< Chapter 50: The Gathering of the Three Arts >
Han Ming devoured her meal with wolfish ferocity, a stark departure from her earlier refusals. Once finished, she still seemed unsatisfied. “Is there more?” she asked.
Ning Zhuo replied apologetically, “I’m sorry, I’ll bring more next time.”
Han Ming nodded. “It would be best if you could bring some spiritual food. These mundane dishes are tasty, but they don’t offer much benefit to cultivators like us.”
“Hmm,” Ning Zhuo murmured, “I’ll consider it.”
Han Ming continued, “And about my soul. I must tell you, I can’t support this for much longer.”
“If you continue to draw from it unrestrained, my soul’s foundation will be exhausted.” When that happened, Han Ming would be scattered to the winds, unable to even become a ghost cultivator.
Realizing this, Han Ming chose to temporarily yield and seek a compromise.
Ning Zhuo nodded. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“Give me people! As long as I absorb souls, I can nourish myself. With a strong soul foundation, I can continue to provide you with Soul Essence,” Han Ming proposed.
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly. “In fact, I’ve already prepared something for you.”
“Oh?”
Ning Zhuo stood and briefly left the cell. When he returned, he carried several monkeys in his hands.
Han Ming’s expression darkened. “I said I wanted humans. These monkeys will only give me about thirty percent of what I need.”
Ning Zhuo chuckled. “If they can provide thirty percent efficiency, that’s acceptable to me.”
“I’m not a demon cultivator; I won’t harm humans. These beasts and spirits, however, are fair game.”
At Mount Huoshi, monkeys were plentiful, and hunting some of them could indeed provide some aid to the city of Mount Huoshi. Han Ming could no longer restrain herself and began to mockingly sneer, “And you’re not a demon cultivator yourself?”
“You’re just unsure about my background, worried that I’ve been absorbing human souls in secret, amassing power.”
“Moreover, the noise made from killing humans and monkeys is entirely different. You’re worried that this will hasten your exposure!”
Ning Zhuo smiled faintly, “You’ve reminded me, thank you, Han Ming.”
“To be safe, I’ll insert these mechanical needles and keep you under strict surveillance.”
Seeing Ning Zhuo produce the mechanical needles again, Han Ming’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, her anger flaring anew. However, this time she merely glared at Ning Zhuo, holding back any curses.
At the Lava Immortal Palace, Meng Chong had lost count of how many times he had attempted the challenge. To him, the number of failures was meaningless. He was only focused on breaking through!
Among the rewards, he had chosen the Suspension Ring. Slightly opening the door to create a gap, Meng Chong carefully extended the Suspension Ring into Room No. 2. Clang, clang, clang… He spared no expense, firing all the colorful diamonds.
Talent—Wild Sprint Thunderclap!
Spell—A Gust of Qi!
Mechanical component—Suspension Ring!
With these three forces working in unison, Meng Chong forcefully pushed open the door, shooting out like a cannonball.
His speed broke through the limit, and although the mechanism behind the door was triggered, it was too late to stop him. The metal black net came up empty, and the thousand-catty heavy hammer smashed down onto the floor tiles instead.
“Ha ha ha!” Meng Chong laughed heartily, his entire body enveloped in blue electric light as he sped towards the finish line.
The floor tiles quickly receded, but their speed was no match for Meng Chong.
But in the next moment, Meng Chong disintegrated!
Just before his vision went completely dark, he saw clearly. Transparent silk threads had been laid between the walls, incredibly sharp.
The faster Meng Chong sped, the quicker he was sliced upon reaching these threads.
Countless puppet fragments scattered across the ground, and the fierce blue electric light lingered in the air for a moment before dissipating unwillingly into nothingness.
Meng Chong pouted, his soul returning to his body, and he sulked for a good while.
Fei Si came to inquire and, upon learning the details, sincerely exclaimed, “I didn’t expect the legacy of this mechanism to be so challenging!”
