Chapter 580: Cultivation Advancement
For a moment, quite a few people cast envious and jealous looks toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong exchanged a glance and smiled slightly. They stepped forward of their own accord and received their room token from the Silver-Robed Chief Steward.
The Silver-Robed Chief Steward gave Ning Zhuo a slight nod but said nothing more in front of the crowd.
Soon, he finished distributing all the room tokens. After leaving a single instruction, he impatiently turned and left.
“Take your room tokens and move into the corresponding rooms. If any mistake occurs, bear the consequences yourselves.”
The room token was a magical instrument. Ning Zhuo infused it with his spiritual sense and quickly arrived at a small house following the guidance of the token.
The door was slightly ajar.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong exchanged another glance, both becoming alert.
Sun Lingtong stepped forward first and carefully pushed the door open. Inside, he saw that someone was already waiting.
Sun Lingtong gave a startled cry and hurriedly bowed in greeting.
Ning Zhuo entered behind him and also bowed.
“Lord Qing Yan!”
The person was none other than Qing Yan, the Golden Core Ghostfolk cultivator who had earlier taken the initiative to support White Paper City midway.
Seeing Ning Zhuo, Qing Yan nodded, stood up, and walked over to him.
“A riot broke out today. The paper statue at the South Gate was burned down.”
“For the coming period, the entire White Paper Immortal City will be under strict control. You must both be careful and do not make any mistakes.”
“You should know that helping you settle matters with the steward of the Hidden Yang Residence already cost me quite a bit of money.”
“If you violate the city regulations of White Paper Immortal City and get thrown into prison, I won’t have the ability to bail you out.”
With just these few simple words, Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong immediately understood why they had been assigned the Jia-Rank Room Number One.
Ning Zhuo hurriedly cupped his fists in thanks. At the end, he even added an unnecessary remark.
“Even if it were not a top-grade room, I am not someone who favors the rich and despises the poor. Any room would have been acceptable to me.”
Qing Yan chuckled.
“Since you have already become a Male Consort, just stay here properly.”
“As for my daughter—don’t even think about it. You two are not suitable!”
“According to the main cultivation technique of your Jiao Family, the Three Jiao Pure Yang Scripture, you will certainly stand out among the Male Consorts. Perhaps in half a month, you may even advance to the Strong Yang Residence.”
Ning Zhuo’s heart stirred.
“Strong Yang Residence? That means besides the Hidden Yang Residence, there are other residences.”
“And judging by Qing Yan’s words, the rank of the Strong Yang Residence seems higher than that of the Hidden Yang Residence.”
He was extremely sensitive to every piece of new information.
“Make good use of this house. For newly arrived Male Consorts, this is extremely important,” Qing Yan said.
Ning Zhuo remained silent for a moment before asking,
“How much money did it cost?”
Qing Yan burst into laughter.
“Although you are not suitable for my daughter, you still came from our village. Your old Jiao family has always been a wealthy household in the village. As for the money I used to bribe the Chief Steward, don’t ask about it. Consider it a travel gift from me before parting.”
“I’m leaving.”
Before leaving, Qing Yan patted Ning Zhuo on the shoulder and then walked out decisively.
After Qing Yan left, Ning Zhuo completely closed the door.
He and Sun Lingtong carefully inspected the house two or three times before finally stopping.
The two communicated through spiritual sense.
Sun Lingtong smugly said to Ning Zhuo, “See, Little Zhuo? My plan wasn’t wrong. By disguising yourself as Jiao Ma, you’ve taken so many benefits from that fellow Qing Yan for free.”
Ning Zhuo nodded.
“But this was also luck. We just happened to choose someone who was already dead.”
Sun Lingtong said, “Alright, what I care more about is this Jia-Rank Room Number One. What exactly is special about it? Quickly use the room token and try it out.”
The room token was not merely for communication—it also controlled the house’s formation.
Ning Zhuo immediately activated the formation through the token.
The formation had multiple layers. The Spirit-Gathering Formation that assisted cultivation was extremely effective. There were also preservation formations, refrigeration formations, image-recording formations, soundproof formations, and more.
The two arrived at the basement.
It was extremely spacious, and formation runes and talismans densely covered the place. Clearly, this was the true core of the house.
Ning Zhuo then activated the room token again.
Rumble…
With a loud sound, the circular center of the floor shifted outward, revealing a huge well opening.
Wuuuu—
A wailing sound came from the well. Immediately, the air temperature in the basement dropped sharply as Yin Qi surged upward like a tidal wave.
Soon, the Yin Qi became dense enough to see with the naked eye, like miserable green winds rising continuously from the well.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong had already fixed their gazes on the well opening. Both revealed expressions of shock.
