Ning Zhuo made his way back, collecting all the rewards he hadn't chosen earlier.
When he reached Room Two, he found that his soul power was insufficient.
Every time he opened a door, he needed to sense the Buddha Heart Demon Seal. This action consumed a significant amount of soul power.
Ning Zhuo simply returned to the first stage and finally obtained a spell called One Puff of Qi.
"Renaming was successful, and my soul power is almost exhausted. Might as well conduct a few more experiments in Room One this time."
He chose a corner, placed everything into the small flying box, and finally crawled inside himself, closing the lid.
He sensed the mark of the Trial Disciple, and in the next moment, his soul smoothly returned to his body.
"Smooth return! Not bad." Ning Zhuo clenched his fist, genuinely excited.
Before, every time he moved in and out, he had to consume almost all his soul power. Every time he came back, he had to heal and rest, not to mention feeling terrible. More importantly, it delayed his matters significantly.
Now that he could return voluntarily, it ensured that his state wouldn't sink to its lowest.
"Soul power has dropped to one-third, but I can still move freely."
Ning Zhuo first swallowed a few elixirs, then disguised himself as the Youthful Guest again and left through the teleportation array.
A moment later, he opened the door to the underground cell and met Han Ming.
Han Ming looked up sharply at the sound, and when she saw the Youthful Guest, she hurled curses at him madly, venting the boundless anger and hatred in her heart.
Ning Zhuo noted the many tear stains on her face and couldn't help but sigh, quietly listening for a while.
Han Ming cursed until she was gasping for breath, her face pale.
Taking advantage of the lull, Ning Zhuo controlled a dozen mechanical puppets, bringing water and food, climbing onto Han Ming to feed her bite by bite.
Han Ming sealed her lips shut, refusing to eat even if it killed her.
Although she had no strength left to curse, she glared at Ning Zhuo with eyes that seemed to spit fire.
Ning Zhuo sighed lightly: "You can't go on like this. If you don't eat or drink, you'll die."
Han Ming immediately showed a scornful, mad smile: "Die? Haha!"
"Death is better than having my cultivation level taken by you!"
"Youthful Guest, are you a man or not? If you are, let me go and fight me three hundred rounds!"
"If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me, make me a slave, no complaints. Even if it means giving you my soul essence, I'll accept it."
"Do you dare?!"
Ning Zhuo shook his head: "Why go through all this trouble?"
Saying this, he took out a set of mechanical needles.
Han Ming's pupils contracted sharply.
A moment later, her pitiful, sharp screams echoed again in the cell.
This time, the pain Han Ming suffered was greater than before. Ning Zhuo not only extracted her soul essence but also manipulated her to eat and drink a lot of food.
Han Ming couldn't support herself and fainted again.
Ning Zhuo directed the mechanical puppets to plug each needle, treat her wounds, and carefully apply medication to each injury.
Ning Zhuo's soul foundation surged again, reaching about six times its original limit.
Because he had lost a lot of soul power before, he currently had only three times the soul power reserve.
But that was enough for him to explore the Magma Fairy Palace again.
He returned to his place and activated the Trial Disciple mark, finding he couldn't enter.
"So there is indeed a time limit, hmm?" Ning Zhuo had anticipated this, staying calm.
He decided to test every interval of time, typically the length of one cup of tea, to find the accurate interval.
During this time, he didn't stay idle.
He began practicing spells.
This time, his exploration of the Immortal Palace had yielded more results than ever before, directly acquiring three spells.
One Puff of Qi, Grasping Fire Technique, and Grafting Technique were spells he should thoroughly practice.
At the City Lord's Mansion.
In the cultivation room, arrays whirred, and spiritual energy was so dense it formed faint clouds.
In the ethereal mist, Meng Chong sat cross-legged, electricity flickering all over his body.
After dispersing his cultivation, he immediately began training in the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
The spiritual energy was channeled directly from the Immortal City Great Array, purified from the vast fire spirit essence of Fire Persimmon Mountain.
The elixirs were from the City Lord's Mansion's treasury, all top-quality and in abundance.
And with his superior talent, Frenzied Rushing Thunder, every activation spiked Meng Chong's cultivation speed dramatically!
The electric light suddenly dissipated, and Meng Chong abruptly opened his eyes with a look of excitement: "Qi Refinement Level One!"
"This cultivation speed is at least ten times faster than before."
"Incredible, just incredible."
"Frenzied Rushing Thunder... Who knew it was this useful! How did I not think of this before?"
"Alas, Grandpa didn't even give me a hint."
"Ahem."
Meng Chong coughed a few times.
If one looked closely, they would see his face looked haggard, with faint greenish bags under his eyes.
Meng Chong was well aware of his condition.
Every time he activated Frenzied Rushing Thunder, it drained his essence, energy, and spirit simultaneously.
"Young Master Meng Chong, it's time for you to replenish your body," came a servant's voice from outside the cultivation room.
"Hmm!" Meng Chong stood up decisively, took a few strides, and forcefully pushed open the door.
Moments later, he arrived at the conditioning room, leaping directly into a medicinal bath.
The yellowish-brown medicinal liquid in the bath was made from precious herbs, carefully concocted, emitting a thick, nearly foul medicinal scent.
Meng Chong submerged himself, while devouring various spirit foods brought by the servants.
After filling his stomach with portions of spirit food, he tilted his neck back and downed two jars of medicinal wine, finally taking a few bottles of elixirs like they were peanuts.
As he ate, blood began to seep from his seven orifices.
The servant nervously reminded, "Young Master Meng Chong, that's enough. You've taken too much, your body is at its limit; it can't hold any more."
Meng Chong laughed heartily: "What's there to fear? I have superior talent!"
"Frenzied Rushing Thunder!" he shouted.
In the next instant, his entire body burst into countless electric arcs again.
The talent boost made him digest the medicinal power at an astonishing speed.
His bloated belly flattened before his eyes.
The bath, once filled with medicinal liquid, quickly cleared up, its scent fading until it was barely detectable.
Meng Chong leaped out, brimming with vitality, and swiftly returned to the cultivation room.
"I will not stop for a moment! I must seize every second and give my all!"
"I will be the first to enter the Magma Fairy Palace!"
"Grandpa, I won't let you down."
Meng Chong fully embraced his determination, moving with a fierce vigor, his desire for cultivation frighteningly intense.
Ning Zhuo's initial tests had results—three hours!
He entered the Magma Fairy Palace for the fourth time.
The wooden puppet body and the small flying box he deliberately left in Room One had been cleaned up, disappearing without a trace.
This somewhat disappointed him.
However, when touching the door, he found that the rewards could be chosen again.
Using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, he collected all three rewards from each door.
Arriving at the preparation room, Ning Zhuo didn't rush ahead but instead looked at the various mechanical crafting tools and the small and large mechanical platforms, falling into deep thought.