: Ning Zhuo, You Need to Step Up!

"Leader Zheng Jian, may you advance triumphantly!"

"Congratulations, boss, on entering the Medical Hall and being promoted to the position of Medical Officer!"

"Young master, that Ning Zhuo merely got a head start. With your talent, you're sure to catch up and surpass him, becoming number one in the Medical Hall."

Zheng Jian walked with a confident wave, his spirits high and full of vigor.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he slowly entered the Medical Hall.

The hall's door automatically closed behind him, abruptly cutting off the noise from outside.

Zheng Jian looked around, taking in the rows of medical examination tables and the many more rooms upstairs. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.

He first chose to take a stroll and discovered that although he could go upstairs, many rooms were inaccessible to him.

"The position of Medical Officer is, after all, the lowest level within the Medical Hall. I still have a long way to go if I want to take charge here."

Zheng Jian tried to pick up tasks.

He was quickly delighted to find that after obtaining the Medical Officer position, his task list had suddenly expanded by at least three times.

"Many of these tasks are brand new; I've never encountered them before."

"The rewards for these new tasks are clearly a tier higher than those outside."

The feeling of pleasant surprise faded from his heart. Soon, his eyes lowered, a sharp glint flashing within them.

He thought of Ning Zhuo.

"Ning Zhuo became a Medical Officer in the Medical Hall one step ahead of me. He gained access to these tasks much earlier than I did."

"Fortunately for me, his situation has blown up now. He hasn't shown his face for two days."

"This is the perfect chance for me to catch up! If I miss this opportunity, I'm afraid there won't be another one this good later."

Zheng Jian regarded Ning Zhuo as his biggest competitor, harboring deep hostility towards him.

This was because, after an emergency discussion, the Zheng Family had thoroughly analyzed the mechanical structures within the Molten Rock Immortal Palace, debated all the available positions, and decided that the Medical Hall should be their top priority target!

The Zheng Family's decision was communicated to their modification team. As the most outstanding member and the undeniable leader of the Zheng modification team, Zheng Jian naturally shouldered the most critical task—to catch up to and surpass Ning Zhuo!

Outer area of the Molten Rock Immortal Palace.

This was a zone where battles frequently broke out.

A battlefield ruin.

Eight mechanical Night Sky Bats circled and danced in the air above, looking down from their vantage point to survey the entire ruin.

Two talented cultivators from the Zhou Family stood amidst the wreckage.

While controlling the Night Sky Bats, the two conversed.

Zhou Zeshen wore a worried expression: "Since the incidents with Shi Jiting and Ning Xiaohui, the frequency of Blaze Beasts breaking through the light barrier and killing their way into the Immortal Palace has noticeably increased. In my opinion, the golden light protective barrier has become much weaker than before."

Zhou Zhu, however, didn't mind: "Isn't that better? The more the Blaze Beasts rampage inside and destroy mechanical structures, the more opportunities we have to repair these buildings."

"This is our area of expertise. Restoring one mechanical building earns us far more merit points than other tasks."

Zhou Zeshen slowly shook his head, his worry undiminished: "If the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. It's fine if the Molten Rock Immortal Palace continues to exist. But if it's destroyed by the beast tide, then all our plans will come to nothing!"

Zhou Zhu was more optimistic, immediately stating his confidence in his own family and in Meng Kui.

Zhou Zeshen: "We haven't seen the full extent of the beast tide yet. Large numbers of demonic beasts die every day, but the tide continues unabated."

"The key point is that the existence of Beast King-level demonic beasts among them haven't yet appeared or taken action."

"Besides that, the Empty Hand Sect is an even greater threat."

"This major evil sect's influence extends across multiple countries. The crucial point is that the location of their sect headquarters has never been exposed. Some even speculate that this unique evil faction intentionally operates without a fixed headquarters."

"So, comparatively speaking, sects like the Soul Devourer Sect, which have obvious territorial bases, are actually easier to deal with."

As they spoke, the two gradually retrieved the Night Sky Bats.

They both closed their eyes, receiving the information transmitted by the bats.

Subsequently, Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu squatted on the ground. The puppet strings extending from their fingers, infused with magical power, became taut.

The strings skittered across the ground, quickly sketching out a simple overall map of the ruins.

The two discussed repair plans, one speaking, then the other.

Their plan wasn't just to restore the original mechanical building; they also added many offensive and defensive mechanical contraptions to the structure.

Having done repairs before, they already had experience.

They knew that this kind of enhanced restoration would yield more merit points afterwards!

Of course, doing this required them to invest a lot of their own resources, expending materials, manpower, and other costs.

The Zhou Family fully supported them.

Like the other two families, the Zhou Family was also going all out to secure positions within the Molten Rock Immortal Palace.

Before long, Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu stood up simultaneously and began to act.

They first released over a dozen Burrowing Mice.

The Burrowing Mice rotated their spiral drill heads, burrowed into the ruins, broke the building's foundations, and顺便 investigated the situation below the foundation.

Afterwards, Zhou Zeshen released the White Tiger Ram Cart, while Zhou Zhu took out the Azure Dragon Crane Arm.

The White Tiger Ram Cart had previously appeared during Zhou Zeshen and Ning Zhuo's sparring session. It had a lifelike form, with strong, powerful limbs, as if ready to leap at any moment. Large sections of its body were silvery-white, reflecting a cold, metallic gleam. The White Tiger's eyes were made of crystal, capable of emitting light to see through an enemy's secrets.

