City Lord's Mansion.
Fire, frost, rolling logs, golden blades, and massive stones belonging to the Five Elements continuously attacked Meng Chong.
Meng Chong's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He used his Immortal Talent Mad Dash Thunder, moving like lightning, swift and extraordinary, weaving through the gaps of the spells.
It wasn't until the final wave of attacks that his shoulder brushed against a golden blade.
His subordinates who were sparring with him congratulated him repeatedly.
Meng Chong had made great progress.
"Hahaha," Meng Chong laughed loudly, "After ten more rounds of such special training, I won't be afraid of those magic puppets' assaults anymore."
Meng Chong took a brief rest. The Meng Family servants immediately presented meticulously prepared refreshments, all of which were spirit food.
Meng Chong ate and drank a bit, then listened to the latest intelligence.
"What?" He raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Today, Ning Xiaohui repeatedly entered the Immortal Palace three times, but each time the Mechanical Monkeys intercepted her. She suffered miserable defeats, and she didn't even reach the preparation room."
"How is she so unlucky?"
"Why do I seldom encounter that Mechanical Monkey anymore?"
For Meng Chong, the Golden Blooded War Ape - Dasheng was unforgettable.
After all, he had fought Yuan Dasheng many times and always lost, holding a grudge and longing to regain his honor.
However, Yuan Dasheng, under Ning Zhuo's arrangement and command, rarely intercepted Meng Chong anymore. Occasionally, Yuan Dasheng would catch Meng Chong in the heat of battle, sneaking in attacks with great success.
This made Meng Chong even angrier. Initially, he would curse loudly. Later, perhaps realizing that the Mechanical Monkey didn't understand human language, he chose to keep silent.
For Ning Xiaohui, Yuan Dasheng had become her nightmare. For Meng Chong, however, he was an opponent he yearned to fight but couldn't.
Zheng Family.
Mechanical Trap Special Training Room.
Zheng Jian walked on the wooden floor.
His gaze was calm, and his entire body emitted a chill, his steps slow and deliberate.
Every step he took, he lifted his leg high and brought it down slowly.
During the descent, his Piercing Heart Insight would frequently activate, warning him.
Zheng Jian walked from one end to the other without triggering any of the traps beneath the floor.
This kind of special training had been conducted many times. Zheng Jian had gained deeper control over his talent, achieving significant results.
However, what amazed Zheng Jian was the talisman from the Ning Family.
"This Ice Heart Talisman really suits me."
"Using this talisman, I can enter an absolutely calm state. My talent, Piercing Heart Insight, can almost activate every time!"
"It's a pity that the Ice Heart Talisman can only be crafted by cultivators specializing in the Ice Heart Technique."
"The Ice Heart Technique is a cultivation technique of the Ning Family Main Line. Such talismans, involving the profound mysteries of the Ice Heart Technique, rarely circulate in the outside market."
"I only enjoyed this convenience thanks to the cooperation of the three families."
"Sigh..."
Zhou Family.
Underground Martial Arts Arena.
Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen were preparing for their sparring match.
They both took out a pack of powder, opening it to reveal a pile of silvery-gray powder.
They tilted their heads back, opened their mouths wide, and directly poured the silvery powder into their mouths.
This was Spirit Division Powder.
The medicine quickly took effect, causing the faces of the Zhou Family's two Qi Refinement talents to change slightly.
"Come, fight!" Zhou Zeshen shouted in a low voice.
Zhou Zhu responded with a deep voice.
Zhou Zeshen initiated a spell, launching an attack.
Zhou Zhu defended and then took out a mechanical hammer.
Mud Gate Quake Hammer!
The hammer was nearly as tall as Zhou Zhu, very heavy. Swinging it with just his strength was extremely strenuous.
The surface of the hammer revealed multiple round holes, from which surged fierce jets of air.
The airflow propelled the hammer, aiding Zhou Zhu in attacking Zhou Zeshen.
Zhou Zeshen didn't dare face its edge, retreating continuously. While retreating, he opened his storage bag, releasing a large number of mechanical bats.
Mechanical—Night Sky Bats.
A large group of Night Sky Bats flew into the air, spewing thick black fog along the way.
The black fog shrouded the battlefield, obscuring Zhou Zhu's vision.
Zhou Zhu tried several methods to disperse the fog, but when he couldn't, he decisively slapped his storage waist belt.
From the belt emerged a swarm of rats.
Mechanical—Driller Rats.
The mechanical rats fell to the ground and immediately, under Zhou Zhu's control, used their built-in spell—Mud Mire Technique.
The solid ground quickly turned into a swamp.
Zhou Zhu swung his hammer forcefully, splashing countless yellow mud.
The hammer embedded deeply in the swamp, and several round holes suddenly emitted jets of air simultaneously.
The hammer shook violently, plunging deeper into the mud, dragging Zhou Zhu along with it.
Many Night Sky Bats lost their main target and, under Zhou Zeshen's command, continually fell into the swamp, trying to catch the Driller Rats.
The Driller Rats used the swamp for defense.
Whenever a Night Sky Bat missed, the spiral drill head at the front of the Driller Rat would pierce through the fragile bodies of the Night Sky Bats.
If a Night Sky Bat caught a Driller Rat, its inherent spell would immediately seal the Driller Rat, greatly hindering its spiritual power.
Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen fell into a stalemate until almost all the Driller Rats and Night Sky Bats were exhausted. Only then did they tacitly cease fighting.
As the black fog dissipated, they both sat down cross-legged, each taking out a Multifarious Heart Pill.
They immediately consumed the Multifarious Heart Pill to consolidate their recent training results.
After a long time, Zhou Zeshen opened his eyes first.
Just several breaths later, Zhou Zhu opened his eyes too.
