Chapter 110: A Resounding Victory, a Chilling Combo

Ning Zhuo would occasionally walk behind Ning Chen or Ning Yong and place his hands on their backs, helping them manipulate the Sharp-Advance Needles to open up their various energy meridians in advance.

The cultivation levels of the two were lower than Ning Zhuo’s, leaving many of their meridians blocked. Ning Zhuo had long since reached the peak of the third layer and had now broken through to the fourth. He was intimately familiar with these meridians, effectively acting as a local guide leading outsiders through a path.

The Ice-Light Meridian-Strengthening Talisman and the Sharp-Advance Needle formed a clever and effective combination. Newly opened meridians are often weak and unstable; applying the Ice-Light Meridian-Strengthening Talisman immediately after opening them could solidify them, sparing the cultivator much of the subsequent effort required for nourishment and conditioning.

Soon, both Ning Chen and Ning Yong achieved breakthroughs. Ning Zhuo monitored them closely, offering guidance at every step. At first, the two struggled to circulate their new spiritual energy through the unfamiliar pathways. However, Ning Zhuo secretly manipulated his "Human-Life Hanging Thread," directly controlling their physical bodies to adjust their breathing and optimize their rhythm. Simultaneously, he channeled a sliver of the power from his "Buddha-Heart Demonic Seal" to guide their thoughts, ensuring they remained unaware of the truth. They simply believed that Ning Zhuo was an excellent teacher and that they themselves were talented learners.

Every cultivator has a limit to how much they can absorb in a single day. Ning Chen hit his limit first, followed shortly by Ning Yong. Ning Zhuo then withdrew his hands from their backs. "Take some time to stabilize your energy. I will wait for you outside."

Ning Zhuo exited the cultivation chamber first. Shortly after, Ning Chen and Ning Yong emerged, looking exhausted. Ning Chen was the first to offer a salute, expressing his deep gratitude for Ning Zhuo’s guidance. Ning Yong scratched his head, unable to match Ning Chen’s eloquent words, and simply added, "Same here."

Ning Zhuo laughed, dismissing it as a minor favor within his power. Ning Chen, looking serious, bowed deeply. "Brother Ning Zhuo, if you have any tasks in the future, just give the word."

Ning Zhuo nodded with a smile. Ning Chen was sharp and understood social cues; Ning Yong was a bit lacking in that regard. Not wanting to be left behind, Ning Yong realized his mistake after hearing Ning Chen and quickly added, "I, I am the same as well."

Ning Zhuo then said, "Actually, there is a task right now that I would like the two of you to handle for me."

Ning Chen felt a sense of relief and eagerly asked what it was. Ning Zhuo instructed them to go to the Monkey Head Gang’s headquarters and find the current leader, Yuan Er.

...

Yuan Er sat at the head of the table, while the gang elders below engaged in a heated argument. Their voices were loud, and during their disputes, they would often slam the table, use profanity, and shout, trying to outdo each other in volume. The once-solemn meeting hall had become as chaotic as a marketplace.

Yuan Er’s face was ashen. Without Yuan Dasheng there to back him up, these elders had grown bold. Yuan Er couldn't get a word in; he felt like a wooden puppet—sitting in the seat of honor, but held in contempt by everyone. On the surface, the elders were arguing with each other, but in reality, they were making a spectacle of Yuan Er. He could clearly feel his already meager authority rapidly disintegrating.

"What should I do?" Yuan Er wondered. "Who can help me?"

Perhaps his internal prayers were heard, as Ning Chen and Ning Yong were led in by a gang member. Ning Chen looked solemn, while Ning Yong held his head high. Leading the way into the hall, Ning Yong spoke loudly: "Leader Yuan Er, my young master has matters to discuss with you."

The meeting hall went silent. The gang elders turned their heads in unison to look at the two young Qi-refining cultivators. Their gazes instinctively fell upon the identity tokens at their waists.

The Ning family?

A flicker of pleasant surprise crossed Yuan Er’s eyes. He stood up slowly and carefully chose his words. "Is it Master Ning Zhuo who has a matter for me?"

Ning Chen nodded. "Indeed. Please, Leader, step aside with us so we may discuss it in detail."

"Yes, of course!" Yuan Er had been sitting on pins and needles, feeling neglected, so this was the perfect way to make an exit. "Follow me, envoys," Yuan Er said, gesturing.

Ning Chen stepped forward. Before leaving, Ning Yong waved casually at the gang elders. "Ah, do continue, continue your chat."

