Chapter 704: Three People Cultivating Together

To rent a cave dwelling, one had to go to the Internal Affairs Hall. In the Internal Affairs Hall, Ning Zhuo already had an acquaintance, Cao Gui.

Previously, he had cooperated with him to deal with Yu Heya.

Ning Zhuo thought about it and decided to find him.

Seeing Ning Zhuo again, Cao Gui narrowed his eyes and asked directly: "Is Fellow Daoist Ning a friend or an enemy?"

Ning Zhuo smiled: "Naturally, a comrade-in-arms."

Cao Gui shook his head: "Since that is the case, why did Fellow Daoist Ning accept Yu Heya’s invitation to a banquet three times?"

The one Yu Heya offended back then was the Cao family.

Cao Gui, as a member of the Cao family, had agreed to join forces with Ning Zhuo before, one reason being to find trouble for Yu Heya.

The other reason was that Cao Gui himself was relatively poor, and the reward Ning Zhuo offered was not small.

Ning Zhuo cupped his fists and said sincerely: "The friction between Yu Heya and me was just a small matter, and it has already been resolved. I am a newcomer here,"

"making friends with a Jin Dan cultivator is the right path."

"I personally think this does not hinder the friendship between you and me."

"After all, the Cao family is the Cao family, and Fellow Daoist Cao Gui is Fellow Daoist Cao Gui. With your current situation, how much has the family supported you?"

Cao Gui sighed deeply: "Although I am a marginal figure in the family, this errand was obtained through the family’s connections."

"How can a person forget their roots?"

Speaking of this, he waved his sleeves: "I can understand Fellow Daoist Ning’s choice, from now on, you and I will just be strangers."

Ning Zhuo sighed, cupped his fists and bowed: "Fellow Daoist has high righteousness, it is my shallow fortune that I cannot be a friend of yours. Farewell!"

Cao Gui kept watching Ning Zhuo leave, then retracted his gaze and went back to work.

Ning Zhuo left this Internal Affairs Hall on clouds and went to another one.

He was expressionless; Cao Gui’s change in attitude was one of the situations Ning Zhuo had anticipated.

Originally, Ning Zhuo’s plan was to use the opportunity of dealing with Yu Heya to get close to the Cao family. Although the Cao family had declined, they were still a force among the old four peaks.

But then an accident happened—Yu Heya took the initiative to submit.

As a Jin Dan cultivator, his submission represented higher value, so Ning Zhuo naturally chose the latter.

This meant that his relationship with Cao Gui was damaged. Seeing him today, it was indeed so.

"Becoming strangers, this situation can be considered neither good nor bad."

At least it didn't turn into an enemy.

Confirming this relationship, Ning Zhuo threw the Cao family line to the back of his mind.

It is impossible for a person to be liked by everyone; in other words, it is impossible to maintain a good relationship with all forces and figures.

Especially in an environment full of games, where one has to compete for cultivation resources.

Between the Cao family and Yu Heya, Ning Zhuo chose the latter.

Between Shen Xi and Pi Fujie, Ning Zhuo chose the former.

When the time is ripe, one has to choose a side. In politics, the neutral faction is often the most dangerous. Not absolute loyalty is absolute disloyalty.

Only by choosing a camp can one continue to deepen the relationship.

Ning Zhuo’s political literacy in this regard was absolutely sufficient.

Half an hour later.

Ning Zhuo stood in the bluestone cave dwelling.

This was the new cave dwelling he rented.

The cave dwelling had five rooms and one hall.

The moss stone hall was a place for receiving guests. The cultivation room was paved with green jade bricks and engraved with a gathering spirit array. The alchemy and artifact room had a ground fire array to meet the basic needs of alchemy and artifact refining. The two living rooms didn't have many facilities.

The last room was a martial arts room, which built a martial arts array. This was the main reason Ning Zhuo chose it.

The Shuyu Study side had been settled, leaving only the Luoshu book pages. This was not something that could be solved in a short while.

And Yu Heya could be considered Ning Zhuo’s dark line. Ning Zhuo staying there for a long time would attract attention.

He had just formed a feud with Pi Fujie, and he would inevitably have more enemies in the future. Withdrawing in time was naturally the best.

It just so happened that Gongsun Yan joined in, and the original cave dwelling was not enough.

Ning Zhuo arranged the two living rooms of the bluestone cave dwelling for Chef Lao and Qing Chi respectively. There was almost nothing inside, but it was convenient for them to arrange it themselves.

As for Gongsun Yan, let him live in the alchemy and artifact room.

Ning Zhuo himself didn't have a living room, and the cultivation room would do.

He didn't have high requirements in this regard.

