Immortal Creation.

Chapter 701 I am a good young man who heals the sick and saves lives!

Ning Zhuo casually scanned the two letters with his divine sense and quickly read through them, learning the cause and effect.

“Interesting.” A glint flashed in Ning Zhuo’s eyes.

He looked at the two letters in his hand and began to ponder the value of the information.

Ning Zhuo originally thought that his performance with Yu Heye was enough to convince Shen Xi, Situ Xing and others to let him join the team.

But now, Situ Xing is making things difficult for Ning Zhuo again.

"No, he wasn't making things difficult for me, he was just trying to teach Shen Xi a lesson." Ning Zhuo knew perfectly well that she and Situ Xing had never met before.

"Shen Xi introduced me because he wanted to use me to increase his influence in this gang."

"At present, Su Lingkou is the only person by his side."

“But Situ Xing is very wary of Shen Xi, and there is a secret competition between the two. I am just a pawn in this game.”

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes.

As an outsider, Ning Zhuo often encountered such situations when he set foot here.

Now, just by joining this small group, Ning Zhuo is about to be dragged into it and become a pawn in the power struggle between Shen Xi and Situ Xing.

It is conceivable that if Ning Zhuo truly joins the Myriad Manifestations Sect and fails to grasp the situation, he is very likely to become a pawn in the transition between the old and the new.

Small groups like Shen Xi and Situ Xing are alright, since their strength is only at the Foundation Establishment stage. But if they fail to grasp the situation and get involved in the grand scheme of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, getting caught up in the vortex of generational change, then they'll be in big trouble.

"Boss." Ning Zhuo transmitted his thoughts, contacting Sun Lingtong in Shuyu Zhai through the life-or-death connection.

While Ning Zhuo was in seclusion for a short period of time, breaking through his cultivation level, Sun Lingtong stayed in Meng Yaoyin's former cave, using her talent to dabble in the pages of the Luo Shu and comprehend the formation.

After listening to Ning Zhuo's brief description, Sun Lingtong thought for a moment and responded, "Xiao Zhuo, you can make the decision about this kind of small matter."

Ning Zhuo was taken aback: "Boss, you trust me that much? Before we set off from Fire Persimmon Immortal City, we agreed that we would discuss and communicate with each other in advance for any major decisions."

Sun Lingtong chuckled: "Wasn't that what we agreed on before we set off? We traveled all the way, visiting several countries, even participating in the Thousand Peaks Forest campaign, and even disrupting Lord Wangchuan's century-old plan."

"You're different from before."

"You can make the decision about this!"

A warm feeling of being trusted welled up in Ning Zhuo's heart.

Sun Lingtong was already impatient: "Don't bother me unless it's something really important."

Ning Zhuo lost contact with Sun Lingtong and read the Feixin message a second time.

The first letter was one thing, but in the second letter, Shen Xi provided detailed information about Gongsun Yan.

The intelligence includes the opponent's talent, appearance, fighting habits, and so on.

Shen Xi also speculated that since Gongsun Yan was Lin Jinglong's most capable subordinate, if Ning Zhuo got involved, he would likely become Lin Jinglong's enemy in the future.

Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. Therefore, it's never a bad thing to know some of the enemy's situation in advance.

Ordinary people might have been secretly moved by Shen Xi's heartwarming gesture.

But Ning Zhuo knew very well that he and Shen Xi were already on the same side, and that Shen Xi helping Ning Zhuo was helping himself.

Ning Zhuo stroked the mechanical ring on his finger, thoughts arising and then quickly dissipating.

There are too many ways to deal with the problem.

But just like when he dealt with Yu Heye, he needed to understand the situation clearly and control the force of his actions.

If you use too little force, the other person won't react. If you use too much force, it could turn into enmity—that would be counterproductive.

how should I do it?

Inside the cave.

Gongsun Yan sat cross-legged on the futon, his eyes fixed on a piece of wood in his hand.

This piece of wood was about three feet long and as thick as a child's arm. It had been struck by lightning and turned into a charred mess, but it was not lifeless.