The Azure Dragon Crane Arm, when first taken out, was in a coiled form. After extending, its bronze-colored scales were tight and detailed, and the ridge along its back was prominently raised, appearing very strong and powerful.

The White Tiger Ram Cart's head retracted, shrinking into its body.

Zhou Zhu inserted the Azure Dragon's tail into the empty socket on the White Tiger's neck, firmly securing the two together.

The dragon's spine stiffened, and its head rose high, as if ready to soar into the sky.

Under the combined efforts of the two Zhou Family talents, the White Tiger Ram Cart leaped forward, directly jumping into the building ruins.

The Azure Dragon Crane Arm began to move, striking out in all directions, as agile as a dragon or snake. Its mouth opened wide, grabbing broken wooden beams and tossing them aside. Sometimes, when encountering harder materials, the dragon's mouth would chew forcefully, directly crushing waste stone and other debris for easier subsequent cleanup.

With such specialized mechanical constructs, the ruins were quickly cleared.

Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu then carefully cleaned up again before starting the reconstruction.

The two had previously studied at the Mud Flow Sect, so they were very proficient in this kind of construction work, and the merit points they earned were considerable.

While controlling various types of mechanical constructs, they still found the mindspace to chat casually.

They talked about Ning Zhuo, knowing that he hadn't made a public appearance for two days.

They speculated that the reason might be that Ning Zhuo, having voluntarily switched sides, was worried about the Empty Hand Sect coming after him.

After all, Ning Xiaohui's death was a fresh memory.

Zhou Zeshen gazed in the direction of the Medical Hall: "This way, Zheng Jian has an opportunity."

"The position in the Medical Hall is quite important because it can not only repair mechanical constructs but also treat people."

"If Zheng Jian manages to gain a foothold, allowing the Zheng Family to subsequently take control of the Medical Hall, then in the future, the Zheng Family's status in Fire Persimmon Immortal City will surely receive a significant boost because of it."

"Ning Zhuo... when will you step up?"

Zhou Zeshen had always held a favorable opinion of Ning Zhuo, considering him a fellow thinker.

From the perspective of family interests, Zhou Zeshen also very much hoped that Ning Zhuo could defend the interests of the Medical Hall and block Zheng Jian.

After all, the Zheng Family was only second to the Zhou Family. If the Zheng Family gained control of the Medical Hall, it would inevitably severely impact the Zhou Family's position!

Both personally and publicly, Zhou Zeshen hoped Ning Zhuo would step up at this critical moment.

Ning Jiufan also hoped Ning Zhuo would step up!

Two days had passed since the new strategy was issued, but he found that Ning Zhuo remained in his room the entire time.

He was either cultivating the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art, studying mechanical texts, or reviewing the insights into talismans that Ning Jiufan had gifted him. There wasn't the slightest indication he planned to go out.

Ning Jiufan summoned Ning Zhuo: "A snake cannot move without its head. As the leader of the modification team, deeply trusted by the people, why do you stay indoors all day without setting foot outside?"

"At this very moment, the Zhou and Zheng families are sparing no effort to compete for various positions. Our Ning Family's momentum is being suppressed. We urgently need our leader to exert effort, boost morale, and lead the family members forward."

Ning Zhuo spoke: "Ancestor, I'm in too much danger!"

"My situation is different from Zheng Jian's, and also different from Zhou Zeshen and Zhou Zhu's."

"I once collaborated with people from the Empty Hand Sect. Now that I've switched sides, they must hate me to the bone. They will definitely try every means to assassinate me, ambush me, and take my life."

"If I'm not careful, I'll end up just like Ning Xiaohui!"

"So, to be safe, I'd better stay by your side."

"I am, after all, the only one in our Ning Family at the Qi Refining stage with true talent. If I die, the loss to the family would be too great!"

Ning Jiufan immediately became so angry he was practically blowing his beard and glaring, once again scolding Ning Zhuo for being cowardly and lacking the Ning Family's backbone.

Ning Zhuo lowered his head and shrugged, adopting a helpless posture: "Ancestor, go ahead and scold me. If it makes you feel better, you can scold me for ten days or even half a month."

Ning Jiufan was choked by these words; he had never seen such a shameless character among the Ning Family's younger generation.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say or what to scold.

After a brief silence, Ning Jiufan looked at Ning Zhuo, who seemed utterly unperturbed, and said helplessly, "Speak. What do you want before you'll actively strive to advance and bring glory to our Ning Family?"

Ning Zhuo said with a bitter expression: "Ancestor, it's not that I'm unwilling to contribute to the family. I'm worried about my personal safety. The talismans you gave me don't provide me with enough sense of security."

"I once received the family's Targeted Escape Talisman. This talisman can allow me to teleport away quickly in a critical moment."

"I think if Ning Xiaohui had had this talisman back then, she might not have sacrificed her life."

Ning Jiufan shook his head slightly: "You think too ideally. Even we Golden Core cultivators find it very difficult to perform spatial escape within the Molten Rock Immortal Palace."

"There are restrictions inside the Molten Rock Immortal Palace; spatial escape methods are extremely hard to execute."

Having said that, Ning Jiufan stroked his beard and said, "How about this: I'll give you a spirit talisman. It can protect your safety!"

Ning Zhuo's eyes lit up. He immediately clasped his hands and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Ancestor, for gifting the talisman."

Ning Jiufan glared, thinking: "Who said I was going to *give* it to you?"

(End of )