Hanzhou could not help but size up Ning Zhuo from head to toe. “The Comprehension Diagrams are far more valuable than that bit of Bitter Water I gave you! That Bitter Water, I can now refine myself. So losing so of it is nothing to regret.”
“But you and I had only t twice before. This is just our third encounter, and yet you’re lending these two Comprehension Diagrams.”
“You’re not worried I’ll take these diagrams and leave Myriad dicines Sect without returning them?”
“You must understand, any such Comprehension Diagram is a treasure of inheritance, extrely valuable.”
Hanzhou’s Bitter Water was difficult to ingest. Those unqualified to drink it would suffer backlash. But the Comprehension Diagrams carried no such severe drawbacks.
The Bitter Water contained the true intent of the Bitter Cold Sutra. Absorbing too much of this intent would cause a cultivator’s mind to waver, gradually leaning toward the Bitter Cold Sutra, eventually abandoning their current technique to retrain anew.
The Comprehension Diagrams, however, were rely techniques. They did not involve cultivation thods, and were far more suitable for general use.
Ning Zhuo smiled and thought to himself, “Of course I’m not afraid. I already planted Life Hanging by a Thread on you. I can sense your location at any ti.”
On the surface, however, he simply waved his hand and said, “The value of the Comprehension Diagrams only manifests when used by the right person.”
“Brother Hanzhou, you gifted the Bitter Water. I benefited greatly from it, and I ought to reciprocate.”
“As the ancients say, a single drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring. I lack the virtue to reach such heights.”
“But lending out two Comprehension Diagrams is still within my ans!”
“So long as, before I depart Lesser Strife Peak and set off again on my travels, you return them to , that will suffice.”
“After all, these are the property of the Ning Family, not my personal belongings.”
Seeing that Ning Zhuo was genuinely lending them rather than putting on a show, Hanzhou was montarily stunned.
“Ning Zhuo, this kid—no, this junior—really has the deanor of a scion from a great clan.”
“Still, this might just be a social skill deliberately cultivated by his clan…”
Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
“To be honest, I’ve seen countless people. With my beggarly appearance, very few look at with respect.”
“Even those who request my help, like Li Jingqing and the like—clearly far inferior to in strength—still order about as if I were beneath them.”
“To lend out two Comprehension Diagrams after only three etings… Young Lord Ning Zhuo is indeed generous!”
Hanzhou’s admiration quickly overca his doubts.
He then recalled his own sches.
“To be honest, I haven’t been sincere with Ning Zhuo. I’ve been secretly trying to convert him, lure him into switching to the Bitter Cold Sutra.”
“No, no, no. He has such aptitude with the Bitter Cold Sutra. Are his current techniques really suitable for him? I’m actually helping him!”
Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
“Even so, I’m still calculating against him, aren’t I?”
“But Young Lord Ning Zhuo treats with such genuine sincerity!”
“Sigh, what I’ve done doesn’t sit right… I truly feel ashad…”
Hanzhou felt both admiration and guilt.
Ning Zhuo had lived in Huoshi Immortal City for sixteen years, continuously studying human nature. By relying on his own judgnt, he could draw out a wisp of the power of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal to influence others.
Now, he had mastered the divine ability Life Hanging by a Thread. Once soone had been planted with the thread, as long as they were within a few paces face-to-face, Ning Zhuo could, by combining the thread and the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, sense the vague undercurrents of thought and emotion in their hearts.
Though the impressions were extrely faint and unclear on their own, Ning Zhuo could use his insight into human nature to infer much more. From there, he could apply targeted amplification or suppression.
By leveraging Life Hanging by a Thread and the Buddha Heart Demon Seal in a push-and-pull dynamic, he gained a trendous advantage in interpersonal interactions.
Hanzhou’s fondness for him grew swiftly, and, crucially, he did not feel anything strange or unnatural. It all felt as natural as spring rain nurturing the earth. He simply believed that all of it arose from his own thoughts and inclinations.
He had ant to convert Ning Zhuo, unaware that he had already been subtly guided and gradually controlled by Ning Zhuo instead.
In order to make up for his sense of guilt, Hanzhou beca even more devoted and earnest during their sparring sessions.
When it ca ti for them to part, he proactively suggested, “Daoist Ning Zhuo, if you find it difficult to apply martial arts from the Bitter Cold Sutra, I might have a thod that can help.”
Ning Zhuo said, “Oh? What marvelous thod?”
Hanzhou smiled, “To tell the truth, it’s nothing too surprising—just Puppet Arts.”
“I noticed that when you use the Five Elents spells, you sotis deploy flying chanical arms for support in battle.”
“That made wonder… perhaps through chanical constructs, one might overco the physical limitations of executing martial techniques!”
Ning Zhuo had never thought of that before. His eyes imdiately lit up, and he sincerely thanked Hanzhou.
After the two parted ways, Ning Zhuo sank into reflection. “I was careless…”
“Blinded by the joy of gaining benefits. The thod was so simple, and I’m so skilled in Puppet Arts—how did I not think of it myself?”
“Was it because I already possess the Demonic Blood Tendon Technique and could convert it on my own, so I didn’t give it much thought?”
“Was it because I’ve recently been relying solely on personal combat and temporarily set aside Puppet Arts?”
“No, none of these are real reasons.”
“It’s because pride has begun to grow within . After entering Myriad dicines Sect, I discovered the combination of Buddha Heart Demon Seal and Life Hanging by a Thread gave an overwhelming advantage in interpersonal dealings. With it, I could easily gain huge benefits without needing to engage in battles, or spend ages building cooperation and mutual trust, or establishing emotional foundations.”
