: Cultivation

2025-05-25 Author: Gu Zhenren

Ning Zhuo returned the way he came, collecting all the rewards he hadn't chosen earlier.

When he reached Room 2, he realized his soul power wasn't sufficient.

Every time he opened a door, he needed to sense the My Buddha Demonic Heart Seal. This action consumed a significant amount of soul power.

Ning Zhuo simply returned to the first challenge and finally obtained that spell, A Burst of Air.

"Name changed successfully, and my soul power is almost depleted. I might as well conduct more experiments in Room 1 this time."

He chose a corner, placed all his items into the small flying box, and finally climbed inside himself, closing the lid.

He sensed the trial disciple's mark, and the next moment, his soul smoothly returned to his physical body.

"Smooth return! Excellent." Ning Zhuo clenched his fist, genuinely exhilarated.

Previously, during passive transitions, he had to expend nearly all his soul power. Each return required healing and recuperation. The awful feeling was one thing, but the real issue was how much it delayed his progress.

Now that he could return actively, it ensured his condition wouldn't hit rock bottom.

"My soul power has dropped to one-third, but I can still move freely."

Ning Zhuo first took a few pills, then disguised himself as the Childlike Guest again and left via the teleportation array.

A short while later, he opened the door to the underground cell and saw Han Ming.

Hearing the noise, Han Ming jerked her head up. Upon seeing the Childlike Guest, she cursed him wildly, venting the boundless anger and hatred in her heart.

Noticing the many tear stains on her face, Ning Zhuo sighed softly and listened quietly for a while.

Han Ming cursed until she was breathless and pale.

Seizing this brief respite, Ning Zhuo controlled over a dozen puppet dolls carrying water and food. They climbed onto Han Ming, preparing to feed her bite by bite.

Han Ming pressed her lips shut, refusing to eat even if it killed her.

Though she lacked the strength to curse, her eyes glared fiercely at Ning Zhuo as if spitting fire.

Ning Zhuo sighed lightly, "This won't do. If you don't eat or drink, you'll die."

Han Ming immediately showed a mocking, frenzied smile, "Die? Heh heh heh!"

"Death is better than having my cultivation stolen by you!"

"Childlike Guest, are you even a man? If you are, release me and fight me for three hundred rounds!"

"If I lose, I'll accept my fate. I'll be your slave, your servant, without a word of complaint. Even if you take my soul essence, I'll accept it."

"Do you dare?!"

Ning Zhuo shook his head, "Why go through all this trouble?"

As he spoke, he took out a set of mechanism needles.

Han Ming's pupils contracted sharply.

Moments later, her miserable, sharp screams echoed through the cell once more.

This time, Han Ming suffered even more pain than the first. Not only did Ning Zhuo extract her soul essence, but he also forced her to eat and drink a lot of food.

Han Ming couldn't endure it and passed out again.

Ning Zhuo directed the puppet dolls to remove the needle tips one by one, treating her wounds and carefully applying medicine to each injury.

Ning Zhuo's soul foundation surged dramatically again, its上限 reaching about six times the original amount.

Due to his previous soul power loss, he currently only had three times the soul power reserve.

But this was enough for him to explore the Molten Immortal Palace again.

He returned to his residence and activated the "Trial Disciple" mark, only to find he couldn't enter.

"So there really is a time limit?" Ning Zhuo had anticipated this and remained calm.

He immediately decided to test at intervals of one tea's time, trying to determine the exact cooldown period.

During this time, he didn't idle around.

He began practicing spells.

This exploration of the immortal palace yielded his greatest harvest ever—he directly obtained three spells.

A Burst of Air, Grasping Fire Technique, and Grafting Technique. It was time to practice them properly.

City Lord's Manor.

The cultivation room's arrays operated, the spiritual energy so dense it formed faint, wispy clouds.

Amid the ethereal mist, Meng Chong sat cross-legged, his body flickering with electric light.

After successfully dispersing his cultivation, he immediately began practicing the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art.

The spiritual energy was directly drawn by the immortal city's grand array, purified from the vast,磅礴 fire spiritual energy of the Fire Persimmon Mountain, providing an endless supply.

The pills were from the City Lord's Manor's storeroom, each one a high-quality product, and there was plenty to go around.

Coupled with his supreme talent, Galloping Thunder, which, whenever activated, skyrocketed his cultivation speed!

The electric light suddenly scattered as Meng Chong snapped his eyes open, revealing excitement, "I've reached Qi Refining Layer 1!"

"This cultivation speed is over ten times faster than before."

"Amazing, truly amazing."

"Galloping Thunder... it's so useful! Why hadn't I thought of it before?"

"Ah, and Grandpa didn't remind me either."

*Ahem, ahem.*

Meng Chong coughed a few times.

A closer look would reveal his weary complexion and faint, bluish eye bags.

Meng Chong was well aware of his condition.

Each activation of Galloping Thunder consumed his essence, energy, and spirit simultaneously.

"Young Master Meng Chong, it's time to replenish your health," a servant's voice came from outside the cultivation room.

"Mm!" Meng Chong decisively stood up, took a few strides, and forcefully pushed the door open.

Moments later, he arrived at the recovery room and leaped directly into the medicinal pool.

The yellowish-brown medicinal water in the pool was brewed from precious herbs, carefully formulated, emitting a strong,近乎 foul medicinal odor.

Meng Chong jumped in, soaking himself while devouring various spirit foods brought by the servants.

After filling his stomach with portions of spirit food, he tilted his head back and guzzled two jars of medicinal wine. Finally, he took several bottles of pills, eating them like peanuts.

As he ate, blood began to trickle from all seven of his orifices.

A servant nervously reminded him, "Young Master Meng Chong, that's enough. You're replenishing too much; your body has reached its limit and can't take much more."

Meng Chong laughed heartily, "What's there to fear? I have talent!"

"Galloping Thunder!" he shouted.

The next moment, countless electric lights erupted from his entire body once more.

His talent surged, drastically accelerating his absorption of the medicinal efficacy.

His bloated stomach visibly deflated at a rapid pace.

The pool full of medicinal water also quickly cleared, soon becoming almost odorless.

Meng Chong leaped out, full of vitality again, and strode quickly toward the cultivation room.

"I must practice relentlessly, seizing every moment, going all out!"

"I will be the first to enter the Molten Immortal Palace!"

"Grandfather, I won't disappoint you."

Meng Chong fully unleashed his nature, moving with vigorous energy, his desire to cultivate terrifyingly intense.

Ning Zhuo's preliminary testing yielded results—three hours!

He entered the Molten Immortal Palace for the fourth time.

The puppet body he had specifically left in Room 1, along with the small flying box, etc., had all been cleared away, leaving no trace.

This disappointed him somewhat.

However, when touching the doors, he found he could select the rewards again.

Using the My Buddha Demonic Heart Seal, he collected all three rewards from each door.

Arriving at the preparation room, Ning Zhuo wasn't in a hurry to tackle the challenge. Instead, he gazed at the various mechanism crafting tools and the large and small workbenches in the room, falling into deep thought.

(End of )