: Drilling the Constructs

Two long rows of constructs stood silent and motionless.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong stood at the head of each column respectively.

They extended their spiritual senses, manipulating these constructs.

As the constructs marched forward in formation, they twisted their own heads several times before detaching them.

By the time they reached Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong, they had all become headless forms, carrying their own heads in their hands.

The two took out Split-Spirit Mirrors, using their spiritual senses and magic power to slightly modify the constructs, eventually installing the mirrors into them.

The mirror surfaces, crystal-like and clear as deep pools, refracted a vast blue light, swirling like starlight.

The jade frames, lustrous and magnificent like morning light on emerald waves, had slightly upturned corners resembling ancient cloud motifs, elegant and profound. Peering into the frames with spiritual sense revealed internal veins like ancient tree roots.

This was one of the treasure mirrors recorded in the Foundation of the Mirror Platform Spirit Awakening Art, capable of receiving and splitting spiritual sense.

Among all treasure mirrors, the Split-Spirit Mirror was the cheapest to produce—a deliberate design by the Three Sects Masters, as its demand was the highest.

Ning Zhuo was now equipping all constructs with these mirrors.

These over four hundred mirrors were the result of several days and nights of tireless work by the duo.

The installation process didn't take much time.

When Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong tested the control, both showed delight. Ning Zhuo found that projecting his spiritual sense to the nearest construct amplified it within the mirror.

Not only could he connect and control that construct, but the excess spiritual sense split into six or seven parts, spreading outward.

These fragments were drawn to other Split-Spirit Mirrors, amplified upon entry, and further divided before projecting out again.

After several rounds, Ning Zhuo had mastered a large number of constructs.

At full exertion, his spiritual sense rapidly covered all four hundred-plus constructs.

"Let me try, let me try!" Sun Lingtong, finding it amusing, eagerly attempted.

His spiritual sense could enter the mirrors, but despite having a greater total amount, the amplification was less than half of Ning Zhuo's, and the splits maxed out at three or four parts.

The mirrors offered some help in controlling the constructs, but not much.

After all, the Mirror Platform Spirit Awakening Art and Split-Spirit Mirrors were designed to work together.

This made Sun Lingtong marvel again at the Three Sects Masters' genius, their rare triple-dantian cultivation method, and the comprehensive, well-supported systems within each branch.

Ning Zhuo felt both excitement and exhaustion.

To produce enough mirrors, he had worked almost nonstop for days, with little rest.

Both he and Sun Lingtong had heavy dark circles under their eyes.

Ning Zhuo yawned, "Let's sleep first, boss. I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open."

Sun Lingtong nodded, "You sleep first. I'll stay up a bit longer."

When traveling, they took turns resting and cultivating to maintain constant vigilance.

Ning Zhuo nodded naturally; since childhood, Sun Lingtong had always let him sleep first while keeping watch, a routine he was used to.

Young people sleep soundly.

Ning Zhuo, pushed to his limit, fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

After a deep sleep, he woke with eyes gradually sparkling, refreshed and free of fatigue.

He immediately relieved Sun Lingtong for rest, wrapped the Ten-Thousand League Wandering Dragon around his waist, lifted the tent flap, and stepped out into the afternoon sun.

He checked on the training of Generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang, saw them practicing diligently, exchanged greetings via spiritual sense, then left the camp.

Ning Zhuo needed to drill troops too!

But after his investment, the Three Generals Camp was at full capacity, with limited space only fit for the three generals.

After some thought, he headed to the Red Flower Camp.

Now, entering the Red Flower Camp only required showing his waist token. Sometimes, before he even reached the gate, soldiers would spot him and open it proactively.

In the camp, Mu Lan was also drilling troops.

In fact, after the ambush battle, all units returning to Azurewood Immortal City for rest were actively recruiting and training new soldiers, racing against time.

The amount of sweat shed now could determine life or death on the battlefield, so both generals and soldiers were willing to train hard, knowing they'd return to the front lines.

Compared to the Three Generals Camp, the Red Flower Camp was much more spacious.

Its higher规格 meant a larger camp, and though they recruited, they selected carefully without hastily increasing numbers.

The Red Flower Battle Formation was far more complex than most; merely adding personnel could hinder formation and reduce combat effectiveness.

Seeing Ning Zhuo arrive, Mu Lan immediately stepped aside, letting her deputy continue training while she came to greet him.

"Ning Zhuo... young master," she said expressionlessly, though her flickering eyes betrayed inner turmoil.

Ning Zhuo waved his hand, stating his purpose to use the open space for drilling.

Mu Lan agreed promptly, leading him to the area.

Choosing the Red Flower Camp meant no need to hide from Mu Lan, so Ning Zhuo openly summoned all his constructs.

Mu Lan's eyes brightened slightly.

She knew Ning Zhuo had spent heavily on many constructs.

"But in the ambush battle, he only controlled them individually. Solo and group control are two different skills. How is his foundation in this?"

A strong interest welled up in her heart.

After several interactions and becoming his wife by circumstance, she was naturally curious about her husband.

More importantly, as a general's daughter, she had always been sensitive and attentive to military matters.

Under Mu Lan's watchful eye, Ning Zhuo began his first drill.

With a solemn expression, he released his spiritual sense.

Through the mirrors' repeated projection and reception, he quickly gained full control of all constructs.

It was like having many extra limbs, closely linked to the constructs, requiring only spiritual sense to command them.

He started with the simplest action: making them walk in unison.

Seeing over four hundred constructs suddenly move, Mu Lan was surprised, glancing at Ning Zhuo and thinking, "He's only at Foundation Establishment, yet he connected to so many constructs so quickly."

