Chapter 763 Bronze Swords
Ning Zhuo is different from geniuses like Situ Xing and Ban Ji in one aspect.
Situ Xing, Ban Ji, and others had long been renowned within Feiyun Kingdom, serving as the face of various powerful forces during the Foundation Establishment stage. Therefore, much information about them was widely known.
Ning Zhuo, however, came from abroad and made a name for himself upon his arrival. Information about him was very popular in the business hall, but the selling price was always the lowest.
Because these intelligence reports only included Ning Zhuo's behavior after arriving at the main gate of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, the overall value of the intelligence was not high.
Therefore, people are not very clear about Ning Zhuo's situation.
It's unclear what Ning Zhuo is good at, his exact age, or which country he comes from.
Although Ning Zhuo revealed his name and main cultivation technique, the Five Elements Qi Regulation Technique, and his mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level when registering for the two registrations on the wooden and stone tablets, he still managed to do so.
But all of these can be faked.
These rules were never strictly stipulated in the Wanxiang Sect's regulations.
However, in the later stages of registration, the Myriad Manifestations Sect will employ strict detection methods to identify lies and deceptions. Only at that stage will the cultivators' information be truly reliable.
Therefore, most of the cultivators who presided over the Ninefold Mystic Armor Trial focused their attention on Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo's initial performance against the bronze sword surprised and disappointed everyone, but he later demonstrated amazing comprehension and took control of the situation, leaving those who were secretly watching in awe.
"His physical foundation is very strong. The bronze sword is a kind of Xuanbing armor, which is exceptionally sharp, but even though he was seriously injured, these wounds are healing rapidly."
"He could have easily forged the bronze sword, so why is he still delaying?"
"Is he studying?"
As everyone watched, it became clear that Ning Zhuo's close-combat abilities were rapidly improving in actual combat.
"What kind of cultivation technique does Ning Zhuo specialize in? The intelligence reports say that he specializes in a Five Elements Technique, but judging from his physical strength, he probably specializes in the Essence Sea Technique."
"If one focuses on cultivating the essence and sea, analogous to physical cultivation, why are close combat skills so weak? It doesn't make sense."
"Perhaps he has focused his energy on other areas and has not dabbled in martial arts."
"That can't be! How old is he? He must be in his forties or fifties, right? All these years, he hasn't even touched close combat or martial arts? How did he cultivate during the Qi Refining stage? His background must be very strong, and his influence must be powerful. If he had been carefully nurtured, how could he have such a weakness?"
A cultivator in the Qi Refining stage is not much older than an ordinary person, around a hundred years old.
Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, a cultivator's age doubles, roughly between two and three hundred years old. In the Foundation Establishment stage, someone in their forties or fifties is equivalent to a teenager between ten and twenty years old.
Some middle-aged and elderly Qi Refining cultivators undergo a qualitative change in their lives after advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, and they will revert to their youthful appearance to varying degrees.
In the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the age of forty or fifty is considered youth. To reach the Foundation Establishment stage at this age is certainly a sign of genius.
Therefore, despite their youthful appearances, Situ Xing, Lin Jinglong, Shen Xi, and others are all around forty years old.
Ning Zhuo may appear as a young boy, but he possesses an extraordinary and mature demeanor. He has a wealth of experience, having begun to endure and plot from the age of two. After leaving Fire Persimmon Immortal City, he traveled the world, participated in wars, and even confronted a Nascent Soul level Netherworld King. Judging from his composed demeanor alone, discerning people would not underestimate him.
Therefore, all the cultivators greatly overestimated his actual age.
"Forty or fifty years of cultivation shouldn't have resulted in such poor martial arts skills, right?"
"Regardless of the special reasons, this alone proves that he is not a martial arts practitioner. As for whether he is a body cultivator, that's another matter."
“He has only performed martial arts demonstrations a handful of times, very few. Some of these demonstrations were even closed to the public and not open to the public.”
"He used a Golden Core level ice-attribute mechanical puppet in his battle with a tiger demon. But that's not enough to determine his true nature; he specializes in mechanical arts."
Everyone felt that Ning Zhuo came from a powerful family, comparable to the Ban family or the Pi family.
Ning Zhuo's position is similar to that of Ban Ji and Situ Xing, serving as the face of major forces during the Foundation Establishment stage.
Under these circumstances, it is quite possible and normal for a powerful force to provide Ning Zhuo with a Golden Core level mechanical puppet for protection.
"Actually, once he has practiced a few more times in the martial arts hall, he will reveal a lot of his true skills."
The Hall of Exorcising Evil has its own small-scale test of Xingyun, and the Hall of Martial Arts will naturally have one as well.
