This method of cultivation held considerable significance.
Take Hua Guzi, for instance—if she intended to establish a family in the future and continue her lineage, then these cultivation methods would be a vital part of her family heritage.
"The Old Ancestor should be arriving in the coming days."
"At that time, I’ll extract the relevant information on the Toxic Flame Chrysanthemum and have him take it back for the family’s use."
Ning Zhuo had already made his arrangements in his mind.
While waiting for the Old Ancestor, Ning Jiufan, he continued his cultivation.
Up until now, after successive experiences with Han Zhou, Chang Yan, and Hua Guzi—those crucial battles—he had finally secured his footing atop Lesser Strife Peak and gained widespread recognition among fellow cultivators.
Furthermore, with Senior Brother Lin Shanshan’s group no longer scheming in secret, Ning Zhuo’s days had become peaceful.
Each day, he visited the Martial Arena to spar with Han Zhou.
Oh—and Hua Guzi, too.This half-demon, half-human female cultivator had, on the second day after presenting her gift, once again blocked Ning Zhuo’s path and publicly offered him another gift.
Ning Zhuo found it difficult to refuse. Moreover, he felt that his improvement from sparring with Han Zhou had stagnated, so he allowed Hua Guzi to join in the daily sparring sessions.
Hua Guzi was overjoyed!
That very night, she could not fall asleep. Her legs clutched the bedding, her face filled with foolish grins and wild fantasies. She tossed and turned the entire night, intoxicated by joy.
Though she was weaker in close combat, she excelled in magical duels.
Thus, during sparring, Ning Zhuo focused on magical duels with her.
In Wood-element techniques, Ning Zhuo was still thoroughly suppressed by Hua Guzi. But unlike others his age, he was not impulsive—his harsh experiences in Huoshi Immortal City had long taught him what truly mattered.
Immersed in these daily matches, new insights came to Ning Zhuo in endless waves.
After each session, he would take time to rest, reflect, and review gains and losses. Once back in his Cave Residence, he would replay the magical duels of the day, summing up experiences and continually refining himself.
His improvement was once again visible to the naked eye, with noticeable changes each day.
"As expected of you, Young Master Ning Zhuo!" Hua Guzi personally witnessed his rapid progress, offering ceaseless praise in a passionate, almost flattering tone.
As she spoke, she took a few steps forward, trying to get closer to Ning Zhuo.
"Not at all, not at all, I still have a long way to go," Ning Zhuo took a few subtle steps back, always mindful of keeping a distance from Hua Guzi, while humbly asking for guidance, "I noticed that when you cast certain Wood-element spells, they are incredibly swift, with barely any sign of preparation. Why is that?"
"Ah, that’s Heart Imprint," Hua Guzi replied casually, eyes burning as she stared at Ning Zhuo.
"Heart Imprint!" A flash of brilliance shot through Ning Zhuo’s eyes.
While he was pondering this, Hua Guzi took a few more steps forward.
Ning Zhuo’s expression turned cold: "Stop right there. Explain it to me here."
Hua Guzi jolted in place, her heart screaming: "I’ve been scolded! Young Master Ning Zhuo scolded me!!"
Joy bloomed in her chest.
However, through Life Hanging by a Thread and the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, Ning Zhuo perceived the truth behind her emotions, and his face darkened slightly.
Thankfully, Hua Guzi was at least somewhat obedient and began her explanation earnestly: "Young Master Ning Zhuo must already be familiar with Mouth Imprint, Body Imprint, and Heart Imprint."
Ning Zhuo nodded.
Hua Guzi continued loftily, "These three are all techniques for a cultivator to control spellcasting. In essence, they are the same—just different methods of guiding and using mana."
"Mouth Imprint uses specific incantations and syllables to control, such as the ‘zha’ syllable or the sounds ‘hum’ and ‘ha’."
"Body Imprint usually involves hand seals or gestures, though sometimes moving one’s body can achieve the same effect. For example, the famous Heavenly Demon Dance."
"Heart Imprint, on the other hand, uses one’s mind and will to guide mana, allowing instantaneous spellcasting."
