Instead of picking a date, they decided to fight that day. After their challenge was accepted, Zhu Gui-zhi and Ning Zhuo quietly left their cave dwelling and headed to a martial arts training hall.

Battles at the Jindan level couldn’t be contained by the training arrays in the Azure Stone Cave Dwelling. If it got damaged, Ning Zhuo would have to pay for the repairs out of his own pocket.

This was a secret battle, with no spectators. Zhu Gui-zhi and Ning Zhuo entered and stood facing each other.

Ning Zhuo extended his hand, “Madam Zhu, you are my elder, please go first.” Since it was a performance, he would play the part completely. Ning Zhuo displayed the arrogance of a genius, showing disdain for a Jindan cultivator.

Zhu Gui-zhi took a deep breath, angered, and immediately formed a hand seal. Azure light particles gathered around her like fireflies. “I summon Lord Qing-ling, master of creation!” As she prayed, the divine artifact, Qingdi Staff, responded to her divine sense and flew out of her storage bracelet. Spiritual energy was consumed, and divine power descended, focusing on the artifact, transforming into a figure, ethereal yet majestic. Soon, the divine power condensed into a physical form, creating a divine avatar.

She-shen Qing-ling-gong! His body was hunched like a dragon, his face covered in tree bark textures, his beard resembled dangling aerial roots, and he held a natural wooden staff, which was the Qingdi Staff.

Ning Zhuo, meanwhile, tapped his storage belt, releasing a Jindan-level automaton. It wore an ice helmet, six-cornered profound ice armor, and had ice-chilong beast heads on its shoulders and head. This was Xue-shu-yu Xie.

The She-shen avatar struck the Qingdi Staff onto the ground.

Rumble————

The floor tiles of the training ground vibrated and cracked. Countless thick roots burst from the earth, intertwining and growing like living things, forming a root jungle. This was to control the battlefield.

Ning Zhuo’s eyes flickered slightly. On the surface, his ten fingers moved frequently, pulling on ethereal spider silk, but in reality, he was only transmitting divine sense, instructing Xue-shu-yu Xie to fight independently.

Xue-shu-yu Xie then raised both hands, and extremely cold ice streams erupted from her entire body. The cold currents froze the root jungle, causing the air temperature to plummet and forming ice crystals.

“This cold air is formidable,” Zhu Gui-zhi thought, her heart slightly chilled from the direct confrontation.

The She-shen avatar was a Jindan-level combatant, and Xue-shu-yu Xie was likewise. The difference might be that the core of the latter utilized Yuan-ying-level precious materials. In a way, it possessed a trace of Yuan-ying-level foundation.

The She-shen avatar immediately changed its move. Waving the Qingdi Staff, countless verdant leaves appeared out of thin air, swirling and flying, producing sharp whistling sounds as they shot towards Xue-shu-yu Xie like thousands of flying knives.

Xue-shu-yu Xie released six cold steel mechanical orbs. The orbs spun around her, forming a miniature ice and snow whirlwind, capable of both offense and defense. The life-infused leaves flew into the ice and snow vortex, instantly freezing, losing their spiritual light, and then being ground into powder.

The two sides exchanged blows, constantly shifting between offense and defense. She-shen Qing-ling-gong frequently cast divine spells, while Xue-shu-yu Xie cast ice and frost spells, battling to a standstill.

Seeing that he couldn’t break the deadlock, She-shen Qing-ling-gong personally wielded the Qingdi Staff, closing in for melee combat. Xue-shu-yu Xie fell into a disadvantage, struggling continuously to change the tide, but with little effect.

Doubt arose in Zhu Gui-zhi’s mind: “How is it that Ning Zhuo’s automaton performs so much worse in close combat than it did against Gu Qing?” In Gu Qing’s battle, Ning Zhuo had full control. In this current fight, Ning Zhuo was secretly training, relying entirely on Xue-shu-yu Xie’s inherent sentience, so it naturally wasn’t as fluid and powerful as when Ning Zhuo personally controlled it.

However, fortunately, sentience has room for growth. Under pressure, she recalled scenes of being controlled by her master in battle, drawing nourishment from imitation and quickly maturing.

After more than a dozen rounds, She-shen Qing-ling-gong had firmly gained the upper hand. However, Zhu Gui-zhi’s brow gradually furrowed. She had previously purchased intelligence, knowing the details of the battle between Ning Zhuo and Gu Qing. Watching the fight now, she was certain: Ning Zhuo was holding back! He wasn’t using his full strength.

This made her feel humiliated again. Ning Zhuo was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and only a young man in the mid-stage, yet he was facing a Jindan cultivator and not even going all out. Where did that leave her? How much did he look down on her?

Immediately, Zhu Gui-zhi let out a low cry, “Qing-ling-gong, use your divine ability and defeat her completely!”

