Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Zhu Xuanji's expression changed as he made a new discovery.

He immediately gave the order for the trial disciples to retrieve a severed arm from the pile of discarded items.

The severed arm was a deep red color, shimmering with a metallic luster. It was extremely heavy and exuded a strong demonic aura.

"The quality is high, absolutely made from Golden Core-grade materials. And it’s not just a single material; it’s a newly forged composite material created using alchemical methods," Zhu Xuanji muttered to himself.

"Is this mechanism also part of the Lava Immortal Palace?"

"What kind of mechanism would use such materials?"

Zhu Xuanji’s mind immediately recalled the three great mechanical creations of the Lava Immortal Palace—Daoist Master, Buddhist Doctor, and Demon General.

"Could this be the arm of the Demon General?" Zhu Xuanji naturally came to this conclusion.

He became very interested and ordered the trial disciples to take out the red iron severed arm.

One of the trial disciples looked troubled and said, "Lord Zhu, I can't do it. My contribution points are too low."

Zhu Xuanji smiled and said, "No problem. The Lava Immortal Palace is not at peace; there are still constant attacks by the Scarlet Flame Beasts on the palace. You can take advantage of this opportunity to accumulate a large number of contribution points."

After following his suggestion, the trial disciples soon discovered that killing the same Scarlet Flame Beast earned them far more contribution points than others.

Zhu Xuanji also noticed that the trial disciples received key information from time to time, giving them more opportunities to earn contribution points.

However, others rarely received such information from the palace, and their primary way to earn contribution points was by slaying Scarlet Flame Beasts.

But this method was dangerous, involving many risks.

In contrast, the trial disciples had a broader range of options. For example, they could retrieve discarded mechanical parts from the storage rooms for repairs and assembly.

Zhu Xuanji observed their actual gains and was surprised to find that the rewards from these repair jobs were even better, comparable to slaying the Scarlet Flame Beasts.

"So, this is the kind of treatment enjoyed by those who cultivate using the techniques provided by the Three Sect Lords?"

"In comparison, it’s clear that people like us are being treated differently…"

Zhu Xuanji couldn’t help but sigh.

For a brief moment, Zhu Xuanji entertained the fantasy of switching his cultivation technique.

But it was only a fleeting thought.

He was already at the Golden Core stage. If he were still in the Foundation Establishment stage, there might be a sliver of a chance to start over.

But once a Golden Core was formed, the foundation was set, and it was impossible to rebuild in this lifetime.

As the saying goes, "The Golden Core leaves no regrets," and that was the truth.

The trial disciples quickly accumulated contribution points, and soon someone had saved enough to redeem the red iron severed arm from the storage room.

When Zhu Xuanji touched the arm, he used his innate ability, Celestial Golden Eyes, along with the Trace Back Art, to investigate it.

He saw an underground lava cave.

The cave was vast, with countless pillars, some thick, some thin, supporting the cave’s walls.

A massive demonic ape, exuding the aura of a Golden Core, was sleeping with its eyes closed.

Among the stone pillars where it slept, there was an opening where the ape’s various spoils of war were stored. One of these was a severely damaged mechanical puppet.

"A mechanical Demon General!" Zhu Xuanji's eyes lit up.

"From the looks of it, this underground lava cave must be the demonic ape’s lair, something akin to a royal court."

"The mechanical Demon General fell here, but if I can retrieve it, I’ll certainly earn a massive amount of contribution points."

"And if I can repair it and return it, I should receive even more!"

Zhu Xuanji could easily deduce that recovering the mechanical Demon General’s parts would earn him far more contribution points than all the contributions he made by donating three quasi-Golden Core mechanical beasts combined. After all, the mechanical Demon General was a Golden Core combat power and perfectly suited to the Lava Immortal Palace.

The king’s recruitment order had led Meng Kui to lift the blockade of the mountain and the Lava Immortal Palace.

Countless people rushed toward the Lava Immortal Palace. The vast majority were turned away, but a small portion met the standards and entered the palace.

The Lava Immortal Palace became even more bustling than it had been before the blockade.

Zhu Xuanji could also feel the increasing pressure of competition.

He urgently needed to accumulate a massive amount of contribution points to widen the gap between himself and the pursuers behind him, ensuring his advantage.

The three Golden Core ancestors of the three major families of Huoshi Immortal City were Zhu Xuanji's helpers.

The three families made two investments.

The first path was to rely on Zhu Xuanji and pledge their loyalty to the royal family.

The second path was to nurture their own teams to break through the challenges of the Lava Immortal Palace.

This was how cultivation families operated—they never put all their eggs in one basket.

Thus, the truly influential cultivation clans had high-level cultivators holding positions in different countries, sometimes even in rival nations.

…

Smack!

Ning Xiaoren slapped the table in anger, roaring, "He really did this?!"

"Good, very good."

"I originally thought it was the Zhou Family and the Zheng Family who cracked the setup and managed to obtain trial disciple marks."

"Who would have thought it was Ning Zhuo!"

"For the sake of a mere thousand spirit stones, he sold such critical information to Zheng Jian and Zhou Zhenshen!"

"Does he not realize that our Ning Family could use this opportunity to gain an advantage and close the gap between us and the Zhou and Zheng families?"

"He disregarded the overall interests of the family just to satisfy his own selfish desires!"

"Ning Zhuo’s vision is too narrow, too petty, and too selfish."

"Just because we didn’t promise him some ice jade wine, he immediately sold the information to outsiders."

"He’s betraying the family!"

"Is he even still a member of the Ning Family? After all these years of schooling, what has he learned?!"

"It seems he needs to be taught a lesson, to make him realize how terribly wrong his actions were."

Ning Xiaoren paced back and forth in the study, and after a moment, he issued an order to cut off Ning Zhuo’s resource supply from the modification team.

But then he remembered that Ning Zhuo had many other sources of income besides that, quite substantial ones.

Ning Xiaoren thought of Ning Xiaohui, how she rallied the main branch members yet only made it to the second chamber, while Ning Zhuo broke through all the way to the eighth chamber.

"Ning Xiaohui is so disappointing."

"If she could have suppressed Ning Zhuo, would that boy still be as ambitious and daring as he is now?!"

Ning Xiaoren continued pacing before issuing a second order.

Since Ning Zhuo had joined the modification team, Ning Xiaoren had the authority to command him and assign tasks.

"So, you’re so obsessed with studying mechanical creations?"

"Very well, Ning Zhuo."

"From now on, you won’t have even half an hour to spare to study your machines," Ning Xiaoren sneered inwardly.

Ning Zhuo refused the order.

Ning Zhuo quit the modification team.

"What?!" When Ning Xiaoren heard this, he was dumbfounded on the spot.

After a moment of realization, rage filled his heart.

"Audacious, absolutely audacious!"

"How dare he, how dare he!"

"How dare he refuse the family’s orders and unilaterally withdraw from the modification team?!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Ning Xiaoren was furious, grabbing the inkstone on the table and smashing it on the floor.

After smashing it, he felt that something was still missing.

So he went to the private prison to see Ning Ze.

"You’ve raised a fine nephew!" Ning Xiaoren lifted a long whip and lashed at Ning Ze to vent his anger.

Ning Ze: "Ahhh!"