: The Intelligent Spirit Stage

2024-07-31 Author: Gu Zhenren

: The Intelligent Spirit Stage

Ning Family Territory.

Inside a cultivation chamber.

The Ning Family Ancestor sat meditating within a massive block of ice.

A pot-shaped magical treasure in his embrace emitted a layer of pure, bright white light.

The ice block gradually melted away until nothing remained.

The Ancestor slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a turbid breath, and reached up to touch his forehead.

Even now, a dent remained on his head, though it was far less pronounced than before.

Anger and hatred simmered within the Ning Family Ancestor.

For him, this had been a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

He had entered the Immortal Palace, waited for the opportune moment when the side hall was breached, and was just about to enter when the Otherworld Peach Fate Kernel descended from the sky, severely injuring him.

The Ning Family Ancestor was well aware of Meng Kui's "Sitting Mountain Watching" supernatural ability and the Otherworld Peach Fate Kernel.

After being heavily wounded by the peach kernel, the Ancestor had no choice but to flee, clutching his head, and voluntarily left the Molten Rock Immortal Palace.

Just like that, the excellent situation was completely ruined by Meng Kui!

"Meng Kui is simply too overbearing."

"The Molten Rock Immortal Palace is an ownerless place, left for those with fate. Everyone should have a chance."

"Our Ning Family was a latecomer to begin with. This time, we were lucky enough to get into the side hall, but Meng Kui couldn't even stand that and intervened to sabotage it!"

"Probably, in his mind, the Molten Rock Immortal Palace has already become his personal property."

"He truly won't allow anyone else even a finger's breadth of it!"

The Ning Family Ancestor stroked the Icy Heart Jade Pot, gradually calming down.

The Icy Heart Jade Pot was the Ning Family's treasure, passed down through generations.

The entire pot was meticulously carved from a single piece of icy-cold jade, transparent as ice. The pot itself was crystal clear, like a clear, frozen lake, emitting a faint, cold light.

When the Ancestor touched its surface, he never felt a piercing cold, but rather a jade-like warmth and smoothness.

The Ning Family Ancestor pondered the current situation.

"Meng Kui has reached the Nascent Soul stage and is also the City Lord of the Fire Persimmon Immortal City."

"His reason for sealing the volcano crater is justified, sufficient, and high-sounding. For me to enter the Immortal Palace, I would have to disguise myself and cover my face. But once disguised, I lose my righteous identity and would be shamelessly targeted by Meng Kui."

"Ah, looking at it this way..."

"Our clan's greatest hope still lies in the Qi Refining stage competition."

"But in the Qi Refining stage contest, can Ning Xiaohui really hold her own against Meng Chong?"

The thought of Meng Chong, who possessed immortal资质, made the Ning Family Ancestor's heart grow heavy.

He couldn't help but wonder: Had Meng Chong already advanced to the latter stages? Was he very close to the finish line?

Touching the dent on his forehead again, the Ning Family Ancestor's gaze solidified with determination.

"It seems we must increase our support for the family's Conversion Team."

After a moment's thought, the Ning Family Ancestor issued an order.

Ning Xiaohui was the first in the Conversion Team to learn the good news.

"Oh? The Ancestor himself has ordered the retrieval of the 'Frost and Snow Comprehension Diagrams' and authorized the use of three bottles of 'Snowy Spring Sun Elixirs' for the entire Conversion Team? He's even going to take out the Icy Jade Wine from the Icy Heart Jade Pot to reward the most outstanding cultivator in the team?"

"Heh."

Ning Xiaohui glanced at her own hands and curled her lip: "Reward the most outstanding? They might as well just give it to me directly. It's completely unnecessary."

Since her brush with death, Ning Xiaohui's mentality had matured significantly.

Afterwards, with her grandmother's help, she had initially mastered her innate talent, the Icy Jade Hands.

During this process, the power of the Icy Jade Hands had completely healed Ning Xiaohui's injuries.

As a result, Ning Xiaohui, originally a latecomer, had surpassed the Zhou Family duo and the Zheng Family's Zheng Jian. While the latter three were still recovering from their injuries, Ning Xiaohui had already begun special training.