She-shen are generally demigods or minor deities. Qing-ling-gong’s main body was only at the Jindan level, but he was cultivated by Zhu Gui-zhi and descended through his divine artifact, the Qingdi Staff, thus fully exerting his strength, and his avatar also reached the Jindan level. Zhu Gui-zhi, though not a high-ranking member of the Zhu family, was at a mid-level. Furthermore, she held a top position in a certain faction. At her level, she was naturally different from Zhu Fen-xiang. She not only served deities but also cultivated weaker deities to a certain extent. Therefore, she had a certain degree of command over the Qing-ling-gong avatar. This was unlike the relationship between Zhu Fen-xiang and Shu-tu Zhen-yu Zhen-jun, where Shu-tu Zhen-yu Zhen-jun disliked and was disgusted by Zhu Fen-xiang simply for having a differing opinion.

Divine Ability—Twisting Wood! Roots like dragons and pythons ceaselessly ensnared. Xue-shu-yu Xie, relying on her inherent sentience, dodged for a moment before being captured by the roots and wrapped layer upon layer. Despite her full resistance, she ultimately couldn’t withstand the divine ability, and her six-cornered profound ice armor began to crack.

“If this continues, the battle will be lost.” At the critical moment, Ning Zhuo finally intervened. His ten fingers moved rapidly, directing Xue-shu-yu Xie. On one hand, he used the ice-chilong beast heads to erupt icy blue light, sweeping at critical roots. On the other hand, his divine sense directly controlled the cold steel automatons, forming a large amount of ice energy for auxiliary attacks.

Finally, Xue-shu-yu Xie broke free, but her six-cornered profound ice armor was largely shattered, revealing the magic ice tendons condensed from spiritual energy threads within. Her appearance was quite disheveled and pitiful.

A cold gleam flashed in Zhu Gui-zhi’s eyes. “Indeed, that was when Ning Zhuo used his full power. The combat strength erupted by his automaton is clearly different from before.” Realizing this, Zhu Gui-zhi grew even more furious, urging Qing-ling-gong to intensify his fierce assault.

But now, with Ning Zhuo controlling it, the battle situation was different. Xue-shu-yu Xie fought with extraordinary agility while using Jindan-level spiritual energy to condense new spiritual ice tendons, making up for the missing parts. The Yuan-ying-level precious material, Yong-ji Xuan-bing, at its core, was also slowly consumed, regenerating the complete six-cornered profound ice armor.

Zhu Gui-zhi showed surprise. “When Ning Zhuo uses his full power, even with Qing-ling-gong casting divine abilities, he’s actually difficult to suppress!” “This child is arrogant, but he indeed has the capital.” “In the automaton’s materials, I sensed the aura of Yong-ji Xuan-bing. No wonder the frost energy contains the intent of eternal silence, constantly eroding the divine body.”

Zhu Gui-zhi understood Qing-ling-gong quite well and knew that the latter had no powerful trump cards left. According to the current trend, she would inevitably be gradually overturned by Ning Zhuo. Zhu Gui-zhi again formed a hand seal, spiritual power gushing out, transforming into arcs of electricity at her fingertips, constantly jumping and flickering.

“I summon—Jin-guang Sheng-lao, master of the Eye of Heavenly Punishment!”

A blinding lightning bolt struck without warning, almost instantly condensing into a new divine avatar.

Dian-mu Jin-guang Sheng-lao! She wore a golden, radiant robe, covered by a moon-white immortal sash, and her eyes were as sharp as lightning. The divine power in her hands transformed, forming a pair of lightning mirrors resembling divine artifacts. The left mirror was deep as night, the right mirror brilliant as day. The Dian-mu avatar floated in mid-air, bringing her two mirrors together.

Divine Art: Qian-tian Pi-li! A dazzling bolt of electricity, as thick as a bucket, erupted with a thunderous roar, directly striking Xue-shu-yu Xie. The Dian-mu avatar also possessed Jindan-level combat power. With two against one, the battlefield situation immediately underwent a drastic change. Xue-shu-yu Xie was completely at a disadvantage, as bolts of lightning rained down, causing her six-cornered profound ice armor to crack and shatter into pieces.

Ning Zhuo’s heart secretly rejoiced as he tried his best to control her, sensing his own limits. “One against two is indeed too strenuous.” He desperately tried to stabilize Xue-shu-yu Xie’s position, his divine sense depleting rapidly. On one hand, he used all his means to resist the onslaught of the powerful enemy. On the other hand, he had to repair himself, dodging and parrying, becoming increasingly frantic and unable to manage both internal and external affairs.

“Young Master Ning Zhuo, how do you feel now?” Zhu Gui-zhi asked with a faint smile. She guessed that Ning Zhuo likely had a second Jindan automaton. But it didn’t matter! Ning Zhuo was only one person. There was a difference between fully controlling one automaton and fully controlling two.

“This is the marvel of the Divine Summoning Art!” “The divine avatars fight on their own; I, the cultivator, don’t need to be distracted at all.” “Automatons are still inconvenient.”

