Immortal Creation.

Chapter 722 "The Book of Vowel Reeds"

Qingshi Cave.

Ning Zhuo sat in the main seat, raised his wine glass, and thanked the invited cultivators, saying, "Our victory over Ban Ji this time is entirely due to our concerted efforts and unity. Come, let's have another drink!"

Upon returning from Green Bamboo Peak, Ning Zhuo took the opportunity to invite the other eleven people who had successfully passed the test.

Some Golden Core cultivators were not invited, and others declined Ning Zhuo's invitation due to the upcoming competition. In the end, five people came.

Ning Zhuo then invited the five people to his cave dwelling, where the old cook prepared a feast of spiritual food.

The Linggu wine is mellow and rich, the golden thread cod has a fragrant aroma, the braised mushrooms are so fresh they'll make your tongue tingle, and the chilled chrysanthemum fruit has an instant cool and sweet taste, making for a very unique flavor.

"Although Ban Ji comes from the Ban family, his daily behavior is almost no different from that of a demonic cultivator. Whenever he sees an excellent mechanical creation, he tries to snatch it. I've disliked him for a long time."

The speaker was a young monk.

His hair was curly and yellow, and his face and hands had many burn marks or gunpowder soot marks.

His nickname is Fire Nugget, but those who are close to him simply call him Ah Huo.

He enjoys creating explosive mechanical contraptions and has a somewhat righteous and indignant nature.

Black Hawk Chen San chimed in, "Hey, I know some inside information. This Ban Ji isn't practicing the Ban family's normal techniques; it's said to be a demonic art!"

Ning Zhuo immediately nodded: "I know this one, it's the 'Greedy Demon Heart Technique.' This technique is known as: feed the demon with greed, and when the demon is strong, the opportunity becomes fierce; seize the opportunity to nurture greed, and when greed burns brightly, the demon goes mad."

"Therefore, Banji's demonic influence is quite troublesome. We all know this all too well, don't we?"

Ning Zhuo saw an opportunity and immediately seized it, speaking up to share some intelligence he had acquired at great expense with everyone.

His words immediately garnered widespread approval.

Huo Nian'er laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly: "Of course, of course! Ban Ji's spiritual sense is not easy to deal with!"

Zhang Dadan's voice was deep and somber: "That's true."

He was stocky, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with dark, shiny skin, like a lump of iron. He gave off a simple, even somewhat dull, impression, and spoke in a deep, muffled voice.

However, his consciousness was quite "hard," being the most stubborn and resilient among the many consciousnesses surrounding Banji.

The atmosphere at the banquet became even more lively as they talked about their common enemy and the experience of fighting side by side.

A young female cultivator looked at Ning Zhuo and asked directly how he had become enemies with Ban Ji.

Ning Zhuo glanced at her gratefully, then gave a bitter smile, sighed, and said, "If I were to say that today's Xingyun quiz was the first time I had ever seen Ban Ji in person, I wonder if you would believe me?"

As he spoke, he took out a letter from his storage belt and handed it to everyone to read in turn.

This letter was naturally sent by Banji earlier, expressing his thoughts on exchanging ideas.

As everyone read, Ning Zhuo continued, "However, I also have some conjectures and verifications regarding the conflict between me and Ban Ji."

"I dispatched my subordinates to personally deliver my reply to Banji. At that time, he was drinking and chatting with Pi Fujie..."

“And I have a conflict with Pi Fujie.”

Ning Zhuo told everyone that Shen Xi had invited him to join them, but the Shen family and the Pi family of Jiugong Immortal City were mortal enemies, so he was also implicated in Pi Fujie's hatred.

Pi Fujie took the initiative to provoke Ning Zhuo, and Ning Zhuo did not tolerate it.

"In the end, I killed one of his newly recruited demon cultivator subordinates."

"Everyone, please take a look."

Ning Zhuo then took out the tiger skin and deliberately showed the locations of the Thousand-Scale Skin Talisman and the Bloodstained Galloping Talisman.

After this round of explanations, the way everyone looked at Ning Zhuo underwent a subtle change.

"I never expected that Ning Zhuo would be with Shen Xi, Lin Jinglong, and Situ Xing."

They didn't know Ning Zhuo, but they had heard of Shen Xi and the other two more or less.

Ning Zhuo was able to get along with them, and everyone's evaluation of Ning Zhuo immediately rose to the same level as Shen Xi and others.

"This tiger demon must have been quite powerful in life. It also possessed two powerful demonic talismans, yet it was still killed by Ning Zhuo..."

"This big-headed boy is not to be underestimated. Although his spiritual sense is not very good, he definitely has combat strength."

"His mechanical creations can kill tiger demons, and they are coveted by Banji, so they must be extremely excellent."

"What exactly is the power behind him? His backing must be incredibly deep!"

Sun Buzhuang looked at Ning Zhuo with a worried expression: "The Pi family was originally a group of pure demonic cultivators. They only turned to the righteous path after bribing high-ranking government officials."

"The Pi family's background is not clean!"

"Young Master Ning, you must be very careful in the future."

