As Chen Tian subdued Bing Tian Ning, his figure instantly appeared outside the gate. The guards on watch were stunned; he had only been inside for a few minutes before coming out.
The guards then asked, "Did you win?"
Chen Tian nodded without saying anything. The large doors remained shut, so no one knew what had transpired inside.
A guard then said, "Since you've passed the assessment, you can proceed to the next level!"
"However, you'll need this. It's required on the third level."
The guard produced a battery canister filled with a blue liquid. Chen Tian accepted it without hesitation, figuring it must be useful if offered.
He then took it and approached the teleportation portal. His body transformed into a beam of light, shooting towards the sky and entering the third level world.
The third level world was a realm of machinery, with its architecture entirely fashioned from metal. However, the rusted iron and dilapidated structures made it hard to imagine this was once a prosperous world.
The sky was filled with the color of rusted machinery. Within a city, a beam of light descended, and Chen Tian's figure materialized before the city gates.
Chen Tian observed the surrounding buildings, all of which were mechanical in style, with countless machine parts embedded in the very ground.
Chen Tian nodded in satisfaction. He had arrived in the third level. He then opened his map and saw that the city he was in was called Xie Yuan City, a very small settlement, not even as large as the first level's beginner village.
He scanned the map and located a nearby leveling area, a level fifty zone, the lowest of its kind, named Xie Sen.
Chen Tian decided to head there to level up, as he was only level forty-one, and each level now required three billion experience points, a daunting amount to accumulate.
Just as Chen Tian was about to step out of the city gates, a barrier instantly repelled him. No matter how he tried, he found himself unable to leave the city.
Confused, Chen Tian wondered what was happening. Why was he prevented from leaving the main city? Yet, there were no other players in the city.
He tried various methods, but he could not pass through the barrier. Chen Tian was trapped within the city.
Utterly speechless, Chen Tian found himself in this unprecedented situation. Who could save him?
With nothing else to do, he began to wander through the empty city. There were no players, not even NPCs. Chen Tian even began to doubt if he had teleported to the wrong place.
Suddenly, a sound from a small alleyway caught Chen Tian's attention. He looked over and saw a gaunt, aged elder.
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Chen Tian approached the elder, intending to inquire about the city's situation.
He reached the elder and asked, "Elder, do you know what's happening with this city? And how can I leave?"
The elder looked at Chen Tian and weakly rasped, "Give me energy, energy!"
Chen Tian was taken aback. Energy? He didn't have any! What was this energy?
With a clang, something fell from the elder's body – a battery canister. Chen Tian paused, then took out the canister the guard had given him and handed it to the elder.
The elder slowly reached into the bottom of the canister and pressed down. Instantly, tubes emerged from the canister, connecting to his arm. The blue liquid within the canister turned white.
The elder's complexion improved, and he expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, young adventurer. As an apology, I shall tell you a story."
An interface appeared before Chen Tian, and he unhesitatingly clicked "Yes." It was just a story, after all, and listening wouldn't hurt.
The elder began, "Thirty million years ago, this world was ruled by the Mechanical God. Technology was advanced, and people lived in peace. The Mechanical God established the Tower of Time and connected his consciousness to the entire mechanical city to ensure its development."
"However, one day, the entire mechanical city suddenly went into a state of paralysis. The Mechanical God's presence vanished, and the world became dilapidated and broken, with numerous restrictions. People could not leave their designated cities, and the mechanical beings created all gained consciousness. Humans struggled to survive on this continent. But one day, humans invented an energy storage canister. By hunting mechanical spirits and consuming their energy, the city's restrictions could be lifted, allowing people to move freely."
"But after thousands of years, the older generation of humans discovered that prolonged consumption of these energy canisters would gradually assimilate their bodies into machinery, turning them into puppets who acted according to unknown commands."
"Adventurer! Please save this world. Find the Tower of Time and restore the Mechanical God's consciousness to its former state. Can you help this place return to its original condition?"
A message appeared on Chen Tian's interface. He glanced at it; it was a quest, and a quest with special rewards.
The quest read: "Find the scattered mechanical gears, locate the Tower of Time, and awaken the Mechanical God's incomplete consciousness. Quest Rewards: Level +15, All Attributes +3500, Attribute Points +6100, Special Reward x1."
Without hesitation, Chen Tian clicked "Yes." The interface then displayed a message: "Player can now move freely and is not affected by the energy barrier! This effect lasts until the quest is completed!"
Chen Tian rejoiced. This meant he could leave the city. From the elder's story, he understood that only by consuming the energy from the storage canisters could one move freely. This explained why he couldn't leave the city earlier – he hadn't consumed it. The second level's guard had also warned him that this item was crucial on the third level.
So that's what it meant! Chen Tian finally understood. As a player who never read guides or patch notes, he often had to figure things out for himself when facing difficulties.
Who would have thought that by simply helping an elder, he would receive such generous rewards and an influential quest? Furthermore, he had the freedom to move, meaning the energy barrier of the mechanical world had no effect on Chen Tian.
The elder then said, "Respected adventurer, the nearest gear component is in the Mechanical Sea. You will only sense other fragments after finding one."
Chen Tian replied, "Rest assured, elder. Leave it to me! I will help the mechanical world return to its former state."
He then brought up the map and saw the location of the Mechanical Sea. It was ten cities away from his current location. It would take him a long time to reach it. Moreover, this city only had one world teleportation gate, no gates to other cities, meaning Chen Tian had to travel on foot.
Chen Tian slowly walked out of the city gates. The moment he stepped out, he passed through the barrier and appeared outside the city gates.
Simultaneously, a strange phenomenon occurred: Chen Tian's entire attribute panel was locked.
Chen Tian was stunned, and then a danger signal popped up on his interface.
He tapped it to view the details and finally understood.
Chen Tian had not consumed the energy storage canister, and therefore, he was rejected by the mechanical world. Without the innate mechanical essence within him, all his attributes were sealed.
Only players who consumed the energy storage canister and possessed mechanical essence could unlock their attributes.
However, Chen Tian had no intention of consuming the energy storage canister. The elder had made it perfectly clear that doing so would lead to being controlled by unknown commands. Chen Tian did not want to become someone's puppet.
So what if his attributes were locked? He wasn't without options. His eyes glowed with gears, and a young figure slowly appeared – Xue Yuan Long.
As a mechanical cyborg, Xue Yuan Long was entirely powered by mechanical energy and would not be rejected by the world. Furthermore, Xue Yuan Long was level forty, sufficient to protect Chen Tian.
What's more, Chen Tian had another cyborg. If he encountered a difficult opponent, he could summon her.
Bing Tian Ning was being kept as a trump card. At the same time, Chen Tian also disguised his own information panel.
The skill "Concealing the Sky and Crossing the Sea" was unaffected, possibly due to the "Secluded Mode."