Chapter 776

Chu Xuangui and Song Taosheng stood with their hands down in the hall.

Duanmu Zhang sat in the main seat, his face gloomy as he stared at the two: "Absurd!"

"You actually set up two consecutive Cloud-Rising trials for Ning Zhuo! Where does this act of favoritism and malpractice leave the reputation of our Confucian school? Where does it leave the laws of the Myriad Phenomena Sect?"

Chu Xuangui had long anticipated that the paper couldn't wrap up the fire, so he took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Sir, please calm your anger. There is indeed a reason for this matter; it is not entirely favoritism."

"First, it was at the request of Fellow Daoist Wen (Wen Ruanyu). Fellow Daoist Wen has deep ties with Ning Zhuo, and her intention was to ensure the child's safety; we also acted out of moral duty."

"Second, Ning Zhuo is the son of Meng Yaoyin. Although Meng Yaoyin was not a Confucian cultivator, she was better than one. She possessed benevolence and righteousness, and for the sake of the Immortal City and the greater good, she spared no effort many times."

"In Confucian classics, it is said, 'Treat the elders of others as one's own, and the young of others as one's own.' We would lend a hand to an innocent person we met on the road. Now that the son of Senior Sister Meng has returned after wandering and experiencing hardships, how could we sit idly by?"

Chu Xuangui looked at Song Taosheng as he said this.

Song Taosheng had a prior agreement with him, and the two bore the pressure together. At this moment, he spoke decisively, continuing: "Third, this move is also for the sake of our Confucian lineage!"

"This child, Ning Zhuo, has extraordinary potential. Observing his past actions, one can see he is no ordinary person. Befriending him and protecting his growth will surely be beneficial in the future."

"And it concerns the huge interests of the White Paper Immortal City—"

"Now, within the Myriad Phenomena Sect, our Confucian group is gradually declining. If we can take this opportunity to intervene in such a game, it will be of great help to the spread of Confucianism."

Duanmu Zhang looked at the two with cold eyes: "Your words are firm and your arguments are eloquent. Very good. I suppose you two have been preparing for a long time."

He spread his hands: "However, even with a thousand reasons and ten thousand benefits, that is no excuse for you to disregard the rules and set up special trials!"

"If we make an exception for one person today, others will imitate us tomorrow! If this continues, where is justice? Where is fairness? Won't the upright style of the Confucian school degenerate into a place for personal favors and interest exchanges? Do you know that once this trend starts, the future troubles will be endless?"

After a pause, he continued: "Furthermore, that Ning Zhuo is not a Confucian cultivator. Even if he is Meng Yaoyin's son, his Daoist foundation is not of the Confucian orthodox school. The claim that he is 'one of our own' is far-fetched."

Duanmu Zhang shook his head slowly.

Chu Xuangui and Song Taosheng were speechless for a moment.

Duanmu Zhang was right; no matter how sufficient the reasons were, they had operated in violation of the rules, which was essentially favoritism and malpractice.

In the Profound Armor Cave's Cloud-Rising trial, Ban Jie bribing others and setting up ambushes was cheating; in this regard, Ning Zhuo had already been cheated against.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy when, at that moment, a stream of light flew in and landed precisely in Chu Xuangui's hand, turning into a jade talisman.

If it were not an important matter, the jade talisman would not have flown in at this moment.

Chu Xuangui hurriedly bowed to ask Duanmu Zhang for instructions.

Duanmu Zhang raised his hand to indicate it was fine, allowing Chu Xuangui to handle it immediately.

Chu Xuangui scanned it with his spiritual sense, a flash of surprise and relief appearing in his eyes.

"This is the latest intelligence regarding Ning Zhuo."

"He participated in the Profound Armor Cave's Cloud-Rising trial, eliminated Ban Jie, defeated three Jin Dan cultivators, and successfully captured first place!"

"Here is his complete process of passing the trials; please take a look, Sir."

"Oh? Let me see." Duanmu Zhang frowned slightly, his expression one of scrutiny as he took the jade talisman and sank his spiritual sense into it.

The stern look on Duanmu Zhang's face gradually dissolved, his severe gaze softened, and even a hint of astonishment appeared.

Ning Zhuo's excellent performance in passing three trials, winning against stronger opponents, using strategies, and daring to take risks at critical moments left a deep impression on Duanmu Zhang.

Especially—

In the first few clashes of the second trial, Ning Zhuo learned while practicing, demonstrating extremely strong learning ability and revealing superb comprehension, which Duanmu Zhang found unforgettable.

He suddenly understood and thought to himself, "This child actually has such comprehension? Decisive in the moment, seeing through things like a fire. No wonder that old fellow Zhong Dao values him so much."

Chu Xuangui had been observing his expression, and seeing the obvious change in Duanmu Zhang's demeanor, he felt relieved, thinking that Ning Zhuo's performance this time was quite timely.

He decisively seized the opportunity and said earnestly, "Sir, please judge! Although we designed the two Cloud-Rising trials out of selfishness, there was absolutely no favoritism during the entire trial process! Ning Zhuo relied on his own ingenuity, intellect, knowledge, and other abilities to capture first place; it was well-deserved."

