"Here it is!" Early in the morning, Yuan Er arrived at the entrance of Ning Zhuo's courtyard.
Seeing him trying to enter, the Ning family Qi Refinement guards quickly appeared to block his way, saying, "Stop."
Although Yuan Er was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, upon seeing the identity token hanging from the Qi Refinement cultivators' waists, he dared not act rashly. "I'm here to see Ning Zhuo. I'm Yuan Er, the current leader of the Monkey Head Gang."
"Please wait while I inform him," said the Qi Refinement guard, casting a glance at Yuan Er before giving a signal to his approaching companion. The companion nodded and stood at the courtyard gate, blocking Yuan Er.
Yuan Er felt a sense of unease, thinking to himself how ironic it was that, as the leader of a gang, he was being kept outside while seeking a mere Qi Refinement cultivator. However, in recent days, he had gathered quite a bit of information, learning that Ning Zhuo was highly valued by the Ning family and was a favored figure of the young patriarch, Ning Xiaoren.
"Why don't I have a powerful family to rely on?" Yuan Er sighed internally. Soon, the guard returned and said, "You may enter now." Yuan Er stepped into the courtyard, but after a few steps, he paused slightly. He sensed a hint of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's presence, which quickly disappeared. He realized this was a deliberate leak of aura, a warning for him not to misbehave.
Yuan Er was taken aback, thinking, "What on earth does Ning Zhuo have to warrant such high regard from the family, even to the point of assigning Foundation Establishment cultivators for his protection?" The details of the three-family joint reform were kept secret from the outside world, so Yuan Er was unaware of the full context.
"Master Yuan Er, please come in." At that moment, Ning Zhuo appeared, wearing a polite smile as he came out to greet him. Ning Zhuo led him into his bedroom instead of the study.
"Apologies, I need to set up a training room temporarily. Please bear with me, Master Yuan Er," Ning Zhuo explained.
Yuan Er saw three formation masters working together on the setup. He instantly recognized them as renowned masters in the market, all at the Foundation Establishment level, none at Qi Refinement.
This sight made Yuan Er even more aware of Ning Zhuo's considerable wealth, heightening his own sense of caution. Ning Zhuo did not offer him a seat, leaving Yuan Er standing awkwardly at the door. While communicating with the array masters, Ning Zhuo kept a watchful eye on Yuan Er, observing his expressions.
After a moment, Ning Zhuo turned to Yuan Er and said, "Master Yuan Er, as you can see, I am quite busy at the moment. Is there something you need?"
Yuan Er replied, "Master Ning, could we speak privately?"
Ning Zhuo did not agree. Instead, he pointed to the training room being set up and said, "As you can see, I have to oversee this work and cannot step away at the moment. I think I have a good idea why you are here. You want a customized mechanical monkey, don't you?"
"Yes, yes," Yuan Er quickly nodded. "Master Ning, you do remember."
"I've kept it in mind all along," Ning Zhuo sighed. "But I've been very busy lately. Just a few days ago, I was staying at the family's residence."
"Although I had the privilege of staying at our young patriarch's mansion for several days, I decided it would be more convenient to move back here. I prefer living like this."
"So, as you can see, I first set up a small room for my cultivation. I'm quite busy, so you'll need to be patient and wait."
Yuan Er, of course, would not be so easily brushed off. He maintained a humble posture and politely asked Ning Zhuo for a timeline.
Ning Zhuo sighed again. "It's hard to say. In the next few days, the family will be preparing a test for me to determine my talent. I can't give you an exact answer right now, but rest assured, I will get to it."
"Talent test?" Yuan Er was taken aback. Even the three array masters who were setting up the formation glanced at Ning Zhuo.
Having a spiritual root wasn't rare, but possessing a talent was. Even a lower-level talent distinguished one from ordinary people and made them a genuine prodigy.
"Could it be that Ning Zhuo has shown signs of having a talent, which is why he's favored by the family?" Yuan Er couldn't help but make this connection.
Instantly, his assessment of Ning Zhuo rose to a new level. Although he was the leader of the Monkey Head Gang, he struggled to command respect and lacked strong allies. Faced with a talented cultivator like Ning Zhuo, a favored member of a prominent cultivation family, he dared not be forceful.
Thus, he endured being kept waiting for a while, but he couldn't stand the awkwardness and eventually asked to leave.
Ning Zhuo smiled again. "I'll see you out."
Despite his words, he only escorted Yuan Er to the bedroom door.
