"This kind of sparring is a bit boring." Ning Zhuo allowed the Silent Thunderbirds above his head to be mostly destroyed. Deep down, he felt quite bored.
"Zhou Zeshen initiated this sparring to get closer to me."
"During the first exchange, he intentionally lost and held back, giving me the advantage and saving face for me."
"In the second exchange, I should reciprocate and let him show off a bit."
"Oh?"
At that moment, Ning Zhuo's eyes lit up as he saw Zhou Zeshen take out his White Tiger Strong Rushing Vehicle.
"So, Brother Zhou, you also found it boring and decided to add some fun..."
"Very well."
"Now is the perfect time to let it shine."
Ning Zhuo touched his storage waist belt.
With a flash of light, a giant snake appeared before him.
The snake was about fifty feet long, with a girth of about one and a half feet, entirely red, wooden, with eyes made of red crystals. It coiled like a giant log, exuding a majestic presence.
Zhou Zeshen's eyebrows raised, a pleased expression in his heart: "Very good, this is more like it."
"Go all out, Ning Zhuo!"
Zhou Zeshen's battle spirit surged.
At this time, Ning Zhuo transmitted a message, his voice gentle: "Brother Zhou, look closer, this Fire Bamboo Snake is a new mechanism I recently created, intended for elite use."
Zhou Zeshen's pupils slightly contracted: "A new creation by Brother Ning? Interesting, you've successfully piqued my interest."
"But please be cautious, Brother Ning."
"My White Tiger Strong Rushing Vehicle is a classic mechanism from Mudflow Sect, extensively tested and equipped with three different heads."
"If you lose, don't blame me for not warning you in advance."
Ning Zhuo laughed heartily, saying no more. He used his mana to control the Fire Bamboo Snake, sending it forward.
The White Tiger Strong Rushing Vehicle, commanded by Zhou Zeshen, also moved its limbs and ran wildly through the forest.
Then, it leaped gracefully into the air, spanning more than ten feet to land on the opposite mountain.
Bang!
The mechanical tiger and snake collided solidly on the mountainside, the snake's head and tiger's head clashing with a loud explosion.
The snake's head rose high, while the tiger's head retracted smoothly into its neck.
The rotating mechanism inside the tiger clicked, and when its head re-emerged, it had transformed into a battering head.
Though the battering head bore the pattern of a tiger, it was a solid, seamless, and incredibly hard structure.
The White Tiger Strong Rushing Vehicle surged forward, creating a gust of wind.
The Fire Bamboo Snake, under Ning Zhuo's control, dodged nimbly.
Suddenly, the White Tiger's body emitted a white light that shone upon the Fire Bamboo Snake, rendering its outer skin transparent and revealing its internal mechanism.
It showed that the Fire Bamboo Snake's skeleton was connected by large spherical joints at intervals.
One side of each sphere was pitch black, with the character for 'death,' while the other side was pure white, marked with the character for 'life.'
With every movement of the Fire Bamboo Snake, the spheres turned or paused occasionally, some stopping on the black 'death' side and others on the white 'life' side.
When the sphere turned to the white 'life' side, the joints moved freely. When it turned to the black 'death' side, the joints locked accordingly.
Even more ingenious was the fact that the spheres and the snake's bones were arranged in a formation, forming a tight, seamless whole.
"Interesting mechanism components..." Zhou Zeshen, observing closely through the White Tiger Strong Rushing Vehicle, instantly understood part of the reason for the Fire Bamboo Snake's agility.
This spherical mechanism was known as the Half-Alive Half-Dead Beads.
Back then, Chen Cha felt guilty and, to compensate Ning Zhuo, gave him all his most treasured possessions.
The Half-Alive Half-Dead Beads were Chen Cha's original creation.
There was also a collection of formations titled "The Serpentine Motion Array Collection," which was Chen Cha's fortuitous encounter from his early days.
With these two items, along with his own mechanical expertise and a bit of occasional inspiration, Ning Zhuo eventually created the Fire Bamboo Snake.
