: Three Dantians Foundation Establishment!

Yang Chanyu: "So you got eliminated too."

Sun Lingtong asked, "How are you holding up?"

"I'll live. I never expected Zhu Xuanji to be so powerful! During that last fight, he probably wasn't even going all out." Just mentioning Zhu Xuanji made Yang Chanyu shudder with fear.

"A cultivator like him is definitely top-tier among Golden Core cultivators in the world. If the elite Golden Core disciples of the super sects actually fought him, most would likely meet their end at his hands."

Sun Lingtong nodded, his face equally pale. He walked to the window and saw the numerous flame beasts filling the streets, exclaiming in shock, "I never imagined the situation outside had deteriorated so rapidly and become so critical."

Yang Chanyu: "This Molten Immortal Palace might completely collapse in the end, and no one will get anything."

"By then, even escaping will be a problem!"

The reason Sun and Yang had managed to evade Zhu Xuanji and the others all along was by relying on the advantageous terrain of the Molten Immortal Palace.

If the palace ceased to exist, leaving them exposed within the volcanic magma to the gaze of the Nascent Soul-level Meng Kui and the Golden Core-level Zhu Xuanji, their prospects looked grim.

Panting heavily, Yang Chanyu stared at Sun Lingtong: "I'm really worried now. After putting in so much effort, we might end up with nothing. Why don't we retreat first?"

Sun Lingtong shook his head: "Ning Zhuo is still inside the Turning Point Secret Pavilion."

"You have that much confidence in him?" Yang Chanyu raised her eyebrows. "I don't believe a mere Qi Refining cultivator like him has any hidden cards that could turn the tables against Zhu Xuanji."

"Continuing to gamble like this is quite unwise!"

"Sun Lingtong, it's time for us to withdraw."

Sun Lingtong rested his head on his hands: "Hehe, I trust Little Zhuo. Haven't you noticed? He hasn't been eliminated yet."

Only then did Yang Chanyu show a trace of surprise.

"Don't worry, I know my limits. I wouldn't bet my life on a sure loss." Sun Lingtong appeared full of confidence on the surface, but inside he was deeply worried.

"Little Zhuo, from here on out, you can only rely on yourself!" Sun Lingtong sighed deeply in his heart.

Turning Point Secret Pavilion.

Within the Curved Light and Woven Shadows Formation.

The official technique lock restraining Lady Rudie had already been broken by her.

Once the mechanical girl regained her freedom, she pressed herself against the surface of a large ice block, staring with immense worry at the young cultivator frozen within.

The young cultivator was none other than Ning Zhuo.

At this moment, his eyes were tightly shut; he had temporarily lost consciousness and fallen into a death-like coma.

Earlier, even though Ning Zhuo had hidden within the Curved Light and Woven Shadows Formation, he was still pierced by the successive golden beams.

Despite avoiding many fatal attacks thanks to warnings from his mechanical ring,

the severity of his injuries in such a short time still caused him to fall unconscious.

However, just before losing consciousness, Ning Zhuo seized every second to release a pair of contraptions from his storage belt.

Floating Ice Jade Hands!

The Floating Ice Jade Hands contained Ning Xiaohui's spiritual nature. By cremating mementos of Xiaohui's grandmother that she carried, Ning Zhuo had boosted its spiritual nature to full capacity.

The Floating Ice Jade Hands used their innate talent – Icy Jade Hands – on Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo was thus frozen within a massive ice block, receiving emergency treatment.

What somewhat reassured the mechanical butterfly girl was that Ning Zhuo's aura was growing increasingly stable and strong.

The Floating Ice Jade Hands continuously hovered in mid-air, their palms pressed against the top of the ice block, maintaining the innate talent.

Suddenly, Ning Zhuo's eyelids trembled slightly.

He regained awareness, realizing he had just been unconscious and was now encased in ice, being treated by the Floating Ice Jade Hands.

"My injuries are severe!"

"I've never been wounded this badly before."

"However, it's precisely because I temporarily fell unconscious that I was judged as defeated in battle, successfully deceiving Zhu Xuanji and making my feigned death plan work."

Ning Zhuo's spiritual sense spread out, penetrating the ice, "seeing" Lady Rudie and the Floating Ice Jade Hands, and "seeing" the still-active Curved Light and Woven Shadows Formation.

