**: Foresight Averts Calamity**

**2024-09-17 Author: Gu Zhenren**

Left with no other choice, the Long Yuan Fire Spirit rapidly divulged the Palace Exam's contents to Ning Zhuo.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

"What's that sound?" Ning Zhuo asked.

"Young Master, I'm being severely punished by the Immortal Palace's Fire Whip for leaking the exam details to you," the Fire Spirit explained, the situation too critical for hesitation as it frantically urged, "Just fire the cannons now!!"

Only then did Ning Zhuo relent and issue the command to fire.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!...*

A massive volley of artillery shells, condensed from Five Elements magical power, shot towards the direction of the Golden Furnaces.

"As expected!" Zhu Xuanji's eyes flashed with a golden light.

He had been prepared for this.

In the next moment, the cultivators he had arranged activated a temporary defensive formation, intercepting a significant portion of the Five Elements shells mid-air.

Zhu Xuanji tossed out a formation disk, instantly erecting a defensive barrier that blocked the remaining shell attacks.

Seizing the opportunity, he approached the Golden Furnaces.

After casually dispatching a few Blaze Beast demons, he arrived before the ruins of a Golden Furnace.

"The Molten Rock Immortal Palace originally had eight Golden Furnaces. Now only three remain intact; five have been used."

"The three intact furnaces can be disregarded. The clues left by Ning Xiaohui must lie with the five that have been used!"

"Regarding Furnace One, I already know the details; no need for further investigation."

"That leaves Furnaces Two, Three, Four, and Five."

"The destruction of the furnaces likely followed this sequence. Meaning, Furnace Five was destroyed most recently."

"Then, it must be this one!"

Innate Talent — Golden Eye!

Cultivation Method — Tracing the Source Art!

In the next instant, Zhu Xuanji "saw" the past.

He saw a teleportation ring form out of thin air, which then spat out Yuan Dasheng's corpse.

The door of the Golden Furnace automatically opened, sucking Yuan Dasheng's corpse inside.

Immediately, the furnace roared to life, blazing flames igniting as the refinement process began.

As the smelting progressed, countless cracks gradually appeared on the furnace's surface.

Once the refinement concluded, the Golden Furnace exploded into countless fragments and dust.

As the smoke and dust slowly settled, a mechanical ape stood motionless on the spot.

"This is—that mechanical ape from the trial stage?!" In an instant, Zhu Xuanji's pupils slightly dilated.

The回溯 image ended there.

Zhu Xuanji snapped back to reality, realizing another artillery barrage had already arrived!

*Boom! Boom! Boom!...*

Under the cannon fire, the intact Golden Furnaces stood firm, while large numbers of Blaze Beasts perished.

The temporary defensive formation Zhu Xuanji had set up earlier finally succumbed, overwhelmed by the raging Five Elements magical power.

Bathed in the bombardment, Zhu Xuanji, shielded by a golden light, remained unmoved.

However, a powerful force was pushing him away.

Zhu Xuanji felt a sense of helplessness.

This force originated from the Immortal Palace's restrictions. With the demon beasts now largely eliminated, Zhu Xuanji no longer had the qualification to remain here.

Participating in the Palace Exam to contend for the position of Palace Lord, Zhu Xuanji had no desire to resist this force outright and could only comply for the moment.

No sooner had he left the Golden Furnace area than a flying letter descended, hovering steadily before him.

It was a letter from Meng Kui!

After reading it, Zhu Xuanji smiled slightly. "Is that all?"

He wasn't concerned.

The reason was simple: after Ning Zhuo confessed and pleaded guilty, he admitted that the corpse of Yuan Dasheng he had obtained had been taken by Sun Lingtong!

Han Ming had never seen the true face of the Chuitiao Guest, only knowing that the Chuitiao Guest had produced Yuan Dasheng's corpse.

"Righteous Bone, Golden Hardness? So Yuan Dasheng actually possessed Immortal Aptitude. No wonder the Demonic Scripture remained within his body after death."

"Ning Zhuo, unaware of Yuan Dasheng's true value, handed the corpse over without a fight."

"Sun Lingtong, the Chuitiao Guest, and others from the Bukong Sect not only obtained the Demonic Scripture but also used the Golden Furnace to craft Yuan Dasheng into that mechanical ape."