As the snake and tiger clashed with loud roars, trees snapped continuously, and dust billowed from the battlefield. For a moment, it was impossible to determine a winner.
Zhou Zeshen's ten fingers twitched as he continuously controlled the White Tiger Strong Rushing Vehicle, his primary focus on it.
His remaining focus went to the Driller Rats.
After the first unsuccessful clash, the retreating Driller Rats did not return to Zhou Zeshen. Instead, they burrowed underground, stealthily moving towards Ning Zhuo's location.
Although the Night Sky Bats in the air were more numerous and capable of flying, reaching Ning Zhuo faster,
Zhou Zeshen also cared about his reputation.
He thought: Since in the aerial battle, Ning Zhuo had deliberately held back, he felt embarrassed to exploit this deliberate advantage to make a point.
So, he chose the Driller Rats.
When the Driller Rats were within ten feet of Ning Zhuo, the latter discovered them.
Ning Zhuo had maintained his spell for reconnaissance.
Upon discovering the Driller Rats, Ning Zhuo did not change his position but took out a new mechanism, the Explosive Flame Monkey, to guard himself.
Zhou Zeshen saw this and his pupils constricted.
Ning Zhuo's control ability clearly surpassed his own by a notch.
At that moment, Ning Zhuo had to control the Fire Bamboo Snake and battle the five initial Explosive Flame Monkeys, charging towards Zhou Zeshen.
At the same time, he added five more Explosive Flame Monkeys.
The second wave of Explosive Flame Monkeys, under Ning Zhuo's command, moved with agility and precision, like real monkeys.
This level of control was something Zhou Zeshen could not achieve.
His current limit was about thirty.
But this number had two prerequisites. One counted only simpler mechanisms like the Night Sky Bats or the Driller Rats. The second was that Zhou Zeshen took elixir pills like the Spirit Division Powder.
The White Tiger Strong Rushing Vehicle required more control to fully unleash its power.
This single mechanism already occupied most of Zhou Zeshen's attention. He also controlled three Driller Rats, with whatever little focus left reserved for critical moments for his own spellcasting.
One could say that Zhou Zeshen had pushed his control to the maximum in a normal state.
But his opponent, Ning Zhuo, looked unperturbed as he brought out another five Explosive Flame Monkeys, controlling them effortlessly.
If Zhou Zeshen wanted to improve his control, he would have to take medicine.
"Indeed, Ning Zhuo's talent lay in his intellect."
"This gave him a natural knack for control far beyond that of others."
"At this level, how much of his power is he using? Eighty percent? Ninety percent?"
Zhou Zeshen pondered silently, continuously analyzing.
Ning Zhuo's five mechanical monkeys protected him, giving the Driller Rats no opportunity. He also used the powerful Fire Bamboo Snake to block the opponent's White Tiger Strong Rushing Vehicle.
Finally, after seeing the five Explosive Flame Monkeys surrounding him, Zhou Zeshen exhaled a heavy breath, laughed loudly, and admitted defeat.
As the sparring ended, the Ning Family members watching chatted excitedly about the displayed mechanisms and control methods.
The most discussed was Ning Zhuo's latest creation, the Fire Bamboo Snake.
In front of everyone, Zhou Zeshen handed the Riveting Crossbow and the mechanical diagrams to Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo developed a newfound appreciation for Zhou Zeshen
He thought: "Zhou Zeshen initiated the sparring, deliberately held back, and willingly lost to boost my prestige and give me fame."
"This was his true gift."
"He knew I had just risen and desperately needed recognition. So he didn't mind sacrificing his own face to help me achieve it."
"Such magnanimity far exceeded ordinary people."
Watching Ning Zhuo, Zhou Zeshen noticed his demeanor had become much friendlier.
He thought: "An intense battle often serves as well as heartfelt conversations."
"Although this full-tilt sparring didn't quite reach the level of deep confessions, it was enough to show our genuine natures."
