Immortal Creation.

Chapter 723 Having a Small Reputation Also Has Its Advantages
"There is more to come after 'The Book of Vowel Reeds'."

"This book records twenty vowel reeds, but that's just the basics; there should be some auxiliary reeds as well."

"The number of these auxiliary reeds should be more than twenty."

"Perhaps next time I pass Qinghuangzi's Xingyun test, I should get a copy of the 'Consonant Reed Book'?"

Ning Zhuo secretly guessed.

The "Book of Vowel Reeds" in his hand was written by Qinghuangzi, thus retaining his meaning.

Meaning is information that cannot be expressed in words or phrases.

However, through the ideographic brushstrokes, Ning Zhuo was able to understand it.

As the author, Qinghuangzi only wrote a small part of his own lineage. Clearly, the "Vowel Reed Book" is the most basic of the basics.

He didn't write anything about what would happen next, but Ning Zhuo could glean some clues about what would follow from the implied meaning.

"The pages of the Luoshu Book, as a Dao artifact, have also provided me with tremendous help."

"Under its influence, I have always been able to stay on the right path and understand this meaning."

The result of this attempt was like opening a window for Ning Zhuo.

His eyes gleamed, and he quickly thought, "If we want to explore the fundamental cultivation method of a powerful cultivator, can we also try to understand its meaning and uncover its mysteries by examining the other authentic works he left behind?"

Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "This place must be quite difficult!"

"At least these original works should be related to the fundamental cultivation method. Otherwise, the intention left by the great master when writing them would involve other aspects."

"and many more."

"Many cultivators observe the battlefield and study the sword marks and lightning trails left by the clashes between powerful beings, often gaining insights from it."

"Isn't this the same principle as my use of the ideographic brush?"

Thinking of this, Ning Zhuo couldn't help but let out a heartfelt sigh.

There are so many tricks to learning!

Learning has no end!

Ning Zhuo placed the brush into the brush box and continued to nurture it.

The copying I just did has dimmed the expressive brushwork once again; if I were to use it again, it might damage the very foundation.

"Alas, I am not a Confucian scholar, and I lack literary talent and spirit. This makes it impossible for me to sustain my writing when I use the brush to convey meaning."

"If only I had multiple pens with comprehension functions, I could use them in turn."

Before engaging in his daily training, Ning Zhuo summoned Gongsun Yan, gave him a list of materials, and instructed him to go out and purchase them.

Although Qinghuangzi didn't explain it at all, since Ning Zhuo had obtained the "Yuanyin Reed Book," he naturally had to refine more of the mechanical parts inside.

boom!
Banji swung his arm, unleashing his magical power, which smashed the last flowerpot in the cave.

The cave was in complete disarray.

This was all the result of Banji venting his anger and abusing his magic to bombard the enemy at will.

"Ning Zhuo, I want you dead, I want you dead!" Ban Ji gritted his teeth.

He had prepared for the Xingyun trial of Qinghuangzi for a long time. But he was eliminated in the first round!
Without a doubt, it's all Ning Zhuo's fault!
"It's also my own fault!"

"I was too careless! In the battle of spiritual senses, my advantage was too great, which made me complacent! If I had noticed earlier that Ning Zhuo was colluding with others, and if I had been on guard in secret, I would definitely have had a chance!"

clap clap!

Thinking of this, Banji slapped himself twice.

His cheeks quickly became red and swollen.

His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was disheveled, his expression was ferocious, and he exuded a faint aura of madness.

The swelling and pain on his face were nothing compared to the pain in his heart!

Qinghuangzi had already taken the initiative to promote himself, hoping to attract more cultivators to compete for the position and help him select the best successor. Therefore, Banji had already begun preparations after hearing the news.

He was very well prepared.

"I've even figured out how to derive the reeds for the forty-eight notes!"

"The winners this time received the 'Vowel Reed Book,' of which there are only twenty. There will definitely be follow-up articles!"

"If I can pass the first round and retain my qualification to compete, I will definitely have an enormous advantage in the subsequent tests and competitions!"

But it was too late; Banji was eliminated in the first round.

For Banji, the psychological gap was really too big!
This defeat added to his intense sense of shame.

"Ahhh!"

"It's all because of you, Ning Zhuo, you deserve to die!"

"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you! What kind of calamity is this? I'll crush you!"

Banji roared, and suddenly the jade pendant hanging around his neck emitted a burst of green light.

The radiance flowed like water, quickly spreading throughout Banji's body and eventually converging into his divine sea, instantly waking him up.

The anger on Banji's face vanished, replaced by a look of horror.

"That was close! I almost suffered a qi deviation!"

This is a characteristic of demonic arts—extreme, quick to master, and difficult to stabilize.