"That mechanical ape must be the one from the 'Soul Entering Immortal Palace' route."

"Previously, everyone speculated it was part of the Immortal Palace, one of Patriarch San Zong's arrangements. Who would have thought it was the handiwork of the Bukong Sect?"

"The Bukong Sect has coveted the Molten Rock Immortal Palace for a long time, infiltrating deeply. They can not only change names, add mechanical apes to trial stages to intercept modification teams, but also use the Golden Furnaces for their own gain."

"Perhaps even those mechanical traps in the 'Soul Entering Immortal Palace' route, which once troubled all modification team members, were also set up by the Bukong Sect?"

The City Lord's Mansion had already captured the two demonic cultivators from the Soul Devouring Sect (Slanty Eyes and Hook Nose). Based on this, Zhu Xuanji believed the Chuitiao Guest and Sun Lingtong were disciples of the Bukong Sect.

"I had already informed Meng Kui about Ning Zhuo's confession. Why is he now bringing me Fei Si's report? What does he mean?"

"Ah, I see."

Zhu Xuanji felt a momentary puzzlement before understanding dawned.

He glanced up at the sky and snorted coldly. "That old fox."

Immediately, Zhu Xuanji wrote a flying letter and dispatched a messenger to deliver it to Meng Kui.

Meng Kui, who had been waiting, immediately reached out with a large hand to receive the letter upon its arrival.

Having obtained Zhu Xuanji's consent, Meng Kui promptly relayed the order to Fei Si, instructing him to take action.

Ning Zhuo was still unaware that Han Ming had turned himself in.

But he understood that Zhu Xuanji had already investigated Golden Furnace Five.

This made him realize that the refinement of Yuan Dasheng and the existence of the Golden-Blooded Battle Ape · Dasheng had been exposed.

If Zhu Xuanji knew about the mechanism where "refining Immortal Aptitude in a Golden Furnace causes self-destruction," then the fact that Yuan Dasheng possessed Immortal Aptitude was also exposed.

Ning Zhuo felt fortunate for himself: "Thankfully, back at the Ciyou Garden, I made the right decision—to betray Boss Sun and confess to Zhu Xuanji!"

If he hadn't done so then, he wouldn't have been able to顺势 reveal the secret that "Yuan Dasheng had been handed over to the Bukong Sect." Without this preemptive move to defuse the situation, Zhu Xuanji's current investigation of Furnace Five would have certainly detonated this hidden danger.

And now, Ning Zhuo no longer had the protection of the My Buddha Heart Demon Seal!

Even if he could temporarily deceive them, if Zhu Xuanji and the others restrained him, preventing free movement, he would be trapped and ultimately exposed and defeated.

His ability to temporarily pass safely this time was due to his previous actions.

One misstep, even if it seemed inconsequential at the time, could later lead to a situation with almost no chance of reversal.

It was Ning Zhuo's foresight, born from over a decade of preparation and numerous arrangements within the second line of defense, that allowed him to overcome this calamity.

"Zhu Xuanji is becoming increasingly troublesome."

"This guy actually targeted the Golden Furnaces!"

"Today's artillery barrage, while halting his subsequent actions, also revealed many secrets."

"After this incident, Zhu Xuanji will certainly realize that the Bukong Sect is very concerned about the Golden Furnaces, further confirming they hold major clues!"

"He will definitely try again, and his preparations next time will be even more thorough."

"Ah, what a headache!"

Ning Zhuo faced not only the Palace Exam, not only the need to continue cooperating with Sun Lingtong in public view, but also the relentless pursuit of Zhu Xuanji, who was hot on the trail of the truth!

If Zhu Xuanji focused solely on the Palace Exam, it would make things much easier for Ning Zhuo.

But reality and ideal often have a clear gap.

Ning Zhuo was forced to divert energy, constantly monitoring the movements of the demon beasts. Whenever a horde seemed poised to attack the Golden Furnaces, he had to preemptively open fire, trying his best to deny Zhu Xuanji any opportunity.

"Choosing the position of Five Elements Artillery Tower Chief was also a correct decision back then."

