The Ning Family Clan Leader's messenger had come looking for Ning Xiaohui.
Ning Xiaohui's expression did not look good. She had been immersed in her cultivation, yet had been interrupted by an outsider.
"You better have important matters, or else..." Ning Xiaohui looked at the messenger, her gaze dangerous.
Her cultivation had been stuck at the third level of Qi Refinement, but she possessed the Talent Ice-jade Hands. The latter was her primary focus in cultivation.
Not long ago, she had participated in the forging of the Zheng Family's Mechanical Black Snake Weapon and had gained considerable insight, especially into the profound meaning of Ice-jade Hands.
The Zheng Family's mechanical weapon was too vicious, filled with killing intent.
Ning Xiaohui had used her talent to help the weapon turn the tables at a critical point.
This process of artifact refining had a profound impact on her. On the night she returned, she discovered significant advancement in her talent. She could even repair items of Golden Elixir level!
Previously, when her soul entered the Immortal Palace, she could also use her talent to repair puppet bodies, but the grade of the repaired objects was not high.
This time, she found that she even had some ability to repair Golden Elixir level items.
When Ning Xiaohui used her Talent Ice-jade Hands, she could freeze damaged items into ice blocks.
After the ice block melted, the damaged items often had their deficiencies mended, such as cracks being sealed or wounds and defects self-healing like a growing tree.
The messenger had waited for a long time and finally saw Ning Xiaohui. He first congratulated her, then handed her a jade slip.
Within the jade slip were the fourth to sixth levels of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
"Good, good, good, with this, I can finally advance to the mid-stage of Qi Refinement."
"I will have more mana, and I can use my talent more frequently."
"Wait a minute." Suddenly, Ning Xiaohui's expression changed slightly. She thought of a possibility and asked, "How did you obtain this? After I left, did the three families join forces and successfully defeat the Mechanical Monkey?"
The messenger knew the details. He had intended to conceal them but had to reveal the truth since Ning Xiaohui asked specifically.
Upon learning that the one who had successfully passed the trials and obtained the subsequent cultivation technique was Ning Zhuo, Ning Xiaohui's brows furrowed deeply.
"Him?!"
Ning Xiaohui's lips twitched, still in disbelief: "How could it be Ning Zhuo? How could he have such strength?"
Messenger: "He truly does..."
"In this Immortal Palace exploration, Ning Zhuo, with his own strength, led the way, using various spells endlessly."
"He led his trusted followers, fighting their way through."
"The renovation team members followed behind him, acting as cannon fodder in the battle against the Mechanical Monkey."
"Ning Zhuo eventually defeated the Mechanical Monkey, reached the second Taoist gate, and obtained the subsequent cultivation technique."
"You should know, the City Lord's Mansion recently revealed information about Meng Chong and others cultivating the fourth to sixth levels of the technique."
"In other words, the Ning's Renovation Team has caught up with the City Lord's Mansion!"
"Uh..."
The messenger, filled with strong family honor, got carried away, not noticing the increasingly dark clouds on Ning Xiaohui's face.
Feeling Ning Xiaohui's cold gaze, the messenger immediately shut his mouth.
Ning Xiaohui's fingers, clutching the jade slip of the cultivation technique, turned white from exertion.
"Good, good, good." Ning Xiaohui gritted her teeth, uttering three words.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
She had been forced to leave the renovation team because of Ning Zhuo and had taken the path of Soul Entering Immortal Palace.
Since her departure, she had smooth sailing, developing steadily, even participating in Golden Elixir level artifact refining.
But Ning Xiaohui, inherently proud, could not accept being driven away from the main lineage by a branch member.
She deeply resented Ning Zhuo and was determined to seek revenge.
She seemed like a changed person, abstaining from all pleasure and rest since leaving the renovation team, seizing every moment for cultivation.
Whenever she felt extremely tired, on the verge of collapse, she would think of Ning Zhuo's face, which instantly filled her with boundless motivation.
Her cultivation could be described as mad, even her grandmother couldn't bear to watch and had to forcibly interrupt her several times, ordering Ning Xiaohui to rest.
Ning Xiaohui's plan was simple: to cultivate her talent insanely, preparing to reclaim her dignity in the future. But at this moment, hearing that Ning Zhuo had achieved great success!
Ning Xiaohui was utterly shaken.
She had never thought that Ning Zhuo would one day catch up to Meng Chong. After all, Meng Chong possessed immortal aptitude!
But the fact is, he had.
"Perhaps, in my entire life, I may never catch up to Ning Zhuo?"
Suddenly, she fully realized that in terms of mechanical techniques, there was a vast gap between her and Ning Zhuo.
The gap was so wide that she might not be able to narrow it despite a lifetime of effort!
Ning Xiaohui, who was extremely proud and always took pride in her main branch status, now realized that she might never surpass Ning Zhuo, a branch member.
This realization caused her immense pain and frustration!
The jade slip containing the cultivation technique was cool to the touch, but Ning Xiaohui found it scorching hot at this moment.
She wanted to throw it away, smash it onto the ground, and loudly declare: "This is Ning Zhuo's doing, I disdain it! I will cultivate the subsequent techniques through my own efforts in the future!"
But she couldn't do it.
Since taking the route of Soul Entering Immortal Palace, she had discovered many new opportunities and realized that obtaining subsequent techniques would likely require passing trial checkpoints.
She no longer had the face to soul enter the Immortal Palace.
Once discovered, she would surely be ostracized and mocked.
