Ning Zhuo maintained his usual composure, "No rush, boss."
"I’ve already steadied Niu Cheng."
"Let’s first move all the items from the cave mansion into the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon."
Sun Lingtong nodded, "Let’s go, let’s do it together."
Previously, he couldn’t act.
Now, it’s different. The entire cave mansion’s array is under the control of Sun Ning and him, moving these items won’t trigger alarms or the array’s defenses.
After a lot of effort, nearly all the items were moved into the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon.
After checking them, Ning Zhuo felt more at ease.
At this point, he successfully completed one of the tasks left in the jade slip message from Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin.
"According to mother’s instructions, as long as the Big Snake Scythe vibrates, I can burn all these, replenishing mother’s spiritual nature."
"I just don’t know... how much spiritual nature can be gained from burning a cave mansion like Shuyu Pavilion?"
"And there’s the Yunluo Formation Workshop. Inside is the Talisman Making Room, a place mother frequented when she was alive. Mother personally participated a lot in the construction of many buildings in the Talisman Workshop, according to intel."
Originally, Ning Zhuo also considered the Fetal Breathing Spirit Boat, but Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin specifically mentioned in the jade slip not to destroy this quasi-spirit treasure.
Ning Zhuo is an obedient child and will certainly listen to his mother.
After finishing the relocation, Sun Lingtong clapped his hands, looking as if he was dusting off dirt, "Little Zhuo, are you going to reclaim the Yunluo Formation Workshop next?"
"According to the intel, this won’t be easy."
Jin Zi, the deputy head of the formation workshop, had long been the one in control of it. He highly respected Meng Yaoyin and frequently mentioned her publicly, often commissioning cultivators to search for her whereabouts.
Even though the soul lamp regarding Meng Yaoyin had gone out within the sect, and Shuyu Pavilion had been sealed, Jin Zi refused to believe it.
In his management of the Talisman Workshop, he worked diligently without relaxing for a moment, meticulously running it to perfection, with the business becoming increasingly prosperous.
Despite their young age, Sun Ning and Sun Lingtong had experienced the vicissitudes of life, understood human nature, and saw through Jin Zi’s intentions.
He and Meng Yaoyin were not particularly close; he was merely one of her recruited subordinates. Yet he portrayed himself as faithful to his old master, using minimal cost to consolidate favor, "rightfully" taking control of the Talisman Workshop.
He was very dedicated to the workshop, apparently treating it as his private property in secret.
Sun Lingtong judged that if Ning Zhuo took the contract directly to reclaim the workshop, it would likely alert him rather than succeed.
Ning Zhuo smiled, "No rush, no rush."
Having secured the relics, he was not in a hurry.
Ning Zhuo had his own plan, "Once Wen Ruanyu concludes his duties, reveals my background, and gains recognition, reclaiming the Talisman Workshop will undoubtedly be less challenging than now!"
Sun Lingtong chuckled, "Looks like my concern was unnecessary. Little Zhuo, as long as you understand."
That night, Wen Ruanyu sent a flying message.
In the message, he informed Ning Zhuo of his progress in two main points: First, he had been stationed in White Paper Immortal City for too long, with many matters to report, causing delays in timing.
Since the Feiyun Conference was approaching, most cultivators were busy with this major event, and few were available to inquire about Wen Ruanyu’s reporting content.
Secondly, the Myriad Images Sect placed significant emphasis on White Paper Immortal City. Given the magnitude of the recent events there, high-ranking sect officials with sufficient qualifications were required to personally oversee the issue.
However, the candidates for these high officials had yet to be decided.
Wen Ruanyu sensed that the high echelons of Myriad Images Sect were eyeing the benefits of White Paper Immortal City, with various forces competing covertly for the role of overseer.
The successful candidate, as overseer, could directly intervene in the city’s affairs.
He directly shared this speculation with Ning Zhuo in the message.
Wen Ruanyu also noted that he had yet to inform the high-level officials about Ning Zhuo’s situation but urged Ning Zhuo to prepare promptly.
