"Meng Chong won against Zhou Nongying? Meng Chong actually won?!" Shuzhong Jun stamped his foot, losing focus for a moment before coming to a realization.
In this Secret Pavilion of Transition, all the Golden Core Cultivators like them were severely suppressed, left with only Qi Refinement Realm strength.
Moreover, they couldn't even use their own treasures and were limited to casting spells.
Under such circumstances, having a fairy, Meng Chong, actually held the advantage.
"Perhaps, he has also collected quite a few mechanical artifacts," Shuzhong Jun thought of a large door he had encountered previously.
He didn't know the Demon-infused Bloodline Technique, so he could only sigh in vain before the treasury door.
...
Zheng Danlian felt increasingly agitated inwardly, "Zhou Nongying, a formidable Golden Core, was actually eliminated by a mere Qi Refinement youngster. Hmph!"
Zheng Shuanggou hurried along the way, Zhou Nongying's defeat made him even more eager to reunite with his comrades.
...
A Meng Family Golden Core Cultivator was overjoyed, "Excellent! Lord Meng Kui has a discerning eye, no wonder he has always been supportive of Meng Chong."
"Is this the power of someone who possesses Immortal Aptitude?"
"To eliminate a Golden Core Cultivator while in the Qi Refinement Realm, if I had such an achievement, I could boast about it for a lifetime."
After the joy, Cultivator A from the Meng Family began to worry.
Although Meng Chong had eliminated Zhou Nongying, he must have paid a significant price.
After such a fierce battle, Meng Chong was certainly not in peak condition and relatively weak.
"At such a critical moment, we can't afford to let Young Master Meng Chong run into other cultivators! I must find him quickly to protect him."
The Meng Family Cultivator was in a rush.
...
Ning Jiufan wandered alone in the Secret Pavilion.
He opened a door and entered the next Secret Pavilion.
Sun Lingtong's figure slowly emerged.
He, like Ning Jiufan, was searching for Ning Zhuo to join forces.
"We must find Little Zhuo as soon as possible!"
"Without me to cover for him, it would be difficult for him to make a move. If a battle does break out, that would be bad."
This was because Sun Lingtong bore the name "Ning Zhuo," corresponding to "entry-level standard." If a battle resulted in a conclusion, whether Ning Zhuo won or lost, a notification would be issued, letting everyone know instantly.
This would be a major vulnerability!
Sun Lingtong desperately wanted to avoid this vulnerability.
...
Ning Zhuo pushed open the door and stepped into the next Secret Pavilion.
His pupils contracted slightly as he saw a battlefield in disarray and then noticed a cultivator.
The cultivator's battle was nearing its end.
The only opponent left was the last mechanical python snake.
The python coiled around the base, guarding the treasures of the Secret Pavilion.
The noise of Ning Zhuo entering immediately drew the cultivator's sideways glance.
Ning Zhuo's heart sank slightly. After a light chuckle, he greeted the cultivator politely.
He had encountered a Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Disciple.
Of all the people, Ning Zhuo had to run into someone he was least familiar with.
Ning Zhuo's gaze then immediately fell upon the pedestal.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement.
There was a large pile of Spirit Stones on the pedestal. The quality of the Spirit Stones was quite good, most of them being Mid Grade, with a few being Top Grade.
He subconsciously started calculating, if he had this pile of Spirit Stones, it would be extremely helpful both for controlling various mechanical artifacts and for recovering his own Mana.
Using Spirit Stones to drive the mechanical artifacts was the right way to go.
Previously, Ning Zhuo had used Essence Blood Demon Tainted Mechanisms to control them, which greatly drained his own Blood Qi.
Using Spirit Stones would greatly reduce his consumption.
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core Inheritor squinted his eyes and paused momentarily, not dealing with the last mechanical python snake.
In each hand, he held a Mechanical Short Gun, which he slowly combined together during the process of turning towards Ning Zhuo, forming a Mechanical Long Spear that was taller than him.
He planted the long spear on the ground, lifted his head slightly, and said, "Ning Zhuo, junior, I was just in need of a vessel to carry these spoils."
"Leave this floating wooden box behind, and you can go."
Ning Zhuo was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled lightly, "You only want this box?"
"Senior, you might want to take a look at these."
Saying so, he gently tapped the Small Flying Box.
From the Small Flying Box, he took out Kung Fu Dolls, Magic Puppets.
Within a few breaths, more than a dozen mechanical artifacts surrounded Ning Zhuo.
There were not only the dolls, but also some beast-shaped artifacts. More notably, in Ning Zhuo's possession were a Mechanical Shield and a Mechanical Attack Crossbow.
This was simply too exaggerated!
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor looked at the substantial lineup on the other side, then looked back at the Mechanical Long Spear in his hands, the only weapon he had.
Thump.
A muffled sound followed as Ning Zhuo took out a Mechanical Cannon.
The corner of the Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor's eye twitched.
"Are all these mechanical artifacts you've obtained? Or did you bring them out from the trial room?" the Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor couldn't help but ask, his voice becoming hoarse.
Ning Zhuo smiled faintly and spread his hands, "Senior, does it matter?"
"You've been fighting for so long, you must be tired."
"I won't see you out, Senior. Feel free to choose any door here and leave."
As he spoke, Ning Zhuo gestured with his hand.
The face of the Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor instantly turned pale with anger as he stared intently at Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo's smile receded somewhat, and his gaze became cold, "Please."