After Ning Zhuo arranged everything, he opened the magic array in the martial arts room and entered the space inside the array.

The cost of the martial arts hall was actually not high, but Ning Zhuo didn't dare to risk exposing Snow Color Girl · Hui’s spirituality.

He performed several rounds of five-element spells in the array space, hitting the transparent boundary wall of the array space with ripples, which was considered probing the defensive strength.

Ning Zhuo didn't directly release Snow Color Girl · Hui, but left the bluestone cave dwelling alone.

He returned to the mountain peak where Yu Heya was located, and with the help of the mountain’s teleportation stone room, made a secret handover with Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong returned to the bluestone cave dwelling, while Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged in front of the water vortex magic array.

During this time, Sun Lingtong’s study of the water vortex magic array had achieved phased results. Outside the water vortex array, he built another small array.

With the help of the small array, Ning Zhuo could communicate with the array core inside the water vortex—the Luoshu book pages. Sun Lingtong himself didn't have to use his talent spirit eyes every time; that was too tiring.

With the help of the small array, Ning Zhuo was influenced by the Dao treasure. Sun Lingtong also rubbed against the Luoshu book pages through the Human Life Suspension Thread.

Carrying this influence, Sun Lingtong carefully checked the magic array of the bluestone cave dwelling, confirmed it was safe, and then left quietly again.

The whole process, Chef Lao, Qing Chi, and Gongsun Yan were kept in the dark.

There was no need to tell them.

Sun Lingtong’s attainments in array arts were much stronger than Ning Zhuo’s. And with the help of the Luoshu book pages, this test result was highly likely to be true.

The key was that when Ning Zhuo chose this cave dwelling, the mechanism ring had no reaction.

This level of cave dwelling usually faced wealthy Foundation Establishment cultivators. In the Myriad Phenomena Sect, the number was large.

Unless Ning Zhuo was particularly unlucky and chose a special one among thousands of choices. Otherwise, who would deliberately plot against him?

But if it really came to luck, Ning Zhuo was not weak in this regard.

After the White Paper Immortal City, he obtained the Yang Heaven Green, and his luck would definitely not be bad. However, in the total mountain gate of the Myriad Phenomena Sect, this influence of luck was not obviously reflected. Any super force had exclusive treasures to suppress the fortune.

With all these, Ning Zhuo almost completely determined that the bluestone cave dwelling was safe.

After his secret exchange with Sun Lingtong, he took out Snow Color Girl · Hui in the martial arts array.

He only used the Human Life Suspension Thread to secretly contact this mechanism puppet, then hid his figure, and controlled a large number of mechanism beasts to besiege Snow Color Girl · Hui.

Snow Color Girl · Hui fell into the siege, counterattacked on her own, and tore the waves of mechanism beasts into pieces.

Every battle, Ning Zhuo deliberately left gaps, allowing Snow Color Girl · Hui to rest.

After all, spirituality was the main thing, and controlling the mechanism puppet also had consumption.

Every time Snow Color Girl · Hui won, she would raise her head slightly and stand proudly on the spot.

Through the Human Life Suspension Thread, Ning Zhuo could clearly feel that the emotions in her spirituality were expressed naturally time and time again, and his sense of Snow Color Girl · Hui became more and more smooth.

"My guess should be the answer."

"Snow Color Girl · Hui’s temperament is—pride."

"As long as you constantly satisfy this point, you can express her temperament and let her pass through the Spirit Movement stage faster."

Good times didn't last long.

Snow Color Girl · Hui’s number of victories gradually increased, but the proud emotions expressed after the battle became less and less.

Even if Ning Zhuo intentionally increased the difficulty, such as increasing the number of ordinary mechanism beasts and strengthening his control over the mechanism beasts. Snow Color Girl ·

Hui’s proud emotions expressed from the victory were significantly reduced.

When the profit dropped to a certain level, Ning Zhuo decisively stopped.

"Doing the same thing will indeed bring less and less joy. If it were an ordinary person, after many times, they would also become numb."

"Then change to other things to do."

Ning Zhuo knew Ning Xiaohui quite well, and naturally associated it with talisman making.

Before she died, Ning Xiaohui was quite good at talisman making.

Ning Zhuo called Qing Chi into the martial arts room.

This time he appeared, arranging for both Qing Chi and Snow Color Girl · Hui to sit cross-legged in front of him.

Qing Chi first curiously observed the mechanism puppet, exclaimed at her beauty, and then her gaze stuck to Ning Zhuo. Even if she lost her memory, she revealed a rich attachment.

For Ning Zhuo’s call, Qing Chi responded fiercely.

Ning Zhuo said: "This time I called you here to teach you the most basic talisman making. Watch carefully!"

