Chapter 3: The Will

Underground workshop.

The gentle glow of spirit lamps suffused the entire space evenly.

Ning Zhuo sat at his desk, making one final inspection of the storage pouches in his hands.

These were spoils he’d taken from the Huang Family’s Three Ghosts in the black market earlier.

Once assured there was no danger, Ning Zhuo began to dismantle the micro-array on the first pouch, then forged the aura and spiritual signature of its original owner. At last, he coaxed it into opening.

Inside the first pouch were a few spirit stones, a green-blade mantis spirit pet, and some materials suited for ghost cultivators, such as dark essence, soul extract, and nether flowers.

The second pouch held several hundred spirit stones. As for ghost cultivator materials, there was only a wisp of Yin wind and a jade slip containing a ghost cultivation technique, “The Bone of Shadow Art,” which could remodel one’s own skeleton.

The third pouch belonged to the leader of the Three Ghosts. It was protected by two layers of arrays, greatly increasing the difficulty and time required for Ning Zhuo to break in.

“Now this is interesting.” The young man’s eyes shone with excitement.

The greater the difficulty, the stronger the resistance, the more his fighting spirit was aroused.

He threw himself into the challenge, savoring the pleasure of solving a complex puzzle.

After nearly half an hour, he finally succeeded.

No sooner had he opened it than a little ghostly head lunged for his face.

Ning Zhuo gave a silent snort—he’d been prepared. At the crucial moment, the Buddha-Heart Demon-Seal in his sea of consciousness flashed, capturing the little ghost. Simultaneously, the defensive array on his desktop activated, instantly annihilating the ghost.

The ghostly head was the last stubborn resistance of the Huang Family’s leader.

From that moment, the pouch offered no further defense against Ning Zhuo.

Inside were over a thousand spirit stones, two jade slips: one a ghost cultivation technique “Nether Sutra,” the other a spell “Soul Guidance: An Exhaustive Explanation.” There was a large pile of cultivation materials, many of which were not exclusive to ghost cultivators.

“Fire essence?!” Ning Zhuo’s pupils widened as he discovered nearly ten pounds of fire essence.

A look of delight immediately crossed his face.

Suppressing his excitement, Ning Zhuo pulled open a drawer and drew out a handful of Golden Silk Jade Dew Cakes.

With a surge of spiritual power, he burned away the packaging paper, its ashes drifting away like the remnants of bodies incinerated in an alchemical furnace.

He opened his mouth and stuffed the cakes in all at once.

He chewed.

Under the glow of the spirit lamp, his lips were brilliantly red, occasionally revealing white teeth. The Golden Silk Jade Dew Cake was ground to bits between his lips and teeth, its sweet filling oozing out, mingling with the crumbs. It mirrored the fate of all those cultivators who had fallen into his hands—shredded and ground until their flesh and blood became the nourishment for his growth.

The world of cultivators is merciless. Without the trade in Up-and-Down Ruyi Ropes, the lifeblood of the gray market, without the contributions of these devil cultivators, how could Ning Zhuo possibly afford so many Golden Silk Jade Dew Cakes?

Ning Zhuo continued eating, his mood lifted as he tallied the profits from last night’s black market haul.

The sale of Up-and-Down Ruyi Ropes had earned him twenty-four thousand spirit stones.

Of these, his uncle Ning Ze had bought eighty ropes on behalf of the Ning family, accounting for the largest portion.

In comparison, the spirit stones from the three Huang Ghosts were pitifully few.

“The Up-and-Down Ruyi Ropes I make are the best tunnel ropes you can buy on the market. That’s why this business always does well.”

“Judging by the scale of Ning family’s preparations, it seems they’re planning something big…”

“Sigh, the world of cultivation—one devours another!”

“There are always those with ill intent, bullying ordinary youths like me.”

“Those three ghost cultivators were obviously desperate, hence the robbery. Still, that ten pounds of fire essence was a genuine surprise.”

“With this, my stockpile of fire essence has now surpassed a thousand pounds—more than enough!”

For years, Ning Zhuo had been secretly accumulating fire essence. To stay safe, he only ever bought a little at a time, letting small amounts add up. At his usual pace, gathering ten pounds of fire essence would have taken over a month.

Now, this single windfall filled his final shortfall.

After tallying his gains, Ning Zhuo calculated last night’s losses at the black market.

He drew a silver-gray token from his breast pocket.

On the front was the character “Cang,” on the back, the character “Han.”

With a light toss, the token disassembled and expanded in midair, radiating brilliant light. As the radiance faded, the Mechanized Battle Armor “Cang Iron Han Armor” hovered quietly in the air.

Ning Zhuo opened a section of the armor’s spine, from which he retrieved a Foundation Establishment Pill.

“Only thirty percent of the Foundation Establishment Pill remains.”

This pill was crucial, one of the key components that allowed the Cang Iron Han Armor to unleash Foundation Establishment-level combat power. Ning Zhuo himself was only at the Qi Refinement stage.