In fact, in the early stages of each conference, the martial arts hall trial was the most important of all the preliminary trials.
Many aspiring cultivators choose this important stage to showcase their talents.
Geniuses never shy away from battle; they compete against each other in the martial arts hall, suppressing their opponents while enhancing their own reputation and reaping the benefits behind it all.
In the preliminary trials at the Martial Arts Hall, the more impressive the results, the greater the rewards.
The top prize in the preliminary test at the Martial Arts Hall is extremely prestigious!
Everyone felt that Ning Zhuo was being too low-key and would definitely become a regular at the Martial Arts Hall in the future.
Of course, this is understandable.
Right now, the newcomers are actively participating in various preliminary trials, and it's not yet time for the martial arts hall to truly come alive.
"I'm really looking forward to the match between Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji in the martial arts hall; it's sure to be quite exciting!"
"What are you expecting? With this battle, too much of his intelligence has been leaked. How much can we sell what we've gathered for now?"
Many of the cultivators who presided over the trials held jade slips in their hands, recording the performances of the cultivators from various places.
Ning Zhuo's performance from the beginning to the present has been recorded in many jade slips.
The cultivators often earn a considerable income by selling these jade slips.
The battle on Ning Zhuo's side was no longer intense and tended to be peaceful, and the cultivators gradually turned their attention to the others.
Tie Zheng, carrying a large sword with the head of a Qilin beast on his back, walked forward with an indifferent expression. He already had a sword and a saber in his hands. He had clearly defeated two Xuanbing Armored Soldiers in succession.
Lu Zeng held a bronze hammer in his hand and was struggling against a bronze spear, having already gained the upper hand.
The ruler on his chest flickered faintly from time to time, reminding Lu Zeng that someone was watching him.
Lu Zeng knew in his heart: "I'm afraid my current battle situation has already been recorded in multiple jade slips."
"With numerous small-scale trials under Xingyun, the more cultivators participate, the more information is leaked."
"This process is also the process by which the Myriad Manifestations Sect gets to know the newcomers."
This is the price we have to pay.
Elsewhere, Ao Pan cracked his bronze whip with a loud snapping sound.
As his opponent, even a bronze staff, which could only dance with its shadow, was forced to retreat step by step.
The bronze whip moved nimbly like a snake, suddenly coiling around the long staff.
Ao Pan pulled the stick forcefully in front of him, then grabbed it tightly, his energy surging as he forcibly refined it.
The long staff struggled incessantly, but the movements became smaller and smaller until it finally calmed down completely and was obtained by Ao Pan.
Among the cultivators watching in the shadows, someone exclaimed, "This Ao Pan has already obtained three sets of Xuanbing Armor. Such speed is rare even in the past."
Someone who had been paying attention to Ao Pan introduced him, saying, "This man's whip skills are extremely impressive. Except for the first match against the bronze whip, where he had to use his fists and feet, in the second and third matches, he stood still from the start to the end, without taking a single step."
Clearly, the Xuanbing Armor from the previous times did not pose any challenge to Ao Pan.
An old man pondered and said, "His skill in whip techniques is at least at the master level, and it's possible he's even a grandmaster."
The monk beside the old man interjected, "He introduced himself as coming from the Kingdom of Fubo. Following this lead, we should be able to uncover a lot of information."
Ao Pan put away his bronze staff and brandished it a few times. With just one move, he demonstrated his profound skill in staff fighting.
After thinking for a moment, Ao Pan put away the bronze whip, which was already broken, and continued on his way with his long staff.
As a body cultivator at the Golden Core level, he is most skilled in whip techniques, and is also proficient in other types of weapons.
In fact, he was born a fisherman and joined a fishing guild. From his mortal days, he relied on the swords, spears, and harpoons he wielded, and it was along this path that he rose to prominence. For him, the trial run of the Ninefold Mystic Armor was very suitable.
This is the second level in Xuanjia Cave. Even with cultivation restricted, Ao Pan still relies on his martial arts foundation to maintain a leading position.
Some cultivators have begun to pay attention to Ning Zhuo again.
Why is he still struggling with the bronze sword?
"Let's refine it quickly and move on to the next round of battle. If this drags on, we might be eliminated!"
Some people were secretly worried for Ning Zhuo.
On the one hand, people normally prefer Ning Zhuo, who follows the right path, to Ban Ji. On the other hand, they also hope that Ning Zhuo will continue down this path, revealing more of their own information so that they can profit from selling intelligence.
They had a clear understanding of the overall situation and knew very well that Ning Zhuo's progress was very slow and that he had fallen behind the main force.
Ban Ji, Zhang Wangxing, and the Rust Craftsman have already acquired the first bronze artifact and are all vying for the second, and have already gained the upper hand in the battle.
