Immortal Creation.

Chapter 712 Three People Cultivating Together
To rent a cave dwelling, you have to go to the Internal Affairs Hall.

Ning Zhuo already knew someone in the Inner Affairs Hall, namely Cao Gui.

Previously, he had cooperated with Cao Gui to deal with Yu Heye.

Ning Zhuo thought about it and decided to go find him anyway.

When Cao Gui saw Ning Zhuo again, he squinted and asked directly, "Is Fellow Daoist Ning a friend or foe?"

Ning Zhuo smiled and said, "Of course we're comrades-in-arms."

Cao Gui shook his head: "If that's the case, why did Fellow Daoist Ning accept Yu Heye's invitation to the banquet time and time again?"

Yu Heye offended the Cao family back then.

One of the reasons Cao Gui, as a member of the Cao family, agreed to join forces with Ning Zhuo was to cause trouble for Yu Heye.

Another reason is that Cao Gui himself was relatively poor, and Ning Zhuo offered him a considerable reward.

Ning Zhuo bowed respectfully and said sincerely, "The conflict between me and Yu Heye was just a minor one, and it has now been resolved. As a newcomer, turning an enemy into a friend with a Golden Core cultivator is the right thing to do."

"In my opinion, this does not affect my friendship with you, fellow Daoist."

"After all, the Cao family is the Cao family, and Fellow Daoist Cao Gui is a fellow Daoist. Brother Cao, given your current situation, how much support has your family provided you?"

Cao Gui sighed deeply: "Although I am a marginal figure in the family, I obtained this job through connections within the family."

How can a person forget their roots?

Having said that, he waved his sleeve and said, "I understand Fellow Daoist Ning's choice. From now on, we can just be strangers."

Ning Zhuo sighed deeply, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Fellow Daoist, your righteousness is truly admirable. I am unworthy to be your friend. Farewell!"

Cao Gui watched Ning Zhuo leave before turning his gaze away and returning to his work.

Ning Zhuo rode a cloud away from the inner quarters and went to another place.

He remained expressionless; Cao Gui's change in attitude was one of the scenarios he had anticipated.

Ning Zhuo's original plan was to use the opportunity of dealing with Yu Heye to get closer to the Cao family. Although the Cao family had declined, they were still a powerful force among the old Four Peaks.

But then something unexpected happened—Yu Heye voluntarily surrendered.

As a Golden Core cultivator, his submission represented a higher value, so Ning Zhuo naturally chose the latter.

This meant that his relationship with Cao Gui had been damaged. Today's meeting confirmed this.

"Becoming strangers, this situation is neither good nor bad."

At least they didn't turn into enemies.

Having confirmed this relationship, Ning Zhuo put the Cao family connection out of his mind.

It's impossible to please everyone; in other words, it's impossible to maintain good relationships with all forces and individuals.

Especially in an environment full of competition, one has to compete for cultivation resources.

Between the Cao family and Yu Heye, Ning Zhuo chose the latter.

Between Shen Xi and Pi Fujie, Ning Zhuo chose the former.

When the time is right, one must choose sides. In politics, the neutral party is often the most dangerous. Inconsistent loyalty is tantamount to absolute disloyalty.

Only by choosing a side can the relationship be further deepened.

Ning Zhuo's political acumen in this regard is absolutely sufficient.

Half an hour later.

Ning Zhuo stood inside the Qing Shi Cave.

This is the cave he recently rented.

The cave dwelling has five rooms and one hall.

The moss-covered stone entrance hall serves as a reception area. The cultivation room is paved with jade bricks and engraved with a qi-gathering array. The alchemy and artifact-making room has an earth fire array to meet the basic needs of alchemy and artifact-making. The two living rooms have very few facilities.

The last room was a martial arts training room, where a martial arts formation had been built. This was the main reason Ning Zhuo chose it.

The matter at Shuyuzhai has been resolved; only the pages of the Luoshu book remain. This is not something that can be solved in a short time.

Moreover, Yu Heye can be considered a hidden thread planted by Ning Zhuo, and Ning Zhuo's long stay there only attracts attention.

He has just incurred the enmity of Pi Fujie, and will inevitably make even more enemies in the future. It would be best to withdraw in time.

With Gongsun Yan joining them, the original cave dwelling was no longer sufficient.

Ning Zhuo assigned the two living rooms in the Qing Shi Cave to the cook and Qing Chi respectively. They were almost empty, which made it convenient for them to decorate as they pleased.

As for Gongsun Yan, let him stay in the alchemy room.

Ning Zhuo himself doesn't even have a living room, so a cultivation room will suffice.