The elders were no longer as boisterous as before. Although they continued their meeting, their minds were elsewhere.

"When did Yuan Er get involved with the Ning family?"
"Who is Young Master Ning Zhuo? I’ve never heard of him!"
"We must find out everything we can once we get back."

Yuan Er led Ning Chen and Ning Yong into a side room. Upon learning their intention—that they wanted all of Yuan Dasheng’s personal belongings—Yuan Er was puzzled. "Why?"

Ning Chen relayed the explanation Ning Zhuo had prepared: "Young Master Ning Zhuo keeps his promises; his word is worth its weight in gold. Since he is personally crafting a mechanical ape for you, he must spare no effort."

"Because the main material is the corpse of Yuan Dasheng, the resulting mechanical ape must adhere to Yuan Dasheng’s fighting habits from when he was alive to better utilize the advantages of the raw materials."

Yuan Er found this very logical and nodded repeatedly. "That is absolutely correct. Uncle Dasheng excelled in close-quarters combat. His bones and foundation were honed by countless battles and fights, perfectly adapted to his own martial arts."

"I will find all the records of Uncle Dasheng’s life for Master Ning’s reference. As for his daily living items, is that really necessary?"

Ning Chen shook his head. "No, this is specifically what Young Master Ning Zhuo requested. Creating a construct is like composing a poem; it requires inspiration."

"You can think of the mechanical ape being crafted as a poem dedicated to Yuan Dasheng. Young Master Ning Zhuo naturally needs to feel the essence of Yuan Dasheng through these daily items and various materials in order to 'recite' it better."

"It would be best if you gathered everything related to Yuan Dasheng for us to take back. The more comprehensive the materials, the better the final product!"

Yuan Er nodded repeatedly. "I understand, I understand completely."

His days had been miserable lately, and the trend was clear—they would only get worse. No one was more expectant of the mechanical ape than Yuan Er. "Even though Uncle Dasheng is gone, he will be with me in another form, protecting me and holding the entire Monkey Head Gang together."

Ning Chen and Ning Yong completed their mission perfectly. They brought back a large quantity of items closely connected to Yuan Dasheng. Ning Zhuo collected these specifically to supplement the spirituality of the "Gold-Blood Battle Ape: Dasheng."

According to the "Cremation Prajna Spirit-Dissolving Scripture," all things possess spirituality. Strong spirituality can dissipate outward, so items used in daily life often become imbued with the owner's essence. The personal effects of powerful cultivators often develop a trace of intelligence after long periods of use. While Yuan Dasheng was not a powerful cultivator, he had only recently passed, and his belongings still retained much of his spirit. Because this spirituality was of the same source, the replenishment efficiency was extremely high. This was currently Ning Zhuo’s most viable plan.

"Next, I will intensify my practice of the Cremation Prajna Spirit-Dissolving Scripture and then find an opportunity to refine these items and extract their essence!"

"Beyond the issue of spirituality, the Gold-Blood Battle Ape itself requires better repairs." Ning Zhuo also had to consider how to handle the aftermath of the Zhou family discovering the existence of the Gold-Blood Battle Ape.

"Hmm?" Ning Zhuo examined the jade slip provided by Yuan Er. The images recorded some of Yuan Dasheng’s martial arts training and actual combat footage. This was an eye-opener for Ning Zhuo.

In particular, a combo move Yuan Dasheng used during a fight left a deep impression. When facing a powerful enemy, it would feign defeat and flee. As the enemy pursued, it would suddenly squat down, reach behind, and perform an upward grabbing motion. At that moment, its arm seemed to lengthen, always striking the opponent. This was a martial art Yuan Dasheng had gradually realized and perfected through street brawls and beast fights: the "Back-Looking Grab."

In the records, when Yuan Dasheng reached middle age, it developed another technique: the "Sun-Crushing Hand." It practiced this by first crushing wooden balls, then stone balls, then iron and steel balls. The progression was terrifying, and Ning Zhuo felt a chill just watching it.

Ning Zhuo mused, "First the 'Back-Looking Grab,' then the 'Sun-Crushing Hand'—the two techniques form a combo full of ruthless and sinister style. Yuan Dasheng truly lived up to his reputation of rising from the bottom through constant fighting. It’s so grounded."

An idea stirred in his heart. "Perhaps, when I repair Yuan Dasheng, I can start from this direction and modify it."

"Once it has abundant spirituality, it might just be able to replicate its signature combo moves!"

Just thinking about it filled Ning Zhuo with anticipation.