Chapter 362: Exchange of Comprehension Diagrams
Yuanlai Mountain, Martial Arts Arena.
Ning Zhuo was drenched in sweat and panting heavily. He waved at Lin Shanshan, signaling that he needed a break.
Lin Shanshan stopped her attack, took out a bottle of medicinal wine, and handed it to Ning Zhuo.
Since rumors had started spreading, Lin Shanshan no longer used the martial arts arena at the Little Struggle Peak. To avoid gossip, she asked Ning Zhuo to secretly come to Yuanlai Mountain and use the martial arts arena that his father often used.
This martial arts arena not only had a high standard, but it was also rarely frequented, making it the best place to teach martial arts.
"What’s this?" Ning Zhuo asked in confusion as he reached for the medicinal wine.
Lin Shanshan explained, "This is Warm Autumn Wine."
"The main ingredients are Dragon Fruit, Sunlight Flower, and Heavenly Dew. It has strong medicinal effects, nourishing and warming the body, and it will surely dispel the cold qi inside you."
Ning Zhuo was astonished, "This is a Golden Core level medicinal wine, it will definitely clear the bitter cold qi inside me."
"This is too precious!"
"Did someone come back from Huoshi Immortal City, and your sect finally investigated it thoroughly?"
Lin Shanshan shook her head, "The disciples sent out haven’t returned yet. This was personally requested from the elders by me, under my own name."
"From the bottom of my heart, I believe in you, Ning Zhuo."
"However, standing from the sect’s perspective, we need solid evidence and reliable information. Otherwise, even if my father were to act alone, it wouldn’t be the best way to lead a sect."
"I understand," Ning Zhuo sighed, "Leading a sect is really about leading people’s hearts. Being overly forceful and authoritarian, even if it’s well-intentioned, will alienate people. A leader should be kind and considerate, ruling with methods that are like the gentle rain of spring, silently nourishing everything. That is the proper way."
Hearing this, Lin Shanshan’s eyes brightened, and she praised, "Ning Zhuo, your words are remarkably similar to my father’s views. Perhaps, you two will get along well in the future."
Ning Zhuo hurriedly expressed that he had long heard of Lin Bufan’s reputation, and now, upon entering Little Struggle Peak and witnessing the flourishing state of Myriad Medicine Valley, he admired Lin Bufan’s governance skills immensely.
"I know that Lord Lin Bufan is busy with countless matters, and it's almost impossible for someone like me to get an audience with him."
"I only hope that with the upcoming discussions on the cooperation between our two clans, I might get a chance to meet Lord Lin. That would be truly wonderful!"
Ning Zhuo really wanted to leave a good impression on Lin Bufan.
After all, in the future, he might propose a deal regarding the Fetal Breath Spirit Ship.
Although he knew that the matter would be difficult, at the very least, he needed to meet and talk with Lin Bufan to determine if there was any hope in pursuing this option.
Lin Shanshan said, "Since you, Ning Zhuo, plan to challenge Chang Yan soon, it would be best to completely dispel the cold qi and fully recover. That will give you a better chance of victory."
"Calculating the time and distance, the sect disciples should return in the next few days."
"If you can’t defeat Chang Yan, you might miss the upcoming alliance talks."
"The reason I’m giving you this wine is not just because we are friends, but also because I want to secure more benefits for my sect."
"When compared to the major matter of an alliance between our two factions, what is a mere bottle of Warm Autumn Wine?"
Lin Shanshan persuaded Ning Zhuo to accept the medicinal wine. Her words were gentle yet reasonable.
Ning Zhuo nodded, "You’re right, Miss Lin."
He uncorked the bottle and looked inside.
The Warm Autumn Wine was a golden amber color, clear and bright like the warm autumn sun, exuding a faint medicinal fragrance mixed with the scent of fruit, refreshing and soothing.
Ning Zhuo sent a message with his spiritual sense, "Big brother, be alert. I’m going to drink it."
Sun Lingtong nodded and quickly responded, indicating he was watching.
Ning Zhuo immediately raised the bottle and took a small sip.
When the Warm Autumn Wine first entered his mouth, it was smooth and gentle, with a hint of sweetness and coolness, like a mountain spring flowing down his throat.
Moments later, a strong warmth rose from his throat, spreading rapidly through his limbs and bones. That warmth was like sunlight in spring, penetrating layer by layer into his skin, dispelling the cold inside his body, making him feel as though he were basking in warm sunlight, utterly comfortable.
The bitter cold qi lingering in Ning Zhuo’s body quickly dissipated as the wine’s warmth spread.
Not only that, but the muscle and meridian tension caused by his recent training also eased.
"Good wine," Ning Zhuo praised.
Lin Shanshan felt a wave of emotion stirring in her heart. After thinking for a moment, she still said, "Ning Zhuo, when you travel in the future, don’t easily take external substances."
"At the very least, inspect them first."
"My father always taught me that the world is dangerous, and it’s hard to discern people’s true intentions..."
Ning Zhuo nodded, "If it were someone else, I would naturally inspect it. But you, Miss Lin, are someone I trust."
Lin Shanshan couldn’t help but smile and shook her head slightly.
Ning Zhuo stretched out his limbs, "After drinking a sip of the medicinal wine, all my fatigue is gone. Let’s continue, Miss Lin."
Lin Shanshan’s voice was soft, "Alright."
The two of them continued sparring.
Ning Zhuo concentrated fully, throwing himself into the training, with every thought focused on how he could fight to contend with Lin Shanshan.
He had innate intelligence, far surpassing others. Compared to the immensely complex mechanical techniques, the principles of martial skills were much simpler and more straightforward.
