: Exposed?

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit gradually began to see the clues.

It disdainfully puffed out a mouthful of reddish-brown smoke, certain that Ning Zhuo's efforts were utterly futile.

However, just as it was about to raise a fingertip to stop Ning Zhuo, it dismissed the idea.

It suddenly found the idea of watching the show quite amusing.

It was like toying with a little ant, constantly placing a hand in its path. Each time the little ant saw the road ahead blocked, it could only turn and go another way. By continuously blocking its path with a hand, the little ant was forced to keep changing direction.

Wasn't that fun?

Unaware that he had been reduced to a little ant, Ning Zhuo felt immense pressure.

"I must succeed."

"I absolutely must destroy my name!"

Ning Zhuo was acutely aware of the gravity of the situation.

Success or failure here could very well determine his life or death!

Even if he didn't die, his fate would certainly be miserable.

Surrender to the Ning Family and confess everything?

Ning Zhuo barely even considered this option.

Given the Ning Family's style, if he confessed proactively, they would most likely offer superficial support while secretly suppressing him.

Support? He would merely be treated as a tool.

His future life would undoubtedly be extremely stifling, and any gains he made in the Immortal Palace would be seized by the family.

Freedom? He shouldn't even dream of it!

"What about seeking refuge with the other three factions?"

Ning Zhuo shook his head inwardly.

Surrendering to them now was a bad idea. Meng Chong, Zhou Zhu, and others had been secretly harmed. As an outsider with such outstanding results, he would definitely become the primary target of the other major forces.

His small frame couldn't withstand that, absolutely not!

"My greatest advantage has always been hiding my abilities, staying in the shadows. But now, a simple ranking list has exposed me, nullifying over a decade of effort to conceal my strengths."

"I refuse to accept this!"

Driven by this pressure and emotion, Ning Zhuo quickly assembled a crude catapult.

He aimed, calculated the distance, and swiftly cut the rope.

The next moment, the extremely heavy hammer platform in the catapult basket was launched.

*Thud.*

With a dull sound, the heavy hammer platform struck the stone pillar squarely, landing precisely on the spot where Ning Zhuo's name was written.

Then, another loud *thud* echoed as the heavy hammer platform crashed onto the floor tiles, shattering the nearby ones.

However, on the ranking list carved into the stone pillar, Ning Zhuo's name remained completely undamaged, still as conspicuous and outstanding as before!

Seeing this, Ning Zhuo's heart sank heavily.

He clenched his fists, staring fixedly up at his name.

He never expected to face a life-and-death crisis during his second exploration of the Molten Rock Immortal Palace!

If he weren't currently in a puppet body, he would surely be drenched in cold sweat by now.

Various negative emotions inevitably arose and rapidly spread within him.

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but recall his mother's final admonition.

"Mother told me to prioritize safety. If my life is endangered, I should abandon the Immortal Palace entirely."

"Life is still the most important!"

"Perhaps I shouldn't have been greedy and come to explore the Molten Rock Immortal Palace at all."

Ning Zhuo shook his head sharply, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Hah, what's wrong with me?"

"Even given another chance, I would still choose to do this!"

"With such an opportunity right before me, if I didn't strive for it and lived so cowardly, I might as well be dead."

"Calm down!"

"Even if the worst happens and I'm exposed, I will accept it."

"Because this was my own choice!"

Ning Zhuo adjusted his mindset very quickly, returning to a state of calm and composure.

Once calm, he soon came up with other ideas.

"The ranking pillar might be hard to damage, but perhaps the Molten Rock Immortal Palace itself provides a function to change or disguise one's name?"

"There are still several unexplored areas in this preparation room."

Ning Zhuo began to explore the room thoroughly.

He quickly scanned the workbenches, mechanism-making tools, and various types of mechanism platforms. He recognized some, but most were unfamiliar to him.

He went to the room's exit and touched the door, but there was no reaction.

"It seems the preparation room doesn't offer any rewards."