Ning Zhuo's name in the palace examination was "Admission Standard," while Sun Lingtong used the name "Ning Zhuo."

Sun Lingtong voluntarily admitted defeat and was eliminated. The name "Ning Zhuo" disappeared from the examination list, but "Admission Standard" remained.

"Highest Good is Like Water…"

At the critical moment, Ning Zhuo used the last two drops of "Highest Good is Like Water" to remove the monitoring spells on himself.

This was also one of the key actions that ultimately misled Zhu Xuanji.

"It truly lives up to being a Water Virtue Treasure."

Even while in a death-like coma, Ning Zhuo could still feel the ultimate softness and goodness of water. Water has no constant form, yet it embraces all things. As he was cleansed, Ning Zhuo's heart became as tranquil as a mirror-like calm lake, feeling light and free as if floating in a flowing stream.

"I was in a death-like coma, with no combat ability at all. The Molten Immortal Palace didn't judge me as eliminated and expel me… Is it because I released the Floating Ice Jade Hands and had Lady Rudie, deeming that I could recover?"

"Or is it because the restrictions of the Molten Immortal Palace have weakened to the point where they can no longer teleport cultivators?"

The degradation of the restrictions wasn't a clear, step-by-step process with distinct phases.

Since the restrictions in the Turning Point Secret Pavilion were breached, they had never been repaired and had been continuously deteriorating.

It's just that the decline wasn't as starkly obvious as the cliff-like drop when the palace was severely damaged earlier.

It was precisely because of this concern that Ning Zhuo had no choice but to fight Zhu Xuanji earlier – he was deeply worried that Sun Lingtong might truly die at Zhu Xuanji's hands.

Of course, at the start of the fight, Ning Zhuo also harbored hope for their side's victory. After all, on paper, with three against one, they did seem to have the advantage.

As it turned out, none of them had anticipated that Zhu Xuanji would be so formidable!

"I've learned my lesson, truly learned," Ning Zhuo reflected deeply within the ice.

"This is the power and utility of hiding one's strength!"

"In a way, wasn't this defeat because I hadn't hidden my capabilities as deeply as Zhu Xuanji hid his?"

"Mother was right. One must conceal oneself, must keep a low profile."

"Look at Zhu Xuanji. He's a noble, a member of the royal family, a golden branch and jade leaf, yet he hides his abilities so well. On the surface, he's a famous divine constable known throughout the kingdom, but in reality, he has mastered divine abilities like Golden Mountain Stance and Jade Pillar Body!"

"Compared to him, the things I've hidden are too few. What am I, really?"

"If not for using Boss's help, I would have truly been eliminated this time!"

Ning Zhuo felt a belated fear, took this battle as a warning, and decided to take Zhu Xuanji as a model to emulate diligently in the future.

*Crack, crack.*

Cracks spread across the ice block, which then crumbled with a roar.

Ning Zhuo regained his freedom, kneeling on one knee on the ground before slowly opening his eyes and gradually standing upright amidst the shattered ice.

Lady Rudie cheered excitedly.

Ning Zhuo gave her a slight smile, then looked up towards the ceiling.

He secretly activated a divine ability, and clear suspension threads became visible in his vision.

"So the 'Highest Good is Like Water' didn't wash away the suspension threads."

These threads were, of course, the Life Suspension Threads imposed on the palace examination participants by the Molten Immortal Palace.

Suddenly, Ning Zhuo's expression changed. He bent over and vomited some blood.

Mixed within the blood were numerous ice fragments. The fragments contained blood and also glimmering golden light.

This was the residue of Zhu Xuanji's attacks, which had eroded Ning Zhuo's body, been frozen by the ice, and were finally expelled.

Even now, the golden light within the ice fragments remained sharp and dazzling.

After vomiting out the ice, Ning Zhuo took a deep breath, feeling completely recovered.

Lady Rudie asked if they should deactivate the Curved Light and Woven Shadows Formation. She was gradually finding it hard to maintain.

Ning Zhuo looked around, already having a plan in mind.

He asked Lady Rudie to hold on a little longer, then took out a meditation mat, sat down cross-legged, and began regulating his breathing.

Soon, his aura became extremely calm.

The young man slightly closed his eyes, his fair skin emitting a faint cold light amidst the interplay of light and shadow.

"Now is the perfect opportunity."

