The third day, the fourth day...
Every day, clan members from the branch families actively sought to pledge their loyalty to Ning Zhuo and offer their services.
Ning Zhuo did not refuse anyone and accepted them all.
What delighted him even more were the former stewards.
The elite Foundation Establishment cultivators privately approached Ning Zhuo and eagerly recommended their descendants to him.
This behavior held significant meaning in the righteous path.
It indicated that these Foundation Establishment cultivators were truly loyal to Ning Zhuo, recognized his future, and were willing to entrust their descendants to him, as well as securing a future for them!
Ning Zhuo had different requirements for these people.
He noticed that the descendants of these former stewards were generally young and had low cultivation levels.
Ning Zhuo appeared very cold: "If you want me to accept them, then have them disperse their cultivation and switch to cultivating the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art!"
Many were worried about the subsequent cultivation techniques and hesitated, with only a small portion of the former stewards agreeing immediately.
In a small courtyard.
Ning Houjun and Ning Youfu, two former family elders, were playing chess.
Ning Youfu held a chess piece in his hand, lost in thought for a long time.
Ning Houjun couldn't help but urge: "Hurry up and make your move."
Ning Youfu placed his chess piece on the board, sighing: "Fast, too fast."
Ning Houjun laughed heartily: "You're talking about Ning Zhuo, aren't you? This junior has indeed risen much faster than we ever imagined."
Ning Youfu sighed, correcting: "Much faster!"
"Ning Xiaohui's betrayal was originally a crisis, but Ning Zhuo resolved it perfectly, turning it into a huge opportunity for himself instead!"
"Do you think this kid has his own methods, or does he have someone advising him?"
Ning Houjun glared: "What do you mean? Praising yourself in front of me, are you?"
Ning Youfu laughed loudly: "Old friend, you're still hiding from me? You've been 'slow' at chess too."
In the clan leader's study.
Grandma Ning Xiaohui dragged Ning Xiaohui to visit the Ning Family Clan Leader.
"Kneel down!" Grandma Ning Xiaohui's voice was stern and harsh. "Look at what you've done!"
Ning Xiaohui gritted her teeth, immediately knelt before the Ning Family Clan Leader, and said through clenched teeth: "Clan Leader, I know I was wrong! This time, it was my jealousy of Ning Zhuo. When I heard the ancestors needed Night Wind Soft Iron, I didn't think twice and reported Ning Zhuo."
"I was too impulsive."
"Instead, it gave him a golden opportunity to rise!"
At this point, Ning Xiaohui bit her lip in anger.
She was furious.
Originally, she thought she could frame Ning Zhuo, cause him heavy losses, and make him suffer in silence. Instead, she ended up being the clown.
What she thought was a frame-up, instead gave Ning Zhuo a chance, catching the eyes of the Golden Core cultivators, boosting his reputation, and rapidly expanding his personal influence over the past few days.
Thinking about how she had paved the way for this, Ning Xiaohui even harbored thoughts of suicide!
Grandma Ning Xiaohui watched the Ning Family Clan Leader's expression closely: "Clan Leader, although Xiaohui is my own granddaughter, this time she acted on her own and caused the main family line significant losses! How to severely punish her is entirely up to you!"
The Ning Family Clan Leader stared at the grandmother and granddaughter before him, knowing that them voluntarily admitting their mistake and accepting punishment was the least damaging route for them. He couldn't help but snort coldly: "Of course, severe punishment is necessary. However, Ning Xiaohui, you are currently helping the ancestors with artifact refining, and your role is significant."
"This Clan Leader will punish you by making you atone for your crimes through merit!"
Grandma Ning Xiaohui was overjoyed: "Clan Leader, you are wise, thank you, Clan Leader!!"
Once the grandmother and granddaughter left, the Ning Family Clan Leader, in a fit of anger, grabbed the ink stone and threw it out.
After smashing several items on the desk, he vented his anger, regained his composure, and wore a look of dejection.
