Chapter 50: The Gathering of Three Great Powers

Han Ming devoured the meal voraciously, sweeping away her previous refusal.

When she finished, she still wanted more. “Is there any left?”

Ning Zhuo replied, “Sorry, next time I’ll bring you more.”

Han Ming nodded. “It would be best if you could bring me some spiritual food. These mundane dishes are tasty, but for cultivators like us, they don’t do much good.”

Ning Zhuo acknowledged her words. “I’ll take it into consideration.”

Han Ming went on, “And there’s the matter of my soul. I must tell you, I can’t support you much longer if you keep doing this.”

“If you keep extracting so recklessly, my soul’s foundation will be exhausted.”

At that point, Han Ming would be utterly annihilated, unable even to become a ghost cultivator.

It was precisely this realization that made Han Ming choose to yield for now, to endure humiliation in exchange for survival.

Ning Zhuo nodded. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Han Ming said, “Give me people! As long as I can absorb souls, I can nourish myself. With a strong soul foundation, I can provide you with a steady supply of soul essence.”

Ning Zhuo smiled. “In fact, I’ve already prepared something for you.”

“Oh?”

Ning Zhuo stood up and left the cell for a moment. When he returned, he was carrying three or five monkeys in his hand.

Han Ming’s expression darkened. “I said I need people. With these monkeys, I can absorb at most thirty percent efficiency.”

Ning Zhuo chuckled. “Thirty percent is something I can accept.”

“I am not a demonic cultivator. I won’t harm people. Beasts and monsters are another matter.”

“There are plenty of monkeys around Fire Persimmon Mountain. Culling a few helps the city as well.”

Han Ming could no longer hold back and sneered, his voice full of mockery. “And you claim you aren’t a demonic cultivator?”

“You simply don’t know my true nature. You’re afraid that if I absorb human souls, I’ll secretly accumulate power.”

“Besides, murdering humans would make a much bigger stir than killing monkeys. You’re afraid that would hasten your exposure!”

Ning Zhuo smiled. “Thank you for the reminder, Han Ming.”

“To be safe, I’ll keep these mechanism needles on you and monitor you strictly.”

Seeing Ning Zhuo produce the mechanism needles again, Han Ming’s pupils shrank to pinpoints, filled with fury and indignation.

But this time, she only glared at Ning Zhuo and refrained from cursing.

Lava Immortal Palace.

Meng Chong had long since lost track of how many times he’d attempted the challenge.

In truth, the number of failures meant nothing to him.

He only wanted to break through!

For his reward, he had chosen the Hanging Ring.

He cracked the door open ever so slightly, just enough to make a gap.

Meng Chong carefully extended the Hanging Ring into Room Two.

Clang, clang, clang…

He spared no expense, firing off all his rainbow gems.

Innate Talent—Thunderous Sprint!

Spell—A Single Breath!

Mechanism Component—Hanging Ring!

With all three powers combined, Meng Chong shoved the door wide open, his body shooting out like a cannonball.

His speed surpassed all limits. Traps triggered behind the door, but none could catch him in time. The black metal net missed, and the crushing hammer slammed only into the floor tiles.

“Ha ha ha!” Meng Chong laughed, his body shrouded in blue lightning as he sped toward the finish.

The tiles raced past beneath him, but nothing could match his velocity.

But the next instant, Meng Chong was torn apart!

Just before his vision went black, he saw it clearly. Thin, transparent wires stretched between the walls, razor-sharp.

The faster Meng Chong ran, the faster he was cut to pieces by those wires.

Countless puppet fragments scattered everywhere, the fierce blue lightning lingering in the air for a moment before dissipating in utter reluctance.

His body restored, Meng Chong pursed his lips, sulking for a long time.

Fei Si came to ask about the attempt, and after hearing the details, sighed in genuine admiration. “I didn’t expect the traps in this legacy to be so difficult!”

“Maybe we should focus on cracking the mechanisms before moving forward.”

“What? You want me to learn mechanism arts?! I’m hopeless at alchemy and crafting!” Meng Chong clutched his head in frustration.

“I don’t believe it!”

“I just couldn’t control my speed!”

“As long as I can see clearly, I’ll get through those wires and reach the end!”

“I’ve decided—time for special training. Three days and nights, no sleep, no rest!” Meng Chong announced loudly.

Fei Si looked troubled and quickly tried to dissuade him. “Young Master Meng Chong, that’s not wise.”

“Lately you’ve been using Thunderous Sprint too often. You should look in the mirror.”

Meng Chong glanced at his reflection and saw deep, dark circles under his eyes, a haggard face, and prominent cheekbones.

“I can keep going!” Meng Chong raised his chin, utterly undaunted.

Fei Si pleaded, “Young master, take care. The City Lord’s Mansion provides you with unlimited resources, but replenishing your essence, energy, and spirit still takes time.”

“Right now, you’re consuming them much faster than you can recover. That’s not a good sign.”

Meng Chong blinked. “Is there any way to quickly restore my essence, energy, and spirit?”

Fei Si replied, “Only cultivation methods can help.”

“You’ve learned the Five Elements Qi Regulation Method, which can quickly restore your energy. But it only has three layers, so it’s not very effective.”

“As for essence and spirit, there are no cultivation methods to rely on. You can only recover naturally.”

Meng Chong shook his head. “Natural recovery is far too slow! I’ll talk to my grandfather. He knows so many techniques; if I practice a few more, I’ll replenish my essence and spirit quickly, won’t I?”

“Haha, I’m a genius! With Thunderous Sprint, my cultivation speed is amazing. I’ll master two techniques in six days at most.”

Fei Si smiled wryly. “If only it were that simple!”

“The City Lord has already calculated that there are strict requirements for entering the Immortal Palace in the Qi Refining trial. If you cultivate other techniques, you’ll have different forms of energy and won’t be recognized. You must relinquish all other power before you can enter.”

Meng Chong: “What?”

Fei Si continued, “However, the City Lord also deduced that there are likely two more techniques within the Lava Immortal Palace, matching the Five Elements Qi Regulation Method, allowing one to train three dantians simultaneously.”

Meng Chong sighed. “That’s not much help when I can’t even clear the second room.”

Fei Si: …

Lava Immortal Palace.

Under the disgruntled gaze of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, Ning Zhuo broke through the ninth room.

He entered the preparation chamber, then stepped through another door.

The puppet Ning Zhuo found himself in a transfer hall.

As he reached the center, he heard the click of mechanisms. Stone walls sank downward, revealing three doors.

The left door emanated a pale, auspicious yellow glow, inscribed with the word “Buddha.”

The center door shone with jade light, bearing the character “Dao.”

The right door exuded a heavy scent of blood and bore the word “Demon.”

“It’s different from before.”

“Buddhist, Daoist, Demonic paths…”

This surprised Ning Zhuo, but he quickly recalled that the three Sects’ grandmasters had each trained in Daoist, Demonic, and Buddhist arts in succession, and accepted the situation.

He touched the Daoist door—no response.

He touched the Buddhist door and received a technique, the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Sutra.

Finally, he touched the Demonic door and gained another technique: Blood-Tainted Demon Vein Art!

These two, along with the Buddha’s Heart Demon Seal, all had only the first three layers. Yet as Ning Zhuo studied them for a moment, excitement made his wooden body tremble.

“These three techniques complement one another and allow simultaneous cultivation in three dantians.”

“Buddhist, Daoist, and Demonic arts—building a foundation with three dantians?!”

“Such a method is the pinnacle of the current era.”