Hanzhou couldn't help but give a sideways glance, his puzzled look seeming to say, "Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo, didn't you just say that you wanted to establish a cordial relationship with Hua Guzi? Why are you now acting so aloof, rejecting her from a thousand miles away?"
Ning Zhuo sensed Hanzhou's confusion, but he didn't explain and simply bypassed Hua Guzi.
Hanzhou: ?!
He secretly took a deep breath of cold air, feeling quite odd.
In his view, Hua Guzi obviously wanted to befriend Ning Zhuo, smooth over their relationship, but unexpectedly, Ning Zhuo turned out to be the one showing a cold face.
"Given Hua Guzi's temperament, to come over so humbly and even bring dumplings along, she has already broken the norm."
"Young Master Ning Zhuo actually treats her like this, it's as if he's rubbing her face in the dust."
"Young Master Ning Zhuo is a bit unwise."
"Ah... what's going on here?"
Hanzhou felt that the matter could have been handled well, but Ning Zhuo behaved quite oddly.
He subconsciously kept his distance from Hua Guzi, to prevent the latter from getting angry and recklessly starting a fight.
Hua Guzi still maintained her bow, with her upper arms, upper body, and face parallel to the ground.
Her face was flushed red, feeling both angry and embarrassed, and very strange.
"Rejected! I've done all this, and he still rejects me!"
"I've been rejected! I can't believe I've been rejected!!"
"Ah ah ah!"
"So shameful, it's too shameful."
"Not only was I rejected, but it was also seen by others. I'm going to die!"
"I'm going to die, is there a crack in the ground, I want to crawl into it!!"
"Hehehe, hahaha, gugu..."
"Why? Why would Young Master Ning Zhuo reject me? Can he really bear to reject me, such a cute and beautiful lady?"
"Why? Why do I also feel a little happy?"
"Even being rejected by Young Master Ning Zhuo, I still feel very happy."
"Why is this happening?"
"This brat, he's trampled my face into the mud, he deserves to die, should be killed!"
"But, but, but... why can't I hate him?"
Hua Guzi herself was also puzzled.
And so was Ning Zhuo.
"This female cultivator is crazy!!" Ning Zhuo sensed the extreme joy in Hua Guzi's heart, and the chill in his heart grew thicker, his steps involuntarily quickened.
"This half-demon has a very warped nature and is definitely not normal!"
"Stay away from her, it feels safer."
Ning Zhuo warned himself in his heart.
Hanzhou remained on high alert the entire way.
It wasn't until he had put a safe distance between them that he looked back and saw Hua Guzi, still frozen in place like a statue, that his sense of fear and trepidation grew stronger.
Hua Guzi seemed like a Thunder Explosion Talisman, about to explode at any moment!
Ning Zhuo returned to his own Cave Mansion and temporarily put thoughts of Hua Guzi out of his mind, beginning his daily routine of cultivation.
Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique, Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, Demon-infused Bloodline Technique!
He cycled through the three Cultivation Techniques, steadily advancing his cultivation level.
Inside the Cave Mansion, the abundant Spiritual Energy was so dense that it accumulated into mist. He grabbed handfuls of Spirit Food, chewing and quickly turning them into Essence and Spiritual Power.
The incense burned quietly, soothing the mind, and the cushion he sat on was a joint reward from the Fire Persimmon Immortal City's three families, still effective to this day.
After completing his cultivation, Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes and sent a sound transmission to Sun Lingtong, sighing, "Boss, is there any way to speed up cultivation? Up to now, my cultivation level is still only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, which is too slow!"
Sun Lingtong was drinking water when he heard this and almost spat it out, "Little Zhuo, why do you feel it's slow?"
"You have innate talent, a Five Elements Spirit Root, all sorts of resources, and your cultivation level progresses visibly every day. This speed is already first-class, far surpassing mine back in the day. And you still think it's slow?"
Ning Zhuo sighed, "I feel like I'm still far from reaching the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage."
Hearing this, Sun Lingtong felt speechless, rolled his eyes, and looked up at the ceiling, transmitting back, "That's how it is at the Foundation Establishment stage."
"With every major realm increase in cultivation, the speed of cultivation will slow down by several times, or even more. This is because after a qualitative change, the foundation required for each major realm increases by dozens or hundreds of times!"
"The more superior the Cultivation Technique, the deeper the foundation required. That is why cultivators who practice superior Cultivation Techniques can overpower cultivators of the same level."
"Think about what level your Three Superior Sect Techniques are. Top-notch among the top-notch."
"So, stop thinking about the good old days of the Qi Refinement Realm and just keep at it. Cultivation is such that you must persist and work hard without cease."
"It will take at least several years for you to advance to the Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage."
"Don't rush things; you need to adjust your mindset!"
Ning Zhuo sighed. "Ah, boss, I know you're right, but I just can't help feeling anxious and impatient."
"Perhaps it's because I'm so eager to improve my cultivation level and increase my strength, so I can better save my mother."
"Boss, I often think, if I had the combat power of a Nascent Soul level, I could simply discuss directly with Lin Bufan. Why bother competing on Little Struggle Peak?"
