< Chapter 3: The Will >
In the underground workshop, the gentle light of a spirit lamp filled the space evenly. Ning Zhuo sat at the desk, checking a storage bag for the last time. It was a spoils of war he had acquired from the Huang Family Three Ghosts at the black market.
After ensuring safety, Ning Zhuo began to crack the tiny array on the first storage bag, then faked the original owner's aura and consciousness, finally tricking the storage bag into opening successfully. Inside the first storage bag, there were a few spirit stones, a spirit pet Green Knife Mantis, and some materials suitable for ghost cultivation like dark essence, soul essence, and Netherworld Flower.
The second storage bag contained hundreds of spirit stones and only a gust of yin wind along with a jade slip of a ghost cultivation technique, "Yin Bone Jue," which could modify one's own bones.
The third storage bag belonged to the eldest of the Huang Family Three Ghosts. It had a double-layered array, which significantly increased the difficulty and time required for Ning Zhuo to crack it.
"Interesting," the young man's eyes shone brilliantly. The greater the difficulty, the stronger the resistance, the more it spurred his fighting spirit.
He immersed himself wholeheartedly, enjoying the challenge of the difficult problem. After nearly half an hour, he successfully cracked it. As soon as he opened it, a little ghost head lunged at Ning Zhuo's face.
Ning Zhuo snorted softly, already prepared. At the crucial moment, the Buddha's Demon Mind Seal in his sea of consciousness flashed a light, capturing the little ghost head. Then, the defensive array on the desk activated, instantly obliterating the soul of the little ghost head.
The little ghost head was like the last defiance of the eldest Huang Family ghost. From then on, his storage bag posed no defenses against Ning Zhuo.
Inside, there were over a thousand spirit stones, two jade slips for ghost cultivation techniques—"Nether Heart Sutra" and a detailed explanation of "Soul Summoning Art"—and a large pile of cultivation materials suitable not only for ghost cultivators.
"Fire essence?!" Ning Zhuo's pupils dilated as he discovered about ten pounds of fire essence.
Joy immediately appeared on his face.
Suppressing his excitement, Ning Zhuo pulled open a drawer and grabbed a Gold Thread Jade Dew Cake from inside. With a flick of his mana, he incinerated the cake's wrapping paper, sending a small amount of ash flying, reminiscent of the ashes of a corpse burned in a pill furnace.
He opened his mouth and stuffed the entire pastry inside.
As he chewed, under the illumination of the Spirit Lamp, his lips were a bright red, occasionally revealing his white teeth. The Gold Thread Jade Dew Cake was crushed between his teeth and lips, its filling oozing out and mixing together. It was as if the numerous cultivators who had fallen into his hands were wailing in torment during their grind, their flesh and blood shattered, turning into the nourishment for Ning Zhuo’s growth.
The world of cultivators was cruel; without shady businesses like the Ruyi Rope, and the contributions of these demonic cultivators, how could Ning Zhuo afford so many Gold Thread Jade Dew Cakes?
While enjoying the cakes, Ning Zhuo cheerfully tallied up the profits from yesterday's black market.
Selling the Ruyi Ropes had brought him 24,000 spirit stones.
Of these, his uncle Ning Ze had contributed the most by purchasing 80 Ruyi Ropes for the Ning family.
In comparison, the spirit stones on the Huang Family Three Ghosts were pitifully few.
“The Ruyi Ropes I make are the best available on the market. Thus, this business has always been good.”
“It seems that the Ning family is preparing for big moves with such large-scale war preparations, huh?”
“Alas, the world of cultivation is a world where people devour each other!”
“There are always those with ulterior motives, bullying ordinary youths like me.”
“Since those three ghost cultivators came out to rob, they must be desperate. But the ten pounds of Fire Essence was beyond my expectations, truly a pleasant surprise.”
“With this, the Fire Essence I’ve been preparing has now reached over a thousand pounds, which is more than enough!”
Over the years, Ning Zhuo had been secretly accumulating Fire Essence. For safety, he always purchased only a small amount at a time from the market, accumulating gradually. At his pace, it would take over a month to gather ten pounds of Fire Essence.
Now, this large batch of Fire Essence had immediately filled the last gap.
After tallying his gains, Ning Zhuo calculated the losses from last night's black market.
He retrieved a silver-gray token from his bosom.
The front of the token bore the character "苍," while the back had another Chinese character.
Ning Zhuo gently tossed the token into the air, where it disassembled, stretched, and expanded, bursting forth with a dazzling radiance. When the brilliance faded, the Mechanical Battle Armor of Cang Tie Han quietly floated in midair.
Ning Zhuo opened a section of the spine on the Mechanical Battle Armor, where a Foundation Establishment Pill was embedded.
"Only thirty percent of the Foundation Establishment Pill is left."
This pill was crucial; it was one of the elements that enabled the Iron Gray Han Armor to exert Foundation Establishment battle prowess. Ning Zhuo himself was only at the Qi Refining stage.
"Once the Foundation Establishment Pill is used up, the Iron Gray Han Armor will also be unusable."
"Ah, getting another Foundation Establishment Pill is very difficult," Ning Zhuo frowned slightly.
This was Ning Zhuo's biggest loss yesterday.
Last night, a new scar had been added.