With a hint of joy, Zhou Zeshen remarked, "The combination of Spirit Division Powder and Multifarious Heart Pill indeed works well, enabling us to master deeper multitasking and control of more mechanism artifacts."
"If we continue this training, we can control thirty mechanical bats and rats simultaneously."
Zhou Zhu, rarely speaking a long sentence, said, "Too little mana; extending the combat duration longer would be more effective."
Zhou Zeshen sighed, "There's no way around it. We haven't found the subsequent cultivation techniques yet. Fortunately, everyone is at Qi Refinement level three, equally weak."
Zhou Zhu: "Do the legend say there are subsequent techniques in the Magma Fairy Palace?"
Zhou Zeshen: "Given the current trend, it's more likely. We need to keep an eye on Meng Chong; he's making the most progress. If his cultivation level breaks through to the fourth level, there must be subsequent techniques in the Magma Fairy Palace."
By now, the renovation teams of the Four Directions Powers generally had cultivation levels at the peak of Qi Refinement level three.
Without subsequent cultivation techniques, they could not advance anymore.
Only the genius members of each family could make progress through training their talents.
Most others chose to study and research mechanical techniques to strengthen themselves.
Progress was made, but it was minimal.
Including Meng Chong, everyone reached a relatively stable bottleneck period.
Ning Zhuo, wrapped in floating clouds, silently breathed in and out, continuing to improve his cultivation.
The magic artifact Tornado Windmill was pressed against his chest, rotating slowly.
In Ning Zhuo's middle dantian Qi Sea, a tornado swirled.
Countless mana were drawn into the tornado, grinding and reducing each other.
This was a form of purification.
The mana Ning Zhuo inhaled was impure, after all, elevated through shortcuts by the Divine Sea Realm and Ice Jade Wine.
But now, through this process, his mana quality significantly improved.
Pure mana was extremely important, positively influencing all aspects and amplifying personal advantages.
The talent of the Pure Yang Body allowed mana to naturally carry pure Yang energy, free of impurities.
Among the Seven Great Flames, the Liuli Purifying Fire was highly sought after precisely because it could burn away impurities, purifying the cultivator's divine sense, mana, and essence blood.
Cultivators universally pursued pure mana relentlessly.
"The purification ability of the Tornado Windmill is only secondary; its true function is to accelerate the refinement of mana."
"Having a dedicated purification magic artifact would be even better."
After one round of purification, Ning Zhuo's ten measures of mana were reduced to less than six measures, a significant difference.
Ning Zhuo continued to inhale spiritual energy, refining it into Five Elements Mana.
After two or three iterations, Ning Zhuo replenished the purified mana back to ten measures.
He paused his Qi Sea training, intending to let the purified mana nurture his Qi Sea and middle dantian.
He began training his Essence Sea.
The source of refined essence blood was his physical body.
The influence on his physical body mainly came from ample spirit food and elixir pills.
Ning Zhuo never skimped on his cultivation expenses.
Besides, he also used a Marrow Washing Pill and a Detoxification Pill each.
Both of these were bestowed by the Ning Family Main Line. Recently, Sun Lingtong had thoroughly examined them, and Ning Zhuo himself had carefully tested them.
The Marrow Washing Pill could slightly improve his constitution. The Detoxification Pill mainly removed accumulated toxins from Ning Zhuo's body.
The medicinal effects were not very significant.
On the one hand, elixirs like the Marrow Washing Pill required long-term, substantial consumption to yield gradual results.
Ning Zhuo had just started using it.
On the other hand, Ning Zhuo primarily relied on spirit food, supplementing with elixirs, so he had accumulated little elixir poison, etc.
Soon after, today's Essence Sea training concluded.
Ning Zhuo began practicing spells.
He took out the Five Elements Ruler, held it in his hand, silently urging Five Elements Mana to cast the Five Elements Generating and Overcoming Technique.
The floating clouds churned, barely concealing Ning Zhuo's spellcasting fluctuations.
The Five Elements Ruler quickly separated the Five Elements Mana, aiding Ning Zhuo in his spell practice with positive effects.
"Complicated."
"This spell is so complex, the most intricate I've ever seen!"
"Sigh, if the leaderboard had corresponding rewards, that would be great."
"Maybe there will be in the subsequent stages of the Immortal Palace?"
Ning Zhuo had just started practicing this spell, a long journey ahead.
After practicing for a while, Ning Zhuo took out two Understanding Law Maps, the Frost Conquest Diagram and the Proud Snow Diagram.
Staring at them for a while, Ning Zhuo touched his forehead, still having no clue.
"It's okay."
Ning Zhuo took out an Enlightenment Pill and swallowed it instantly.
He looked at the two Understanding Law Maps again, his gaze unwavering.
As his thoughts gradually dispersed, Ning Zhuo didn't restrain them, letting them wander.
Ning Zhuo slowly began to sense the subtle feelings brought by the Understanding Law Maps. This sensation was new to him.
But the impressions from the Understanding Law Maps were so faint that it was his mind's various mechanical diagrams and the classics left by his mother that became extraordinarily vivid.
Additionally, the various cultivation techniques and spells he had acquired in the Magma Fairy Palace also stood out clearly.
"The Cremation Prajna Spirit Liberation Sutra!"
In the end, the entire text of the Cremation Scripture emerged clearly in Ning Zhuo's mind, word for word.
Ning Zhuo suddenly gained a new understanding of this scripture.
He beamed with joy: "So there's a deeper interpretation of this scripture."
"Excellent!"
"Now, I can personally craft spiritual mechanisms."
It was a case of an unexpected windfall.
Ning Zhuo had never expected that by taking the Enlightenment Pill to feel the mysteries of the Understanding Law Maps, he would gain a new insight into the Cremation Scripture instead.