“If the pill is used up, the armor will be useless.”

“Sigh, getting hold of a Foundation Establishment Pill is extremely difficult.” Ning Zhuo frowned slightly.

This was his greatest loss from last night.

He’d also acquired a new scar—the mark left by the desperate attack of the Huang Family’s eldest ghost. Ning Zhuo could do nothing about it.

Upon closer inspection, the Mechanized Battle Armor’s surface was already covered in scars—some old, some left from Ning Zhuo’s battles while wearing it.

“Mother…” Ning Zhuo traced one of the old scars, his expression turning sorrowful.

Fourteen years ago, when he was only two, his mother, on her deathbed, gave him instructions.

It was then he learned: within Fire Persimmon Mountain lay a Lava Immortal Palace, a Mechanized Immortal City whose city spirit secretly selected cultivators to inherit it. His mother had been one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators chosen. The city’s trials were brutal. Because of her exceptional strength, his mother had been targeted by other competitors, eventually suffering fatal wounds.

“As the Immortal City falls further into ruin, its selection standards will drop accordingly. Zhuo’er, when you turn fourteen, the Mechanized Immortal City’s standards will lower to the Qi Refinement stage. That will be your greatest opportunity!”

“Zhuo’er, you must diligently study mechanism arts, keeping your efforts hidden from others.”

“You must design, assemble, and control mechanism creations yourself—these are all part of the Immortal City’s assessment.”

“If you excel among the candidates, you’ll be recognized as a Mechanism Seed and receive special cultivation from the city. This is crucial for you, since, unlike those with powerful backgrounds, you especially need the Immortal City’s resources.”

“Never cultivate the Ning family’s methods up to Foundation Establishment! I was a Mechanism Seed at Foundation Establishment, but my core was already set and I couldn’t change my cultivation method. Many of the trials in the Lava Palace were much harder for me because I hadn’t trained in the techniques left by the Three Sects’ Masters, so I had no choice but to stop there.”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

The two-year-old Ning Zhuo wailed in terror, “Mother, don’t say any more, you’re coughing blood!”

His mother reached out, stroking his little head, her eyes filled with reluctance and worry. “Zhuo’er, forgive me, I didn’t protect you. With your father and I gone, you’ll be all alone—you’ll have to rely on yourself.”

“Don’t be too loyal to the family. Your father made that mistake!”

“Before he died, your father asked Young Patriarch Ning Xiaoren to look after you. But I’ve seen through him—he’s two-faced and unreliable.”

“Your uncle and aunt—one obsessed with reputation, the other stingy to the extreme—are not generous people. Be wary.”

“Sometimes, those closest to you—relatives, friends—can be more dangerous than your enemies!”

“Don’t stand out too much. Without your parents, you have no true support. Hide yourself well, don’t perform too poorly, just average. Grow up quietly, accumulate strength in secret, and avoid drawing attention.”

“I’ve seen too much—so many geniuses die young…”

“My Cang Iron Han Armor I leave to you for protection. It holds the might of Foundation Establishment.”

“And this treasure—Buddha-Heart Demon-Seal! I was lucky to obtain it in the Lava Immortal Palace. Never reveal it.”

By then, her voice had faded to almost nothing.

Tears streamed down her face as she gazed at two-year-old Ning Zhuo, trying to look at him for as long as she could, but her vision was growing dim.

In her last moments, she hesitated, “I don’t know if I’m teaching you the right thing.”

“Zhuo’er, take care of yourself. If you can’t do it, just give up on the Lava Immortal Palace.”

“Life comes first. I want you to live—live well!”

“If you live, I’ll be happy.”

The two-year-old Ning Zhuo clung desperately to her bloodstained clothes, “Mother, mother, don’t say any more. I don’t want you to die, don’t die, wuwuwu…”

Her final words: “Good Zhuo’er, don’t be afraid… Mother is here, mother will guard you from below…”

The next moment, her heart ceased to beat, and her hand slid slowly from Ning Zhuo’s head.

The two-year-old’s body convulsed as if struck by lightning. He raised his head—and was now sixteen.

The formerly tear-streaked face of a child, now grown into the resolute features of a young man.

He had grown up, bearing his mother’s dying instructions and hopes.

“Mother, things have changed!”

“The City Lord has joined forces with the Zhou and Zheng families to intensify their purge of the Scarlet Flame Demon Caverns, reducing the defensive pressure on the Lava Immortal Palace and lowering its rate of attrition. With no outside threats, the city’s spirit has not lowered the selection standards further.”

“This year, even the Ning family has discovered the secret of the Lava Immortal Palace. If they join the palace’s defense, when will I ever see the standards lowered?”

“Perhaps never in this lifetime!”

“The major powers of Persimmon Immortal City are all trying everything to conceal the Lava Immortal Palace, hoping to keep this opportunity for themselves. How can I let that happen?”

“So, I must act myself!”

“I have now amassed enough fire essence—more than enough to blast the palace and force the standards down.”

“All that remains is the Fireblast Monkey.”