This was Ning Zhuo's first time controlling so many at once.

Previously, though he had accumulated many mechanical creations in Fire Persimmon Immortal City over more than a decade, they were bought piecemeal from the market.

His level then was insufficient; how could those purchases compare to these four hundred-plus constructs?

Past creations were mostly beast-shaped, with simple structures and controls.

These military constructs were more complex, requiring greater manipulation for freer, more agile movements.

Ning Zhuo focused entirely.

He felt like a toddler learning to walk, first摸索着 crawling, then slowly standing, and finally wobbling forward.

Mu Lan, watching nearby, quickly noticed this.

"So, Ning Zhuo has never controlled so many constructs before."

She frowned slightly, deciding to persuade him to stop drilling at an appropriate time.

Such an immature technique used in battle would be irresponsible to himself and his allies, especially as her husband and the young master of the Mu General's Manor—he couldn't afford to mess around.

Ning Zhuo took spirit food from his storage belt, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed quickly, and swallowed.

Soon after, he consumed a pill.

Both helped restore his spiritual sense rapidly.

His consumption was so fierce his head felt heavy as if filled with an anvil.

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Mu Lan, assessing from the side, thought, "Ning Zhuo is only at Foundation Establishment, with limited spiritual sense. Holding out this long is impressive enough."

"Though he picked it up quickly, this level is far from battlefield-ready."

"I must advise him to stop."

"Using this in battle would be a joke."

Yet the next moment, Ning Zhuo opened his eyes.

He mobilized his spiritual sense again to control the constructs, but this time, he didn't rely solely on it—he also employed the My Buddha Demonic Heart Seal!

He had already implanted heart seals in all the constructs.

Dual control: spiritual sense and heart seals!

The constructs instantly became more lively, as if痴呆 had turned into normalcy.

"How is this possible?!" Mu Lan's pupils contracted in shock.

She never expected Ning Zhuo to make such terrifying progress just by closing his eyes briefly!

The entire construct army's advance and retreat quickly became uniform, no longer scattered.

Mu Lan even noticed a detail—the constructs adjusted spacing between themselves!

This never happened before.

"If Ning Zhuo can微操 like this, it means he has plenty of energy to spare."

"How did he improve so suddenly? It's like he became a different person."

A transformation-like upgrade!

Ning Zhuo was also delighted.

With full use of the heart seals, his spiritual sense consumption plummeted to less than a tenth of before.

Control became smooth and effortless.

After a while, adapting to this state, he extended his hands, fingers spread, and conjured mana threads.

Ten threads attached to nearby constructs.

Instantly, it was like infusing them with souls—each movement became several times more agile, boosting their combat power significantly.

"With this method, I can control stronger constructs."

"But I don't need that yet."

He had assigned Shadowblade Nocturnal Tiger as the general for this construct army. The latter's灵性 surpassed even Heavy Armor Blood Ape Dasheng.

Nocturnal Tiger didn't need Ning Zhuo's control; free action allowed it to excel.

"But matters of灵性 should be kept hidden, not exposed."

"In the future, when using Shadowblade Nocturnal Tiger, I'll pretend to connect it with a mana thread."

While Ning Zhuo pondered, Sun Lingtong woke within the Ten-Thousand League Wandering Dragon.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he came to the dragon's head cabin, saw Ning Zhuo drilling the troops, and grew more excited the longer he watched.

"Little Zhuo, little Zhuo, quick, let me have a try!"

Sun Lingtong showed strong interest in training the construct soldiers.

"Alright, boss, I'll hand over some constructs to you. Be ready to take control!" Ning Zhuo advised discreetly.

Having cooperated for over a decade since childhood, their默契 was natural.

Many constructs changed hands from Ning Zhuo to Sun Lingtong seamlessly.

Mu Lan, watching the entire time, didn't notice their secret exchange.

Sun Lingtong's own techniques and talent were outstanding, and he had long studied the mechanical records left by Meng Yaoxin, so he controlled the constructs quite skillfully.

He was just a bit unfamiliar at first, leading to some clumsiness.

Mu Lan, seeing this, glanced at Ning Zhuo, thinking, "The drilling has been long; Ning Zhuo must be near his limit."

But as Sun Lingtong grew more proficient, the construct army's performance improved.

"..." Mu Lan found herself mistaken again.

Ning Zhuo sent a spiritual sense message: "Haha, boss, with your help, my control pressure dropped by at least forty percent."

Sun Lingtong replied, "Little Zhuo, this is so much fun."

Ning Zhuo: "Boss, let's not just play. Once you're familiar, we'll start drilling battle formations. Without formations, an army is just scattered sand, becoming cannon fodder in battle."

After another half-incense time, both became more skilled.

Formation assembly.

Battle formation—Lightbody Swiftwind Formation!

The duo joined forces to establish the formation!

It was almost successful, but at the last moment, two or three constructs were mishandled, failing to reach their positions in time.

On the brink of failure, Ning Zhuo quickly补救, shooting mana threads.

He intentionally increased mana infusion, barely making the constructs perform correctly and move into place.

Whoosh.

A soft sound signaled the successful formation of the Lightbody Swiftwind Formation.

Countless gentle winds enveloped the construct army, lifting and entwining the constructs, increasing their speed and agility while making them nearly silent.

Witnessing this, Mu Lan finally couldn't hide her changing expression.

With a successful formation, this construct army had become a reliable new force worth anticipating.

"I underestimated Ning Zhuo."

"He truly is a rare genius! His talent in mechanical control is the best I've ever seen."

She stared at Ning Zhuo, her expression growing more complex.

The more she interacted with him, the more virtues she discovered, accumulating in her heart and continually improving her impression of him.

(End of )