: The Three Families Joint Test

Author: Gu Zhenren

Date: 2024-07-31

Both the Zhou, Zheng, and Ning families placed great importance on this joint test.

In the reception hall.

The Zhou family head sat at the main seat, with the Zheng family head on his left and the Ning family head on his right.

“It’s strange. That shadowy demonic cultivator—who knows where he came from? He’s just vanished without a trace!” The Zhou family head took a sip of tea and set down his cup. “This time, our Fire Persimmon Immortal City has lost all face.”

Though he said this, his expression remained calm, showing no signs of anger or embarrassment. Instead, he appeared relaxed and composed.

This was clearly a probing remark.

After the incident, the Zhou family’s higher-ups gradually began to piece things together.

As Zhu Xuanji had suspected, the Zhou family was also wondering who the traitor was—who had secretly released the shadowy demonic cultivator ahead of time.

The Zheng family head, with his loud voice, spoke bluntly, “In my opinion, that shadowy demonic cultivator had already slipped away long ago! On the day of the Fire Persimmon Festival, the Golden Core ancestors of our three families joined forces to dig underground. They nearly hollowed out the entire mountainside but didn’t find even a ghostly shadow.”

The Zhou family head turned to the Ning family head, narrowing his eyes. “Brother Ning, what are your thoughts on this matter?”

The Ning family head spread his hands. “No matter where the shadowy demonic cultivator came from or who he’s colluding with, none of that matters now.”

“At present, City Lord Meng Kui is personally stationed at the volcano’s peak, preventing any cultivator from entering the immortal palace.”

“As a result, only Qi Refinement stage juniors can compete for the inheritance rights of the immortal palace by entering it with their souls.”

“Meng Kui’s grandson, Meng Chong, possesses supreme talent. Both of you surely understand the significance of immortal aptitude.”

“Only by our three families joining forces, cooperating closely, and fully supporting our juniors do we stand a chance against Meng Chong.”

While saying this, the Ning family head was unaware that Meng Chong had failed once again in his attempt to explore the immortal palace and had fallen into a coma.

Nevertheless, his words garnered agreement from the Zhou and Zheng family heads.

The pressure brought by Meng Chong’s immortal aptitude was immense, which was one of the main reasons they had agreed to ally with the Ning family.

All three families had a strong desire to form an alliance and were willing to contribute their resources to support their juniors. The problem lay in how to distribute these resources.

If one family contributed more, another would receive less.

None of the three families was willing to suffer losses, so the initial alliance stalled over the issue of resource distribution.

For the time being, they couldn’t reach an agreement.

“Let’s start with this test,” suggested the Zhou family head.

The Zheng family head nodded. “Then let’s take a good look!”

The Ning family head remained silent, a trace of worry in his eyes.

He knew that this joint cultivation test held by the three families wasn’t just superficial—it also carried a deeper, crucial meaning. The three families would assess the quality of each other’s cultivation teams to determine resource allocation!

The Ning family head was well aware that his side was the weakest. He could only hope that the gap between them and the Zhou and Zheng families wasn’t too large.

Ning Zhuo was led by a servant to the Zhou family’s training ground.

The square was already filled with many cultivators.

Most of them were young, with very few middle-aged or elderly individuals.

The crowd was clearly divided into three groups: the Zhou family, the Zheng family, and the Ning family.

“Ah Zhuo, you’re here.” Seeing Ning Zhuo arrive, Ning Yong immediately stepped out of the crowd and jogged over to him.

Ning Chen was also in the crowd, waving to greet Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo smiled and waved back.

Ever since the incident where he blew up the immortal palace, his relationship with Ning Yong and Ning Chen had transformed qualitatively—from ordinary classmates to comrades who had experienced life-and-de-battle together.

The training ground was bustling with noise.

Ning Zhuo and Ning Yong blended into the Ning family crowd, inconspicuous.

While casually chatting with Ning Yong and Ning Chen, Ning Zhuo observed the people around him.

“The Ning family’s cultivation team has grown larger!”

In the training ground, the Ning family had the most people, exceeding sixty.

The Zhou and Zheng families had twenty-nine and forty-five members, respectively.

The Ning family gathered in one place, appearing numerous and imposing.

Many young people scanned their surroundings, occasionally locking eyes with cultivators from the other two families, hinting at an underlying rivalry.

Ning Zhuo pondered silently, “Among the three great families, the Ning family started the latest and is the weakest overall.”

