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In the days following the proclamation of the Recruitment Order, three Golden Core cultivators entered Puppet Immortal City and were successfully "recruited" by the City Lord\'s Mansion.

The Meng family had discovered the Lava Immortal Palace many years ago.

For the Meng family, controlling the Lava Immortal Palace gave them a reason to occupy Puppet Immortal City. The city\'s resources weren\'t exceptional, but its location was advantageous. For the Meng family, it wasn’t an isolated area. Their influence could smoothly expand a great deal outward from here.

Within the Southern Dou Country, the Meng family’s influence would also rise significantly.

These were the benefits the Meng family truly cared about!

"Things are changing!"

The voice of the imperial edict echoed throughout the city, and Ning Zhuo naturally heard it as well.

He frowned, his expression solemn, feeling an immense pressure.

Currently, there were two paths to vie for the inheritance of the Lava Immortal Palace.

The first was the old path, open to cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage, Golden Core stage, Nascent Soul stage, and above. Each cultivation level had standards for proficiency in mechanical arts, and as long as one met these standards, they could compete. Through various actions, they could assist the Lava Immortal Palace and earn corresponding palace contributions.

When palace contributions reached a certain level, they could be exchanged for equivalent resources. The highest contribution should be the position of palace master.

The second path was the new one, exclusively for Qi Refining stage cultivators, specifically those who practiced the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.

Once they reached the third layer peak of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, they would qualify to have their souls extracted and enter the palace through the technique, "Life Hanging by a Thread."

In the trial checkpoints set by the Three Sect Lords, Qi Refining stage cultivators would take on the form of puppets and continuously break through challenges, learning and growing along the way.

As for whether this new path could ultimately lead to the palace throne, Ning Zhuo wasn’t entirely certain, but he speculated it could.

The discovery of this new path was a major advantage for Ning Zhuo.

However, as he continued advancing and breaking through, he encountered many unexpected dangers, some of which were life-threatening.

Starting from having his name on the leaderboard, to Yuan Dasheng’s sudden appearance, and then Qi Bai capturing Sun Lingtong…

Ning Zhuo had spent the majority of the accumulation he’d built over the past ten-plus years to get to where he was now. Almost all of the mechanical creations he had were consumed in his battle with Qi Bai.

Sun Lingtong was currently hiding in one of the few remaining underground bases, which wasn’t entirely safe either.

The proclamation of the Recruitment Order would undoubtedly attract countless foreign cultivators, bringing in a massive wave of newcomers to compete.

Ning Zhuo felt uncertain about this.

There were too many talents in the world, like fish swimming in a river. It wasn’t surprising that a few of them would leap out as dragons.

"Especially those from the prestigious sects. Those cultivators have been receiving the best education and cultivation resources since childhood. How can I compare with them?"

"My proficiency in mechanical arts stands out in the Ning family, but the Ning family excels in talismans."

"Among the cultivators coming in, there will definitely be those far superior to me in mechanical arts."

"My advantage in this area will diminish once compared to them!"

"My biggest advantage now is my head start. My progress in the trial checkpoints is the fastest, and I\'m first in all the ‘entry-level\' categories of the Five Rankings."

"But how long can this advantage last?"

"I’ve already pushed myself to my limits to get this far."

Ning Zhuo desperately wanted to break through the next set of checkpoints quickly.

Currently, he had reached the peak of the sixth layer of his Spiritual Sea cultivation, allowing him to open the second Buddha Gate.

However, the first checkpoint beyond the Buddha Gate was extremely difficult.

After attempting it, Ning Zhuo realized that the challenger would first enter half of a room.

That half of the room was a mechanical workshop.

The challenger would temporarily have a limited number of mechanical tools and platforms.

The checkpoint would provide some materials, allowing the challenger to make three selections.

After selecting nine times in total, the materials chosen would be used for crafting.

Whatever mechanical creation was made had to work alongside the Golden-Blooded Battle Ape, Dasheng, to face the following tests.

During the test, the other half of the room would shift into place, merging with the workshop to form a complete room.

Sometimes, the other half of the room contained various obstacles and traps that the mechanical creation needed to navigate through.