"The only regret is that I couldn't gauge Ning Zhuo's full combat prowess."
"Unless I took Spirit Division Powder or other pills..."
But that was obviously impossible.
Once medicine is involved, the friendly nature of the sparring would be lost, and it would suggest a desperate desire for victory.
With this thought, Zhou Zeshen still felt somewhat resentful.
He couldn't help but probe with words, secretly transmitting to irritate: "Brother Ning, this time we played around, and I lost. But next time, I'll be slightly serious and use at least fifty percent of my strength."
Ning Zhuo's heart stirred: "So, Zhou Zeshen didn't even use half of his power."
He smiled slightly, responding honestly: "Brother Zhou has such elegant interests, I will do my best to accompany you. Next time, I'll put in a bit more effort, using at least forty percent of my power."
Zhou Zeshen patted Ning Zhuo's shoulder, laughing heartily: "You...!"
Simultaneously, he inwardly scoffed: "What a braggart!"
"You know I'm probing, so you use this method to dodge my question?"
"Heh."
"Indeed, I shouldn't have hoped to gauge your limits with a simple sentence."
Both Zhou Zeshen and Ning Zhuo felt a mutual understanding and cleverness in the other's eyes. They shared a brief, knowing smile.
Returning to the courtyard, everyone continued to chat for a while.
Zhou Zeshen took the opportunity to ask Ning Zhuo for assistance: to aid the Zhou Family's renovation team in competing for a higher rank in the Magma Fairy Palace, aiming to push some of the City Lord's cultivators out of the top ten.
"Of course, if we could go further and exceed the entry standards, that would be ideal!"
Ning Zhuo shook his head: "Brother Zhou's grand ambition is admirable."
"Exceed the entry standards?" Ning Zhuo sighed. "That's beyond my ability. Please forgive me for not being able to commit, as I'm truly tied up."
Zhou Zeshen did not give up: "Brother Ning, why not listen to the terms of assistance that my Zhou Family is offering?"
Zhou Zeshen listed a long string of resources, leaving Ning Chen and Ning Yong stunned.
Realizing what was offered, everyone's breathing quickened, deeply drawn in by the vast and generous rewards.
But Ning Zhuo still shook his head, smiling, his attitude polite yet firm, refusing to agree.
Instead, Ning Zhuo proposed a new cooperation: "The Magma Fairy Palace is a treasure trove of mechanical techniques. We are currently all stuck at the three-layer peak, only able to accumulate mechanical skills."
"Since our three families are allied, why not establish a joint academy specifically to teach mechanical techniques?"
"Let the nobles' recruited guest elder, Chu Xiyao, be one of the teachers."
After hearing this, Zhou Zeshen's eyes shifted as he thought: "Among the three families, the Ning Family's mechanical expertise and accumulation are the weakest."
"If the joint academy succeeds, it would benefit the Ning Family the most."
"However, it is indeed a good proposal and would also benefit my Zhou Family."
Thinking this, Zhou Zeshen expressed his appreciation and support for the idea but stated that he couldn't make such a decision alone; he would need to report it back to his family.
Ning Zhuo agreed.
As they departed, Zhou Zeshen shared information as a friendly gesture: "The clan leaders of the three families have almost reached an agreement, planning to gather the elite from each family for another concerted exploration of the Immortal Palace."
"Strive to encounter and defeat that mechanical monkey!"
"Many speculate that the mechanical monkey might be a challenge set by the Three Ancestral Masters. Defeating it could lead to substantial rewards from them."
"If we manage to kill the mechanical monkey, analyzing its internal structure could help us counter and overcome it in the future."
Ning Zhuo was surprised: "Is that so? Thank you for the information. When is it going to start?"
Zhou Zeshen: "It will commence in the next few days. Before the full exploration of the Immortal Palace, there will be a unified secret training session for everyone."
"Brother Ning, you might want to prepare yourself thoroughly."
Ning Zhuo showed a serious expression, nodding deeply with a meaningful look: "Indeed, thorough preparation is necessary!"