He doesn't have high expectations in this regard.

After making the arrangements, Ning Zhuo activated the magic array in the training room and entered the space within the array.

The cost of the martial arts training hall was actually not high, but Ning Zhuo dared not risk revealing Xue Cai Nu Hui's spirituality.

He cast several rounds of Five Elements spells within the magic array space, causing ripples to appear on the transparent boundary of the array space, thus probing the strength of its defenses.

Ning Zhuo did not release Xue Cai Nu Hui Lai directly, but left the Qing Shi Cave alone.

He returned to the mountain where Yu Heye was located and, using the teleportation chamber within the mountain, secretly made contact with Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong returned to the Green Stone Cave, while Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged in front of the water vortex formation.

During this period, Sun Lingtong made some progress in his research on the water vortex formation. He built a smaller formation outside the water vortex formation.

Ning Zhuo was able to communicate with the core of the formation—the pages of the Luo Shu—with the help of a small array. Sun Lingtong herself didn't need to use her innate spiritual eye every time; that would be too tiring.

Ning Zhuo, aided by the small array, was affected by the Dao artifact. Sun Lingtong, through the life-or-death connection, also managed to glimpse a page of the Luo Shu.

With this impression in mind, Sun Lingtong carefully inspected the magic array of the Qing Shi Cave, and only after confirming its safety did she quietly leave.

Throughout the entire process, the cook, Qingchi, and Gongsun Yan were kept in the dark.

There's no need to tell them.

Sun Lingtong's skill in formations far surpasses Ning Zhuo's. Furthermore, given her use of the Luo Shu pages, the test results are highly likely to be accurate.

The key point is that when Ning Zhuo chose this cave, the mechanism ring did not react.

Such high-level cave dwellings typically cater to wealthy Foundation Establishment cultivators. Within the Myriad Manifestations Sect, there are many such dwellings.

Unless Ning Zhuo is exceptionally unlucky and chooses a special one from among thousands, who would deliberately plot against him?
But when it comes to luck, Ning Zhuo is no slouch either.

After the White Paper Immortal City, he gained Yang Tian's favor, so his luck was definitely not bad. However, at the main gate of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, this influence of fortune was not clearly manifested. Every super power has its own special treasures to suppress its destiny.

All of this led Ning Zhuo to be almost certain that the Qing Shi Cave was safe.

He only took out Xue Cai Nu Hui from the martial arts formation after secretly exchanging items with Sun Ling Tong.

He used only the life-or-death connection to secretly contact the mechanical puppet, then concealed his own presence and controlled a large number of mechanical beasts to besiege Xue Cai Nu Hui.

Xuecai Nu Hui was surrounded and launched a counterattack, tearing wave after wave of mechanical beasts to pieces.

In every battle, Ning Zhuo deliberately left gaps, allowing Xue Cai Nu Hui to rest.

After all, since it relies primarily on spirituality, controlling the puppets also consumes energy.

Every time Xue Cai Nu Hui wins, she raises her head slightly and stands proudly on the field.

Through the life-or-death situation, Ning Zhuo could clearly feel that her spiritual emotions were being expressed naturally time and time again, and his connection with Xue Cai Nu Hui became increasingly smooth.

"I think this is the answer."

"Xuecai Nu Hui's temperament is—pride."

"As long as we keep satisfying her in this way, we can express her temperament and help her get through the spiritual stage more quickly."

Good times are not long.

As Xuecai's winning streak increased, her post-battle pride diminished.

Even though Ning Zhuo intentionally increased the difficulty, such as increasing the number of ordinary mechanical beasts and enhancing his control over them, Xue Cai Nu Hui's pride after the victory noticeably diminished.

When the returns dropped to a certain level, Ning Zhuo decisively stopped the operation.

"The joy of accomplishing the same thing will indeed diminish over time. For the average person, doing it too often will also lead to numbness."

"Then let's do something else."

Ning Zhuo knew Ning Xiaohui quite well, so he naturally thought of talisman making.

Ning Xiaohui was quite skilled at making talismans during her lifetime.

Ning Zhuo summoned Qing Chi to the training room.

This time, he appeared and arranged for Qingchi and Xuecai Nu Hui to sit cross-legged in front of him. Qingchi first observed the mechanical doll with curiosity, marveling at her beauty, and then her gaze became fixed on Ning Zhuo. Even with amnesia, she showed a deep affection for him.

Qing Chi responded enthusiastically to Ning Zhuo's call to action.

Ning Zhuo said, "I called you here today to teach you the most basic talisman-making. Watch carefully!"

After saying that, Ning Zhuo demonstrated how to make a lightness talisman.

