The sixteen mechanical arms hummed to life, shifting from their original aligned positions into a staggered arrangement. They first circled the stone cavalry twice before rapidly closing in, their high-speed movements tracing intricate patterns across its body.
One after another, mysterious engravings began to appear—simple lines at first, but under the precision of the sixteen arms, they transformed into esoteric symbols brimming with hidden meaning.
Without warning, the arms halted and returned to their starting positions.
The engraving process, which had consumed a Level 7 demon crystal, was complete.
Looking at the stone cavalry—unchanged in size but vastly stronger—Ye Zhongming finally grasped the true purpose of the Human Refining Furnace and Engraving Machine.
The rewards from the two trials shared a clear theme: they granted the means to manufacture two types of puppets.
Admittedly, their base strength was low. Even after engraving, the stone cavalry only reached Level 5—a decent asset for ordinary post-apocalyptic factions, but far below Cloud Peak’s standards.
Ye Zhongming could only hope these stone cavalry shared their "original’s" trait—merging into stronger forms upon death.
After calculating his remaining materials, he produced several more stone cavalry units and had them engraved.
He needed to test whether these constructs could truly replicate the fusion ability.But he didn’t mass-produce them. If his theory proved wrong, those high-tier materials and demon crystals would be wasted.
When ten stone cavalry and ten flame giants marched in formation behind Ye Zhongming, the battle-hardened warriors of Cloud Peak stirred with excitement.
Not fear—awe and anticipation.
If these puppets truly mirrored their templates’ abilities, Cloud Peak might soon gain two formidable new forces.
"Let’s move."
Ye Zhongming gave the order to advance. The team had rested for over two hours—miraculously undisturbed.
……………………
Despite the extended break, Cloud Peak remained the first faction to enter the third trial within the Mountain Crown Wheel’s space.
It wasn’t until an hour later that other teams began trickling in.
Yet while Cloud Peak considered their losses severe, others had fared far worse. Even the strongest factions arrived battered and diminished.
Many hadn’t cleared the second trial at all. After two stages, over half the participating forces had been eliminated—the Mountain Crown Wheel’s space ruthlessly culling humanity’s elite.
And with the unknown horrors of the third trial and beyond, more would perish. Had they known the cost, many might never have come.
One thing was certain: whoever claimed the Mountain Crown, the North American continent’s elite forces would be decimated by a third or more.
……………………
Cloud Peak’s third trial enemy: Slimes.
Unlike the stone cavalry and flame giants, these creatures spawned at varying levels—from Level 5 grunts to a Level 9 monstrosity—ambushing from all directions and plunging Cloud Peak into a desperate battle.
The difficulty had spiked dramatically. Not only in numbers, but in tactics.
These slimes were ranged attackers.
They kept their distance, hurling globs of acidic sludge at Cloud Peak’s formation. Despite their muddy composition, their projectiles hit like cannonballs.
Level 5-6 slimes lobbed their shots in arcs, giving some reaction time.
Level 7+ slimes fired straight like arrows—fast and brutal.
Level 8 slimes added toxins—not instantly lethal, but enough to cripple combat efficiency.
The Level 9 Slime Overlord, positioned farthest back, alternated between artillery-like mud blasts (capable of maiming even Seven-Star evolved with non-fatal hits) and high-angle sludge barrages that rained down like bullets, stripping a third of the durability from green-grade armor in one volley.
Caught off guard, Cloud Peak suffered more casualties in the first ten minutes than both prior trials combined. Only after Ye Zhongming desperately deployed the Staff of Nature and disposable defensive gear did the situation stabilize.
Cloud Peak adapted quickly:
Ye Zhongming focused on neutralizing the Level 9’s attacks.
Others defended while counterattacking during the slimes’ cooldowns.
Though the slimes attacked fiercely, their intervals between strikes created openings:
The Level 9 Overlord attacked once every five minutes.
Lower-tier slimes had 10-15 second pauses.
Thankfully, their defenses were weak, far inferior to the stone cavalry or flame giants. Even Youth Army members could one-shot them with full-force strikes.
The battle settled into a grueling rhythm:
Cloud Peak defended, seizing chances to retaliate.
The slimes attacked relentlessly.
A war of attrition—who would break first?
"I’ll handle the big one. Xiao Min, Xia Bai, Red Hair—lead teams to assault different flanks!"
Ye Zhongming realized their current strategy was unsustainable. While he tanked the Overlord’s blows, keeping everyone clustered left too many vulnerabilities.
Splitting up was the answer:
Ye Zhongming would draw the Overlord’s focus.
The others would exploit their superior individual strength to pick off isolated slimes.
A Youth Army detachment, Yangos, and Yellow Ball would guard the battle beasts.
Losses were inevitable—but necessary.
The moment Cloud Peak divided their forces, Ye Zhongming became the Overlord’s sole target, with several Level 8 slimes joining the assault to "protect" their leader.
Pressure on the rest of the team eased dramatically.
Female Guard warriors fought independently, using terrain and the slimes’ chaotic positioning to slaughter them efficiently.
Within thirty minutes of the third trial’s start, the tide of battle turned in Cloud Peak’s favor.