Chapter 701

Su Lingkou didn't understand and was very puzzled in her heart: "Cousin and Lin Jinglong competing for the second chair was originally a very serious matter,

and both sides were very serious."

"How is it that once Ning Zhuo intervened, it turned into rock-paper-scissors to decide the winner; how can it be so childish?"

Why did Shen Xi agree?

Because at that moment before, he suddenly woke up—the situation had completely changed!

Originally, he thought that Ning Zhuo formed an alliance with him and helped each other; at least this time, he would be one of his capable generals. But Ning Zhuo's actions had never followed the plan he expected.

Ning Zhuo went directly to find Lin Jinglong and had already successfully hosted a banquet; looking at this atmosphere, it's possible they already had a private agreement!

Under these circumstances, if he continued to be tough and expressed his desire for the second position, it would very likely attract a joint strike from Ning Zhuo and Lin Jinglong.

Therefore, he agreed to it, which was taking a step back, leaving himself room to maneuver.

There was no need to resist hard!

Even if the second chair was lost, it was only a loss of some things, far from the point of hurting his bones and muscles.

Ning Zhuo was not just greeting casually, but stood up and took the initiative to welcome Shen Xi and Su Lingkou.

Seeing him act like this, Yu Heyao hurriedly stood up as well.

Lin Jinglong came from a great clan and had his own bearing, standing up almost at the same time as Ning Zhuo.

But Yu Heyao's action still made Lin Jinglong's heart tremble slightly, quietly raising his evaluation of Ning Zhuo by another level.

Ning Zhuo arranged the seats for Shen Xi and Su Lingkou on Yu Heyao's left hand side.

This seating arrangement was very interesting.

Yu Heyao sat in the main seat, on his left was Shen Xi, and on his right was Lin Jinglong. Beside Shen Xi was Su Lingkou, and beside Lin Jinglong was Ning Zhuo.

Just from the seating, Ning Zhuo's status was similar to Su Lingkou's.

As for Gongsun Yan, he stood behind the space between Ning Zhuo and Lin Jinglong and did not take a seat.

Yu Heyao pointed to the delicacies on the table, introduced them, and brought up the topic.

Everyone followed this topic, first exchanged pleasantries, toasted each other for a few rounds, and then talked about the important points.

Upon hearing Ning Zhuo clarify his intentions, Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong were both very surprised.

Su Lingkou felt she had misheard and confirmed with Ning Zhuo again: "What, you are not participating in rock-paper-scissors?"

Ning Zhuo smiled: "I was recommended by Brother Shen; how can I be above Brother Shen? Being able to participate is already an honor for me."

Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong looked at each other, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

Both couldn't help but think of the same question—if Ning Zhuo had never coveted the second chair, why make such a big fuss?

They underestimated Ning Zhuo too much.

For Ning Zhuo, this could not be counted as a big fuss at all. Saying his true thoughts might hurt people.

Ning Zhuo originally just wanted to test the Five Qi Life-Death Fan.

He also learned some information about Gongsun Yan from Shen Xi's flying letters, so he made a temporary decision to go and treat Gongsun Yan's illness. Of course,

there was also a component of showing off.

It's just that he didn't expect Gongsun Yan to defect just like that!

Ning Zhuo had already dug out Lin Jinglong's wall, so he had to go with the flow and test the combat power of the Five Qi Life-Death Fan on Lin Jinglong.

Lin Jinglong was naturally not Ning Zhuo's opponent.

To clean up the aftermath, Ning Zhuo had to let Yu Heyao come forward and host a banquet for both Lin Jinglong and Shen Xi at the same time. As for Su Lingkou, she was just a tag-along and not important.

Shen Xi stared at Ning Zhuo and hurriedly said: "Brother Ning, you have such a profound insight into the Five Elements and your strength is extraordinary. Both of us are inferior; you should sit in the second chair."

Ning Zhuo said: "Blind, I just relied on the benefit of the magic tool. And my sparring with Fellow Daoist Lin was just a cut; it didn't rise to a life-and-death battle. So, Fellow Daoist Lin must have magic treasures and trump cards that he hasn't used."

"If we really fought, the result would be unpredictable."

Lin Jinglong smiled slightly; Ning Zhuo's words were indeed realistic. He did not use his trump cards.

However, Ning Zhuo not competing for the second chair really made him puzzled.

He still wanted to probe Ning Zhuo's true attitude, so he said: "Fellow Daoist Ning is too modest. Not to mention anything else, just this Ghost Dao Jin Dan is enough for you to sit in the second chair. Such a big move, I cannot do it."

Lin Jinglong said this and took the initiative to take out the Ghost Dao Jin Dan, showing it to everyone.

Shen Xi was puzzled, and Su Lingkou asked directly: "Was the Jin Dan in Young Master Lin's hand also given by Young Master Ning?"

Lin Jinglong nodded slightly.

Yu Heyao couldn't help but shrink his pupils.

Among the people present, his cultivation was the highest, a Golden Core cultivator. But at this moment, learning that Ning Zhuo had given a second Golden Core to someone else, his psychological advantage of this cultivation completely vanished.