Ning Zhuo returned to the family compound.

Along the way, he smiled and nodded to familiar clansmen he encountered.

After disarming Qi Bai and briefly speaking with Sun Lingtong, Ning Zhuo had seized the moment to secretly return.

At this critical juncture, he needed to quickly return to the public eye to prevent Han Ming, if captured, from revealing that she had seen Yuan Dasheng's corpse.

On the surface, it was Ning Zhuo who had obtained Yuan Dasheng's body.

Although there was no evidence linking Ning Zhuo to the child guise, even if investigated, Ning Zhuo had various excuses ready – such as selling it on the black market or claiming the body was simply stolen.

However, it would indeed draw attention to Ning Zhuo's true identity.

To deal with a potential investigation, Ning Zhuo couldn't possibly stay too long in the underground base.

Ning Ze's Residence.

"Xiaozhuo, you're finally back. The whole city was in chaos yesterday, conflicts kept breaking out. You weren't hurt anywhere, were you?" Wang Lan came over, asking with concern.

Ning Zhuo shook his head slightly: "Aunt, don't worry. Since the assassination attempt, I've been very careful. Besides, I have the guards assigned by the family protecting me. Nothing will happen."

"That's good, that's good." Wang Lan suddenly sighed, "Ah, you're safe and sound, but your uncle has suffered."

"A prisoner in the cell next to his suddenly went crazy. Over a minor argument, he grabbed your uncle's hair and kept smashing his head against the bars."

"Your uncle's head was bleeding badly; he urgently needs a good environment to recover."

"Xiaozhuo, please go beg the Young Clan Head again, ask him to release your own uncle!"

Ning Zhuo's face darkened, showing sorrow. He sighed: "Aunt, so that's what happened!"

"Uncle has really suffered this time."

"But I already pleaded with the Young Clan Head last time. The chances of success this time are very slim."

"Unless..."

"Aunt, you can repay all the cultivation resources you've owed me over the years, in full."

"This..." Wang Lan's expression immediately changed, her brows furrowing tightly, her face full of difficulty. A surge of anger boiled fiercely within her.

She roared inwardly: "That Ning Xiaoren never gave any cultivation resources! The truth isn't like that at all!"

But she could only roar inside her heart.

"Xiaozhuo, to be frank, your uncle's family finances are thin. Our usual expenses are too high; there's basically no surplus."

"To ask me to produce it all at once is simply unrealistic."

Ning Zhuo interrupted her: "Aunt, I still need to cultivate. You can repay part of it first. You haven't repaid anything up to now."

Growing impatient with Wang Lan's pestering, Ning Zhuo declined politely and then plunged into his cultivation chamber.

He activated the Floating Cloud Kerchief, shrouding himself in layers of clouds. Then he took out the Tree Martial Battle Ape - Dasheng, and the Golden Blood Battle Ape mechanism.

The former, after the fierce battle, was reduced to just a skeleton.

If Yuan Dasheng hadn't unleashed his immortal资质, even the skeleton would have been burned away by the Netherfire.

Ning Zhuo inspected the skeleton and found the material was still the same as before, but now incredibly fragile compared to its original state.

"Was it because it bore the Righteous Bone Golden Firmness?"

Ning Zhuo's eyes flickered slightly.

He had always been puzzled about why Yuan Dasheng could use the Righteous Bone Golden Firmness within the Tree Martial Battle Ape and intended to search for some relevant texts to study later.

The Tree Martial Battle Ape - Dasheng was almost completely destroyed. Ning Zhuo then took out the Golden Blood Battle Ape mechanism.

Prototype Supernatural Ability - Human Fate Hanging Threads!

He repeated his previous technique, extracting Yuan Dasheng's spirit nature from the Tree Martial Battle Ape skeleton and placing it into the Golden Blood Battle Ape mechanism.

"Yuan Dasheng's spirit nature has changed significantly!"

This extraction immediately revealed a discovery to Ning Zhuo.

Previously, Yuan Dasheng's spirit nature resembled a pinkish-red orb, its surface occasionally morphing into the image of a young monkey's head.

