Yang Chanyu: "You've been eliminated as well, I see."
Sun Lingtong asked, "How are you?"
"I'm not dead yet. I didn't expect Zhu Xuanji to be so formidable! In the recent battle, he must not have exerted his full strength." Mentioning Zhu Xuanji, Yang Chanyu felt a lingering fear.
"Such a strong person would be among the top Golden Core Cultivators in the world. If it really came down to a fight, many of the Golden Core True Disciples from super sects would fall to his hand."
Sun Lingtong nodded, his face also very pale. He walked to the window and was astonished to see the multitude of Flame Demon Beasts on the streets: "I hadn't thought that the outside world had become so dire so quickly."
Yang Chanyu: "If things go wrong, the Lava Immortal Palace might completely collapse, and everyone will end up with nothing."
"Then, even escaping will be a problem!"
The reason Sun and Yang had been able to avoid detection by people like Zhu Xuanji was by taking advantage of the geographical benefits of the Lava Fairy Palace.
If the Immortal Palace no longer existed, they would be exposed amidst the volcanic lava, in the sights of Nascent Soul Level Meng Kui and Golden Core Level Zhu Xuanji, the outcome would be worrisome.
Yang Chanyu, panting, stared at Sun Lingtong: "I am really worried now. After so much effort, we might end up with nothing. Perhaps, we should retreat first?"
Sun Lingtong shook his head: "Ning Zhuo is still inside the Secret Pavilion of Transition."
"Do you have that much confidence in him?" Yang Chanyu raised an eyebrow, "I don't believe that a mere Qi Refining Cultivator has any cards up his sleeve that could turn the tables on Zhu Xuanji."
"To continue betting would be very unwise!"
"Sun Lingtong, we should retreat."
Sun Lingtong, using his hand as a pillow, chuckled: "Hehe, I trust Little Zhuo. Haven't you noticed? He hasn't been eliminated yet."
Only then did a slight change come over Yang Chanyu's expression.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I would never bet my life on a losing game." Sun Lingtong appeared full of confidence, but in reality, he was deeply concerned.
"Little Zhuo, from now on, it's all up to you!" Sun Lingtong sighed deeply in his heart.
Secret Pavilion of Transition.
Within the Qu Guangzhiying Formation.
The Official Skill Locked Country on Miss Rudie had been broken.
After Mechanical Butterfly Girl regained her freedom, she lay on top of a block of ice, staring worriedly at the young Cultivator within the ice.
The young Cultivator was Ning Zhuo.
At the moment, his eyes were tightly closed, having temporarily lost consciousness, and he was in a comatose state.
Previously, although Ning Zhuo had taken refuge in the Qu Guangzhiying Formation, he was still penetrated by the golden light that followed.
Despite avoiding many lethal attacks thanks to the warning from his Mechanical Ring.
But he had still fallen into unconsciousness due to the severe injuries in a short period.
However, just before losing consciousness, Ning Zhuo managed to release a pair of mechanisms from his Storage Waist Belt, in a race against time.
Floating Ice Jade Hands!
The Floating Ice Jade Hands, infused with the spiritual nature of Ning Xiaohui and through an item passed down from her grandmother, Ning Zhuo had pushed their spiritual nature to its fullest potential.
The Floating Ice Jade Hands performed the innate Ice-jade Hands for Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo was then encased within a huge block of ice, undergoing emergency healing.
What comforted Mechanical Butterfly Girl somewhat was that Ning Zhuo's breath was becoming more and more stable and strong.
Floating Ice Jade Hands remained suspended in mid-air, their palms tightly pressed against the upper end of the ice block, constantly maintaining innate talent.
Suddenly, Ning Zhuo's eyelids trembled slightly.
He regained consciousness and realized that he had just fallen into a coma and now found himself within the ice, being healed by the Floating Ice Jade Hands.
"The injuries are severe!"
"Up to now, I have never suffered such serious injuries."
"However, it is precisely because I temporarily fell into a coma that I was deemed defeated in combat, which in turn tricked Zhu Xuanji, allowing my feigned death plan to succeed."
Ning Zhuo's Divine Sense continuously radiated, permeating the ice block, "seeing" Miss Rudie, the Floating Ice Jade Hands, and "seeing" the still-maintained Qu Guangzhiying Formation.
In the palace exam, Ning Zhuo's name was "Entry Level Standard," while Sun Lingtong bore the name "Ning Zhuo."
