Chapter 173: Discovery of an Internal Traitor?
The “Record of Clouds Falling to the Horizon” that Ning Zhuo exchanged for was quickly read.
The book narrated from the perspective of Falling Cloud Master, detailing his unfortunate experiences, wandering the world and traveling far and wide.
The story was quite interesting, and Ning Zhuo also felt he learned a lot about the customs and cultures of different places.
However, when it came to matters of fate, techniques to change fortune, and similar topics, it only touched on the surface and didn’t delve deeply into any of them.
And this was already the best book Ning Zhuo could exchange for in the Entire Book Tower. The other books related to fate that he skimmed through were even worse than the “Record of Clouds Falling to the Horizon.”
“Matters related to fate are not widely known and are only passed down in a small circle.”
“As of now, the place that seems to possess the most knowledge about such mysteries is Tian Gui Mansion.”
“Although Tian Gui Mansion is a super sect, it has very few members and is extremely mysterious. According to Falling Cloud Master’s account, he once studied at Tian Gui Mansion, but there is no mention of Tian Gui Mansion in the ‘Record of Clouds Falling to the Horizon.'”
“However, Falling Cloud Master could, within a certain period and range, change someone else’s fortune.”
“He could give someone wealth, official rank, romantic encounters, and so on.”
“But all these techniques had drawbacks. Once certain taboos were touched, the outcome would become even worse.”
Ning Zhuo sighed inwardly.
His previous plan had fallen through, as he couldn’t rely on the “Record of Clouds Falling to the Horizon” to enhance the embryonic form of the Divine Ability—Life Hanging by a Thread—into a qualitative transformation.
But it wasn’t without any gains.
At least he understood that changing another person’s fortune carried many drawbacks.
“So, what drawbacks does Meng Kui’s ‘Mountain Watching Divine Ability’ have when it creates different fortune fields?”
Ning Zhuo pondered this question.
To him, Meng Kui was also a competitor in the race for the Lava Immortal Palace.
Reality was cruel.
Just because Meng Kui was in the Nascent Soul stage and Ning Zhuo was only in the Qi Refining stage didn’t mean they wouldn’t be competitors.
When the final moment arrived, Ning Zhuo would inevitably face Nascent Soul-stage Meng Kui.
“But if I can find the weaknesses of his divine ability before then, it will undoubtedly increase my chances of victory.”
Ning Zhuo continued his arduous cultivation.
His spiritual sea cultivation had reached its limit.
His qi sea cultivation had also reached its upper limit, but his mana needed further refinement.
His essence sea cultivation still had room for improvement, and Ning Zhuo’s cultivation speed was considerable, thanks to consuming large quantities of spirit food and pills.
“However, even if the essence sea cultivation reaches the peak of the sixth layer, it won’t break through the current bottleneck.”
Ning Zhuo was almost certain that the difficulty behind the second demonic gate was on par with that of the Buddhist and Daoist gates. It was expected that he would still face an obstacle.
“The second gate is a special checkpoint that grants the Five Elements Spirit Transformation Disk. The more skilled I am in the art of the Five Elements mutual generation and restraint, the higher quality the transformation disk I’ll receive.”
“Based on the coffin room in the first Buddhist gate, I can probably only choose once, so I must be extremely cautious.”
“I need to raise my proficiency in the Five Elements mutual generation and restraint as much as possible before selecting the transformation disk.”
Mastering the Five Elements mutual generation and restraint technique required diligent practice, and even more so with the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra.
After Ning Zhuo’s assessment, this cultivation technique was the key to breaking through his current dilemma!
After all, compared to the Daoist gate and the demonic gate, the Buddhist gate was his strongest path forward.
With that, Ning Zhuo focused on cultivating the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra, followed by the Five Elements mutual generation and restraint technique, and finally the Demonic Blood Tendon Technique.
He scheduled his daily activities, from eating and drinking to personal hygiene, down to the split second.
Ning Zhuo’s diligence and determination left those around him in awe.
“I always thought I worked hard enough, but compared to Brother Zhuo, what am I?”
“To be so industrious and tireless, it’s no wonder Brother Zhuo has achieved so much. I’m completely convinced.”
“Brother Zhuo is so excellent and still works this hard—what right do we have to slack off?”
Ning Yong, Ning Chen, and others were greatly inspired.
They all took Ning Zhuo as a role model and began their own frenzied cultivation.
As Ning Zhuo’s status continued to rise, his continued successes led to a surge in his influence.
Without any deliberate effort, Ning Zhuo could directly change the mental and physical states of those around him.
Noticing that Ning Chen, Ning Yong, and others were following his example, Ning Zhuo decisively told them, “We’re all at the peak of the third layer of Qi Refining. If we want to explore the deeper parts of the Immortal Palace, we must focus on improving our mechanical skills.”
“Here’s the plan: I can introduce you to the Flying Disk Workshop.”
“Once you’re there, you can craft various mechanical creations and accumulate hands-on experience, which will be very beneficial for you.”
Ning Yong, Ning Chen, and the others had no objections.
Since Ning Zhuo had said so, they trusted his reasoning.
These young cultivators all chose to follow his advice, with no one refusing.
Thus, Ning Zhuo introduced them to Chen Cha.
Ning Zhuo also handed Chen Cha new mechanical blueprints. “This is a new model of the Mechanical Explosive Monkey that I modified. It’s mainly used for combat.”
