Chapter 524: Forcing Ning Zhuo to Hand it Over

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Swordplay: Radiant Lotus!

Shuang Jing hovered mid-air, wielding his precious sword.In mere moments, he unleashed a torrent of sword light.

The sword light briefly coalesced in the air, forming the shape of a lotus.The lotus of sword light enveloped a蔘 Dragon Whisker.The next instant, it abruptly exploded, sword light scattering in all directions.

The蔘 Dragon Whisker was struck by dozens of consecutive sword lights.Covered in wounds, it could no longer endure, and snapped in half mid-section.

Shuang Jing landed on the ground, his knees giving way.He directly half-knelt.

The Core Formation Deputy General beside him immediately took over.He unleashed a large number of sealing talismans, swiftly sealing the two sections of the蔘 Dragon Whisker.

Another aide cleared a small platform on the pile of rubble.He quickly prepared tea and pastries.Then, he helped Shuang Jing up: "General, it is time to rest."

"Mm." Shuang Jing stood up, walked to the small platform, and sat down.He drank tea and consumed spirit food to recuperate.Even on the battlefield, he maintained the demeanor of a son from a noble family.

"General, this is the latest intelligence." A subordinate presented a jade slip.Shuang Jing projected his spiritual sense into it, his brow furrowing slightly:"Why is this top spot still held by Liu Er?Ever since he took first place yesterday, he hasn't dropped down."

"To squeeze him out, I have gone all out.I mobilized almost all the deputy generals to harvest 蔘 Dragon Whiskers together.""But it still seems insufficient?""There must be something fishy about this!"

Shuang Jing needed the top spot.Not just him, but many generals in the army yearned for a higher ranking.The Battle Merit Ranking was updated every half-day and could be viewed by everyone in the army.Thus, it became a key point of competition and rivalry among the various generals and soldiers.

The higher the ranking of a general in an army, the more recognition they naturally received.The morale of that army would also be higher."The soldiers have removed the iron skin and muscle armor from their bodies.After these days of rest, their combat strength is almost fully recovered."

"Gathering spoils of war is just the prelude.The main event that follows is the various armies taking turns to attack,sweeping through strongholds and forces around the front-line great camp!""Morale is extremely important. The higher the morale, the greater the combat power of our army."

Shuang Jing had led troops for many days.He had experienced ambushes, iron torrent plain charges, and more.He had gained much experience in command and deeply felt the importance of morale.

"Most crucially, I need to showcase my value through the Battle Merit Ranking.""Only with a higher ranking can I gain the backing of the various noble families in the royal capital."

Compared to his military talent, Shuang Jing was more astute and seasoned in politics.He was very clear that if he could maintain the top position on the Battle Merit Ranking for a long time,he would undoubtedly receive more aid.This aid included not only spirit stones and magical treasures but also soldiers and helpers.

Therefore, Shuang Jing personally entered the fray, continuously harvesting 蔘 Dragon Whiskers.He repeatedly launched assaults on the top spot.

But as it stood, all his efforts only kept him in second place.The first position consistently belonged to Liu Er.

"Come, investigate properly for me. What is going on with this Liu Er of the Third General's Camp?"

No sooner had Shuang Jing issued the command, than an order was transmitted to him via a flying message.It was from Princess Jiqiao, Shuang Ling.

It turned out that Shuang Ling had also noticed the situation on the Battle Merit Ranking.She directly ordered Shuang Jing to personally investigate.

"If I go to investigate, who will harvest the 蔘 Dragon Whiskers?My second place position is likely to be lost."

Shuang Jing was reluctant, but there was nothing he could do. Shuang Ling was his aunt.Although both were Nascent Soul stage cultivators, Shuang Ling was known as Princess Jiqiao.Her status was far higher than his.

Shuang Jing could only hold his nose.Taking two or three people, he concealed his presence and secretly approached Liu Er and Zhang Hei.

"Where is Ning Zhuo?" Shuang Jing was somewhat puzzled, only finding the two Core Formation cultivators, Liu and Zhang.Guan Hong's absence was something Shuang Jing could guess the reason for.The Third General's Camp could not be left unattended.Furthermore, the soldiers were already able to move about.Therefore, to ensure combat strength, low-intensity training had to be conducted.

Shuang Jing's doubts were not resolved.The next moment, his attention was drawn by the battle.Liu Er and Zhang Hei launched an attack on a single 蔘 Dragon Whisker.

Liu Er, holding the Profound Yellow Sword and fortified by various defensive spells, charged forward – taking hits.The 蔘 Dragon Whisker lacked much intelligence.Driven by instinct, it treated the closest and strongest presence as its opponent.

*Bang bang bang.*Each whip and pound struck with a muffled thunderous sound,kicking up smoke and dust, and sending rocks and earth flying.

