Douluo Continent: Dragon Shadow Rebirth

"I told you, nothing good will happen if we get close to this crystal ball." Zhang Meng narrowed his eyes, staring at the flashing black crystal ball in front of him, his face full of anxiety and complaints.

Ye Li glanced at him and said unhappily, "You always say that there's nothing good going on, but don't you always end up running in the front?"

"This is not called courage, this is called being forced!" Zhang Meng muttered, obviously tired of frequent adventures, "It always feels like we have entered an endless vortex of puzzles, and we can't get out step by step."

Qin Feng carefully examined the mysterious black crystal ball, with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "This crystal ball doesn't seem to be an ordinary mechanism we have seen before. It...it seems to be some kind of ancient intelligent life."

When Chu Tian heard this, he immediately stepped back alertly and clenched his weapons with both hands: "Intelligent life? Are you saying that this crystal ball can think for itself? Don't scare me, I don't want to fight against a talking stone."

"Calm down." Qin Feng waved his hand and continued, "I'm not saying it's an enemy. At least it hasn't shown any aggressiveness yet."

"That is to say, it hasn't attacked us yet." Ye Li narrowed his eyes slightly, ready to deal with any emergency at any time.

At this moment, that deep and mysterious voice came from the air again, as if pouring into their ears from all directions: "Brave men, welcome to the final trial. You have passed the previous tests, but the real challenge has just begun."

"You always say the same thing. Can you say something new?" Zhang Meng couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I'm almost tired of hearing these scary words."

The voice ignored Zhang Meng's complaints and continued, "The crystal ball in front of you is the key to the truth. But it also hides endless dangers. You need to pass its test to get the final answer."

"What test?" Qin Feng asked immediately.

"This is a test of your wisdom, courage, and unity." The voice was deep and mysterious, as if carrying some kind of irresistible power. "Only by working together and solving the puzzle can you pass this level."

"Another puzzle?" Zhang Meng screamed. "My head is about to explode. If there is another one, I might just surrender!"

Ye Li sneered and said, "Don't worry. Don't you always say that great strength can make miracles happen? When the time comes and we really need strength, just go ahead."

"Well... I think we still have to rely on you guys with better brains this time." Zhang Meng smiled awkwardly, obviously having made plans to continue to be a backup.

Qin Feng pondered for a moment, and said slowly: "Since this crystal ball is the core of the trial, we should first find out its weaknesses. The voice just now said that we need wisdom, courage and unity, which means that this test may involve multiple aspects."

Chu Tian raised his chin and said, "Then let's get started quickly. I'm not interested in waiting for the crystal ball to suddenly explode."

Qin Feng nodded, led everyone closer to the crystal ball, and tentatively touched it. The moment his finger touched the crystal ball, the light in the entire hall suddenly dimmed, and the crystal ball burst into a dazzling light.

"Everyone be careful!" Ye Li immediately became alert and held the weapon tightly in his hand.

However, the crystal ball did not make any aggressive moves. Instead, glowing symbols began to appear on its surface, as if beckoning them to interpret them. Qin Feng focused his eyes and carefully observed the symbols, trying to find the pattern in them.

"These symbols look... like some kind of ancient language." Qin Feng whispered, "If we can decipher these symbols, maybe we can find clues."

"Another symbol!" Zhang Meng said helplessly, "I hate these weird symbols the most! See if you can crack them directly. I promise I won't mess with you."

Qin Feng couldn't help but smile: "Don't worry, I won't let you fight hard this time. The symbols are arranged in a very regular pattern, but there is also some mystery hidden. We need to concentrate."

They carefully analyzed the symbols around the crystal ball, and gradually, Qin Feng began to sort out some of the clues. He found that these symbols were actually conveying an instruction, which seemed to guide them on how to unlock the crystal ball.

"Look, the order in which these symbols are arranged is somewhat similar to the mechanism we saw in the underground hall before." Qin Feng pointed to some symbols on the crystal ball and said, "We need to operate according to their order, maybe we can start the real test."

"Operation? Then what should we do?" Ye Li asked with a frown.

Qin Feng pointed to a row of grooves under the crystal ball: "It seems that something can be embedded here. Maybe we need to find the corresponding object."

"Looking for something again? I knew it wouldn't be that easy!" Zhang Meng sighed with a look of despair, "Every time there's a puzzle like this, we have to search all over the world for keys, fragments, and mechanisms."

Chu Tian was very excited: "It sounds like a treasure hunt game, but I hope we can find it quickly this time, otherwise I always feel that the crystal ball may explode at any time."

They searched everywhere, and after some effort, they finally found a few scattered stone slabs in the corner of the hall. These stone slabs were engraved with complex symbols, which looked like the items needed to unlock the crystal ball.

"Quick! Put the stone slab in!" Ye Li urged.

Qin Feng embedded the stone slabs into the grooves at the bottom of the crystal ball one by one. As the last stone slab fell into the groove, the crystal ball made a low roar and the surrounding air began to vibrate.

"Is there going to be another earthquake?" Zhang Meng said nervously, "Every time I move these things, I end up running away."

However, to their surprise, the crystal ball did not undergo drastic changes, but slowly opened a gap, revealing a strange device.

"This is the core of the puzzle." Qin Feng recognized the special feature of this device at a glance. It looked like a complex mechanical device with internal gears meshing with each other, and it obviously required certain skills to start.

"This kind of thing... looks like a headache." Zhang Meng looked at the device with a frown, obviously not having a good impression of this complicated mechanism.

Ye Li's face was full of excitement: "This should be the final decryption step! As long as we can crack this device, we can reveal the secret of the crystal ball!"

"Okay, this time I admit that I can't do anything." Zhang Meng raised his hands in surrender. "This kind of high-IQ mechanism is completely beyond my comprehension."

Qin Feng smiled slightly: "Don't worry, the operation of this mechanism is actually the same as the previous symbols, and there are certain rules. We just need to find the correct way to rotate it."

He carefully studied the gears and symbols of the device, and gradually figured out its operating principle. After operating step by step, the mechanism made a slight clicking sound, and then the light inside the crystal ball suddenly became brighter, as if the entire space was lit up.

"Done!" Chu Tian shouted excitedly.

As the light burst, the crystal ball slowly disintegrated, revealing its true core: an ancient key. The key flickered with a faint light, as if it possessed some mysterious power.

"This is what we are looking for!" Ye Li said excitedly.

Zhang Meng was not quite convinced: "Just a key? We went through so much trouble just to get a key that looks like an antique?"

"This is not an ordinary key." Qin Feng said slowly, his eyes deep, "This may be the key to our ultimate goal."

"So, we are finally getting close to the truth?" Chu Tian asked.

Qin Feng nodded: "Yes, next, it's time to uncover the secret behind this key."

"Great! Our work is not in vain!" Zhang Meng cheered loudly, but then he suddenly stopped and looked around with a vigilant look on his face, "But I always feel that this matter is not simple."

Ye Li smiled and said, "You can actually sense danger?"

Zhang Meng nodded seriously: "Of course, I am an experienced adventurer."

Qin Feng smiled and turned to look at the exit in the distance: "No matter what, what we are facing next may be the real end - or it may be another new beginning."

As they leave the hall with the key, new puzzles and adventures await them, and this trial may be far from over.