Thus, Ning Zhuo made rapid progress.
At first, Lin Shanshan completely overwhelmed him. Then, gradually, he began to counterattack occasionally. Now, the number of his counterattacks was increasing, and his defense was becoming more stable.
Lin Shanshan was secretly amazed by Ning Zhuo’s displayed cleverness, and she increasingly felt inferior.
The special training pushed Ning Zhuo to his physical limits, and they once again stopped.
During their break, the topic shifted to Ning Zhuo’s next opponent. Lin Shanshan took the initiative to offer advice, "Chang Yan is a demon cultivator, and his true form is an earth snake. Though it’s non-venomous, he’s extremely skilled in earth-element techniques."
"If you want to increase your chances of winning, you must focus on the wood element."
In the mutual cycle of the five elements, fire generates earth, while wood overcomes earth.
Using fire-element techniques against earth-element techniques would be less effective, but using wood would produce better results.
Lin Shanshan continued, "I noticed that in your previous battles, though your five-element techniques are strong, upon closer inspection, they seem more focused on crafting rather than combat. Isn’t that right?"
Ning Zhuo rubbed his nose, "Miss Lin, you have sharp eyes. You’ve already seen through it."
"My cultivation techniques come from the Lava Immortal Palace, and they’re primarily used for crafting mechanisms."
"They’re not really suited for combat."
Hearing that Ning Zhuo’s techniques originated from the Lava Immortal Palace, Lin Shanshan’s curiosity was piqued, but it wasn’t appropriate to inquire about someone else’s cultivation method. So she suppressed her curiosity and continued, "Since that’s the case, perhaps you could learn some of our Myriad Medicine Sect’s wood-element techniques."
The Myriad Medicine Sect was naturally most proficient in wood-element techniques.
Although their signature wood techniques were mostly for planting, alchemy, or healing, as a major sect, they had also collected many wood-element techniques inclined toward combat.
Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "In a few days, I’ll be challenging Chang Yan. If I were to learn other wood-element techniques, I’d have to modify them. In such a short time, it’s nearly impossible."
"So, are you suggesting I comprehend your sect’s Comprehension Diagrams?"
Lin Shanshan nodded, feeling a sense of ease and joy from "speaking with a smart person."
"That’s exactly what I mean," Lin Shanshan said.
"Our Myriad Medicine Sect has twenty-seven wood-element Comprehension Diagrams."
"Twelve of them are related to the three main techniques of the sect and cannot be shown to outsiders. However, the remaining fifteen can be viewed and comprehended by you, Ning Zhuo."
"But with only so much time, you’ll need to select a few. I suggest you initially choose three and then refine your focus to one. That might work."
After pausing, Lin Shanshan added, "If it were someone else, this preparation wouldn’t be possible. But with your remarkable comprehension, Ning Zhuo, success is truly possible."
Ning Zhuo rubbed his
nose, feeling that Lin Shanshan had more confidence in him than he had in himself.
In fact, he had encountered Comprehension Diagrams before.
His family’s two Comprehension Diagrams, "Ling Frost" and "Proud Snow," were with him.
He had tried to comprehend them before but hadn’t succeeded. After staring at them for a long time, he couldn’t make any sense of them.
"If I fail to comprehend the wood-element Comprehension Diagrams this time, won’t I embarrass myself?"
Though he had such concerns, Ning Zhuo still agreed readily.
This was an opportunity given to him. If the heavens grant it and he refuses, he would only be punished!
Lin Shanshan had already prepared a jade slip, which she handed to Ning Zhuo at this moment.
Ning Zhuo scanned it with his spiritual sense and carefully selected from the fifteen wood-element Comprehension Diagrams.
Moments later, he made his decision, "I’ll choose these three."
After the special training ended for the day, Lin Shanshan led Ning Zhuo to the library.
She presented her token to the elder guarding the building.
The elder, with a weathered face, was decrepit, "According to the sect’s rules, Shanshan, you do indeed have the right to bring someone to the top floor, but you may only borrow one item."
Lin Shanshan then led Ning Zhuo up the stairs to the top floor and took an "Old Tree Root Diagram."
After coming downstairs and completing the registration, Lin Shanshan brought Ning Zhuo to visit her second senior brother to borrow a "Mountain Night Listening to the Waves Diagram."
Finally, they arrived at her family’s back door.
"Please wait a moment, I’ll be right back," Lin Shanshan instructed before entering the residence to seek out Lin Bufan.
However, Lin Bufan wasn’t home.
Lin Shanshan then entered her father’s study, searched for a while, and found the "Peering Through the Trees to the Sky Diagram" on the bookshelf.
Shortly after, Ning Zhuo and Lin Shanshan left Yuanlai Mountain together and headed to Little Struggle Peak.
Ning Zhuo now possessed three wood-element Comprehension Diagrams. He took out his own "Ling Frost" and "Proud Snow" diagrams.
Lin Shanshan was slightly surprised, "So Ning Zhuo, you also have Comprehension Diagrams."
Ning Zhuo said, "Ashamed to say, these are family heirlooms that I’ve carried with me, hoping to comprehend them. But since I left home, I haven’t had the time."
"These two Comprehension Diagrams will serve as collateral for now. I’ll leave them with you, Miss Lin."
Lin Shanshan declined to accept them.
Ning Zhuo let out a sound of realization and quickly said, "I misspoke, haha."
"Fellow Daoist Lin, our mutual exchange of Comprehension Diagrams in the course of our sparring and interaction is a testament to the growing rapport between our two factions."
Only then did Lin Shanshan smile and accept Ning Zhuo’s two Comprehension Diagrams.
(End of this chapter)