"Good, good, good!" The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor nodded repeatedly, unable to calm his fury, but eventually left the Secret Pavilion of Transition voluntarily, holding the mechanical long spear.
When he left, he slammed the door shut.
Ning Zhuo then sighed with relief.
He had to appear strong.
On one hand, it was for the spirit stones; on the other, it was to avoid battle.
He was not conveniently positioned right now, only after reuniting with Sun Lingtong would he be able to avoid any flaws that could arise from the palace exam notifications.
"It's still better to focus on collecting artifacts and continue accumulating personal advantages."
"Letting others engage in combat and wear each other down is what's most beneficial for me."
With a wave of his hand, Ning Zhuo overwhelmed the Qi Refinement Realm mechanical python as if a tide of mechanical artifacts engulfed it.
He picked up the spirit stones and quickly had the mechanical puppets clean up the battlefield.
Soon after, having gathered enough, he decisively moved on.
So suffocating.
Truly suffocating!
At this moment, the Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor was filled with raging anger.
It had been so long since he had been subjected to such treatment. Especially since the other party was just a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator.
"Even if I got suppressed to the Qi Refinement Realm, in a one-on-one fight, I could still crush Ning Zhuo completely."
"The key is the excessive affection and care the leaders of the three sects have for the trial disciples."
"It's so unfair!"
Just thinking of how he only had one mechanical long spear while Ning Zhuo had a whole army of mechanical artifacts, the Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core cultivator could barely hold together.
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core was confident: outside of the Secret Pavilion of Transition, dealing with Ning Zhuo would be as easy as lifting his finger, causing the latter to cry for his father and yell for his mother.
But inside this Secret Pavilion of Transition, his strength was greatly suppressed.
He silently vowed to remember this enmity and swore that if he ever had the opportunity, he would get his revenge.
As he was pondering, the door to his left was pushed open, and two cultivators walked in.
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core cultivator immediately became alert, his gaze shooting over to see Shuzhong Jun and Song Fuli.
"Is it you two?" the Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core relaxed a little.
Upon seeing him, Shuzhong Jun and Song Fuli were overjoyed, "We were just looking for you."
Shuzhong Jun immediately started to analyze the situation, intending to propose an alliance.
"You want to ally with me? I agree!" The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core nodded in agreement upon hearing their suggestion.
Such a straightforward attitude impressed Shuzhong Jun, who considered him a sensible person.
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core continued, "Listen to me, I've just had an encounter with Ning Zhuo, but I didn't make a move on him."
"Now, if the three of us team up, let's eliminate this youngster first!"
"Zhu Xuanji's forces are too strong. If we let Ning Zhuo join forces with others, we will no longer have a chance to act."
Shuzhong Jun immediately agreed and turned to ask for Song Fuli's opinion.
Song Fuli shrugged, stating that he was more interested in settling scores with Bukong Sect. But since Ning Zhuo was discovered first, it's his bad luck, and taking him down first is not a bad idea either.
Thus, the three Golden Core Cultivators formed a simple alliance and acted together.
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core Cultivator took the lead and hurried back the way he came.
Atop Fire Persimmon Mountain Summit, in the depths of cloud and smoke.
Meng Kui looked down at the entire caldera.
Flame Demon Beasts were emerging endlessly, besieging the isolated Lava Fairy Palace, determined not to rest until it was destroyed.
Meng Kui remained composed.
Meng Hu, itching for action, couldn't help but ask, "Big brother, have you found out where that Nascent Soul from Taiqing Palace is hiding? Shall I simply confront him directly and fight it out?"
"No," Meng Kui shook his head, "We must wait for the other party to reveal themselves and take action first. That way, we can catch them red-handed, which would justify your public appearance."
"Otherwise, if you're the first to stick your head out and strike proactively, you'll certainly be fiercely criticized by the court officials, accused of disregarding rules, acting recklessly, and moving without authorization."
Cultivators possess immense strength in their beings.
A Nascent Soul level like Meng Hu could assault and conquer single-handedly, one against a thousand.
Any kingdom would deploy troops with great caution. In Cultivation Kingdoms, dispatching Nascent Soul level or higher cultivators is approached with the same attitude.
Meng Hu suddenly moving from one place to another without any notice would be like an army deserting its post and going elsewhere.
Such behavior would undoubtedly cause the upper echelons great unease, and they would undoubtedly suppress and resist such incidents.
Especially in the Southern Bean Kingdom, where the monarch is weak, and his subjects are strong, Meng Kui was clear in his mind: If Meng Hu acted so carelessly, he would undoubtedly stir the fragile and sensitive nerves of the Royal Family, potentially provoking an excessive reaction and leading to oppression of the Meng Family.
The excuse of Demon Beasts attacking the city wouldn't apply to Meng Hu either.
Because according to the normal procedure, knowing he could not handle it alone, Meng Kui was to report upward, have it discussed by the monarch and the court, and then deploy help.
Taking such private action to bring in one's own Nascent Soul was a severe violation of court rules and highly objectionable. Once done, it would become a focus of public criticism and be attacked by many.
The only excuse that could be made was that Meng Hu accidentally discovered a Nascent Soul Cultivator from Taiqing Palace passing by furtively. Concerned about the visitor's nefarious schemes, Meng Hu thus followed the trail, which eventually led to Fire Persimmon Immortal City.