This I cannot allow Hua Guzi to continue indulging in!
Ning Zhuo controlled the Mechanical Fist and Feet, unleashing a torrent of attacks that stirred up another strong offensive wave.
Hua Guzi's Divine Sea was in turmoil, unable to manipulate her Wood Element Magic to counter, and with all her might, she executed a Fragrant Flower Illusion Technique.
The Mechanical Fist and Feet struck empty air, but soon caught up with Hua Guzi again.
Hua Guzi shrieked, "Granny here knows a bit of punch and kick too!"
Really just a bit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ahhh! Ahhh!
Spectators saw twenty Mechanical Fist and Feet units surrounding a young girl, beating her relentlessly.
The punches and kicks, like a violent storm, elicited continuous screams from Hua Guzi.
Eventually, Ning Zhuo voluntarily stopped.
Hua Guzi was beaten to the point of a swollen nose and face, her head swollen as large as a pig's head.
Her eyes were swollen to mere slits. She stretched out her bruised and purple fingers, shakily pointing at Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo gave a slight smile, using the Mechanical Fist and Feet to lift her and carry her out of the Martial Arts Arena.
Immediately, the surrounding cultivators loudly announced the victor as Ning Zhuo.
With a smile on his face, Ning Zhuo bowed to the audience all around and approached Hua Guzi, publicly casting Healing Magic on her.
A few breaths later, Hua Guzi looked like her old self again, but her limbs were icy cold, shivering from the chill.
Ning Zhuo then took out a cup of Warm Autumn Wine and handed it to Hua Guzi.
Hua Guzi's pupils contracted sharply, realizing this was a Golden Core Level medicinal wine. Yet she forced herself to bear it, her teeth chattering, "I don't, I don't want it. Granny I..."
Ning Zhuo raised his eyebrows slightly.
He snorted coldly, leaned down, pinched Hua Guzi's tender cheeks with a bit of force, forcing her to open her cherry lips.
Then, he roughly and forcibly poured the Warm Autumn Wine directly into Hua Guzi's mouth.
Hua Guzi was violently shaken, caught off guard by Ning Zhuo's aggressive manner.
Instinctively, she swallowed the Warm Autumn Wine rolling in her throat.
"Operate your energy, digest it," Ning Zhuo commanded indifferently in the following moment.
Hua Guzi was shaken again and suddenly jolted, inexplicably cooperating with Ning Zhuo's words. She then sat down on the spot and began circulating her energy to heal her injuries.
Ning Zhuo couldn't help but be surprised.
He hadn't implanted a Life Hanging Thread into Hua Guzi; generally, he wouldn't do such a thing in public to avoid someone noticing the Life Hanging Thread.
Without the Life Hanging Thread, Ning Zhuo couldn't sense Hua Guzi's underlying emotions through the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
Surprisingly, Hua Guzi obediently cooperated!
"This female cultivator was staunchly unyielding just moments ago, but now she's suddenly compliant, which is quite strange," Ning Zhuo pondered with a squint.
He was, after all, only sixteen years old, and despite his fourteen years of delving into human nature, he had never encountered someone like Hua Guzi.
He won!
Ning Zhuo and Hua Guzi's battle was a significant victory.
He had intimidated the cultivators on Little Struggle Peak with this battle. Even the likes of Lai Wuying and Zheng Xingchen acknowledged Ning Zhuo's combat prowess.
In this battle, Ning Zhuo confirmed his position in Wood Element combat strength and also tested the effectiveness of the Mechanical Fist and Feet in real combat.
Lastly, by voluntarily treating Hua Guzi and sparing no expense in using Golden Core Level medicinal wine, he earned a wave of good reputation.
Even if some criticized him for putting on airs, the use of Golden Core Level resources was unquestionably a significant investment—hard to criticize.
For a time, discussions about Ning Zhuo swirled around Little Struggle Peak.
"I didn't expect Young Master Ning Zhuo's Mechanical Techniques to be even more potent than the Five Elements Magic."
"Truly a rare genius."
"He seemed quite ordinary at first, but turns out he has hidden depths."
"If I were Ning Zhuo, I'd have used Mechanical Techniques to overwhelm in the first battle, but he kept it low-key, which wasn't very aggressive."
"What do you mean 'low-key'? That's called modesty, that's called humility. This is the demeanor of someone from a Cultivator Family."
The solid performance spoke for itself, and many cultivators began to boast about Ning Zhuo.
"Hmph, these family children, clearly able to live off their families' name, yet they come to compete with us Loose Cultivators for resources at the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect."
"That's not quite right, at least not in Young Master Ning Zhuo's case. Didn't you hear? This is just one stop on his journey. When the time is right, he will leave."
Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong both were adept at spreading rumors.
Especially Ning Zhuo, who confidently spread rumors in advance with Sun Lingtong's help.
Now, these rumors were working effectively in his favor.
When people realized Ning Zhuo was merely a transient figure and not a local tyrant, the Cave Mansion he occupied would eventually become vacant.
Thus, the general resentment towards him lessened significantly.
"When is he leaving?"
"That's unknown."
"I think he's quite good for Little Struggle Peak."
"He's good-looking, and it's a pleasure to watch him fight every time!"
"He's really gentle, elegant. After defeating Hua Guzi, he even fed her Golden Core Level medicinal wine. Who else does that?"
Consequently, people also learned why Ning Zhuo, after the battle with Hanzhou, had recovered so quickly.