“Such a vast tide of Yin Qi…”
“What kind of place is this?”
“According to the information left in the token, all this Yin Qi originates from the White Paper City Lord!”
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. Just what kind of identity does the White Paper City Lord possess to accumulate such immense Yin Qi?”
“She is only a Nascent Soul cultivator, right? With this level of Yin Qi, even a Soul Formation–level being would…”
The two discussed continuously.
They were both well-traveled and had witnessed the battle between Du Tiechuan and the Dragon Ginseng King, personally experiencing what a Soul Formation–level expert’s power looked like.
The Yin Qi in the well was far too massive. It clearly required a Soul Formation–level existence—and not an ordinary one—to contain such power.
This made the two look at the White Paper City Lord in a completely new light.
At the same time, they both recalled what the Bone Crocodile Demon had said when they were attacked along the Nether Flood Dragon River.
The general meaning was that the White Paper City Lord had accumulated far too much Yin Qi over the years. The burden had become irreversible and could no longer be resolved by the current supply of Yang Qi.
The White Paper City Lord was in a dangerous state and nearing collapse.
This was the greatest reason the City-Overthrowing Alliance dared to act so recklessly.
Previously, Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong had not taken those words seriously. They believed the enemy was simply trying to intimidate them during battle to gain an advantage.
But now, neither of them could say a word.
“With this amount of Yin Qi, it’s hard to imagine how the White Paper City Lord has endured until now.”
“I never expected the Bone Crocodile Demon to be honest and not lying,” Ning Zhuo sighed.
Sun Lingtong shrugged.
“The White Paper City Lord is the only Nascent Soul cultivator in this Immortal City. If something happens to her, this city is finished.”
“Not to mention anything else—just this Yin Qi tide. If it loses control and leaks out, the entire White Paper Immortal City will suffer.”
“That’s a bit too exciting.”
Sun Lingtong clicked his tongue.
Ning Zhuo frowned slightly and said seriously,
“So we should find the Funeral Music Nether Performer as soon as possible, calculate the clue to my mother’s relic, and leave this place quickly.”
Previously, he had still considered taking risks and looking for opportunities.
But after seeing this Yin Qi tide—its scale far too terrifying—his confidence in the White Paper City Lord sharply declined.
He did have a daring side, but he also knew his limits.
“On the battlefield of Liangzhu Kingdom, I only had room to act because the Soul Formation and Nascent Soul experts restrained and exhausted each other.”
“I originally thought the White Paper City Lord could act as the pillar supporting the Ghost Tide. Now it seems far too uncertain!”
“We should run as soon as possible. That’s the responsible thing to do.”
Ning Zhuo had never possessed the spirit of sacrificing himself for others.
Since childhood, he had lived cautiously, scheming and enduring. His imagined enemies were the City Lord’s Mansion and Meng Kui—pressures far too great.
Moreover, he had been raised and guided by Sun Lingtong, who came from the No-Void Sect. That sect was certainly not composed of good people.
In Ning Zhuo’s heart, White Paper Immortal City was merely a stop along the journey. The life and death of the masses were matters of fate. Besides, he had more important matters to pursue.
After examining everything, the two finally understood the functions of the house.
Indeed, the facilities were extremely comprehensive, and the formations were of excellent quality. For both of them, it was the first time enjoying such conditions.
Even the Wanli Dragon could not compare.
Of course, in terms of rank, the magical treasure-level Wanli Dragon far surpassed this house.
However, after being forged, the Wanli Dragon was essentially a blank slate with only basic functions. Most of its cabins were empty and had huge room for improvement.
When Ning Zhuo had been at the Myriad Medicines Sect, he had converted one cabin into a Spiritual Plant Cabin. That had been his largest modification, yet it was still minor.
“I’m going to cultivate first,” Ning Zhuo said.
Sun Lingtong waved his hand.
“Go ahead, go ahead. I’ll guard you.”
Ning Zhuo entered the cultivation chamber. He did not activate the Spirit-Gathering Formation and simply sat down cross-legged before closing his eyes.
The Three Constellations Treasure Exchange Talisman was attached to his forehead, chest, and near his navel, slowly emitting warm light.
Bright Mirror Spiritual Light Dantian.
Five Qi Pivot Dantian.
Blood-Tendon Ground Dantian.
The three seas emitted their own auras while also accepting the auras of the other two, causing clusters of treasure medicine to grow continuously within the three dantians.
This was the second stage of the Foundation Establishment stage, known as Treasure Nourishment and Growth.
When Ning Zhuo had first begun cultivation in this stage, his ears roared and his vision turned white, giving him an extremely wondrous feeling—as if he had returned to the moment when heaven and earth were first created.
As he gradually adapted, the sensation faded.
