The Ning Family Clan Leader was already quite curious about the sudden emergence of Ning Zhuo.
After reviewing numerous details, he sighed with some relief, “So this child Ning Zhuo had shown his mechanical aptitude long ago.”
The first piece of intelligence revealed that Ning Zhuo’s mother, Meng Yaoyin, was also a mechanical cultivator.
Although she passed away early, she left Ning Zhuo with many manuals on mechanical arts.
Ning Zhuo cherished these manuals as relics of his mother, often holding them as he fell asleep during his childhood.
Growing up, he was deeply influenced by these texts.
Ning Zhuo began showing a strong interest in mechanical arts during his early childhood.
He frequently visited the children's orphanage, where he watched Li Leifeng's puppet shows.
The orphanage, located in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, was a refuge for homeless children, jointly funded by the City Lord’s residence and various prominent families in the city as part of a policy of the Southern Bean Kingdom.
Li Leifeng, the orphanage director, possessed lightning roots and was also a mechanical cultivator.
He constructed a mechanical tower capable of absorbing external lightning as a power source, allowing it to operate without consuming spiritual power.
In combat, the lightning stored within the tower could burst forth as chains of electricity, restraining and electrocuting enemies.
“Elder Li’s puppet shows are truly exceptional,” the Ning Family Clan Leader marveled.
He had watched Li Leifeng’s puppet shows multiple times and had always been deeply impressed.
Perhaps influenced by Li Leifeng, Ning Zhuo developed a strong affinity for puppets and similar toys from a young age.
His favorite toys were a circular puppet, a puppet with crossed legs, and another with a unique hairstyle.
Upon entering the family academy, Ning Zhuo remained most interested in mechanical arts, diligently studying and asking questions, which caused his performance in other subjects to suffer.
It wasn’t until he turned ten that his overall performance gradually improved, eventually reaching an upper-middle level in his class.
The Ning family emphasized talisman arts, and naturally, Ning Zhuo’s uncle and aunt disapproved of him pursuing mechanical arts, fearing it would ruin his future.
They disciplined him strictly, breaking three large baskets’ worth of mechanical puppets.
Though Ning Zhuo appeared to have been restrained, he continued to pursue mechanical arts whenever he could.
He even volunteered to work as a child laborer in various mechanical workshops without pay.
For him, simply being able to engage with mechanical constructs brought him joy.
Through persistence and passion, Ning Zhuo’s skills in mechanical arts steadily grew.
At fifteen, he created a mechanical parrot that surpassed the skills of his peers, earning unexpected praise from one of the academy elders.
Yet, despite the quiet expectations from some elders, Ning Zhuo underperformed during the family’s grand assessment.
“He was too nervous!” the Ning Family Clan Leader sighed as he reviewed the jade slip containing detailed records of Ning Zhuo’s performance during the assessment.
“Yes,” Ning Xiaoren agreed, “When the control strings got tangled, Ning Zhuo failed to notice. By the time he was ready to act, the strings had become entwined, leaving him with no room to maneuver.”
“If I were the supervising elder, I would have given him another chance,” Ning Xiaoren remarked.
The Clan Leader shook his head. “The elder did nothing wrong. According to the rules, candidates should thoroughly check their equipment beforehand. Ning Zhuo should take responsibility for this outcome.”
As the father and son discussed the matter, a servant entered, announcing that Feng Ji had arrived.
“Let him in,” the Clan Leader nodded.
Feng Ji, a tall, slender middle-aged man with half-closed eyes and long green hair, entered. He carried a fan-shaped blade wheel on his back.
Feng Ji, who possessed wind roots and considerable skill in mechanical arts, wasn’t a conventional mechanical cultivator.
However, the mechanical falcon he designed was swift as lightning and attacked like a fierce gust of wind, making it highly formidable.
After failing to recruit the Mysterious Puppet Master, the Ning family had continued to seek external talent, finally securing Feng Ji with increased offers.
He was, to date, their most significant acquisition of external talent.
“Clan Leader, Young Clan Leader,” Feng Ji greeted with a straight posture.
As a foundation establishment peak cultivator with expertise in mechanical arts, he knew his value and maintained a detached demeanor with the Ning family’s upper echelons.
The Young Clan Leader, Ning Xiaoren, smiled. “Master Feng, we’ve invited you here to examine these two Mechanical Fire Explosive Monkeys and evaluate the skill level of their creator.”
The Ning Family Clan Leader and Young Clan Leader did not intend to reveal that Ning Zhuo was the creator of the Mechanical Fire Explosive Monkey.
On one hand, Ning Xiaoren still wanted to feign ignorance, portraying himself as “sincerely” interested in Ning Zhuo’s work.
On the other hand, the Mechanical Fire Explosive Monkey was related to Fei Si.
Revealing the truth could trouble Fei Si, and the Ning family preferred not to offend him, given his considerable authority as an official who handled most of Fire Persimmon Immortal City’s day-to-day affairs.