"Patchwork Grandpa" was naturally his nickname. He was a hunched-over little old man with deep wrinkles on his face, always looking worried.

He always wore a faded, coarse cloth jacket covered with patches of various colors, and carried a large rattan basket on his back that was even wider than himself and also covered with patches.

At the banquet, this large basket was already placed in the corner.

Zhang Dadan sighed, "The Ban family is a well-known family of government officials in our country. I never expected that in modern times, such a maverick as Ban Ji would emerge."

He expressed his deep regret over the Ban family's situation.

The young female cultivator Jiang Xiaobian sneered, "Pi Fujie and Ban Ji, it seems they are not good people either. They are a den of snakes and rats!"

Ning Zhuo nodded to himself, adding in his mind, "That's right, exactly."

He has already achieved most of his purpose in hosting this banquet.

In Ning Zhuo's view, Ban Ji had one major weakness: he was a demonic cultivator.

Since they are demonic cultivators, they will have a bad reputation and are easily attacked.

In comparison, Ning Zhuo, though lacking fame, at least wasn't as entirely negative as Ban Ji.

Therefore, in Qinghuangzi's first trial of Xingyun, he took advantage of this weakness and successfully united a large group of cultivators.

Banji's rampant aggressive stance also helped Ning Zhuo from another perspective.

After all, most people know about Banji and are wary of him.

As for whether it is unfair for everyone to attack them?

Of course not—why bother with fairness when dealing with demonic cultivators? We should all go together!
In their previous conversation, Ning Zhuo reaffirmed this fact to everyone: Ban Ji is a demonic cultivator, and I, Ning Zhuo, am a righteous person. We are all good people, and it is a just thing to deal with Ban Ji together!

To this end, Ning Zhuo presented a great deal of evidence, convincing everyone.

Black Hawk Chen San turned his gaze to Ning Zhuo: "Young Master Ning, you should still be careful. Do you have any elders accompanying you?"

"Whether it is the Pi Fu Jie family or the Ban Ji family, they are well-known throughout our country."

Chen San was lean and wiry, with dark skin and sharp, somewhat shrewd and wary eyes. He pretended to be concerned, but in reality, he was trying to find out Ning Zhuo's background.

When you're out in the game, connections are essential.

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly: "To be honest, this is my first time visiting the main gate of the Myriad Manifestations Sect. I'm a complete newcomer."

"I believe in being kind to others and never intended to offend anyone." "However, I can't help offending villains like Pi Fujie and Banji."

"My elders didn't blame me; they just told me not to be a coward!"

Ning Zhuo did not provide any information, but the eyes of the others all flickered slightly.

The fact that Ning Zhuo's elders maintained a tough stance in the face of the Pi and Ban families suggests that Ning Zhuo has a powerful background.
Ning Zhuo softened his tone, unwilling to be forceful all the time: "Once this Flying Cloud Assembly is over, I will become a disciple of the Myriad Manifestations Sect."

"If Ban Ji and Pi Fujie also successfully join, we will be fellow disciples. Any conflicts between us can be resolved directly through the Martial Arts Hall."

"If they both fail, I am a member of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, and I will have even less to fear from them."

Ning Zhuo's optimistic attitude and forward-looking perspective immediately resonated with everyone, successfully shifting the topic of conversation.

The five cultivators arrived at the main gate of the Myriad Manifestations Sect at this time, naturally intending to join.

According to Ning Zhuo's recent conversation with them, all five were independent cultivators, each skilled in mechanical arts.

For example, Patching Sun is good at repairs, Zhang Dadan has a skill in weapon crafting and is good at heavy mechanisms, and Fire Fuse has extensive experience in creating explosive mechanisms...

"Joining the Myriad Manifestations Sect is both easy and difficult!"

"If I could obtain Qinghuangzi's inheritance, could I be assured of joining the Myriad Manifestations Sect?"

“That’s absolutely possible. Haven’t you heard? Qinghuangzi’s legacy even includes the Peak Master’s Token of Qingzhu Peak.”

Everyone shared the same goal, so they were very engaged in conversation.

Ning Zhuo listened for a while, occasionally interjecting.

Someone then brought up the "Book of Vowel Reeds," and the conversation quickly turned to the rewards for the recent Qinghuangzi trial.

Including Ning Zhuo, a total of twelve winners each received a copy of "The Book of Vowel Reeds".

Zhang Dadan expressed his concerns: "I know nothing about music, and I'm afraid I'll do badly in the subsequent trials."

Huo Nian'er raised her eyebrows: "What's there to be afraid of? At worst, we just lose."

Chen San then looked at the young female cultivator: "I think Fellow Daoist Jiang has the best chance."

The young female cultivator, Jiang Xiaobian, looked quite young. She was pale and thin, with dry, yellow hair, which she always wore in a thin braid at the back of her head.

Several bamboo tubes hung from her waist, from which the occasional rustling of insects could be heard.

Jiang Xiaobian is skilled at using insects as the main material to create tiny insect-based mechanisms.

Whenever she faces an enemy, she opens the bamboo tube and pours out a large number of mechanical insects.

