A small skirmish had just ended, and the mechanical puppets swarmed forward, tearing apart the demon beasts that had intruded.
A teleportation light circle appeared and swallowed the corpses of the demon beasts.
The mechanical puppets lined up in a long queue and began to retreat in succession.
Ning Zhuo stood at one side of their retreating line, waiting for them.
He spotted a mechanical puppet missing an arm and a leg, his eyes brightened, and he approached the line to pull it out.
Since he had accepted the task, the mechanical puppet did not resist and let Ning Zhuo do as he wished.
Ning Zhuo made the mechanical puppet lie on the roadside, squatted down, and immediately started disassembling various mechanical components from its body.
Ning Zhuo threw away the damaged components and took out materials from his own storage pouch, making several components on the spot and replacing the damaged ones on the mechanical puppet.
Ning Zhuo's actions were efficient and swift, especially his finger movements, which were so fast they dazzled the eyes.
After just over twenty breaths, the mechanical puppet had been restored to its original state and rejoined the ranks.
Ning Zhuo crossed his arms and continued to scrutinize the retreating line carefully.
There were many damaged mechanical puppets in the line, but Ning Zhuo ignored most of them.
Not every mechanical puppet would he choose to repair.
Some mechanical puppets were quite troublesome to repair, requiring repair of the array patterns, which would be a huge drain on Ning Zhuo's time and energy.
However, some mechanical puppets seemed heavily damaged but could be fixed by merely swapping some components.
Those were the types of mechanical puppets Ning Zhuo primarily selected.
Because these mechanical puppets were quick to repair and provided considerable merits.
It was worth mentioning that Ning Zhuo funded the materials for these replacements from his own pocket to earn more merits.
He had discovered that this approach could gain him more merits.
This act saved resources for the Magma Fairy Palace, much like how Zhu Xuanji had once donated three quasi-Golden Core battle-capable mechanical artifacts to the Magma Fairy Palace.
However, Ning Zhuo's method proved to be far more profitable than directly donating these materials. The merits he could earn were significantly higher.
"In just three days, Ning Zhuo has grasped the essence," Zhu Xuanji thought, constantly keeping an eye on Ning Zhuo and marveled at his knack for selecting mechanical puppets.
Zhu Xuanji made a mental note and recorded it in the jade slip.
Before long, this jade slip was passed on to Ning Xiaohui.
After browsing the contents of the jade slip, Ning Xiaohui's expression darkened.
"Ning Zhuo has already found the key!"
"Damn it, it took me over ten days to figure it out."
"And how many days has he been here?"
The shadow from her memories resurfaced, making Ning Xiaohui feel uneasy.
"Of all places to compete, he chose the clinic."
"Ning Zhuo, you're clearly targeting me, still trying to tangle with me!"
"I have already been forced to leave, and now even at the Immortal Palace, you won't let me go."
Ning Xiaohui gritted her teeth, feeling strongly targeted by Ning Zhuo.
She contemplated the situation: "To obtain the most basic physician position, the requirement is 96 merit points."
"At Ning Zhuo's repair speed, considering the time he has been here, he is likely close to meeting the requirement."
"Damn it!"
"Different positions can indeed be transferred, yet my promotion request has not been approved!"
"That's because I am currently the only one in the clinic and hold the highest position!"
"No, if this continues, he will catch up to me."
"Faster, I need to accumulate more merits quickly!!"
Ning Xiaohui felt as if a prehistoric beast was chasing her down.
A tremendous pressure enveloped her heart, forcing her to strive for more merits with all her effort.
Zhu Xuanji easily achieved his objective.
He needed Ning Xiaohui to obtain the position in the Historical Records Pavilion as quickly as possible!
Once he had the intelligence from the Historical Records Pavilion, he could directly identify all the real culprits, be it those who bombed the Immortal Palace or Fire Persimmon Mountain.
After successfully repairing another puppet, Ning Zhuo lifted it with a light tug, standing it up.
"Go." He gave the puppet a gentle push on the back.
The mechanical puppet quickly caught up with the retreating line.
Ning Zhuo rejoined the main force.
The cultivators congregated together, primarily from the Ning Family, with few from the Zhou Family and Zheng Family.
Ning Zhuo was a prominent figure, garnering attention with his every move.
His frequent repairs of mechanical puppets had inspired many to follow suit.
In trying it out, the others discovered that indeed, repairing these mechanical puppets earned considerable merits.
As Ning Zhuo returned, they were discussing each other's merit counts.
"I have thirty-nine merits."
"Mine is forty-six."
Zhou Zeshen gently said: "Fifty-two."
He then looked at Ning Zhuo and asked: "Brother Ning, at your rate and given the time frame, your merits must have reached eighty or ninety by now?"
Ning Zhuo silently checked his own merits.
Negative one hundred ninety-three!
Feeling disheartened inside, he maintained a slight smile outwardly and nodded to everyone: "I've already surpassed ninety-six."
"Now, I can enter the clinic and take the lowest position of a physician."
Everyone was immediately astounded and congratulated him in unison.
