Chapter 610: Flesh and Blood Are Bitterly Weak, Mechanisms Ascend
“Ha ha ha ha!” Sun Lingtong laughed loudly in the Underworld.
After moving far away from Water Burial Valley, he continued his journey while searching for Luo Si, communicating with Ning Zhuo again along the way.
Naturally, Ning Zhuo hid nothing from him and recounted the major discoveries on his side, which caused Sun Lingtong to burst into loud laughter atop the ox’s back.
Ning Zhuo was speechless for a moment.
When Sun Lingtong finally stopped laughing, he sighed. “Boss, the matter between Qing Chi and me isn’t the key point. What’s frightening is the nature of this event itself!”
“Think about it—choosing the Bearing Soldiers and Carrying Killing Aura Art happened only recently. Yet when applied to Qing Chi, it seems as if I had deliberately prepared it for her!”
“Is this the Dao of fortune? It’s terrifying.”
Sun Lingtong grinned widely, still laughing. “I actually think this whole thing is very interesting—extremely interesting!”
“After this incident, I’ve completely realized something: fortune, this invisible thing, is truly a treasure of the world.”
“If we could steal other people’s fortune and strengthen ourselves with it, just imagine how wonderful that would be!”
“We would always be lucky. Everything would go our way, just like Qing Chi forming her army so smoothly!”
Ning Zhuo’s expression remained unpleasant. “Boss, that’s not what I mean.”
Sun Lingtong laughed again. “Of course I know what you mean.”
“You think that you and I are just chess pieces, being manipulated by Heaven—like when you chose the Bearing Soldiers and Carrying Killing Aura Art, perhaps it was actually arranged and controlled by Heaven and Earth?”
Ning Zhuo nodded. “Yes, Boss. The path we’ve taken so far—could it also be a script arranged by Heaven?”
“We are like characters in a book, puppets in a play. We think we are free, yet everything is controlled by some supreme existence! Perhaps countless spectators are observing us from angles we cannot understand, watching us like a performance?”
“Our belief in freedom may only be an illusion.”
Sun Lingtong fell silent for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know the answer either.”
“But I think—even if that were true, so what?”
“We can’t surpass Heaven anyway, right?”
“Can the legendary immortals surpass Heaven? I don’t know.”
“But I do know that little figures like us, even if we are controlled, are only performing small tricks.”
“What does freedom matter?”
“Even puppets in a play can enjoy the performance, right? In any case, all of this is quite interesting, isn’t it?”
Ning Zhuo fell into silence.
Sun Lingtong comforted him. “In any case, we’re still too weak. Investigating such profound problems now will never yield an answer.”
“Why not enjoy the current adventure first? Cultivate step by step. When we become great figures someday, we can think about such questions then.”
Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment. “Boss, I’ve thought about it. I believe choosing the Bearing Soldiers and Carrying Killing Aura Art really was my own decision.”
“I briefly reviewed the introductions of all the military arts in the Complete Book Tower and compared them many times. In the end, this one was always the most suitable.”
“If heavenly fate truly arranged everything, how could someone like the Forget River Lord exist?”
Sun Lingtong clapped his hands in praise. “Exactly! Xiao Zhuo, your brain works well—you’ve figured it out.”
“If heavenly fate arranged everything, it definitely wouldn’t arrange a cultivator who defies Heaven to appear. Otherwise, wouldn’t it just be asking for trouble?”
“I like this answer.”
“In that case, nothing is predetermined. Nothing is scripted. That makes things far more interesting.”
At this point, Sun Lingtong suddenly recalled the poem Ning Zhuo had recited in the Lava Immortal Palace—
…Sixteen years of bitter endurance, ten thousand hardships deepen the will.
Emotions and reason entwine the puppet strings, the masses bow as subjects for eternity…
Sun Lingtong sighed. “Actually, we are the same kind of people as the Forget River Lord. On the contrary, Grey-Bone Elder, who helped us, is the one following Heaven’s will.”
Ning Zhuo revealed a strange expression. “Speaking of Grey-Bone Elder, if I ever have the chance, I would very much like to seek his guidance.”
“If possible, I would even like to take him as my master.”
Sun Lingtong replied, “I’m also interested in learning divination techniques, but I’m worried the old man’s rules are too strict. Among the hundred cultivation arts, divination studies fortune the most deeply.”
“I want to learn it too!”
Ning Zhuo immediately exposed what lay in his heart. “Boss, you want to learn it so you can steal other people’s fortune, right?”
Sun Lingtong laughed. “Don’t you think that’s interesting? Perhaps someday I’ll succeed in stealing it, and others won’t even realize their treasure is gone.”
“Just imagining that scene is already very amusing!”