As soon as Yuan Er left, one of the Foundation Establishment guards from the Ning family sent a voice transmission to Ning Zhuo. "There's a tail following Yuan Er. Since Yuan Er entered the courtyard, this tail has been hiding around and hasn't left."
"Now that Yuan Er is leaving, the tail is also leaving. Should we warn Yuan Er?"
The guard wasn't sure about the relationship between Yuan Er and Ning Zhuo, so he reported promptly and in detail.
Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Master Yuan Er is powerful and doesn't need a warning."
The guard immediately understood and remained silent.
Ning Zhuo's eyes grew contemplative.
From the beginning, he had never intended to give Yuan Er the mechanical creation made from Yuan Dasheng's corpse. Yuan Er's problems weren't his to solve. The elders of the Monkey Head Gang, along with the numerous enemies Yuan Er and Yuan Dasheng had made over the years, would take care of it for him.
Ning Zhuo only needed to delay as much as possible. As for the family wanting to test his talent, that wasn't an issue either.
"Considering Ning Xiaohui, the family wouldn't easily test my aptitude. At most, they would make a show of it to prove to the Zhou and Zheng families that I indeed have a talent, but it just hasn't been tested successfully yet."
In the Ning family.
Ning Xiaohui was surrounded by a cold aura, her hands deeply immersed in ice blocks, her entire body shivering with blue lips. Her grandmother stayed with her the entire time, encouraging her, "Xiaohui, hold on! You need to carefully feel the meaning of the cold."
Ning Xiaohui shivered, "Gran...grandma... does it have to be this way? Can't we use another method?"
Her grandmother shook her head slightly, "This is the fastest way! Talent is the soil for divine powers. This method can fully stimulate your talent, making it more apparent. If you had grown up in the icy landscapes of Beifeng Kingdom, you would have a deeper understanding of your Frost Jade Hands."
"Unfortunately, we are in Southern Bean Kingdom, living on an active volcano. The different environment means you have little understanding of your talent."
"No, I can't, I'm going to freeze to death!" Ning Xiaohui couldn't hold on and eventually pulled her hands out.
All efforts were in vain!
Her grandmother sighed deeply but seeing Ning Xiaohui crying, the reprimanding words remained unsaid.
At the top of Fire Persimmon Mountain, the clouds rolled.
Meng Chong floated in mid-air, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the surrounding clouds.
Boom.
A clap of thunder sounded, and the gray-white clouds suddenly flashed a brilliant blue. Lightning had pierced through the clouds, dyeing them blue.
Meng Chong had no time to react before a bolt of lightning struck him. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
"Damn it, damn it!"
"The clouds here obscure my vision. I can't see the lightning strikes coming." Meng Chong was extremely exhausted.
Although his essence blood had been replenished by his grandfather, his mana and spirit remained severely depleted. For these two aspects, even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator like Meng Kui could do little to help.
It wasn't that he couldn't provide mana and spirit-restoring pills, but after taking such pills, a cultivator needed to use corresponding profound techniques to quickly assimilate the medicinal power. Otherwise, the accumulated medicinal power would backfire, harming the body and potentially endangering the cultivator's life.
Meng Chong only had the first three levels of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, which were inefficient in assimilating the medicinal power. He had no corresponding techniques for spirit and essence, making his assimilation ability very weak.
Boom!
Meng Chong was struck again, his entire body charred, with layers of blackened skin peeling off. Cracks spread across his hardened surface, oozing fresh blood. Though his body was on the brink of collapse, his fighting spirit grew even stronger.
"Come on!"
"Again!"
"More!!!"
Boom, boom, boom...
Struck by lightning again and again, he was on the verge of death when he suddenly had an epiphany.
Zzz...
Electric sparks flickered across his body, forming a woven shadow of lightning. This shadow clung tightly to his body and limbs, existing in close harmony.
When lightning struck again, Meng Chong's body swayed, leaving a shadow of lightning in place as his true form flashed past. The lightning pierced through the shadow, which absorbed the electrical power, crackling and solidifying even more.
"Using my talent this way consumes much less energy than before."
"The key is, I can accelerate specific parts of my body. With this, I can deal with that tricky mechanical ape."
"Hahaha, I'm coming, I'm coming for you!!"
Meng Chong raised his arms, laughing heartily.
Meng Kui nodded silently, his face showing approval. He thought to himself, "As expected of my grandson, brave and diligent, fearless, and bringing no shame to the Meng family."
Leave a Comment