"The Recruitment Decree…" Meng Kui let out a cold laugh in his heart.
This move by the Monarch was not surprising. The Recruitment Decree was also within his expectations, and there were ways to deal with it.
A few days after the Recruitment Decree was issued, three Golden Core Cultivators entered Fire Persimmon Immortal City and were successfully "recruited" by the City Lord's Mansion.
The Meng Family had discovered the Magma Fairy Palace many years ago.
For the Meng Family, controlling the Magma Fairy Palace would give them a reason to occupy Fire Persimmon Immortal City. The resources of Fire Persimmon Immortal City were not outstanding, but its location was excellent. For the Meng Family, it wasn't an enclave. By occupying it, the Meng Family's influence could easily expand outward by a considerable margin.
This would also dramatically increase the Meng Family's influence throughout the entire Southern Bean Country.
These benefits were what the Meng Family truly valued!
"A great change is coming!"
The proclamation's voice spread throughout the city, and Ning Zhuo naturally heard it.
He furrowed his brow, his gaze deep and somber, feeling the pressure increase exponentially within his heart.
Currently, there were two tracks for competing for the inheritance of the Magma Fairy Palace.
The first, the old track, was open to those at the Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, and above. Each level of cultivation had standards for mechanical techniques. As long as one met these standards, they could participate in the competition and rivalry, assisting the Magma Fairy Palace through various actions to gain corresponding palace contributions.
Accumulate enough palace contributions, and one could exchange them for corresponding resources. The highest contribution would likely be the position of the Palace Master of the Immortal Palace.
The second, a new track, was solely for the Qi Refinement Realm, specifically for those cultivating the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
Reaching the peak of the third layer of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art would grant eligibility to have one's soul drawn into the palace by a Life Hanging Thread.
In the trial checkpoints specially arranged by the Three Ancestral Masters, Qi Refining Cultivators would continuously face challenges in the form of wooden puppets. They would learn and grow through this process.
As for whether this new track could eventually lead to the Immortal Palace's throne, Ning Zhuo could not be entirely certain, but he suspected it was possible.
The discovery of the new track was a significant boon for Ning Zhuo.
Yet, as he moved forward and broke through, he also encountered many unexpected events, several involving life-and-death crises.
From being listed on the initial rankings to the sudden appearance of Yuan Dasheng, and then Qi Bai capturing Sun Lingtong...
To get to where he was today, Ning Zhuo had already exhausted more than half of his accumulated efforts over the past decade. The mechanical artifacts he had stockpiled were almost entirely consumed in the battle against Qi Bai.
Sun Lingtong was currently hiding in one of the few remaining underground bases, which was still unsafe.
The proclamation of the Recruitment Decree would undoubtedly attract countless outside cultivators, leading to a massive influx of new competitors.
Ning Zhuo felt uncertain about this.
There were so many talents in the world, like carp crossing the river. It would be no surprise if a dragon or fish leaped out.
"Especially those from prestigious sects, who have received the best education and superior cultivation resources since childhood. How can I compete with them?"
"Though my mechanical techniques are outstanding in the Ning Family, the Ning Family itself is known for its talismans."
"Among the cultivators who will flood in next, there will undoubtedly be those whose mechanical techniques far surpass mine."
"My advantage in mechanical techniques will become inconspicuous in comparison!"
"My greatest advantage now is being a pioneer. I have the fastest progress in the trial checkpoints, ranking first in the 'entry standards' on the five lists."
"But how long can this advantage last?"
"I have already given my all to get this far."
Ning Zhuo desperately wanted to clear the next checkpoints quickly.
He currently had a Divine Sea cultivation at the peak of the sixth layer, capable of pushing open the second Buddhist Gate.
However, the first checkpoint beyond the Buddhist Gate was quite challenging.
After trying, Ning Zhuo found that challengers would first enter half of a room.
The half-room was a mechanical workshop.
The challenger temporarily possessed a limited number of mechanical tools, mechanical stands.
The checkpoint provided some materials, allowing the challenger to make three selections.
After making nine consecutive choices, they would use the chosen materials for crafting.
No matter what they crafted, it had to be paired with the Golden Blooded War Ape - Dasheng to face the upcoming trial.
During the trial, the other half of the room would move over, merging with the mechanical workshop to form a complete room.
