Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Ning Zhuo focused on the butterfly wings behind Ru Die.

In the entire framework of the mechanism artifact, her butterfly wings were the most striking.

At first glance, Ning Zhuo was attracted to the butterfly wings. However, he prioritized probing the main body of the mechanical puppet to its current limits.

This was the most correct sequence to study a mechanism artifact.

First, understand the main body's structure, functions, and so on, then it would be smoother and more accurate to test the roles of the other mechanical components.

Ru Die's butterfly wings were extremely dazzling!

Ning Zhuo slightly shifted his angle and could always see the seven-colored rainbow light refracted from the butterfly wings, very luxurious and exquisite.

After careful exploration, he was surprised to discover, though it looked like just one pair of butterfly wings, there were actually seven pairs.

These seven pairs of butterfly wings overlapped very tightly, as if they were one pair.

Ning Zhuo could imagine, when Ru Die fully activated, seven pairs of butterfly wings would flash behind her.

Each layer of butterfly wings was extremely thin, with each having a main color: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, perfectly corresponding to the seven colors of the rainbow.

The construction of the butterfly wings was incredibly intricate, making Ning Zhuo marvel.

This was the most exquisite mechanical artifact he had ever seen in his life!

The butterfly wings were composed of countless fine filaments forming the basic structure, then supplemented with condensed spiritual energy.

Ning Zhuo was no stranger to these filaments—he had just discovered them in Ru Die's hands and feet.

Simply the cultivation technique of solidifying spiritual energy into shape was already extremely precious, making Ning Zhuo think of some high-grade Spirit Gathering Arrays that could condense the spiritual energy in the air to form spiritual liquid, or even Spirit Stones.

But such high-grade Spirit Gathering Arrays were often enormous, covering entire mountain peaks or extending over half a mountain range.

Thus, it could be seen how terrifying the cultivation technique of solidifying spiritual energy on the butterfly wings was!

"Who exactly designed this mechanical puppet?"

"To be able to form such power on such a thin pair of butterfly wings?!"

"It's too horrifying."

Amateurs watched the fun, but the experts saw the technique.

After careful research, Ning Zhuo couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Ru Die's material itself was not astonishing, just Foundation Establishment level material. But such terrifying cultivation technique was so high that Ning Zhuo could only look up to it in fear.

The butterfly wings were constructed to be both strong and flexible, and extremely lightweight. The combined weight of the seven layers of wings was about the same as a sheet of rice paper.

According to Ning Zhuo's speculation, because the cultivation technique solidified spiritual energy into a form, the butterfly wings themselves likely had powerful self-repair capabilities.

"It feels like some great master of mechanical techniques suddenly got an impulse to show off and deliberately crafted this Ru Die."

"Could Song Fuli and his Cloud Merchant group have placed her in the auction warehouse to make her the final item for auction?"

Ning Zhuo kept guessing in his mind.

The style of Ru Die's mechanical construction was exquisite, luxurious, and extreme.

Compared to her, the mechanical body Ning Zhuo refined for Yuan Dasheng at the Golden Core level was the opposite extreme—piling up materials with low skill, winning by quantity.

Ning Zhuo continued his research and was horrified to find that each layer of butterfly wings at least had one array.

The array setup was equally high-end, making it a form of art at this level of skill.

Ravishingly beautiful!

Ning Zhuo exhausted his mind, using various mechanical tools to help himself, and only then did he slightly understand the function of the outermost layer of the butterfly wing array.

A gleam of light flashed in Ning Zhuo's eyes as he grasped the key and couldn't help but call out softly, "I understand, I understand."

"The silver crown on her head, the silver array patterns under her skin, and so on, are all to cooperate with this pair of butterfly wings."

"When the wings are activated, the array will also initiate. The outer butterfly wing array will instantly set up an array in the surrounding area, transforming the space."

"By then, it will cut the spherical space centered on Ru Die into countless small pieces with various types of mana. From the outside, it will look like countless tiny seven-colored glass shards, stacked together, luxurious and deadly!"

"Activating the array requires a lot of mana, so when the master of mechanical techniques designed her, he specially added 'blood' to this mechanical puppet."

"This special spiritual liquid can carry a great amount of mana, essentially acting as a constantly transforming Mana Pool."

"Ru Die's entire skin is made of a mixed material with high cloud cotton as the main component, capable of constantly absorbing natural spiritual energy from the environment."

"After conversion, this spiritual energy is stored in the spiritual liquid blood and used when the array is activated."

Listening to Ning Zhuo's thorough analysis, Yang Chanyu slightly raised her eyebrows.

She suddenly realized that the young man before her was indeed quite skilled, deducing Ru Die's offensive means just by probing.

While inside the Cloud Whale, Yang Chanyu had personally experienced the array scene that Ning Zhuo had just speculated.

She couldn't decipher the details back then.

Fortunately, Sun Lingtong had timely intervention and won with words, otherwise…

From Ning Zhuo's current analysis, if she were trapped in such a powerful array, even breaking out would entail heavy costs.

"For the short term, this is all I can detect."

Ning Zhuo sighed regretfully, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He said to Sun Lingtong, "Elder Sun, why don't you give it a try?"

Sun Lingtong shrugged: "Forget it, when it comes to mechanical insights, Yang Chanyu and I are no match for you."

Hearing this, Yang Chanyu slightly raised her eyebrows, intending to retort, but recalling Ning Zhuo's earlier performance, she held back.

She had to admit, in mechanical techniques, this Qi Refinement stage young cultivator before her was indeed quite skilled!

