The City Lord's Mansion.
"We pay our respects to Young Master Meng Chong!" Sixteen cultivators greeted in unison.
Their cultivation levels were consistent, all at the peak of the Qi Refinement Level Three, practicing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
Fei Si stood beside Meng Chong, speaking at the appropriate time, "Young Master Meng Chong, allow me to make some introductions."
"Many of them were personally recruited by me."
"This is Li Duolun, skilled in using saw wheels for attacking enemies. When designing and constructing new mechanisms, he likes to use interlocking wheels."
Li Duolun stepped forward and bowed to Meng Chong, "I am willing to serve Young Master Meng Chong."
He was a fat, tall man with a pleasant face, a big head, and large ears, reminiscent of a Buddha statue in a temple.
Fei Si continued, "This is Feng Feidao, his designed flying knife wrist crossbow is very exquisite, capable of shooting more than a dozen knives at a time."
"Each flying knife can split into four or five. Countless knives scatter in the air and coordinate with each other to form a formation, slicing the enemy into pieces."
Meng Chong looked at Feng Feidao, seeing a short, stocky man in a martial artist's outfit with his face covered, only revealing a pair of small, narrow eyes.
Feng Feidao knelt on one knee, showing great loyalty to Meng Chong, "I am willing to go through fire and water for Young Master Meng Chong!"
Fei Si finally introduced, "This is Guan Tiesuo, his specialty is manipulating a large number of magnetic locking mechanisms. They climb onto the target, interlock, forming chains that bind the enemy completely, making it impossible for them to move an inch."
Guan Tiesuo's voice was muffled, only saying, "I have seen Young Master Meng Chong."
Li Duolun, Feng Feidao, and Guan Tiesuo were the most outstanding leaders in the City Lord's Mansion Renovation Team.
It took Fei Si some effort to recruit them.
Requiring the Qi Refinement Stage and a certain level of mechanical technique expertise was actually quite rare.
Mechanical techniques were difficult to learn and master. Most Qi Refinement realm cultivators, those with the means, would choose alchemy, artifact refining, array formation, etc., while those without would opt for farming, fishing, hunting, etc.
Mechanical techniques, among the myriad arts of cultivation, were considered an obscure path, pursued only under special circumstances or fortuitous encounters.
"Good." Meng Chong nodded and said directly, "From now on, we will explore the Immortal Palace together."
"It's very simple. When I charge ahead, you just follow me."
Meng Chong did not have much command ability.
Fei Si coughed twice, taking the initiative to remind him, "Though more people means greater strength, it also has its drawbacks."
"According to what we know, the difficulty of the trials in the Magma Fairy Palace adjusts based on the number and strength of participants."
"This time, with so many of us entering the Immortal Palace together, it is likely to attract Mechanical Monkeys to attack us, increasing the difficulty of the trial."
"There's also the possibility of multiple Mechanical Monkeys attacking simultaneously."
"If that happens, you must protect Young Master Meng Chong with your lives. Even if it means sacrificing yourselves, you must try to entangle the Mechanical Monkeys to create opportunities for Young Master Meng Chong!"
"Understood!" The Renovation Team responded in unison, following orders resolutely.
The City Lord's Mansion had moles and inside lines in all three families.
The intelligence about Golden Blooded War Ape - Dasheng blocking the talents of the three families in Room Two had already been uncovered by the City Lord's Mansion.
Therefore, Fei Si attributed the appearance of Yuan Dasheng to an adjustment in the difficulty of the Magma Fairy Palace trial.
Suddenly, Meng Chong said, "Wait!"
"If that Mechanical Monkey appears, none of you should take action. I will deal with it personally."
"No one is to interfere in our battle, understand?"
The members of the Renovation Team glanced at each other and then turned their eyes toward Fei Si.
Fei Si smiled faintly, "Since Young Master Meng Chong has spoken, you should follow his orders."
"Yes." They responded again in unison.
This time, however, their momentum was significantly weaker than before.
Some of them exchanged tacit glances, clearly disapproving of Meng Chong's choice for a solo battle.
"What do you know?" Fei Si sneered inwardly.
Meng Chong's decisions all came from the heart, driven by nature.
Each action allowed him to activate more of his nature, grasping his Immortal Aptitude more deeply.
Since the start of the Immortal Palace exploration, Meng Chong had repeatedly fought and improved his strength significantly.
"And he was far ahead of those geniuses from the three families!" Fei Si, not knowing the truth, always thought Meng Chong was the leading figure, enjoying a massive advantage.
Especially after Meng Chong had recently informed Fei Si about the intelligence on the rankings.
Fei Si had specifically asked some questions, including whether it was possible to change names, and he had been misled.
"Young Master Meng Chong has boundless potential; the City Lord is farsighted. At this rate, he will undoubtedly take charge of the Magma Fairy Palace!"
"The only concern is Zhu Xuanji!"
"This person colludes with the three families, stirring trouble, and enters the Immortal Palace under the guise of investigating the truth. Even Lord Meng Kui cannot openly stop him."
"Quite troublesome indeed..."
The Righteous Path followed the rules of the game. Being straightforward was the style of the Demon Path.
Ning Family Clan Land.
In Ning Ze's cultivation secret room, Ning Zhuo was almost frantically cultivating.
Clouds surrounded him, dense like cotton, enveloping him completely.
He lit a Divine Incense and meditated on the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique, with a face full of compassion, calm and serene.
He raised his neck, pouring a large amount of exquisite spirit food into his throat, eating voraciously while practicing the Demon-infused Bloodline Technique.
