Faced with Ning Zhanji's sudden inquiry, the rest of the people looked at each other in dismay.
Ning Zhuo speculated, "These spirit plants are very young and have low value. Harvesting them is naturally not for their own sake. I think it is to maintain this passage, deliberately cleaning it. With spirit plants, it will attract spirit beasts and demon beasts. If our family wants to use this passage for a long time, it is obviously necessary to prevent problems before they happen."
"Correct." Ning Zhanji nodded, "The family school's training for you has been somewhat effective."
"Choose one of these spirit plants as a reward for answering correctly."
"As for which one you can pick, it depends on your discerning eye."
Ning Zhuo did not hesitate, directly reaching out to take a Fire Crystal Grass, and then thanked, "Thank you, Lord Ning Zhanji! I have some research on the herb market; among the spirit plants, this Fire Crystal Grass has the best appearance and will sell for the highest price."
Ning Zhanji nodded, then shook his head, "Choosing the one with the highest market price is also not bad."
"But if I were you, I would choose the Strength Ginseng."
"Because as members of the Ning Family, we practice ice-attribute cultivation techniques, and spirit plants like Fire Crystal Grass are not suitable for our physique. But Strength Ginseng is, as it can warm and nourish our bodies."
"You are still young, don't just focus on money. Remember, investing in yourself is the best path to success."
"Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, you'll have a different life altogether."
Hearing this, Ning Zhuo showed a look of earnest submission.
Ning Zhanji took the opportunity to impart some wisdom, "Excellent cultivators are always daring and willing to fight. You must fully assess the ratio between risk and reward. If you join the battle hall and are assigned to guard here, you can harvest a few spirit plants daily, with the protection of a temporary camp. This is a rare opportunity."
"Many times, refusing risk means refusing opportunity."
Ning Zhuo showed signs of excitement.
This change in expression did not escape Ning Zhanji's keen observation, making him inwardly chuckle, "Still just a youth…"
"Lord, I'd like to be stationed here!" Ning Yong called out excitedly.
Ning Zhanji laughed, "Newcomer, pass the special training first."
The large Ning Family cultivator troop entered an underground hall.
It was obviously a forward base specially built by the Ning Family.
Two stationed cultivators of the Ning Family were waiting inside the hall.
The stationed cultivators quickly came forward to meet them.
Ning Zhanji ordered a temporary rest. He himself stood in the center of the underground hall, mobilized mana, and began forming hand seals.
Soon, complex array patterns appeared on the cave wall above the hall.
At the center of the array patterns, a millstone-sized array plate slowly descended, finally landing in front of Ning Zhanji.
Ning Zhanji placed both hands on the array plate, using his divine sense to communicate and rapidly retrieve the recorded information within. In just a few seconds, he became fully aware of everything that had occurred at this forward base.
After completing this, he took out spirit stones from his money pouch, removing the dimmed or completely greyed-out spirit stones from the array plate and replacing them all.
After a brief rest, the Ning Family cultivator troop continued their journey.
Along the way, Ning Zhuo passed through three more forward bases.
Some were for rest, and some were simply passed by.
As everyone gradually delved deeper underground beneath the volcano, the threats increasingly intensified.
The traces of demon beasts became noticeably more frequent.
There were tiny Fire Fur Mice, stone-headed Rock Demons that could float in mid-air, and Flame Stepping Lizards.
"Halt!" Ning Zhanji, who had been leading the group, suddenly raised his hand, stopping in place.
The cultivators quickly came to a standstill, transitioning smoothly from movement to stillness, showcasing excellent tactical skill.
Ning Zhanji looked down, carefully inspecting a small ditch in front of him.
He stretched out his finger, gently touching the concave surface of the ditch. The surface felt smooth, emitting a slight glassy sheen.
"It's a Runaway Fire Snake, probably over a hundred years old, a Foundation Establishment Stage beast." Ning Zhanji explained, then ordered the entire troop to be on guard.
Ning Yong, however, displayed excitement, "Finally encountered one? With Lord Ning Zhanji here, why fear a mere beast?"
Ning Chen analyzed, "Apart from a few of us newcomers, we have six Foundation Establishment Stage members here. The rest are high-level Qi Refinement cultivators."
"Just a single Foundation Establishment Stage beast."
Ning Zhuo remained vigilant.
He knew well: beast's natural abilities often far surpassed human cultivators. Moreover, here in the Flame Demon Melting Cave, a prolonged battle could easily attract other beasts.
The Ning Family cultivator troop continued moving forward.
But this time, their speed significantly slowed down, and the atmosphere within the group shifted.
Before long, they found the Runaway Fire Snake.
The Runaway Fire Snake's body was slender, glowing brightly all over, resembling a long strip of fierce flames.
In fact, it was formed entirely from fire essence, lacking conventional beast blood and flesh.
The Runaway Fire Snake was fierce and quick, slithering through rocks, often leaving a melted snake path on the stone surface.
Just now, Ning Zhanji had discovered this snake path, estimating its age and strength from the path's width and the degree of melting.
Now that they encountered the beast, it proved that Ning Zhanji's judgment was spot on.
This was indeed a Foundation Establishment Stage beast.
The Ning Family cultivators started the battle.
First, a cultivator threw out an array plate, setting up a temporary formation to conceal everyone's aura.
Then, numerous cultivators began preparing spells.
Shortly after, streams of water arrows shot towards the Runaway Fire Snake.
The snake initially suffered a barrage of concentrated attacks, its fiery glow dimming by more than half before it could react.
The snake charged at the Ning Family cultivators with fierce momentum.
Two brawny cultivators rushed out, covered in various spells, confronting the snake head-on and holding it in place.
Other cultivators cast spells again, both augmenting the frontline fighters and actively striking the snake.
The Runaway Fire Snake could not fend off multiple attackers and soon its body shrank by a third under continuous water and frost spells.
Realizing it was outmatched, the snake tried to flee.
Ning Zhanji moved like lightning, blocking the snake. He clapped his palms together, sending out two Frost Palm Imprints.
The imprints flew through the air, emitting cold air. The snake was enveloped, its movements slowing noticeably.
Bang, bang.
Two overlapping sounds, and the Frost Palm Imprints directly killed the Runaway Fire Snake.
A perfect ambush!
Ning Yong's eyes sparkled with excitement, "This is Lord Ning Zhanji!"
His words revealed strong admiration and longing.
Ning Zhuo nodded repeatedly, showing a similar expression to Ning Yong, but secretly wondered, "In this volcano where fire-attribute spiritual energy is exceptionally dense, why are they using frost spells that are so inefficient?"
After several more demon beast hunts, Ning Zhuo gradually understood.
As it turned out, Ning Zhanji was deliberately training them.
When encountering weaker beasts or spirits, they used spells to spar, honing their cooperation.
Against stronger beasts, the Ning Family cultivators employed various magic artifacts, with Ning Zhanji leading the attacks.
To avoid prolonged battles attracting more trouble, the Ning Family cultivators focused on quick, decisive victories to end fights as swiftly as possible.
"There's a Magma Demon Ape ahead!" Suddenly, a scout cultivator called out a warning.
The entire team halted.
A mature Magma Demon Ape was incredibly troublesome, equivalent to ten Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.
It was very unlikely that the ape here would be an infant.
Even Ning Zhanji furrowed his brows.
"Wait a moment, something seems off with the ape." The scout cultivator, eyes closed, had a headband emitting a faint glow.
"It seems to be dead?!" The scout cultivator opened his eyes, visibly shocked.