Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1593: Chapter 661: Victory Before the Battle! (Part 2)

Awl-Thorn Vigilance Art! This is overcoming pretentiousness, fear of hardship, and personal obscurity amidst intense sharp pain.

The clearer the pain, the sharper his thoughts become.

Soon after, a Martial and Literary Wind spun out from his sleeve, encircling his entire body.

At first, the Martial and Literary Wind was very faint, like the pure air stirred by turning a page. As Ning Zhuo’s Divine Sense quickly depleted, his Upper Dantian in the Divine Sea subtly heated up, and the Martial and Literary Wind consumed itself, nourishing the Sea of Consciousness with streams as clear as a spring flowing over heated stone slabs, suppressing the agitation brought by excessive deduction.

Finally, the Luoshu Book Pages were also activated by him.

An indescribable sense of mathematics reflected over from the mysterious void. Black and white dots roamed through Ning Zhuo’s thoughts, gathering and dispersing unpredictably, ultimately settling in the correct positions each time.

Ning Zhuo felt his calculation directions being continually corrected.

He no longer blindly fumbled around within the vast True Intent of the Yang Path; each disassembly, each association, each decision was moving forward along a more correct path.

The Pure Yang Ancestor Master Pill fully revealed its true form!

Within the Divine Sea, the gray Stone Pill split into countless fine cracks. From the cracks, golden-white light surged forth, gathering increasingly until it transformed into a great sun suspended above Ning Zhuo’s Divine Sea.

Within the great sun seemed to be fierce sunlight, furnace fire, red gold, warm wind, spring thunder, and surging Blood Qi.

These are the various manifestations of the craftsman-level Yang Dao Realm.

Ning Zhuo once deconstructed the Fire Element within the Five Elements Realm, and also observed the Pure Yang Qi, carrying Origin Yang, understanding the external manifestation of the Yang Dao.

Yang is heat, Yang is light, Yang is movement, Yang is ascension, it is the line of brightness that illuminates the darkness.

The Master Level of the Yang Dao allowed him to integrate these manifestations into reason, also providing him with a stronger endurance to use other means to assist himself in learning, speeding up the learning process!

True Intent is constantly consumed, Ning Zhuo craves it desperately.

No knowing how much time had passed, Ning Zhuo suddenly saw a breath.

That breath rose from the chest cavity.

Initially very small, like a spark of vitality rekindling in the eyes of a patient. It then flowed through the flesh, through the meridians, through the Heart Spirit, like a youth standing in the morning light, his spine slowly straightening.

Ning Zhuo’s heart slightly quivered.

It turns out the Yang Dao is not only external.

It is within the human body.

In a breath unwilling to sink.

In the moment a dying person still opens their eyes.

In the light that appears in the eyes of those trapped when they raise their heads toward an exit.

He then saw ghosts trembling under sunlight.

Shadows outlined by light, vile spirits forced to reveal their true forms, all concealed, decayed, dormant things, exposed under the sunlight.

Ning Zhuo’s breathing became rapid.

His Five Elements Realm surged forth in response.

The unmatched dominance of Pure Yang True Intent disassembled once again, dispersed, transformed, and integrated into his cognition.

The slight pain from the hanging beam kept him focused.

The sharp pain from the Awl-Thorn Vigilance Art kept him stable.

The Martial and Literary Wind sustained him through repeated exhaustion of Divine Sense.

The Luoshu Book Pages ensured each deduction landed in the correct place.

Thump.

Ning Zhuo’s shoulder trembled, a trickle of blood oozed from his lips.

Thump.

The great sun within his Divine Sea suddenly leaped, sunlight bursting into thousands of fragments.

Thump.

The fragments re-gathered and fell into his chest cavity.

Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, there was no blazing flame, nor dazzling golden light, only a layer of clear and warm radiance, like pushing open a window in a dim room, the morning light pours in, illuminating even the dust with clarity.

Master Level.

The Yang Dao realm officially broke through the limits of the master at this moment, stepping into the realm of the grandmaster.

A master understands Yang, can maneuver Yang, can distinguish Yang.

A grandmaster sees Yang and can see the brightness in the heart of everything beyond the blazing sun and furnace fire.

Ning Zhuo lowered his head and looked at his palm.

A wisp of Yang Qi rose from his palm, no longer as scorching and extroverted as before, but instead, warm, clear, and calm. It resembled a lamp flame yet had the grandeur of sunlight. It resembled Blood Qi yet had the vitality of spring thunder. It was like a breath rising from the deepest parts of the lungs, supporting the youth’s spine.

Ning Zhuo gently exhaled a turbid breath.

The wooden cone on his leg still pierced into his flesh, and his hair was pulled painfully at the roots by the vermillion hemp rope. His complexion was pale, sweat dripping down his chin onto the red-black ground, quickly evaporating into a wisp of white smoke by the furnace fire.

Yet his eyes were brighter than ever.