The effect of a talisman is to reduce the weight of the target. Once an ordinary person applies it and can activate the talisman, they can walk on snow without leaving a trace and fly swiftly over grass, instantly becoming a master of light-footed skills.

Ning Zhuo demonstrated it once, and then let Qing Chi and Xue Cai Nu Hui try to make it.

Qing Chi blushed slightly. Her gaze had been involuntarily fixed on Ning Zhuo's face, and she hadn't quite grasped how to make the talisman.

Xue Cai Nu Hui Qi's spirituality truly lived up to its origin from Ning Xiao Hui. When Ning Zhuo was making talismans, she was deeply attracted to him, staring at Ning Zhuo's talisman-making movements without moving, completely focused.

Ning Zhuo had the two women begin trying to make talismans.

Xue Cai Nu Hui remained motionless for a long time before starting, her movements were rigid and mechanical, and she quickly failed.

Failure to create a talisman can result in the loss of magical power and spiritual energy, or even a backlash.

Fortunately, the Lightness Talisman is too low-end and simple, and the foundation of Xuecai Nu·Hui and Qingchi is enough to support the bad consequences of a large number of failures.

After her failure, Xue Cai Nu Hui continues to suffer negative consequences.

Qing Chi was the same, but her movements became faster and faster, her progress was rapid, and she was getting closer and closer to success.

Ning Zhuo was secretly surprised: "My progress in learning this talisman was slightly slower than hers. I didn't expect her to have such remarkable talent in this cultivation technique!"

He looked at Xue Cai Nu Hui again, and because someone's life was hanging by a thread, Ning Zhuo could clearly feel that Xue Cai Nu Hui had a sense of anxiety.

Clearly, she was very interested in talisman making and had noticed Qing Chi's rapid progress, so she didn't want to lose to someone else like this.

Ning Zhuo looked at Qing Chi again and saw that Qing Chi's brows were furrowed and his face was serious.

Even without a life hanging in the balance, he could guess Qing Chi's thoughts—"I must go all out! If I can't even beat a mechanical puppet, wouldn't Young Master Ning Zhuo be quite disappointed in me?"

Ning Zhuo sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "I'm sorry, Qing Chi."

He then used a life-or-death thread to connect with Qing Chi, slightly affecting her fingers.

Qingchi was making a talisman when his movements suddenly became distorted, drawing a rather absurd arc, and he immediately failed.

Qing Chi frowned, thinking that his micro-management skills were lacking, and immediately started over.

With Ning Zhuo's partial assistance, Xue Cai Nu Hui's progress gradually surpassed Qing Chi's, and she was the first to create a talisman.

Her head was tilted back even higher than when she defeated the tiger demon!
Ning Zhuo was also delighted. Through the life-or-death situation, he could feel Xue Cai Nu Hui's pride, which was expressed with extreme intensity, the strongest it had ever been.

"This is the right path!"

Only Qingchi was almost in tears.

Why am I so useless? My fingers just won't obey me at crucial moments, and my movements become distorted!
She couldn't even compare to a mechanical puppet; how could she bear this?
As for why the mechanical puppets were so lifelike, Qing Chi, having lost his memory and lacking common sense, didn't find it strange.

Ning Zhuo nodded, praising Xue Cai Nu Hui, which stirred up a small wave of pride in her. Then, Ning Zhuo comforted and encouraged Qing Chi.

The little girl gritted her teeth, deeply moved, and immediately said that she would work even harder!

Ning Zhuo then had the two sides compete again.

Qing Chi put in all her effort this time, and Ning Zhuo didn't interfere, resulting in significant progress. But just as she was only halfway through her work, Xue Cai Nu Hui had already succeeded again.

"Because it's a mechanism, once it's made, it will succeed every time?" A glint flashed in Ning Zhuo's eyes as he keenly noticed that Xue Cai Nu Hui's talisman-making actions were exactly the same as before.

The Buddhist physician Meng Yaoyin wasn't considered his creation; Ning Zhuo had created the puppet bodies of Yuan Dasheng and Meng Yehu. However, both of these were combat-oriented, and Ning Zhuo didn't teach them any cultivation techniques.

This was the first time Ning Zhuo had encountered a situation like Xue Cai Nu Hui's.

He felt he had guessed the truth.

Next, he began the experiment.

Sure enough, Xue Cai Nu Hui succeeded in making talismans every time, with all her movements being exactly the same.

Without Ning Zhuo's secret interference, Qing Chi's speed increased rapidly after creating her first Lightness Talisman. Because the talisman was so basic and simple, she never failed.

