Whether it was the Zhou, Zheng, or Ning family, all three placed great importance on this joint test.
In the reception hall, the Zhou Family Clan Leader sat at the head seat, with the Zheng Family Clan Leader on his left and the Ning Family Clan Leader on his right.
"The Shadow Demon Cultivator—just who could they be? It’s perplexing! We can’t even trace their whereabouts!"
The Zhou Clan Leader took a sip of tea and set down his cup.
"This time, our Fire Persimmon Immortal City has truly lost face."
Though he spoke in such a way, the Zhou Clan Leader's expression was calm, showing no signs of shame or anger.
Instead, he seemed composed and unhurried, clearly using these words as a probe.
After the incident, the Zhou family’s upper echelon began to grow suspicious, wondering, just as Zhu Xuanji had suspected, who the insider might be that had secretly released the Shadow Demon Cultivator.
The Zheng Clan Leader, with a loud voice, bluntly said, "In my opinion, that Shadow Demon Cultivator had long since escaped in secret! During the Fire Persimmon Festival, our three families’ golden core stage ancestors joined forces to dig deep, nearly hollowing out the entire mountain base, yet we found not a single ghostly trace."
The Zhou Clan Leader turned to the Ning Clan Leader, squinting his eyes slightly. "Brother Ning, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
The Ning Clan Leader spread his hands. "Regardless of where the Shadow Demon Cultivator came from or who they are connected to, that’s irrelevant now."
"Currently, Lord Meng Kui is personally stationed atop the volcano, blocking all cultivators from entering the Immortal Palace."
"This leaves only the qi refining disciples, who can employ the soul-entering Immortal Palace technique to vie for the palace’s inheritance."
"Meng Chong, Meng Kui’s direct grandson, possesses supreme talent. You both know well the significance of Immortal Talent."
"Our three families must ally, cooperate closely, and fully support our younger generation if we’re to stand any chance against Meng Chong."
Unaware that Meng Chong had once again failed in his exploration of the Immortal Palace and had fainted, the Ning Clan Leader’s words nonetheless garnered the approval of both the Zhou and Zheng Clan Leaders.
Meng Chong’s Immortal Talent placed immense pressure on both families, which was a major reason they agreed to form an alliance with the Ning family.
All three families had a strong desire to join forces and were willing to pool their family resources to support the younger generation.
However, the question of resource allocation remained contentious.
If one family contributed more, another would get less.
None of the three families wished to suffer a loss, so the initial alliance stalled due to disagreements over benefits.
"Let’s focus on this test for now," the Zhou Clan Leader suggested.
"Indeed, let’s take a good look," the Zheng Clan Leader nodded.
The Ning Clan Leader remained silent, a trace of worry flickering in his eyes.
He understood that this test organized by the tri-family alliance had a deeper implication beyond the surface level—the three families would evaluate the quality of each other's reformation teams to determine how resources would be divided!
The Ning Clan Leader was acutely aware that his side was the weakest.
He could only hope that the gap between his family and those of the Zhou and Zheng families was not too wide.
Guided by a servant, Ning Zhuo arrived at the Zhou family’s martial arena.
The plaza was already filled with numerous cultivators, mostly young faces, with few middle-aged or elderly present.
The crowd had naturally divided into three groups: the Zhou, Zheng, and Ning families.
"Ah Zhuo, you’re here." Seeing Ning Zhuo appear, Ning Yong stepped out from the crowd, running up to him.
Ning Chen also waved to Ning Zhuo from within the crowd.
Ning Zhuo smiled and waved back.
Since he had once shaken up the Immortal Palace, his relationship with Ning Yong and Ning Chen had transformed, evolving from mere classmates to comrades who had faced life-and-death battles together.
The martial arena buzzed with chatter.
Ning Zhuo and Ning Yong joined the Ning family’s group, blending in unassumingly.
While chatting casually with Ning Yong and Ning Chen, Ning Zhuo surveyed the surrounding crowd.
"The size of the Ning family’s reformation team has grown!"
The Ning family had the largest group in the martial arena, with over sixty members.
The Zhou family had twenty-nine members, while the Zheng family had forty-five.
Gathered together, the Ning family looked quite imposing.
Many young people scanned the crowd, occasionally exchanging fierce stares with cultivators from the other two families, hinting at a hidden rivalry.
Ning Zhuo pondered to himself, "Among the three families, the Ning family started the latest and is overall the weakest."
