: The Young Rising Star

Liu Zhen first inquired about Ning Zhuo from Sun Lie.

"You mean Ning Zhuo? In Fire Persimmon Immortal City nowadays, there's no one who hasn't heard of him," Sun Lie replied with slight surprise but answered nonetheless.

Curious, Sun Lie asked, "How did your sect come to know of Ning Zhuo's reputation, and why are you inquiring about him?"

Liu Zhen explained the reason, as there was nothing to hide. Moreover, he trusted Sun Lie, who had saved his life.

After hearing the explanation, Sun Lie exclaimed, "So, Ning Zhuo has already left Fire Persimmon Immortal City to travel. No wonder he's been in seclusion for so many days without making any public appearances."

Ning Zhuo had left secretly using the mechanical creation, the Ten-Thousand-Mile-Traveling Dragon. Only high-level cultivators in Fire Persimmon Immortal City knew this secret.

Sun Lie was clearly not among them.

Liu Zhen cupped his hands and bowed, "Master Sun, please tell me more about Ning Zhuo in detail."

Sun Lie said, "Speaking of Ning Zhuo, he truly is a young prodigy, exceptionally remarkable."

"His parents early on..."

After Sun Lie's introduction, Liu Zhen fell silent for a long time.

He tended to believe Sun Lie's account, as there was no reason for deception. Moreover, he could easily verify this information from others.

"But if that's the case, this Ning Zhuo is truly astonishing and incredibly inspiring!"

Although Ning Zhuo was no longer in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, he had become a hot topic among the citizens, with discussions growing more fervent.

Despite coming from a prominent clan, he had a humble early life, enduring much exclusion and harsh treatment, remaining inconspicuous.

It was only with the emergence of the Molten Rock Immortal Palace that he rose rapidly, gradually revealing his brilliance, and eventually succeeded in establishing a branch family, replacing the Zheng family and becoming the patriarch of the Ning branch family.

The citizens might not know the full details of the Molten Rock Immortal Palace, but the existence of the Ning branch family was undeniable, silently proclaiming Ning Zhuo's achievements to all.

Such accomplishments were rare even for middle-aged individuals, yet Ning Zhuo was only sixteen years old.

Ning Zhuo's success inspired many young people, giving the vast majority of lower-class citizens an ideal figure to relate to. His achievements represented their inner aspirations.

Thus,不知不觉间, Ning Zhuo had become an idol for the citizens of Fire Persimmon City.

"Ning Zhuo actually has such a background. He endured disdain for years and only recently gained the favor of the clan's Golden Core ancestor."

"How did he manage it?"

"Establishing a branch family is a highly taboo act!"

Liu Zhen was both curious and incredulous.

How did Ning Zhuo achieve a peaceful separation? What was the Ning main family's stance? Did they not try to stop it? Didn't the Ning family have a Golden Core ancestor? How could they just watch him branch out?

Liu Zhen realized that things were far more complicated than they appeared. Ning Zhuo must have secretly reached many agreements with the Ning family's Golden Core ancestor, Ning Jiufan, and the main family!

After some thought, Liu Zhen pressed Sun Lie further, "So, how do the other forces in Fire Persimmon Immortal City view the Ning branch family?"

Sun Lie smiled, "That's a good question."

"I won't go into other details, but let me tell you what happened during the branch family's establishment ceremony when Ning Zhuo set up the banquet."

After hearing the story, Liu Zhen was utterly shocked.

"Ning Zhuo is only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet on the day of the branch family's establishment, he managed to attract two Golden Core cultivators, Fei Si and Zhou Nongying, to personally offer congratulations!"

"Even Zhu Hou, a member of the royal family, attended?"

"Song Fuli, a Golden Core cultivator from Yun Shang, had a conflict with Ning Zhuo and tried to cause trouble at the gate that day. But he was persuaded to leave by several flying letters, leaving him quite embarrassed!"

What did this signify?

Liu Zhen understood perfectly.

"This shows that the new force Ning Zhuo established has gained full recognition from the established powers in Fire Persimmon Immortal City."

"Their level of acceptance is extremely high, to the point where they were willing to intervene and persuade Song Fuli to back down!"

"From this perspective, the Ning branch family is destined to flourish in the future."

"That kid Ning Zhuo is truly impressive!"

Liu Zhen had initially assumed that Ning Zhuo was just a young master from a cultivation family, sheltered by his elders since childhood.

He never expected that Ning Zhuo had almost started from scratch to establish the branch family's foundation as its patriarch!

Sun Lie revealed a mysterious expression and told Liu Zhen, "Rumors say that Ning Zhuo even played a significant role in the final moments of the battle at the Molten Rock Immortal Palace."

"Really?" Liu Zhen listened intently, his mind filled with various speculations.

"This is truly inspiring!" Liu Zhen exclaimed repeatedly.

Of course, he wouldn't rely solely on Sun Lie for information.

He left the Purple Sun Villa and went to various parts of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, gathering intelligence from all sides.

The information he collected aligned closely with what Sun Lie had said.

Liu Zhen arrived at the original site of the Zheng family and gazed at the Ning family's plaque, filled with emotion. "Ning Zhuo may be young, but he is anything but simple."

"Looking at his rise to power, he was mistreated and overlooked in his youth. He seized the opportunity presented by the Molten Rock Immortal Palace, disregarding his status as a scion of a prominent family to willingly serve as the master of the black market, working for the City Lord's Manor."