Banji's demonic skill, "Greedy Demon Heart Skill," focuses on cultivating the upper dantian and the divine sea, which makes Banji prone to emotional outbursts and extreme thinking.

woohoo hoo...

Banji was panting, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.

He looked disheveled, wiping the sweat from his brow, and instinctively clutched the jade pendant hanging around his neck.

This magical artifact comes from the Ban family and is one of their core treasures. It has helped Ban Ji escape from the predicament of going astray in his cultivation on several occasions.

Gradually calming down, Banji paced back and forth in the cave, beginning to think about how to deal with Ning Zhuo.

“This is my tribulation… but I cannot directly take action to eliminate Ning Zhuo.”

Previously, Ban Ji had sent a letter requesting a friendly exchange, which Ning Zhuo politely declined.

Ban Ji wanted to join the Myriad Manifestations Sect. Although the Myriad Manifestations Sect had few rules, any one of them could be easily violated.

One of the rules explicitly states that people like Ban Ji and Ning Zhuo should resolve conflicts through the Martial Arts Hall.

If Ban Ji were to directly attack Ning Zhuo, once exposed, he would inevitably be dealt with by the Wanxiang Sect, and might even be made an example of as a warning to others.

"In all the years since the Feiyun Conference was held, no one has done this for over a hundred years."

"I'm afraid that no matter how much I provoke Ning Zhuo, he won't enter the Martial Arts Hall with me!"

Ban Ji has already met Ning Zhuo.

Through the aura of magical power emanating from him, he knew that Ning Zhuo was only in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while he himself was already at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

"Although Ning Zhuo has a Golden Core level mechanical puppet, he lacks the ability to control it properly."

"My control abilities are far superior to his, and my spiritual sense is far ahead of his!"

"His Golden Core level mecha is probably a guarantee provided by his family."

"But the Golden Core level mechanical artifacts in my hands are my true combat power. They are the result of my hard work over many years, which I have painstakingly crafted and improved step by step!"

"And not just one!"

Banji revealed a hint of arrogance.

"I'm much stronger than Ning Zhuo, but this kid definitely won't take me on head-on." "He's using the rules of the Myriad Manifestations Sect to harass me and sabotage my plans. And I can't even attack him directly. Disgusting, absolutely disgusting!"

"That hypocrite!"

Ban Ji was filled with resentment, and when he thought of this moment, the image of the big-headed boy smiling at him appeared in his mind.

Ban Ji narrowed his eyes, wishing he could tear Ning Zhuo's mouth to shreds.

"We can't count on Qinghuangzi."

"But I have other options!"

"We can't afford to fail again."

"I was really careless this time. I leaked the information in advance and let Ning Zhuo get involved in Qinghuangzi's preliminary test."

Banji made up his mind that he would strictly keep his whereabouts a secret from now on.

"I must prevent Ning Zhuo from bothering me again!"

“I cultivate demonic arts, which is against the natural order. Ning Zhuo is my tribulation in this human world, so as long as I am in front of him, my fate will definitely be lower than his, and I may very well be unlucky.”

"We cannot afford to fail in the upcoming trial run of Xingyun."

"It's not only a test, but also a network of connections. When I join the Myriad Manifestations Sect in the future, with these connections, I can quickly gain a foothold and develop smoothly."

The Rising Cloud Trial and the Flying Cloud Assembly have a tremendous impact on cultivators and are of extraordinary significance.

Banji paced back and forth for a while, finished thinking, and then sent out four consecutive Feixin messages.

"Find Ning Zhuo something to do first."

"Once I've passed these few preliminary tests of Xingyun, I'll go back and deal with him properly!"

A moment later, in the cleaned and repaired cave, Banji welcomed four demonic cultivators.

One was a rust-making craftsman, one was a monk who talked nonsense, one was called the Spider Woman, and the last one was nicknamed the Miasma Mother.

Banji bluntly stated, "I paid a hefty sum to have the four of you work together to deal with just one person."

"This man is called Ning Zhuo. He ruined my chance and I have a deep-seated hatred for him!"

"Do your best to distract him and keep him occupied. If you do well, I'll give you even more rewards!!"

As he spoke, Banji handed the four jade slips he had copied to the four demonic cultivators: "These contain Ning Zhuo's information."

All four cultivators immediately used their divine senses to probe the jade slip and quickly read it.

The Mammal Mother, Liu Qingyan, frowned slightly: "So little information?"

Ban Ji: "I have purchased top-level intelligence from the Trade Bureau. Ning Zhuo... he should not be a citizen of this country."

Spider Lady chuckled, "Although the information is scarce, the fact that he can mingle with Shen Xi and Lin Jinglong means he must be someone special."

