Faced with Ning Zhanji's sudden test, the others looked at each other in confusion.
Ning Zhuo speculated, "These spirit plants are quite young and of little value; picking them clearly isn’t for the plants themselves."
"I believe this is to maintain this passage, deliberately clearing it out. With spirit plants around, they’ll attract spirit beasts and demon beasts."
"If our clan intends to use this passage long-term, we must be vigilant."
"Exactly." Ning Zhanji nodded.
"The family school’s training has yielded some results in you all."
"Choose one of these spirit plants as a reward for answering correctly."
"As for which one you can pick, that depends on your eye."
Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo reached out and took a stalk of fire crystal grass, then thanked him, "Thank you, Lord Ning Zhanji! I have some knowledge of the herb market, and among these spirit plants, this fire crystal grass has the best appearance and will surely fetch the highest price."
Ning Zhanji nodded but also shook his head. "Choosing the one with the highest market price is not bad."
"But if I were you, I would have chosen vital ginseng."
"Being of the Ning Clan, we cultivate ice-based techniques, and a spirit plant like fire crystal grass isn’t suitable for our constitution."
"Vital ginseng, however, is compatible and can nourish our physical bodies."
"You're still young; don’t be blinded by profit. Remember, investing in yourself is the best path to success."
"When you achieve the Foundation Establishment stage, you’ll have a different outlook on life."
Hearing this, Ning Zhuo revealed a solemn expression of acknowledgment.
Ning Zhanji seized the opportunity to instill, "Outstanding cultivators are all those who dare to strive."
"One must fully assess the balance between risk and reward."
"If you join the War Hall and are assigned to guard here, you’ll gain several spirit plants daily and have the protection of the temporary camp. It’s an invaluable opportunity."
"Often, rejecting risk is rejecting opportunity."
Ning Zhuo's expression grew contemplative.
This shift in expression didn’t escape Ning Zhanji's notice; the latter chuckled inwardly, "Still, a youth after all..."
"Lord, I wish to guard here!" Ning Yong called out.
Ning Zhanji laughed, "Newcomer, pass the special training first."
The Ning Clan’s large team of cultivators entered a vast underground hall.
It was clearly a forward base specifically built by the Ning Clan.
Two stationed cultivators from the Ning Clan were already present inside the hall.
The stationed cultivators quickly came forward to greet them.
Ning Zhanji ordered a temporary rest.
He then positioned himself in the center of the hall, channeled his spiritual power, and formed hand seals.
Soon, the complex array patterns appeared on the ceiling above the hall.
At the center of the array patterns, a disk about the size of a millstone descended slowly, finally landing in front of Ning Zhanji.
Ning Zhanji placed his hands on the array disk, connecting to it with his divine sense, and quickly reviewed the recorded information.
Within a few breaths, he was fully aware of everything that had transpired at this forward base.
After completing these tasks, he took out spiritual stones from his pouch, replaced the completely grayed or dimmed spiritual stones in the array disk.
After a brief rest, the Ning Clan’s team of cultivators continued their journey.
Along the way, Ning Zhuo passed through three more forward camps.
Some camps required a break, while others they passed directly.
As they delved deeper beneath the volcano, the dangers increased.
There were more frequent signs of demon beasts.
They encountered Fire Velvet Mice the size of a palm, Red Rock Demon Heads that could float mid-air, and Flame Lizards.
"Stop!" Ning Zhanji, leading at the front, suddenly raised his hand and halted.
The cultivators quickly stopped, shifting from movement to stillness, displaying excellent tactical discipline.
Ning Zhanji looked down, carefully examining a small ditch before him.
He reached out a finger, gently touching the smooth surface of the ditch. The surface was slick and emitted a faint lustrous gleam like glazed jade.
"It’s a fire snake, likely over a century old, a Foundation Establishment-level demon beast." After introducing it, Ning Zhanji ordered the team to be on high alert.
Ning Yong excitedly exclaimed, "Finally encountered one? With Lord Ning Zhanji here, why fear a mere demon beast?"
Ning Chen analyzed, "Aside from us newcomers, there are six Foundation Establishment cultivators here, and the others are high-level Qi Refining cultivators."
"Merely a Foundation Establishment-level demon beast."
Ning Zhuo, however, remained wary. He knew that demon beasts had natural physical advantages over human cultivators.
Also, being in the Demon Lava Cave, a prolonged battle might attract other demon beasts to swarm them.
The Ning Clan team pressed forward, but this time, their pace noticeably slowed, and the atmosphere grew more tense.
Before long, they spotted the fire snake.
The fire snake had a long, slender body, radiating a blinding flame; the entire snake looked like a fiercely burning flame.
In truth, it was a manifestation of flame essence, lacking conventional demon beast flesh and blood.
The fire snake was fierce by nature and extremely swift, slithering through rocks and often leaving a burned trail in its wake.
Moments earlier, Ning Zhanji had detected this trail and deduced from its width and the extent of its burned surface.
Now, encountering the actual creature, they found Ning Zhanji's judgment was spot-on.
It was indeed a Foundation Establishment-level demon beast.
The Ning Clan cultivators prepared for battle.
First, a cultivator tossed out an array disk, setting up a temporary formation to suppress everyone’s aura.
Then, many cultivators began preparing spells.
Soon, waves of water arrows shot at the fire snake.
The fire snake was hit by the first wave, its blazing light dimming significantly before it even reacted.
The fire snake charged at the Ning Clan cultivators with ferocious momentum.
Two burly cultivators, cloaked in various spells, rushed forward to confront the fire snake, holding it in place.
The other cultivators continued casting spells, some to reinforce the front-line cultivators and others to deal damage to the fire snake.
The fire snake, overwhelmed by the assault, soon had its body shrunk by a third.
Sensing defeat, the fire snake attempted to flee.
Ning Zhanji moved like lightning to intercept it. He clapped his palms, unleashing two ice-condensed palm imprints.
The palm imprints flew through the air, exuding icy coldness, enveloping the fire snake and slowing its movements.
Bang! Bang!
With two almost simultaneous sounds, the icy palm imprints struck and killed the fire snake.
A clean, efficient ambush!
Ning Yong’s eyes sparkled, increasingly excited, "This is the might of Lord Ning Zhanji!"
His words were filled with intense admiration and awe.
Ning Zhuo nodded repeatedly with a similar expression but harbored private doubts: "In this volcano, the fire element spiritual energy is exceptionally dense. Using ice spells here is exhausting and ineffective; why are they using them?"
After a few more battles with demon beasts, Ning Zhuo gradually understood.
It turned out Ning Zhanji was purposefully conducting training exercises.
When they encountered weaker demon beasts, they used spells for coordinated training.
When they faced stronger demon beasts, the Ning Clan cultivators used various magical artifacts, with Ning Zhanji leading the charge.
To avoid prolonged battles, the Ning Clan cultivators prioritized swift attacks, aiming to conclude each fight as quickly as possible.
"There’s a fire fusion demon ape ahead!" Suddenly, a scout cultivator alerted the group.
The entire team paused.
An adult fire fusion demon ape was extremely difficult to handle; one Demon Ape could rival ten Foundation Establishment cultivators.
It was unlikely that this ape was an infant if it had reached this depth.
Even Ning Zhanji furrowed his brow.
"Wait, something seems off about the demon ape." The scout closed his eyes, and his headband emitted a faint glow.
"It...seems dead?!" The scout opened his eyes, incredulous.