However, she never managed to defeat Xue Cai Nu Hui.

"Once Xiaohui masters the art of talismans, her talisman-making speed will be the fastest."

"Qingchi has a lot of potential to be tapped. If we compete a dozen more times, her speed will surpass Xiaohui's."

"The pride I felt after each successful talisman-making was far greater than when I fought against mechanical beasts."

"It seems that Xue Cai Nu Hui has inherited some of Ning Xiao Hui's traits. She prefers talisman making to fighting!"

With this discovery, Ning Zhuo's perception of this mechanical doll changed directly from combat-oriented to production-oriented.

"She should have a certain combat capability to fill the gap in combat power for me during the period when Yuan Dasheng and Meng Yehu are not fully repaired."

"But actually, she's better suited to making talismans."

"When she grows spiritually, I should equip her with a technique specifically for making talismans!"

"Of course, before that, I will try out the other cultivation arts on her to find out her true condition."

Ning Zhuo had a premonition that Xue Cai Nu Hui's role was likely talisman making. But just to be on the safe side, he still wanted to try out all the cultivation techniques.

Seeing that Qing Chi was about to surpass Xue Cai Nu Hui, Ning Zhuo decisively spoke up: "Alright, next I will teach you the second type of talisman."

Qing Chi exclaimed, but Ning Zhuo had already begun his demonstration, so she had no choice but to put aside her regret and concentrate on observing.

Having learned from his previous experience, Qingchi observed very carefully this time.

However, when she tried to make talismans, she began to make frequent mistakes.

"What happened to me?"

"It shouldn't be difficult! Why am I so nervous?"

"Am I... too eager to impress you, young master?"

Qing Chi grew increasingly anxious and gradually developed doubts.

On the other hand, Xue Cai Nu Hui's learning progress was naturally far weaker than Qing Chi's. After all, she was only at the Life Spirit stage and had not yet grown to the Intelligence Spirit stage.

Ning Zhuo naturally wouldn't let Qing Chi continue to doubt. He decisively stood up, came to Qing Chi, and directly reached out to hold Qing Chi's hand: "I'll help you. Don't be nervous. Try to control your fingers and don't let them shake."

call!
Qingchi seemed to hear the sound of hot air rushing out from above his head.

At that moment, I felt like I was about to explode; my heart was pounding wildly.

She stared blankly at Ning Zhuo's hand, which was holding hers, and felt as if she were in a beautiful dream.

Ning Zhuo patiently taught her step by step, explaining to her repeatedly where she had made a mistake, even more carefully and patiently than when teaching a young child.

On the other side, Ning Zhuo secretly observed Xue Cai Nu Hui. Seeing that she started to move, kept failing, and was making progress, he secretly nodded.

Qing Chi's expression stiffened, and her whole body tensed up. Her heart was no longer focused on making talismans, but on Ning Zhuo, constantly feeling the warmth of Ning Zhuo's palm.

She forgot the passage of time, feeling that everything was wonderful!

So much so that when Xue Cai Nu Hui successfully made another talisman, Ning Zhuo let go, and she finally woke up.

The mechanical puppet tilted its head back again, this time to an even greater degree than before.

The reason is simple: her opponent had more guidance, yet she still lost to her.

For a moment, his intense pride was palpable!
Ning Zhuo then had the two of them create a second type of talisman. After waking up, Qing Chi began to concentrate fully and give it her all. With her talent, which was even slightly superior to Ning Zhuo's, she quickly caught up once again.

After successfully creating the talisman for the first time, she maintained a 100% success rate, and the speed kept increasing.

But when she showed signs of surpassing Xue Cai Nu Hui again, Ning Zhuo decisively began to teach the two the third type of talisman.

After demonstrating it once, Ning Zhuo let the two of them start trying it out.

The very first line that Qingchi drew was crooked!
She looked at Ning Zhuo with shyness and courage, full of longing and expectation: "Young master, my talent in talisman making is too low. Please help me."

Ning Zhuo: ...

This time, he didn't use any life-threatening measures to influence her.

Ning Zhuo sighed inwardly, pretending not to know, and once again personally taught Qing Chi.

In this way, all three parties achieved their goals.

Half a day has passed, and Xue Cai Nu Hui still needs to constantly express her emotions, and has not yet directly passed the Spiritual Transformation stage.

Comparing Yuan Dasheng to Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo secretly guessed: "Yuan Dasheng had previously broken free from control and acted independently, venting his emotions extremely fiercely."

“Ning Xiaohui is different; her pride is a gentle, gradual stream. Perhaps that’s why it’s a slow and steady process.”

(End of this chapter)