Chapter 4: Invention

Ning Zuo approached the dan furnace in the corner.

Fierce flames burned within the furnace, and a half-man-sized mechanical monkey stood tall amidst the inferno, enduring the fiery torment.

The mechanical monkey's frame was ramrod straight, its entire body covered in lifelike crimson fur. However, its muscles were slowly degrading in the flames, oozing from the gaps in its frame.

The Molten Lava Immortal Palace was concealed within volcanic magma. Ning Zuo needed to control this Fireblast Monkey, carrying a thousand jin of fire essence, to traverse the dense magma and detonate itself against the palace's surface.

But now, its muscles were failing to hold.

"If Cloudweave Silver doesn't work, then we'll switch to the next option."

Ning Zuo sat down at the table. According to his plan, he would attempt to use Soot Mud tonight.

The reddish-brown Soot Mud emanated a pungent odor.

Ning Zuo retrieved a small wooden hammer and began to pound the mud.

Each strike of the wooden hammer against the mud produced a dull thud, shattering the clumps within. Whenever sparks flew from the reddish-brown mud, the hammer would emit a chilling aura, extinguishing the sparks in time.

Ning Zuo had specially designed and developed this small wooden hammer specifically to handle the Soot Mud.

If the examiners of the Grand Examination were to witness this, they would immediately mark Ning Zuo's talisman coursework as Superior.

Inferior, Average, and Superior were the most commonly used evaluations.

Superior was exceptionally rare; there might not be a single one in an entire cohort. This signified that the normal evaluation standards were simply insufficient to describe the young cultivator's excellence!

Once all the clumps within the Soot Mud were completely dissolved, a layer of fire oil had accumulated on the surface of the reddish-brown mud.

Ning Zuo then took a square kerchief made of cotton and placed it over the Soot Mud.

As he infused it with spiritual power, the array on the kerchief activated, rapidly absorbing the fire oil.

This kerchief was also designed by Ning Zuo, but this time, he didn't use talismans. Instead, he had constructed a miniature array.

The array crafting skill displayed on this kerchief was also worthy of a Superior rating.

Ning Zuo carefully inspected the mud, confirming it was properly treated, and then began to knead it.

The treated Fire Oil Mud had excellent viscosity and was kneaded by Ning Zuo until it was supple and delicate. Other impurities within the mud were completely washed away by Ning Zuo's infusion of spiritual power.

Ning Zuo detached one of the mechanical monkey's arms, taking the treated Soot Mud and adhering it to the arm's skeletal frame.

Ning Zuo's fingers were pale and slender, and under the light of the spirit lamp, his movements were nimble and clean. He was utterly focused and forgot the passage of time. At this moment, the young man radiated an aura of earnest charm.

The Soot Mud was quickly shaped by him, and the bare arm skeleton now had a full, blood-red muscle.

Ning Zuo was not simply molding the exterior with his hands; during the process, he constantly circulated his spiritual power, infusing it into the mud to organize its internal structure.

If one were to lightly slice the muscle, the muscle's form could be seen inside the red mud as well.

This astonishing skill in material shaping would make the school elders exclaim in wonder.

If Ning Zuo were to reveal this skill, he would definitely be regarded by the school elders as the key promotional figure of this year's cohort. The emergence of such an outstanding artifact forging seedling was sufficient to demonstrate the elders' competence and dedication.

After the shaping was complete, Ning Zuo began to perform various tests on the arm.

It didn't work.

The Fire Oil Mud's fire resistance was excellent, but its spiritual power compatibility was rather poor.

"It needs to be improved."

Ning Zuo began to recall.

"Soot Mud mixed with Thundersand can be used to create explosives. It's commonly used to blast mountains or fight against demonic beasts."

"Soot Mud combined with venomous substances can be refined into poison pills. When the poison pills disintegrate, they can release a poisonous fire smoke, used to deter enemies and defend."

