"This is not good, not good at all!" Along with Ban Ji, another cultivator shared the same feeling.
He concealed his appearance and identity, remained very low-key, and was merely observing.
But now, he knew he couldn’t just stay idle.
He voluntarily stepped up to Ban Ji: "Young Master Ban Ji, let me assist you!"
He revealed his true appearance and deliberately spoke loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.
Ban Ji was surprised when he saw the newcomer, recognizing an old acquaintance and immediately let out a cold snort: "Why is it you?"
The newcomer was none other than the Rust Disaster Craftsman.
His entire body was shrouded in a dark red iron robe, and under the robe, the outline of a metallic skeleton could be vaguely seen. Every movement he made emitted a dull metallic grinding sound, with rust falling off intermittently.
The Rust Disaster Craftsman communicated through divine sense, unceremoniously, "Hmph! If it weren’t for Ban Jie offering a heavy reward, asking me to assist you secretly, do you think I would come? To see your sour face?"
Previously, the Rust Disaster Craftsman had accepted a substantial amount from Ban Ji, planning to deal with Ning Zhuo. However, Ning Zhuo’s high-profile actions made him realize the latter’s strength. With the disappearance of Silk Lady, the Rust Disaster Craftsman decisively regrouped with two others to find Ban Ji, forcibly refunding the deposit and withdrawing.
Ban Ji naturally did not have a friendly face towards the Rust Disaster Craftsman.
The Rust Disaster Craftsman continued with divine sense exchange: "Do you think I want to stand out and support you in front of everyone? Temper your attitude, do you still think you’re back with the Ban Family?"
"If this continues, you might find yourself targeted by everyone again."
"Remember your experience on Qingzhu Peak!"
Ban Ji gritted his teeth: "I was only careless that time."
Rust Disaster Craftsman: "Don’t say I didn’t warn you!"
Ban Ji squinted, falling silent.
A few breaths later, he moved forward to Lu Zeng, first thanking the latter. After all, not long ago, Lu Zeng had personally given him a Jade Token.
Lu Zeng was in business, so naturally, he wouldn’t offend Ban Ji.
Receiving a favorable response, Ban Ji went to greet Ao Pan. Ao Pan’s attitude toward him was as enthusiastic as with Ning Zhuo.
Ao Pan was a foreigner and needed to forge good relationships. Since Ban Ji took the initiative to greet him, he also wanted to establish good connections with Ban Ji and the Ban Family.
In his view: there’s no harm in being on good terms with both Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji!
Ao Pan then visited Tie Zheng, who also reacted indifferently.
Next, he visited Zhang Wangxing. The two exchanged divine sense, frequently glancing at Ning Zhuo, seemingly conducting negotiations and discussions.
Ning Zhuo had been paying attention to Ban Ji, seeing his actions, he immediately understood: "Ban Ji was cultivated by the Ban Family from a young age and has political acumen. The choice of conversation partners is well-considered, and the sequence is correct."
Through Lu Ban’s and Ao Pan’s attitudes, Ban Ji broke the stalemate. Soon, many other cultivators took the initiative to approach him for a chat.
After all, Ban Ji was the representative of the Ban Family.
The Ban Family was a renowned righteous sect, and the Myriad Images Sect never minded having righteous or demonic cultivators join them as long as they adhered to sect rules after joining.
The rules of the Myriad Images Sect were some of the most minimal and lenient among the super sects.
Ban Ji, forced into a corner by Ning Zhuo, still had his means. After learning from his loss, he skillfully dismantled many of Ning Zhuo’s influence, turning a disastrous defeat into a minor loss.
A Golden Core Level cultivator emerged from the Xuan Armor Cave, announcing the time had come and the Xingyun Trial officially began.
With permission given, everyone revealed their identity tokens, rushing into the cave one after another.
Almost all the identity tokens were wooden, except for those in the hands of Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji, which were Stone Tokens.
As Ning Zhuo stepped into the cave, his vision suddenly changed.
He found himself enveloped in darkness, encountering invisible barriers in every direction, as if the air itself turned into walls, sealing him in.
However, Ning Zhuo remained unflustered, as he had memorized the information pertaining to this Xingyun Trial beforehand.
Like the Evil Slaying Hall, the Nine-layered Profound Armor’s Xingyun Trial was almost unchanged.
Sure enough, the next moment, a divine sense emerged from the darkness, instructing Ning Zhuo to use his divine sense to clear a path.
Ning Zhuo activated his divine sense, expanding it forward as much as possible.
His divine sense parted through the layer of grime, creating an opening barely enough for him to squeeze through.
Ning Zhuo moved forward, continuously advancing, with his divine sense paving the way, carving out a temporary passage for himself.
"This is the first stage of the Nine-layered Profound Armor’s trial: the Divine Sense Stage."
"Without a sufficient divine sense, passing through here is impossible."
Ao Pan, despite his hunched stance, moved with the grace of a dragon and the power of a tiger.
Tie Zheng folded his arms, maintaining a calm demeanor, exuding a composed air.
Lu Zeng gently rubbed the ruler on his chest, his divine sense surrounding him, constantly emitting, creating a spherical void around.
This stage does not restrict cultivation level, so Golden Core cultivators can generally pass. After all, with higher cultivation levels, divine sense, mana, and energy often surpass those of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
But Foundation Establishment Cultivators must demonstrate their unique capabilities.
Zhang Wangxing’s robe surface fluttered like waves as he proceeded slowly.
Ban Ji’s eyes were bloodshot, glaring ahead. The ’Greedy Opportunity Demon Heart Technique’ primarily cultivated the Upper Dantian, and in terms of divine sense scale, he was among the top in the Foundation Establishment Stage, thus facing no impediment.
Ning Zhuo hadn’t made any specific preparations in this regard. The reason was, his mastery of the Three Dantians Cultivation and the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique gave his divine sense foundation a significant edge over fellow cultivators of the same rank who focused on the Qi Sea or Essence Sea.
His advantage in divine sense, unlike Ban Ji’s, lay in control. Therefore, he precisely released his divine sense, just enough to create a passage for himself, saving time and effort.
Zhang Dadan remained silent, specializing in the Essence Sea with divine sense strengthened by a secret technique, tenacious and hard to disperse, but sufficient for self-preservation.