Sun Lingtong surrendered proactively and was eliminated. There was no longer "Ning Zhuo" on the palace exam list, but "Entry Level Standard" was still there.
"Supreme as water..."
At the critical moment, Ning Zhuo used the last two drops of Supreme as Water he had left to remove the monitoring measures on himself.
This was also one of the key actions that successfully misled Zhu Xuanji in the end.
"As expected of the Water Element Merit Treasure."
Even though Ning Zhuo was in a coma at that time, he could still feel the utmost softness and benevolence of water. Water has no constant shape, yet it accommodates everything. When Ning Zhuo was cleansed, his heart was as tranquil as a clear, mirrored lake, as if he was effortlessly floating in flowing water.
"I was in a state of coma, without any fighting strength. The Lava Fairy Palace did not rule me out... was it because I released the Floating Ice Jade Hands and had Miss Rudie, and it was determined that I could recover?"
"Or is it that the prohibitions of the Lava Fairy Palace have weakened to the point where it could no longer teleport cultivators?"
The destruction of prohibitions is not a stage-by-stage process, clearly delineated between each stage.
The prohibitions of the Secret Pavilion of Transition have never been repaired since they were broken, and they keep deteriorating.
It's just that there weren't as obvious effects as the precipitous decline when the Immortal Palace had been seriously damaged before.
It was because of this concern that Ning Zhuo and Zhu Xuanji had to fight before—he was very worried that Sun Lingtong might actually die at the hands of Zhu Xuanji.
Of course, at the beginning of the confrontation, Ning Zhuo also longed for victory on his side. After all, from a logistical perspective, Ning Zhuo's side had a three-to-one advantage, which was indeed favorable.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, Zhu Xuanji turned out to be so fierce!
"I learned, I learned." Ning Zhuo engaged in profound reflection within the ice block.
"This is the power and effect of concealing one's talent!"
"In some ways, isn't this defeat due to me not concealing my abilities as deeply as Zhu Xuanji?"
"Mother was right, one should hide their capabilities and maintain a low profile."
"Look at Zhu Xuanji, despite being a member of the royalty, a noble of golden branches and jade leaves, he could still hide so well. Publicly, he's a renowned Divine Hunter across the nation, yet he conceals divine skills like the Golden Mountain Stance and Jade Pillar Body!"
"Compared to him, what is my concealed talent? What am I?"
"If it weren't for the help of our leader, I would have really been eliminated this time!"
Ning Zhuo felt a chill of fear, took this fight as a caution, and decided to take Zhu Xuanji as a role model for the future, determined to emulate him well.
Crack, crack.
Cracks proliferated on the surface of the ice block, which then suddenly collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Ning Zhuo regained his freedom, half-kneeling on the ground, then slowly opened his eyes and gradually stood up amidst the debris of ice chunks.
Miss Rudie cheered and jumped for joy.
Ning Zhuo gave her a slight smile, then looked up above him.
He silently activated his Divine Skills, and visible hanging threads appeared in his vision.
"So Ruoshui didn't wash away the hanging threads after all."
These threads were, of course, the Life Hanging Threads placed on the cultivators participating in the palace exam by the Lava Fairy Palace.
Suddenly, Ning Zhuo's expression changed subtly, and he bent over and vomited some fresh blood.
Among the blood, there were many ice chunks. In the ice chunks, there was blood, and also flashes of golden light.
This was an attack inflicted by Zhu Xuanji, eroding Ning Zhuo's flesh and being frozen in ice, only to be finally expelled from his body.
Even now, the golden light inside the ice chunks was still intensely sharp, making them dazzle painfully to the eye.
After spitting out the ice chunks, Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and felt his condition fully recovered.
Miss Rudie asked if they should dispel the Qu Guangzhiying Formation. She was beginning to feel exhausted.
Ning Zhuo looked around, having already formulated a plan in his mind.
He asked Miss Rudie to hold on for a little longer while he took out a cushion and sat down cross-legged to control his breathing.
Soon, his breath became extremely steady.
The youth's eyes were slightly closed, his pale skin casting a faint cold light amid the interlacing shadows.
"This is a great opportunity."
Ning Zhuo made his decision and began the final sprint towards the Foundation Establishment Stage!
From his Storage Waist Belt, he took out an Array Plate.