“Perhaps we should start by deciphering these mechanical traps before proceeding.”
“What? Me learning mechanism art?! I can’t even refine pills or tools,” Meng Chong held his head, feeling extremely troubled.
“I don’t believe it!”
“I just couldn’t control such speed.”
“As long as I see clearly, I can pass through the net and reach the endpoint!”
“I’ve decided, I’m going to undergo special training. Let’s start with three days and three nights, without sleep or rest!” Meng Chong loudly declared.
Fei Si immediately showed a worried expression and hurriedly advised, “Young Master Meng Chong, that’s not advisable.”
“Lately, you’ve been excessively using the ‘Wild Sprint Thunderclap’ technique; you’ve overused it. You should take a look in the mirror,” Fei Si advised.
Meng Chong checked his reflection and saw the deep dark circles under his eyes and his haggard appearance, with his cheekbones becoming pronounced.
“I can still go on!” Meng Chong declared, undeterred.
Fei Si earnestly advised, “Young Master Meng Chong, please be cautious. Even though the Lord Mayor’s office provides you with unlimited resources, replenishing your essence, energy, and spirit requires time.”
“Currently, your rate of consumption far exceeds your recovery. This is not a good trend.”
Meng Chong blinked, “Then what can I do to quickly replenish my essence, energy, and spirit?”
“It’s all about the cultivation method,” Fei Si replied.
“You’ve been practicing ‘The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art’, which can help you quickly restore your energy. However, it only has three levels and the effects are not sufficient.”
“As for replenishing essence and spirit, there are no cultivation methods that can assist with that; you can only rely on your body’s natural processes.”
Meng Chong shook his head, “Natural processes are too slow! I’ll talk to my grandfather; he knows many cultivation methods. Why not practice a few more to help me quickly replenish my essence and spirit?”
“Hahaha, I’m a genius! With ‘Wild Sprint Thunderclap’, my cultivation speed is exceptionally fast. In just six days, I could master two new methods.”
Fei Si smiled wryly, “If only it were that simple!”
“The Lord Mayor has already calculated that the Qi Refining Trial has strict entry standards. If you practice other cultivation methods, you’ll have different types of mana, which won’t be recognized. You must completely dispel your current powers to enter.”
Meng Chong exclaimed, “What?”
Fei Si explained, “However, the Lord Mayor has also predicted that within the Lava Immortal Palace, there are likely two other cultivation methods that, combined with ‘The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art,’ allow one to cultivate all three dantians simultaneously.”
Meng Chong sighed, “It’s useless talking about that; I can’t even get past the second room.”
Lava Immortal Palace.
Under the resentful gaze of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, Ning Zhuo cleared the ninth room. He entered the preparation room and then stepped through another door, entering a central transfer hall.
As he approached the center of the hall, he heard mechanical sounds and saw the stone walls descend, revealing three doors.
The left door emitted a faint yellow auspicious aura and bore the character for “Buddha.”
The middle door shimmered with a green light and displayed the character for “Tao.”
The right door exuded a strong scent of blood and had the character for “Demon.”
“It’s different from before,” Ning Zhuo noted.
“Buddhist path, Taoist path, Demon path…”
This was unexpected for Ning Zhuo, but recalling the life stories of the three sect masters who had practiced methods from Taoism, Demonism, and Buddhism, he adapted quickly.
He approached the Taoist door first; no reaction.
Next, he touched the Buddhist door and acquired a cultivation method—the “Mirror Platform Spirit Sutra.”
Finally, upon touching the Demon door, he obtained another method named “Demonic Blood Tendon Technique.”
These two methods, like the “Buddha Heart Demon Seal,” only had the initial three levels. But upon studying them briefly, Ning Zhuo’s wooden body trembled with excitement.
“These three methods correspond with each other, allowing one to cultivate all three dantians simultaneously.”
“Buddhist, Taoist, and Demon paths together for building the foundation?!”
“Such a method of foundation establishment is among the most elite in the world.”