The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Energy surges wildly within the body, attempting to block the intrusion of external electrical currents, but those currents are ubiquitous, penetrating through pores, through breath, and through every inch of skin exposed to the air.

Her vision began to blur.

It's not because there's a problem with the eyes, but because the brain experiences a temporary loss of focus under high-intensity electrical stimulation.

"Hang in there," she told herself.

A muffled groan came from behind.

She didn't turn around. Turning around would take up her energy.

The phone in the live stream was hung fixed to her side, the camera facing forward. The image was shaking slightly... caused by her body trembling involuntarily.

She couldn't see the comments, but she could imagine what the viewers were saying.

An hour passed.

Chen Siyao's clothes were soaked with sweat. Not from the heat, but from the stress response her body was producing when fighting the electric current.

Her lips were pale, but she didn't stop walking.

The main hall ahead is getting closer.

The outline of the palace gate is now visible.

Two hours.

Ye Chengdong shouted from behind, "I...I'm almost at my limit!"

Chen Siyao couldn't turn around, so she could only shout, "Hold on! Look ahead! Don't think about anything else!"

Qin Xiaoyu's voice came from behind, haltingly: "There's... about... one hundred meters left..."

One hundred meters.

The distance that I can normally run in ten seconds.

It might take an hour now.

Two and a half hours.

Ying Wenjie's knee hit the ground.

He knelt down briefly, then gritted his teeth and stood up again.

"I'm fine," he said hoarsely. "I just had a leg cramp."

Yang Wanqing reached out a hand from the side and helped him up. She was also trembling, but she was better than Ying Wenjie.

The electric arcs on the Heavenly Thunder Halberd had spread to the entire shaft, and purple light enveloped Yang Wanqing's back, as if sharing some of the lightning power with her.

Three hours.

Chen Siyao stepped onto the steps in front of the main hall.

The current suddenly disappeared at that moment.

As if someone had turned off a switch, all the numbness, tingling, and muscle spasms vanished the moment I stepped onto the stairs.

Her body suddenly relaxed, and she almost fell over.

"We're here!" she called back, "The power's gone out on the steps! Hurry!"

The five people behind him seemed to have been given a final boost of energy.

Wu Tian rushed up the steps in three strides, plopped down on the ground, and gasped for breath.

Yang Wanqing dragged Ying Wenjie up, and the two collapsed at the same time.

Qin Xiaoyu and Ye Chendong arrived last. Ye Chendong immediately lay down on the ground and remained motionless.

Six people lay sprawled on the steps in front of the main hall, like wounded soldiers who had just crawled back from the battlefield.

The live stream chat exploded.

They've arrived! They've arrived!

Three hours!! A full three hours!!

It looks painful; what kind of hellish test is this?

[I'm so moved, brothers, I'm really moved to tears.]

Yang Wanqing is amazing! She's ranked third!

Was the Heavenly Thunder Halberd helping her block the lightning? That magical artifact must have a spirit, right?

[Wu Tian, ​​this blockhead, relies solely on his physical strength to endure hardship—a true tough guy!]

[Keep it up! Take a break and keep pushing!]

Chen Siyao lay there for about three minutes before she managed to sit up by pushing herself up from the ground.

The muscles all over his body were still twitching slightly, a residual reaction from the electric current stimulation.

She took out several bottles of pills from her pocket, ate one herself, and threw the rest to the others.

"Take one of each, it will help you recover faster."

Wu Tian took the bottle of pills, poured one out and put it in his mouth, saying indistinctly, "This thing is much more ruthless than yesterday's formation... At least with formations you can use your brain to find tricks, but this is pure suicide."

Ying Wenjie collapsed to the ground, raised one hand and gave a thumbs up: "Today I, Ying Wenjie, finally know what it means to wish I were dead."

Yang Wanqing placed the Heavenly Thunder Halberd horizontally on his lap and looked down at the arcs of electricity crackling on its surface. The purple light was brighter than before, and the frequency of its pulses had become very regular, like a heartbeat.

"It absorbed the lightning from outside," Yang Wanqing said. "It became stronger."

Qin Xiaoyu leaned over for a look: "No wonder you were in third place; it's been helping you carry the load."

"I didn't share much of the burden," Yang Wanqing said, touching the halberd. "At most twenty percent. I carried the rest myself."

Ye Chendong got up from the ground and stretched his limbs: "Alright, alright, stop lying there. There's still a main hall ahead. What if there are other trials inside? Let's hurry in while the pills are still working."

Chen Siyao stood up and turned towards the main hall.

The temple doors were open, about eight meters high and five meters wide. The door frames were made of black stone, without any writing or decoration.

But at the entrance of the palace...

There is something standing there.

Chen Siyao stopped in her tracks.

"What..." Wu Tian saw it too, his voice stuck in his throat.

In the very center of the palace gate stands a colossal beast.

It is ten meters high.

It is completely black.

With all four feet on the ground and its head slightly lowered, it seemed to be looking down at the approaching person.

Qilin.

But it's not alive.

Its body surface is covered with a layer of metallic armor, with each plate fitting together perfectly, and intricate mechanical structures visible at the joints.

The black steel plate reflected the surrounding hazy light, giving off a cold, metallic luster.

Mechanical arts.

A black Qilin forged using ancient mechanical techniques.

Chen Siyao paused for two seconds, then quickly raised her phone and pointed it at the giant beast.

The camera captured the entire scene steadily.

The chat in the live stream...

It instantly turned into a waterfall.

[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!!!]

Am I seeing things? What is that?

[Mechs!! Those are mechs!!!]

A ten-meter-tall mecha-like Qilin? Did this technology exist in ancient times?

[Impossible... This is impossible...]

[Mecha enthusiasts have gone crazy, please do not disturb them]

This is more explosive than any sci-fi movie!!!

How terrifying was ancient Chinese civilization?

International viewers flooded in with comments, all in various languages.

This is not scientifically sound!

[Ancient mecha, is this real?!]

I'm going to China right now.

The history we know has been completely rewritten.

Chen Siyao held up her phone and walked half a circle around the Mo Qilin, allowing the audience to see every detail clearly.

The armor's texture, the riveted joints, the support design of the four legs... every detail is meticulously crafted. This is not a crude stone sculpture or a puppet; this is a true engineering marvel.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Chen Siyao said to the camera, "this is a black Qilin forged using ancient mechanical techniques. It is about ten meters tall and its entire body is covered in metal armor. The specific material is still uncertain, but judging from its appearance—it is a complete mechanical beast that may be capable of movement."

The comments section went even crazier.

[Possibly capable of movement? You mean it can move?]

Don't scare me...

【Yaoyao, stay away! What if it moves?】

Several comments caught Chen Siyao's attention—

[A minefield + a mechanical Qilin, this combination...]

[Wen Zhong! This is the legacy of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong!]

Wen Zhong's mount is a black Qilin! His magical weapon is the Dragon Whip!

[A grand-disciple of the Tongtian Sect Leader, and a disciple of the Golden Spirit Mother!]

Chen Siyao put down her phone and turned to the crowd.