Not only that, the limited maneuvering space on the bridge and the bottomless darkness beneath combined to create immense psychological pressure. Crossing this mechanism alley was by no means an easy task.
After a brief moment of catching their breath, everyone hurried to steady their rapid breathing. Dai Mubai and Oscar, who had taken hits from the fists, both looked rather pale; from their ashen expressions, the pain they endured was evidently quite intense.
Tang San, who recovered first, spoke up: "From this trial, we can confirm three key points.
First, our speed while crossing the bridge cannot be too slow. The initial moment we step onto the bridge is the safe window—we must move forward as quickly as possible.
Second, there are certainly other mechanisms on the bridge. We cannot focus all our attention on the metal fists; we must constantly watch our steps and what lies ahead.
Finally, the way the vines are connected needs to be adjusted. In the current method, if someone encounters a problem, the interference on both sides is too great.
Fortunately, the circumference of the metal bridge isn't long. We can tie one end of a vine to our waist, loop the other end into a ring around the metal bridge—this way, we can ensure we won't fall completely."
After everyone nodded in understanding, Tang San, still uneasy, demonstrated the specific knotting process of the vine to them.
At that moment, Oscar, who had been leaning on Osquin for support, hesitated slightly before speaking up: "When I fell earlier, I think I saw the bottom of the bridge thanks to the soul force light from the metal fists."
This immediately drew everyone's attention to Oscar. Although he couldn't be completely sure what he saw, he continued:
"The depth under the bridge isn't really bottomless as it looks—it's probably only about six or seven meters.
Judging from the reflections, there seems to be a liquid flowing below, not solid ground. Even if we actually fell, it seems we wouldn't get hurt."
Oscar's words jolted everyone present. If what he said was true, the psychological pressure of walking on the narrow metal bridge would be greatly reduced.
Out of caution, they still wanted to verify it. If it was only six or seven meters, verification wouldn't be difficult.
At the rear of the group, Osquin quickly turned and ran out of the tunnel. About five minutes later, he returned holding a stone roughly the size of a human head, tied with a sufficiently long, sturdy vine.
At the edge of the platform, Osquin tossed the stone into the seemingly bottomless space beneath the bridge.
In less than a second, everyone first heard a clear splash, followed by a collision sound as the stone struck something solid.
Osquin then tried pulling the vine, and the stone showed no sign of continuing to fall—clearly, it had reached the bottom. He then reeled the vine back in.
"Eh?" Osquin let out a small sound of surprise as he looked at the stone being pulled up along with the vine.
The stone was wet, which wasn't strange—after all, they had clearly heard it hit water. But the liquid still clinging to the stone was unusual. Osquin could tell it wasn't water; water wouldn't have this viscous texture.
The unknown liquid on the stone felt like a colorless, transparent paste.
Osquin knew that something abnormal always had a reason. He didn't believe that Frand and the others would do something meaningless, so he felt he needed to understand the purpose of this unknown liquid.
Examining the small section of vine that was soaked in the liquid, he found no signs of corrosion or damage. Feeling confident, he reached out to touch it.
"Slippery." That was Osquin's first impression.
He could tell that the surface of the stone was very rough. Normally, such a rough surface would allow for a firm grip, but holding this liquid-coated stone, he felt a strange inability to grip tightly.
Letting go and shaking his hand, the liquid didn't come off at all. Clearly, once something was coated with this unknown liquid, it was difficult to remove quickly.
"Reducing friction—this is somewhat like soapy water, only thicker. But what's the purpose of this thick version of soapy water?"
Osquin handed the stone to the others for them to feel and observe, while he continued analyzing its possible effects.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on the narrow metal bridge nearby. "Metal… narrow surface… reduced friction…" A flash of understanding struck Osquin—he now understood the instructors' intentions.
"Insidious." That was the first word that came to Osquin's mind.
With the others looking surprised, Osquin quickly walked to the metal narrow bridge and touched the bridge surface with his right hand, still coated in the thick soapy liquid, which showed no sign of drying.
Indeed, friction was drastically reduced. Even just pressing his palm on the surface, Osquin could feel that any attempt to exert force would cause slipping.
It was clear: if their shoes were coated in this thick soapy liquid, it would be extremely difficult to stand firmly on this metal bridge.
The most crucial point: the liquid dried very slowly. Once someone's feet or body carried it onto the bridge, the effect would not be limited to them alone; it could linger for days.
Imagine—if someone fell and returned with this thick liquid on them, others would get it on the bridge as well, making them more likely to fall. Upon returning, they'd bring even more of the liquid, forming a vicious cycle.
Considering how slowly it dried, even the next day, students with clean bodies would still be affected by any leftover liquid on the bridge unless it was deliberately cleaned.
Standing up, Osquin wiped the thick liquid from his hand on the stone wall and shared his findings with the curious other students.
After hearing Osquin's analysis, Dai Mubai and the others twitched their mouths—these instructors were truly determined not to let the task be completed easily, constantly finding new ways to increase difficulty.
For example, if Tang San hadn't prepared vines for everyone beforehand, at least one of the eight present would already have been coated in this thick soapy liquid, initiating the vicious cycle.
Though their faces darkened, the training mission still had to continue. Time had already been wasted, so everyone forced themselves to focus, tied their vines, and prepared to set out.
This time, having learned from the previous attempt, everyone moved at their fastest in the first few minutes, aiming to advance far enough before the mechanism soul guide fully activated.
Two minutes later, Tang San, leading the group, reminded everyone of the high-pressure water jets. Prepared this time, the other seven quickly grasped the metal narrow bridge beneath them and passed through the first stage safely.
Next came the soul force light blinding flash—signaling the full activation of the mechanism soul guide. Those who closed their eyes when the water jets arrived were completely unaffected.
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