The cultivators in Xuanjia Cave were surprised to see Ning Zhuo suddenly surrounded and attacked.

“How did this group of people get together?”

“What else could it be? It’s probably the Ban family’s doing!”

“Isn’t Ban Ji a demonic cultivator? I’ve always wondered why Ban Ji would support a family disciple who practices demonic cultivation to become the face of the family’s Foundation Establishment stage. The effort they’re putting in now is also quite rare.”

Everyone was aware of the situation. Although Zhang Wangxing hadn’t explicitly stated who arranged for him to do this, the conflict between Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji was well-known, and they all believed it was the Ban family’s doing.

The leader, a cultivator surnamed Hao, had a troubled expression.

During the Feiyun Conference, Xuanjia Cave’s Xingyun Xiaoshi would be held repeatedly.

Because the trial content remained consistent for a long time, to prevent large-scale cheating, Xuanjia Cave used a magical array to randomly select cultivators and notify them temporarily to participate.

The cultivators were informed this morning. The only exception in this group was Ning Zhuo.

The relevant high-ranking officials of Xuanjia Cave learned that Ning Zhuo had submitted an application to participate and also knew that Ban Ji would be there. Wanting to watch the excitement, they temporarily added Ning Zhuo to this Xingyun Xiaoshi.

One could only say that watching excitement was human nature.

Just this alone proved that Ning Zhuo’s previous refusal of Ban Jie’s reconciliation, and even publicly announcing his intention to make trouble for Ban Ji, was the right move!

Sometimes, putting conflicts out in the open can bring many hidden benefits.

But now, right before the eyes of the cultivators, several cultivators conspired to create a trap to harm Ning Zhuo.

Without a doubt, this showed that the Ban family had circumvented Xuanjia Cave’s measures, perhaps by bribing internal personnel or arranging for a large number of people to participate. In any case, they had gathered multiple cultivators, achieving the result of multiple attacking few, targeting their opponent.

This made the cultivator surnamed Hao worried: “This matter cannot be blown out of proportion!”

“This is obvious cheating. If it leads to an investigation from above, it would be terrible.”

Because the cultivator surnamed Hao was also involved, subtly coordinating, he had previously assigned the bronze saber and sword to Ban Ji.

Wanxiang Sect was a righteous sect, and Xuanjia Cave was a unique power group within Wanxiang Sect. From both these perspectives, the Xingyun Xiaoshi was required to be fair. At least on the surface, it had to appear fair.

But now, this kind of pre-arranged conspiracy and open cheating clearly violated fairness.

Ning Zhuo tightly gripped the bronze spear, retreating while sweeping with the spear.

The spear swept away several incoming bronze weapons.

A Kai Shan Yue aimed at Ning Zhuo, slashing at his waist.

Before the trial, Ning Zhuo would have had only one choice: to keep retreating, falling back again and again.

But now, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, seizing an opportunity.

The next moment, instead of retreating, he advanced, stomping his left foot on the ground, power rising from the earth!

The spear moved like a coiled dragon!

He used the spear not for a head-on clash, but by striking the tip against the ground, causing the spear shaft to instantly bend into a large bow shape.

Ning Zhuo thrust the spear forward, its tip carrying immense elasticity, lightning-fast, drawing an arc, precisely deflecting the Kai Shan Yue with an upward flick.

Clang—!

The heavy Kai Shan Yue was directly knocked away, hitting the cave wall and sending a shower of shattered rock flying!

Ning Zhuo had dealt with the frontal attack, but two other bronze weapons attacked from his left and right.

The saber and sword moved like wings.

The bronze saber and bronze sword circling around him were like two wings, barely deflecting the opponents’ attacks.

The bronze sword only possessed basic sword forms, and the bronze saber had a few small combo moves; they were Ning Zhuo’s weakest Xuanbing A, so they performed poorly when defending against the siege.

In comparison, the gauntlets were closer to his body, forming Ning Zhuo’s tightest line of defense, showing great resilience. In a short time, they had protected Ning Zhuo’s body over a dozen times.

The group of cultivators organized by Ban Jie launched an incessant offensive. If Ning Zhuo’s combat strength hadn’t advanced by leaps and bounds, he would have suffered a crushing defeat in the first wave of attacks.

Ning Zhuo used his gauntlets to repel a heavy mace, and three bronze flying shuttles attacked again.

They were incredibly fast, and each attack came from a tricky angle. This time, seizing Ning Zhuo’s unsteady footing, they aimed to exploit this weakness and break through his defense.

Ning Zhuo’s divine sense captured the flying shuttles, startling him, but the long spear in his hand reacted instinctively.

The spear tail spun, deflecting two shuttles with two sharp “ding ding” sounds.

The spear body rotated Ning Zhuo’s wrist, and he stepped sideways, directly striking away the last shuttle.

Seeing this, Zhang Wangxing felt a slight chill in his heart: “Although this kid’s close combat ability far surpasses mine, he hasn’t reached the Master realm. The only reason he can barely hold on is because of the long spear in his hand.”

