Yuanlai Mountain, Martial Arts Arena.
Ning Zhuo, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, waved his hand at Lin Shanshan, indicating that he needed to rest.
Lin Shanshan stopped her offensive and took out a bottle of medicinal wine, handing it to Ning Zhuo.
Ever since rumors had begun to swirl, Lin Shanshan no longer used the Martial Arts Arena atop Little Struggle Peak. To avoid idle gossip, she had asked Ning Zhuo to secretly come to Yuanlai Mountain to use the arena often frequented by her father.
This Martial Arts Arena was not only highly esteemed but also rarely visited by others, making it ideal for imparting martial arts.
"What is this?" Ning Zhuo asked in confusion, taking the medicinal wine.
Lin Shanshan explained, "This is Warm Autumn Wine."
"The main ingredients are Chilong Fruit, Sunflower, and Heavenly Dew. It has a strong nourishing and warming effect on the body, and it will definitely eliminate the coldness within you."
Ning Zhuo was astonished, "This is medicinal wine of the Golden Core Level, it will surely eliminate the Bitter Cold Qi in my body."
"It's too precious!"
"Is this because someone returned from Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and your Sect has finally thoroughly investigated?"
Lin Shanshan shook her head, "The external disciples have not yet returned; I obtained this on my own initiative by asking an Elder from the Sect."
"In my heart, I trust you, Young Master Ning Zhuo."
"However, from the Sect's perspective, we must have concrete evidence and reliable intelligence. Otherwise, if my father acts unilaterally, it's not the best way to lead a Sect."
"I understand," Ning Zhuo sighed, "Leading a Sect is in fact about leading hearts. Being overly strong and domineering, even with good intentions, can lead to losing people's support. Those in higher positions should be kind and benevolent, governing with a soft touch like the spring breeze and rain, moistening everything silently—that is the superior path."
Upon hearing these words, Lin Shanshan's eyes lit up, and she praised, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, your words are not much different from my father's views. Perhaps in the future, the two of you could have delightful conversations."
Ning Zhuo hastily expressed that he had long heard of Lin Bufan's fame, and during his stay at Little Struggle Peak, he had witnessed the prosperity of Ten Thousand Medicine Valley and recognized Lin Bufan's governance capabilities, which filled him with great admiration.
"I know that it is almost impossible for someone like me to meet Lord Lin who is preoccupied with countless affairs."
"I just hope this time, with the opportunity to discuss the cooperation between our two clans, if I could meet Lord Lin, that would be truly wonderful!"
Ning Zhuo very much wanted to make a good impression on Lin Bufan.
After all, in the future, he might propose a transaction involving the Fetal Breathing Spirit Boat.
Despite knowing it would be difficult, at least he had to meet Lin Bufan and speak with him to determine whether there was any hope for this option.
Lin Shanshan said, "Since Young Master Ning Zhuo intends to challenge Chang Yan soon, it's best to completely dispel the Bitter Cold Qi and fully recover to increase your chances of victory."
"Calculating the journey and the days, the disciples' reports should arrive within these few days."
"If you fail to defeat Chang Yan, you might miss the following covenant discussions."
"The gift of wine is for you as a friend, Young Master, and also for securing more benefits for my Sect."
"Compared to the grand matter of an alliance between our two parties, what's Warm Autumn Wine?"
Lin Shanshan persuaded Ning Zhuo to accept the medicinal wine, her words gentle and logical.
Ning Zhuo nodded, "Miss Lin is right."
He removed the bottle stopper and peered inside.
He saw that the Warm Autumn Wine had an amber gold color, clear as the warm sun of autumn, with a faint aroma of medicine and fruit that was refreshing to the heart.
Ning Zhuo first communicated via Divine Sense, "Boss, keep an eye out, I'm about to drink."
Sun Lingtong nodded and immediately replied via Divine Sense, indicating she was watching.
Ning Zhuo then lifted the bottle and took a sip.
Upon first contact, the Warm Autumn Wine was gentle and smooth, with a hint of sweetness and coolness, as if a mountain spring was flowing down his throat.
Moments later, a strong warmth arose from his throat and rapidly spread to every limb. It permeated his skin layer by layer, like the spring sun, eliminating the internal chill and making him feel as if he were basking in warm sunlight, utterly comfortable.
The Bitter Cold Qi remaining in Ning Zhuo's body, along with the effects of the wine, quickly dissipated.
Not only that, but the tension in his muscles and meridians caused by his intense training also faded away.
"Excellent wine," Ning Zhuo remarked.
Lin Shanshan felt a wave of emotion, touched. After contemplating, she still said, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, when traveling elsewhere in the future, make sure not to easily consume foreign substances."
"At the very least, you should examine them thoroughly."
"My father always taught me that the Worldly Society is treacherous, and it is hard to discern people's intentions..."
Ning Zhuo nodded, "I would surely check if it were someone else. But I trust you, Miss Lin."
Lin Shanshan couldn't help but smile and shook her head slightly.
Ning Zhuo stretched his limbs, "With just a sip of the medicine wine, I'm refreshed. Shall we continue, Miss Lin?"
Lin Shanshan's voice was soft, "Alright."
The two of them continued to spar.
Ning Zhuo concentrated fully, throwing himself heart and soul into the training, each thought focused on how to fight, to counter Lin Shanshan.
He was innately smart, with intelligence beyond ordinary people's. Compared with the immensely complex Mechanical Techniques, the principles of Martial Arts were much simpler and clearer.
As a result, Ning Zhuo made rapid progress.
At first, he was completely overwhelmed by Lin Shanshan throughout the fight. Then, gradually, he managed a few occasional counterattacks. Now, the number of counterattacks was increasing, and his defensive posture was becoming more and more stable.
