: Ning Zhuo vs. Meng Chong (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Bombard the Golden Furnace?" Ning Zhuo shook his head, decisively rejecting the Long Yuan Fire Spirit's suggestion. "While I could do it, the losses would be too great!"

"The Golden Furnace is the essence of the Gourd Fire Furnace Forest. If I bombard it, my merits will be deducted into negative numbers again."

"Not good, definitely not good!"

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit grew frantic, desperately trying to persuade him: "That's just the ruins of the Golden Furnace, young master. A complete Golden Furnace has strong defenses and might survive the bombardment!"

Ning Zhuo shook his head again: "You can't be sure either. It's too risky!"

"Then are we just going to let Zhu Xuanji obtain clues about the Golden Furnace?!" The Long Yuan Fire Spirit glared, unable to understand Ning Zhuo's calm demeanor.

Ning Zhuo replied, "Stay calm, I've already made arrangements. Just watch!"

Soon, large numbers of mechanical constructs began mobilizing, forming several units that actively charged toward the invading Red Flame Beast horde.

This scene left Zhu Xuanji and the others stunned.

They had anticipated this scenario and had instructed all team members who received assignments from the Assignment Platform to ignore defense tasks related to the Gourd Fire Furnace Forest as much as possible.

Zhu Xuanji and the others quickly contacted the cultivators holding relevant positions.

They discovered that none of them had deployed troops in this manner.

Zhu Xuanji quickly believed them.

The reason was simple: such a large-scale troop deployment was unprecedented. Any cultivator capable of this must hold a very high position.

With the mechanical puppet blockade, the Red Flame Beast horde was stopped at the periphery, unable to approach the Gourd Fire Furnace Forest.

Zhu Xuanji and the others couldn't easily intervene either.

Ning Zhuo then mobilized the Five Elements Artillery Towers, launching continuous bombardments.

Even though many mechanical constructs were within the bombardment range, Ning Zhuo didn't hesitate.

After all, these weren't cultivators—they were just mechanical constructs.

If they were destroyed, he could always build more.

In fact, these cannon-fodder mechanical constructs were fulfilling their purpose by sacrificing themselves here!

With the Assignment Platform deploying troops and the Five Elements Artillery Towers bombarding from afar, Ning Zhuo's two consecutive moves swiftly neutralized the threat to the Gourd Fire Furnace Forest.

Zhu Xuanji's hopes were dashed, but he showed no disappointment.

He gazed with great interest toward the Assignment Platform.

After this battle, he clearly understood that the enemy had infiltrated the Assignment Platform as well. The culprits were likely the Bukong Sect!

"The cultivators secretly manipulating all this don't need to enter or exit the artillery towers or the Assignment Platform to control everything."

"Do they hold high-ranking positions, or have they discovered vulnerabilities within the Molten Rock Palace?"

"Regardless of who they are—whether they hold high positions or know of vulnerabilities—I now understand that this place must contain important clues!"

"The enemy is wary of my talent and my ability to trace origins, so they're doing everything to obstruct me."

"How interesting, hehehe."

Ning Zhuo's actions only strengthened Zhu Xuanji's resolve to search the Golden Furnace ruins for clues.

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit paced around the main hall.

It breathed a sigh of relief, its pressure easing somewhat, but it still felt as if a heavy stone were weighing on it.

As long as Zhu Xuanji remained alive, or the Golden Furnace ruins remained intact, its plan for freedom was at risk of collapse.

"Ning Zhuo was surprisingly reliable this time!"

"But it's still not secure enough."

"Why not just fire the cannons and destroy the Golden Furnace ruins? A decisive strike would be best!"

So, the Long Yuan Fire Spirit contacted Ning Zhuo and raised the suggestion again.

Ning Zhuo shook his head: "I even surrendered my Buddha Heart Demon Seal. If I don't become the palace lord, I definitely won't get it back."

"I must become the master of the Molten Rock Palace!"

"Once I become the palace lord, the entire Molten Rock Palace will be mine. The Golden Furnace is too valuable—how could I destroy my own treasure?"

This left the Long Yuan Fire Spirit utterly speechless.

It inwardly complained: "What level are you? Just Qi Refining! How can you be so confident of winning amidst such powerful enemies?"

"Ning Zhuo, oh Ning Zhuo, you're overconfident."

"Or perhaps it's not confidence. Maybe he's a gambler who's already lost too much."

"He's bet his Buddha Heart Demon Seal, he's bet his life—he can only gamble on winning in the end!"

"Damn gambler!!"

"Gamble with your own life, but don't drag me into it!"

Just then, Ning Zhuo sent another message: "Long Yuan Fire Spirit, I need your help!"

"From now on, there will be countless conspiracies working against me."

"Since the Molten Rock Palace is your territory, you need to keep an eye on anyone and anything that threatens me. Report to me promptly!"

"If I'm targeted and caught off guard, it'll be your fault."

"Perform well and help me secure the palace lord position. Have confidence—the future is ours!"

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit fumed.

It felt Ning Zhuo was becoming increasingly disrespectful. Before, there was room for discussion, but now he was outright giving orders.

"If you really become the palace lord and spend every day ordering me around, what kind of life would I have?"

The mere thought sent a chill down its spine, even though it was a fire spirit.

Ning Zhuo continued: "Did you hear me? We need to cooperate fully."

"You warn me, and I'll deal with Zhu Xuanji while also preparing for any conspiracies against me."

The Long Yuan Fire Spirit shouted angrily: "So annoying!"

It took a few deep breaths before pretending to be weak and agreeing to Ning Zhuo's demands, while encouraging him to strive hard and secure the palace lord position as soon as possible.

**Second Round of Palace Examinations.**

**Eighth Test.**

Ning Zhuo stepped through the teleportation circle onto the arena and immediately saw his opponent.

His first opponent today was actually Meng Chong.

Meng Chong also saw Ning Zhuo and gritted his teeth: "It's you. You narrowly won the last few times, but today I'll make you taste defeat!"

Meng Chong's mechanical skills were poor, so he had lost every match against Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo smiled and cupped his hands: "Brother Meng Chong, it's an honor to face you in the first match today."

Meng Chong waved his hand: "Enough with the useless, hypocritical talk. Huh? I can actually see you?"

They were still in the preparation phase, but everyone's vision was clear.

Ning Zhuo nodded slightly: "It seems the rules have been slightly adjusted again today."

The content of each test underwent minor changes.

After so many days, all the cultivators had grown accustomed to it.

Sure enough, new information announced that this test would not conceal the crafting process—it would be visible to others.

The palace examination officially began!

Meng Chong dashed to the table and began analyzing and inspecting the materials.

Ning Zhuo, however, kept his hands behind his back and slowly walked to the table, scanning the materials while also observing his surroundings.

The materials varied in quantity—some were Qi Refining grade, while others were Foundation Establishment grade.

The material supply had clearly evolved from previous tests.

**Immortal Talent—Thundering Rush!**

After inspecting the materials, Meng Chong unleashed his strongest trump card.

Electricity crackled around his body, making every movement at least twice as fast as others!

Whether it was smelting or cutting, every action was accelerated under the effect of his Immortal Talent.

In the same amount of time, others could only craft one mechanical puppet, with little time to spare. But Meng Chong could craft two.

It was this ability that allowed him to fight two against one, winning more often than losing.

"His Immortal Talent has been developed to this extent? Truly, he's a prodigy."

Even though Ning Zhuo was familiar with Meng Chong's abilities, he couldn't help but feel impressed.

After all, crafting mechanical constructs required precise control over many steps and details.

Meng Chong had achieved this—maintaining precision even while moving twice as fast.

His progress in developing his Immortal Talent was astonishing.

Ning Zhuo clearly remembered how, at the beginning, Meng Chong could only charge in a straight line when using Thundering Rush. Unable to stop, his wooden body would crash into wire traps and be sliced to pieces.

But now, he moved with ease.

"However, you're still unwilling to use your brain."

"Today's test isn't about speed." Ning Zhuo smiled faintly, completely relaxed.

Meng Chong worked quickly, progressing faster than Ning Zhuo. Ning Zhuo observed his entire crafting process clearly.

So, when Ning Zhuo began crafting, he adjusted his design specifically to counter Meng Chong's constructs, creating components tailored to defeat them.

When the battle began, Ning Zhuo fought one against two, using his specially designed components to secure an easy victory.

"Ahhh!" Meng Chong grabbed his hair, nearly going mad.

He had hoped to defeat Ning Zhuo and salvage his pride after consecutive losses, but instead, he lost even more decisively!

"Fine, fine, Ning Zhuo! We'll fight again next time!" Meng Chong wasn't discouraged. Before leaving the arena, he issued a challenge.

Several cultivators watching from below witnessed the scene.

One of them was from the Meng family.

He frowned: "This Qi Refining junior, Ning Zhuo, seems to have won quite a few matches."

Realizing this, he quickly checked the match records and was surprised to find that it wasn't just his imagination—Ning Zhuo's personal record was among the best!

In previous matches, Ning Zhuo had always struggled, often winning by narrow margins, which easily led to misunderstandings.

But this time, his decisive victory over Meng Chong caught the attention of observant individuals.

That evening.

Ning Zhuo received bad news: multiple security incidents had occurred in the black market. Even with all the former Ning family stewards mobilized, they were overwhelmed by the rioters.

The black market fell into chaos, with every merchant and stall suffering losses to varying degrees.

These people quickly banded together, collectively demanding compensation from the black market management!

The black market authorities had no one who could make such a decision, and the City Lord's Office was also demanding answers. Under immense pressure, they had no choice but to send a message to Ning Zhuo.

After reading the letter, Ning Zhuo understood: "It seems someone has finally noticed my outstanding performance."

Although he wished to remain hidden, his exceptional talent in mechanics could no longer be concealed.

(End of )