“This spear has reached the Master level; it can win without specific moves, guiding Ning Zhuo in battle.”

“Suppress his spear, and we’ll win!”

With this thought, Zhang Wangxing roared and rushed to Ning Zhuo’s front.

He swung with all his might, throwing all his bronze weapons at Ning Zhuo, forming a fierce offensive.

Then, he followed closely behind these five bronze weapons, lunging at Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo retreated several steps, his spear jabbing and sweeping, knocking away all of Zhang Wangxing’s bronze weapons.

Zhang Wangxing’s skill in close-quarters weapons was quite shallow. This wave of attacks, though seemingly fierce, was full of flaws. Not only was it easily resolved by Ning Zhuo, but it also severely interfered with the flanking attacks of his distant companions.

But Zhang Wangxing had seized the opportunity to successfully close the distance between himself and Ning Zhuo.

“Come on, stab me!” Zhang Wangxing roared, directly ramming his chest into the spear tip.

The sharp spear easily pierced his flesh, going from his chest to his back.

Zhang Wangxing felt intense pain, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he was excited.

He let out a roar, grabbed the spear shaft with both hands, and, despite his body being impaled by the spear, still charged towards Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo’s spear technique was not good enough, and he didn’t know how to counterattack. The next moment, the spear shaft guided Ning Zhuo, counterattacking on its own. After a violent tremor, it swayed powerfully, circling around.

Zhang Wangxing’s wound was violently churned by the spear shaft, immediately expanding several times. Blood gushed out, and his flesh was mangled.

He activated his full power, causing his bones to shift away, and his flesh, like flowing mud, poured and covered the spear shaft, while simultaneously using his divine sense to suppress it with all his might.

Ning Zhuo immediately felt his connection with the long spear weaken.

Zhang Wangxing’s body suddenly contracted, squeezing out large chunks of sticky flesh that flowed down the spear shaft towards Ning Zhuo.

At the same time, the cultivators behind Zhang Wangxing quickly cooperated, controlling various weapons to attack Ning Zhuo from all directions.

In this situation, Ning Zhuo decisively let go, temporarily abandoning the bronze spear.

“It’s done!” Seeing this, Zhang Wangxing was overjoyed.

He saw that Ning Zhuo relied on the long spear; by forcefully seizing it, Ning Zhuo would lose his support, then be surrounded and defeated.

Therefore, he was willing to pay the price of serious injury to achieve this tactic.

Clang clang clang——

A series of rapid sounds, bronze weapons collided with each other, sending sparks flying.

All the bronze weapons in the siege returned without success.

Ning Zhuo’s body was almost curled up under a heavy shield.

Zhang Wangxing’s eyes widened in fury, his defense breaking as he shouted, “You actually have a shield?!”

Shield-type Xuanbing A were too rare.

Ning Zhuo actually possessed one!

It was with the bronze shield that he easily defended against the siege.

The cultivators naturally wouldn’t give up and continued to use various bronze weapons to attack him.

But Ning Zhuo defended steadily, the shield firmly protecting his entire body. Even if there were any unprotected spots, the bronze saber and sword, and gauntlets filled the gaps in his defense.

The cultivators attacked frantically, their greatest harvest being chipped and cracked bronze weapons and flying sparks, without inflicting any damage.

“His shield is strong!”

“Damn it, we were almost successful, but then he pulled out a shield.”

“This kid is cunning; he didn’t use it at first, kept it hidden. If we had known he had a shield, why would we have acted this way?”

The cultivators communicated urgently with their divine senses but couldn’t come up with a solution.

At this point, Ning Zhuo, relying on his shield, withstood the most dangerous initial rounds of attacks and successfully stabilized his position.

He, still holding the shield, also managed to reclaim the bronze spear.

Zhang Wangxing clutched his chest, urgently healing his wounds.

His face was pale, and although the surface of his wound healed quickly, the actual injury was not light.

Currently, the magical array here in Xuanjia Cave prohibited various healing methods, only allowing physical self-recovery, similar to the previous second stage.

Zhang Wangxing’s recovery ability was much stronger than others, but his previous injuries were too severe, making his subsequent attacks very weak.

“Whoosh——” The cultivator surnamed Hao secretly let out a breath of turbid air.

“Ning Zhuo defended it! Very good, keep going, try to defeat this group of people!”

The position of the cultivator surnamed Hao had changed; he now supported Ning Zhuo.

Cheating had already occurred, and he hoped that the negative impact would be as small as possible. Preferably so small that the higher-ups wouldn’t care and wouldn’t conduct an investigation afterward.

How could the impact be so small?

Ning Zhuo’s victory was an important prerequisite.

If the cheating side won, Ning Zhuo would definitely make a fuss. In everyone’s eyes, Ning Zhuo was by no means a minor figure. His refusal of Ban Jie and escalating his conflict with Ban Ji showed immense confidence and backing.

Many people now speculated that the power behind Ning Zhuo was likely on par with the Ban family.