Duanmu Zhang remained silent and watched the images again; Ning Zhuo's image became deeper and more vivid in his mind.

"This child is indeed talented." Duanmu Zhang felt a desire to cherish talent, but also felt deep regret, "Why is he not a Confucian cultivator?"

Finally, he sighed almost inaudibly.

When he looked up at Chu Xuangui and Song Taosheng again, there was no more reproach in his eyes, but rather more understanding.

After pondering, Duanmu Zhang said with deep meaning: "Mencius, Teng Wen Gong I says: 'If people in the same village and well-field are friendly in their comings and goings, help each other in keeping watch, and support each other in illness, then the people will live in harmony.'"

"Helping each other among fellow disciples and fellow Daoists is the style of a gentleman."

"Since this good bond has been formed, it should indeed be maintained well. Although Ning Zhuo is not a Confucian cultivator, his talent is promising, and his mother's benevolence and love must be a family inheritance. Since you have already taken action, you cannot give up halfway. You should treat him with sincerity and interact with him with courtesy, so that he may know the benevolence of our Confucian school and feel the friendship of our fellow Daoists. This is not favoritism, but building good bonds and consolidating foundations."

"You must—grasp the measure and not give others a handle to use against you."

Hearing this, Chu Xuangui and Song Taosheng felt the heavy stone in their hearts fall, and both bowed deeply: "We will strictly follow your teachings, Sir!"

Leaving the place, Chu Xuangui transmitted his thoughts: "As we expected, a rising star of the righteous path like Ning Zhuo, an excellent junior, would inevitably be valued by Mr. Duanmu."

Song Taosheng responded with his spiritual sense: "It's good now; our biggest concern is gone, and we can support Ning Zhuo with even greater effort."

Chu Xuangui said: "No, according to the previous plan, we still need to help him twice more!"

"With Mr. Duanmu's permission, we can easily persuade other fellow Daoists."

Song Taosheng laughed heartily: "That's right! Since we have already helped him secretly, let's do it to the extreme! The greater this favor, the better."

Another cave dwelling.

Bai Jiyun and Kong Ran were exchanging what they had learned.

Bai Jiyun said slowly: "The Master said, 'Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself,' which is the foundation of the Way of Forgiveness. However, in my opinion, if one encounters tyranny and bullying, blindly retreating and enduring may not be the way for a gentleman to conduct himself. Repaying grievances with justice and repaying virtue with virtue is the essence of combining firmness and softness."

Kong Ran nodded, then shook his head slightly: "The Book of Rites, Qu Li says: 'Courtesy requires reciprocity. To receive without giving is not courteous; to give without receiving is also not courteous.' The Master's Way of Forgiveness is not unprincipled retreat, but taking 'courtesy' as the measure. When encountering tyranny, one should respond with firmness that conforms to 'courtesy' to make them stop, rather than replacing violence with violence and falling into a lower path."

Bai Jiyun's eyes flickered, secretly sighing at Kong Ran's family heritage; his understanding of courtesy was very deep, reflecting many classics.

Just as he was about to speak, a spiritual light pierced through the window lattice and hovered lightly over the desk, turning into a small jade talisman.

The two probed it with their spiritual sense one after another, both showing interesting expressions.

"Ning Zhuo defeated Ban Jie, haha." Kong Ran clapped in praise.

Ning Zhuo had treated him to a meal, and in Kong Ran's view, they were already friends. Conversely, although Ban Jie was born into the Ban family, he practiced the demonic path and had a history of evil deeds, which Kong Ran, as a Confucian cultivator, disliked very much.

He clapped in joy at the result of Ning Zhuo eliminating Ban Jie.

Bai Jiyun lowered the jade talisman to read the details of Ning Zhuo's trial carefully. His tone was a bit complex as he sighed: "Ning Zhuo is indeed not a Confucian cultivator. His actions in eliminating Ban Jie were manipulative, full of calculations, sharp-edged, and lacked the 'valuing harmony' of the middle path in his conduct."

His temperament was lazy and open-minded, very different from Ning Zhuo's.

Kong Ran preferred excitement: "Hee hee, there's a good show to watch!"

"For genius figures like Ning Zhuo and Ban Jie, which session of the Flying Cloud Assembly hasn't been a fight to the death?"

Hearing this, Bai Jiyun nodded in agreement: "That's right. Genius rivalry has been the case since ancient times. With the conflict between the two of them now, like fire and water, and deep-seated grievances—I fear that in the future Cloud-Rising trial at the Martial Arts Hall, a real life-and-death struggle will be unavoidable."

Kong Ran's eyes lit up, and he immediately replied: "Speaking of the Martial Arts Hall, there is a wonderful duel today."

"It's just a pity that neither Situ Xing nor Zhu Fenxiang made it public, and they only invited a limited number of people to watch. We can't see it."

Bai Jiyun looked out the window as if seeing the future, his voice becoming calmer: "The Cloud-Rising trials of previous sessions have been numerous, and the significance of each first place is vastly different."

"The first place in the Profound Armor Cave carries weight, but the Cloud-Rising trial in the Martial Arts Hall carries even more weight!"

