: Tell Me, What's Your Plan Exactly? (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle?!" Ning Zhuo heard its voice through the Life-Thread.

Ning Zhuo immediately stopped, feeling a hint of pleasant surprise.

Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle: "Young... spirit has finally contacted you again, little master."

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle tried its best to appear weak and excited.

*Smack.*

The fire whip struck again, causing the Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle to grimace in pain.

It gasped sharply and continued to persuade: "Little master, please stop and listen to me first. What I'm about to say is very important."

"The old master arranged three paths for assessment and training with a special purpose."

"You have already passed the Buddhist path, little master, and should have a deep understanding. This path focuses on commanding other mechanical constructs for combat and repairs."

*Smack!*

"The Daoist path focuses on assessing the casting of the Five Elements spells. Therefore, those who pass the Daoist path all possess excellent spellcasting abilities."

"And the Five Elements spells are quite balanced, covering almost every aspect. Besides offense, they are also strong in defense, crowd control, healing, and so on."

*Smack! Smack!*

"Finally, the Demonic path is specifically designed to cultivate the ability to break through tough situations. Like those powerful body cultivators on the battlefield who often charge into enemy formations, cutting down enemy generals amidst thousands of troops."

"That's all I can tell you, little master. Please be very careful."

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

The more the Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle spoke, the more it violated the rules, and the more frequently it was whipped.

Ning Zhuo heard the sound of the whip and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Strange, what is that sound?"

Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle: "Wah, wah, wah..."

Ning Zhuo felt a weird sensation: "Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle, are you crying?"

Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle stiffened its neck: "Of course not! I'm just being whipped! Ah!"

It finally couldn't bear it anymore and let out a cry of pain.

"I... I am the palace spirit, supposed to maintain absolute fairness."

"But what I just said was a critical reminder for you, little master, which goes against this principle. So I'm being punished by the palace, ah!!"

As it said this, the Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle couldn't help but scream in pain again.

Although it felt embarrassed, it went all out to gain Ning Zhuo's trust as much as possible.

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath: "Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle, thank you for everything you've done for me. When I take over the palace in the future, I will remember your kindness and greatly重用 you!"

Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle: "..."

Hearing Ning Zhuo's consolation, it felt even more pain!

"Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle, Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle." Ning Zhuo called out.

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle was in too much pain to talk to Ning Zhuo. It closed its mouth, retracted its limbs and head into its shell, and silently endured the whipping.

From time to time, it groaned softly due to the unbearable pain.

*Smack.*

*Smack. Smack.*

*Smack. Smack. Smack.*

Ning Zhuo clenched his fists and sighed deeply: "Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle, hang in there!"

"Where are you in the palace?"

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Ah, right, the Life-Thread!"

"I can use the Life-Thread to connect with you and cast spells to help you resist."

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle couldn't help but poke its head out, glaring angrily at Ning Zhuo: Look, is that even human language?!

*Smack.*

Its head was struck by a whip.

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle whimpered in pain and had to retreat into its shell again, muttering curses under its breath.

Ning Zhuo called out to the Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle for a long time but received no response. He assumed it had lost contact due to being beaten into a weakened state.

He pondered the Fire Spirit's words and quickly understood the underlying meaning.

"Since the Demonic path is meant to cultivate vanguard generals,"

"Then relying on Yuan Dasheng to break through greatly violates the intention behind the Three Sects Master's design of this trial."

"Going against the Three Sects Master's intention will definitely not end well."

"Just like when I cast a spell earlier to stimulate the kung fu dummy's blood vessels, it backfired on the entire battle."

"The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle risked severe punishment to remind me."

"This means that if I continue to rely on Yuan Dasheng to help me break through, I will inevitably suffer great losses."

"No, to be precise, it specifically reminded me before I pushed the door open... meaning I can't bring Yuan Dasheng inside?"

"The final trial must be faced by myself?"

Seeing Ning Zhuo arrange for Yuan Dasheng to stay in the second trial while he prepared to push the door open alone, the Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle felt relieved and transmitted another message: "Li... little master."

*Smack.*

"Why are you in such a hurry to clear the trials?"

"Little spirit believes that Ning Xiaohui is your biggest threat."

Ning Zhuo replied: "I want to clear the trials precisely to deal with the threat from Ning Xiaohui."

"The Buddhist path clearance rewards include positions like the medical hall. I suspect the Historian's Pavilion Chief position token is among the final rewards for either the Demonic or Daoist paths."

"Once I obtain the corresponding position, I won't have to worry about anyone else taking the Historian's Pavilion position in the future."

"I can demote them all with a single thought, solving the problem once and for all!"

*Smack.*

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle winced in pain: "Ah, little spirit's worries were indeed correct."

"Little master, none of the clearance rewards for any path include the Historian's Pavilion position token."

Ning Zhuo was stunned: "How can that be?"

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle revealed: "The authority of the Molten Rock Palace is mainly divided into three parts."

"One part is me, the palace spirit, in charge of the palace's operation and functions."