As more treasure medicine grew, each cultivation session felt like bathing in a spring breeze. His vital essence, Qi, and spirit fused together, becoming increasingly harmonious.
But now, the sensation had become as bland as drinking plain water—almost dull.
This was not a bad sign.
Rather, it indicated that he had reached the final stage of Treasure Nourishment and Growth.
The fusion of his vital essence, Qi, and spirit was nearing its limit. The three dantians had adapted to each other as much as possible.
Vaguely, Ning Zhuo felt a realization arise within him.
“The completion of the Treasure Nourishment and Growth stage should occur within the next few days.”
Thinking this, a surge of motivation arose within him, and he cultivated diligently.
Seeing Ning Zhuo cultivating, Sun Lingtong felt pleased.
“Little Zhuo’s aura is extremely well concealed. He’s probably not far from breaking through.”
When Ning Zhuo finished cultivating, Sun Lingtong shared his guess, and Ning Zhuo confirmed it.
However, Sun Lingtong soon frowned.
“Little Zhuo, it’s strange that you can sense this.”
Ning Zhuo blinked.
“Isn’t it just because my foundation is deep enough that the feeling arises naturally?”
Sun Lingtong shook his head.
“Unless you have cultivated a divination technique successfully—or possess extremely high cultivation, talent, or divine ability…”
Ning Zhuo frowned and immediately thought of his mysterious talent.
The Five Elements Divine Lord had confirmed he possessed a second talent, but also warned him not to discover its nature too early.
After discussing for a while without reaching any conclusion, both of them were tired and went to rest.
The next morning, when Ning Zhuo woke up, he discovered Sun Lingtong was already awake.
Several dishes of Spirit Food were placed on the table.
Sun Lingtong said, “Since we’re in Jia-Rank Room Number One, paper servants deliver meals to us.”
“Oh, and they passed along two messages. First, we’re to rest for three days. After three days, we can choose our cultivation techniques.”
“The second message suggests we expend Yang Qi to neutralize the Yin Qi tide in the well. Even if it’s just a drop in the ocean, every bit will count as merit. These merits will be helpful when choosing cultivation techniques and in future arrangements and activities.”
Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head and refused.
“That won’t work for me. Why don’t you contribute some instead, boss?”
Neutralizing the Yin Qi would inevitably allow external Yin Qi into the body, mixing with one’s own aura. Ning Zhuo was currently at the critical stage of finishing Treasure Nourishment and Growth, and foreign Qi would severely hinder his progress.
Sun Lingtong spread his hands helplessly.
“You’re making things difficult for me. I practice the Boy Technique—my Yang Qi cannot be released. Did you forget what happened in Huoshi Immortal City with your dual cultivation?”
Ning Zhuo immediately looked embarrassed and waved his hand for Sun Lingtong to stop talking.
Sun Lingtong laughed mischievously, teasing him with raised eyebrows.
“But I do have another idea,” Sun Lingtong suddenly said. “Little Zhuo, you might have forgotten about your Yin-Yang One-Energy Vessel.”
Ning Zhuo froze for a moment before slapping his forehead.
“I’ve been too focused on advancing my cultivation and completely forgot about that.”
Sun Lingtong chuckled, took the Yin-Yang One-Energy Vessel from Ning Zhuo, and began studying it himself.
As for Ning Zhuo, during this cultivation session everything initially proceeded as usual.
Suddenly, the treasure medicine stopped growing.
No matter how he activated the Three Sect Supreme Techniques, no new treasure medicine appeared.
The fusion of vital essence, Qi, and spirit felt even more ordinary than drinking plain water—almost like normal breathing.
“Am I about to break through?” Ning Zhuo wondered.
He cultivated even harder, but after more than half a day, nothing changed.
He stopped cultivating and went to consult Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong explained, “Little Zhuo, your impatience makes your Sea of Consciousness unstable. Your desire is too strong. The final step requires perfect harmony between vital essence, Qi, and spirit. None can be too strong or too weak.”
Ning Zhuo immediately understood and returned to the cultivation chamber.
This time, he calmed his mind completely.
As soon as he did, something happened.
The circulation of aura between the three dantians suddenly froze. All the treasure medicine trembled simultaneously before exploding, transforming into endless streams of magnificent radiant Qi.
These colorful energies filled the three dantians, expanding them continuously.
In an instant, their size increased more than tenfold.
The dantian space continued expanding, and the inner walls were reforged during the process, undergoing a qualitative transformation.
Although the radiant Qi was vast, it ultimately originated from the treasure medicine and soon dissipated.
At this moment, Ning Zhuo completely finished the Treasure Nourishment and Growth stage and officially entered the third stage of the Foundation Establishment stage—
Dantian Radiance.