"He is adept at using others to achieve his goals. In the process of strengthening himself, he utilized resources from the Zhou family, the Zheng family, and even the City Lord's Manor."

"He also instigated internal strife within his clan, ousting the main family's young patriarch. His political maneuvering is unusually sharp!"

"Rather than calling him a young prodigy, it's more fitting to call him a young rising star."

"One must never underestimate such a figure! Be wary of his ability to leverage power and influence."

Liu Zhen had left early and was unaware that his junior sister had been placed under confinement for helping Ning Zhuo too much.

Harboring ulterior motives, he proactively approached the main gate of Ning Zhuo's branch family.

Facing the cultivator guarding the gate, he directly stated, "I am a rogue cultivator. I heard you're hiring laborers?"

The guard glanced at him and said, "If you want work, register first. Someone will guide you. Do not wander around the Ning family territory, or you'll face the consequences."

Liu Zhen had no intention of wandering.

After all, his strength had diminished significantly, and he had only recently recovered from a serious illness.

This time, he merely wanted to use the hiring opportunity to infiltrate the Ning branch family and personally assess the situation.

Soon, Liu Zhen and other short-term laborers were led into the forging workshop.

Inside, numerous furnaces burned day and night, smelting and refining materials.

Following the foreman's instructions, Liu Zhen arrived at his assigned station and began working.

Within just half a day, his weakened constitution could no longer endure, and he grew so feeble that stars danced before his eyes.

"The workload is too heavy. There was almost no rest all morning."

Disheveled and covered in dust, Liu Zhen found the situation rather dreadful.

He couldn't continue; any more work would cause him to collapse from exhaustion.

He spoke to the foreman about it.

The foreman had long been dissatisfied with his efficiency. "Why is your physique so weak?"

Liu Zhen sighed, "I never expected the work to be this strenuous!"

The foreman shook his head, "Otherwise, why would the Ning family pay us so well? Earning this money is indeed challenging for you. Go on, leave."

"If you can't handle it, there are plenty of others who can."

As they spoke, a one-armed cultivator entered and shouted irritably, "Why is the output of Workshop Three the lowest among all forging workshops?!"

"What are you all doing?!"

"Don't you know we're on a tight schedule? If we don't finish refining this batch of Jade-Rich Mystical Steel, more will pile up! The family storage is almost full!"

The foreman waved Liu Zhen away, ignoring him, and rushed to the one-armed cultivator, bowing and scraping while apologizing repeatedly.

The one-armed cultivator was none other than One-Armed Artisan, one of the three rogue cultivators from the black market.

After Ning Zhuo established the branch family, he recruited him to temporarily serve as the family's Chief Forging Master.

One-Armed Artisan greatly enjoyed his position and maintained an exceptionally high level of work enthusiasm.

After leaving the Ning branch family's territory, Liu Zhen was certain that although the branch family was newly established, its家风 was excellent, with everyone working fervently.

Even One-Armed Artisan, an external hired consultant, treated it as his own enterprise.

As Liu Zhen was about to exit the main gate, a group of young cultivators entered the territory, chatting excitedly and striding proudly.

Liu Zhen keenly observed that although these cultivators were young, their demeanor was extraordinary. Other Ning family members treated them with respect and envy.

Some of the young cultivators carried parts of demon beast corpses, still emanating residual killing intent and battle spirit.

They must have just returned from a hunt.

Liu Zhen asked the gate guard and learned the identities of these individuals.

They were almost all Ning Zhuo's former classmates.

Especially the leaders, Ning Yong and Ning Chen, who had followed Ning Zhuo even before the branch family was established.

They had received Ning Zhuo's repeated care, indicating that Ning Zhuo held their classmate bond in high regard.

"So, they are Ning Zhuo's trusted aides, the future backbone of the family."

"But their cultivation levels are generally low. How did they hunt demon beasts mostly at the Foundation Establishment level?"

Puzzled, Liu Zhen inquired further.

The answer he received shook him to the core.

It turned out that under the tripartite agreement, many cultivators from Ning Zhuo's branch family held important positions in the Molten Rock Immortal Palace.

Leveraging these positions, they could借用 the immortal palace's power to aid them in hunting.

"Does this mean the Ning branch family has some control over the Molten Rock Immortal Palace?"

Upon discovering this, Liu Zhen's assessment of the Ning branch family soared to new heights.

"The Ning branch family is大规模 engaged in forging, and this business is bound to be highly profitable."

"Jade-Rich Mystical Steel... How did the Ning branch family suddenly establish such a large-scale cooperation with the Jade Steel Mountain?"

"The Ning branch family's significant control over the Molten Rock Immortal Palace ensures their stable position within the power structure. As long as they hold these positions, they won't fall from grace."

"In contrast, very few members of the Ning main family hold positions in the immortal palace. The difference between the two is quite striking."

"Backed by Fire Persimmon Mountain, inheriting the Zheng family's foundation, and maintaining excellent relations with other forces in the city, the Ning branch family is developing rapidly and steadily."

Liu Zhen was filled with admiration.

He deeply envied Ning Zhuo!

This was the kind of enterprise a man should aspire to.

"I'm much older than him, but compared to him, I've wasted all these years!" At this thought, Liu Zhen felt somewhat disheartened.

Suppressing his disappointment, he recorded the intelligence into a jade slip and sent it out via the Southern Bean Kingdom's courier station.

Afterward, he set off with Sun Lie, embarking on the journey back to the Myriad Medicine Sect.

(End of )