Lin Shanshan marveled at the cleverness that Ning Zhuo displayed and increasingly felt inferior in her heart.
The special training pushed Ning Zhuo to his physical limits before the two paused again.
During the rest period, when Ning Zhuo's next opponent came up in conversation, Lin Shanshan took the initiative to offer strategic advice, "Chang Yan is a Demon Cultivator, with his original form being an Earth Snake, non-venomous but extremely skilled in Earth Element Magic."
"If you, Young Master, wish to increase your chances of winning, you must figure out something related to the Wood Element."
In the cycle of the Five Elements Generating and overcoming, fire generates earth, but wood overcomes earth.
Using Fire-attribute Spells against those of the Earth Element would be inefficient. However, using Wood Element Spells would be twice as effective for half the effort.
Lin Shanshan continued, "I've seen your battles before, Young Master, and although your Five Elements Magic is fierce, upon close examination, it turned out that these spells are not biased towards combat, but rather towards refining. Is that right?"
Ning Zhuo touched his nose, "Miss Lin has keen insight and has seen it already."
"The Cultivation Technique I practice comes from the Lava Fairy Palace, all serving the purpose of refining Mechanical Techniques."
"To use them against enemies is not where the strength of these Five Elements Spells lies."
Hearing that Ning Zhuo's Cultivation Technique originated from the Lava Fairy Palace sparked many curiosities in Lin Shanshan. However, prying into someone else's Cultivation Techniques was also a disrespectful act, so Lin Shanshan suppressed her curiosity to continue the previous topic, "In that case, Young Master Ning Zhuo might as well learn the Wood Element Magic of our Ten Thousand Medicine Sect."
The Ten Thousand Medicine Sect naturally excelled in Wood Element Magic.
Although the sect's signature Wood Element Magic was either for planting, alchemy, or healing, the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, with its vast resources, also had many Wood Element Spells geared towards cultivating power.
Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment and said, "In a few days, it will be time for me to challenge Chang Yan. Learning other Wood Element Spells would require adaptation. In such a short time, it's almost impossible to succeed."
"So, Miss Lin, are you suggesting that I study your sect's Understanding Law Maps?"
Lin Shanshan nodded, immediately feeling the relief and pleasure of "It's so much easier to talk to a smart person."
"That's exactly what I meant." Lin Shanshan said.
"There are twenty-seven Wood Element Enlightenment Maps in our Ten Thousand Medicine Sect."
"Twelve of them are related to the three main techniques of the sect and must not be shown lightly to outsiders. However, the remaining fifteen are available for you, Young Master Ning Zhuo, to view and comprehend."
"Still, among the fifteen, you will need to select a few first. There's only so much time left, I suggest initially picking three, then focusing on one, perhaps you can succeed."
At this point, Lin Shanshan paused and added, "If it were someone else, naturally, they couldn't prepare for battle this way. But with your astonishing comprehension, Young Master Ning Zhuo, there is a real possibility of success."
Ning Zhuo touched his nose, feeling that Lin Shanshan had much more confidence in him than he had in himself.
In fact, he had previously encountered Understanding Law Maps.
The Frost Conquest Diagram and Proud Snow Map of the Ning Family were with him.
He had attempted to study them before with no success, staring at them for a long time without the slightest clue.
"If I can't comprehend the Wood Element Enlightenment Map this time, won't I lose face?"
Despite such concerns, Ning Zhuo still readily agreed.
Such an opportunity was not to be missed; to reject what was given by heaven was to invite misfortune!
Lin Shanshan had already prepared Jade Slips, and now she handed them to Ning Zhuo.
With a scan of his Divine Sense, Ning Zhuo carefully selected from the fifteen Wood Element Enlightenment Maps.
Moments later, he made a decision, "I choose these three maps."
Thus, after today's special training, Lin Shanshan led Ning Zhuo to the Library.
She presented her Token to the Elder guarding the Library.
The Elder looked weathered and decrepit, "According to the rules of the sect, Shanshan, you do indeed have the privilege to bring one person to the top floor, but you can only take one for viewing."
Lin Shanshan then led Ning Zhuo up the stairs to the top level and took an Old Tree Root Map.
After descending from the building and completing the registration, Lin Shanshan took Ning Zhuo to visit her Second Senior Brother and borrowed a Mountain Night Listening Wave Picture.
Lastly, they arrived at the back door of her house.
"Young Master, please wait here for a moment; I will be right back," Lin Shanshan instructed before she entered the residence to seek Lin Bufan.
Lin Bufan was not home.
Lin Shanshan then entered her father's study and, after searching for a while, found the Tree Base Sky Peeping Map on the shelf.
Before long, Ning Zhuo and Lin Shanshan left Yuanlai Mountain together and headed for Little Struggle Peak.
Ning Zhuo carried three Wood Element Enlightenment Maps on him and took out his own Frost Conquest Diagram and Proud Snow Map.
Lin Shanshan was a little surprised, "So Young Master Ning Zhuo also has Enlightenment Maps."
Ning Zhuo said, "I'm ashamed to say that these are the treasures of my family inheritance, yet I carry them with me, seeking opportunities to study them. However, since leaving home, I have had little time."
"These two Enlightenment Maps, I will temporarily mortgage to Miss Lin."
Lin Shanshan refused to accept them.
Ning Zhuo made an 'ahh' sound, repeatedly saying, "My apologies, haha."
"Daoist Fellow Lin, in this exchange, we both shared and discussed our interests, exchanging Enlightenment Maps, which surely serves as a testament to the gradually strengthening relationship between our two families."
Only then did Lin Shanshan smile and reach out to take the two Enlightenment Maps from the Ning Family.