Chapter 100:

Four guards followed beside Ning Zhuo.

Among them were two Qi Refining stage cultivators and two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, all dispatched by the Ning family to protect Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo was very important now, providing great assistance to the Ning family in exploring the Lava Immortal Palace. The importance the Ning family placed on him could be seen clearly from these four guards.

Ning Zhuo left the family’s residence but did not immediately return to his own home.

He entered several shops, purchasing a large amount of specially crafted bricks, formation plates, and other materials used for setting up formations.

The four guards noticed this and communicated with each other via voice transmission.

“This kid, Ning Zhuo, is planning to create his own cultivation chamber.”

“This type of chamber has decent defensive capabilities and can block spiritual sense. How are we going to monitor him in the future? Using magical tools would cause too much noise.”

“Report this to the Young Master.”

“But speaking of which, this kid really has some money!”

“He’s currently favored by the Young Master and is supported by resources from the three families’ alliance, so of course, he’s well-off.”

After Ning Zhuo finished his purchases, he spared no expense and hired a formation master to set everything up.

He left the residence in the morning, and by the afternoon, a newly constructed small compartment had appeared in his bedroom.

The compartment was entirely built from stone bricks and equipped with a stone door that could move left and right, opening and closing, depending on the infusion of mana and control by spiritual sense.

However, the formation had not yet been fully set up.

The small compartment did not have much defensive capability.

Among the four guards, the two Qi Refining stage cultivators guarded the perimeter, constantly patrolling within and outside the courtyard.

The two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators took different positions: one concealed his presence, while the other stood guard at the door of Ning Zhuo’s back room, resting with his eyes closed.

As night deepened, Ning Zhuo opened his eyes, quietly got out of bed, and activated a switch to enter his underground workspace.

“He’s still young!” One of the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators slowly opened his eyes, revealing a smile that seemed to say everything was under control.

Ning Zhuo looked around the workspace, his expression tense. He first inspected several spots to see if there had been any changes.

These were all detection measures he had set up; if anyone else had entered here, it was likely these spots would have shown some changes.

But there were no changes.

Under the spiritual monitoring of the two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, Ning Zhuo let out a long sigh of relief, his brows relaxing as his whole body unwound.

He wandered around the room, touching this and adjusting that, as if he had returned to his own nest, exuding a sense of safety and comfort from the inside out.

He sat in a chair, stretched lazily, and even let out a big yawn.

After resting for a while, he slowly got up.

He took out a meditation mat from his storage bag and placed it in the center of the room.

After sitting down cross-legged, he also took out several bottles of pills, arranging them in front of him.

Both the meditation mat and the pills made the two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators envious.

Ning Zhuo was only in the Qi Refining stage, but because he was now a standout in the newly formed alliance of the three families, he had received a significant share of resources.

Before starting his cultivation, Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and then took out a handkerchief from his chest.

The handkerchief was as white as snow, soft to the touch, and had no patterns on it.

As Ning Zhuo infused mana into it, clusters of white clouds gradually emerged from the handkerchief, surrounding Ning Zhuo.

The white clouds piled up on each other, eventually enveloping Ning Zhuo completely.

The two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators frowned simultaneously.

They communicated via voice transmission: “This seems to be the Floating Cloud Handkerchief.”

“That’s right, this magical tool is produced in the Flying Cloud Country!”

“How does Ning Zhuo have it?”

“Hmm? It’s likely an heirloom from his mother. Did you forget? The records mentioned that Ning Zhuo’s mother, Meng Yaoyin, was from the Flying Cloud Country.”

“Oh, I remember now, that must be it. But what should we do now? We can’t monitor his cultivation anymore!”

“The Floating Cloud obscures vision. The Floating Cloud Handkerchief has a strong concealing ability. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so well-known.”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as we ensure Ning Zhuo’s safety, monitoring isn’t the priority. Of course, we’ll report this situation tomorrow morning.”

Ning Zhuo had long planned for this, considering various scenarios.

As the two Foundation Establishment stage cultivators guessed, this Floating Cloud Handkerchief was indeed an heirloom from his mother.

Meng Kui had fully replenished Meng Chong’s essence, allowing him to recover.

His complexion had turned slightly yellow, and his gaze had dimmed a little.

After being freed, Meng Chong began recounting his experiences in Room Three.

Meng Kui never suspected that the Golden Blood Battle Ape, Dasheng, was arranged by other competitors.

He stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, “Your martial skills and the Mechanical Ape are far from matching each other. Even with special training, it would take a lot of time.”

“Your time is very valuable; you must seize the initiative!”

“I have a method that can quickly help you make up the gap, but it’s a bit painful!”

Meng Chong was overjoyed and quickly

said, “Grandfather, your grandson doesn’t even know what pain is. What’s the method?”

“Lightning strike!” Meng Kui said.

Meng Chong responded with an “Oh,” and asked, “What do I strike?”

Meng Kui shook his head. “You get struck!”

“Ah?” Meng Chong was about to continue speaking when suddenly a clap of thunder sounded, and a blue light flashed within the clouds.

Meng Chong was struck hard by the lightning, stunned on the spot.

His entire body was charred black on the surface, his hair standing on end with wisps of black smoke rising.

Rumbling...

Thunder continuously echoed within the clouds.

Meng Chong gritted his teeth and endured, repeatedly recalling the appearance of the Golden Blood Battle Ape, Dasheng, in his mind: “I will succeed, I will regain my honor.”

...

Ning Residence!

Ning Xiaohui was also undergoing special training.

She extended her hands, plunging them into a basin of ice.

Immediately, an extreme cold pierced through her, turning her face pale, her body trembling uncontrollably from time to time.

“Hold on, Xiaohui!”

Ning Xiaohui’s grandmother, with a stern face, cheered her on from the side.

“You have the talent of the Ice-Fat Jade Hand, the best method to suppress that Ning Zhuo!”

“Ning Zhuo’s talent hasn’t been tested yet, and even if it has, there might not be any mature methods to further develop it.”

“You’re different! Your Ice-Fat Jade Hand has appeared in our family many times!”

“This is the advantage of our family!”

“We share the same bloodline, practice similar cultivation methods, and consume similar resources.”

“There are many cultivation methods for the Ice-Fat Jade Hand, all gradually explored by our ancestors over the generations!”

Ning Xiaohui’s expression was firm: “I understand, Grandma. The Ice-Fat Jade Hand has always been my greatest advantage.”

“Once the special training is completed, that little Ning Zhuo is nothing!”

Zhou Family!

Zhou Zhenshen had several tubes inserted into his body, with medicinal fluids continuously flowing into him.

He was fully focused on cultivating.

Zheng Family.

Zheng Jian was tirelessly training with his mechanical puppets, fully engrossed, lost in the process.

The struggle over the Lava Immortal Palace had moved beyond its opening phase and had entered a more intense stage.

The night was deep.

Yuan Er tossed and turned, unable to sleep, restless.

Ever since Yuan Dasheng’s death, he had been like this every night, feeling a void in his heart, without a shred of security.

“Why isn’t Uncle Dasheng’s mechanism finished yet?”

“Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll go find that Ning Zhuo!”

Inside the Lava Immortal Palace, the Golden Blood Battle Ape, Dasheng, quietly crouched in Room Three. When not activated, it was indistinguishable from the bricks and stones around it.