Ning Zhuo made a decision and officially began his final sprint towards the Foundation Establishment stage!

He took out an array disk from his storage belt.

This array disk was a Foundation Establishment-grade magical artifact, originating from the Zhou Family.

Back when Ning Zhuo proactively contributed Night Breeze Soft Iron, Zhou Nongying personally ordered this array disk as a reward.

The Zhou Family excelled at array formation, and the array disk they provided was clearly superior to those commonly available on the market.

Even though Ning Zhuo could set up a Spirit Gathering Array himself, it couldn't compare to this meticulously crafted array disk.

Immediately, he channeled法力 into it, causing the array disk to hover above his head.

The array disk began to rotate slowly, sketching a three-dimensional array formation in mid-air with tight and harmonious array patterns.

Ning Zhuo then took out spirit stones and placed them at various array nodes.

The spirit stones began to deplete, converting into spiritual power that filled the space within the array.

Spiritual energy accumulated more and more, quickly forming a mist.

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and began circulating his cultivation techniques.

Lower Dantian – Demonic Blood Sinew Art!

His essence blood was vigorous, his blood energy surged. For a moment, his aura rolled like tides, powerful and imposing.

Blood sinews condensed from blood energy appeared in large patches, rapidly covering all the skin and flesh on his body like a net-like armor of fresh blood.

Not just externally; within his body, blood sinews spread纵横, protecting his internal organs and adhering deep within his bones.

Ning Zhuo's demonic might was overwhelming.

Middle Dantian – Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art!

Ning Zhuo breathed slowly and steadily. The five-colored法力 in his energy sea churned incessantly, a magnificent sight.

The法力 gradually expanded, casting cycles of five-colored light around him, rigorous in principle, balanced and harmonious.

The young cultivator was brimming with immortal energy, full of vibrant spirit.

Upper Dantian – Mirror Platform Spirit Communication Art!

His spirit sea was vast. Mirrors condensed from spiritual will shot out mirror light, illuminating all directions, scanning everywhere.

Ning Zhuo's face showed a compassionate expression, with a profound Buddhist aura.

The extremely dense spiritual energy was absorbed by Ning Zhuo with all his might.

The force and speed of his absorption were so fierce and rapid that it formed a spiritual energy vortex.

The vortex spun faster and faster, rapidly expanding until it soon filled the entire space inside the Spirit Gathering Array.

And Ning Zhuo, at the center of the spiritual energy vortex, had his entire body filled with spiritual energy. His meridians, limbs, head, internal organs, etc., were all agitated by the spiritual power.

Qualitative change occurred in an instant.

The Lower Dantian suddenly transformed, blood energy flowing like rivers.

First Barrier of Foundation Establishment – Essence Barrier passed, as easy as breathing.

The Middle Dantian then underwent change. Gaseous法力 condensed and compressed, turning liquid. It was as if a continuous drizzle was falling within the energy sea.

Each "raindrop" was gaseous法力 concentrated over five times.

Second Barrier of Foundation Establishment – Qi Barrier passed,自然而然.

The Upper Dantian's mirror light expanded, illuminating the surroundings with clarity, changing the very atmosphere. Spiritual will agitated, easily undergoing qualitative change, transforming into spiritual sense!

Third Barrier of Foundation Establishment – Spirit Barrier passed,水到渠成.

All three barriers passed, the Dantians forged! Even better, the three Dantians were harmonious, their energies unified.

Three Superior Methods!

Three Dantians Foundation Establishment!!

Achieved at this moment!!!

*Dang, dang, dang…*

Bell sounds suddenly reverberated throughout the Molten Immortal Palace.

"The Dharma Transmission Bell?!"

"Why did it suddenly ring?"

All the cultivators were astonished.

"Could it be Little Zhuo?" Sun Lingtong had a faint feeling.

"Three Dantians Foundation Establishment! He did it, he did it!!!" The Fire Spirit of the Dragon Soft-shelled Turtle shouted in the main hall, its face alarmed and flustered.

It had originally thought: Ning Zhuo was severely injured and would be weak for a long time, making it difficult for him to compete for the position of Molten Immortal Palace Master.

It never expected Ning Zhuo to recover so quickly and, seizing this excellent opportunity, make a leap forward, triggering a qualitative change in his cultivation.

He had become a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

(End of )