Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1271: Chapter 493: “Short-Sighted”

In the grand hall, every move of Ning Zhuo attracted the attention of everyone present.

"Every time Hall Master convenes a meeting, it is always a race against time. Yet, with Ning Zhuo, he shows complete patience."

"This boy has again taken first place this time, living up to Master Zhong’s high hopes. Receiving such treatment, it’s not unreasonable, is it?"

"A young genius! At his age, I was still playing with dogs and birds. Thinking back, it truly makes me feel ashamed!"

"But Hall Master publicly promised that as long as Ning Zhuo achieves three first-class meritorious deeds in the future, he can win the ’White Rainbow Righteousness Festival.’ Is this too much?"

The cultivators communicated secretly with their divine senses.

Ning Zhuo’s ears were also filled with the words just spoken by Zhong Dao.

"As long as I keep this time’s first-place reward, and accumulate more later, I can obtain the ’White Rainbow Righteousness Festival’?"

The big-headed young man couldn’t help but recall the grand sight when he once used the ’White Rainbow Righteousness Festival’ to stir the vast energy that shook the mountain gate...

"No, this is not the best choice." Ning Zhuo maintained an ice-cold calmness.

He had already decided to use this reward immediately!

"I specialize in Mechanical Techniques, and my path lies here. Even if I could, with the ’White Rainbow Righteousness Festival’, unleash vast amounts of righteous energy, it would only be the icing on the cake, nothing more than adding wings to a tiger."

"This is not a qualitative change!"

"This time, I took first place in the second trial, which was not unexpected by the world. But this situation is actually disadvantageous to me. Now, I should distance myself from Evil Slaying Hall."

Ning Zhuo seized the opportunity of the Feiyun Conference to join the Myriad Images Sect, which was almost a sure success.

But he had to find the most suitable entry point.

Is Evil Slaying Hall the best fit?

"On one hand, Evil Slaying Hall is one of the Twelve Halls of the Eight Peaks of the Myriad Images Sect, indisputably powerful. The current Hall Master, Zhong Dao, even surpasses some Peak Masters of the Eight Peaks in terms of aptitude, combat strength, and prestige."

"But on the other hand, Evil Slaying Hall is the sharpest blade of the Myriad Images Sect, with too many opposing cultivators, and its complicated and tense relations are as numerous as the stars."

Everything has two sides; choosing to join Evil Slaying Hall also has its pros and cons.

Ning Zhuo had managed his reputation in the righteous path very well, and he was highly valued by Zhong Dao. But Zhong Dao himself was quite strong-willed; being especially anticipated would inevitably cost Ning Zhuo much of his freedom.

Moreover, by joining Evil Slaying Hall, Ning Zhuo would inevitably inherit the tense interpersonal relationships of the Hall and Zhong Dao.

This gave Ning Zhuo considerable hidden concerns.

"Although for now, Evil Slaying Hall is the best choice for me."

"But... only for now."

"It’s just the Xingyun Trial now, and the main part of the Feiyun Conference hasn’t yet taken place. Why do I have to decide now?"

Now is not the time for Ning Zhuo to truly make a decision!

The big-headed young man preferred to keep more possibilities open, which meant he had some agency.

Zhong Dao’s thoughts on this matter aligned with Ning Zhuo’s.

Therefore, Zhong Dao deliberately offered the ’White Rainbow Righteousness Festival’ as a reward, which, upon careful consideration, was full of enticement for Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo would have to agree to this, temporarily give up the first-place reward of the second trial, and strive for the ’White Rainbow Righteousness Festival’. According to Zhong Dao’s conditions, Ning Zhuo would also need to achieve three first-class meritorious deeds.

How to achieve merits?

Only by joining Evil Slaying Hall would the accomplishments count.

"So, as long as I do not resist the temptation of the ’White Rainbow Righteousness Festival’ and give up the current first-place reward, it would undoubtedly be announced to the outside world—I have decided to join Evil Slaying Hall!" Ning Zhuo, well-versed in the ways of the righteous path, was keenly aware.

And once he did so, the losses would be immeasurable.

Not to mention, the many Xingyun Trials right in front of him would immediately shut their doors to Ning Zhuo.

For a cultivator who has clearly decided to join other forces, why should I provide support?

From Zhong Dao downwards, all the cultivators in Evil Slaying Hall were action-oriented, undoubtedly leading to tense relations. Therefore, beneath the glamorous appearance of Evil Slaying Hall, there must be many cultivators who secretly feared, sabotaged, or even harbored enmity and quietly plotted.

Standing too early is problematic.

"To wait and sell at the right price is my optimal choice!"

In just a few breaths, Ning Zhuo had completely dispelled the temptation of the ’White Rainbow Righteousness Festival’, and his divine sense swept through the list of jade slips in his hand.

The stock list of Evil Slaying Hall was filled with various rare treasures, dazzling to the eye.

Among the rare Fire Seeds outside, Ning Zhuo saw five or six at first glance.

Suddenly, his heart trembled, and his divine sense fixated on a certain spot.

A demon cultivator with a main body of a thousand-year-old jujube tree. It inhaled the sun and moon, producing a tree full of fire jujubes like red jade. But it ultimately didn’t cross the threshold; when the tribulation lightning struck, its millennia of fruits turned into a pile of tribulation ashes.

Among the tribulation ashes, only one fire jujube remained.

Inside the jujube pit lay a wisp of vitality; once planted and cultivated, the Fire Jade Jujube Tree could be reborn, embarking on cultivation anew.

But the cultivator who obtained the fire jujube did not do this. Instead, using a unique method, they exhausted the remaining fire jujube as the main material, extracting its vitality to use as fuel to transform its quality, turning it into an extremely rare fire seed—

Post-Tribulation Survival Fire!

This Fire Seed contained the powers of ’tribulation’ and ’life’, harmoniously coexisting.

Using this fire in artifact refining would make the magic treasure adept at resisting tribulations, naturally increasing the success rate of a cultivator crossing the tribulation. Just this aspect alone was of immense value!

In elixir refining, using this fire was even more advantageous for those gravely injured and on the brink of death, helping them cling to life and bloom with renewed vitality.