Ning Zhuo said, “Divination isn’t a widely taught art. Hopefully Grey-Bone Elder might pass on some mysteries to me because I am a Yang Heaven Variable.”
Sun Lingtong shook his head. “I doubt it. We’re not the same kind of people as him. I once interacted with one of his avatars. That old fellow gave me the feeling that he sees through everything and is unfathomable.”
“Rather than taking him as a master, I think when you eventually join the Myriad Phenomena Sect, you might have a better chance of collecting divination techniques there.”
Sun Lingtong had always possessed sharp insight into human nature.
Back in Huoshi Immortal City, he had already seen through Zhu Xuanji’s nature. He shamelessly clung to him and acted like a scoundrel, leaving Zhu Xuanji with no way to deal with him.
Ning Zhuo naturally trusted his boss’s judgment and immediately lowered his expectations regarding Grey-Bone Elder.
“Even so, I should still personally visit Grey-Bone Elder. If it doesn’t work out, so be it.”
“As a superpower, the Myriad Phenomena Sect should possess divination techniques. Perhaps I can access them there.”
“And even if neither option works, we should pay attention in the future and do our best to collect divination techniques. What do you think, Boss?”
Sun Lingtong immediately replied, “I raise both hands and both feet in agreement!”
After this experience, both of them had thoroughly realized the power of divination among cultivation arts and became extremely interested.
In the Underworld, Sun Lingtong led the Ox Cavalry deeper into the core territory of the Forget River Underworld.
On this trip, he intended to find Luo Si and seek some assistance.
In the Yang world, Ning Zhuo continued cultivating while monitoring Sun Lingtong’s movements and paying close attention to developments in White Paper Immortal City.
Ning Zhuo had temporarily stopped his soul cultivation because his soul foundation had grown too rapidly and become too powerful, beginning to oppress his physical body.
Thus, he adjusted his cultivation—spending most of his time hiding inside the Fetal Breath Spirit Vessel to strengthen his physical foundation.
Aside from that, he cultivated the Bearing Soldiers and Carrying Killing Aura Art. As for the Three Sect Supreme Techniques, due to lack of time, he had almost completely halted their practice.
The Bearing Soldiers and Carrying Killing Aura Art could gather killing aura from outside the body, condensing it into military killing aura. When needed, it could be used in many ways.
For example, applying it to spells would make them far sharper.
Military killing aura was especially effective against ghosts and sinister figures, making it extremely useful for Ning Zhuo when dealing with such entities.
Ning Zhuo gathered military killing aura to fulfill one of the three conditions necessary to sabotage the Forget River Lord’s hundred-year plan in the future.
Qing Chi gathered military killing aura in order to accelerate the condensation of her army morale.
Ning Zhuo cultivated inside the Giant Paper Figure Statue, while Qing Chi sat cross-legged beside its feet.
Her comprehension was also remarkable. She quickly grasped the military art and used it repeatedly, becoming more proficient each time.
The speed at which her army morale condensed kept rising, showing new changes every day.
Ning Zhuo observed all of Qing Chi’s progress.
Previously, he had kept a respectful distance from her, since he was not truly Jiao Ma and did not wish to delay another person’s happiness.
But now the situation had changed. It involved the Forget River Lord’s hundred-year poison scheme, the safety of the countless people of White Paper Immortal City, and his mother’s dying wish.
Ning Zhuo had no choice but to adjust his strategy.
Thus, during breaks in cultivation, he began inviting Qing Chi and Li Xiangshang to banquets.
Qing Chi was delighted every time, eagerly agreeing and attending.
She tried very hard to make Ning Zhuo drink, attempting to get him drunk—her intentions were clearly not pure.
Ning Zhuo recognized this and therefore invited Qing Chi less often, while inviting Li Xiangshang more.
Interacting with Li Xiangshang also allowed Ning Zhuo to understand the progress of Qing Chi’s army morale condensation.
After several banquets, Ning Zhuo gained a deep understanding of Li Xiangshang.
He learned that Li Xiangshang was an ascetic cultivator. His true form was a carp that had once been caught in the net of Lady Laoyue.
Long ago, the White-Headed Dragon Lord had forbidden fishing in the Cang River.
Lady Laoyue’s action was a deliberate provocation, so the White-Headed Dragon Lord appeared to stop her and made a wager.
The wager was this: the White-Headed Dragon Lord would select one carp from the net, cultivate it, and place it into a pool of weak water, betting that it could cultivate successfully, rise higher and higher, and eventually escape the constraints of the weak water.
Clearly, Li Xiangshang was that fortunate carp.
Originally he had been muddle-headed. On his own, entering the cultivation path would have been almost impossible.