"Soot Mud can also be combined with coal and placed in the forges of refining rooms, burning for a long time to maintain a high temperature."

...

Over the years, Ning Zuo had exhausted his efforts to remember all the knowledge he could access.

He frequently spent his weekends in the family's library, staying for an entire day. From morning till night, he was oblivious to food and sleep.

No one knew that the outwardly unremarkable Ning Zuo was actually a walking, talking library!

Ning Zuo recalled everything he knew about Soot Mud but found no way to improve it.

"It doesn't matter; I'll design my own formula!"

The young man possessed his own ambition, and his eyes gleamed with confident light.

"Soot Mud has warm properties and affects the heart and liver meridians. Its fire oil essence can dispel dampness and cold evils from the bones. Small quantities can treat abdominal pain caused by cold."

"If it were mixed with Moonlight Water from the well, the fire and water properties would harmonize, perhaps reducing its weight."

"If feathers from the tail end of the First Flight Bird were used as a guiding ingredient... perhaps the lightness of the wind and the freedom of movement could be harnessed to bring the main ingredient, Soot Mud, to its best state."

"The catkins of the Spirit Hidden Willow might also work. Taking the catkins and refining them with Soot Mud, with ratios perhaps referring to formulas like the Lightness Pill and the Clarity Dispersion Pill, the combined product should be greatly reduced in weight."

...

Ning Zuo was quick-witted and logical in his reasoning, soon devising multiple formulas based on medicinal principles.

Based solely on this performance, not only would his grades in the pill concocting subjects be Superior, but the Ning Family would surely take action to firmly lock Ning Zuo within the family.

Ning Zuo began to attempt to synthesize new materials.

He checked his materials store and found that he could try at least seven options.

Moonlight Water from the well?

Failure.

The finished mud had slightly reduced viscosity and weight, but its fire resistance was greatly weakened.

Feathers of the First Flight Bird?

A complete failure.

What he obtained was no longer mud, but a pile of dust.

However, Ning Zuo was delighted: "The wind property of the bird feathers is too strong. My understanding of this material has deepened another layer."

The third attempt was Spirit Hidden Willow catkins.

The resulting clay displayed willow catkin patterns, with unchanged viscosity, slightly reduced fire resistance, and a sharp reduction in weight. The other tests all passed.

"I'm in luck; I didn't expect to get an ideal result on the third try... uh."

Before Ning Zuo could rejoice for long, he saw the willow catkin patterns on the clay rise of their own accord. The separation of pure and impure caused the clay to degrade and deteriorate.

This new clay was not stable!

Ning Zuo attempted a fourth time, a complete failure.

He pondered for a moment, but instead of rushing to the next option, he delved into the Spirit Hidden Willow solution.

"This solution is close to success and has compatibility with various types of spiritual power. All I need to do is stabilize its form."

"What should I do?"

The old problem was solved, and a new problem arose.

Ning Zuo was not discouraged in the slightest but was instead eager to try and thought even more intently. He immersed himself in this design process, and the thinking did not make him feel tedious or dull. Instead, it gave him a joy from the bottom of his heart.

In this state of thinking, he felt his existence and his value.

He knew he was creating something that did not originally exist in the natural world!

This anticipation and sense of accomplishment were things that nothing else could bring him.

What was torment for others was a delightful enjoyment for him, a mentally pleasant experience.

Time passed silently, and Ning Zuo, immersed in thought, felt nothing.

He didn't know how long it had been, but his eyes suddenly lit up.

"To solve this technical difficulty, I have to use a dynamic formation."

However, this level of knowledge was far beyond the scope of the curriculum, and the Ning Family School had not taught it.

Ning Zuo stood up and paced back and forth in the underground workshop a few times.

After a moment of thought, he stopped, looked up slightly, and had already made a decision: "Chen Cha... known as the Living Formation, is most skilled in dynamic formations. The key is that he is also an Artificer."

"It's time to make contact with him."