The role of Artillery Tower Chief had repeatedly demonstrated its immense value.

The position of Medical Hall Director was also very useful.

Ning Zhuo went to the critical care treatment room for a secret meeting with Sun Lingtong.

He shared all the Palace Exam information he had just obtained from the Long Yuan Fire Spirit with Sun Lingtong.

He also took out the Golden Core-level mechanical ape and the Golden-Blooded Battle Ape · Dasheng.

In front of Sun Lingtong, Ning Zhuo activated the Life Thread Suspension divine ability, extracting Yuan Dasheng's spiritual essence.

Yuan Dasheng's spiritual essence floated in mid-air, round like a ball.

The surface of the ball displayed the vivid likeness of a monkey's head.

The monkey head wasn't noisy but looked solemnly and respectfully at Ning Zhuo, speaking: "Master."

Ning Zhuo nodded to him. "There's a task for you."

"For the coming period, I need you to lie dormant within this mechanical body. Await my command, and then launch your counterattack."

After speaking, Ning Zhuo channeled magic power into the base of his tongue, where a strange flower was hidden.

Infusing magic power into the Yunyin Hanbao奇花, he stimulated a wisp of misty smoke.

Ning Zhuo blew this misty smoke towards Yuan Dasheng's spiritual essence.

The smoke enveloped the spiritual essence, causing it to become semi-transparent, faint and barely visible, with cloud-like patterns swirling around the luminous sphere.

Ning Zhuo inserted the cloud-patterned spiritual essence of Yuan Dasheng into the Golden Core-level mechanical ape.

He allowed Yuan Dasheng to test the new body, giving it some time to adapt, before ordering it to hide again.

Finally, Ning Zhuo opened the body of the Golden Core mechanical ape, disassembled and removed many of its internal components, placing them within the critical care treatment room.

After the secret discussion with Sun Lingtong, Ning Zhuo returned to his temporary residence and proactively sought an audience with Ning Jiufan.

"Ancestor, with the second round of the Palace Exam approaching, I've thought it over carefully. I believe lending you this item is for the best!"

Saying this, Ning Zhuo produced the Golden Core-level mechanical ape and directly handed it over to Ning Jiufan.

Ning Jiufan was surprised and instinctively scanned the entire mechanical ape with his spiritual sense.

He saw that the mechanical ape was tall, standing at one zhang and eight chi. Its skeleton and joints were made of Ten Thousand Strikes Mysterious Iron. Its chest and back primarily used Crimson Sun Copper. Its claws and teeth were fashioned from Diamond.

The entire mechanical ape used high-grade materials and was extremely sturdy.

However, compared to its exterior, the interior of the mechanical ape was largely empty, requiring the installation of many mechanical components to be operational.

"Little Zhuo, not bad, you're quite thoughtful." Ning Jiufan stroked his beard, feeling satisfied. "Well, I accept your filial devotion. The second round of the Palace Exam might indeed require its use!"

Ever since the announcement of the second round, he had been thinking of ways to actively prepare from all aspects.

He had, of course, considered the Golden Core-level mechanical ape in Ning Zhuo's possession.

However, constrained by his status as an elder and the face of the righteous path, he found it difficult to ask Ning Zhuo for it directly.

Ning Zhuo's proactive offering warmed Ning Jiufan's heart, making him feel that Ning Zhuo was, after all, a member of the Ning Family. His previous actions to protect Ning Zhuo had not been wrong! And now, he was receiving a heartfelt return.

"Take this mechanical compendium, 'Secret Canon of Ice Sculpture,' back for study. It's the main focus of my current mechanical arts research." Ning Jiufan took a jade slip from his storage ring.

Ning Zhuo's face lit up with joy. He hurriedly accepted it, offering sincere thanks.

Seeing Ning Jiufan begin examining the Golden Core mechanical ape, Ning Zhuo tactfully took his leave.

Fire Persimmon Immortal City, City Lord's Mansion.

Having received Meng Kui's reply, Fei Si immediately began his actions.

He entered the dungeon to see Han Ming and stated bluntly, "According to you, that Chuitiao Guest used you to enhance his soul foundation?"

"This official finds that hard to believe."

"Come, then. Demonstrate it on me!"

(End of )