Being ostracized was one thing, but the thought of being mocked and ridiculed by other trial disciples made Ning Xiaohui lose the courage to soul enter the Immortal Palace. This feeling was worse than death for her!
She couldn't bear it.
"So, if I want to seek the subsequent techniques now, Ning Zhuo's is the only option."
"Damn it, damn it!"
Ning Xiaohui felt a surge of shame, which spurred her desire to grow stronger, crazily so.
But to become stronger, she had to cultivate the subsequent techniques that Ning Zhuo had obtained.
This made Ning Xiaohui feel as uncomfortable and frustrated as swallowing a fly.
The messenger noticed Ning Xiaohui's twisted expression and quickly tried to comfort her, telling her that the subsequent techniques had already been purchased by the Ning Family Clan Leader.
"What?!" Ning Xiaohui was startled.
She suddenly felt much better!
She snorted coldly, scornfully saying: "That Ning Zhuo is utterly selfish and inconsiderate."
"He is a Ning Family member, raised under the family's protection. Yet with a slight achievement, he bargains with the family?"
"Where is his loyalty?"
"How dare he openly trade these things with the family?"
"Does he take the family for granted? What an ungrateful wolf!"
Ning Xiaohui had never seen such behavior from a branch member!
Ning Zhuo's actions deeply repulsed and disgusted her.
The messenger, with a stiff expression: "The cultivation technique jade slip has already been delivered. There is another important matter concerning the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman."
"I have been ordered by the clan leader to retrieve this talisman from you, Miss."
Ning Xiaohui was stunned: "What?"
"No way." She instinctively opposed.
She had always kept the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman close to her, using her talent and mana to nurture and refine it daily.
Suddenly being asked to hand over the talisman to the family left Ning Xiaohui unprepared.
She felt puzzled: "Why? I just got the subsequent technique, and I'm planning to practice hard. I need to use the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman."
The messenger hesitated to speak.
Ning Xiaohui, being smart, thought of a possibility, and her face showed slight anger: "What do you mean?"
"Are you planning to give the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman to Ning Zhuo?"
"Exactly!" The messenger sighed, his face full of bitterness, "This is part of the deal between Ning Zhuo and the clan leader."
"Outrageous!"
"He is just a branch member, yet he dares to make such demands, utterly audacious!"
"The clan leader actually conceded? Such weakness? Allowing a mere branch member to show no respect?"
Ning Xiaohui screamed in anger.
"The Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman, containing spiritual nature, is a family treasure. Instead of being used by the main branch, it's given to a branch member?"
"This is utterly preposterous!"
"In this Ning Family, who is in charge?"
Ning Xiaohui, furious, her face pale, kept shouting.
The messenger kept his head down, silently enduring her scolding, having anticipated Ning Xiaohui's reaction.
Ning Xiaohui cursed Ning Zhuo vehemently, finally stopping when she was tired and out of breath.
The messenger took the opportunity to explain that he was just a small figure, and the order was given by the clan leader. He asked Ning Xiaohui to be magnanimous and not make things difficult for him.
Ning Xiaohui snorted coldly: "Just you wait, I'll go talk to my grandmother about this!"
It turned out that when Ning Xiaohui's grandmother heard about this, she persuaded Ning Xiaohui instead.
"Ning Zhuo is not easy to deal with."
"He is very resourceful, with high-ranking branch members backing him, even managing to dethrone Ning Xiaoren, the young clan leader."
"Right now, he controls the black market and has many Foundation Establishment elites under him. The entire branch supports him."
"He's also closely associated with the Zhou Family and the Zheng Family."
"More importantly, he has caught the eye of our family's ancestor. The ancestor publicly stated that Ning Zhuo has contributions to our Ning Family!"
"Xiaohui, a gentleman takes revenge ten years later."
"Currently, Ning Zhuo is in the limelight. We shouldn't confront him. Wait until his momentum wanes, then it's not too late to seek revenge."
"If you can't endure minor setbacks, you will disrupt major plans. Just endure for now, it won't hurt."
Ning Xiaohui pouted, shaking her grandmother's arm, acting coquettishly.
But this time, her grandmother was determined: "Xiaohui, compare yourself with Ning Xiaoren."
"If you confront him now, you might end up in jail too!"
Ning Xiaohui's face turned pale: "Grandmother, with you protecting me, how could I be..."
Her grandmother interrupted directly: "I am merely a family elder. Look at the clan leader; his position was much higher and more important than mine. Did he manage to protect his son?"
Ning Xiaohui's lips trembled, unable to respond for a long time.
Eventually, she, with a pale face, handed the Flowing Clouds and Streaming Water Talisman to the messenger.
The messenger received the talisman, hastily taking his leave, not daring to stay longer.
Ning Xiaohui watched the messenger's retreating figure, almost grinding her teeth to dust.
"Ning, Zhuo!"
"I will repay today's humiliation a hundredfold!"
"Hmph, your good days won't last long."
"I've discovered that the key lies in Soul Entering Immortal Palace. Once I accumulate enough contributions, I can exchange for an Immortal Palace position."
"The highest position should be Palace Master."
"With my Ice-jade Hands talent, I am already close to accumulating enough to exchange for the physician position."
"With the physician position, my contribution accumulation speed will increase fivefold, advancing rapidly."
"In the future, my cultivation, contributions, and position will all surpass you!"
"I've memorized every offense, every slight."
"One day, I will settle the score with you thoroughly!"