"The reason my spells seem incredibly fast is precisely because I use Heart Imprint!"
Ning Zhuo was highly intrigued, for his own Buddha Heart Demon Seal could release Heart Imprint.
Hua Guzi explained further, "To use Heart Imprint, the first requirement is extreme mental focus—this needs to be trained. Second, your Foundation Establishment dantian must contain the spell talisman seed."
Ning Zhuo nodded: "That part I understand. Cultivators during the Foundation Establishment stage select certain spells to become their life-bound techniques."
"If one refines the spell deeply enough, grasping not just the surface but its inner principles, it is possible to form a spell talisman seed."
"In the future, when one forges a Golden Core, these spell talismans will be engraved on the surface of the core and become fully elevated into life-bound techniques."
"Such life-bound techniques not only become more powerful and faster to cast but can also be combined with others to create even more complex and variable effects."
"But then—how do I comprehend these spells enough to form a spell talisman seed? And how do I choose?"
Hua Guzi replied, "First of all, the spells we choose are actually limited. Depending on our cultivation techniques, many will naturally give rise to spell talisman seeds once cultivated to a certain level. These spells are often closely tied to the technique—they are a part of it."
"As for how I formed a talisman seed—it came after many, many uses followed by deep comprehension."
Ning Zhuo pressed further—exactly how many times had she used them?
The answer was: she couldn’t remember. She had formed the talisman seed during her mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
For Ning Zhuo to hope for a talisman seed in early Foundation Establishment was extremely difficult.
"One problem lies in comprehending the spell’s internal principle. Another lies in constructing the seed—this requires your dantian to shine. Only with radiance can the brilliance be used to construct a spell talisman seed."
This left Ning Zhuo deeply disappointed.
After all, dantian radiance was not something achievable in early Foundation Establishment.
Only when one’s dantian had accumulated enough foundation to overflow like a brimming cup would such resplendence emerge.
If Heart Imprint was unachievable, Body Imprint and Mouth Imprint were still viable options.
Thus, Ning Zhuo discussed this with Hua Guzi.
Although Hua Guzi was a rogue cultivator, she had a solid inheritance and a thorough understanding of these topics—and she held nothing back when explaining them to Ning Zhuo.
Setting aside her burning gaze, the countless little gestures trying to edge closer to him, the occasional foolish giggles and drooling—she was, in fact, a good teacher.
Ning Zhuo chose to cultivate Mouth Imprint.
Under Hua Guzi’s tutelage, Ning Zhuo progressed rapidly and soon compressed the casting of Mouth Imprint to the limits of his current ability.
"Earth veins sink deep, profound roots hidden, vines entangle, all things are bound. Rise!"
Wood-element—Root Vines Entwine.
"Pine winds whistle, verdant waves surge, forest seas roll, overturning the land. Sweep!"
Wood-element—Pine Waves and Verdant Tide.
“Ancient trees stand solemn, the tree realm vast and boundless. Heaven and earth change color, spiritual roots descend. Appear!”
Wood-element—Tree Realm Descent.
Considering that both hands required Puppet Strings, forming hand seals was not feasible.
Heart Imprint was still out of reach, so Mouth Imprint was the only viable choice.
Currently, his incantations for Mouth Imprint were still slightly long. In fact, the casting time for the spell was roughly the same as before, even a bit slower.
However, in actual combat, Ning Zhuo’s combat strength showed a clear improvement.
This was because Ning Zhuo used to require full concentration to manipulate his spiritual sense and control mana without error.
Now, he only needed to utter the Mouth Imprint to cast the spell, allowing him to focus entirely on controlling his mechanisms—achieving dual-tasking.
“Even after just a day apart, Daoist Friend Ning Zhuo has made such progress—truly admirable,” said Han Zhou sincerely as he entered the Martial Arena and witnessed Ning Zhuo’s demonstration.
Sun Lingtong agreed heartily, nodding repeatedly inside the Puppet Dragon.
He knew the underlying reasons—this was truly a case of long accumulation erupting in a single moment.