Upon closer inspection, a warm, jade-like bluish-green light shines through the cracks and scorch marks, appearing in wisps and strands. Amidst the shifting blue light, fragments of thunder patterns can also be seen, appearing and disappearing.

Gongsun Yan held the piece of wood in his hand and could feel the warmth emanating from it.

This was the precious wood he obtained in exchange for agreeing to fight Lin Jinglong—Lightning-Struck Wood Spring Growth!

This all started with the Lin family's signature martial art, "Ten Thousand Trees Spring Thunder Guidance".

This technique allows one to gather the essence of all trees, cultivate the power of the Wood element, and then transform it into spring thunder.

The essence is: thunder and rain, birth and death shine together. The power of the wood element has always been characterized by growth and persistence. The spring thunder of the wood element can both harm enemies and generate life.

All cultivators who practice the "Ten Thousand Trees Spring Thunder Guidance" have the ability to mass-produce lightning-struck wood - Spring Life.

Gongsun Yan was already familiar with this precious material.

He skillfully crushed the spirit stones, increasing the concentration of spiritual energy within the cave.

The Thunderstruck Wood, imbued with this spiritual energy, gradually developed a layer of misty blue fog on its surface. Gongsun Yan took a deep breath, feeling the air was incredibly fresh, as if he were in a forest after the rain.

He could feel more deeply the vitality of early spring grass and trees contained in the lightning-struck wood and spring thunder, as well as the unique purifying power of thunder.

The distracting thoughts and restlessness that had been lingering in his dantian gradually dissipated under this aura.

This is precisely why Gongsun Yan wanted to use this type of wood.

His talent is only of a lower caliber. This level of talent has both advantages and obvious disadvantages.

Melting the heart can generate heart fire. Heart fire can be regarded as a quasi-fire seed, which can be combined with any fire-based cultivation technique in the world to form a corresponding fire seed.

The advantage of the heart fire lies in its complete control.

Cultivators do not need much fire element realm or skill level; they can naturally have complete control over their inner fire.

He can make the most subtle adjustments, keeping every bit of the heat in his heart under his control.

Such inner fire is naturally suited for alchemy and weapon crafting!
Because of this talent, Gongsun Yan chose weapon crafting among the various arts of cultivation. And because of this talent, he chose to attach himself to the Lin family—he needed the Thunderstruck Wood - Spring Thunder - to alleviate the harm caused by his inner fire.

The more often and for longer periods the heart fire is used, the more it disrupts the balance of the five elements in the body, making it easier for the body's mechanisms to become unbalanced and cause various illnesses.

Therefore, Gongsun Yan's inhuman appearance, with bronze skin and dark gold bones, was a change he was forced to undergo.

This imbalance not only affects the cultivator's physical body but also their spirit. Prolonged use of inner fire can make a person impatient, violent, reckless, eager for quick success, and lose their composure.

This is even more terrible.

Even the most basic spiritual practice carries the risk of going astray or falling into demonic possession if one's mindset is unstable.

Moreover, crafting weapons requires perseverance and patience; one cannot succeed by being impatient.

It was precisely because of this negative impact on the mindset of cultivators that Gongsun Yan abandoned alchemy and chose weapon crafting when he carefully selected his cultivation path.

This is because alchemy, compared to weapon crafting, requires more precise control. Weapon crafting, on the other hand, is relatively more rough and has a higher tolerance for error.

Gongsun Yan was worried that his unstable mindset would lead to failure in alchemy, and all his efforts would be in vain.

The consequences of failing in alchemy are often more severe than those of failing in weapon crafting.

When precious medicinal herbs are mixed together, their medicinal properties permeate each other, and if the alchemy fails, the resulting material is often waste.

But weapon crafting is different. Sometimes, even if it fails, some costs can be recovered from the scrap, reducing losses.

Don't underestimate this loss.

A cultivator's life is not short; they will refine weapons and pills many times. The losses from each instance accumulate to a huge sum over their lifetime.