"Another part is the palace seal, in charge of the inheritance of the Three Sects Master's methods. This is the Buddhist Heart Demonic Seal, which is why you, little master, can influence the trial stages."

"The final part is the palace lord. The palace lord manages personnel changes."

*Smack.*

"Of course, the three authorities aren't strictly separate; we also manage other areas to some extent."

"For example, besides managing the palace's operation, I can also slightly interfere with the inheritance of the Three Sects Master's methods and the merit evaluation of cultivators in various positions."

"The same goes for the palace seal and palace lord."

"The positions disciples choose after clearing trials are all related to inheritance. For example, the medical hall position trains disciples in practical repair and healing abilities."

*Smack.*

"Another example is the Commander's Platform Chief after the Demonic path, which trains disciples in command ability during large battles."

"The Historian's Pavilion position isn't related to inheritance; it falls under my jurisdiction as the palace spirit, being one of the Molten Rock Palace's functional buildings."

"To obtain the Historian's Pavilion position, one must accumulate contributions and merits. Of course, the Historian's Pavilion is significant. Those who hold this position must be insiders. Outsiders cannot be promoted to this position."

*Smack.*

Ning Zhuo suddenly understood: "So that's how it is. But even so, I still need to attempt to clear the trials!"

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle grew anxious again. It had explained so clearly, why was Ning Zhuo still so stubborn?

Ning Zhuo: "I have another plan."

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle wanted to ask about the plan's details, as it concerned its own freedom.

But Ning Zhuo didn't elaborate and suddenly asked about the Foundation Establishment method.

He shared his conjecture and sought confirmation from the Fire Spirit.

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle fell silent for a moment but ultimately told the truth: "Little master, your conjecture is correct."

*Smack.*

"Clearing one path grants a Foundation Establishment method that only allows for single-dantian Foundation Establishment."

"Combining the Foundation Establishment methods from two paths allows for dual-dantian Foundation Establishment."

"Only the Foundation Establishment method from all three paths constitutes true triple-dantian Foundation Establishment!"

*Smack.*

"However, little master, why rush? The current focus should be on..."

Ning Zhuo directly interrupted: "What means should be used to assist triple-dantian Foundation Establishment?"

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle fell silent again but ultimately chose to answer: "No means are necessary."

*Smack.*

"People often use Foundation Establishment Pills to increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment."

"Essentially, the pill provides abundant essence, energy, and spirit while coordinating the relationship between the three dantians."

*Smack.*

"The Three Sects Master's methods created by the old master train the three treasures—essence, energy, and spirit—greatly enhancing them."

"Moreover, in the later stages of the seventh to ninth layers, the Three Sects Master's methods focus on the synchronization and connection of the three dantians."

"Therefore, as long as disciples cultivate all three techniques to the peak of the ninth layer, they can establish their foundation smoothly, naturally, without any obstacles."

*Smack.*

Ning Zhuo was overjoyed.

This meant that as long as he obtained the complete Foundation Establishment method, he could establish his foundation smoothly!

But he quickly calmed down.

Considering his situation, even with the Foundation Establishment method, he was under the surveillance of Golden Core ancestors. The Floating Cloud was no longer safe, making it difficult to find an opportunity for Foundation Establishment!

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle anxiously asked: "Little master, what exactly is your plan?"

*Smack.*

Ning Zhuo, however, said: "No hurry, no hurry."

"Tell me, what exactly is the Palace Exam? When will it start, allowing me to compete for the palace lord position?"

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle took a deep breath, suppressing its irritation, and had no choice but to answer: "The Palace Exam begins when a certain cultivator meets the criteria."

"When their cultivation level, corresponding mechanical art attainment, and merit contributions reach a certain standard, the Palace Exam will be triggered."

"The lower the cultivation level, the higher the required merit contributions."

*Smack.*

"When the Palace Exam begins, based on comprehensive ranking according to the criteria, the thirty-two cultivators below the key figure will also qualify for the Palace Exam, competing on the same stage."

"The old master set it up this way to prevent those with ulterior motives from engaging in违规 operations. It also provides the key figure an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and subdue others."

*Smack.*

Ning Zhuo asked again: "How can I meet the criteria?"

The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle said: "Your merit contributions need to reach the level of a first-rank position."

*Smack.*

Ning Zhuo was stunned. He had been studying the medical hall tasks recently and knew the merit evaluation for each type of task.

Although he held this second-rank position, it didn't mean he possessed second-rank merits.

This goal was too high!

Because Ning Zhuo's merits were...尴尬.

They were negative.

After all, Ning Zhuo had previously blown up part of the palace!

"Li... little master." The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle could no longer endure, "I have to disconnect from you again."

"What is your plan? Quickly tell me!"

Seeing this, Ning Zhuo finally revealed his plan.

Upon hearing it, the Fire Spirit of the Dragon Turtle felt both joy and fear: "Thi... this is far too dangerous..."

(End of )