The next day, Martial Arts Arena.
Hanzhou once again faced defeat under the attack of over twenty Mechanical Fist and Feet techniques, voluntarily calling a halt.
Ning Zhuo, however, did not feel the same lingering excitement as before.
He felt that this way of training, the insights gained from the Spirit Light, were much less than before, not even amounting to thirty percent.
He silently reflected, "Mainly because previously, the battle with Hua Guzi allowed me to fully engage in real combat, helping me realize many strengths and weaknesses."
"Continuing to spar with Hanzhou like this, where neither side truly goes all out, hardly stimulates me anymore."
Ning Zhuo increasingly felt that Little Struggle Peak was his blessed land.
This was because he fully engaged in real combat here, greatly making up for his deficiencies. In many areas, he had made significant progress.
"The benefits gained from Hanzhou, although still exist, are not as abundant anymore."
"Perhaps, I should spar with someone else."
"I'll maintain relations with Hanzhou and try to get more Bitter Water to drink."
Ning Zhuo thought over these things.
After the sparring ended, he and Hanzhou walked shoulder to shoulder out of the Martial Arts Arena.
Hanzhou said, "Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo, why bother with treating Hua Guzi after the battle? In my opinion, it was a waste of Golden Core Level medicinal wine, truly not worth it."
Hanzhou felt somewhat resentful.
This was because earlier, when Ning Zhuo asked him to infuse Mechanical Fist and Feet with Bitter Cold Qi, he was very welcoming of the idea.
On one hand, he looked forward to seeing others tormented by the Mechanical Fist and Feet. On the other hand, he wanted to take advantage of Ning Zhuo's help to pass on the Bitter Cold Qi to others, seizing more opportunities to transform others.
In the end, Ning Zhuo saved the person and cleared away the Bitter Cold Qi, right after the battle.
Ning Zhuo gave a slight smile, explaining to Hanzhou that he didn't want to be overly assertive, bullying a weak woman. He didn't truly intend to make an enemy of Hua Guzi, as it had always been a matter of sparring.
He offered a cup of Warm Autumn Wine, simply wishing to foster a good relationship with Hua Guzi and not wanting to tense up relations with those around him. It is always better to have more friends than enemies when you are away from home.
Hanzhou couldn't help but exclaim, "Young Master Ning Zhuo indeed has the demeanor of a major family. But, I fear you do not really know that Hua Guzi has always been capricious and vengeful by nature. Being half-demon, she naturally possesses demonic traits!"
"By treating her this way, she won't thank you. Instead, she will double down on her hatred for you and seek revenge in the future!"
Ning Zhuo was slightly stunned, then his face showed a puzzled look.
He was about to ask more when suddenly, a "lantern" flew towards him from not far away.
Upon closer inspection, it was Hua Guzi, in a flowing wide skirt, heading straight towards him.
Hua Guzi rushed right up to Ning Zhuo, her gaze fiercely fixed on him.
Hanzhou and Ning Zhuo were immediately on full alert!
"Young Master Ning Zhuo, please accept this!!!" However, after Hua Guzi reached Ning Zhuo, she suddenly stopped, bowed deeply, and with both hands offered a plate of dumplings.
Ning Zhuo and Hanzhou: ?!
Both were completely baffled, unsure of what trick Hua Guzi was playing.
Ning Zhuo became cautious, his Divine Sense enveloping the dumplings and Hua Guzi. His first thought was naturally—could these dumplings be poisoned?
The next moment, Ning Zhuo felt this guess was implausible.
Because even if it was poison, it wouldn't be administered so openly.
So, what exactly was Hua Guzi up to?
Ning Zhuo assumed that Hua Guzi was facing some difficulty and wanted to ask for his help.
He immediately said, "Daoist Fellow Hua, let's talk somewhere else."
But Hua Guzi still maintained her bowed posture, her face aligned with the ground, not giving an inch, "I plead with you, Young Master Ning Zhuo, to accept my gesture!"
Ning Zhuo: ??
He spread his Divine Sense around, noticing few people nearby, and immediately used his trump card.
Divine Skills—Life Hanging Thread.
Magic Treasure—Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
The next moment, he sensed many emotions from Hua Guzi.
Hua Guzi dared not look up at Ning Zhuo; her face, parallel to the ground, was flushed red!
She was roaring in her heart.
"Ah, why, why!"
"How could I, the grandma, ever do this!"
"Hua Guzi, what are you doing?"
"You shameless thing, how could you act so demeaningly towards a man?"
"But, but..."
"It feels so, so right."
"Being this close to him, it seems like the air is filled with his scent. It smells so good!"
"Young Master Ning Zhuo, truly a man like a flower."
"I want to be beaten by him again, to be surrounded and beaten by his controlled Mechanical Fist and Feet, then to have him squeezing my mouth, pouring warm medicinal wine."
Ning Zhuo: ?!!
Although he could not perceive Hua Guzi's clear thoughts, he sensed her turbulent, twisted emotions.
Ning Zhuo subconsciously took a small step back.
A chill ran through him as he looked down at Hua Guzi's petite, exquisite back, "What on earth is this woman up to?!"
For a moment, Ning Zhuo couldn't gauge Hua Guzi's motivations.
To be safe, he outrightly refused, "There's no need for that, Daoist Fellow Hua. Our interaction was just a spar, and it's not like you owe me anything. Even that Warm Autumn Wine was given voluntarily; I never expected you to repay me."