Because there were so many insects, she certainly couldn't control them all with her magic threads. So she played an insect flute, using sound to control the various mechanical insects.

Music also plays a significant role in the mechanisms and mechanisms of the Qinghuangzi.

The *Book of Vowel Reeds* is a manual on mechanisms, detailing the creation of mechanical components. It contains twenty different types of reeds, each capable of producing vowels with varying effects. Conversely, a cultivator can emit vowels to trigger the resonance of specific reeds, thereby manipulating mechanical creations out of thin air.

Jiang Xiaobian: "Speaking of which, I've already quickly skimmed through the 'Vowel Reed Book'."

"How do you interpret the following passage—'The fine bronze of the Western Mountains is cast with clear, resonant teeth, the gaps between the teeth containing the patterns of an empty valley. Bathed in the dew of the early morning, when the dew dries, the teeth are as clear as ice crystals. Placed in the chest, it draws in the wind and qi, and the vibration of the teeth cleanses the dust from the eight directions'?"

As a result, everyone's conversation turned to this topic again, and they all expressed their opinions, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

Ning Zhuo smiled and participated throughout the entire process.

Although he had a deeper understanding, he deliberately concealed his shortcomings in this situation.

There's no need to show off your best. Since Banji has already been eliminated, Ning Zhuo's next opponent will be one of the other eleven in Qinghuangzi's Xingyun trial.

Also included are the five people present.

Despite his young age, Ning Zhuo is quite precocious and has no desire to show off his intelligence or impress others.

After exchanging views for a while, each person held their own opinion and began to argue.

Ning Zhuo immediately interjected to stabilize the situation: "Gentlemen, please hear me out. How about we temporarily conclude our discussion of the 'Book of Vowel Reeds'? Let's proceed with our respective understandings and tackle the upcoming Qinghuangzi mini-test."

"Let's make this clear first: whoever among us ultimately obtains the complete inheritance has to treat us to a meal!"

"We're not like Ban Ji; it's fate that we've met. Isn't that right?"

Ning Zhuo set up a banquet; as the host, and with an extraordinary status, his words immediately garnered support.

Zhang Dadan had already foreseen that he wouldn't make it to the end: "Even if I only obtain this book, it will still be a significant gain."

Sun comforted Zhang Dadan, saying, "In fact, Senior Qinghuangzi is also a rogue cultivator, just like us."

"His mechanical skills are unique, but they can't be considered top-notch."

“That’s right.” Chen San nodded. “Within our Myriad Manifestations Sect, there is a top-tier family specializing in mechanical arts. That is the Meng family on Purple Thunder Peak!”

Ning Zhuo's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.

This wasn't the first time he'd heard about it.

Ning Zhuo had heard about this family from Song Fuli back in Huoshi Immortal City.

Ning Zhuo came to the Myriad Manifestations Sect to gather intelligence, and from there he also saw information about the Meng family.

"Although my mother's surname is Meng, she has no relation to this Meng family."

"If she had, she would have told me long ago."

"However, this is fine too."

“Purple Thunder Peak is quite weak. If I get involved in this relationship, I’m afraid I’ll be caught up in the deepest and most terrifying internal power struggle within the Myriad Manifestations Sect.”

"They might not even know how they died!"

Chen San continued, "If the Meng family cultivators of Purple Thunder Peak were to hold a Cloud Rising Trial, I would fight tooth and nail to participate!"

"Unfortunately, the Meng family has kept a low profile all these years and hasn't made any obvious moves."

"They will probably maintain their secrecy at this year's Flying Cloud Conference."

After the banquet, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely and bid each other a reluctant farewell.

Ning Zhuo, when alone, took out the jade slip "Yuan Yin Huang Pian Shu" (Book of Vowel Reeds) and studied it.

He then recalled the conversations and introductions of the others, and couldn't help but make his own assessment:
“Patch Sun is trapped by ‘tools’ and seeks ‘techniques’; Chen San is good at ‘change’ but neglects ‘purity’; Zhang Dadan adheres to ‘righteousness’ but fixes his ‘form’; Jiang Xiaobian is proficient in ‘life’ but confused by ‘spirit’; Huo Nian’er is seen in ‘use’ but obscures its ‘mystery’.”

"In fact, the poetic metaphors of 'heavenly rain,' 'four nines,' and 'crystal clear ice' have three layers of meaning."

"One finger distinguishes between clarity and turbidity; heavenly rain is not necessarily revealed by name, but is valued for its utmost purity and clarity; one finger points to the laws of the universe; forty and nine are not fixed numbers, but rather correspond to the cycle of the generation of clear sounds; one finger points to the ultimate spirituality; the clarity of ice crystals is not merely a description of its surface, but a metaphor for a sound like a cold spring cleansing the soul..."

For Ning Zhuo, this classic text was easy to understand, and after reading it several times, he had no more doubts.

However, just to be on the safe side, he used the ideographic brush and the pages of the Luoshu book to "look" at it again.

This time, he made an unexpected new gain.

(End of this chapter)