But after being chosen by the Dragon Lord, he was directly taught the precious scripture Ascending Dragon Transformation and given top-grade cultivation resources—simply to win the wager.
Li Xiangshang did not disappoint expectations. Through relentless cultivation, he kept rising through the layers of weak water, gradually approaching the surface until he finally leapt out, breaking the limitations of his life.
Li Xiangshang was deeply grateful to the White-Headed Dragon Lord and revered him greatly. After helping him win the wager, he became the Dragon Lord’s subordinate.
Normally, Li Xiangshang focused mainly on bitter cultivation and rarely socialized.
This time, however, he had been summoned by the Dragon Lord during closed-door cultivation and ordered to carry the Golden Nest Demon Seed to White Paper Immortal City to carry out a support mission.
After uncovering these details, Ning Zhuo secretly found it quite astonishing. With his skills, he quickly closed the distance between himself and Li Xiangshang.
At first, Li Xiangshang had a negative impression of Ning Zhuo, but Ning Zhuo was always as gentle as a spring breeze, causing Li Xiangshang’s opinion to rapidly improve.
At one point, Ning Zhuo pretended to be emboldened by alcohol and, during an occasion when Qing Chi was absent, proposed sparring with Li Xiangshang.
That single spar earned Li Xiangshang’s respect!
Ning Zhuo raised his cup. “Senior Li, my curiosity has grown unbearable. But I worry that asking this question might seem like probing into your cultivation secrets and thus offend you.”
Li Xiangshang clinked cups with him and drank before laughing. “You want to ask about my talent, right? Actually, if you asked Qing Chi, she would definitely tell you. She not only knows the name of my talent but has even experienced its effect because I’ve enhanced her with it.”
Ning Zhuo shook his head. “That is your cultivation secret, Senior. If I asked others instead of you, it would show disrespect. That’s not how one treats a friend.”
“I would rather ask you directly. If you prefer not to answer, I will fully understand, punish myself with three cups of wine, and never ask again.”
Hearing this, Li Xiangshang’s favor toward Ning Zhuo deepened.
He scratched the back of his head. “Ah, it’s nothing to hide. Many people already know.”
“My talent is only low-grade. It’s called Inferior Fish Filling the Numbers. As the name suggests, it lowers many cultivation requirements.”
“For example, army morale is difficult to condense, but with my assistance Qing Chi can cross that initial threshold.”
Hearing this, Ning Zhuo’s eyes instantly shone. His fingers unconsciously tightened slightly around the wine cup.
He pressed further. “How much can it reduce the requirements? Are there limitations?”
Li Xiangshang explained that he had studied it for a long time and found that most cultivation requirements could be reduced. However, the degree was limited and there was a major drawback.
Li Xiangshang smiled bitterly. “The drawback is extremely serious. Otherwise, my Inferior Fish Filling the Numbers wouldn’t just be a low-grade talent.”
Ning Zhuo responded with interest. “Senior Li, let me guess—using this talent causes rotting sores?”
Li Xiangshang shook his head. “Much worse than that.”
He lifted the armor covering his abdomen and pressed a finger against his fish scales.
Ning Zhuo saw the scales sink deeply without any rebound, leaving a small pit.
Ning Zhuo immediately understood.
Li Xiangshang revealed the truth himself. “More than half the flesh and blood on my body has already rotted away. If I hadn’t been constantly maintaining and healing myself, I would have died long ago.”
“My current combat strength is less than one-tenth of what it used to be.”
“Every time I use my talent, I need a long recovery period. Dragon Lord has searched for many spiritual medicines for me, and even personally treated my injuries, but the results were mediocre.”
“This is the drawback of a low-grade talent—but I’m already satisfied.”
“If I didn’t have this talent, how would the Dragon Lord have chosen me? Without this ability to lower cultivation requirements, how could I have mastered the Ascending Dragon Transformation?”
“Compared to countless ordinary carp, I am already very fortunate.”
Ning Zhuo praised him. “Senior’s calm mindset is like the sea. It’s something this junior should learn from.”
He then narrowed his eyes slightly, his thumb pressing lightly on the Mechanical Ring, and said meaningfully:
“A talent is still a talent. Even a low-grade talent, if used in the right way, can produce astonishing and unimaginable power.”
Just like Zheng Jian’s Penetrating Insight.
This was a mid-grade talent that granted cultivators astonishing intuition. Its greatest drawback was that it could only activate when the mind was calm.
But Zheng Jian’s spirituality resided inside the Mechanical Ring. Without thought, it was always calm—meaning its greatest drawback had already disappeared.
Looking at Li Xiangshang before him, Ning Zhuo suddenly felt an urge to ask:
“Senior Li, have you ever considered cultivating in another body?”
“Flesh and blood are bitterly weak. Mechanisms ascend.”