Considering this, the cultivator surnamed Hao began to genuinely and secretly cheer for Ning Zhuo.

“Damn it, damn it!” The more Zhang Wangxing fought, the more agitated he became.

He was not good at close combat to begin with, and his most skilled method now was to use his unique body cultivated through demonic techniques to temporarily suppress the enemy’s Xuanbing A.

But the greatest advantage of Ning Zhuo’s three supreme cultivation methods was control!

So, Zhang Wangxing’s attempt to forcibly seize Ning Zhuo’s weapon was equivalent to challenging a top-grade cultivation method with his medium-grade cultivation method.

Every time he returned in failure was perfectly reasonable.

Ban Ji’s eyes flashed with a fierce light, staring intently at Ning Zhuo in battle.

He practiced the “Greedy Machine Demonic Heart Technique,” which further nurtured his already greedy nature.

At this moment, his rampant greed made him hate Ning Zhuo even more: “This damned thing, how can his luck be so good!”

Ban Ji watched the battle for a moment, his eyes already stimulated to a fiery red: “His saber and sword touched at the very beginning. Yet I, in the final stage, still encountered an abnormal combat power.”

“If his path were mine, it would be a perfect starting hand.”

“He even has a shield! This is the kind of treatment I could only occasionally fantasize about when preparing my Xuanbing A in the family!”

“If I had such an opportunity, I could have steadily advanced from the very beginning, and I’d be quite confident in defeating the sixth bronze weapon. There’s even a good chance for the seventh!”

The very things he desperately sought were all on Ning Zhuo.

Ban Ji’s eye twitched, and he suddenly transmitted a message with his divine sense to Rust Plague Craftsman beside him: “You say, is it because Ning Zhuo came that he took my opportunities?”

Rust Plague Craftsman looked at Ban Ji in surprise, seeing his resentment, and was somewhat confused, as Rust Plague Craftsman did not know that Ning Zhuo was Ban Ji’s human tribulation.

But Rust Plague Craftsman saw Ban Ji’s restless thoughts and quickly transmitted a message to dissuade him: “Ban Ji, calm down. Now is not the time for you to act!”

Ban Ji, reminded by this, a fierce light flashed in his eyes, feeling stifled, and secretly replied: “Hmph, I know.”

From the moment Zhang Wangxing and others attacked until now, although the battle was fierce, they never revealed that they were arranged by the Ban family to target Ning Zhuo.

This was clearly intentional.

The Ban family was a righteous force, renowned in Feiyun Nation for many years. Even if Ban Jie secretly manipulated and orchestrated this attack, she could not admit that her dignified Ban family would target an outsider in such a way to protect their own genius, suppressing a junior with such a lack of decorum.

The righteous path was all about face.

If they were to admit it, the public would despise the Ban family, thinking that such a prominent clan would deal with a young genius at the Foundation Establishment stage, suppressing a junior without any hint of style.

On the other hand, it would also be an admission that Ban Ji was inferior to Ning Zhuo. Otherwise, why would the Ban family go to such great lengths to help Ban Ji?

This was why Ban Jie made such arrangements, and also why Ban Ji could not act.

If Ban Ji participated in the attack, it would be an admission without being asked, confirming that the sneak attack on Ning Zhuo was the Ban family’s doing.

“Family—” Ban Ji gritted his teeth, forced to suppress the urge to act.

The demonic path was about indulging one’s desires, but Ban Ji, mindful of his family, had to go against his nature and forcibly endure, which greatly displeased him.

And at this very moment, Ning Zhuo deliberately provoked him: “Ban Ji, so you bribed Zhang Wangxing long ago. It must have been difficult for you to go to such lengths to set up a trap like this!”

“Come on, what are you waiting for?!”

“Join the siege against me, let everyone see what the Ban family’s ‘justice’ looks like!”

Ban Ji’s pupils constricted, and he glared fiercely at Ning Zhuo, taking a large step forward involuntarily.

A strong impulse surged from the deepest part of his heart, pushing him to disregard everything, to join the siege, to trample Ning Zhuo underfoot, then seize all of his Xuanbing A, and after a surge in strength, wholeheartedly strive for the top spot in this Xiaoshi!

Ban Family Ancestral Hall.

The Grand Elder guarding it suddenly looked up, staring with surprise at the family’s treasured artifact before him.

The Clan Fortune Key Chain rapidly spun, its sliders clattering, and the chain suddenly tensed.

The Grand Elder watched for a few breaths, his heart slightly shaken: “Something is happening on Ban Ji’s side.”

He quickly formed hand seals, activated his magic power, and fully controlled the Clan Fortune Key Chain.

This family treasure again operated wildly, so much so that some of the sliders derailed. The Grand Elder was drenched in sweat, panting: “Finally, I maintained it.”

Xuanjia Cave.

The jade pendant hanging around Ban Ji’s neck suddenly emitted a clear light, calming him down and suppressing the demonic impulse that was attacking his mind.