: Fame Spreads Throughout the Valley

If it weren't for Ning Zhuo's utterly sincere and earnest expression, his clear, innocent eyes devoid of any guile, Lin Shanshan would have already scolded him as a "lecher."

Just as Lin Shanshan was about to refuse, Ning Zhuo patted his belt and took out the mechanical arm from before.

"Miss Lin, I'll give these two Mechanical Floating Hands to you."

"How about you control them and instruct me in martial arts?"

Lin Shanshan gasped softly, her initial displeasure fading significantly. Hesitantly, she said, "These Mechanical Floating Hands are like your trump card. Are you really just giving them to me like this?"

What trump card?!

But Ning Zhuo still pretended to hesitate for a moment.

Then, he said earnestly, "Firstly, I trust your character. Even if I reveal the details of the mechanical arm in front of you, I have no worries."

"Secondly, I deeply recognize my deficiency in martial arts. Whether dealing with Han Zhou now or others in the future, every battle will confront me with this weakness. So, I might as well start addressing this problem right away!"

Such a resolute attitude earned him more admiration from Lin Shanshan.

Setting aside her concerns, Lin Shanshan proactively took the Mechanical Floating Hands. "In that case, let's begin the special training now."

The training focused on practical combat. Lin Shanshan did her best to mimic Han Zhou's fighting style as she sparred with Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo's cultivation was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, while Lin Shanshan was at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Additionally, Ning Zhuo restrained his spell power, aiming to simulate being cornered by a powerful enemy and figuring out how to turn the situation around and create distance.

Lin Shanshan's repeated assaults kept Ning Zhuo on the defensive, soon leaving him drenched in sweat.

An hour and a half passed quickly.

Seeing Ning Zhuo's movements become sloppy and his stamina depleted, Lin Shanshan proactively called a stop. "Let's end today's training here."

Ning Zhuo was utterly exhausted, gasping for breath, his clothes soaked with sweat. "Th-thank you, Miss Lin..."

"Today's practice has been immensely beneficial!"

Lin Shanshan also had a light sheen of sweat, but a sweep of her magical power left her dry and refreshed again.

She said, "Young Master Ning Zhuo, it's clear you usually focus on practicing spells. You haven't done much of this kind of martial practice, have you?"

Ning Zhuo nodded. "Miss Lin's insight is accurate. Please forgive my inadequacy."

Lin Shanshan shook her head, her expression serious. "You might not have noticed your own progress during this session. Your improvement was significant, which speaks to your talent."

"You have comprehension. Only by thinking carefully, recognizing your shortcomings, and constantly adjusting could you achieve such results today."

"What you lack most is practical combat experience."

"So, Little Struggle Peak is truly suitable for you, Young Master Ning Zhuo."

"Even if you lose to Han Zhou this time, please don't take it to heart. If you stay at Little Struggle Peak for a few months, you will undoubtedly undergo a transformative improvement!"

Lin Shanshan both affirmed Ning Zhuo's talent and comprehension while also offering him sound advice, comfort, and guidance.

Even if you lose, it's okay. The future is yours.

Ning Zhuo nodded, staring intently at Lin Shanshan. "Without you feeding me moves each time, if I just practiced behind closed doors alone, how could I achieve such results today?"

"What time should we continue here tomorrow?"

Lin Shanshan was taken aback.

She had never considered continuing the instruction. In her mind, teaching him this once was enough.

Buddha's Heart Demon Seal!

Under Ning Zhuo's influence, the words of refusal Lin Shanshan was about to speak turned into agreement: "Alright, tomorrow, right here, same time. How about that?"

"Thank you, Miss Lin!" Ning Zhuo bowed deeply, then took out four Misty Elegant Orchids. "This is a small token of my appreciation..."

Lin Shanshan chuckled. "I told you, the matter with Han Zhou's challenge is partly my responsibility. Young Master Ning Zhuo, I'm only following my conscience. If I accept your gift, the nature of things changes for me."

"Do you understand?"

Ning Zhuo sighed deeply. "I understand. Miss Lin's noble character truly befits the proud daughter of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect! Such grace, I have seldom seen in my life!"

Lin Shanshan had been praised countless times, but being praised so directly, face-to-face, lavishly, and with such sincere admiration by Ning Zhuo was a first.

So much so that when Lin Shanshan left the training ground, her steps were slightly hurried.

"An hour and a half... the two of them stayed inside the training ground the whole time..." Many disciples had been watching closely.

Seeing Lin Shanshan and Ning Zhuo emerge together, they cast surreptitious glances.

They saw the sweat-drenched, unsteady Ning Zhuo and the slightly tense-looking Lin Shanshan walking ahead.

All sorts of speculations arose in their hearts.

As Lin Shanshan passed by the disciples, she suddenly paused.

"Oh, right," she instructed, "reserve one of the Heaven-grade training grounds. I'll need it for the next several days!"

"Understood." The disciple immediately agreed, his heart stirring. From Lin Shanshan's tone, she intended to spend more time with this young man!

"Just who is this youth?" This major doubt lingered in many people's minds.

Therefore, when Ning Zhuo and Lin Shanshan parted ways and he left, many immediately approached him, subtly inquiring about his background.