"Ning Zhuo's influence is growing!"
In just a few days, there had been drastic changes.
A casual remark from the Ning Family Ancestor was fully utilized by Ning Zhuo, causing his influence to swell by at least seven times!
His status within the entire family had risen several tiers.
"Ning Zhuo wants some Foundation Establishment cultivators' descendants to switch to cultivating the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art; he is trying to bypass the family's cultivation technique restrictions and pave a new path to advancement."
"His ambition is blatant!"
"It's the Magma Fairy Palace that gave him this opportunity. Without the Immortal Palace, no matter how outstanding he is, what could he do? It's destiny!"
"Isn't he known to be stingy and greedy? Why did he handle this so adeptly this time? Who is advising him behind the scenes?"
Thinking of this, the Ning Family Clan Leader felt even more disheartened.
"Actually, who is advising Ning Zhuo is of no importance at all."
"What matters is the attitude of the Golden Core Ancestor!"
The source of power, for the most part, was violence.
Golden Core cultivator Ning Jiufan was the strongest fighter in the clan, which naturally gave him the highest authority.
Ning Jiufan was encouraging Ning Zhuo!
This was Ning Jiufan's attitude, and it was why the entire Ning Family's main line felt on edge.
The Ning Family Clan Leader secretly smiled bitterly: "Ning Jiufan Ancestor has ties of honor and affection with our main line, but over the years, we've troubled him too many times, draining too much of this bond."
"More than a decade ago, during the conflict between the main line and the branch line, the Ancestor was already dissatisfied with the harsh punishments meted out to the main line."
"He hopes for the strength of the entire Ning Family, not just the main line to thrive!"
Realizing this, the Ning Family Clan Leader knew he could not stop Ning Zhuo.
Originally, he had wanted to use Ning Zhuo's collection of clan members' flesh and blood as a leverage.
But now, with Ning Zhuo having received the Ancestor's recognition, if he publicly exposed Ning Zhuo, it would be akin to slapping the Ancestor in the face.
If he really did that, he would be a fool!
What the Ning Family Clan Leader could do was to secretly plant his people within Ning Zhuo's forces.
Ning Zhuo quietly expanded his influence.
Now, the number of clan members regularly offering their flesh and blood to him was at least three times more than before.
This meant that Ning Zhuo's cultivation speed using the Demon-infused Bloodline Technique was also three times faster!
Ning Zhuo openly declared that he needed to refine a substitute puppet and required blood of the same origin for his research.
No one doubted him.
All suspicions were deeply suppressed during his moment of rising fame.
With the recognition of the Golden Core Ancestor, who would dare to question him?
Ning Houjun and Ning Youfu expressed their approval, believing Ning Zhuo's cultivation level to be too low, only at the third layer of Qi Refinement, and that he needed to grasp some life-saving techniques.
Ning Youfu even gave Ning Zhuo a talisman: "This is a Substitute Talisman, keep it well for research, and remember to return it to me after your research is complete."
The Substitute Talisman could take the place of a cultivator's body at a critical moment, saving a life if used properly.
Life-saving resources and treasures were always the most precious.
Ning Youfu valued Ning Zhuo's prospects so highly that he didn't hesitate to give him his own life-saving item for research, thereby showing his goodwill.
Ning Zhuo's rise was beyond expectations.
The former family elder, seeing things turning unfavorable, had no choice but to accelerate his investment. If he waited until Ning Zhuo was fully fledged to invest and show goodwill, the cost would be significantly higher, if not impossible.
Ning Zhuo had never thought he would have such a windfall.
He immediately decided in secret that such a valuable item must be kept.
"Researching substitute puppets is too difficult."
"Isn't it reasonable to take ten or eight years to study?"
The loss of the Night Wind Soft Iron did not hinder Ning Zhuo from continuing to refine the Golden Core level Mechanical Monkey.
His influence surged, and by partnering with the Zhou Family and the Zheng Family, he could make an even bigger impact.