“Ning Zhuo, oh Ning Zhuo, you’re still far from enough.”
“Your cultivation is only at the early Foundation Establishnt stage. You haven’t even begun designing the puppet chanism for ng Yahu. You know very little about cultivation and breeding. You’ve only added a few offensive wood-elent techniques—your progress in the other four elents still lags far behind.”
“Also, the spiritual plant cabin of Wanli Dragon is only roughly laid out. The consumption of Lingyin Willow is heavy. The Puppet Dragon itself also consus massive amounts of Fire Essence. You haven’t solved any of these issues yet.”
“Furthermore, Mother’s injuries are still only being treated halfway; there’s no permanent cure in sight!”
With these thoughts, Ning Zhuo’s mood gradually cald, and a composed, low-key aura emanated from him.
He once again made his way toward the original mountain, and as expected, was intercepted again.
When he inquired about Lin Shanshan, he was scolded—“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask!”
From that, Ning Zhuo understood: the people Myriad dicines Sect had dispatched to Huoshi Immortal City to gather intelligence had not yet returned.
Once they did, the cooperation between the two sides could enter the next stage of negotiation. At present, that was clearly not the case.
“These Myriad dicines Sect people move far too slowly.”
“By now, my letter should have already reached Huoshi Immortal City.”
Based on the distance between Myriad dicines Valley and Mount Huoshi, if Ning Zhuo used his own magic power alone, his flying ssage would veer off course after five or six miles, and fall after ten miles when his power depleted.
His letter was instead sent via courier stations.
In cultivation nations such as Southern Dou Country, there were governnt-operated courier stations.
These stations ca in large, dium, and small sizes, responsible for ssage delivery, cargo transport, accommodation, als, and cultivation facilities.
All courier stations were guarded by stationed troops.
Large courier stations even had military power to pacify entire regions and wipe out sects and gangs.
Ning Zhuo’s letter had been relayed through these stations repeatedly, and ultimately reached its destination—Mount Huoshi.
At the summit of Mount Huoshi—
Lava Immortal Palace.
After a long period of hard dredging, ng Kui had pieced together the missing parts of the palace and even restored a portion of its power.
A large number of cultivators gathered around the repaired area, hamring, constructing arrays, as busy as bees.
Such detailed and precise work was no longer sothing ng Kui could handle alone.
The cultivators he hired were not just from the Zhou Family, but recruited at great expense through the ng Family’s channels from various Immortal Cities across Southern Dou Country.
Even the City Lord’s Mansion of Huoshi Immortal City covered part of the cost.
This expense made Fei Si gloomy all day, weighed down by fiscal pressure.
Ning Jiufan and Zhou Nongying were invited to the Lava Immortal Palace to discuss urgent matters with ng Kui.
ng Kui displayed an image of a location deep within Mount Huoshi.
A massive underground lava sea surged like a river, and amid its waves, a spirit shimred with dazzling brilliance, darting in and out of the molten ocean, gleefully frolicking.
At tis, it transford into the Fire Fusion Demon Ape, roaring and tearing through lava with fiery gales. At other tis, it beca a Fire Fluff Mice, lightning-fast as it weaved. Then a Fire Serpent, slithering with graceful agility. Or a Fla-stepping Lizard, exuding ferocious might.
It even took on human form—draped in a fiery robe, seated cross-legged in the sea of flas, mimicking a cultivator’s breathing technique.
Whenever that happened, the surrounding flas seed drawn by an invisible force, gathering toward it, yet respectfully maintaining distance—like vassals worshipping their sovereign.
Every faint ripple from the Fire Essence sparked resonance with nearby flas, forming dazzling fla vortexes—stunningly beautiful and awe-inspiring.
ng Kui said, “As you can see, this is a Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Essence!”
Zhou Nongying and Ning Jiufan were montarily silent, deeply shocked.
Such a treasure surpassed the Nascent Soul level—it had reached the Soul Transformation realm!
ng Kui continued, “The previous volcanic eruption drew it up from the deep underground. I discovered it while controlling the Lava Immortal Palace for routine exploration.”
“Today I invited both of you to discuss a thod to contain it.”
Ning Jiufan frowned, “With our current strength, I fear it will be very difficult. The terrain favors it heavily, and the Lava Immortal Palace is far from ready to participate in a battle.”
Zhou Nongying sighed, “True, but this matter cannot be delayed. The Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Essence has already started taking human form, albeit a crude one still bearing many beast-like traits.”
“I believe the eruption of Mount Huoshi attracted its attention. Once aboveground, it discovered spiritual intelligence it could absorb, and has lingered ever since.”
“Back then, many cultivators sacrificed their lives exploring the Lava Immortal Palace.”
“It was that offering that allowed the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Essence to rapidly evolve toward humanoid form. If it truly completes this transformation, its intelligence will increase trendously, and the difficulty of capturing it will surge at least tenfold!”
Ning Jiufan fell into silence.
A wild Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Essence with human intelligence, no restrictions, and imnse innate power…
Its very existence posed a colossal threat to all of Huoshi Immortal City.
ng Kui stated directly, “Both of you, make your preparations. Once I’m ready, we’ll lure it out and surround it for capture. Daoist Ning Jiufan, I know you possess a Fire Core Pogranate. Please lend it to for the trap.”
“You will be duly compensated.”
Ning Jiufan agreed.
Upon returning to the clan estate, a servant handed him a letter from Ning Zhuo.
Ning Jiufan opened the letter and read: “Hm? This brat actually reached Myriad dicines Valley? Back in the day…”
Reading further, Ning Jiufan’s brows shot up: “What? He wants to bring Granny Yuan and make a trip there?”
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