“Little Zhuo’s foundational skills are extremely solid. It’s just that for the past fourteen years in Huoshi Immortal City, he has been lacking in direct combat and sparring.”
“This was mainly to hide his strength, to suppress his brilliance. That’s why, even when there were sparring opportunities in the academy, Little Zhuo only used ten to twenty percent of his power. Naturally, this had no real training benefit.”
“Although he had plenty of real combat experience during the phase he operated the Black Market, battles involving life and death are too dangerous and require all-out effort. This, again, lacked the advantages of sparring—where one can identify flaws through direct confrontation and elevate one’s skills.”
“Brother Han Zhou,” Ning Zhuo called out with a voice transmission while sparring.
Han Zhou was about to respond when, without warning, Hua Guzi’s voice transmission followed closely: “You beggar—how did you get in here?”
“This space belongs to me and Young Master Ning Zhuo!”
“Leave!!”
Han Zhou: “?!”
He let out a cold laugh and replied via transmission: “Daoist Friend Hua, you seem unaware. This Martial Arena has always been a place where I and Daoist Friend Ning Zhuo spar regularly. Compared to us, you were the last to join.”
However, Hua Guzi was entirely unreasonable and kept insisting Han Zhou leave, wanting to be alone with Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo, through Life Hanging by a Thread, immediately sensed the situation.
At once, he said coldly to Hua Guzi, “Daoist Friend Hua, Brother Han Zhou was personally invited by me. As the saying goes, among three people walking, one must be my teacher. Having more people to spar with brings benefits to all of us.”
These words were not transmitted—they were spoken aloud, which secretly moved Han Zhou.
Hua Guzi’s expression changed as she put on a flattering smile. “Young Master Ning Zhuo is absolutely right.”
As she spoke, she got distracted and was struck in the abdomen by a mechanical fist controlled by Ning Zhuo.
Hua Guzi flew back like a lobster, crashing to the ground.
Han Zhou was startled.
Ning Zhuo said coldly, “Daoist Friend Hua, if we are to spar, I ask that you focus completely.”
In her heart, Hua Guzi screamed, “He hit me! He hit me again! He hit me in the stomach—it hurts... hurts so good!”
Hua Guzi bared her teeth, her expression twisted as she tried to suppress her joy, unaware that Ning Zhuo perceived everything clearly.
“This female cultivator…” Ning Zhuo’s expression grew even colder.
Han Zhou was anxious for Ning Zhuo’s sake.
Then, in the next moment, Hua Guzi floated up again and said with lowered eyes and a submissive tone, “Young Master Ning Zhuo, your reprimand is deserved!”
After saying that, she shot a fierce glare at Han Zhou.
Han Zhou: …
In the interactions that followed, Han Zhou was repeatedly subjected to Hua Guzi’s sharp glares.
“I’m probably just the unnecessary third wheel here,” Han Zhou thought bitterly, feeling deeply excluded.
But Ning Zhuo showed him even more concern and did not cast him aside.
Ning Zhuo needed Han Zhou to act as a third party to suppress Hua Guzi’s madness. After all, when others were present, Hua Guzi was much more restrained.
At the end of the day’s sparring, the three left the Martial Arena together and walked a short distance side by side.
Ning Zhuo walked in the center, Han Zhou on his left, Guzi on his right—a small sign of influence already emerging.
Hidden among the crowd, Ning Jiufan observed Ning Zhuo and nodded secretly: “This brat hasn’t been here long and already has two Foundation Establishment cultivators following him. And both have stronger cultivation than Ning Zhuo.”
“As expected of a descendant of the Ning Family.”
After parting ways with Han Zhou, Ning Zhuo coldly rejected Hua Guzi and foiled her plan to return to the Cave Residence with him, entering alone.
Soon, Ning Jiufan came knocking.
Ning Zhuo welcomed him into the Cave Residence and bowed deeply. “Old Ancestor, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting eagerly for many days!”
Ning Jiufan immediately felt a surge of vigilance—this wasn’t the first time Ning Zhuo had set him up.
“What scheme are you plotting now, you little brat? Wait... don’t tell me you’ve caused some trouble again?”