Now, Yuan Dasheng's spirit nature, while still a pinkish-red orb, was more than three times larger in volume than before. The monkey head image it manifested was no longer that of a young monkey, but an adult monkey.

The lines defining the adult monkey head were deeper and more vivid than those of the young monkey head.

Moreover, while suspended in mid-air, Yuan Dasheng's spirit orb was now surrounded by a halo of light.

This was a characteristic it hadn't possessed before.

Based on this, Ning Zhuo quickly recalled relevant records from the "Treatise on Spirit Nature."

"This halo is the Spirit Radiance."

"When spirit nature becomes so abundant that it overflows, reaching a certain degree, Spirit Radiance is produced."

"As the spirit nature continues to grow, the Spirit Radiance will become increasingly brilliant, interacting with all things, communicating and discerning them."

"So, Yuan Dasheng has already stepped into the Intelligent Spirit Stage!"

According to the classification of spirit nature states:

The first stage is the Inert Spirit Stage, the second is the Dead Spirit Stage, the third is the Living Spirit Stage, the fourth is the Intelligent Spirit Stage, and the fifth is the Divine Spirit Stage.

The Dead Spirit Stage is subdivided into five phases, as is the Living Spirit Stage. From low to high, the Living Spirit Stage is divided into five segments: Spirit Spark, Spirit Liveliness, Spirit Growth, Spirit Movement, and Spirit Acuity.

Previously, after Yuan Dasheng's spirit nature became sufficient, it reached the Spirit Movement stage. At this stage, the spirit nature is lively and active, strongly influenced by emotions.

Based on Ning Zhuo's research, as long as commands were given in accordance with the spirit nature's inclinations, one could harmonize with it and regain full control.

After the Spirit Movement stage comes the Spirit Acuity stage.

"Looking at it now, Yuan Dasheng has skipped the Spirit Acuity stage and directly advanced to the first stage of the Intelligent Spirit Stage - Spirit Communication."

"The Living Spirit Stage is also called Beast Spirit Nature, following instinct. The spirit nature of the Intelligent Spirit Stage is Intelligent Spirit Nature. The first major qualitative change it brings is the ability to communicate."

"That's why Yuan Dasheng was able to speak."

The first stage of the Intelligent Spirit Stage, Spirit Communication, also refers to the spirit nature beginning to communicate normally with its surroundings.

Ning Zhuo placed Yuan Dasheng's spirit nature into the Golden Blood Battle Ape but didn't rush to communicate with it, instead storing it back in his storage pouch.

Wrapped in layers of floating clouds, Ning Zhuo took out a meditation mat and began his daily cultivation.

Mirror Platform Spirit Communion Art - Sixth Layer.

Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art - Fifth Layer.

Demonic Tainted Blood Sinews Technique - Fifth Layer.

"My cultivation is still too weak, far too weak."

"Victory over Qi Bai this time relied mainly on Meng Kui's peach kernel, and secondly on my years of accumulation."

"When will I be able to defeat powerful enemies relying solely on my own cultivation?"

"What other methods can make me cultivate faster?"

"I need to achieve success sooner, I need to become stronger!"

Having just experienced a life-and-death battle, Ning Zhuo's desire for higher cultivation was ten times stronger than before!

At the same time.

Elsewhere in the Ning Family Territory.

"Qi Refining third layer peak, Icy Jade Hands! With just these two points, who among Zhou Zhu, Zhou Zeshen, and Zheng Jian can be my match?"

Ning Xiaohui wore a proud expression.

The reason was that the innate talents of Zheng Jian and the other three lacked strong offensive power.

But the Icy Jade Hands were different!

"Frost and Snow Comprehension Diagrams..." Ning Xiaohui unfurled these two scrolls and examined them carefully.

"I possess the Icy Jade Hands, giving me natural comprehension aptitude in this area."

"Once I comprehend the Frost and Snow techniques, I'll be like a tiger with wings added!"

"At that time, only Meng Chong will be considered my true rival."

"Everyone else is not worth worrying about."

(End of )