Other times, the other half would contain spell puppets, martial puppets, or a group of mechanical beasts that the mechanical creation needed to defeat.

There were also times when the room itself came with a cage, within which a living Red Flame Demon Beast was confined, and the mechanical creation had to kill the beast.

Ning Zhuo had passed seven tests in a row, but he made a mistake during the eighth one, resulting in an outright failure.

There was no room for retreat or re-entry. He was directly expelled from the Lava Immortal Palace, his soul returning to his body.

Afterward, Ning Zhuo constantly reflected on his experience and gained many insights.

"Just as Boss Sun said earlier, the sentient mechanical creation crafted by the disciples during the trials is crucial."

"In the subsequent challenges, the sentient mechanical creation is the foundation upon which further progress is built."

"At least, this is the case along the Buddha Gate route."

"After passing the second Buddha Gate, the level of materials provided by the checkpoints was clearly a tier higher than before."

"Following this trend, the materials in the later checkpoints should be even better."

"The difficulty of the checkpoints beyond the second Buddha Gate far exceeds the previous ones. The content of the trials has increased nearly tenfold. Since I haven’t reached the limit yet, I can’t be certain exactly how much more there is."

"Each test site is also one that can be scavenged. The various traps, obstacles, puppets, and Red Flame Demon Beasts all serve as new materials to repair the sentient mechanical creation, create more mechanical components, and even directly produce new mechanical entities."

"The remaining items from the first Buddha Gate\'s rewards can all directly help in these checkpoints."

"The rewards from the first Buddha Gate and the Demon Gate weren’t as directly helpful. Throughout the trial, I couldn’t command Yuan Dasheng and had to rely on him attacking on his own."

"This point also shows how important the sentient mechanical creation crafted during the first Buddha Gate is! The more spiritual it is, the greater the advantage it has in the subsequent checkpoints."

"For others to reach this point, the difficulties they’ll face will be far greater than mine, and the effort and time they’ll have to put in will undoubtedly be much more."

"Oh, I almost forgot."

"The Buddha Gate and Demon Gate have both been closed by me."

"They won’t be able to enter."

Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment and realized there were still flaws.

In the second transit hall, there were still Demon and Buddha Gates.

He needed to cheat again to close them.

The unexpected departure from the Immortal Palace had caught Ning Zhuo off guard. After failing the trial, he was directly expelled.

"No worries. Next time, when I get the chance, I’ll try to close the gates."

While Ning Zhuo was contemplating the checkpoints, the Ning family patriarch and young patriarch were discussing him.

"Ning Zhuo has indeed made great contributions this time," the Ning family patriarch sighed.

The young patriarch, Ning Xiaoren, echoed, "This boy is indeed a seed of mechanical arts, and his talent in it is astonishing."

"But…" Ning Xiaoren\'s tone shifted, "He took the initiative to express to me his desire to taste the Ice Jade Wine, and this attitude made me feel very uncomfortable."

The Ning family patriarch narrowed his eyes, his expression meaningful. "Xiaoren, you need to pay attention to one thing."

"This time, Ning Zhuo organized the manpower and acted independently without informing us."

"None of the people who acted with him were from the main family line."

Ning Xiaoren took a deep breath. "Father, I also noticed that—when Ning Zhuo simply raised his arm and called out, all those people immediately gathered around him and acted together. Ning Zhuo’s influence among the branch families cannot be ignored!"

"He may only be in the Qi Refining stage now, but his talent has already gained the favor of countless branch families."

"If we don’t suppress him while he’s still a sapling, once he grows into a towering tree, it’ll be too late, and we’ll regret it."

The Ning family patriarch nodded slowly. "Good, it’s excellent that you have this awareness. It wasn’t in vain that I’ve carefully nurtured you all these years."

"Ning Zhuo is indeed a good seedling with talent, but he’s too young. Young people always have a bit of rebelliousness in them."

"He has overstepped in some areas, and it’s time to make him understand that the family comes first, and the individual comes second."

"Make him realize that some rules must be followed."

"Go, give him a knock on the head. Teach him well so that in the future, he can become a sharp blade for our main family line."

"Yes, father. I will take my leave now." Ning Xiaoren bowed and, after stepping back a few steps, turned and left.