Chapter 46: Again!
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The rewards for Room Two were two spirit stones, a mechanical component—the glass flying knife—and the spell, Fire Grasp. Ning Zhuo chose the spirit stones without hesitation.
When he reached Room Three, he once again faced the Kung Fu Puppet. Without a moment’s doubt, Ning Zhuo embraced it, letting the puppet pummel him as he unleashed the Ice Embrace spell with all his might.
Moments later, the Kung Fu Puppet was turned into a frozen lump for the second time. Its large eyes glowed yellow, as if glaring at Ning Zhuo for his unsportsmanlike conduct.
“I’m sorry,” Ning Zhuo thought, “I know this trial is meant to hone my close-quarter combat skills against puppets. Unfortunately, I don’t have time now—perhaps, someday, I’ll return to improve.”
Room Three’s rewards were ten spirit stones, a mechanical component—the miniature flying box—and the spell, Wood Grafting. Ning Zhuo again chose the spirit stones.
At last, he returned to the Preparation Chamber! Ning Zhuo’s heart surged with excitement.
He observed the smooth, empty floor. “My puppet body from the second exploration has already been removed.”
He hurried to the rotating five-faced stone pillar and placed his palm upon it.
“I want to withdraw from the rankings!” With resolve, Ning Zhuo infused his spiritual power, simultaneously channeling his soul force to sense the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
The Buddha Heart Demon Seal did not disappoint him. Soon, he saw his name slowly sink.
But when his name had fully sunk, it began to rise again!
“What’s going on?!” For a moment, Ning Zhuo was stunned.
Lava Immortal Palace, main hall.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit looked up, delighted, opened its mouth, and sprayed a torrent of flames. Its expression brimmed with schadenfreude, as if to say: Serves you right for using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal to cheat!
If he weren’t in puppet form, cold sweat would have drenched Ning Zhuo by now.
“Cannot hide my name?”
“This means I must keep my name on the rankings.”
“Wait—perhaps I can change my name?”
Ning Zhuo continued to experiment.
On his first attempt, he succeeded. To his surprise, he saw his name change—from Ning Zhuo to Ning Ji!
Roar!
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, just moments ago brimming with joy, now lifted its head and howled in rage, causing the Immortal Palace to shake violently.
High above the summit of Fire Persimmon Mountain, the lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City immediately opened his eyes, warily gazing toward the palace within the volcano’s crater.
He watched for quite a while, and, confirming the palace had only trembled once, he slowly closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.
Ning Zhuo looked up at the ranking board and gently shook his head.
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“Changing my name to Ning Ji won’t work. It’s too easy to trace back.”
“What if I use Meng Chong’s name?”
“No, that’s even worse.”
“If Meng Chong enters the Preparation Chamber, he’ll find he occupies both first and second place. That would expose everything.”
“What name should I use?”
Ning Zhuo was troubled.
Even an unfamiliar name would leave flaws.
After pondering for a while, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He gazed at the ranking board, now bearing his altered name, and mused, “This should fool them for a while.”
Main hall.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit repeatedly smashed its head against a pillar. It was in considerable agony, forced to watch others cheat while powerless to stop them. Though it was the spirit of the palace, it was bound by many restrictions.
With each blow to the pillar, the Lava Immortal Palace trembled in time.
High in the clouds, the city lord suddenly opened his eyes, brows furrowed, eyes radiant. “Another uprising?!”
He remained vigilant for quite some time, only to see the palace shudder, sending waves through the magma below.
It was oddly rhythmic.
The city lord gradually relaxed, unable to fathom, “Is the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit malfunctioning? What is it doing?!”
Ning Zhuo, meanwhile, felt a thrill.
He found that as long as he changed his name on one ranking board, all the others followed suit.
He didn’t need to exhaust his spiritual and soul power to alter each board individually.
“The reality is much easier than I imagined!”
“So, one must never fear difficulties. Often, they are mere products of our own imagination.”
Ning Zhuo gave himself a brief word of encouragement.
At this moment, he still had plenty of spiritual power, and about half his soul force remained—enough to continue exploring.
Rather than rush to the next challenge, Ning Zhuo searched the Preparation Chamber.
He reached for a welding torch hanging on the wall, only to be met with a message demanding payment.
This time, Ning Zhuo refused to pay, and instead called upon the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit flicked its tail in disdain, its contempt all too evident.
After a while, Ning Zhuo sighed in disappointment.
The Buddha Heart Demon Seal could not grant him free use of these tools, nor could it even reduce the fee or offer a discount.
The extent of the privileges granted by this precious seal—what it could and could not do—would have to be discovered through trial and error.
Ning Zhuo returned once more to the stone pillar ranking board.
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This five-faced stone pillar rotated periodically, displaying its five ranking boards.
Ning Zhuo touched the pillar and sensed the Buddha Heart Demon Seal.
In that instant, the pillar ceased to rotate.
He was about to rejoice in this small victory when suddenly, a spark shot through his mind like lightning!
He looked up, his eyes bright with excitement, at the door of the Preparation Chamber.
He rushed over, about to push the door open and enter the next unknown room, when he drew his hand back.
Instead, he ran to the opposite side, standing before the entrance through which he had originally entered.
Meanwhile, in the main hall,
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was now crouched, forelimbs pressed to the floor, its gaze fixed anxiously on Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo invoked the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, attempting to pull open the door.
The next moment, the door slid open effortlessly in his hand!
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, witnessing this, threw its head back and let out a furious howl, slamming its paw to the ground and sending sparks flying.
Ning Zhuo opened the door and was greeted by Room Three’s familiar scene.
The Kung Fu Puppet was still frozen solid.
Resisting his excitement, Ning Zhuo entered Room Three and closed the door behind him.
Once again, his palm touched the door.
The message about the rewards appeared once more: ten spirit stones, a miniature flying box, and the spell Wood Grafting.
Ning Zhuo first chose the spirit stones, but though the teleportation circle reappeared, it yielded nothing—not a single stone.
He then chose the flying box.
Thus, he acquired a small wooden box capable of floating in midair.
Lastly, he selected Wood Grafting, gaining detailed knowledge of the spell.
Main hall.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit slammed its head against the pillar once more, roaring with fury.
Its howls reverberated in all directions.
Yet unlike before, the roar now carried undertones of powerlessness, frustration, and pent-up emotion.
The Lava Immortal Palace erupted again, beams of treasure-light piercing the heavens.
“Again?!” The lord of Fire Persimmon City was forced to halt his cultivation, blowing his beard in exasperation as he activated the grand city array to quell the palace’s new outburst.