Their concealment led Feng Ji to misunderstand their intentions, and he speculated, “Does the Ning family plan to hire Chen Cha for a high price?”
Reluctant to let this happen, Feng Ji began examining the two Mechanical Fire Explosive Monkeys.
One was a meticulously crafted, durable version from an earlier design.
The other, crude and heavily worn, was a subsequent modification by Ning Zhuo.
After inspecting them, Feng Ji commented, “The main material of the monkey’s hide is Fire Velvet Mouse skin, woven using traditional spiritual embroidery. It’s a standard technique, nothing worth mentioning.”
“Using heavenly gold for the skeleton is essential for embedding storage arrays. It’s typically the best option.”
“If it were me, I’d go further and choose the lungs of a Cloud Whale. This would allow the storage formation to hold live items, whereas the current version only stores inanimate objects.”
“The Mechanical Fire Explosive Monkey is designed for picking Fire Persimmons. While Fire Persimmons are somewhat akin to fire essence, they are essentially fruit from the Fire Persimmon Tree. Storing them in a live-item array would better preserve their flavor.”
Feng Ji only mentioned the advantages of his proposal, omitting the rarity of Cloud Whale lungs.
“The materials used in the Mechanical Fire Explosive Monkey’s body are decent,” Feng Ji continued, glossing over one of its key strengths.
“There are quite a few formations in its palms, and their combinations are fairly novel. Not bad,” Feng Ji conceded minimally.
“The small detonation pellet in the monkey’s brain is, in my opinion, the most ingenious part of the design.” Feng Ji praised it briefly before quickly shifting focus.
“However, while the cost-cutting design saves on resources, it limits the device’s usability to foundation establishment cultivators, greatly reducing its market potential.”
“Without this drawback, sales of the Mechanical Fire Explosive Monkey could increase several times over.”
“In summary, this device has flaws,” Feng Ji concluded.
The Ning Family Clan Leader and Ning Xiaoren exchanged glances.
The former said nothing, while the latter pressed on, “Would you say the designer’s skills in mechanical arts are formidable?”
Mechanical arts rank low among cultivation skills.
As high-ranking family members preoccupied with administrative duties and political maneuvers, they struggled to assess the merits of the Mechanical Fire Explosive Monkey.
In fact, not only mechanical arts but even a new pill formula would be challenging for them to evaluate due to their lack of expertise.
Feng Ji replied thoughtfully, “Chen Cha has run the Flying Disc Workshop for years to finally produce such a mechanical construct. It’s certainly a feat.”
“This device has some clever aspects, but not many. Although it’s popular now, the business of picking Fire Persimmons will likely decline by next year, and its use is limited.”
“In general, it’s an above-average construct, slightly leaning towards the upper end.”
“As for the creator, I’d rather not comment.”
The Ning Family Clan Leader and Ning Xiaoren exchanged another glance.
The Clan Leader thought, “For a foundation establishment cultivator like Feng Ji to rate it as above average is high praise for Ning Zhuo, who is still in qi refining.”
Ning Xiaoren, on the other hand, felt even more determined to recruit Ning Zhuo.
Meanwhile, at the children’s orphanage, Zhu Xuanji, hidden from view, entered the grounds.
An elderly man basking in the sun furrowed his brows, looking in Zhu Xuanji’s direction, “Who’s there?!”
Zhu Xuanji was momentarily surprised before revealing himself.
He formed a hand seal, his eyes glowing golden as he activated a detection spell to observe his surroundings.
“So that’s it. There’s a subtle flow of electricity around this courtyard, creating an invisible electrical field. The moment I stepped in, it created a detectable difference in potential.”
Zhu Xuanji praised as he stomped his foot, triggering a small lightning explosion that scattered a layer of dirt, revealing bricks underneath.
The runes on the bricks were dazzling to the eye.
Bricks like these were placed sporadically underground, without forming a complete array.
This lack of a full formation made it difficult for Zhu Xuanji to sense and guard against.
Since arriving in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, this was the first time someone had spotted him in hiding.
“So, it’s Lord Zhu Xuanji. Please, take a seat,” the elderly man remained reclined in his chair, unmoving.
Zhu Xuanji had already made a public appearance in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, a fact well-known throughout the city.
Oddly, the old man, who was only in the early foundation establishment stage, acted nonchalantly towards a golden core cultivator like Zhu Xuanji.
Zhu Xuanji took no offense.
Approaching the elder, he smiled, “Elder Li Leifeng, I’ve heard much about you and came specifically to see you.”
The elder, Li Leifeng, snorted coldly, “It’s a bit late for that, Lord Zhu.”
“You say you came to see me, but in truth, you suspect I might be a Shadow Demon Cultivator, don’t you?”
Zhu Xuanji smiled awkwardly.
Li Leifeng sighed, “I’ve lived a long life and seen many things. Search as you will, Lord Zhu.”
Zhu Xuanji bowed, “Forgive my offense.”