This Array Plate was a Magic Artifact of the Foundation Establishment Level and came from the Zhou Family.
Initially, Ning Zhuo had voluntarily contributed Night Wind Soft Iron, so Zhou Nongying personally spoke out and rewarded him with an Array Plate, which was this very item.
The Zhou Family was skilled at setting up arrays, and the Array Plate they provided was clearly superior to those available on the market.
Even though Ning Zhuo could set up a Spirit Gathering Formation himself, it was no match for this meticulously crafted Array Plate.
Immediately, he channeled Mana, causing the Array Plate to hover and fly above his head.
The Array Plate began to rotate slowly, tracing out a three-dimensional Array in mid-air, with tight and harmonious Array Patterns.
Ning Zhuo then took out Spirit Stones and placed them in the many key positions of the Array.
The Spirit Stones began to deplete, transforming into Spiritual Power and filling the space within the Array.
Spiritual Energy accumulated more and more, swiftly forming a mist.
Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and started to cycle his Cultivation Technique.
Lower Dantian—Demon-infused Bloodline Technique!
His Essence Blood was vigorous, and his Blood Qi surged wildly; for a moment, his presence was overwhelming like a tumultuous tide, imposing and fierce.
The Blood Qi condensed into Blood Vessels, appearing in large swaths and quickly covering all his flesh, resembling a net of fresh blood armor.
More than just on the surface, within his body, the Blood Vessels spread throughout, protecting his internal organs and clinging to the depths of his bones.
Ning Zhuo exuded a terrifying demonic might.
Middle Dantian—Five Elements Qi Regulation Art!
Ning Zhuo exhaled and inhaled slowly, with five-colored Mana in his Qi Sea churning ceaselessly, creating a majestic atmosphere.
The Mana gradually expanded, reflecting a cycle of five colors around him, with tight and balanced laws.
The young Cultivator was full of Immortal Energy, with an extraordinary air.
Upper Dantian—Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique!
Divine Sea within him was vast, the Divine Sense condensed into numerous mirrors, reflecting light, illuminating all directions, scanning everywhere.
Ning Zhuo's face showed compassion, emanating a profound Buddhist aura.
The rich Spiritual Energy was absorbed by Ning Zhuo with all his might.
The force of his absorption was so fierce and the speed so rapid that it formed a vortex of Spiritual Energy.
The vortex spun faster and faster, rapidly expanding and soon filling the entire inner space of the Spirit Gathering Formation.
Ning Zhuo, who was at the center of the Spiritual Energy vortex, was filled with Spiritual Energy throughout his body; his meridians, limbs, skull, and internal organs were all agitated by Spiritual Power.
A transformation occurred in an instant.
The Lower Dantian suddenly changed, with the flow of Blood Qi.
The first barrier of Foundation Establishment—the Essence Barrier, easily overcome, as naturally as breathing.
The Middle Dantian then underwent a change, with gaseous Mana condensing and compressing into a liquid state. Inside the Qi Sea, it seemed as if a fine rain had begun to fall.
Each "drop" of rain was concentrated Mana, more than five times densified.
The second barrier of Foundation Establishment—the Qi Barrier, also surpassed, as if it were second nature.
The Upper Dantian's light expanded, transforming the surrounding area, altering heaven and earth—Divine Sense vibrated intensely, easily transforming into Divine Consciousness!
The third barrier of Foundation Establishment—the Divine Barrier, then surmounted, as effortlessly as when a channel leads to water.
Having overcome all three barriers, the Dantian was forged! Remarkably, the three Dantians were harmonized, their breath as one.
Three Superior Sect Techniques!
Three Dantian Foundation Establishment!!!
At this moment, the accomplishment was achieved!!!
Clang, clang, clang...
Suddenly, the sound of a bell echoed throughout the Lava Fairy Palace.
"The Dharma Transmission Bell?!"
"Why would it suddenly ring?"
All the Cultivators were astonished.
"Could it be Little Zhuo?" Sun Lingtong had a premonition.
"Three Dantian Foundation Establishment! He's done it, he's succeeded!!!" The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit shouted in the main hall, its expression panicked.
It had thought that Ning Zhuo, being seriously injured, would remain weak for a long time and struggle to compete for the position of Immortal Palace Master.
But unexpectedly, Ning Zhuo recovered so swiftly and seized this golden opportunity, initiating a qualitative breakthrough in his Cultivation Level.
He had become a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator!