: Is He the Child Guest?

After hearing Zhu Xuanji's account, Zhu Zhen finally understood the reasoning behind Zhu Xuanji's earlier deductions.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, having been chosen by the Three Sects Master during its lifetime, was naturally extraordinary!

Its soul was refined using the No. 1 Golden Furnace.

Its dragon body was forged using the No. 2 Golden Furnace.

Now, even before reaching the 720-year mark, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had used its own serpent body as the primary material to create a puppet construct at the Nascent Soul level—the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon.

Zhu Zhen deduced, "The Molten Rock Palace is like a prison to it. It can no longer endure its role as the palace spirit and wants to escape."

"And to escape, it must inevitably break the prison—that is, destroy this Molten Rock Palace."

"Exactly. That's why the Molten Rock Palace is continuously deteriorating, opening selections to the outside world, and lowering the standards repeatedly."

Zhu Xuanji sighed deeply. "The current situation is quite tricky."

Zhu Zhen was puzzled.

Zhu Xuanji continued transmitting his voice, revealing more secrets.

When he was in the royal family's secret vault, he didn't just witness the scene of the immortal palace burying the mountain.

There were other images as well.

The dying Supreme Emperor of the Southern Bean Nation left a will, warning her descendants: Through her relentless and exhaustive investigations in her later years, she had made many new and significant discoveries about the Molten Rock Palace and the Three Sects Master.

"The Molten Rock Palace is by no means a casual move made by the Three Sects Master on a whim."

"His intentions run deep."

The Molten Rock Palace contains not only the legacy of constructs and the Three Sects' techniques but also the divine ability, Human Life Hanging by a Thread!

Even on her deathbed, the Supreme Emperor was still concerned about the affairs of the Southern Bean Nation: "If our Zhu family does not produce a destined ruler, we must strive to master the divine ability, Human Life Hanging by a Thread."

"The seed of this divine ability within the Molten Rock Palace is the key to mastering Human Life Hanging by a Thread. We must secure it at all costs."

She added, "The supreme authority of the Molten Rock Palace is divided into three parts."

"One part lies with the position of the palace lord, another with the palace spirit, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, and the last part is the My Buddha Heart Demon Seal."

"The first two can be pursued, but the My Buddha Heart Demon Seal must not be touched."

"This seal has an immense background, involving the conflict between the Buddhist and Demon Realms, and carries enormous karma. Ordinary cultivators or forces that accept this seal will see their fortune continuously and drastically consumed until it weakens or is exhausted, triggering numerous calamities."

"If in the future, the Southern Bean Zhu family neither produces a destined ruler nor masters the Human Life Hanging by a Thread divine ability, maintaining the domestic situation will inevitably become difficult, with limited fortune and struggling national fate."

"In such circumstances, we must never covet short-term gains. Acquiring the My Buddha Heart Demon Seal will lead to domestic turmoil, foreign threats, internal rebellion, and ultimately the downfall of the nation and ruler, with all our achievements wiped away."

Hearing Zhu Xuanji's account, Zhu Zhen couldn't help but frown with worry.

"If the treasure seal cannot be taken, and the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit wants to escape, then to gain control of the Molten Rock Palace, we must secure the position of palace lord."

Zhu Xuanji looked up, staring at the dilapidated spherical light shield in the sky. "The current situation is even more complicated."

"Not only must we secure the palace lord position, but we must also thwart the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's escape plan!"

"We don't understand how to operate the Molten Rock Palace. Even if we become the palace lord, it will be difficult to fully control the entire palace immediately."

"Once the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit leaves, the Molten Rock Palace, lacking a master, will see its defenses plummet to the lowest point."

"With raging flames and fierce beast tides, the beast tide will then surge unimpeded, quickly overwhelming the entire palace!"

"Unless someone like Meng Kui, at the Nascent Soul level, can single-handedly protect the entire palace?"

"Those of us at the Golden Core level shouldn't entertain such delusions."

Zhu Zhen nodded in agreement, his expression grave.

Zhu Xuanji clasped his hands behind his back, paced in a small circle, and after settling his thoughts, instructed Zhu Zhen.

The top priority now was to全力搜索 the hiding place of the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon. If they could intercept this construct early, it would directly disrupt the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's escape plan.

"That's difficult," Zhu Zhen transmitted, expressing his view. "The Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon can change size and is undoubtedly highly valued by the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, hidden very deeply. Finding such a target in the vast Molten Rock Palace is like searching for a needle in a haystack."

Zhu Xuanji also instructed him to keep a close watch on the Golden Furnace ruins.

Zhu Xuanji: "The ruins of the No. 3 and No. 4 Golden Furnaces have been blown to pieces, but small parts still remain fused with the surroundings."

"You need to find an opportunity to approach again, excavate the surface, and then refine it to restore its previous form."

"I have a feeling that the No. 3 and No. 4 Golden Furnaces also hide important clues."

Zhu Zhen found it even more challenging and transmitted: "Brother, the reason we were able to enter the Golden Furnace ruins this time was through deliberate planning. We also seized the perfect opportunity presented by the conflict between the Shadow Demon Cultivator and Yang Chanyu."

"The Empty Gate is cunning and calculating. Even though they've now blown up those Golden Furnace ruins, they likely won't give us another chance easily."

Zhu Xuanji nodded, acknowledging Zhu Zhen's analysis.

To break the current deadlock, there were generally two paths.

