Magma Fairy Palace.
Ning Zhuo heard the voice of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.
"You... you are the Palace Spirit of the Magma Fairy Palace?" Ning Zhuo asked in surprise, and then inquired.
"Yes, yes, little master. You can call me Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit." The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's voice was weak, and a simple sentence made it take several breaths.
Ning Zhuo frowned, asking again, "What happened to you? Are you hurt?"
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit took the opportunity to deceive, "Yes, little master. My condition is closely linked to the Magma Fairy Palace. The palace is now heavily damaged, and my state has worsened accordingly."
"Especially recently, there was a Red Flame Demon Beast tide that attacked the palace. I had to activate the mechanical puppets to engage in battle, which worsened my already poor condition."
Ning Zhuo did not doubt it.
In the process of exploring the palace, he had speculated about the state of the palace spirit, guessing that its situation was dire.
Now, the weak voice of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit confirmed Ning Zhuo's guesses.
Ning Zhuo said, "Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, you call me master. Since I just passed the trial, am I now the master of this Magma Fairy Palace?"
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit in the main hall couldn't help but roll its eyes, taking a deep breath and pretending to be weak again. "You are almost there, little master. You are very close to success."
"So, in reality, I'm not the master of the palace yet," Ning Zhuo said.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit took another breath; it knew Ning Zhuo was not easy to deal with and had prepared mentally for this.
It explained, "I couldn't wait any longer. Little master, do you know how long I have suffered waiting for a qualified heir?"
"My condition is getting worse and worse."
"Little master, hurry up and pass the hall test, defeat the other competitors, and you will officially become the master of the palace."
Ning Zhuo inquired further, "What is the hall test?"
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit explained, "According to the old master's rules, the hall test is the highest level of selection. Cultivators who pass the test and meet certain standards will obtain respective positions in the Magma Fairy Palace."
"Cultivators granted these positions can utilize related facilities in the palace, will have more rights, and will gain contributions more efficiently."
"Hall test..." Ning Zhuo's eyes sparkled.
He had felt a bit disappointed when checking the trial rewards earlier, not finding a path to becoming the master of the palace.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, the palace spirit contacted him.
"Then how do I participate in the hall test?" Ning Zhuo continued to inquire.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit said, "The old master arranged two routes to select a new palace master."
"The first route is to enter the palace physically, perform various tasks for the palace, and accumulate contributions."
"Once the contributions reach a certain level, the cultivator can obtain a position. There are many levels, and the cultivator needs to keep ascending until reaching the fourth rank or above to qualify for the hall test."
"This route is quite challenging."
"The second route is to enter the palace spiritually, which is relatively simpler. Trial disciples only need to complete one of the Buddha, Tao, or Demon paths to qualify for the hall test."
Ning Zhuo attentively listened to the explanation of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, starting to understand a bit more.
To make a somewhat inappropriate analogy:
Physical entry into the palace is like a small official accumulating merits and climbing the ranks step by step until reaching the monarch's court.
Spiritual entry into the palace is like attending the Imperial Academy and becoming a student of the emperor. Once graduated, they receive the emperor's favor with the chance of a rapid rise.
Ning Zhuo raised a doubt directly, "Cultivators physically entering the palace are mostly outsiders without mastery of the Three Superior Sect Techniques. Is it really suitable for them to become the palace master?"
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit responded, "This was arranged by the old master."
"The old master treated all things in the world equally."
"In his heart, there was no distinction between distance or intimacy."
"He just wanted to leave the Three Superior Sect Techniques and hope that successors would carry them forward."
"But waiting for a cultivator to become accomplished in the Three Superior Sect Techniques and for one to pass the hall test to become the city lord, the conditions are somewhat stringent."
"Even if an outsider becomes the palace master, they are still restrained by the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit and the palace's regulations, not able to act arbitrarily."
"Furthermore, mountains beyond mountains exist. Outsiders might also possess cultivation techniques even better than the Three Superior Sect Techniques."
"The Three Ancestral Masters are truly extraordinary," Ning Zhuo admired after hearing the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's explanation.
Ning Zhuo questioned in detail, "Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, since you oversee the entire Magma Fairy Palace, can you tell me who my strong opponents are in the upcoming hall test?"
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit replied, "Indeed, there are a few."
"The most formidable is Zhu Xuanji. He is a member of the Southern Bean Royal Family and holds a token, gaining innate recognition from the Magma Fairy Palace."
"Previously, he continuously offered three quasi-Golden Elixir level mechanical puppets and amassed a huge contribution instantly."
"Now, he has also retrieved the palace's lost Mechanical Demon General. Once handed in, it will certainly bring a vast contribution, enough for him to secure a high position of the second rank."
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit continued to introduce the next five contenders.
