Chapter 175: Ning Zhuo vs Zhou Zhenshen (Part 1)
Everyone arrived at the Ning Family’s martial arts training ground.
Ning Zhuo originally wanted to rent a training ground in Huoshi Immortal City, but Zhou Zhenshen said there was no need to waste that money.
There was also no need to go all the way to the Zhou Family; it would be better to have a small sparring match at the Ning Family’s training ground.
This statement made Ning Zhuo glance at Zhou Zhenshen at the time, his heart beginning to contemplate something.
Ning Yong immediately stood up, raising his hand, “Then I’ll go contact the family’s training ground.”
Seeing Ning Zhuo nod, Ning Yong excitedly ran out of the courtyard.
Zhou Zhenshen, with a smile on his face, suggested, “Big bets hurt the body, small bets bring joy. Brother Ning, why don’t we bet on something?”
Ning Zhuo also smiled and said, “It seems Brother Zhou was already prepared before coming here.”
Zhou Zhenshen spread his hands, “You’ve caught me, Brother Ning. I thought, I couldn’t visit you empty-handed, so I brought this.”
As he spoke, Zhou Zhenshen took out a crossbow from his storage belt.
The crossbow was small, only about thirty percent larger than an adult’s palm, and finely crafted with a bronze texture.
Notably, it lacked a traditional arrow quiver, replaced by a small rectangular wooden box.
“This is a rivet shooting crossbow, slightly modified by me. Its power is not small.” Zhou Zhenshen revealed a confident smile. “Brother Ning, if you win, I’ll give this to you, along with the mechanism blueprint.”
Ning Zhuo’s heart stirred, and he took out a Mechanical Explosive Monkey. “If you win, I’ll give this to you, also with its blueprint. I’m just worried that I won’t be able to give it away.”
“Hahaha.” The two exchanged glances and laughed simultaneously.
Ning Yong soon returned, panting as he said he had reserved the Ding-character training ground.
Everyone immediately left the courtyard, gathering in groups as they made their way to the training ground.
The branch family cultivator in charge of the training ground was respectful and enthusiastic towards Ning Zhuo, asking what kind of battlefield they needed.
Ning Zhuo looked at Zhou Zhenshen.
Zhou Zhenshen said, “Since there are mountains all around, let’s go with a mountainous terrain.”
Thus, several formations of the training ground were activated in succession.
The previously flat ground immediately saw countless red earth being piled up, getting higher and higher.
It was as if an invisible force was molding the red soil into two small hills, the height greatly surpassing the Ning Family compound walls.
But that wasn’t all.
The power of wood was applied to the hills, causing grass and trees to grow and mature within just a dozen breaths, forming a dense forest.
A cloud gathered, floating over the battlefield, and rain poured down.
Water also flowed out of nowhere, forming a small river between the two hills.
As per Zhou Zhenshen’s request, the concealment formations of the training ground were not activated.
Such a grand spectacle quickly attracted other members of the Ning Family.
With introductions from Ning Zhuo’s classmates, everyone soon understood the situation.
“It’s Young Master Ning Zhuo, going to spar with the genius of the Zhou Family, Zhou Zhenshen!”
“Why?”
“Zhou Zhenshen initiated the challenge.”
“Uh oh, Zhou Zhenshen looks treacherous. Is our Young Master Ning Zhuo being set up? Is Zhou Zhenshen using him to make a name for himself?”
“Ahem, that’s a bit much. Zhou Zhenshen is already famous, long before Young Master Ning Zhuo.”
“Can’t you see the two of them are getting along quite well? Both are smiling.”
“This is bad. I’ve heard Zhou Zhenshen possesses the talent of ‘Water Accumulates into Abyss’ and has been nurtured by his family for a long time. But although Young Master Ning Zhuo has talent, it hasn’t even been fully tested yet. How can he win?”
“Young Master Ning Zhuo, fight on!”
“We’re all supporting you!”
More and more Ning Family members gathered, and after some discussion, they all began cheering for Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo waved to greet everyone, drawing even louder cheers and shouts from the crowd.
Once the battlefield was set up, Ning Zhuo and Zhou Zhenshen entered the training ground simultaneously, each standing on top of a hill, facing each other.
Zhou Zhenshen transmitted a message, “Brother Ning, please.”
Ning Zhuo replied, “Brother Zhou, you’re the guest, so please go first.”
“Alright, then I’ll go first.” Zhou Zhenshen patted his storage belt and immediately released ten Mechanical Drilling Rats.
The Drilling Rats were very fast and nimble, weaving through the dense forest with ease.
Each Mechanical Rat was connected to a mana string that trailed behind them. As the distance between the rats and Zhou Zhenshen grew, the strings extended, flowing smoothly and steadily.
Ning Zhuo also patted his belt, releasing five Mechanical Explosive Monkeys.
He also used mana strings to control them, making the monkeys leap and fly through the branches and leaves.
The training ground had limited space, and both sides’ mechanisms were fast. They quickly met at the foot of the hill where Ning Zhuo stood.
The front ends of the Drilling Rats were equipped with spiral drills, sharp enough to pierce holes in the Mechanical Monkeys upon impact.
However, the Mechanical Monkeys were much larger than the Drilling Rats and had greater strength. They moved very flexibly and could coordinate with each other, quickly gaining the upper hand.
Bang, bang, bang…
Zhou Zhenshen’s mana strings were connected to his ten fingers. After the clash, three of his fingers trembled slightly, and the mana strings snapped.
This meant that he had lost three Mechanical Drilling Rats in a row!
Seeing the unfavorable situation, Zhou Zhenshen quickly clenched his ten fingers inward, making the remaining seven Drilling Rats retreat simultaneously.