“Originally, the cultivation team was also the smallest.”

“Did the family higher-ups suddenly expand it because they felt insecure and wanted to boost numbers?”

“The Ning family has a strong desire for the Molten Rock Immortal Palace!”

Ning Zhuo continued to discreetly observe the cultivators from the Zhou and Zheng families.

The Zhou family cultivators were generally quiet, with little interaction among themselves, giving off a suppressed vibe. In the center of their group stood two figures—one tall and robust, the other short and thin—exuding an air of leadership.

“Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen,” Ning Zhuo recalled from the intelligence he had gathered.

The Zheng family cultivators were muscular and exuded a fierce, capable aura. Their eyes were sharp, and when they glanced around, they seemed like sharp weapons. Many Ning family cultivators actively avoided their gazes.

The young cultivator at the forefront of the Zheng family wore a headband and had his eyes closed. Notably, several hook-shaped magical instruments hovered around him.

“Zheng Jian,” Ning Zhuo thought to himself.

After observing the cultivators from the other two families, he glanced back at the Ning family and felt that, despite their numbers, they gave off a disorganized, ragtag impression.

A Zhou family elder appeared before the crowd, activated the testing formation, and announced the start of the cultivation detection.

“Big Zhu, let’s go,” Zhou Zeshen said.

“Mm,” Zhou Zhu grunted in response.

Despite having higher cultivation, he followed behind Zhou Zeshen.

The two had been in the center of the crowd, but as they started moving, the Zhou family members in front of them seemed to have eyes on their backs, shifting aside to make way.

Once Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen passed by, they immediately returned to their original positions.

As Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen walked out, the Zhou family members moved like flowing water, parting and merging seamlessly, displaying remarkable coordination and默契 in formation tactics. Their every step seemed telepathically synchronized, with figures shifting without the slightest chaos, showcasing the demeanor of a great family.

A glint of insight flashed in Ning Zhuo’s eyes as he immediately grasped a key clue and deduced, “These Zhou family cultivators are extraordinary. Their coordination is默契, moving as one. They must have deep expertise in battle formations.”

Although the Zhou family’s cultivation team had the fewest members, they were not to be underestimated!

Seeing this, many knowledgeable cultivators showed solemn expressions.

More people, however, paid no mind—with the Ning family having the most such individuals.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Zhou Zhu was the first to enter the detection formation.

Once inside, he fully activated the Five Elements Rhythm Art, causing the formation to emit a five-colored light.

The Zhou family elder glanced at it and announced loudly, “Zhou Zhu, peak of the third layer.”

Instantly, the Zhou family cultivators cheered.

They were clearly prepared, shouting in unison with synchronized tones, drawing sidelong glances from the other two families.

Next, Zhou Zeshen entered the formation.

“Zhou Zeshen, mid-second layer!” the elder announced.

The Zhou family cultivators cheered again.

Someone from the Zheng family sneered disdainfully, “And they call them geniuses? How are they only at the mid-second layer? I’ve already reached the third layer!”

Zheng Jian opened his eyes and gave the speaker a calm glance, causing the latter to immediately fall silent.

This subtle scene also caught Ning Zhuo’s attention.

“Hmm, another useful piece of intelligence.”

“Zheng Jian is the absolute leader of the Zheng family’s cultivation team, with extremely high authority.”

Back in the reception hall.

The Zheng family head sighed in admiration, “Brother Zhou, your family’s Gathering and Dispersing Like Tides Formation is truly effective.”

The Ning family head nodded slightly, sharing the sentiment.

They naturally knew more—for instance, that Zhou Zeshen had only recently switched cultivation methods yet had already reached the mid-second layer.

This speed was exceptionally fast.

The Zhou family head feigned a sigh. “How could such results come solely from the Gathering and Dispersing Like Tides Formation? Junior Zeshen has been pushing himself relentlessly. Although he doesn’t have Zhou Zhu’s innate talent, he’s been catching up frantically through extensive recovery methods.”

“Several times, he’s been on the brink of death, worrying many clansmen.”

The Zheng family head was moved. “With juniors like this, why worry about the family not prospering?”

The Ning family head also voiced agreement, but his heart grew heavier.

Ning Zhuo continued to observe silently. He knew that both Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen had trained at the Mudflow Gate and was curious about their mechanical skills.

Unfortunately, there was no opportunity for them to demonstrate their mechanical arts in today’s test.

(End of )