After speaking, Ning Zhuo demonstrated on the spot and made a Lightness Talisman.

The effect of the talisman was to reduce the target’s weight. Mortals who stuck it on, as long as they could activate this talisman, could walk on snow without leaving a trace, fly on grass, and become a master of lightness skills in an instant.

Ning Zhuo demonstrated it once and let Qing Chi and Snow Color Girl · Hui try to make it.

Qing Chi looked dazed; she had just involuntarily stared at Ning Zhuo’s face, and didn't see clearly how to make the talisman. Snow Color Girl · Hui, however, whose spirituality was worthy of Ning Xiaohui, was deeply attracted when Ning Zhuo was making the talisman, staring at Ning Zhuo’s movements, motionless, fully focused.

Ning Zhuo let the two girls start trying to make talismans.

Snow Color Girl · Hui stood still for a long time, then started, her movements were rigid, very mechanical, and soon failed.

Talisman making failure, light ones consume magic power and spirit, heavy ones suffer backlash.

Fortunately, the Lightness Talisman was too low-end and simple, and the foundations of both Snow Color Girl · Hui and Qing Chi were enough to support the evil consequences of a large number of failures.

After Snow Color Girl · Hui failed, she constantly endured the negative consequences.

Qing Chi was the same, but her movements were getting faster and faster, progressing rapidly, and getting closer and closer to success.

Ning Zhuo was secretly surprised: "My progress in learning this talisman was slower than hers. I didn't expect her to have such extraordinary talent in this cultivation art!"

He looked at Snow Color Girl · Hui again, because there was a Human Life Suspension Thread connected, so Ning Zhuo could clearly feel that Snow Color Girl · Hui had an anxious emotion.

Obviously, she was very interested in talisman making and noticed Qing Chi’s rapid progress, not wanting to lose to others like this.

Ning Zhuo looked at Qing Chi again, and saw Qing Chi frowning, looking serious.

Without the Human Life Suspension Thread, he could guess Qing Chi’s thoughts—"I must go all out! If I can't even beat a mechanism puppet. Wouldn't Young Master Ning Zhuo be quite disappointed in me?"

Ning Zhuo sighed in his heart, secretly saying: "Sorry, Qing Chi."

He used the Human Life Suspension Thread again, connected to Qing Chi, and slightly affected her fingers.

Qing Chi was making a talisman, and suddenly her movements deformed, drawing a relatively outrageous arc, and immediately failed.

Qing Chi frowned, only thinking that her micro-control was not good, and immediately started again.

In this way, under Ning Zhuo’s partiality, Snow Color Girl · Hui’s progress gradually surpassed Qing Chi’s, and finally successfully made the talisman first.

Her head was raised high, the amplitude was even more exaggerated than when she defeated the tiger demon before!

Ning Zhuo also felt happy in his heart. Through the Human Life Suspension Thread, he could feel Snow Color Girl · Hui’s proud emotions, expressed extremely intensely, the strongest time in history.

"This path is right!"

Only Qing Chi was about to cry.

Why was she so useless, every time at the critical point, her fingers wouldn't listen, and her movements would deform!

She couldn't even beat a mechanism puppet, how could she face herself!

As for why the mechanism puppet was so agile, Qing Chi lost her memory and lacked common sense, so she didn't find it strange.

Ning Zhuo nodded, praised Snow Color Girl · Hui, and triggered a small wave of proud emotions in her. Then, Ning Zhuo comforted and encouraged Qing Chi.

The little girl bit her tiger teeth, full of emotion, and immediately expressed that she would definitely work harder!

Ning Zhuo then let the two sides compete again.

Qing Chi went all out this time, and Ning Zhuo didn't interfere, and indeed made significant progress. But just when she was only half done, Snow Color Girl · Hui on the other side had already succeeded again.

"Because it is a mechanism, as long as it is made once, it will succeed every time?" A sharp light flashed in Ning Zhuo’s eyes, keenly noticing Snow Color Girl · Hui’s talisman-making movements, which were exactly the same as before.

Buddha Doctor · Meng Yaoyin was not his work, Ning Zhuo had made the mechanism bodies of Yuan Dasheng and Meng Yehu. But both were combat types,

Ning Zhuo didn't let them learn any cultivation arts.

Snow Color Girl · Hui’s situation was the first time Ning Zhuo had encountered it.

He felt he had guessed the truth.

Next, he began to test.

Sure enough, Snow Color Girl · Hui succeeded in making talismans every time, and all movements were exactly the same.

Qing Chi, without Ning Zhuo’s secret interference, after making the first Lightness Talisman, her speed was also getting faster and faster. Because the talisman was too basic and simple, she didn't fail either.

It was just that every time, she didn't beat Snow Color Girl · Hui.