Sun Lingtong rolled her eyes. "Daydreaming, aren't you!"
"I'm also saying, if I were at Nascent Soul level, no, even with a Golden Core level cultivation, I would have the confidence to steal all of Lin Bufan's possessions."
"You and I are of an age where such cultivation levels would already leave ninety-nine percent of our peers in the dust. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Little Zhuo."
Ning Zhuo sighed. "Boss, I also know it's unrealistic. If I rush my cultivation progress too much, it's nothing but impatience and shortsightedness. One must lay a solid foundation in cultivation."
"A towering skyscraper starts from the ground up; if the foundation is unstable, no matter how high the building, there's a huge hidden danger of it collapsing."
"It's just that I'm feeling frustrated inside, and that's why I'm telling you this."
Sun Lingtong fell silent for a moment before consoling, "I see you making rapid progress lately, growing visibly every day. Feeling frustrated about this seems quite unjustified. If word got out, countless talents and direct disciples would be so ashamed they wouldn't know where to hide their faces."
"This Little Struggle Peak is a treasure trove for you. You should stay here and make good use of it."
After a pause, Sun Lingtong continued, "However, wanting Nascent Soul level combat power isn't entirely impossible."
"You're so skilled in Mechanical Techniques; why not create a Mechanical Body with Nascent Soul level combat power?"
At the mention of mechanical constructs, Ning Zhuo's tone immediately brightened, and his expression revealed pleasure and relaxation.
He said, "Boss, the validation of my martial arts mechanical constructs on Hua Guzi has been successful."
"This is a great inspiration for designing a Mechanical Body for the Mengye Tiger!"
"I can start by selecting a cultivation technique for it, and then design its Mechanical Body based on that technique."
"Its practice of the Meat Tank Blood Swallowing Demon Skill in life is definitely unsuitable; it's hard to match with mechanical materials."
"The Suffering Scripture, on the other hand, would work."
"The Mechanical Fist and Feet I used in battle this time were mainly made of Bitter Water and Solitary Seed Wood. The former is thanks to support from Hanzhou, and the latter comes from the market of Little Struggle Peak."
"Constructed from these materials, the Mechanical Fist and Feet are somewhat close to the physical body of Hanzhou and can even enhance the martial arts of the Suffering Body."
"The Suffering Scripture can't match the innate talent of the Mengye Tiger. However, what the Suffering Scripture can do, other cultivation techniques should also be able to accomplish."
Sun Lingtong stroked her chubby chin with her plump little hand, pondering seriously, "Little Zhuo, given your current relationship with the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, it's probably not good to look to them for another cultivation technique."
Ning Zhuo said, "I've thought about it; we can go to an Immortal City, where there surely is a Complete Book Pavilion. We can select a cultivation technique from there to match with Mengye Tiger."
Sun Lingtong said, "Mengye Tiger reached Golden Core level in life; if you want to select a cultivation technique, you should at least aim for that level, right? And that won't be cheap."
Ning Zhuo's expression changed slightly.
Sun Lingtong went on, "I should remind you, the previous effort to rush the Spiritual Plant Cabin has already spent a large sum of funds."
"Next, to construct the Mechanical Body for Mengye Tiger, even the lowest tier Golden Core level technique will cost a large sum of money."
"We need to nurture the Spirit Hidden Willow, and the Spirit Soil and Spiritual Liquid in the Spiritual Plant Cabin are almost exhausted."
"Then there's the cost of our daily cultivation, which most Loose Cultivators can't even dream of, on par with direct disciples from prestigious sects. Just three months of that is already a huge amount."
"And finally, the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon! We're running low on Fire Essence and need a large replenishment."
"I previously stole Li Jingqing's fortune, but compared to this shortfall, it's merely a drop in the bucket."
Ning Zhuo's expression changed again and again.
Using the Nascent Soul level Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon was indeed comfortable, but the cost was too high.
The reserves Ning Zhuo had accumulated in Fire Persimmon Immortal City were starting to feel inadequate for the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon.
To advance his cultivation, the daily consumption of spiritual energy and Spirit Food, converted into Spirit Stones, involved a lofty standard.
Then think about the Spirit Hidden Willow.
Ning Zhuo began to turn pale.
Such a legacy treasure usually relies on the support of an entire sect or family. Relying on ourselves alone is quite difficult indeed.
Ning Zhuo muttered sincerely.
Through deceiving, no, painstakingly and strategically, he had gathered much sustenance for cultivation.
But compared to the needs, these resources were far from sufficient!
For the short term, Ning Zhuo and Sun Ning could maintain their status quo.
But it wouldn't be for too long.
Without long-term planning, one will suffer in the near future; they need to address this issue now. Otherwise, once the problem becomes pressing, it will be very hard to resolve.
Ning Zhuo furrowed his brow deeply.
These past days, he had been immersed in grueling special training, indulging in the thrill and sense of achievement that came with his rapid personal progress and had not given these issues any thought.
With Sun Lingtong's reminder, he immediately understood that as time went on, this problem was becoming more serious.
If they waited until the problem escalated, it would be far too late!