Chapter 101: Yuan Er Seeks Help

Early in the morning, Yuan Er arrived at the entrance of Ning Zhuo’s small courtyard.

Seeing him attempting to enter, a patrolling Ning family cultivator in the Qi Refining stage immediately stepped forward to block him. "Stop."

Although Yuan Er was in the Foundation Establishment stage, upon seeing the identity token on the Qi Refining stage cultivator's waist, he didn’t dare to act rashly. "I’m here to see Ning Zhuo. I’m Yuan Er, the current leader of the Monkey Head Gang."

"Please wait a moment, I will report." The Qi Refining cultivator glanced at Yuan Er and exchanged a look with his approaching companion.

The companion nodded and stood at the entrance of the courtyard, blocking Yuan Er.

Yuan Er felt uneasy, thinking to himself that as a gang leader, he was now being kept outside when seeking an audience with a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

However, he had gathered quite a bit of information over the past few days, learning that Ning Zhuo was highly valued by the Ning family and was a favored figure in the eyes of the young clan leader, Ning Xiaoren.

"Why don’t I have a powerful family to rely on?" Yuan Er thought bitterly, just as the reporting cultivator returned and said to him, "You may enter!"

Yuan Er stepped into the courtyard, pausing slightly after a few steps.

He caught a trace of the aura of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator but then immediately lost it.

He quickly understood that this was a deliberate leak of aura, a warning not to act recklessly.

Yuan Er’s heart skipped a beat. "Why is Ning Zhuo so valued by the family that they would even deploy a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator to protect him?"

The fact that the three families were working together to reform their cultivation was kept secret from the outside world.

Yuan Er was still unaware of the details.

"Leader Yuan, please come in!" At that moment, Ning Zhuo appeared with a polite smile to greet him.

Ning Zhuo led him into the bedroom, not the study!

"Apologies, I’m temporarily setting up a cultivation room, please don’t mind, Leader Yuan!" Ning Zhuo explained.

Yuan Er then saw three formation masters working together to set it up.

With a single glance, he recognized these three formation masters as renowned experts in the market, all in the Foundation Establishment stage, not a single one in the Qi Refining stage.

Yuan Er immediately felt the wealth of Ning Zhuo, and the unease in his heart deepened.

Ning Zhuo did not invite him to sit, so Yuan Er could only stand at the doorway, feeling awkward.

While communicating with the formation masters, Ning Zhuo occasionally glanced at Yuan Er from the corner of his eye, observing his expression.

After a moment, he turned to Yuan Er. "Leader Yuan, as you can see, I’m busy here. What business do you have?"

Yuan Er replied, "Mr. Ning, could we speak privately?"

However, Ning Zhuo did not agree. He pointed to the cultivation room. "As you can see, I need to keep an eye on this. I can’t step away for now!"

"I can guess why you’re here."

"You want to order a mechanical monkey, don’t you?"

"Yes, yes!" Yuan Er quickly nodded, "Mr. Ning, you do remember!"

"I’ve always kept it in mind!" Ning Zhuo sighed, "But I’ve been very busy lately!"

"I was staying at the family’s main estate until a few days ago!"

"Although I was fortunate enough to stay at the young clan leader’s residence for many days, I thought it over and decided it was more convenient to move back here. I’m more accustomed to this way of living."

"So, as you can see, I’m setting up a small room for cultivation!"

"I’m a bit busy, so you’ll have to be patient and wait!"

Yuan Er, of course, would not let this matter be brushed aside so easily.

He maintained a humble posture and politely inquired about the timeframe.

Ning Zhuo sighed deeply. "It’s hard to say. In the next few days, the family will also be preparing to test me, to evaluate my aptitude."

...

At the peak of Mount Huoshi, clouds and mist rolled around!

Meng Chong hovered in mid-air, his eyes wide, staring intently at the surrounding clouds and mist.

Boom!

A thunderous sound echoed, and the grayish-white clouds suddenly flashed with a bright blue color!

This was lightning piercing through the clouds, dyeing them blue.

Meng Chong had no time to react before being struck by a bolt of lightning, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood as he was flung backward.

"Damn it, how hateful!"

"The clouds and mist here obscure my vision, making it impossible to see the lightning before it strikes!"

Meng Chong was utterly exhausted.

Although his vital essence had been replenished by Meng Kui, his mana and spirit were still severely weakened.

In these two aspects, even someone like Meng Kui, who was at the Nascent Soul stage, couldn’t help him.

It wasn’t that Meng Kui lacked pills to restore mana and spirit, but that after consuming such pills, a cultivator had to use the corresponding profound techniques to quickly digest the medicinal power.

Otherwise, the accumulated medicinal power would backfire, inevitably harming the body and even endangering life.

However, Meng Chong only had the first three layers of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, which meant his efficiency in digesting medicinal power was too low.

As for the twin treasures of spirit and mind, he had no corresponding techniques, leaving him unable to absorb the medicinal power effectively.

Boom!

Meng Chong was struck again, the charred skin peeling off in layers, his hardened body covered in cracks, from which fresh blood continuously oozed.

He was now a bloodied figure, his body nearly collapsing under the strain, yet his fighting spirit grew even stronger.

"Come!"

"Again!"

"Again!"

Boom, boom, boom...

He was struck by lightning repeatedly, on the brink of death, when suddenly, he had a realization.

Sizzle...

Electric arcs crackled across his body, forming a shadowy figure woven from lightning.

The shadow moved in sync with Meng Chong's body and limbs, closely connected.

When the next bolt of lightning struck, Meng Chong’s body flickered, leaving behind a shadow of lightning as his true form had already evaded.

He dodged the lightning, and the remaining lightning shadow absorbed the power of the bolt, growing even more solid.

The crackling sound intensified as the shadow became more tangible.

"Using my aptitude like this consumes much less than before!"

"The key is that I can accelerate only a specific part of my divine body. Just with this, I can deal with that special mechanical ape!"

"Hahaha, I’m coming, I’m coming!"

Meng Chong raised his arms in triumph, laughing heartily.

Meng Kui silently nodded in approval, a look of admiration on his face, thinking to himself, "As expected of my grandson, courageous and diligent, fearless and relentless, he hasn’t brought shame to the Meng name!"