Finally, his gaze returned to the five-sided stone pillar in the center of the room.

He had already touched the pillar earlier while trying to erase his name and felt nothing.

But after some thought, Ning Zhuo felt the pillar shouldn't be that simple.

He tried channeling spiritual power into the pillar. The next moment, the pillar shot out a thin beam of light that hit Ning Zhuo squarely in the chest.

The light imprinted a seal on his chest.

Within a few breaths, the seal faded and disappeared.

"Trial Disciple?" Ning Zhuo had clearly seen the seal and found its style somewhat familiar.

Suddenly, he realized: the font style of the seal is consistent with my Demonic Heart Seal of Buddha!

"That's not surprising. Mother obtained the Demonic Heart Seal of Buddha from the Molten Rock Immortal Palace."

The seal from the Molten Rock Immortal Palace hadn't dissipated; it had merely become invisible.

Subsequently, information was transmitted directly into Ning Zhuo's mind.

"So, being on the ranking list grants weekly rewards. And these rewards are related to one's specific ranking. The higher the rank, the richer the rewards."

"A week's time... when does it start counting from?"

"The specific rewards aren't clearly stated either."

Ning Zhuo leaned against the stone pillar, looking up at his ranking with a bitter sigh.

"But that's not the problem."

"I'd rather forfeit these rewards than have my name displayed up there."

For Ning Zhuo, rewards were just the icing on the cake. But having his name exposed was almost certainly a catastrophic disaster!

"I want off the list! Off the list!"

"How do I do it?"

"I don't want my name up there!"

Ning Zhuo racked his brains but couldn't think of a solution.

However, this state of exhaustive, desperate thinking gradually allowed him to sense something very faint, yet strangely familiar.

"This feeling..."

"It seems like the Demonic Heart Seal of Buddha?!"

In an instant, Ning Zhuo felt like a drowning man clutching at the only life-saving straw. Regardless of whether it would work, it was his only hope at the moment.

Immediately, he focused his mind, banished all distracting thoughts, and concentrated fully on enhancing his connection to the Demonic Heart Seal of Buddha.

Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

Ning Zhuo's physical body lay on the bed, indistinguishable from normal sleep.

But within the Divine Sea of his upper dantian, the majestic treasure seal, towering like a mountain, began to glow faintly.

Its radiance steadily intensified, actually emanating from his physical body, traveling along the thread of life connecting to his soul, and transmitting into Ning Zhuo's soul itself.

Ning Zhuo's soul was currently residing within the wooden puppet, and the puppet had been continuously in contact with the five-sided stone pillar.

Through this connection, the influence of the Demonic Heart Seal of Buddha extended to cover the five-sided stone pillar.

Ning Zhuo: "It's working! It's really working!!"

Driven by Ning Zhuo's intense desire, his name actually began to slowly sink down the ranking list.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had been observing Ning Zhuo all along.

It found Ning Zhuo's desperate attempts to erase his name, followed by failure and deep contemplation, quite entertaining.

It lay sprawled on its throne, its gaze piercing through space, watching with great amusement.

The next moment, it stiffened, its eyes suddenly shooting forth piercing red beams of light.

It had sensed the Demonic Heart Seal of Buddha!

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was incredibly excited. It sprang up violently, leaping into the air and hovering mid-flight.

*ROAR!*

It opened its mouth and roared. Its small, delicate body emitted an astonishing roar. Once again, the entire Molten Rock Immortal Palace erupted with dazzling treasure light!

Above Fire Persimmon Mountain, pillars of light, hundreds and thousands of them, shot straight up into the heavens.

The entire Immortal Palace trembled incessantly. The magma churned violently, and thick smoke billowed and surged.

The City Lord of Fire Persimmon, who had been standing guard, was jolted awake. He hurriedly took action to suppress the disturbances, preventing Fire Persimmon Mountain from erupting.

"What's happening?!" His heart was filled with confusion.

(End of )