This enormous loss likely represents the cultivator's entire life's cultivation level and achievements in various aspects.

Gongsun Yan held his breath and focused his mind, slowly activating his innate talent and unleashing his own inner fire.

The inner fire was poured into the lightning-struck wood, Spring Thunder, before it, and quickly ignited. The charred outer shell of the lightning-struck wood emitted a slight cracking sound, and as the precious material burned, the orange-red inner fire was tinged with a bluish-black.

Gongsun Yan carefully retrieved his inner fire.

Of course, this is only a small part of the recycling process.

The dark blue-green heart fire merged into his body, bringing with it the power of spring thunder's birth and death. The heart fire flowed throughout his body, leaving countless fine, shimmering blue-green burn marks wherever it went.

After these wounds appeared, they healed rapidly under the nourishment of the unique vitality of spring thunder.

The necrotic tissue was instantly disintegrated and reshaped by the life-giving power of thunder, as if it had undergone a thunderous baptism from the inside out and a process that stimulated the growth of plants.

Each time he was broken down and rebuilt, it brought Gongsun Yan immense pain. But with each healing, he would feel a profound sense of liberation and rejuvenation.

The dark blue flames entered his dantian within his divine sea.

A great deal of distracting thoughts, anxieties, and impatience dissipated under the power of the spring thunder, as if washed clean by a great spring rain, leaving no trace.

Gongsun Yan felt increasingly relaxed, his mind gradually approaching the clear and tranquil state of "empty mountains after rain, still water like a clear mirror".

But just then, a laugh suddenly came from behind him.

"Hee hee hee."

Gongsun Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints! The hairs on his body stood on end. He never expected that someone would sneak into his cave and come up behind him without him noticing.

A strong sense of crisis prompted Gongsun Yan to activate protective measures without hesitation.

At the same time, he turned around quickly, wanting to launch a surprise attack on the person in front of him.

But he had only turned halfway when everything went black and he completely lost consciousness!

Sun Lingtong whistled.

Gongsun Yan's cultivation level was not strong; he was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Sun Lingtong is capable of dealing with Golden Core cultivators, let alone those of the same level.

Ning Zhuo asked him to move, and he easily knocked Gongsun Yan unconscious.

Shortly after.

clap clap.

A series of slaps landed on Gongsun Yan's face. The latter opened his blurry eyes, his mind in a daze.

But the next moment, Gongsun Yan remembered that his body felt like it had been electrocuted. If he hadn't been tied up, he would have jumped up long ago.

"Who are you?!" he demanded angrily, staring at Ning Zhuo in front of him.

"Don't move, don't move around." Sun Lingtong stood behind him, her small hand touching Gongsun Yan's shoulder, thus immobilizing him.

Within just a few breaths, cold sweat had already beaded on Gongsun Yan's forehead.

He carefully examined Ning Zhuo and saw that the other man was dressed in white, with a sunny and youthful appearance, except that his head was a bit big. Overall, he had a kind and approachable demeanor.

Gongsun Yan was not affected by this temperament.

What a joke!
Would a kind and approachable person secretly sneak into someone else's cave and attack other cultivators?!

Ning Zhuo smiled at Gongsun Yan: "Don't be afraid, I'm here to treat your illness."

His smile and words only increased Gongsun Yan's fear: "Does this young cultivator have some kind of mental illness?"

"Or perhaps a perverted demonic cultivator who finds pleasure in torturing others?"

Despite his imposing physique and superhuman appearance, Gongsun Yan actually has limited combat experience and focuses more on weapon crafting. His cultivation resources are usually obtained by exchanging the results of his weapon crafting.

He was dispatched by the Lin family to assist Lin Jinglong, but his exact role was not that of a combatant; rather, he was to provide technical support.

Even so, due to his talent, equipment, and other factors, Gongsun Yan's combat strength was still among the top in Lin Jinglong's subordinates.

Ning Zhuo knew most people would be speechless. He reached out and grabbed Gongsun Yan's head, as if he were squeezing a ball.

