63: Chapter 63 Reward: Basic Cultivation Method for Spiritual Masters: "Starry Sky Visualization Chapter"

Those metal units had dozens of sharp-edged metal fragments peeling off their silver-gray surfaces, yet their forms did not diminish in the slightest.

Then, as if thrown by an invisible hand, those fragments transformed into a lethal silver rain, blanketing the crowd.

The sound of whistling air tore through the atmosphere.

Exclamations and muffled groans rang out almost simultaneously.

A few people with slower reactions were hit by the fragments before they could even fully condense their barriers; their bodies instantly blurred, and they were directly eliminated.

Others gritted their teeth as the Telekinetic Barriers in front of them fluctuated violently, barely managing to deflect a few fragments.

Meanwhile, the faces of those who had tried to strike first looked somewhat grim.

The flying knives or Iron Nails they controlled had indeed struck the hovering metal units, but they only left a few shallow white marks on the smooth surfaces, failing to penetrate.

At the same time, because of their attacks, they received 'special treatment' as more fragments poured down on their positions like an infuriated swarm of bees.

As the cold light surged toward him, Gu Changming's eyes narrowed slightly, and he took a light step back and to the side, letting two fragments graze past the hem of his clothes.

Almost simultaneously, three more fragments formed a triangular pattern, sealing off his evasion space to the left and right.

He did not panic; he raised his right hand slightly, guiding them with his intent.

Those three menacing fragments seemed to crash into a flexible wall of water, their trajectories gently diverted; with a few 'whooshes,' they stabbed diagonally into the soil beside him, leaving only half their lengths vibrating above the surface.

Using the momentum of that deflection, Gu Changming moved again, sliding back two steps and briefly escaping the enemy's range of coverage.

After steadying himself, Gu Changming looked at the distant metal units that were hovering, constantly rotating, and splitting off even more fragments.

His mind began to race.

In his previous life, the method he chose was to constantly dodge and parry to endure for five minutes.

However, he had become much stronger this time and shouldn't have to be so pathetic anymore.

'Better to take action; if I destroy one, I can rest for the remaining few minutes.'

Thinking this, Gu Changming locked his gaze onto the hexahedral attack unit that was targeting him.

It was currently rotating at a constant speed, its surface flowing with a silver-gray luster, as a new round of fragments was about to be released.

Then, with a thought from Gu Changming, the metal fragments he had previously deflected and driven into the soil suddenly vibrated before bursting out with a 'swoosh' sound, hovering by his side.

He didn't use the twenty Iron Nails in his sleeves; it wasn't about hiding a trump card, but rather that compared to the metal shot from these things, the metal products of Earth before the Civilization Ascension were truly mediocre in properties.

In comparison, these metal fragments fired by the opponent were more powerful.

The failure of those few people who intended to strike first was likely because their 'weapons' themselves hadn't performed as they should.

Gu Changming flicked his wrist.

The fragments turned into several blurred gray lines, shooting rapidly toward that unit. Their speed was faster than when he controlled the Iron Nails before, yet their trajectories remained precise.

'Ding! Clang!'

Several sharp sounds of impact overlapped almost perfectly.

The metal unit's rotation suddenly stalled, and a fist-sized crater was forcefully gouged into its surface, the edges torn to reveal some interlocking dark structures inside.

After taking the hit, the unit's body shook slightly, its hovering height dropped by a few inches, and its attacks paused briefly.

Gu Changming glanced at the crack and made a quick judgment in his mind.

The shell is hard but not indestructible; the internal structure might be the key. Attack the same spot repeatedly, or... find a location like a joint or energy core?

Just as he was pondering.

Another crisp 'ding' notification of success came from not far away.

Gu Changming turned to look.

It was Zhou Qilin again, the person who had been the first to complete the second Assessment.

He was currently breathing slightly hard, with sweat on his forehead, while holding a metal unit in his hand that had completely stopped functioning, its surface covered in cracks and multiple ruptures.

Zhou Qilin seemed to sense Gu Changming's gaze and turned his head to look over as well.

He then casually tossed the silent wreckage of the metal unit onto the ground with a dull thud, shoved his hands back into his pockets, and leaned back slightly with a relaxed expression, as if he had finished his task early and was waiting to watch Gu Changming's performance.

After locking eyes with him, Gu Changming tilted his head slightly to the right, letting a fragment graze past the hair near his ear.

That was a fragment fired by the metal unit that had just recovered from his attack.

Knowing the attacks had resumed, Gu Changming withdrew his gaze and focused back on the metal unit in front of him.

'I seem to have some impression of this guy too...'

In his previous life, this person was the first to complete every Assessment, appearing to have immense talent in this area; in the end, while Gu Changming had failed the Assessment, the other had still succeeded easily and moved on to the next one.

Half a minute later...

After emitting a short, piercing screech, the metal unit in front of Gu Changming stopped rotating, its hovering force vanished, and it fell from the air to the ground.

'Ding!'

A pleasant sound rang out.

Gu Changming had also completed the kill Assessment task.

...

Over the next few minutes, the offense and defense on the plain became increasingly intense.

The frequency and density of the fragments sprayed by the metal units increased visibly, weaving a net of silver-gray arcs of death that constantly compressed the survivors' space.

Groans and exclamations became background noise as people were continuously eliminated.

This time, Gu Changming didn't have any helpers; this Assessment tested individual strength, something he couldn't offer guidance on.

The rate of elimination in this Assessment was faster than the first two Assessments combined.

When the giant countdown numbers hovering in mid-air finally reached zero and emitted a long 'hum,' the sharp whistling of air came to an abrupt halt.

All the metal units still attacking frantically stalled simultaneously, the luster on their surfaces rapidly fading, their forms like a fading ink wash painting, vanishing into the air until they were gone.

The plain suddenly fell silent, leaving only the sound of heavy, uneven breathing.

Looking around, those still standing were sparse—only thirty or forty remained.

Compared to the nearly three hundred people when they first entered this Assessment, it was far too empty.

In just five minutes, nearly two hundred people had been eliminated.

In mid-air, pale blue subtitles appeared immediately after the Assessment ended.

[Third Assessment Passed.]

[Reward: Mentalist Basic Cultivation Method: 'Star Vortex Visualization Chapter']

This reward momentarily stunned everyone who had passed the Assessment.

'Cultivation method? "Star Vortex Visualization Chapter"?'

'It's not points, nor is it a potion... they're giving a cultivation method directly?'

'A technique that can improve Mental Power through cultivation?'

'No wonder it's called the Mentalist Assessment.'

The low murmurs of the crowd were mixed with suspicion and a faint excitement.

Gu Changming looked up at the line of text, his eyes shifting slightly.

This thing was far stronger than the previous few hundred points or potions.

Only with this cultivation method could one be considered to have officially stepped into the profession of a Mentalist.

In his previous life, he had basically relied on this technique during the early stages to cultivate and improve his telekinetic abilities.

After a brief pause, the subtitles didn't give everyone much time to digest the reward and quickly changed:

[Please proceed to the next Assessment area.]