"There will definitely be geniuses competing in public, not just to make a name for themselves, but also to justify the forces behind them."

"Let's wait a bit longer; such duels and martial exercises won't be few, and we will see them one after another."

The duels in the Martial Arts Hall do not forbid life-and-death outcomes.

And life-and-death struggles are better at revealing a cultivator's nature, courage, and truest combat power.

The geniuses standing at the forefront are the faces and futures of their respective sects and families. On one hand, they enjoy the glory of being in the spotlight, and on the other, they bear the heavy burdens and expectations that do not allow them to retreat.

They cannot retreat.

Kong Ran calculated the time and muttered: "It's already the Wei hour; hasn't the battle between Situ Xing and Zhu Fenxiang ended yet? I am looking forward to the result of this duel and have already bought this intelligence from the Commerce Hall in advance. Huh?"

While speaking, Kong Ran used his spiritual sense to quickly check Ning Zhuo's trial process and was slightly stunned.

"Ning Zhuo's learning speed and comprehension are a bit exaggerated, aren't they?"

"Wait a minute."

Kong Ran naturally thought of the deal he had almost reached with Ning Zhuo.

"Ning Zhuo said he had a friend who, like me, possessed the innate talent of early wisdom."

"So, he previously wanted the Intent-Conveying Brush to trade with me for techniques surrounding the early wisdom innate talent."

"Looking at it now, this learning ability of his is also very likely an innate talent. Could that 'friend' he spoke of be himself?"

Kong Ran hid this guess in his heart, and he couldn't help but feel moved.

"Previously, I proposed the trade to my father, but I was ruthlessly rejected."

"But now, if it concerns Ning Zhuo himself, would my father agree?"

"A genius like Ning Zhuo, with forces backing him, will surely be a powerhouse in the future. Maintaining a good relationship with such a powerhouse is mutually beneficial for our clan."

"This weight should not be light—hmm! I'll write a letter to my father when I find an opportunity!"

Kong Ran still couldn't stop thinking about the Intent-Conveying Brush.

Pivot Cave Dwelling.

Seven-colored brilliance emanated from the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor, as gorgeous as an aurora and as fine as silk.

This was a manifestation of true intent and principles.

The seven-colored brilliance traversed the air and finally flowed into Ning Zhuo's body.

Ning Zhuo frowned, sweating profusely, his body swaying slightly, his face like gold paper; he was reaching some kind of limit.

"The Way of the Pivot!"

"The control of mechanical creations should not be limited to the outside, restricted to pull-strings, hanging threads, magic power, spiritual sense, etc., but should allow them to have their own circulation core and autonomous regulation—"

One of the results of this philosophy was the Profound Soldier Armor.

When Young Master Qingwu instilled his own true intent of mechanical arts into Ning Zhuo, he inevitably passed on all the mechanical concepts contained in the Profound Soldier Armor to Ning Zhuo as well.

Although there were no clear blueprints or refining methods, Ning Zhuo's ability had already passed the test, and given time, he would surely be able to replicate it!

However, Young Master Qingwu did not care about this point.

If he achieved the status of a Martial God and went a step further, he could use more efficient measures to collect the martial understanding of his believers. This was far more efficient than the Profound Soldier Armor.

The Profound Soldier Armor was no longer a core interest for him.

If Ning Zhuo built the Profound Soldier Armor himself, it would also be a mutually beneficial thing. The force of the Profound Armor Cave would be eager for everyone to use the Profound Soldier Armor.

The seven-colored brilliance in the air slowly dissipated.

Ning Zhuo opened his eyes, showing complete exhaustion.

Young Master Qingwu was very satisfied with him; the three paths were cleared, and he only needed to make great progress in the martial path.

Regarding Ning Zhuo, Young Master Qingwu admired him more and more: "Now I am certain that you are truly a mechanical cultivator."

"Among the three true intents and principles of artifact refining, the Way of War, and mechanics, the one you absorbed the fastest was mechanics."

Ning Zhuo stood up and bowed in thanks: "This junior thanks you, Young Master; I am deeply grateful!"

Young Master Qingwu shook his head slightly: "It is you who helped me. Without a unique body like yours, it would have been extremely troublesome for me to achieve such results."

"You may leave now."

"The Cloud-Rising trial is a major opportunity for you. There is no need to continue delaying here with me."

"When you join the Myriad Phenomena Sect in the future, we will have a good chat."

"Take this jade plaque; from now on, you can use it to enter and exit the Pivot Cave Dwelling and see me directly."

Ning Zhuo felt relieved, sighing at how reasonable Young Master Qingwu was, and took the opportunity to bid farewell.

"Artifact Refining Master level, Way of War Artisan level, Mechanical Grandmaster level!"

"I've made a huge profit, a huge profit!"

These were all unexpected gains.

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but sigh: "First there was Qing Huangzi, then Young Master Qingwu—these are the two times I have gained the most while participating in the Cloud-Rising trial. Looking at it this way, perhaps Ban Jie is my lucky star?"

"Besides the soaring realm, there are three principles added to my body. My physical body can actually reach such a point!"

"The most urgent task is to return to the cave dwelling and study this carefully."