Su Lingkou frowned, but thought: Cousin obtained the Ghost Dao Jin Dan, but also paid the price of the "Gap-Roaming Shuttle," a beloved array magic treasure. What did Lin Jinglong pay?

In fact, Shen Xi and Yu Weiye also had this question. Lin Jinglong then explained that Ning Zhuo gave the Ghost Dao Jin Dan to help Gongsun Yan get rid of the contract between the latter and the Lin family.

This answer was truly unexpected.

The three pairs of eyes of Yu Heyao, Shen Xi, and Su Lingkou all turned to Gongsun Yan.

Gongsun Yan nodded: "I can defect to Young Master Ning Zhuo; it is truly an honor. And I troubled the Young Master to help me pay—"

"Hey." Ning Zhuo interrupted, "I can get the help of Fellow Daoist Gongsun Yan; it is the honor. This is not paying, but a response to this honor, and also thanks to the Lin family for helping Fellow Daoist Gongsun alleviate the drawbacks of his talent. I can form a bond with Fellow Daoist Gongsun this time; I must thank the Lin family, thank Fellow Daoist Lin Jinglong for the beauty of adulting."

These words were said very beautifully, but Shen Xi was a shrewd person.

He was very surprised in his heart, never expecting that Ning Zhuo directly dug out Lin Jinglong's biggest wall!

"Lin Jinglong is actually not angry?!" Shen Xi looked at Lin Jinglong.

Lin Jinglong noticed the gaze and revealed a bitter smile to Shen Xi.

Shen Xi was even more surprised, suddenly waking up secretly: "Gongsun Yan is considered the most valuable one among Lin Jinglong's subordinates. He defected to someone else; Lin Jinglong would never let it go. But he has this attitude now, showing that Ning Zhuo has subsequent strikes and shocks on him."

"Although Ning Zhuo gave a Ghost Dao Jin Dan, Lin Jinglong would never have this attitude because of one Jin Dan!"

"The question is, was Lin Jinglong shocked by the elders and strong people behind Ning Zhuo, or was he beaten up by Ning Zhuo?"

Ning Zhuo hurriedly waved his hand, his attitude very humble: "Fellow Daoist Lin fulfilled the beauty of adulting, fulfilling the bond between me and Fellow Daoist Gongsun. We cannot be villains, letting this matter ferment and be used by others, looking down on Fellow Daoist Lin and the Lin family."

"Therefore, I implore everyone not to spread it and try to keep it secret."

These words gave Lin Jinglong a good impression.

Shen Xi sighed and promised with his mouth: "This is natural."

Su Lingkou's emotions were very complicated.

She subconsciously looked at Gongsun Yan. The latter had fought against her yesterday, counting as a draw, but she was actually at a disadvantage. The power of the heart fire made Su Lingkou feel secretly shocked when she looked back afterward.

She didn't expect that only a day had passed, and Gongsun Yan had become Ning Zhuo's subordinate.

"How exactly did he do it?"

"How high a price did Ning Zhuo offer?"

Su Lingkou moved her gaze to Ning Zhuo again; at this moment, she suddenly realized: Ning Zhuo was by no means a character like her or Gongsun Yan; Ning Zhuo should have a status similar to her cousin's.

"How high a price did Ning Zhuo offer?"

This question also hovered in Lin Jinglong's heart.

Lin Jinglong also secretly observed Gongsun Yan, surprisingly discovering: the latter was in high spirits, and seemed to have a different confidence than before.

Lin Jinglong then associated it with his battle with Ning Zhuo, secretly speculating: "That fan of Ning Zhuo is his natal magic tool, so it is powerful. He only displayed one defensive magic treasure in the previous battle; he must also have other trump cards hidden."

"He himself must be practicing a Five Elements cultivation technique; perhaps his other magic treasure is also of the Five Elements type, specifically capable of solving the drawbacks of the Melt Heart talent."

"Therefore, it attracted Gongsun Yan to defect!"

"Magic treasures, I am not without—I have three!"

"It's just that the previous sparring didn't require it, so I didn't use any of them."

Although Lin Jinglong was "drawn" by Ning Zhuo, he didn't think in his heart that he would really lose. The style of a big family made him stop when he saw it was good, without fighting hard.

"As for the Jin Dan—he took out two Jin Dan in a row, undoubtedly showing his own foundation."

"According to this posture, he should still have some in his hand."

"But not many!"

"This is a Jin Dan! It's impossible to have a dozen or so. Hehehe."

Lin Jinglong kept pondering Ning Zhuo's strength in his heart.

Perhaps because he was distracted in this regard, he lost to Shen Xi in the subsequent rock-paper-scissors.

Up to this point, Shen Xi won the second chair, and Lin Jinglong sat in the third chair. As for Ning Zhuo, he clearly stated that he would not participate in the ranking for a short time.

"As long as I can communicate with everyone and learn and progress together, I will be satisfied!" Ning Zhuo's attitude was quite humble.

There was really no need.

What he needed to do now was wait for his identity to be exposed. Before that, understand the surrounding situation as much as possible and find the entry point most suitable for himself.

