On the peak of Qingzhu Peak, over a hundred cultivators had gathered.
The Peak Master of Qingzhu Peak, Qing Huangzi, had yet to appear, but Ning Zhuo was already there.
It was early morning, the sky light not yet blazing.
The vast sea of clouds silently rolled at the peak’s midsection, like tens of thousands of Cloud Beasts slowly stretching their enormous bodies in slumber.
The ubiquitous bamboo forests of Qingzhu Peak were of a deep hue, neither jade nor emerald, but exuded a gentle restraint and a nearly metallic resilient cold glow, with jade-like textures faintly visible as light shone upon them.
The bamboo leaves were extremely thin, edges adorned with a ring of crystalline jade light. The morning breeze stirred them, and thousands of jade leaves rustled, emitting a gentle sound unlike the rustle of grass and wood swaying, more like countless tiny jade chimes being tenderly struck by a gentle breeze, merging into a clear and ethereal symphony of bamboo waves and jade chimes, washing away the noise of the mortal world.
Ning Zhuo admired the beautiful scenery here, sensing gazes being cast upon him.
He turned his head and, following the gaze, saw Ban Ji.
Ning Zhuo smiled faintly, transmitting thoughts with his Divine Sense: "Daoist Fellow Ban Ji, I didn’t expect we would meet here."
Ban Ji’s amber-like pupils revealed a hint of coldness, replying with Divine Sense: "Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo, I had already agreed to postpone our spar, but I didn’t expect you to be so ungrateful, coming all the way here to trouble me."
"What is it?"
"Did you investigate me and think that Ban Ji of the Ban Family would be an easy target for you?"
"Do you intend to obstruct me in the mechanism-related Feiyun Trials?"
"Hehe, what a pipe dream!"
Ning Zhuo maintained his smile, communicating through Divine Sense: "Daoist Fellow Ban Ji, truth be told, I have some understanding of Mechanical Techniques."
"I’ve learned some information about you and have developed a great interest in you."
"For this Feiyun Trial, I hope you will not hold back your guidance."
Ban Ji snorted coldly, ignoring Ning Zhuo.
His face veiled in frost, yet in his heart he became more vigilant.
Qing Huangzi’s Feiyun Trial had long been part of his plans. The former held the Feiyun Trial to select suitable cultivators to find successors for the mechanism inheritance.
Qing Huangzi’s Mechanical Techniques represented a powerful supplement to Ban Ji.
Thus, Ban Ji had always taken it seriously.
Now, Ning Zhuo suddenly came to disrupt... this made Ban Ji feel a slight tension.
"Ning Zhuo is my Human Tribulation, but with my family’s use of the mechanism, he still managed to perceive something abnormal about me."
"So, he’s here!"
"Will this trial suffer unforeseen difficulties because of him?"
A sense of irritation lingered in Ban Ji’s heart.
Ning Zhuo’s proactive arrival this time was undoubtedly a stance of aggressive advance. This made Ban Ji instantly realize that Ning Zhuo declined their previous spar not out of fear of battle, but as a prudent strategy to first gather intelligence.
"This young man truly is headstrong!"
"I wasn’t seeking trouble for him, yet he has come to find trouble with me first. Hehe."
"I want to see the true quality of this Human Tribulation!"
Just as he thought this, a figure gracefully appeared.
Qing Huangzi stood before everyone.
His gaze serene, with three strands of long mustache. His build was lean and upright, clad in a green robe. He held a section of a Nine-Section Jade Bamboo Staff, with a small bronze bell suspended at the staff’s head.
The surroundings quickly grew quiet.
Qing Huangzi slowly spoke, explaining the reason for hosting this Feiyun Trial — his lifespan nearing its end, lacking a suitable successor, he decided to use this Feiyun Conference as an opportunity, arranging numerous trials to select excellent cultivators to inherit his legacy.
Apparently, many of the attending cultivators had already heard in advance of this situation, and their expressions remained unchanged upon hearing Qing Huangzi speak thusly.
Among them were elders, some appeared to be sons and daughters of noble families, and others were dressed in martial outfits, bearing swords and claiming to be Loose Cultivators.
"Alright, the trial is about to begin." After explaining the reason, Qing Huangzi decisively tapped the ground with his bamboo staff, saying, "Great Array, activate!"
With the tap of the bamboo staff, jade light rippled like water waves, blurring and distorting the figures of hundreds of cultivators within the radiance, as if cast into a quivering jade water shadow.
Once Ning Zhuo’s vision stabilized, he found that he, along with the others, had been transported by the Great Array into an internal spatial zone.
It was an open clearing, enclosed by towering bamboo walls, reaching into the clouds.
Ban Ji took a deep breath, the air filled with the slight acrid scent of fresh bamboo branches snapping, mingling with the earthy pungency of the moist soil.
Most of the cultivators were slightly panicked, for they realized their cultivation had been suppressed to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and even the Spirit Talismans, Magic Artifacts, and Elixir Pills they carried were under a restrictive force, making them unusable.
Qing Huangzi was unseen, but his voice transmitted: "The Bamboo Puppets are about to arrive. You must exert all your strength, select one, and can only attempt control using Divine Sense, Mana Suspended Threads to refine it as your own."
"Once the time limit is up, those who haven’t seized a Bamboo Puppet will be eliminated."
As soon as his voice faded, the air quivered, sending ripples across the space.
Soon after, countless Bamboo Puppets, like startled green birds, swiftly descended from midair.
Everyone had long been on high alert, and at that moment, they simultaneously activated their Divine Sense for extensive detection.
Ning Zhuo’s eyes shone brightly, his Divine Sense spreading forth, immediately discovering that most of the Bamboo Puppets were merely of Magic Artifact Level, yet a few emanated a treasure light, reaching the Magic Treasure Level.
Without a doubt, the Magic Treasure Level Bamboo Puppets would be the focus of everyone’s competition!
As expected, dozens of Mana Suspended Threads shot out in an instant, all targeting the exquisite Magic Treasure Level puppets within the Bamboo Puppet swarm.
In midair, the Mana Suspended Threads intertwined and many dissipated in mutually destructive clashes.
Yet, a minority of them, of superior quality, broke through the congestion and affixed themselves to these Bamboo Puppets.