"Initially, our reformation team was also the smallest."
"Has the family’s upper echelon suddenly expanded the team out of insecurity, filling the ranks with numbers?"
"The Ning family has a strong desire to gain access to the Lava Immortal Palace!"
Ning Zhuo then observed the Zhou and Zheng family cultivators.
Zhou family cultivators were generally reserved, speaking little among themselves, projecting a sense of repression.
At the center of their group, two figures stood side by side, one tall and one short, one strong and one lean, clearly exuding the air of leaders.
"That’s Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen," Ning Zhuo recognized them immediately, having gathered ample intelligence.
The Zheng family cultivators, on the other hand, were muscular and radiated an aura of toughness.
Their eyes gleamed with spirit, their glances as sharp as weapons, causing many Ning family cultivators to instinctively avoid eye contact.
At the forefront of the Zheng family group stood a young cultivator wearing a headband with his eyes closed, while several hook-shaped artifacts floated around him.
"That’s Zheng Jian!" Ning Zhuo noted inwardly.
Having observed the other two families, Ning Zhuo found that, though the Ning family had a larger number of people, they appeared somewhat disorganized and mismatched.
An elder from the Zhou family appeared before the crowd, activating the testing formation and announcing the start of the technique assessment.
"Da Zhu, let’s go," Zhou Zeshen called.
"Alright," Zhou Zhu replied in a low voice.
Though Zhou Zhu was the more advanced in cultivation, he still followed behind Zhou Zeshen.
They stood in the center of the crowd, and as they stepped forward, the Zhou family members instinctively moved aside a few steps.
Once the two Zhou family talents passed, the members immediately returned to their original positions.
As Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen walked forward, the Zhou family crowd flowed like water, displaying a seamless coordination that highlighted their skill in formations.
They moved as one, with no hint of disorder, embodying the elegance of a major family.
A glint of sharpness flashed in Ning Zhuo's eyes as he noted this key detail, deducing, "These Zhou family cultivators are not ordinary; their coordination suggests they have a profound understanding of battle formations."
The Zhou family’s reformation team might be the smallest, but they were not to be underestimated!
Upon witnessing this scene, many knowledgeable cultivators revealed solemn expressions.
Yet others, especially those from the Ning family, didn’t seem to pay it much mind.
Under countless watchful gazes, Zhou Zhu was the first to enter the testing formation.
Inside the formation, he channeled his Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, causing the formation to emit a glow of five elemental colors.
The Zhou family elder glanced at the display and loudly declared, "Zhou Zhu, peak of the third layer."
Instantly, the Zhou family members erupted in cheers.
They were evidently prepared, raising their voices in unison, catching the attention of the other two families.
Next, Zhou Zeshen entered the formation.
"Zhou Zeshen, mid-second layer!" the elder announced.
The Zhou family once again cheered.
A voice from within the Zheng family scoffed disdainfully, "They call that talent? Only mid-second layer? I’ve already reached the third layer!"
Zheng Jian opened his eyes and gave the speaker a cool glance, causing him to fall silent instantly.
This small interaction did not escape Ning Zhuo’s notice.
"Ah, yet another useful piece of intelligence."
"Zheng Jian holds absolute leadership within the Zheng family’s reformation team, commanding great authority."
Back in the reception hall, the Zheng Clan Leader remarked, "Brother Zhou, your family’s Spirit Mist Formation really is impressive."
The Ning Clan Leader nodded slightly, sharing the sentiment.
They were aware that Zhou Zeshen had only recently begun his reformation, yet had already reached mid-second layer—a remarkably fast pace.
The Zhou Clan Leader sighed, "The Spirit Mist Formation alone can’t account for such progress. Zeshen has been pushing himself relentlessly. Though he lacks Zhou Zhu’s innate talent, he has managed to catch up through sheer will and an arsenal of recovery techniques."
"Several times, he was on the brink of death, causing our family endless worry."
The Zheng Clan Leader sighed with admiration, "With such a younger generation, how can a family not prosper?"
The Ning Clan Leader voiced his agreement, yet his heart grew heavier.
Meanwhile, Ning Zhuo continued to observe quietly.
He knew that Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zeshen had trained at the Mudflow Sect and was curious about their expertise in mechanical constructs.
Unfortunately, today’s event did not provide an opportunity to showcase their skills in mechanical arts.