Sitting cross-legged on the mat, he actively practiced the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, using the Ice Light Strong Pulse Talisman and the Sharp Advance Needle to boldly explore new meridians.
While Meng Chong, Zheng Jian, Ning Xiaohui, and others were stuck at the peak of Qi Refinement Level Three, Ning Zhuo's Qi Refining Level had already reached late Level Five. His essence refining had broken through to Level Six, and his spirit refining had advanced to the late Level Six!
"Ever since comprehending the embryonic form of the Life Hanging Thread's divine skill, my every Spirit Refining session has been extraordinarily effective, without any bottlenecks—smooth sailing."
"The Demon-infused Bloodline Technique rapidly advanced to Level Six, thanks to my relentless consumption of large amounts of spirit food, coupled with various superior elixir pills."
"Ironically, the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, which I cultivated the earliest, has lagged behind, only reaching the late Level Five."
"Despite using the Ice Light Strong Pulse Talisman and the Sharp Advance Needle, it remains so."
"Regrettably, for the sake of safety, I can't use the Zhou Family's Gathering and Dispersing As Desired Spirit Tide Array. Using this array might push my mana cultivation to Level Six."
Ning Zhuo thought about the messages from the Ning Family's higher-ups.
The Ning Family Ancestor had personally spoken, vigorously supporting the Ning Family's Renovation Team and providing more unique and excellent cultivation resources.
"Three bottles of White Snow Spring Sunrise Pill for the entire Renovation Team as a baseline, with such excellent healing pills, there's no fear of injury from rapid cultivation."
"Two Understanding Law Maps are also good. If I could comprehend the Proud Snow Technique and the Frost Technique, these two spells would naturally be compatible with the Five Elements Mana without any modifications."
"The most critical, however, is the Ice Heart Jade Pot!"
"This is the Ning Family's treasured artifact, capable of brewing Ice Jade Wine, also known as Ice Heart Jade Liquid Wine."
"Consuming this wine allows the divine treasure to stimulate the qi treasure, using the divine to supplement the qi, making it the best resource for cultivating the Ice Heart Technique."
The Ning Family's main line was solely devoted to cultivating the Ice Heart Technique.
Success in cultivating this technique often led to a calm, sometimes even cold, demeanor, devoid of any emotional fluctuations.
As the saying goes: Frost as blade, ice heart as mirror. Guard the heart like ice, no evil can invade.
The power accumulation speed of the Ice Heart Technique was not as fast as most top-tier techniques, but its Divine Sea cultivation was its absolute strength.
By relying on Ice Jade Wine, one could use the Divine Sea cultivation to drive the Qi Sea cultivation, seamlessly compensating for the technique's shortcomings.
"Although I possess Five Elements Mana, Ice Jade Wine is still very suitable for me."
Ning Zhuo's spirit cultivation far exceeded his mana cultivation; consuming Ice Jade Wine would elevate his mana cultivation.
Of course, the consumption effect of Ice Jade Wine was best suited for those cultivating the Ice Heart Technique. This spiritual wine was originally created to remedy the mana accumulation speed shortfall of those practicing the Ice Heart Technique.
The same resource has different effects and values for different cultivators.
Ning Zhuo felt secretly fortunate.
If not for the four factions vying for the Magma Fairy Palace, how could a minor figure from a side branch of the Ning Family get access to the core cultivation resources of the Ning Family?
Not to mention the Understanding Law Map, even the Ice Light Strong Pulse Talisman would be out of reach.
Now, by performing the best, he had the qualification to obtain Ice Jade Wine!
Under normal circumstances, Ice Jade Wine was supplied only to the Golden Pill Ancestors in ample quantities. Others, including the Clan Leader and all main line higher-ups, had to wait in line. How could it ever reach Ning Zhuo?
"Hmm?" Ning Zhuo took a moment to observe the Golden Blooded War Ape - Dasheng.
Yuan Dasheng had been left in the Magma Fairy Palace by Ning Zhuo, as per the previous arrangement.
Through Yuan Dasheng's perspective, Ning Zhuo discovered the significant movement from the City Lord's Mansion.
Led by Meng Chong, the Renovation Team of seventeen people entered the Immortal Palace together, proceeding grandly and high-spirited.
"The City Lord's Mansion? Quite a grand move." Ning Zhuo secretly marveled.
Currently, even the combined three families barely managed to gather sixteen people.
The City Lord's Mansion, relying solely on its strength, had assembled sixteen people, indicating thorough preparation. Meng Kui, such a wise strategist, indeed had far-reaching plans.
"With such strength from the City Lord's Mansion, no wonder the three families needed to unite and are becoming more cooperative."
Ning Zhuo sighed while manipulating the Golden Blooded War Ape - Dasheng to notify Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong's soul was still within the Immortal Palace.
Being at the Foundation Establishment Stage, his soul power was robust, capable of sustaining for two to three days without issue.
At this moment, Sun Lingtong was hiding in the preparation room, using various mechanical tools to modify himself.
Sun Lingtong's mechanical expertise was not low.
When Ning Zhuo was young, he shared his mother's mechanical classics with Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong, motivated to reunite with his master, had always studied mechanical techniques earnestly and diligently.
He was a talented person, with high comprehension abilities.
Thus, although Sun Lingtong's mechanical expertise did not surpass Ning Zhuo's, it greatly exceeded the standard for entering the palace.
Receiving the report from Dasheng, Sun Lingtong was startled, "Someone's here?"
Immediately, he was delighted, "Good, good, let's follow Little Zhuo's plan and let them come in first."