Ning Zhuo didn't hide anything. He disclosed some of his identity, explained the situation regarding Han Zhou's challenge, and praised Lin Shanshan as the proud daughter of the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, full of warm-heartedness and exceptional grace, for proactively helping him prepare.

"Is our young lady really that helpful?"

"She is indeed乐于助人, but helping a stranger to this extent is a first."

"Why wasn't I challenged by Han Zhou? This Ning Zhuo kid really turned misfortune into blessing!"

News about Ning Zhuo and Lin Shanshan quickly spread.

When Li Jingqing learned of this, his face turned pale!

"I'm finished!"

"It will be easy for Lin Shanshan to uncover the truth behind this. Her helping him like this further indicates her personal attitude towards me."

"I need to maintain good relations with the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect. Suddenly offending the sect leader's beloved daughter... what kind of situation is this?!"

Li Jingqing regretted it so much he wanted to slap himself.

"A clumsy trick leading to a blunder!"

"A clumsy trick leading to a blunder!" He lamented bitterly, losing sleep that very night, tossing and turning in bed.

By dawn, he had made up his mind. After washing up, he meticulously groomed himself and dressed carefully.

Leaving his cave dwelling, he ascended the mountain path until he finally stopped before Cave #281.

He channeled his magical power into the formation on the cave entrance's wall and smoothly slipped a visitation card into the formation.

The next moment, the card was transmitted via the formation into Ning Zhuo's hand.

Ning Zhuo unfolded the letter. Though it contained over a thousand words, he only saw the two characters: "Apology."

"Interesting."

He put the visitation card away, stood up, and first notified Sun Lingtong, who was sleeping within the Thousand-Mile Roaming Dragon, instructing him to control the mechanical roaming dragon to潜伏 nearby as a backup, strictly guarding against any surprises.

Then, Ning Zhuo opened the cave's formation and leisurely invited Li Jingqing inside for a detailed discussion.

Li Jingqing had brought heavy gifts to apologize.

But Ning Zhuo didn't accept a single one. "I already learned the truth about your scheming from Senior Sister Lin Shanshan."

"I understand you, but I also dislike you."

"However, since you took the initiative to apologize today with sincere intent, we can consider this 'no discord, no concord.'"

"I will not accept these gifts."

"To be honest, having a fight with Han Zhou is an honor for me, and I quite look forward to it."

Li Jingqing pointed to a jade slip among the apology gifts. "This contains the latest intelligence I've gathered about Han Zhou. It's absolutely genuine."

Ning Zhuo glanced at the jade slip, then looked away. "I believe you are sincere in your apology. But I won't use something like this."

"I will rely on my own strength to face this first battle."

"I will speak to Senior Sister Lin Shanshan about your matter."

Seeing Li Jingqing about to take out more heavy gifts, Ning Zhuo waved his hand, cutting him off directly. "Don't even think about me putting in a good word for you! I will only tell the truth."

"You may leave."

Li Jingqing, observing Ning Zhuo's stern expression, realized he shouldn't rush things. He could only nod and bow, retrieving all the apology gifts, and left the cave dwelling.

When Ning Zhuo saw Lin Shanshan again, he truthfully told her about Li Jingqing's matter.

"A mere merchant, not worth mentioning." Lin Shanshan shook her head. "I never intended to make things difficult for him anyway."

"However, don't tell him that. Let him worry for a few more days."

She was very satisfied with how Ning Zhuo handled this. This was how a true man should act. If Ning Zhuo had truly accepted Li Jingqing's apology and consequently called off Han Zhou's challenge, while Lin Shanshan could understand, she would have looked down on him.

"I will come to watch your fight with Han Zhou." Lin Shanshan's favor towards Ning Zhuo increased, and she couldn't help but say this.

Ning Zhuo's eyes lit up, and he clenched his fists. "In that case, I absolutely cannot lose!"

Lin Shanshan inwardly cheered, her own fighting spirit ignited. "Young Master Ning Zhuo, Han Zhou is indeed stronger than you, but you are not without a chance of winning. The special training over the next few days might be the key to victory or defeat in this match!"

Ning Zhuo nodded. "I understand. Let's begin."

Their several days of special training sparked much gossip.

Lin Shanshan had always been the center of attention in the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect since she was young. This meant Ning Zhuo's information also became known to countless cultivators. Many male cultivators gritted their teeth whenever they mentioned Ning Zhuo's name.

Some cultivators secretly sought out Han Zhou, offering to lend him magical instruments or provide intelligence on Ning Zhuo, etc.

In the end, Han Zhou refused them all.

His words were straightforward: "I heard that Li Jingqing wanted to give my information to that Ning Zhuo as an apology. But Ning Zhuo refused it."

"He acts so openly and honorably. Although I was a beggar, I am still a man. How could I compromise my integrity?"

"Everyone, leave, let me have a fair and square fight with him!"

Thanks to Sun Lingtong's efforts, rumors about Ning Zhuo and Han Zhou's actions and choices began to circulate.

The upcoming fight between Ning Zhuo and Han Zhou attracted even more attention.

Both their fame and reputations grew accordingly.

Especially Ning Zhuo, as an outsider who had been there for less than half a month, already had his name spread throughout Little Struggle Peak and Origin Mountain.

(End of )