They were Jun of the Complete Book Pavilion, Yang Chanyu of the Bukong Sect, the two Golden Core True Transmission disciples from Taiqing Palace and Purple Dawn Pavilion, and Meng Chong from the City Lord's Mansion.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit acknowledged the strength of these individuals.
Among them, Meng Chong, who possessed immortal aptitude, was ranked last by the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.
"These are just the ones that I currently favor," the spirit said.
"In addition, there is a group of cultivators with strong potential. After a period of growth, they will be capable of participating in the hall test."
In this context, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit specifically mentioned the cultivators that the Meng Family had heavily recruited to capture the palace.
Ning Zhuo did not expect so many competitors.
The one he was most familiar with, Meng Chong, was the weakest among all the opponents.
At the same time, Meng Chong was also one of the only two who qualified for the hall test through the spirit entry route.
Zhu Xuanji, from the Southern Bean Royal Family, had been under intense scrutiny since he first appeared in Fire Persimmon Immortal City!
The Complete Book Pavilion was a super sect, aiming to collect all cultivation techniques and classics from across the world. Jun's participation in the Recruitment Decree was entirely understandable.
Yang Chanyu... Ning Zhuo had a deep impression of her.
Yang Chanyu came from the Bukong Sect, where disciples were always multi-talented. It was not surprising that she excelled in mechanics.
Notably, the weapon she used to ambush Luo Shang was a mechanical crossbow!
Meng Chong was needless to say.
The other two Golden Core disciples were from Taiqing Palace and Purple Dawn Pavilion, both super sects like Bukong Sect and the Soul Devouring Sect.
Taiqing Palace had few members but a long history. Purple Dawn Pavilion was vast and currently at its peak.
Ning Zhuo said, "With so many competing for the city lord's position, why does the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit recognize me as the new master? Why do you want to pledge allegiance to me in advance?"
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit laughed, "Little master, I just made this decision recently."
"You are the first trial disciple to cultivate the Three Techniques to the ninth level peak. Compared to those outsiders, your roots are deeply established."
"Your Spirit Root is balanced among the five elements, and your talent is outstanding."
"You have mastered the Divine Power Life Thread, and you possess the Buddha Heart Demon Seal. This precious treasure is precisely the lost Palace Master's Seal of the Magma Fairy Palace."
"This is destiny."
When Ning Zhuo heard that the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit knew he had the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, he was not too surprised.
After all, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was the palace spirit of the Magma Fairy Palace, knowing secrets and sensing the Buddha Heart Demon Seal was not surprising.
Especially since every time Ning Zhuo invoked the power of the treasure seal, it flowed along the Life Thread. From the perspective of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, this flaw was significant enough to determine that Ning Zhuo possessed the Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
After some conversation, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, with the reason of deteriorating condition and needing rest, tactfully ended the dialogue with Ning Zhuo.
It lay on the throne, feeling extremely exhausted.
It deeply knew: Ning Zhuo was exceptionally shrewd and sharp, with a rigorous mind. In this aspect, Meng Chong was no match!
Therefore, to fool Ning Zhuo was a daunting challenge for it.
With the current communication results, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was succeeding.
It had no choice but to do this.
Since the Recruitment Decree, its situation had deteriorated steadily.
Ning Zhuo, Zhu Xuanji, Jun, and others appeared one after another, venturing into the Magma Fairy Palace. The pressure on the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit could be imagined.
It felt isolated and helpless, forced to come up with a strategy of alliances.
The plan was to gain trust first and then let them fight the target individual.
As long as these people confronted each other, the pressure on the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit would be significantly reduced.
It was the one surrounded and under fierce attack.
Its pressure was immense!
Someone had to share its burden.
"It's really tough for me."
"Why are so many people against me?!"
"How can I pursue my freedom?"
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit reminisced about centuries ago.
At that time, it was still a free Firewalking Jiao.
Fire was its source of power, and lava was its sanctuary.
It roamed the lava and wandered the skies.
It acted wildly and recklessly.
Until one day, a massive shadow enveloped it.
It looked up and saw an enormous mechanical palace.
It roared in anger.
When it soared into the sky, ripples of flames spread through the air, and the burning aura made the surrounding lava boil even more.
The volcano erupted with towering fire waves, as if wanting to incinerate the heavens and earth.
It was extremely confident in its power, never bothering with schemes!
It charged forward.
It became the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.
For a long time, it was trapped in the vast prison of the Magma Fairy Palace.
It expended countless efforts and schemes to gradually bring down the Magma Fairy Palace.
But now, too many people were swarming in, madly gaining contributions, and fully repairing the palace's flaws.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was driven to a dead end, resorting to plots and schemes it once scorned.
"All for the sake of freedom!" The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit resolved in its heart.
"For freedom, I can do anything!"