Ning Zhuo returned along the path, collecting the rewards he hadn’t chosen before.
When he reached Room Two, he realized his soul essence was running low.
Each time he opened a door, he had to activate the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, an action that consumed a significant amount of soul essence.
Ning Zhuo simply returned to Room One and finally obtained the Qi Breath Technique spell.
“With the name change successful and my soul essence almost depleted, I might as well stay in Room One and conduct a few more experiments.”
He chose a corner, placed everything into the small flying box, and finally climbed inside himself, closing the lid.
Sensing the Trial Disciple Mark, his soul smoothly returned to his physical body in the next instant.
“Successful return! Very nice,” Ning Zhuo clenched his fist in genuine exhilaration.
Previously, each return consumed almost all his soul essence, leaving him with injuries and exhaustion.
Not only did it feel terrible, but it also wasted valuable time.
Now, his ability to return at will ensured his state wouldn’t fall to rock-bottom.
“My soul essence is down to about one-third, but I can still move freely.”
Ning Zhuo took a few pills and once again disguised himself as the Mysterious Puppet Master, then exited through the teleportation array.
Moments later, he opened the door to an underground cell and saw Han Ming.
Upon hearing movement, Han Ming raised her head sharply.
Seeing the Mysterious Puppet Master, she cursed furiously, venting her boundless anger and hatred.
Noticing the tear marks on her face, Ning Zhuo sighed softly and listened in silence for a while.
Han Ming cursed until she was breathless, her face pale.
Taking advantage of her pause, Ning Zhuo commanded several mechanical puppets to bring water and food, moving them close to Han Ming to feed her bite by bite.
Han Ming clamped her lips shut, refusing to eat.
Although she was too exhausted to curse anymore, her eyes burned at Ning Zhuo, as if spitting fire.
Ning Zhuo sighed. “You can’t go on like this. If you don’t eat or drink, you’ll die.”
Han Ming’s face twisted with a mocking, wild smile. “Death? Ha!”
“Better to die than to have my cultivation stripped away by you!”
“Mysterious Puppet Master, are you a man? If you are, release me and fight me three hundred rounds!”
“If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me, make me your servant, no complaints. I’ll even hand over my soul essence to you willingly.”
“Do you dare?!”
Ning Zhuo shook his head. “Why bother with such theatrics?”
As he spoke, he pulled out a set of mechanical needles.
Han Ming’s pupils shrank.
Moments later, the cell echoed with her heart-wrenching screams.
This time, the pain Han Ming endured was even greater.
Ning Zhuo not only extracted her soul essence but also made her eat and drink while under his control.
Unable to bear it, Han Ming fainted.
Ning Zhuo directed the mechanical puppets to remove the control sticks one by one, carefully applying healing salve to each of her wounds.
With Han Ming’s soul essence absorbed, Ning Zhuo’s soul foundation surged, reaching about six times its initial limit.
Due to previous losses, he only had triple reserves of soul essence left for now.
But that was enough to continue exploring the Lava Immortal Palace.
Returning to his quarters, he activated the Trial Disciple Mark but found himself unable to re-enter.
“As expected, there’s a time limit,” Ning Zhuo anticipated this and remained calm.
He decided to test at intervals of one tea's time to measure the exact wait period.
In the meantime, he wasn’t idle.
He began cultivating his spells.
This recent exploration of the palace had yielded him the most spells ever: the Qi Breath Technique, the Fire Grip Technique, and the Wood Fusion Technique, each deserving focused practice.
At the City Lord’s Residence.
Within the training chamber, formations pulsed, filling the air with dense spiritual energy that condensed into faint mists.
Sitting cross-legged amidst the mist, Meng Chong radiated sparks of electricity.
Immediately after dispersing his previous cultivation, he began practicing the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique.
The spiritual energy was drawn directly from the Fire Persimmon Mountain, purified and refined by the Immortal City Grand Formation, flowing in an endless supply.
The pills came from the city lord’s own stores, each one a top-quality product in abundant supply.
With the Wild Sprint Thunderclap innate talent active, Meng Chong’s cultivation speed soared with each activation!
With a sudden burst of electricity, Meng Chong’s eyes snapped open, brimming with excitement. “First layer of qi refining!”
“This cultivation speed is at least ten times faster than before.”
“Thrilling, absolutely thrilling.”
“Wild Sprint Thunderclap... turns out to be this effective! Why didn’t I think of this earlier?”
“Alas, not even a hint from my grandfather.”
Cough, cough.
Meng Chong coughed a few times.
Looking closely, one could see his face was slightly haggard, with faint dark circles under his eyes.
Meng Chong was well aware of his own condition.
Every time he activated Wild Sprint Thunderclap, it drained his essence, energy, and spirit simultaneously.
“Master Meng Chong, it’s time for your restoration,” came a voice from outside the training room.
“Right!” Meng Chong sprang to his feet, striding powerfully out the door.
Moments later, he arrived at the recovery room and leaped directly into a medicinal pool.
The yellow-brown liquid in the pool was made from a blend of precious medicinal herbs, pungent to the point of near stench.
Soaking himself, Meng Chong gulped down various spirit foods brought by the attendants.
After filling his stomach with portions of spirit food, he tipped back two jars of medicinal wine, then grabbed several pill bottles, swallowing the pills like peanuts.
As he continued eating, blood began seeping from his seven orifices.
One attendant cautioned nervously, “Master Meng Chong, that’s enough. You’ve reached your limit. Anymore, and your body won’t withstand it.”
Meng Chong laughed heartily, “What’s there to fear? I’m blessed with talent!”
“Wild Sprint Thunderclap!” he shouted.
In an instant, his entire body discharged countless arcs of electricity.
With his innate talent active, his rate of absorption skyrocketed.
His swollen belly visibly deflated.
The pool of medicinal liquid quickly cleared up, and the medicinal smell faded almost to nothing.
Meng Chong leaped out, brimming with energy, striding quickly back to the training room.
“I’ll waste not a second, seize every moment, go all out!”
“I’ll be the first to enter the Lava Immortal Palace!”
“Grandfather, I won’t let you down.”
Fully embracing his nature, Meng Chong moved with fierce vigor, his drive to cultivate almost terrifying.
Ning Zhuo’s initial test bore results—three hours!
On his fourth entry into the Lava Immortal Palace.
The puppet body and small flying box he had left in Room One were cleared away, leaving no trace.
A bit disappointed, he touched the portal and discovered that the rewards were available for selection again.
Using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, he collected all three rewards from each door.
Arriving at the preparation room, Ning Zhuo did not rush into the next trial but instead observed the various mechanical tools and platforms in the room, lost in thought.