Sometimes, the other half of the room was filled with various obstacles and traps, requiring the challengers' spiritual mechanism to navigate through.
Sometimes, the other half of the room contained spell puppets, kung fu dolls, or groups of mechanical beasts that needed to be defeated by the spiritual mechanism.
At other times, the combined room came with a cage, inside which a live Red Flame Demon Beast was trapped, needing the spiritual mechanism to kill the beast.
Ning Zhuo successfully cleared seven trials but made a mistake on the eighth, resulting in immediate failure.
With no chance to retreat and re-enter, he was directly thrown out of the Magma Fairy Palace, his soul returned to his physical body.
Afterward, Ning Zhuo continuously reflected and gained many insights.
"As Elder Sun had mentioned before, the spiritual mechanism crafted for trial disciples by the Magma Fairy Palace was crucial."
"The subsequent challenges were based on this spiritual mechanism, further enhanced during the trials."
"Yes, at least this was the case for the Buddhist Gate pathway."
"After the second Buddhist Gate, the material grade provided in the checkpoints was clearly a tier higher than before."
"Following this trend, the materials in the following checkpoints should be even better."
"The difficulty of the checkpoints beyond the second Buddhist Gate far surpassed those before. The trial content increased nearly tenfold; since it hadn't been fully explored, the exact increase remained uncertain."
"The battlefield for each trial could be cleaned up. Various mechanical traps, obstacles, puppets, and the Red Flame Demon Beast all provided new materials that could be used to repair the spiritual mechanism, create more mechanical parts, and components, and even directly manufacture a mechanical entity."
"The other items from the first Buddhist Gate rewards could directly aid this checkpoint."
"The rewards from the first Buddhist Gate and the Demon Sect offered indirect help. Throughout the trial process, I couldn't command Yuan Dasheng, only depending on his autonomous attacks."
"From this, it's clear that the spiritual mechanism crafted during the first Buddhist Gate was extremely important! The richer its spiritual nature, the more advantageous it was in subsequent checkpoints."
"Other challengers would face far greater difficulties reaching this point, investing much more effort and time."
"Oh, I almost forgot."
"I have already closed the Buddhist and Demon Gates."
"They have no way to enter."
Ning Zhuo figured it had flaws.
There were still connections to the Buddhist and Demon Gates in the second transfer hall.
He needed to cheat again to close them off.
The unexpected exit from the Immortal Palace had caught Ning Zhuo off guard. After failing the trial, he was directly thrown out.
"No matter, I'll attempt to close the doors next time."
As Ning Zhuo contemplated the checkpoints, the Ning Family Clan Leader and the Young Clan Leader discussed him.
"Ning Zhuo indeed made a great contribution this time," sighed the Ning Family Clan Leader.
The Young Clan Leader, Ning Xiaoren, agreed: "This kid is truly a mechanical prodigy, with extraordinary talent in mechanical techniques."
"But…" Ning Xiaoren changed his tone, "he explicitly requested to taste Ice Jade Wine, an attitude that made me feel very uncomfortable."
The Ning Family Clan Leader narrowed his eyes meaningfully, "Xiaoren, you should take note."
"This time, Ning Zhuo organized manpower and acted independently, without informing us."
"None of the main branch members were among those who acted with him."
Ning Xiaoren took a deep breath: "Father, I also noticed that—when Ning Zhuo called out, these people immediately gathered around him and acted with him. Ning Zhuo's influence among the side branches is not to be underestimated!"
"Though he is currently only at the Qi Refinement Realm, he is already seen as a talent by countless family branch members."
"If we do not curb him during his formative years, by the time he grows into a towering tree, it will be too late, and we will regret it."
The Ning Family Clan Leader slowly nodded: "Good, it was not in vain to nurture you all these years for you to have this insight."
"Ning Zhuo is indeed a good seedling with talent, but he is too young; young people tend to be somewhat unruly."
"He has crossed some lines and needs to understand that the family comes first, and the individual comes second."
"He needs to know that certain rules must be followed."
"Go and knock some sense into him. Teach him well so that he may become a sharp blade for our main branch in the future."
"Yes, Father. Your son takes his leave." Ning Xiaoren bowed, took a few steps back, then turned and left.