Chen Cha took one look and nodded in satisfaction. “The materials are much sturdier than last time.”
Ning Zhuo smiled. “It’s primarily for the Monkey Head Gang. This type of combat mechanism needs to be reliable, after all, as it concerns lives.”
Ten days passed quickly.
That afternoon, as planned, Ning Zhuo took a short break to listen to reports from Ning Xiangguo and Ning Xiangqian.
Most of the stewards dismissed from the main family had been recruited by Ning Zhuo, with Ning Xiangguo and Ning Xiangqian being the most outstanding. Ning Zhuo appointed these two as leaders.
After unifying the black market and setting rules, Ning Zhuo had nearly become a hands-off overseer.
For the past half month, the Ning Family’s Foundation Establishment cultivators had been maintaining order.
With the Lava Immortal Palace reappearing and the call for talent attracting many outsiders, people had been continuously pouring into Huoshi Immortal City. Consequently, the black market’s business had become ten times busier than before.
As black market profits soared, so did the difficulty of managing it.
Fortunately, the Ning Family’s cultivators were all in the Foundation Establishment stage, and not just any ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Those selected as stewards by the main family naturally had their own specialties.
These cultivators were the elites among Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The frost techniques they used were also quite suitable for capturing people. Once frozen, a captured person could often be kept alive.
If it had been up to Sun Lingtong’s previous arrangements and forces, they would not have been able to handle the black market as it stood now.
But with these former Ning Family stewards, the black market was managed in an orderly fashion.
“You’ve all worked hard these days,” Ning Zhuo said after hearing the reports, and then proceeded to allocate resources.
He had already investigated the specific salaries these Foundation Establishment cultivators received when they served as stewards in the Ning Family. Ning Zhuo took out eighty percent of the black market’s profits for their payment.
This reached the monthly salary standards they once had.
“It’s the end of the month, so we’ll distribute the salaries now.”
Ning Xiangguo said, “Young Master Zhuo, I think there’s a miscalculation. We’ve only been working for half a month, yet this is a full month’s salary.”
Ning Zhuo nodded. “The extra portion is a welcome gift from me to everyone.”
“From now on, every clan member who joins us will receive half a month’s salary as a joining gift in their first month.”
Ning Xiangqian was delighted. “That’s a great idea! Everyone will love it!”
Ning Zhuo continued, “Next, we’ll calculate bonuses based on individual performance and contributions for this month.”
“According to the rules I set before, the calculations will be detailed. Both the process and results will be available for each person to verify.”
“These bonuses will be distributed at the end of next month along with the salary for next month.”
“In short, salaries will be distributed at the end of each month, and bonuses at the end of the following month. This way, if anyone has disputes over the bonus calculation, they can report and correct them.”
Ning Xiangqian nodded repeatedly. “This is a good method. That way, everyone working in the black market will at least earn the same as they did in the family. The more someone contributes, the more they get. It’s fair!”
Ning Xiangguo, however, frowned
slightly. “But this way, there will hardly be any profits left from the black market. Young Master Zhuo, you should keep some for yourself. Forgive my bluntness, but you’re giving away too much.”
Ning Xiangqian was momentarily stunned, then thought carefully and nodded. “That does seem to be the case.”
Ning Zhuo smiled and waved it off. “It’s only for the first month. I believe we’ll have even better days ahead.”
“There will be more outsiders coming to the black market.”
“In fact, as long as the Lava Immortal Palace hasn’t chosen its master, cultivators will keep coming from far and wide.”
“These people will liven up business in the city, and the black market will keep growing, won’t it?”
Ning Xiangqian grinned. “That makes sense!”
Ning Xiangguo, however, had a deeper look in his eyes and said, “But Young Master Zhuo, do you really plan to control the black market indefinitely?”
“I personally don’t think this is a long-term solution.”
“We need legitimate businesses. After all, the black market isn’t a righteous endeavor.”
“Holding onto it for too long and getting too deeply involved will harm the Ning Family’s reputation.”
“For now, it’s fine, as people will think: The four major forces have reached an understanding, allowing the Ning Family to step into the black market for the sake of maintaining the greater stability of the city.”
“But in the future, once there are fewer outsiders and the Immortal Palace finds its master, we won’t be able to hold onto this place, and we’ll have to let it go.”
Ning Xiangqian immediately frowned, puzzled, and asked, “Why can’t we hold onto it? The black market is something we fought for!”
Clearly, Ning Xiangguo was more strategic and perceptive, able to see the situation clearly and think long-term.
Ning Xiangguo continued, “That’s why I sincerely suggest, Young Master Zhuo, you shouldn’t be so generous. It’s better to take advantage of this rare opportunity to accumulate more wealth and keep it in your hands. When we eventually leave the black market, at least we’ll have a supply of resources.”
Ning Zhuo gave Ning Xiangguo a deep look.
Although Ning Zhuo had been staying behind the scenes recently, he still used his spare time every day to meet one-on-one with the Ning Family’s Foundation Establishment cultivators.
During this process, Ning Zhuo also gathered more detailed information about each of them through the Tortoise Breath Gang.
Now, the majority of Ning Family’s Foundation Establishment cultivators had already been placed under Life Hanging by a Thread.
Both Ning Xiangguo and Ning Xiangqian were among them.