"Damn it, this demonic cultivator is probably going to search my soul!" Gongsun Yan's heart jumped into his throat.

However, Ning Zhuo only used his magic power and divine sense to inspect Gongsun Yan's internal condition.

Gongsun Yan had no power to resist and could only let Ning Zhuo's divine sense sweep freely through his body, revealing all his inner thoughts.

“You are indeed very ill. Don’t be afraid, I can cure you.” Ning Zhuo gave him a friendly smile.

He then took out his natal mechanical fan.

Gongsun Yan's eyes widened, and his upper body instinctively leaned back, trying to distance himself from Ning Zhuo.

fail.

Gongsun Yan threatened, "Wait, wait! Do you know that I have already joined the Lin family? If you want to make a move against me, you should think about Young Master Lin Jinglong and the Lin family of Mo Gaofeng!"

Ning Zhuo turned a deaf ear and simply fanned the Five Elements Mechanism Fan.

His innate magic, the Five Elements Generation and Destruction Technique, unleashed its power on the spot!
Gongsun Yan's body was in imbalance of the five elements, causing various illnesses. However, after being affected by the Five Elements Generation and Destruction Technique, he underwent a dramatic change.

Gongsun Yan's body trembled, his eyes widened, and he first showed a blank expression.

But the body's reaction is real.

It was like a dry desert suddenly receiving a downpour.

During the rain, the fire element diminishes significantly, the water element irrigates, the earth element nourishes, the wood element rises, and the metal element generates, ultimately achieving a balance among the five elements.

His bronze skin had noticeably darkened, and his dark gold bones had also revealed an ordinary luster.

Spring Thunder's power is to destroy and then rebuild, to heal him. Ning Zhuo's Five Elements Fan, however, fundamentally rebuilds the balance of the five elements. The former treats the symptoms but not the root cause, while the latter directly addresses the problem at its source!
These are solutions on completely different levels.

Gongsun Yan looked at Ning Zhuo in disbelief: "You... how did you do that?"

How could one possibly rebuild the balance of the five elements within their body in an instant?

Gongsun Yan had been troubled by this for a long time and had tried countless methods. In the end, he reluctantly chose to join the Lin family because the treatment plan to restore the balance of the five elements was too difficult to implement.

Ning Zhuo smiled and said, "It's very simple, I'm just fanning you."

“You’re lucky, I happen to have a Five Elements Fan like this.”

Gongsun Yan's gaze immediately turned fervent as he stared intently at Ning Zhuo's natal magic weapon, completely mesmerized.

Ning Zhuo then introduced himself: "My name is Ning Zhuo, and I believe Fellow Daoist Gongsun Yan has heard of me."

Gongsun Yan was in a daze for a moment before he came to his senses.

"Ning Zhuo? You're Ning Zhuo?!" He was no longer so afraid, but questioned, "Do you know that what you're doing to me violates the sect rules!"

"We agreed to resolve our conflict at the martial arts training hall."

"Yet you secretly sneaked into my cave and attacked me..."

Ning Zhuo interrupted, "No, I'm here to treat your illness."

Gongsun Yan sneered: "Soliciting nonsense..."

Ning Zhuo spread his hands, interrupting again: "Just tell me, is the effect good or not?"

Gongsun Yan's expression froze for a moment, then he gritted his teeth: "Do you think I'm so easy to cure? My physical problems can be solved, but how do I get rid of the various agitations, anger, and distracting thoughts lingering in my mind? I still need to rely on the lightning-struck wood!"

Ning Zhuo was clearly prepared, and without hesitation, he waved his fan again.

The wind that was blown out this time directly affected Gongsun Yan's upper dantian, completely suppressing and sweeping away all the restlessness and anger within his divine sea.

Ning Zhuo smiled and asked, "How is it?"

Gongsun Yan stared wide-eyed, completely dumbfounded, gazing intently at Ning Zhuo's... mechanical fan in his hand.

(End of this chapter)