She looked at Ban Ji with seductive eyes: "Young Master Ban, it's rare to see someone hate a peer like this. What did he do to you?"

Ban Ji snorted coldly and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "If we weren't in the Myriad Manifestations Sect... if we were outside, I would have crushed him into dust long ago."

Rusty Craftsman's voice was hoarse as he urged Banji to tell the truth: "The intelligence didn't say how you fell. If you want us to deal with him, you have to tell us more. What's with all the secrecy?"

"If we waste time, I'll suspect that Ning Zhuo is just a decoy, and that Ban Ji is using this to delay us!"

Ban Ji narrowed his eyes, staring at the rust-damaged craftsman, his killing intent immediately apparent: "Blacksmith, don't be ungrateful. Me, plotting against you? Do you have any family backing you? My future is far brighter than yours. Do you think I would waste my energy plotting against you?"

Provoked, the rust-covered craftsman took a step forward, pressing towards Banji.

Seeing that the two were having a disagreement, the monk Wangyan quickly stepped between them and said, "Alright, we've not even dealt with Ning Zhuo yet, and we're already fighting amongst ourselves. That's not good."

He first said to the rust-maker, "The four of us have worked well with Banji before, and we also had an agreement to invite him to help. This time, he went so far as to use that agreement to ask us to do the work. Let's do as agreed."

Rusty craftsman snorted and retreated to his original position.

The presumptuous monk then said to Banji, "Young Master Ban, what the Rust Disaster Craftsman said is not wrong."

"The rest of us are here because of this Flying Cloud Conference, hoping to join the Myriad Manifestations Sect."

"You've used up our agreement to make us entangle with that Ning Zhuo. We also wanted to try out Feiyun's techniques multiple times..."

Before he could finish speaking, Banji waved his hand to interrupt him: "Since time and energy are so precious, why don't you hurry up and get to work?"

"Stop spouting that nonsense about raising prices."

"no need!"

"After it's done, I will reward the person who succeeds with three times the price."

"That's it!"

"My offer is already quite high. Don't be too greedy, all four of you. Whether you accept it or not is up to you, just say the word!"

Ban Ji stared at Si Xiu with a very domineering expression.

The atmosphere inside the cave became heavy.

Suddenly, the Spider Woman smiled, breaking the atmosphere: "I'll take it. Of course I'll take it at such a high price."

"Where are the three of you?" Banji asked with his hands behind his back, a hint of arrogance in his eyes.

The three monks, including Wangyan, exchanged glances and nodded.

Ban Ji paid the deposit, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and saw the guests off, saying, "Then I'll be waiting to hear your good news."

Watching the four figures leave, Banji thought to himself, "Any one of these four is about as strong as me."

"I don't believe those four can't keep you in check!"

The challenge letter and rumors targeting Ning Zhuo appeared almost simultaneously.

"A monk who speaks nonsense?"

"Who is this?"

Ning Zhuo looked at the message and felt confused.

Not long after, the cook came to report on the rumors.

Ning Zhuo suddenly realized: "The rumors are about the monk Wangyan challenging me, and he fabricated an excuse, saying that my family almost tortured and killed him. He came here to take revenge and to uphold the righteous path."

"This method... is really old-fashioned."

Ning Zhuo naturally thought of Ban Ji and Pi Fujie.

“The monk who made the false claim came prepared, and his malice was obvious. I’m afraid he’s involved with these two.”

"However, to slander my family... Do you even know where my family is? Do you know who they are?"

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but sneer a few times.

If he were in Shen Xi's situation, it would be really difficult to handle.

The Shen family of Jiugong Immortal City is renowned in Feiyun Kingdom. As the current generation of the family's leading figure at the Foundation Establishment level and a recognized genius cultivator, Shen Xi would certainly stand up to defend the family's reputation immediately in the face of such slander.

The same applies to Lin Jinglong and Situ Xing.

Families and sects often deliberately cultivate prominent figures. A Foundation Establishment stage cultivator represents the future of that power. A Golden Core stage cultivator represents that power's negotiating ability. After all, Nascent Soul stage cultivators cannot travel freely and often need to report their whereabouts.

In most cases, minor conflicts between forces are resolved through contests between Golden Core level cultivators to determine who is superior and who will prevail.

A cultivator at the Nascent Soul level can destroy an ordinary town single-handedly. Once such power is used, it's no small matter.

Ning Zhuo is not Shen Xi, and the Ning family is not the Shen family of Jiugong Immortal City. The reputation of Ning Zhuo and the Ning family in Feiyun Kingdom is practically nonexistent.

Therefore, when rumors spread, others' first reaction was not to look down on the Ning family, but to wonder—who is Ning Zhuo? And what is the Ning family?

(End of this chapter)