"As long as Little Hui learns the talisman, the talisman-making speed is the fastest."

"Qing Chi’s potential is great to dig. If they compete a dozen more times, her speed will exceed Little Hui’s."

"Every talisman-making victory, the proud emotions expressed are much larger than fighting with mechanism beasts."

"It seems that Snow Color Girl · Hui inherited some characteristics of Ning Xiaohui before she died. Compared to fighting, she is more inclined to talisman making!"

With this discovery, the positioning of this mechanism puppet in Ning Zhuo’s heart directly turned from combat type to production type.

"She should possess a certain combat ability, and in the vacancy period when Yuan Dasheng and Meng Yehu are not repaired, she can make up for my combat power vacancy."

"But in fact, she is more suitable for making talismans."

"When her spirituality grows in the future, I should equip her with a cultivation art, specifically for talisman making!"

"Of course, before that, I will let her try the rest of the cultivation arts to probe her true situation."

Ning Zhuo had a premonition that Snow Color Girl · Hui’s positioning should be talisman making. But to be safe, he still had to try all the cultivation arts once.

Seeing Qing Chi about to surpass Snow Color Girl · Hui, Ning Zhuo decisively said: "Alright, next I will teach you the second type of talisman."

Qing Chi said "ah," but Ning Zhuo had already started demonstrating, so she had to put down her regret and focus on observing.

With the previous lesson, Qing Chi observed quite carefully this time.

But when trying to make the talisman, she still started to fail frequently.

"What is wrong with me?"

"It shouldn't be difficult! Why am I so nervous?"

"Am I too eager to show off in front of the Young Master?"

Qing Chi became more and more anxious, and gradually developed doubts.

On the other side, Snow Color Girl · Hui’s learning progress was naturally far weaker than Qing Chi’s. After all, she was only in the Living Spirit stage and had not grown to the Wise Spirit stage.

Ning Zhuo naturally wouldn't let Qing Chi doubt it, he decisively stood up, came to Qing Chi, and directly reached out, holding Qing Chi’s hand: "I will help you, don't be nervous, try to control your fingers, don't shake."

Whoosh!

Qing Chi seemed to hear the sound of hot air rushing out from the top of her head.

At this moment, she felt like she was about to explode, her heart beating like a drum.

She stared blankly at Ning Zhuo’s hand, which was holding her hand, and for a moment, she felt like she had fallen into a beautiful dream.

Ning Zhuo taught her hand-in-hand, tirelessly telling her where she went wrong just now, more carefully and patiently than teaching a young child.

On the other side, Ning Zhuo secretly observed Snow Color Girl · Hui, seeing her start to move, constantly failing, and her progress increasing, nodding secretly.

Qing Chi’s expression was stiff, her whole body was tense, and her heart was no longer on talisman making, but on Ning Zhuo, constantly feeling the temperature of Ning Zhuo’s palm.

She forgot the passage of time, only feeling that everything was wonderful!

So much so that Snow Color Girl · Hui succeeded in making the talisman again, and Ning Zhuo let go, only then did she wake up.

The mechanism puppet raised her head backward again, the amplitude was even larger than before.

The reason was simple, her opponent had more guidance, but still lost to her.

For a time, strong proud emotions were overflowing!

Ning Zhuo let the two of them make the second type of talisman again. After Qing Chi woke up, she began to focus and go all out, and with talent that surpassed Ning Zhuo, she quickly caught up again.

After the first talisman-making success, she also had a one hundred percent success rate, and her speed was getting faster and faster.

But just when she had signs of surpassing Snow Color Girl · Hui again, Ning Zhuo decisively started teaching the two the third type of talisman.

After demonstrating once, Ning Zhuo let the two try.

Qing Chi’s first line was crooked!

She was full of shyness, gathered her courage, and looked at Ning Zhuo with longing and expectation: "Young Master, my talent in talisman making is too low, please help me."

Ning Zhuo:

This time, he didn't use the Human Life Suspension Thread to affect her.

Ning Zhuo sighed in his heart, pretending not to know, and taught Qing Chi hand-in-hand again.

In this way, all three parties achieved their goals.

Half a day passed, Snow Color Girl · Hui still needed to constantly express emotions and did not directly pass the Spirit Movement stage.

Ning Zhuo compared Yuan Dasheng and secretly guessed: "Yuan Dasheng directly broke away from control and acted autonomously before, and his emotional venting was extremely fierce."

"Ning Xiaohui is not like this, her pride is like a fine stream. Or perhaps this determines that this is a slow-grinding effort."

"Ning Xiaohui is not like this; her pride is a long-flowing stream. Perhaps this determines that this is a task requiring patient, grinding effort."