"Yin Tide Black Swamp, located between Flying Cloud Country and North Wind Country, is quite strategic; indeed, it needs to be controlled."
"Additionally, it holds extremely rich resources for cultivation in ghost and soul paths, a treasure trove even unrivaled by the two neighboring countries."
"In that case... it’s not a bad situation."
Ning Zhuo needed time to adapt to the new environment.
As Meng Yaoyin’s son, this identity benefitted him. The heritage alone was quite substantial, and his identity as an inheritor of the sect’s Golden Core True Transmission gave him strong foundational roots, garnering more peer recognition.
However, once this identity was exposed, Ning Zhuo would lose his advantage of secrecy. For instance, Jin Zi would undoubtedly focus his attention on him.
This was something Ning Zhuo hoped to avoid seeing.
After more than a decade, Ning Zhuo became adept at patience and acting low-key. It was only after he began his travels that he gradually embraced more direct and assertive manners.
"Staying in the shadows allows for a clearer view of some things."
"As Meng Yaoyin’s son, my identity holds significant weight in White Paper Immortal City. Moreover, I have the role of Deputy City Lord. From the high-level perspective, I should be considered a key player to contend for."
Ning Zhuo already sensed that he would attract the interest of the upper echelons as an asset for multiple factions.
For now, Wen Ruanyu deliberately avoided reporting on Ning Zhuo, indirectly granting him some time for free movement.
Ning Zhuo was secretly grateful and focused on cultivation.
At the comprehension stage of the Three Superior Sect Techniques, the ’Demon-infused Bloodline Technique’ remained a hindrance.
Ning Zhuo’s cultivation focus was the Five Elements Golden Core Wheel.
The previous Golden Core Wheel could only accommodate one five elements-type Golden Core. Then, through the array in the wheel, it generated mana of the five elements. The whole wheel consequently provided Five Elements Mana.
The new wheel, designed by Ning Zhuo, was slightly larger and featured a distinct triangular array pattern.
At each vertex, there was a circular slot that could embed any three types of Golden Cores from the five elements.
Indeed, the new Five Elements Wheel could simultaneously accommodate three five elements-type Golden Cores. Thus, the scale of mana provided by the wheel was at least three times larger than before, with mana circulation much faster.
Ning Zhuo took out three compliant Golden Cores, attempted to operate it, and found the effect to be as he designed.
Design success!
The inspiration came from Yu Heye’s Reverse Five Elements Golden Core. After attempting manipulation, Ning Zhuo gained a deeper understanding of the five elements.
The greatest aid, however, was Luoshu pages.
It was by leveraging this Taoist artifact’s ability to deduce that Ning Zhuo, after extensive calculations, managed to develop the new Five Elements Array.
The Five Elements Array was engraved on the array plate and further refined several times, integrating the array plate and the array, marking a complete success.
The art of array formation is widely applied in cultivation, evident from the Five Elements Golden Core Wheel. Otherwise, array formation would not be recognized as one of the Four Great Skills of Cultivation.
Having successfully developed it, Ning Zhuo proudly showed it off to Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong was genuinely happy for Ning Zhuo, eyes sparkling, "This will make our Iron Han Armor even more powerful! Let me give it a try."
Ning Zhuo laughed as he handed over the Five Elements Wheel to Sun Lingtong, simultaneously instructing, "Boss, you should play with it like this..."
Halfway through his guidance, Ning Zhuo’s expression suddenly froze, and he stopped speaking.
Just as Sun Lingtong was about to ask what happened, seeing Ning Zhuo’s expression, he immediately fell silent.
At this moment, Ning Zhuo was urgently grasping at the ephemeral spirit light that had just flashed in his mind.
He caught it!
Once captured, the spirit light was like a breakthrough, greatly deepening Ning Zhuo’s understanding of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
Ning Zhuo immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and focused entirely on recalling the content of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
In his Qi Sea, the Dantian shone, producing an anomaly that condensed into an Abnormal Phenomenon Seed Talisman.
Thus, Ning Zhuo’s Qi Sea reached the stage of Abnormal Phenomenon Seed!