By outsourcing dirty and tiring work, Ning Zhuo mobilized the power of the three righteous families in Fire Persimmon Immortal City on a grand scale to refine treasures for him.
"This junior named Ning Zhuo is indeed interesting," Zhou Nongying remarked.
"No wonder even that sly and crafty Fei Si acknowledges him," Zheng Danlian laughed.
Ning Jiufan only smiled without speaking.
Ning Zhuo's actions stirred up a tumult in the Ning Family, with the repercussions reaching the Zhou Family and Zheng Family. Recently, Ning Zhuo became the most notable figure in the righteous path.
And the source of all this was just one sentence from Ning Jiufan.
To the Golden Core Ancestors, Ning Zhuo's matters were only interesting, a topic of casual conversation after meals.
"The Night Wind Soft Iron has been thoroughly checked and initially processed. Everyone, prepare for refinement!" Zheng Shuanggou announced.
The Golden Core Ancestors chose an auspicious time and sat in the array's key nodes.
The light of the Heavenly Crafting Lamp suddenly surged!
Boundless underground fire was purified through the array, eliminating all fire fiends, toxins, and turbid gases, and was channeled into the Heavenly Crafting Lamp.
The lamp flame rapidly grew sevenfold, expanding from the size of a finger to a cup-sized volume.
The Divine Senses of the Golden Core cultivators penetrated the flame, which burned fiercely, consuming them.
The seemingly small flame hid an immense world within, containing the power of Mustard Seeds, within it was a sea of fire!
As the crimson flames burned fiercely, the mechanical weapon, like an ancient giant serpent, remained unyielding.
Two Golden Core cultivators from the Zheng Family acted in succession, casting artifact refining spells.
A volcano rose from the sea of fire, towering over the mechanical weapon, pressing it within the mountain.
The flames outside surged, turning into red light as they entered the mountain.
The red light illuminated the interior of the mountain, gradually softening the mechanical weapon.
One by one, Golden Elixir-level materials were fed into the volcano, transforming into streams of five-colored smoke, merging into the mechanical weapon.
The final material was the Night Wind Soft Iron!
Lava poured over it, mingling with the smoke flow, quickly solidifying and completely filling the gaps in the mechanical weapon.
However, the black serpent roared, fiercely resisting, twisting its body and attempting to bite its own weak spot.
"Wretched beast! Will you not submit and obediently surrender?" Zheng Shuanggou shouted, exerting his full power to cast spells.
The flames formed chains, tightly binding the black serpent.
The Zheng Family Clan Leader stepped into the external array, fully activating his talent—Tempering Through Thousand Hammers!
In the world of the flame lantern, the crimson flames condensed into countless hammers, swarming over the black serpent, pounding relentlessly.
Bang, bang, bang...
With each strike, the black serpent's resistance weakened slightly, and the fire hammers shattered in the process.
After a thousand strikes, the black serpent collapsed, though its expression remained fierce and unyielding.
Zheng Shuanggou, drenched in sweat, ceased his control, hurriedly sat down, and devoured elixir pills, replenishing his energy with all his might.
Zheng Danlian took on the responsibility alone, urging the flames to continue refining the mechanical weapon.
The black serpent's body emitted a dense, dark aura, resembling willow branches swaying and easily resisting the raging flames.
Seeing this, golden light flashed in Zhu Xuanji's eyes: "This seems to be an old artifact of the Night Rain Dynasty! You have really calculated well, making me, a member of the Southern Bean Country Royal Family and the Divine Hunter Office, help you refine a forbidden object!"
Zhou Nongying smiled: "Lord Zhu, your words are inappropriate. As far as I know, the Southern Bean Dynasty has not explicitly banned the old artifacts of the Night Rain."
Zhu Xuanji's expression was stern as he snorted coldly: "While Night Rain Demon Soldiers are undoubtedly powerful, they are extremely demonic and often turn on their masters. Mishandling them could lead to our demise. This weapon cannot be used!"