Ning Zhuo is still locked in a fierce battle even with the first weapon.
"I don't understand what he's dawdling about?"
"He's learning! His close-combat skills are indeed improving rapidly, it's visible to the naked eye."
"He's too carefree to study and take exams at the same time."
"He seems quite confident in his learning abilities. Perhaps this is what genius is all about. It can't be judged by ordinary standards!"
More and more cultivators shifted their attention, after all, watching others was much more interesting than watching Ning Zhuo.
A moment later.
Ning Zhuo suddenly stepped forward, slightly shifting his body to the side, thus avoiding the thrust of the bronze sword.
He seized the sword hilt and held it firmly in his hand.
The bronze sword struggled violently, but soon it gave up and was completely refined by Ning Zhuo.
A cultivator caught a glimpse of this scene, blinked, and looked on with suspicion: "What did I just see? It seems that Ning Zhuo's speed in refining the Xuanbing Armor is somewhat extraordinary?"
Divine Refinement! Qi Refinement!
Ning Zhuo used a two-pronged approach and took the bronze sword in three breaths.
He can go even faster. The Three Supreme Methods allow him to cultivate his three dantians simultaneously, enabling him to refine his spirit, qi, and essence at the same time!
But there's no need for that. Ning Zhuo had absolutely no intention of revealing his cultivation level in the Sea of Essence when others were observing him.
Patience and concealment have always been the core characteristics of his personality.
"This is the Ninefold Mystic Armor."
"No, to be precise, it's just a layer of Xuanbing armor."
Ning Zhuo carefully examined the bronze sword in his hand.
With a slight thought, the bronze sword in his hand flowed like water, hovering in mid-air and transforming back into a piece of bronze armor.
The bronze armor bears countless marks, which intertwine to depict a basic sword technique.
"The method of forging the Ninefold Mystic Armor is very special."
"They created Azure Flow Copper as the sole material. Based on this, they used divine refining as the main method to inscribe martial arts techniques and skills. After being refined, each armor plate can have two transformations. One is the armor plate itself, and the other is a weapon corresponding to the martial arts techniques and skills."
Ning Zhuo recalled the relevant intelligence.
He gripped the hilt of the sword and swung it a few times, discovering that each sword move was perfectly precise. Even if he deliberately swung it off-target, the bronze sword would automatically correct itself.
Ning Zhuo channeled his magic power into the sword and then tossed it forward.
The bronze sword was thrown into the air and hovered there. As Ning Zhuo gave the order, it frequently swung its blade, performing basic sword moves and slashing at the air, just like when it fought Ning Zhuo just now.
This is how to use the Ninefold Mystic Armor.
If restored, it can be used as armor plates for close-range defense. If transformed into a weapon, it can be projected outwards to fight on its own; on the other hand, it can be held in the hand by a cultivator to personally control and correct techniques, achieving unity between man and weapon and increasing its power.
"In the second stage of this trial, you can encounter a maximum of nine bronze artifacts, which is equivalent to nine sets of Xuanbing Armor."
"According to the rules, as long as you collect nine portions here, you don't need to participate in the third round and you can directly win first place. However, this rarely happens. Looking back, you can count the number of people who have managed to do this on two hands!"
"I definitely can't do it."
Ning Zhuo has always been very self-aware.
“I am weaker than others in this area.”
"Therefore, we need to make full use of the second stage, seize every learning opportunity, and finally compete with Banji in the third stage!"
"In the end, my grades may not be as good as his."
"But it doesn't matter, as long as we disrupt him and prevent him from collecting nine copies in the third round and winning first place."
Ning Zhuo knew that Ban Ji was skilled in close combat, proficient in using swords, and also mastered the art of combined attacks.
He had been gathering intelligence on Banji and paid close attention to preparations in this regard.
Ning Zhuo continued forward, pondering as he went. He still needed to use his divine sense to clear the way. The second trial was also testing the depth of his divine sense.
Soon, the second bronze artifact appeared before him—a bronze knife.
There was nothing more to say. Ning Zhuo faced off with his sword against the knife and began a new round of learning.
Ban Ji held a bronze throwing knife in one hand and a bronze chain hammer in the other, walking very quickly.
Damn it!
"Of all weapons, I am most skilled with swords and sabers. My combined sword and saber technique is one of my trump cards, and I have defeated many powerful enemies."
"Why isn't there a single knife or sword?"
"Although these all appear randomly and are purely based on luck, swords and knives are the most common, yet I encountered two rare throwing knives and chain hammers in a row!"
Banji paused, then saw the third bronze artifact—a bronze mace.
"Aaaaah, where's the knife? Where's the sword? I need a knife and a sword!"
(End of this chapter)
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