Sun Lingtong asked Ning Zhuo cautiously: "Shall we awaken her now?"

Ning Zhuo frowned slightly.

To be honest, after this inspection, he had some reservations about Ru Die's combat power.

Don't be fooled by her Foundation Establishment level material, such terrifying cultivation technique would allow her to exert power comparable to a Golden Core.

Cultivation was about learning and utilizing the truths of the world.

Once Ru Die awakened and stayed by Ning Zhuo's side, she might be a double-edged sword.

But Ning Zhuo eventually nodded slowly and said to Sun Lingtong: "Awaken her."

Because after deep contemplation, Ning Zhuo realized he didn't have many options.

Once the upcoming imperial examination began, the battle for the Magma Fairy Palace would surely be bloodstained and tumultuous.

His opponents included many Golden Cores and even Nascent Soul level like Meng Kui.

By then, his cultivation level would at most reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Based on the timeline, he would still be in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Thus, he had to cherish every opportunity and strive to secure high-end combat power for his side!

Ru Die could potentially offer quasi-Golden Core level combat power, which Ning Zhuo needed to gain.

For this, he had to take a gamble.

And here, in the Magma Fairy Palace's infirmary, was the most suitable environment.

With Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu by his side, it was the safest moment.

Take a gamble, awaken Ru Die!

The method to awaken Ru Die was simple, just chant the secret incantation from before.

Sun Lingtong chanted it once, quite skillfully, with clear enunciation.

Listening to such chants, Ning Zhuo glanced at Sun Lingtong, his eyes flickering.

Sun Lingtong also glanced at Ning Zhuo and squinted at him.

Their small interaction ended quickly but was keenly caught by Yang Chanyu!

"What's going on?" Her heart struck, and she instantly realized that the relationship between Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong might not be just that of collaborators.

After finishing the chant, Sun Lingtong gently patted Ru Die's shoulder.

He softly called out: "Ru Die, Ru Die, wake up."

Ru Die slowly opened her eyes, scanning the surroundings with crystal-clear eyes before fixing her gaze on Ning Zhuo.

Her voice was still very gentle, with a slight tremble: "Where is this? Excuse me, are you the mechanism cultivator repairing me?"

Ning Zhuo nodded slightly.

Sun Lingtong said: "Ru Die, you will follow this mechanism cultivator for the upcoming period. He will fix your issues, but you need to cooperate fully."

Ru Die obediently nodded, without any suspicion.

"Can I stand up?" she asked.

Ning Zhuo nodded in approval.

Ru Die floated up, her butterfly wings slowly flapping once to suspend her mid-air.

She kept looking at Ning Zhuo, her large eyes suddenly welling up with tears, which then fell like pearls.

This lifelike reaction astonished the three cultivators present.

Ru Die reached out, lightly bowed her head, and gently wiped her tears before continuing to stare at Ning Zhuo without blinking: "Doctor, is my condition very serious? Can it still be cured?"

Ning Zhuo silently praised: "She's concerned about her 'condition,' such spiritual wisdom far surpasses Yuan Dasheng's!"

Ning Zhuo nodded, comforting, "The problem isn't big, but the treatment is quite tedious and time-consuming. You need to be patient."

"During this period, I need your full cooperation. For example, performing in actual combat to test the body. Any orders I give you must be followed strictly, understood?"

"Mm, little Die understands." Ru Die obediently nodded.

Just as Sun Lingtong had reported, Ru Die was simple-minded and very easily deceived.

Time was running out.

Ning Zhuo began tidying up the Serious Injury Treatment Room, putting everything back in its place.

The materials and Ru Die given by Sun Lingtong were temporarily stored here, not to be taken out.

Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo communicated: "What do you plan to do about Ning Xiaohui?"

"She has been striving hard to compete for the Historical Records Pavilion position."

"This time, your entry into the Immortal Palace seems to have stimulated her."

"She is working like crazy, resting only for an hour or two each day, striving for achievements."

"If she succeeds, even our secret meeting will be recorded in the Historical Records Pavilion."

Ning Zhuo sighed, "Ning Xiaohui is a major trouble, and I'm looking for an opportunity."

"From my observation over the past few days, the Golden Core Ancestors place great importance on the Renovation Team."

"No matter the situation, at least two people are always around the Renovation Team."

"Surely, Ning Xiaohui, entrusted with such a significant task, is also under protection. And her level of protection is much higher than ours."

"To eliminate her is highly risky, requiring the perfect opportunity. Also, it needs a method to deal with the ensuing investigation."

"Currently, Zhu Xuanji seems to have discovered something, paying unusual attention to me."

"If anything happens to Ning Xiaohui, I'll likely be his primary target for investigation!"

"I have confidence in disguising myself, but being temporarily detained and losing freedom is the most worrisome!"

This situation would be fatal for Ning Zhuo!

Sun Lingtong nodded in agreement with Ning Zhuo's conclusion.

Yang Chanyu said, "According to your previous plan, you wanted to stir up trouble with the Cloud Merchants to create an opportunity."

"But it's strange, after so many days, the Cloud Merchants should have discovered the fake goods we left behind. But there has been no reaction!"

After ransacking the auction warehouse, Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu meticulously crafted fake goods to replace the real ones, creating an illusion of the items being intact.

They deliberately designed these fake items to disappear automatically after a few days, revealing a significant flaw.

As per the plan, the Cloud Merchants should have already noticed the deception days ago. However, everything had been quiet on their end.

Very puzzling!