Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

"I have no further questions." Ning Zhuo, after reviewing the decree scroll, handed it to Zhou Zeshen.

Zhou Zeshen examined it carefully for a long time before slowly nodding and passing the scroll to others.

Zheng Jian and Zhou Zhu watched in succession and nodded in agreement.

Next, everyone took turns signing the decree contract.

Zhu Xuanji put away the decree, and next, he had to arrange for the renovation team members from all sides to sign it properly, one by one.

This process was personally overseen by him, with his Golden Eyes Talent and Divine Hunter methods, to maximize the prevention of cheating behaviors.

Zhu Xuanji then instructed, "You four will be the leaders of the renovation teams. Next, please actively strive for various posts within the Magma Fairy Palace."

"If possible, try to seize the Five Elements Turret. The true culprit behind the bombardment of Fire Persimmon Mountain Peak, which triggered the Demon Beast Tide, is still at large."

"If any of you can find relevant clues, I will reward you generously!"

Ning Zhuo agreed wholeheartedly, immediately stating that he would do his utmost to work in this direction, protecting the homeland while ensuring that evil would not spread!

Ning Zhuo then mentioned, "In my clan, there is a genius cultivator named Ning Xiaohui, who arrived here early, entered the Immortal Palace, and earned contributions."

"She must have considerable experience in vying for various positions. Why not let her share her experience with us?"

Zhu Xuanji shook his head, "Currently, she is on an important mission; do not disturb her."

"And I believe that although she has some experience of success, it may not significantly help the next actions."

"Moving forward, it will depend on your own efforts."

After Zhu Xuanji's instructions, he let the people leave.

After Ning Zhuo and the others left the side hall, they walked back together.

Zhou Zeshen took the initiative to converse with him, "We are all trial disciples. The tasks we can access are far more than those outsiders."

"But precisely because there are so many projects, we also face the dilemma of choosing."

"I believe that there must be an optimal solution that allows us to gain the most achievements with the least time, effort, and cost."

Ning Zhuo nodded, agreeing with Zhou Zeshen's view: "I was unable to convince Lord Zhu to let Ning Xiaohui share her successful experiences with us. This is disadvantageous to us."

"We have just arrived here and lack much information and understanding."

"So I think our first step should be to cast a wide net, taking on different tasks broadly and conducting extensive reconnaissance."

"The results from the reconnaissance can be collated, then we devise the optimal task selection plan. Finally, we promote this plan."

"Brother Zhou, what do you think?"

Zhou Zeshen laughed heartily and patted Ning Zhuo's shoulder, "It's easy to communicate with smart people!"

Ning Zhuo's idea coincided with his.

Seeing that Ning Zhuo and Zhou Zeshen both agreed, Zhou Zhu, who always followed Zhou Zeshen, naturally had no objections.

They looked towards Zheng Jian.

Zheng Jian, who had silently listened to their discussion, had already decided to collaborate.

Before coming, he had been privately advised by the clan leader of the Zheng Family to maintain good relationships with the Zhou Family and Ning Family.

Things were different now.

Due to the incident with the organic sickle mistakenly killing Taiqing Palace's Golden Core True Transmission, the Zheng Family faced a tremendous crisis.

In such a situation, the Zheng Family desperately needed help from external allies.

Moreover, Zheng Jian also believed from the bottom of his heart that the plan devised by Zhou Zeshen and Ning Zhuo was indeed the best.

So, without any hesitation, he directly agreed.

But Zheng Jian also mentioned Meng Chong, "Now, with the cooperation of the four sides, shouldn't we bring Meng Chong in as well?"

This suggestion made Zhou Zeshen and Ning Zhuo exchange a look.

This time, Ning Zhuo remained silent.

Zhou Zeshen stated, "Initially, it may not be suitable for us to contact the renovation team from the City Lord's Mansion."

"Did you notice? Lord Zhu Xuanji only summoned the three of our families this time, even though the contract required the four parties to sign jointly. Why did he not call Meng Chong as well?"

"From this, it's clear where Lord Zhu Xuanji's inclinations lie."

Zheng Jian suddenly realized and quickly thanked Zhou Zeshen with clasped hands.

The group reached a crossroads and bid each other farewell.

The residences of the Ning, Zhou, and Zheng families were not far apart.

Ning Zhuo watched the departing figures of Zheng Jian and the others, falling into deep thought.

He contemplated the current situation, "Originally, the three families were led by Zhu Xuanji, but after the Golden Core conflict, the Zheng Family fell into trouble, leading to the Ning and Zhou families observing Zhu Xuanji closely."

"The situation has subtly changed. Compared to before, the three families are now more connected."

"Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit." Ning Zhuo called silently in his heart.

Magma Fairy Palace, Main Hall.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had been secretly observing Ning Zhuo, and upon hearing him call its name, it couldn't help but secretly grit its teeth.

The more it understood Ning Zhuo, the more it knew the full picture and truth, the more wary it became of Ning Zhuo.

It very much did not want to deal with such a cunning, deeply scheming, and highly disguised little monster like Ning Zhuo, but considering the increasing threat of Ning Xiaohui...