One was to focus on objects, namely the construct buildings. In Zhu Xuanji's view: The Empty Gate restricted their access to the Golden Furnace ruins primarily by relying on the Five Elements Artillery Towers and the Point General Platform.

If Zhu Xuanji could破解 the Empty Gate's control methods and use demon beasts to enter the Golden Furnace ruins, there would be no obstacle.

The other path was to focus on people, namely Yang Chanyu and Sun Lingtong.

But these two were extremely slippery, hiding within the Molten Rock Palace and impossible to find.

This time, it was only because Yang Chanyu was forced out by the Shadow Demon Cultivator that she revealed herself outside the palace examination hours.

Zhu Zhen transmitted: "Lately, I've been constantly pondering the current situation and suddenly thought of another person who might become our breakthrough."

Zhu Xuanji glanced sideways. "Oh? Do tell."

Zhu Zhen: "It's the Child Guest!"

"Previously, the Child Guest joined forces with Han Ming and Sun Lingtong to attack the Purple Sun Villa. Later, he risked his life, fighting the Golden Core cultivator Qi Bai at the Foundation Establishment level, and ultimately managed to rescue Sun Lingtong. Various clues indicate his construct skills are quite remarkable."

"I strongly suspect that the Child Guest is likely the one controlling the Five Elements Artillery Towers and the Point General Platform."

Zhu Xuanji pressed: "What basis do you have for this suspicion?"

Zhu Zhen replied: "If the Empty Gate has such a construct cultivator, how could they not use him? Unless the battle with Qi Bai left the Child Guest severely injured and he's been recovering, otherwise he's hiding deep within the Molten Rock Palace, constantly monitoring the Golden Furnace ruins to prevent us from approaching."

Zhu Xuanji shook his head slightly. "I see."

Zhu Zhen added: "The Child Guest appeared early in the black market, consistently selling a type of construct rope called the Up-Down As-You-Wish Rope."

"Among the cultivators exploring the Fire Persimmon Mountain, this rope was very popular."

"Even now, there are still Up-Down As-You-Wish Ropes on the market and in the hands of many cultivators."

"I think we should collect these construct ropes and hand them over to you for investigation."

"Under your Golden Eye, we should be able to find important clues about the Child Guest, or even his weaknesses!"

Zhu Xuanji laughed heartily, unable to resist patting Zhu Zhen's shoulder. "Well done, lad. You've really grown after all these years of experience. Your thinking is meticulous and unique, much better than before."

Zhu Zhen knew Zhu Xuanji well and, seeing his lack of interest, felt puzzled and asked: "Brother, what are you really thinking? Is the clue I found wrong?"

Zhu Xuanji sighed, his expression quite complex: "It's not wrong, but I'm afraid I've already guessed the Child Guest's identity."

Zhu Zhen widened his eyes. "Since you've guessed it, why don't you capture him…"

Suddenly, he realized.

"If you're not capturing him, it means he doesn't need to be captured, or perhaps can't be captured… Could it be?!"

Zhu Zhen abruptly turned his head, instinctively looking toward the residence of the Ning family ancestor, Ning Jiufan.

Zhu Xuanji said quietly: "During the previous palace examination, cultivators could invite outsiders as helpers. But on Sun Lingtong's side, a construct cultivator like the Child Guest never appeared. At the time, I found it strange."

With that, Zhu Xuanji patted Zhu Zhen's shoulder. "Of course, this is just my speculation. If you're interested, you can indeed collect the Up-Down As-You-Wish Ropes. But I think, after the Empty Gate was exposed, the City Lord's Mansion will surely investigate all clues thoroughly."

"Although Meng Kui is stationed at the mountain peak, Acting City Lord Fei Si is also capable. Given his abilities, he has probably already collected a batch of Up-Down As-You-Wish Ropes. If you want to save effort, you might as well write to him and directly request a batch of construct ropes."

Zhu Zhen opened his mouth but ultimately sighed. "I understand."

After a pause, he sincerely admired: "As expected of you, brother!"

Zhu Xuanji smiled wryly and encouraged: "Go and do your work."

"Based on my limited understanding of the Three Sects Master, this palace examination likely only has three rounds."

"Now, the second round is probably nearing its end."

"The situation is too tense! With the demon beast tide outside and the Empty Gate causing trouble inside, we can only focus on the big picture and let go of the details."

"If the situation were stable, with plenty of room for error, we could investigate everything. But now, swept along by the overall situation, we must unite with allies, conserve energy and time, and focus on one key point."

Zhu Zhen could sense Zhu Xuanji's helplessness and said with a taught expression: "I will remember your teachings, brother."

Zhu Zhen was originally a member of the Southern Bean royal family and had a deep bond with Zhu Xuanji.

He was especially glad now that he had taken the cloud whale on this route, reunited with Zhu Xuanji, and could contribute to this major event, supporting his brother.

After receiving this important task, he disregarded the difficulties and went all out.

The Molten Rock Palace's light shield had multiple breaches. The outer ring was basically lost, with demon beasts roaming freely, while the inner ring still held the line.

Zhu Zhen first gave up on the outer ring and searched only within the inner ring.

He checked many places one by one but couldn't find even a trace of the Ten-Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon.

During this time, he still wrote a letter to Fei Si. However, instead of asking for the Up-Down As-You-Wish Ropes, he directly inquired about all the intelligence the City Lord's Mansion had regarding the Child Guest.

(End of )