The banquet ended, and after parting with everyone, Ning Zhuo returned to his cave abode by cloud with a thoughtful look.

Chef Lao was guarding the cave abode, and Qing Chi ran over to welcome Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo cared about her for a few sentences and asked about her own cultivation situation.

Although Qing Chi lost her memory, her cultivation was still there. Foundation Establishment was already achieved; changing cultivation techniques easily would pay a huge price. Therefore, she was still practicing her original cultivation technique.

"Young Master, everything is going smoothly!" Qing Chi indicated there was no problem.

This was also reasonable.

Even if Qing Chi lost her memory, her body had practiced the cultivation technique countless times, and there was already a persistence similar to muscle memory. Moreover, the ghost human body was also transformed into a more suitable form by the cultivation technique while practicing.

Therefore, Qing Chi re-mastering the cultivation technique was not a problem.

"This is Fellow Daoist Gongsun Yan, who is also willing to follow me in cultivation." Ning Zhuo introduced Gongsun Yan to the two.

Gongsun Yan followed behind Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong, scanned Chef Lao and Qing Chi up and down, cupped his fists and saluted, his attitude indifferent.

Chef Lao and Qing Chi were both at the Foundation Establishment stage; in Gongsun Yan's view, they should be Ning Zhuo's attendants and subordinates. Unlike Sun Lingtong's book boy status, which was close. Therefore, Gongsun Yan's attitude was mediocre.

If it were a human female cultivator, Gongsun Yan might have thought that Qing Chi would be Ning Zhuo's personal maid, and thus look at her with higher regard.

But Gongsun Yan, a ghost human, subconsciously treated Qing Chi as an ordinary subordinate.

Ning Zhuo first settled Gongsun Yan down, then entered the cultivation room and began to practice.

The six realms of Foundation Establishment are: Opening Fields Without Obstacles, Treasure Medicine Nourishment, Dantian Shining, Phenomenon Planting Symbols, Golden Light Internal Illumination, Turning Void into Reality.

Ning Zhuo's cultivation had already advanced to the stage of Phenomenon Planting Symbols, belonging to the mid-to-late stage of Foundation Establishment.

He started re-cultivating at sixteen and changed to the three major sect techniques. And the three major sect techniques are the cultivation of three dantian simultaneously; the cultivation speed would be very slow.

But Ning Zhuo is now seventeen, yet he has already reached the mid-to-late stage; the speed of cultivation is simply shocking!

What is even more terrifying is that his main energy is not even in cultivation.

His most important purpose is to save Meng Yaoyin. Coming out of Fire Persimmon Xiancheng, he also did a lot of traveling; although he was diligent in cultivation, the time truly invested in cultivation was quite rare.

Ning Zhuo knew clearly that the reason he could have such terrifying cultivation efficiency was all due to external objects. For example, the Three Walls Exchange Treasure Talisman, and for example, massive amounts of spirit stones. The most critical one is the National Power Brick!

Using national power for cultivation really has miraculous effects; it is simply a refreshing feeling like ascending to heaven!

Ning Zhuo has had the good fortune to experience it a few times. He still has a National Power Brick in his hand now.

It's just that the stage of Phenomenon Planting Symbols cannot be brute-forced; it tests the cultivator's level of comprehension regarding the cultivation technique.

"The cultivation of the spirit sea and Qi sea has been reached, and they have the Psychic Art and Five Qi Life-Death Art respectively, but the Demon-Staining Blood Tendon Art corresponding to the Essence Sea still has many gaps."

"Sigh—I am indeed a person of the right path; I am not suitable for demonic cultivation techniques."

Regarding how to speed up the comprehension of the Demon-Staining Blood Tendon Art, Ning Zhuo originally had a plan.

He took out a flower bud, which was precisely the restriction cast by the Dharma image of the Red Flower Battle Array, inside which Lin You was imprisoned.

This person is the son of the Demon Heart Cave Lord, practicing the same cultivation technique as the Demon Heart Cave Lord, and should be relatively close to the Demon-Staining Blood Tendon Art.

Ning Zhuo originally planned to conduct right-path education on him, let him spit out the cultivation technique, help Ning Zhuo comprehend the demonic art, and it could be considered as making up for his crimes and contributing to the right path.

But Ning Zhuo didn't expect that after passing the White Paper Xiancheng, this flower bud still existed.

"So much time has passed; will Lin You have starved to death?" A sense of unease surged in Ning Zhuo's heart.

But facing the red flower bud, he was also helpless.

This is the power of military strategy. If it were a Five Elements spell, Ning Zhuo would have it at his fingertips.

There was another such flower bud, inside which Wu Hen was imprisoned. It was the same; the flower bud was extremely shallow, but the texture was tough, still firmly sealing the cultivator.

Ning Zhuo put away the flower bud and fell into deep thought.

He agitated his Five Elements magic power, then activated the natal spell Five Qi Life-Death Art, and then secretly mobilized the Wood Viscera Lung Temple.

Massive amounts of Wood-element magic power gushed out from his hands, swirling, growing, and constantly changing shape in his palms.

This situation lasted for half a cup of tea, and suddenly, in the ever-changing emerald magic power, a trace of electric light appeared!