Ning Zhuo chuckled. “Madam Zhu, my capabilities are not limited to this.” He patted his storage belt, releasing Xue-cai-nü Hui onto the battlefield. She stood six feet three inches tall, with a graceful figure, her body covered in a radiant three-color enamel armor. Most strikingly, beneath her main pair of arms, there were two additional pairs of auxiliary arms. All three pairs of six arms unfolded instantly.

Xue-cai-nü Hui floated in mid-air, her six mechanical palms simultaneously forming seals, her movements graceful and precise, like an ice dance, yet containing deadly killing intent. She joined the fray, directly engaging the Dian-mu avatar, who had just displayed great power!

“Oh? So there really is a second Jindan automaton.” Zhu Gui-zhi immediately cast a concerned gaze. Ning Zhuo seemed to be controlling her, but in reality, he allowed Xue-cai-nü Hui to fight on her own. Several ice and frost spells were cast to counter the lightning divine spells.

Zhu Gui-zhi watched for a moment and immediately noticed the difference between Xue-cai-nü Hui and Xue-shu-yu Xie. The former’s actions were more precise, limited to single targets, while the latter tended towards large-scale attacks. Xue-cai-nü Hui’s more agile performance led Zhu Gui-zhi to mistakenly believe that this was Ning Zhuo’s primary combat automaton.

“However, after deploying two, Ning Zhuo’s control has indeed dropped significantly.” Zhu Gui-zhi was misled by the surface appearance, unaware that Ning Zhuo was also gradually relaxing his control over Xue-shu-yu Xie. Training, you see, this was a good opportunity! Training against Jindan-level divine avatars was not easy. The cost of summoning the deities was paid by Zhu Gui-zhi, which made it even more cost-effective.

Xue-cai-nü Hui dealt with the Dian-mu avatar, using softness to overcome hardness, temporarily stabilizing the situation. Xue-shu-yu Xie fought against the She-shen avatar, slowly beginning to turn the tide. Zhu Gui-zhi once again saw an unfavorable trend and immediately used her divine sense to communicate with the Dian-mu avatar.

Divine Art: Flowing Light Instant Shadow! In an instant, the Dian-mu avatar transformed into a streak of lightning, its speed reaching its peak. Ning Zhuo’s heart trembled, and he immediately intervened in the battle. At the critical moment, he decisively manipulated Xue-cai-nü Hui to cast a defensive spell, thus avoiding a single-strike defeat. So fast! Too fast!! The Dian-mu avatar moved like a fleeting shadow, traversing the battlefield, single-handedly suppressing Xue-cai-nü Hui and Xue-shu-yu Xie without any doubt.

“Still lacking powerful ice and frost spells!” Ning Zhuo identified the weakness. The spells mastered by Xue-cai-nü Hui and Xue-shu-yu Xie were all runes and formations arranged within the automatons. Their number was limited and their content fixed. Facing the surging lightning at this moment, they were immediately stretched thin. The two automatons were gradually severely damaged, their bodies tattered.

“Young Master Ning Zhuo, perhaps you should release your third Jindan automaton,” Zhu Gui-zhi probed and challenged.

Ning Zhuo snorted, “There’s no need for that.” The next moment, Xue-cai-nü Hui activated her innate talent, first freezing Xue-shu-yu Xie in a block of ice, and then placing herself within a massive block of ice. This passive defense bought Ning Zhuo some time to repair their mechanical bodies. At the same time, infused with the power of the Ice Fat Jade Hand, the ice block inherently possessed healing power, effectively treating their sentience. Although their sentience had always been heavily protected, it was still damaged during the fierce battle. The power of the Ice Fat Jade Hand, though not specifically targeted, also had some healing effect. Yuan Da-sheng’s sentience had previously been maintained by such ice blocks.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Gui-zhi’s eyes gleamed, believing Ning Zhuo had run out of tricks and was forced to choose such a passive option. The Dian-mu avatar also thought so, taking the lead and fiercely striking the ice block where Xue-shu-yu Xie was hidden. Despite entering the battle later, Xue-cai-nü Hui sustained significantly more damage than Xue-shu-yu Xie during the fierce battle. The reason for this was her inferior materials.

Xue-shu-yu Xie was severely disrupted by the Dian-mu avatar, as lightning pierced through the ice block and directly struck Xue-shu-yu Xie’s mechanical body. Because of this, the Dian-mu avatar revealed her form.

“You fell for it.” At the critical moment, Ning Zhuo decisively activated Xue-shu-yu Xie’s self-destruction. In an instant, the accumulated offensive power was used by Ning Zhuo, transforming into a massive cold surge that, in just a few breaths, completely enveloped the vast training ground.

She-shen Qing-ling-gong was severely wounded, his aura faint. The closest Dian-mu avatar was directly blown apart! Meanwhile, Xue-shu-yu Xie, disfigured by the self-destruction, rapidly restored herself to her original appearance under Ning Zhuo’s manipulation. The cost was the rapid depletion of the Yong-ji Xuan-bing at her core.

Ning Zhuo smiled faintly, “Madam Zhu, you should summon a third deity.”

Zhu Gui-zhi: ————

After a moment of silence, she decisively conceded.