Ning Chen and Ning Yong sat by the window on the second floor of the restaurant, constantly monitoring the street.
"Look, Ning Zhuo has appeared."
"Let's go!"
The two hurriedly moved, arriving at the street corner ahead of time, pretending to run into Ning Zhuo by chance.
"Ning Zhuo?" Ning Yong called out.
Ning Zhuo looked at the two, paused for a moment, and smiled, "It's you guys, Ning Yong, Ning Chen."
These two were Ning Zhuo's classmates.
Ning Chen feigned a sigh, "Since the final exams, we haven't met. It feels like a long time."
Ning Zhuo's heart stirred, "Although the time has been short, when a lot happens, it naturally feels like a long time has passed."
Ning Yong said, "I heard about your situation. After the final exams, you fell out with your uncle and aunt, refusing their help."
"Living alone now, is it hard?"
"What are you doing to earn spirit stones to maintain your cultivation?"
Ning Zhuo hesitated, "I am currently doing odd jobs in a mechanical workshop. What about you guys?"
Ning Yong laughed lightly, somewhat proudly, "We've joined the Demon Hunting Association!"
"We're buying supplies to go out of the city. Tonight, we'll be joining seniors of the association to hunt demon beasts in the demon cave."
"Exciting, isn't it?"
Ning Zhuo gaped in surprise, "You guys are going into the Flame Demon Melting Cave? That's too dangerous!"
"What's there to be afraid of? If you're afraid of death, what can you accomplish?" Ning Yong puffed out his chest, a look of disdain on his face, "We're young and should be venturing everywhere. If you don't take risks, how can you achieve extraordinary gains? Without money to speed up my cultivation, when will I ever reach Foundation Establishment?"
Ning Chen interjected, "Don't listen to his boasting. Our Ning Family cultivators are in the Demon Hunting Association. Have you heard of Lord Ning Zhanji?"
"We'll be entering the cave under his leadership, and tonight is the low tide of the earth flame, so it's quite safe."
Ning Chen tried his best to dispel Ning Zhuo's concerns.
Ning Zhuo showed a look of envy.
Seeing this, Ning Yong directly invited him, "I say, Ning Zhuo, stop working in the workshop. Just come with us into the cave."
"There are so many treasures hidden in the demon cave."
"How much can you earn in a week? Perhaps, you might find a spirit plant in the Flame Demon Melting Cave that's worth a week's salary!"
Ning Zhuo shook his head, waving his hands in refusal, "My swordsmanship grades have always been mediocre. Fighting demonic beasts is too dangerous; I can't do it."
"Coward!" Ning Yong glared, about to speak again.
Ning Chen stopped him with a look, smiling at Ning Zhuo, "If I were you, Ning Zhuo, I would go back and apologize to my uncle and aunt, ask them to pull some strings to get me into the family business. The treatment is much better than any outside job!"
Ning Zhuo immediately shook his head, showing youthful defiance, speaking firmly, "Since it has come to this, there's no way I will bow my head."
Ning Chen laughed lightly, "Then if I were your uncle or aunt, seeing you struggling in a small, obscure workshop, what would I think?"
"Maybe thinking: Look at this Ning Zhuo. Arrogant and insensible, without our help, he can only live a hard life, gradually becoming the lowest among cultivators!"
Ning Zhuo immediately frowned, his face darkening, as if his inner defenses had been broken.
Ning Chen smiled inwardly, pressing further…
Moments later.
Watching Ning Zhuo's departing figure, Ning Yong remarked, "Ning Zhuo's grades were better than ours, but what does that matter? He still fell for our provocation easily and agreed to come with us tonight."
Ning Chen sighed, "Ning Zhuo is just like us, an ordinary person."
"If I were in his shoes, being schemed against, I would fall into the same trap."
"Sigh..."
Seeing his companion's dejection, Ning Yong consoled, "Ning Zhuo is our classmate, but we are now following Lord Ning Zhanji. This order came directly from him. What does a little classmate affection matter compared to our future? Besides, we rarely interacted with him anyway!"
Ning Chen shook his head slightly, "Forget it. At least this way, we can report back to Lord Ning Zhanji."
"Let's go."
In the evening, Ning Zhuo arrived alone at the gathering point.
Ning Yong smiled, bringing him inside.
Ning Chen led him to Ning Zhanji.
Ning Zhanji, a tall, burly middle-aged man with narrow eyes, looked him up and down indifferently, "Since we're all from the Ning Family, I'll take care of you this time and let you join the team."
"But remember, follow all my commands and arrangements."
"Understood, Senior!" Ning Zhuo hastily replied.
Ning Zhuo's mind quickly recalled information about Ning Zhanji.
Years ago, the Ning Family had started consciously sending cultivators outside to various organizations in and around Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
Ning Zhanji was one of them.
He was powerful, decisive, and exceptionally proficient on the battlefield, making him a promising leader. He could seize fleeting opportunities in battle, which made him stand out as a commanding figure.
This time, Ning Zhanji was acting on behalf of Ning Ze, having accepted his money to provoke Ning Zhuo through Ning Chen and Ning Yong.
Ning Zhanji glanced at Ning Zhuo twice before withdrawing his gaze, evaluating in his mind, "Qi Refinement Stage Level Three, nothing special."
Soon, the group gathered, totaling over fifty people.
Most of them bore the surname Ning. The few outsiders present had close ties with the Ning Family.
Ning Zhanji led the group towards the Flame Demon Melting Cave.
Fire Persimmon Immortal City was a typical mountain city.
Most buildings in the city were concentrated halfway up the mountain. The higher towards the city center, the more elevated the terrain, with the very center being the volcanic crater. Lower towards the outskirts, the terrain descended gradually, extending to the foothills.
The group climbed from the mountainside to the top, passing through several checkpoints with sparse inspections, eventually reaching the summit.
At the summit, the spiritual energy was significantly denser and hotter.
The air was filled with a pungent sulfur odor.
Even at night, the volcanic crater emitted a bright glow. With this light, Ning Zhuo saw white smoke drifting above the crater.
Amidst this white smoke, many Smoke Cloud Sparrows flitted about, darting in and out.
Ning Zhuo and the others reached the edge of the volcano.
Looking down, they saw a vast, flat rocky area inside the crater.
The crimson rocks constantly emitted scorching heat. Some red rocks were tightly connected, while in other places, there were gaps between the rocks, through which glowing orange magma flowed. There were also numerous openings in the rocks.
Some openings occasionally spouted flames, others oozed magma, while some were deep pathways leading further underground.
The mountain walls and the rocky ground had almost vertical angles, with the mountain walls displaying a glazed appearance, exceptionally smooth. This was clearly man-made, making the entire volcanic crater resemble a giant open cup.
Moving towards the center, Ning Zhuo noticed the number of holes on the red rock surface increased, and the sizes grew larger.
Finally, his eyes fixed on the very center of the rocky ground.
There lay a magma lake.