Chapter 43: One Must Be Humble
The warmth in Ning Zhuo’s left arm lingered for a brief moment before gradually fading away.
“As for what this innate talent truly is, it remains to be unearthed in the future.”
He set the matter aside for now, focusing inward to examine himself, and was soon certain that the foundation of his soul had surged to three times its former strength.
The gains were immense.
“There is still much value left in Han Ming; this is only the first time,” he thought, his heart filling with brighter hopes for the days ahead.
He returned to inspect the cell once more, administering a restorative pill to the unconscious Han Ming.
Afterward, he entered the teleportation chamber again and, through its power, returned to his family’s underground workshop.
He began his daily review.
This venture into danger had, without a doubt, been a success. Han Ming was now captured, his soul’s foundation had soared threefold, and the matter of renaming himself on the ranking leaderboard was already showing signs of success.
Moreover, Ning Zhuo had gained a most precious piece of intelligence: Meng Chong was still in the process of dispersing his cultivation!
This explained why his name alone appeared on the leaderboard.
Of course, Ning Zhuo had paid a considerable price as well. Inviting Sun Lingtong’s aid had not come for free—it had cost him nearly half his entire fortune.
The Ironclad Han Armor now held only a tenth of its Foundation Establishment Pills; this operation had consumed seventy percent of them, leaving just thirty percent remaining.
Additionally, the persona of the Old Guest had been compromised and would undoubtedly be wanted throughout the city.
“All of it was worth it,” he consoled himself.
In truth, even had it cost him the entirety of the Ironclad Han Armor and all his family’s wealth, Ning Zhuo would not have hesitated for a moment.
He understood well that, at this juncture, preserving his life was more precious than anything.
“The matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill has grown even more urgent.”
“Should I have Sun Lingtong acquire them on my behalf? He has access to the black market, and it would be much more convenient than for me to try.”
Ning Zhuo was hesitant.
“If the Palace of Immortal Lava offers Foundation Establishment Pills as part of its clearance rewards, that would be ideal.”
“But from what I’ve seen so far, all the rewards are related to mechanical arts.”
For now, he could not decide.
It was not a matter of trusting Sun Lingtong; rather, such pills were of immense importance and significance, always strictly controlled by the various powers.
The vast majority of cultivators, lacking innate talent or exceptional techniques, could only rely on Foundation Establishment Pills to reach the Foundation Stage.
By monopolizing these pills, the major factions could help their own cultivators ascend, maintain, and expand their influence.
This competition over Foundation Establishment Pills had even spread to the market for medicinal herbs.
The main and key ingredients for these pills were heavily regulated.
Controlling the sale of these herbs also limited the pill production of rival factions, allowing for indirect suppression.
Meanwhile, their own Foundation Establishment Pills could be used to entice outside talents to join.
Essentially, these pills were consumed internally and rarely leaked out. Those that did reach the market were few and closely tracked.
At auctions, Foundation Establishment Pills were often among the grand finale items, sparking bidding frenzies.
On the black market, they were exceedingly rare; and even if they surfaced, more often than not, they were baits set by certain powers for entrapment.
Ning Zhuo had spent over a decade gathering intelligence on such matters and had witnessed it multiple times.
“If my identity is exposed, relying on the Foundation Stage combat strength of the Ironclad Han Armor won’t help me face those in the Core Formation or Nascent Soul stages.”
“Not to mention, there’s still the Immortal City’s grand formation to reckon with.”
“Nor can I use the Ironclad Han Armor while exploring the Palace of Immortal Lava.”
“With the Old Guest’s persona compromised, I can’t use the armor for the time being either.”
After careful consideration, Ning Zhuo decided to set the matter aside for now.
“I’m currently ranked number one!”
Only now did he truly feel a hint of surprise and pleasure at this fact.
All this time, he had been chasing after others in the exploration of the Palace of Immortal Lava, striving with all his might not to be left far behind by the likes of Meng Chong. Yet, to his astonishment, he had become number one!
“Stay calm.”
“There’s nothing to be proud of.”
“Meng Chong was simply too powerful before, which is why his cultivation dispersal is taking longer.”
“He was also ambushed, costing him time.”
“Not just him, but also Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian.”
Upon analysis, Ning Zhuo realized his lead was due to having better information, the Buddhist Heart Demon Seal allowing him to directly convert mana, and his own efforts at concealment, which kept his true strength unnoticed.
“All of this was given to me by Mother.”
“What do I have of my own?”
“With only a trace of inferior talent and giving my all, I’ve only managed to get ahead for now.”
“Without the treasured seal, without the intelligence, could I have come this far?” He shook his head in silence.
“Meng Chong and the rest will soon catch up and surpass me,” he acknowledged soberly.
After a moment of self-admonishment, he worked to settle his mindset into the best possible state.
“One must always remain humble.”
“Look at Han Ming, who, as a disciple of a great demonic sect, was arrogant and overbearing—see where that has led him now?”
“This is a lesson written in blood, one I must remember and never forget!” Ning Zhuo warned himself, and the last traces of joy and pride quickly vanished.
“Next, I can only wait for the Palace of Immortal Lava to summon me once again.”
His soul was in peak condition, surpassing its former zenith threefold. He eagerly anticipated his third entry into the palace.
But no matter how long he waited, the summons never came.
“How strange, what’s going on?”
“Last time, I was pulled in before my soul had even fully recovered.”
“So why is it taking so long now?”
Puzzled, Ning Zhuo mused.
At that moment—
Within the main hall of the Palace of Immortal Lava, the Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit lounged atop the throne, its dragon head slightly raised, gaze piercing through space to observe Ning Zhuo.
Seeing Ning Zhuo’s eager expression, the Dragon-Turtle Fire Spirit couldn’t help but snort, sending two puffs of flame from its nostrils.
Then it closed its eyes, turned its head away, and refused to look at him any longer.
Meanwhile, Fei Si personally escorted Meng Chong back to the City Lord’s mansion.
Only after seeing Meng Chong once again safely surrounded by heavy protection did he finally allow himself a sigh of relief.
Soon after, a subordinate brought him a jade slip with a report.
Fei Si’s spiritual sense penetrated the slip, revealing the results of the investigation into the attack on the Ziyang Villa.
The mechanical constructs left behind by the demonic cultivators were all common models, offering no useful clues.
Based on testimony and traces at the scene, it was surmised that there had been three attackers. Two had revealed themselves, while a third had remained deeply hidden; this third person had stolen all the pills from the storage chamber and vanished without a trace.
Fei Si focused particularly on the two who had shown themselves.
In the jade slip, their portraits were strikingly lifelike.
One was the cold-eyed female cultivator Han Ming; the other, an elderly man stooped and leaning on a staff.
“Han Ming… alas,” Fei Si sighed.
Han Ming had long been harassing Sun Lie, causing him much trouble. Though Sun Lie had reported her to the authorities, Fei Si had subtly signaled his subordinates to go through the motions and handle the matter perfunctorily.
The reason being that Han Ming hailed from the Soul Devouring Sect, a major demon sect.