Han Ming wolfed down the food, sweeping away her previous attitude of refusal.
After finishing, she still wanted more: "Is there more?"
Ning Zhuo: "Sorry, I'll bring you more next time."
Han Ming nodded: "It's best to get me some spirit food. Although these mundane dishes are tasty, they don't help cultivators like you and me much."
Ning Zhuo responded: "I'll consider it."
Han Ming continued: "And my soul. I must tell you, I can't sustain this a few more times."
"If you keep extracting without restraint, my soul's essence will be exhausted."
By then, Han Ming would be scattered to the winds, not even able to become a ghost cultivator.
Realizing this, Han Ming chose to temporarily submit, biding her time for the opportune moment.
Ning Zhuo nodded: "Do you have any good suggestions?"
Han Ming said: "Give me people! I just need soul absorption to nourish myself. With the essence of the soul, I can continuously provide you with soul essence."
Ning Zhuo smiled: "In fact, I already prepared."
"Oh?"
Ning Zhuo stood up and temporarily left the cell. When he returned, he was holding three to five monkeys.
Han Ming's face darkened: "I said I need people. These monkeys can only be absorbed by thirty percent at most."
Ning Zhuo chuckled: "Thirty percent efficiency is acceptable to me."
"I'm not a demon cultivator, I won't harm people. These beasts and goblins don't matter."
"Here on Fire Persimmon Mountain, there are many monkeys. Killing some also benefits Fire Persimmon Mountain City."
Han Ming couldn't resist anymore and sneered sarcastically: "And you claim you're not a demon cultivator?"
"You're just unclear about my background, afraid I'd secretly amass power by absorbing human souls."
"Additionally, killing people and monkeys makes a completely different noise. You worry that this will hasten your exposure!"
Ning Zhuo smiled: "You've reminded me, thank you, Han Ming."
"To be safe, I'll continue using these mechanical needles to closely monitor you."
Seeing Ning Zhuo take out the mechanical needles again, Han Ming's pupils shrunk to pin-sized points, filled with rage.
But this time, she only glared at Ning Zhuo silently, refraining from cursing.
Magma Fairy Palace.
Meng Chong had already lost count of how many challenges he attempted.
To be precise, the number of failures didn't matter to him.
He just wanted to break through!
Among the rewards, he chose the hangman's noose.
He slightly opened the door, creating a gap.
Meng Chong carefully extended the hangman's noose into Room 2.
Ding ding ding...
He didn't hesitate to shoot out all his gems.
Talent—Frenzied Rushing Thunder!
Spell—A Single Breath!
Mechanical Component—Hangman's Noose!
With the combined force of the three, Meng Chong forcefully pushed open the door, shooting out like a cannonball.
His speed broke through the limit. Although the mechanisms behind the door triggered, they weren't quick enough to stop him. The metal black net missed, and the heavy hammer platform just crushed the floor tiles.
"Ha ha ha!" Meng Chong laughed, his entire body encased in blue lightning as he sped towards the finish line.
The floor tiles quickly receded, but they couldn't keep up with Meng Chong's speed.
But in the next moment, Meng Chong crumbled!
Just before his vision went black, he saw it. The walls were lined with transparent, razor-sharp threads.
The faster Meng Chong moved, the quicker he was sliced by these threads.
Countless puppet fragments scattered across the ground. The fierce blue lightning lingered for a moment in mid-air, then reluctantly dissipated into the air.
Returning to his physical form, Meng Chong pouted, seething with frustration for quite some time.
Fei Si approached to inquire. Upon learning the details, he sincerely exclaimed: "I didn't expect the difficulty of this mechanical legacy to be so high!"
"Perhaps we should focus on deciphering the mechanical traps first to make progress."
"What? You want me to learn mechanical techniques?! I can't even handle alchemy and artifact refining," Meng Chong complained, feeling extremely troubled.
"I don't believe it!"
"I just didn't control that speed well enough."
"As long as I see clearly, I can pass through the mesh and reach the end!"
"I've decided, up next, I'll undergo special training. Three days and nights nonstop!" Meng Chong announced loudly.
Fei Si immediately showed a concerned expression and quickly advised: "Young Master Meng Chong, that's not a good idea."
"Lately, you've been using Frenzied Rushing Thunder far too frequently. You should check yourself in the mirror."
Meng Chong looked in the mirror, finding that he had deep, dark circles under his eyes, his face haggard, and his cheekbones slightly protruding.
"I can still push forward!" Meng Chong raised his head, showing no hesitation.
Fei Si tried to persuade: "Young Master Meng Chong, take it easy. Although the City Lord's Mansion provides you with unlimited resources, your essence, qi, and spirit replenishments require time."
"Currently, your consumption rate far exceeds your recovery rate. This trend is very unfavorable."
Meng Chong blinked: "What can I do to quickly replenish my essence, qi, and spirit then?"
Fei Si replied: "It has to be a cultivation technique."
"You've been practicing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, which can help you replenish your qi quickly. But it only has three levels, and the effect is not optimal."
"As for essence and spirit, there are no cultivation techniques to rely on; they must be naturally absorbed by your body."
Meng Chong shook his head: "Natural absorption is too slow! I'll talk to my grandfather; he knows many cultivation techniques. If I train in multiple techniques, I can quickly replenish my essence and spirit, right?"
"Ha ha ha, I'm a genius! With Frenzied Rushing Thunder, my cultivation speed is super fast. Within six days, I can master two techniques."
Fei Si gave a wry smile: "If it were that simple!"
"The City Lord has already calculated that the Qi Refinement trial has strict standards for palace entry. If you practice multiple cultivation techniques, you'll have multiple sources of mana and won't be recognized. You must completely disperse your cultivation to enter the palace."
Meng Chong: "What?"
Fei Si: "However, the City Lord also deduced that there are likely two other cultivation techniques within the Magma Fairy Palace that complement the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, allowing for triple dantian cultivation."
Meng Chong sighed: "That's useless if I can't even pass the second room."
Fei Si: ...
Magma Fairy Palace.
Under the resentful gaze of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, Ning Zhuo cleared Room Nine.
Entering the preparation room, he pushed open the door and exited.
The Ning Zhuo puppet entered a transit hall.
When he reached the center of the hall, he heard the sound of mechanical gears. The stone walls descended, revealing three doors.
The door on the left had a faint yellow aura of auspiciousness and the word "Buddhist."
The door in the center glowed green with the word "Daoist."
The door on the right emitted a heavy scent of blood and was labeled "Demonic."
"It's different from before."
"Buddhist, Daoist, Demonic..."
This slightly surprised Ning Zhuo, but he quickly recalled the Three Ancestral Masters' life experiences. They had successively practiced Daoist, Demonic, and Buddhist cultivation methods, so he accepted the situation.
He touched the Daoist door first, with no reaction.
He then touched the Buddhist door, and obtained a cultivation method— "Mirror Spirit Scripture."
Finally, by touching the Demonic door, he acquired a cultivation method called "Demon-infused Bloodline Technique!"
Both cultivation methods, like the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, had only the first three levels. But after studying them for a while, Ning Zhuo's wooden body trembled with excitement.
"These three cultivation methods complement each other, allowing triple dantian cultivation."
"Buddhist, Daoist, and Demonic cultivation methods, triple dantian Foundation Establishment?!"
"Such a Foundation Establishment method is the best in the present age."