"As expected of you." Zhou Zeshen nodded with a smile, not feeling surprised at all.
Ning Zhuo's recent display of mechanical skills had gained his quiet admiration.
"Let's go, we'll all head to the clinic together."
"Let's see Brother Zhuo start his new role!"
"Yes, I definitely want to see Brother Zhuo walk into the clinic."
Everyone gathered around Ning Zhuo, sincerely congratulating him.
Ning Zhuo shook his head: "What is there to celebrate? You will follow soon, and then we can all take up physician roles and earn merits faster."
"I am exhausted and in no rush to take up the post. Let's go back to our courtyard first. I'll share more tips on repairing mechanical puppets."
Ning Zhuo's suggestion was immediately met with widespread approval.
This wasn't the first time he did something like this!
Over the past days, when the main force returned to their temporary base, he would often openly share his varied repair experiences in the courtyard.
His understanding of numerous mechanical components was directly imparted to others.
This practice had significantly improved everyone's skills.
Many cultivators from the Zhou Family and Zheng Family also came after hearing the news.
Ning Chen asked Ning Zhuo whether to let them in to listen.
Ning Zhuo: "At this moment, a four-way alliance is the grand strategy. We can't be petty; let them in to listen."
Such broad-mindedness impressed Ning Chen and the others inwardly.
However, some members of the Ning Family felt discontent, thinking it unfair for the Zhou and Zheng Family members to have the same treatment.
Ning Zhuo had anticipated this.
After each teaching session, he would gather Ning Family cultivators privately in his room before bed.
There, he shared deeper insights and many tips on repairing and selecting mechanical puppets.
This practice eliminated the few complaints the Ning Family cultivators had.
After finishing that night's teaching, Ning Zhuo headed to the clinic alone.
When he arrived at the clinic, it was already late at night.
But the Magma Fairy Palace remained brightly lit, with ample lighting.
The place had no distinction between day and night, and without using spells to measure, it was easy to lose a proper sense of time.
Whether it was the lava, the faintly golden spherical light shield, or the demon beast tide beyond the shield, they all made the nights of Magma Fairy Palace noisy and scorching.
Entering the clinic, Ning Zhuo followed Ning Xiaohui's initial approach, exploring and continuously taking repair tasks at the workbench, fixing several mechanical puppets in succession.
He completed these tasks with dark circles under his eyes, looking both exhausted and excited, before returning to the base to rest.
The next day, after sleeping for only two hours, Ning Zhuo headed to the clinic alone once more.
His actions were beginning to diverge from others, and each return brought numerous inquiries.
Ning Zhuo continued to share his experiences and, in the process, revealed many inside stories about the clinic, inspiring others and increasing their drive.
During this time, Ning Zhuo also discreetly shared information about the Serious Injury Treatment Room among other clinic intel.
After two days of such behavior, Zhu Xuanji and others became accustomed to his routine and began to lessen their surveillance.
"The time is ripe," he thought.
In the clinic.
Ning Zhuo entered the Serious Injury Treatment Room.
Once inside, he closed the door and activated the room's array.
Instantly, he was cut off from the outside world!
Feeling this situation, the Golden Core cultivators immediately communicated telepathically.
"What happened to Ning Zhuo? I lost contact with him."
"I can't sense him either."
"Stay calm, it might be a special arrangement by the clinic. Did he enter the Serious Injury Treatment Room?"
"Let's wait and see. Honestly, that's all we can do. We're not trial disciples and can't approach the clinic."
The Golden Core cultivators temporarily settled down.
In the Serious Injury Treatment Room, Ning Zhuo met Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu.
"Elder Yang." He bowed to Yang Chanyu and greeted Sun Lingtong: "Elder Sun, we meet again."
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong's interaction was distant, a cautious signal to Yang Chanyu.
Sun Lingtong explained to Yang Chanyu: "I've collaborated with Ning Zhuo many times before."
"The grand plan I mentioned earlier was also conspired with Ning Zhuo."
"Ning Zhuo is a member of the Renovation Team and trusted by Zhu Xuanji and others. If we want first-hand information, we need to get it from him."
"Moreover, he is a trial disciple of the Magma Fairy Palace. As you can see, his status allows him into critical areas like the clinic, aiding our future plans."
Yang Chanyu slightly nodded.
The evidence before her eyes made her recognize Sun Lingtong's words.
However, over time, as she interacted more with Ning Zhuo, she would gradually realize how different he was from other Renovation Team members.
For instance, the other Renovation Team members would not have such authority to permit outsiders into the Serious Injury Treatment Room, even after taking the physician role.
"You, a mere Qi Refinement stage, dare to conspire against the Magma Fairy Palace with a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
"Quite bold!"
Yang Chanyu remarked while scrutinizing Ning Zhuo up close.
From her perspective, this was her first face-to-face encounter with Ning Zhuo.
She had to admit, Ning Zhuo looked good. Dressed in white, with clear brows, his sixteen-year-old self was in the prime of youthful vigor.
Additionally, Yang Chanyu felt an inexplicable familiarity with Ning Zhuo's life aura.