In the Evil Slaying Hall, the cold white light was like frost, illuminating the four walls with a chilling solemnity.

Zhong Dao sat upright behind the long table.

His figure was as straight as a pine, his shoulders and back like a sword, his face as cold and hard as iron.

A Jade Slip lay open on the table, recording the entire course of events on Verification Peak’s No Retreat Square, and the various undercurrents of power flowing after Ning Zhuo was taken by Tie Kuang.

After reading, Zhong Dao lightly tapped his fingers on the table. Tap. Tap. The sound was extremely light, yet like two pieces of cold iron striking each other.

The subordinate standing below couldn’t help but straighten his back a bit more.

After a long while, Zhong Dao spoke, his voice deep as a stone grinding over sand: "I underestimated Ning Zhuo."

The subordinate blinked slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes, and he cupped his hands, saying, "Hall Master, Ning Zhuo is currently trapped in the Xingyun Trial by Tie Kuang, unable to engage in battle with the Three Brave of Xiang Sect anytime soon. The future is still uncertain."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Ning Zhuo has indeed obtained support from Tie Kuang, but Tie Kuang’s aim is the Nanming Fire Furnace. This person’s intervention is to repair the furnace and interfere with the interests of Nanming Village. In the end, everyone has something they are after."

Hearing this, Zhong Dao looked up at him. This look was extremely calm, yet it made the subordinate’s throat tighten as if gently pinched by an invisible iron clamp.

Zhong Dao shook his head: "Ning Zhuo has already won."

"Won?" The subordinate showed obvious confusion, "Forgive my ignorance, please enlighten me, Hall Master."

Zhong Dao picked up the Jade Slip on the table. The Jade Slip slowly turned in his fingers, reflecting a line of cold white light.

"You only saw him trapped for seven days; you only saw him unable to make an agreement for the Martial Arts Arena; you only saw Tie Kuang taking advantage of the situation. You didn’t see—during these few days, how many people voluntarily sent Elixir Pills, Magic Treasures, mechanical materials, intelligence, and favors into his hands."

The subordinate hastily said, "But most of those supports are borrowed; some have established contracts, some have to be returned. I just received news that Ning Zhuo has already sent people all around to return these aids on a large scale and apologize. He said he could not face the Three Brave of Xiang Sect at the moment and dared not accept all the favors."

Hearing this, Zhong Dao’s eyes flashed with sharpness: "That is precisely his brilliance."

The subordinate was dumbfounded.

Zhong Dao put the Jade Slip back on the table, his voice deepening: "He accepted the support to show the world—how many people Ning Zhuo can influence, how many forces are willing to bet on him. He returned the support to show these forces—Ning Zhuo has measure, understands trustworthiness, does not indulge in greed, does not embezzle, and does not renege on debts."

"When he received support, he obtained wealth. When he returned the support, he gained people’s hearts."

"Those Magic Treasures and Elixirs, kept in a Storage Bag, can only save him once or twice. Those returned favors, however, can call for aid again and again in the future. People will say Ning Zhuo is young and knows courtesy. People will say Ning Zhuo keeps his word in times of crisis. People will say Ning Zhuo is worth entrusting, befriending, and investing in further."

Zhong Dao placed his knuckles on the table, slightly increasing the force: "In this advance and retreat, he gained not only wealth but also people."

The subordinate opened his mouth, unable to speak. His mind was usually filled with matters of the Martial Arts Arena, blades shining, Demon Cultivators, Soul Search, beheadings—who was strong, who was weak, who killed whom, who was killed by whom. These he could discern clearly.

But what Zhong Dao spoke of was twists and turns, like a fine and invisible spider web spreading in front of him, and he couldn’t distinguish its threads.

Seeing this expression, Zhong Dao felt disappointed in his heart: "These people, capable of fierce combat, but their brains are really insufficient."

He waved his hand to dismiss him.

Zhong Dao was alone, looking at the Jade Slip on the table, feeling a sudden disinterest.

He stood up and paced inside the hall.

The cold white light in the Evil Slaying Hall shone on him, casting his shadow extremely long.

Zhong Dao sighed inwardly: "Cultivation is cultivation, politics is politics; the two are entirely different. A Nascent Soul Strong Person, with a lifetime of Hard Practice, is still but a battle blade."

"Ning Zhuo is different!"

"This boy has a keen sense of politics. Despite his young age, he already understands how to leverage power, build momentum, retreat, and establish trust. Such a person, if entered into my Evil Slaying Hall, could surely uphold a situation in the future."

"How unfortunate, how unfortunate that he is too soft on Demon Cultivators."

Upon this thought, Zhong Dao’s eyes suddenly turned cold: "A Demon Cultivator is still a Demon Cultivator. Even after years in the Myriad Images Sect, the Red Robe Guest cannot wash away that Demonic Qi!"

"Ning Zhuo thinks he walks the Righteous Path."

"But his Righteous Path still requires correction!"