?" Li Ming was stunned. "Level 45?"

That was barely the standard of an X-Level Life Form. His current Root Development Potential was... Level Ten?

Level 45... Level Ten...

After pondering for a moment, Li Ming’s expression turned peculiar, as if this wouldn’t have much impact on him at all.

"So this isn’t necessarily a good thing for you," the Observer reminded.

Li Ming appraised it and said with a milder tone, "Observer, no need to concern yourself so excessively."

The Observer looked bewildered.

Li Ming encouraged with a measured tone, "The fact that I’m here means I meet the Holy Castle’s requirements, albeit with a few methods on the side. If the goal is to revive Terrax Civilization, wouldn’t I be an ideal candidate?"

"Revive Terrax Civilization?" The Observer’s facial features took on a complicated look, and its voice softened as it shook its head: "The Holy Castle’s purpose is not to revive the Terrax Civilization."

It scrutinized the Trialist, its emotions settling as it spoke calmly, "You are correct that if the Holy Castle deems you qualified, my role is merely to observe."