It was a stab wound left by the eldest of the Huang Family Three Ghosts in a desperate fight, and Ning Zhuo was powerless to address it.
Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the surface of the Mechanical Battle Armor was already marred with numerous scars.
Some were old wounds from years past, others were marks left from battles Ning Zhuo had fought in while wearing it.
"Mother..." Ning Zhuo caressed the old scars, his eyes becoming sorrowful.
Fourteen years ago, when he was only two years old, his dying mother had instructed him.
He thus learned that within Mount Huoshi, there was a Lava Immortal Palace, a Mechanical Immortal City, where the city spirit secretly selected cultivators to inherit the city. His mother was one of the chosen Foundation Establishment cultivators. The trials of the Immortal City were incredibly difficult, and his mother, due to her outstanding strength, was targeted by other competitors and ultimately succumbed to grave injuries.
"The Immortal City continues to deteriorate, and the selection criteria are lowered. My son, by the time you are fourteen, the selection criteria for the Mechanical Immortal City will be lowered to the Qi Refining stage. This will be your greatest opportunity!"
"My son, you must diligently study mechanical arts, and keep your involvement in this field a secret from others."
"You must design, assemble, and control mechanical creations personally; these are all part of the assessments in the Mechanical Immortal City."
“If you rank among the top few in the selection of the other candidates, you will be recognized as a 'Puppet Seed' and receive focused cultivation from Mechanical Immortal City. This is especially important for you, as you need the cultivation resources of Mechanical Immortal Palace more than those with backgrounds,” she explained.
“You must never cultivate to the Foundation Establishment phase using the Ning family's methods! Your mother was a 'Puppet Seed' at the Foundation Establishment phase, but sadly, my dantian is fixed, and I cannot change my cultivation method. Many of the trials in Lava Immortal Palace became immensely difficult because I did not practice the cultivation methods left by the Three Ancestors, and I eventually had no choice but to stop,” she lamented.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Two-year-old Ning Zhuo cried out in fear, “Mother, stop talking, you’re coughing up blood!”
Ning Zhuo’s mother reached out to stroke his little head, her eyes filled with reluctance and worry.
“Zhuo’er, mother is sorry for not protecting you. Without your father and mother, you will be alone from now on, you can only rely on yourself.”
“Do not be too loyal to the family. Your father made that mistake!”
“Before your father died, he entrusted Young Clan Leader Ning Xiaoren to take care of you. But this person, I have seen clearly, is duplicitous and cannot be relied upon.”
“Your eldest uncle and aunt, one cares too much about face, and the other is extremely stingy; neither are generous people, so be cautious.”
“Sometimes, the people around you, your relatives and friends, can be more dangerous than your enemies!”
“Do not perform too excellently; with no parents, no one is truly there to support you. You must hide yourself well, do not perform too poorly either, mediocrity is sufficient. You need to grow ordinarily, accumulate quietly, and avoid attracting attention.”
“I have seen too much, many a genius dies young…”
“I leave you my Iron Gray Han Armor for protection; it possesses the power of Foundation Establishment.”
“And this magical item—my Buddha Heart Devil Seal! I was fortunate to obtain it from Lava Immortal Palace, you must never reveal it.”
As Ning Zhuo’s mother spoke these words, her voice faded to a whisper.
She wept continuously, gazing intensely at the two-year-old Ning Zhuo, wanting to keep looking at him, but her vision gradually darkened.
In her final moments, she was filled with doubt, “Mother doesn’t know if teaching you this way is right or not.”
"Zhuo'er, you must take good care of yourself. If it becomes too difficult, just give up on the Lava Immortal Palace," Ning Zhuo's mother advised with a weary voice.
"Life is the most important thing. I want you to live, to live well!"
"As long as you are alive, mother will be happy."
A two-year-old Ning Zhuo clutched his mother's bloodied clothes tightly, crying out, "Mother, mother, please stop talking. I don't want you to die, you must not die, wuu wuu wuu..."
In her final moments, Ning Zhuo's mother softly comforted, "Dear Zhuo'er, don't be afraid, don't be afraid... Mother is here, mother will protect you from below..."
The next moment, her heart ceased beating, and her hand slowly slid from atop Ning Zhuo's head.
The body of two-year-old Ning Zhuo shook violently as if struck by electricity, and he suddenly looked up—now in the form of a sixteen-year-old.
The once exceedingly innocent face of a child, now covered in tears, had been replaced by the resolute expression of a grown young man.
He had grown up, bearing the dying wishes and expectations of his mother.
"Mother, the situation has changed!" he declared.
"The lord of the city and the Zhou and Zheng families have intensified their purge in the Scarlet Flame Demon Caves, significantly reducing the defensive pressure on the Lava Immortal Palace and decreasing its damage. The palace’s spirit hasn't lowered the selection standards anymore."
"This year, the Ning family also uncovered the secrets of the Lava Immortal Palace. If they too join in the defense, when will the standards ever lower?"
"Perhaps I might never see that day in this lifetime!"
"The several major powers of the Mechanical Immortal City are all trying their best to conceal the Lava Immortal Palace, wanting to monopolize this opportunity within their ranks. How can this be allowed?"
"Therefore, I must take action myself!"
"Now, I have accumulated enough Fire Essence, certainly enough to blast the palace with damage, thus lowering the standards."
"All that’s left is the Explosive Monkey."