Li Xiu and a few others sat inside the city gate to rest, while Ye Yuzhen sat beside them, preoccupied with heavy thoughts.
In this group, he felt like he was much like Afei — seemingly useless. He couldn’t pinpoint what his true strengths were.
"Did you look at the map?" Li Xiu asked Ye Yuzhen, who was somewhat confused.
"I did." Ye Yuzhen didn’t understand why Li Xiu was asking about this.
"Did you remember it?" Li Xiu inquired again.
"I did remember." Ye Yuzhen had memorized it seriously earlier, but Li Xiu didn’t need his help for anything, leaving him feeling worthless.
"Since you’ve looked at it and remembered it, why are you sitting here? If you want something, you need to fight for it yourself. Are you waiting for someone to bring it to you?" Li Xiu said calmly.
Ye Yuzhen was momentarily stunned, then his mind began racing. He stood up, went to the city gate, and after carefully observing the valley outside the city, everything became clear to him.
"I’m going now." said Ye Yuzhen as he briskly ran out of the city.
"What’s going on?" Chu Jun asked, puzzled.
"It’s nothing." Li Xiu leaned against the city gate, watching the direction where Ye Yuzhen had gone.
Ye Yuzhen’s memory was indeed exceptional; he had understood Li Xiu’s meaning.
According to Chu Jun’s map showing magical creatures, there were a few scattered locations where Li Xiu hadn’t gone, and underground mechanical skeletons were hiding there.
With Li Xiu’s reminder, Ye Yuzhen realized that the mechanical skeletons not disturbed by Li Xiu were rated E, D, C, and D — one at each level.
Undoubtedly, Li Xiu had intentionally left them for him, not because he forgot their existence.
Ye Yuzhen took a deep breath and headed towards the location of the E-rated mechanical skeleton, wanting to see if he could use the Ring of Agreement to tame it.
Although he had been diligent before, he was never willing to fight for himself, only hoping to gain more resources for Ye Xiyuan.
But this time, he wanted to take a risk for himself.
Ye Yuzhen already knew the mechanical skeleton’s abilities and attack patterns. After contemplating for a while, he took a deep breath, approached a certain distance, picked up a stone, and threw it towards the ground where the E-level mechanical skeleton was hiding.
The mechanical skeleton was startled and immediately crawled out from underground.
As soon as its upper body emerged, Ye Yuzhen kicked over, sending the metallic injector in the mechanical skeleton’s hand rolling aside.
Ye Yuzhen’s prowess was quite impressive. After all, he had become a Trial Taker solely through self-reliance, with exceptional mind and skills.
He only lacked a bit of self-confidence and the desire to grow stronger.
"Will he be alright?" Chu Jun asked worriedly, watching Ye Yuzhen fight with the mechanical skeleton.
"He should be fine." Li Xiu chuckled.
The three watched Ye Yuzhen battle the mechanical skeleton while taking a break. Eventually, Ye Yuzhen managed to slip his hand through the gap in the metallic ribcage and grasp the green heart of the mechanical skeleton.
The next second, a breathtaking scene unfolded; the mechanical skeleton seemed pulled by some force and compressed, disappearing into Ye Yuzhen’s hand in an instant.
"Success!" Ye Yuzhen looked at the Ring of Agreement with a green gemstone added to his finger, feeling a joy he never experienced before.
With a thought, the green gemstone on the ring transformed into a mechanical skeleton in front of him.
Suppressing his excitement, Ye Yuzhen headed towards the location of the D-level mechanical skeleton.
Using his previous method, he attempted to kick off the D-level mechanical skeleton’s metallic injector first. But just as his foot moved towards it, the D-level mechanical skeleton grabbed it.
Fortunately, he was prepared. The E-level mechanical skeleton under his control was right behind the D-level mechanical skeleton and directly lifted the metallic injector, stabbing it into the D-level mechanical skeleton’s hind brain.
After a battle, with the help of the E-level mechanical skeleton, Ye Yuzhen finally seized the heart of the D-level mechanical skeleton again.
The D-level mechanical skeleton, like the E-level one, was absorbed into the ring, transforming into a green gemstone.
However, his ring could only accommodate one gemstone. When the D-level mechanical skeleton occupied the ring, the gem formed by the E-level mechanical skeleton was covered.
"Can he only control one magical creature?" Li Xiu seemed slightly disappointed to witness this, expecting Ye Yuzhen to unleash a magical creature army.
Ye Yuzhen put away the D-level mechanical skeleton and, after resting for a while, advanced to the location of the C-level mechanical skeleton.
However, this time he didn’t succeed. The moment the C-level mechanical skeleton’s upper body emerged, it swung its metallic injector horizontally, sending Ye Yuzhen and the D-level mechanical skeleton flying to the ground.
Ye Yuzhen attempted to get up but saw the C-level mechanical skeleton already raising its metallic injector for a stab.
In the silence of a gunshot, a Blue Light Bullet blasted off the C-level mechanical skeleton’s arm and metallic injector.
Ye Yuzhen knew Demigod Shana had saved him, quickly rose, and charged at the C-level mechanical skeleton, aiming for its heart.
But this time, Ye Yuzhen couldn’t capture the C-level mechanical skeleton. Even as its heart was crushed, the contract between them wasn’t fulfilled.
Ye Yuzhen was not disappointed. Although he couldn’t rely on others for growth, he had found a target and a method to grow, and that was enough.