In the end, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit gritted its teeth and pretended to be weak, responding to Ning Zhuo.

"Young Master, you have finally entered the real Immortal Palace."

Ning Zhuo frowned slightly, "Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, your condition seems to have worsened?"

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit agreed, "Yes, Young Master."

"The Magma Fairy Palace and I are one. It is essentially my body. Now, I am suffering continuous attacks from the Demon Beast Tide, and each bit of damage to the Magma Fairy Palace weakens me accordingly."

"From now on, our contact may be interrupted at any time."

Perhaps because it had been observing Ning Zhuo for a long time, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had become more cunning. In this conversation, it subtly laid the groundwork for future communication interruptions.

Next, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit mentioned the threat of Ning Xiaohui and couldn't help urging Ning Zhuo to take action against her.

"I understand this matter." Ning Zhuo frowned slightly, looking somewhat troubled.

"You must know, it is not easy to deal with Ning Xiaohui. I must find an opportunity, a proper chance to act."

"But for now, such opportunities are very scarce."

Ning Zhuo explained briefly to the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.

After all, Zhu Xuanji and other Golden Core cultivators, like Ning Zhuo, were temporarily stationed in the Magma Fairy Palace, actively fighting against the Demon Beast Tide outside the palace.

At this time, if Ning Zhuo wanted to act against Ning Xiaohui, it would undoubtedly be a jump under the eyes of the Golden Core cultivators, a very risky move!

Previously, in the side hall, Ning Zhuo had directly tested Zhu Xuanji.

He had falsely requested Ning Xiaohui to come and share her successful experiences, actually probing Zhu Xuanji's regard for Ning Xiaohui.

The result of the test was that Zhu Xuanji did not allow anyone to contact Ning Xiaohui! More accurately, he didn't permit anyone to access the Historical Records Pavilion.

He even isolated Ning Xiaohui from others, not giving any opportunity for everyday communication or interaction.

Ning Zhuo knew well that Zhu Xuanji highly valued the Historical Records Pavilion and Ning Xiaohui. Under such circumstances, if he rashly acted against Ning Xiaohui, it was highly likely to trigger a thorough investigation by Zhu Xuanji!

On the other hand, Ning Zhuo also had his own plans.

He hoped to obtain a position at the Historical Records Pavilion and simultaneously eliminate Ning Xiaohui!

In this way, he could gain access to the precious information recorded in the Historical Records Pavilion.

And with this position, Ning Zhuo could easily mislead Zhu Xuanji, indirectly utilizing Zhu Xuanji's special Golden Core combat power.

If he could achieve this, it would be most beneficial to him.

With premeditation, Ning Zhuo said to the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, "Enough talking about this."

"Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, craft me the best plan. Let me pick the most suitable tasks from these numerous ones. Following this plan, I can gain more achievements faster and with less effort!"

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit twirled on its throne; it wanted to refuse Ning Zhuo's request.

But it couldn't help it, as the threat of Ning Xiaohui always hung over it like a sharp sword.

Given its position, it lacked the capability to deal with Ning Xiaohui and had to rely on Ning Zhuo.

Therefore, it had to comply with Ning Zhuo's request the best it could!

Soon, Ning Zhuo received a message.

He examined it carefully. The information detailed the main tasks he needed to perform, and recorded much more detailed information about the tasks.

This information was unobtainable with just his achievement token alone.

Speaking of the achievement token, every cultivator entering the Immortal Palace would be granted one when they were brought in by the treasure light.

Even if it is lost outside the Immortal Palace, the next time the cultivator comes in, they would receive a replacement.

Of course, this replacement is not free and would deduct some of the cultivator's accumulated achievements in Magma Fairy Palace.

After reviewing it once, Ning Zhuo found that although the plan was quite excellent and meticulously designed, it lacked broad applicability.

Most of the tasks he needed to perform stemmed from his current three positions.

Ning Zhuo, having cleared three trials earlier, now held the positions of Medical Hall Master, Turret Master, and Command Platform Leader.

These positions were all of the second rank, corresponding to tasks with very high rewards.

Other people, including all renovation team members, could not see these tasks with their own achievement tokens.

After reviewing it a second time, Ning Zhuo discovered the underlying pattern.

The arrangement of his tasks roughly divided into three stages.

The first stage primarily stemmed from his position as Medical Hall Master. Ning Zhuo had to repair some mechanism artifacts.

These mechanism artifacts were not just mechanical puppets but also various mechanism buildings.

The second stage's tasks came from his role as Command Platform Leader.

After acquiring this position, Ning Zhuo could organize formations and command many mechanical puppets to deploy to the battlefield to a certain extent.

The third stage involved him as the Turret Master.

Examining the information, Ning Zhuo grew puzzled and asked the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, "I see that the tasks associated with the Turret Master have minimal standards. If these minimum standards aren't met, they will deduct my achievements. Why is that?"

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's expression struggled; it did not want to give Ning Zhuo the answer. It pondered whether it should just slip away now.