The Ning Family Clan Leader gave a bitter smile: "State your conditions."
With each condition Ning Xiaohui stated, his face grew darker.
After five conditions, the Clan Leader could no longer endure and raised his hand to stop: "Stop, let's pause for now."
Ning Grandma, who had seniority, spoke displeasedly: "Why stop? My granddaughter is willing to risk her life for this."
The Talisman Hall Elder chimed in support: "Clan Leader, do you know? The City Lord's Mansion is already taking action, deploying multiple squads of the City Guard Army to continuously patrol Fire Persimmon Immortal City and begin strict inspections of cultivators practicing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art."
"If Xiao Hui participates in this competition, the risks are not just within the Magma Fairy Palace."
Ning Grandma let out a cold snort: "We are all from the main branch, our own people, not outsiders from a side branch; Clan Leader, why are you being stingy?"
Ning Zhuo woke up, and it was already noon the next day.
He felt much better.
"It seems I need some elixir pills to nourish and restore my soul."
Although Ning Zhuo usually kept a lot of elixir pills in reserve, he did not have many that concerned the soul.
Based on his first exploration of the Magma Fairy Palace, he knew these types of elixirs would be indispensable later on.
"Not only the giant tree in Room Two can weaken the soul."
"When the soul is extracted and hosted in the mechanical puppet, it is also slowly consuming soul power."
"Therefore, the stronger the soul foundation, the more advantageous it will be for exploring the Magma Fairy Palace."
Once he thought of it, Ning Zhuo took action.
He decided to purchase soul-nourishing elixirs from several elixir pavilions and pharmacies in the city, and each time he bought them, he would also buy other elixirs as cover.
However, on the way, he heard people complaining about the City Guard Army arresting people everywhere.
He also saw many notices posted on the walls—the City Lord's Mansion was urgently testing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, fearing that it might be a demon path cultivation technique disguised as a Daoist art, and ordered that cultivators in the city were temporarily forbidden to practice it.
Ning Zhuo immediately changed his plan and dared not buy elixirs from the pavilions or pharmacies.
On his way back, he heard some rumors that made his heart tighten.
"Meng Chong, Zheng Jian, and Zhou Zhu have all been attacked and ambushed?"
"It's so terrifying."
"Even these geniuses, under the heavy protection of their families, face such dangers."
"If someone as ordinary as me is exposed, it would be even worse!"
"Mother was absolutely right; I should hide well."
Ning Zhuo returned home.
He needed to stock up more soul-nourishing elixirs, but with the situation being so tense, he decided to delay for the time being.
Ning Zhuo considered the black market.
But since the explosion in the Immortal Palace, his Iron Han Armor had been damaged significantly. The armor's exterior, especially the back, was too visibly damaged.
The most crucial part was that one of the core components, the Foundation Establishment Pill, was nearly depleted.
This was Ning Zhuo's trump card and couldn't be wasted further.
"I should first master the spell rewarded by the Immortal Palace."
The spell Ning Zhuo obtained was called Embrace Ice Technique. Once activated, it could freeze the object in his embrace.
Ning Zhuo studied it and initially felt the spell was a bit weak.
He had previously specialized in the Snow Region Talisman Scripture, possessing Ice Frost type mana and mastering several spells.
For instance, there were the Ice Spear Technique, Frost Flower Technique, and Snowball Technique.
"The main drawback of Embrace Ice Technique is that it requires close combat to be effective."
"However, conventional spells like Ice Spear Technique and Snowball Technique can attack from a distance."
In actual combat, this flaw was significant.
This made Ning Zhuo want to use Ice Spear Technique instead.
In fact, he had wanted to use it in the Magma Fairy Palace.
The problem was he couldn't!
This is where the differences and connections between cultivation techniques and spells came into play.
Cultivation techniques like the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art and the Snow Region Talisman Scripture were primarily used to cultivate mana.
Spells like Ice Spear Technique, Frost Flower Technique, and Embrace Ice Technique utilized that mana in certain ways and techniques.
Spells relied on the foundation of cultivation techniques.
A cultivator's mana came in various types, such as ice elemental mana, which couldn't cast a Fire Dragon Technique. At most, it could cast an Ice Dragon Technique or a Snow Whale Technique, etc.
After acquiring five-element mana, Ning Zhuo had also tried using the Ice Spear Technique but found it impossible to activate.
This was because his mana included all five elements, making it necessary to extract the respective mana to use specific elemental spells.
The Ice Spear Technique he had mastered did not fit well with the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
It needed modification.
This situation was very common in the cultivation world.
If Ning Zhuo switched to another ice elemental cultivation technique, he would likely be able to use the previous Ice Spear Technique directly. However, the original spell wouldn't perfectly match the current mana, requiring modifications for seamless compatibility.
Embrace Ice Technique was a spell Ning Zhuo could use directly.
It was inherently compatible with the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
Ning Zhuo practiced it several times, extracting the water element from his five-element mana to initiate the Embrace Ice Technique.
The wooden stool he held instantly became covered in frost. The frost spread quickly, forming thicker layers, and within a few breaths, it turned into an ice block.
Ning Zhuo couldn't hide his amazement: "The power of the Embrace Ice Technique is this strong?"
Compared to the Ice Spear Technique, Snowball Technique, and Frost Flower Technique, the Embrace Ice Technique's power was significantly superior.
Next, Ning Zhuo focused on practicing the spell in his underground workspace.
Stools, chairs, mirrors, bricks, and other items were all frozen into ice blocks.
He became deeply engrossed in the practice.
The floor and corners of the room were filled with various sizes of ice lumps, freezing all sorts of things. The entire underground workspace became filled with cold air, turning it into an underground ice cellar.
"In front of the first door, I encountered three options: Spirit Stone, hangman's noose, and a stream of Qi."
"Carefully thinking back, these three options should all help me in passing the trials."
"Spirit Stone goes without saying. The hangman's noose might be similar to the Top and Bottom Wishing Ropes I made, and a stream of Qi spell might enable the mechanical puppet to change direction mid-air or even fly briefly."
"Following this logic, the reward options at the second door should also help me in passing the trials."
"Spirit Stone is a given; I didn't see what the mechanical component was. Judging by the Embrace Ice Technique spell, the challenge in Room Three probably requires me to fight."
Ning Zhuo analyzed the situation with clear logic. The evidence supported his conclusion—the Embrace Ice Technique was a typical attack spell.
"Room One required creating mechanical puppets; Room Two tested the puppets' jumping, running, and dodging capabilities; Room Three will likely involve combat."
"Seen this way, the trials of the Magma Fairy Palace are not simply challenging but also educational. The Three Ancestral Masters seem not only to be selecting outstanding individuals but also imparting mechanical techniques."
"Sigh, my soul is almost fully restored. But I don't know when I can return to the Immortal Palace."
That night, exhausted from practicing, Ning Zhuo fell into a deep sleep.
He felt something was off and tried to open his eyes, only to find darkness.
After a few seconds of confusion, he sensed his surroundings and became instantly excited.
"My soul has been extracted again and entered the Magma Fairy Palace!"