“Good!” The Ning Family spectators erupted in cheers.
Earlier, much of their view had been blocked by the forest, and with so many mechanisms involved, the battle scene had been chaotic and hard to follow.
Now, as Zhou Zhenshen’s Drilling Rats retreated, both sides were clearly separated, allowing everyone to see what had happened.
Zhou Zhenshen had lost three Drilling Rats, while Ning Zhuo’s side had barely taken any damage, with only one Explosive Monkey lagging behind during the chase.
Apparently, its mechanical leg had been damaged, affecting its movement.
In this first probing exchange, Zhou Zhenshen decisively retreated, trying to create distance between his Drilling Rats and the opponent.
Ning Zhuo, of course, refused to let him go, directly increasing his mana output, commanding his Mechanical Explosive Monkeys to pursue.
However, the Drilling Rats were faster than the monkeys, having a clear advantage in speed.
Seeing that the monkeys couldn’t catch up, Ning Zhuo called out, “Brother Zhou, be careful, I’m about to use weapon attachments.”
In the next moment, the Explosive Monkeys opened their mouths and spat out red firecrackers.
The Mechanical Monkeys hurled the firecrackers with force.
Boom, boom, boom—explosions rocked the battlefield, sending dirt and stones flying, trees collapsing, and smoke billowing everywhere.
When the smoke cleared, only a few mechanical remains were left at the explosion site.
It turned out that at the critical moment, the Drilling Rats had burrowed into the ground to escape.
However, two of them, despite also burrowing, were unlucky enough to be at the center of the explosion and were blown to pieces.
“Only five left,” Ning Zhuo calculated silently.
He frowned slightly.
This was because the Drilling Rats had burrowed into the mountains, causing him to lose track of their location.
They might have returned to Zhou Zhenshen’s side, or they could be preparing to launch a surprise attack from underground.
“Should I continue attacking or cast a detection spell?”
Ning Zhuo decided to cast a spell to scan his surroundings.
“Choosing to defend first?” Zhou Zhenshen, standing atop the hill, saw this and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.
He silently noted this detail.
In battle, a person’s character was often revealed more directly and honestly.
This was one of the reasons Zhou Zhenshen suggested this sparring match.
The Zhou Family wanted to win over Ning Zhuo, and Zhou Zhenshen keenly understood that Ning Zhuo had immense potential.
If he continued at his current pace, he was destined to become a pivotal figure in Huoshi Immortal City.
And to win over key figures, the prerequisite was to understand them well.
A friendly sparring match often allowed cultivators to quickly build rapport and deepen their understanding of each other.
“The Explosive Monkeys are only five, so Ning Zhuo doesn’t have much pressure controlling them.”
“He could easily cast detection spells while also commanding the Mechanical Monkeys.”
“Indeed.”
“He understands my main intention for this spar.”
“As expected of a genius like me.”
Zhou Zhenshen’s lips curved slightly, feeling that dealing with someone as smart as Ning Zhuo was comfortable. Many things didn’t need to be said; they could just understand each other.
Ning Zhuo deliberately slowed the pace of the battle, while Zhou Zhenshen threw out a storage bag.
The bag fell to the ground, its mouth wide open, releasing over a dozen mechanical bats—Night Sky Bats.
The Night Sky Bats flew across the air, heading towards Ning Zhu
o.
Seeing this, Ning Zhuo patted his belt, releasing a flock of Thunderstorm Birds.
These mechanical birds were very common, widely praised for their simple control and ease of use.
The Thunderstorm Birds clashed with the Night Sky Bats in mid-air, beginning the second frontal confrontation between Ning Zhuo and Zhou Zhenshen.
The Thunderstorm Birds attacked in a straightforward manner, while the Night Sky Bats were erratic, with sharp turns and great evasion capabilities, far superior to the Thunderstorm Birds.
The Night Sky Bats were mechanisms from the Mud Flow Sect, clearly outperforming the Thunderstorm Birds in terms of performance.
Ning Zhuo had more Thunderstorm Birds than Night Sky Bats, but after the clash, the Thunderstorm Birds quickly dwindled, clearly at a disadvantage.
The Ning Family spectators looked serious, some frowning, secretly worried for Ning Zhuo.
“He’s holding back,” Zhou Zhenshen thought.
Earlier, Ning Zhuo had controlled the five Mechanical Monkeys with great precision, demonstrating high control skills.
But in this aerial battle, Ning Zhuo’s Thunderstorm Birds were barely maneuvered, moving in straight lines, making their attack paths easy to predict.
This gave Zhou Zhenshen a huge advantage.
“Is it because my Drilling Rats retreated in the first exchange? Is Ning Zhuo intentionally giving me face by losing this round?”
“This guy…”
Zhou Zhenshen gritted his teeth, feeling conflicted.
He was grateful for Ning Zhuo’s consideration for his reputation, showing such tacit understanding.
But he also felt uncomfortable, as Zhou Zhenshen, a genius, rarely experienced being let off like this.
“Although this is a friendly sparring match, I have always taken it seriously.”
“I’m giving my all, yet you’re holding back…”
“While it’s kind, to me, it’s also a form of subtle insult.”
“Ning Zhuo!”
“I want you to take me seriously!”
Zhou Zhenshen shouted in his heart.
Fueled by this, he took out a medium-sized mechanism from his storage belt.
This mechanical creation resembled a fierce tiger, about twenty-five feet long, five feet tall at the shoulder, with three-inch claws, two-inch-long teeth, white fur with black stripes, and golden tiger eyes, looking extremely imposing.