Liu Er occasionally dodged, often taking the hits head-on.At this moment, he had completely drawn the attention of the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.

Taking advantage of this time, Zhang Hei from his storage belt, took out a set of Rolling Electric Ball Cages.The ball cages nested within each other, varying in size.When they flew into the air, they dispersed into seven, rolling onto the ground.

The ball cages flickered with electric light, their speed increasing rapidly.They moved around the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.

A glint of light flashed in Shuang Jing's eyes. He recognized it:"This spherical mechanism is drawing a formation."

Where the ball cages rolled, they often left behind trails of electric marks.These electric marks combined with each other.In a short while, they formed a formation.

The ball cages began to erupt with strong electric light.The smallest and most agile ball cage served as the core of the formation.The other three smaller ones were the formation eyes.The final three larger ones were the formation legs.Combined with the carved formation patterns, they formed a Static Bristle Formation.

Innumerable electric lights condensed into fine needle shapes, piercing the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.The killing power of these electric lights was very weak.The 蔘 Dragon Whisker ignored them, still pounding Liu Er.

However, the electric light continuously accumulated within the 蔘 Dragon Whisker's body.It interfered with its every movement, causing paralysis, distorted movements, and other effects that became increasingly obvious.

Liu Er's pressure plummeted.

Zhang Hei then took out the Root-Drilling Hammer and placed it on the ground.This hammerhead-shaped mechanism immediately drilled into the ground, quickly approaching the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.

Zhang Hei also released the Golden Scaled Grinding Serpent.The latter was extremely fast, like a dazzling golden thread.In a flash, it also drilled into the ground.

The Golden Scaled Grinding Serpent was extremely agile, completely lacking the clumsiness of the Root-Drilling Hammer.It quickly approached the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.

The Root-Drilling Hammer stopped halfway, an丈 away from the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.Multiple wooden rods emerged from the hammer body, extending a long distance.They were inserted into the surrounding rubble for fixation.

A small hole was exposed on the hammerhead.*Swish swish swish!*The next moment, iron nails were shot out from the small hole.

Each iron nail was the length and thickness of an adult's finger.Their shooting speed was extremely fast.Three types of talismans were inscribed on the nails, making them very sharp.

The iron nails were successively embedded in the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.Then, they drilled into its body and traveled to a fixed position.

When the number of iron nails reached over fifty, the interference caused to the 蔘 Dragon Whisker was visible to the naked eye.Originally, every strike of the 蔘 Dragon Whisker was natural and flexible, its overall form like a snake or willow.But now, it seemed to be stuck, as if every joint was frozen.Its movements were jerky and hesitant.

The Golden Scaled Grinding Serpent seized the opportunity to coil around the root.Its scales stood up, continuously cutting, swiftly delving deeper.

Shuang Jing used his spiritual sense and observed with astonishment:The Golden Scaled Grinding Serpent was as fast as a golden thread.Coiling around the root of the 蔘 Dragon Whisker, in a very short time,it rotated over a dozen times, effortlessly sawing through a thick 蔘 Dragon Whisker!

The 蔘 Dragon Whisker lost its support.Accompanied by its violent movements, it immediately toppled into the rocky ground.

At this moment, it was in a state of madness.It no longer focused its attacks on Liu Er, but attacked every entity that posed a threat to it.

The Root-Drilling Hammer was quickly destroyed.Five of the Rolling Electric Ball Cages were also shattered, leaving only the two smallest ones,which managed to escape.

As for the Golden Scaled Grinding Serpent, it had drilled deeper underground earlier, escaping this calamity.

The madness of the 蔘 Dragon Whisker did not last long.The iron nails and electric needles within its body continued to exert their power.Soon, the 蔘 Dragon Whisker twitched all over, lying in the pile of rubble, continuously spasming.

Liu Er let out a turbid breath.He walked forward, affixed a sealing talisman, and collected it.

"Just like that?" Shuang Jing widened his eyes.He recalled his own battle with the 蔘 Dragon Whisker, which was at least ten times more difficult.

This wasn't because Shuang Jing's strength was inferior to Liu Er and Zhang Hei.On the contrary, he was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.His cultivation and combat power were far superior to Liu, Guan, and Zhang.Unless the three borrowed the strength of the army to mobilize more combat power, they could fight.

The difficulty lay in the fact that Shuang Jing had to preserve the quality of the 蔘 Dragon Whisker as much as possible,rather than solely focusing on attacking.The better the quality of the 蔘 Dragon Whisker, the more battle merits he would obtain.

But Shuang Jing was at the Nascent Soul stage.Many of his techniques, though powerful, were not precise.As a result, he could only use swordsmanship to achieve this.

Collecting spoils on the battlefield these past day or two had indeed provided much training for his swordsmanship.Shuang Jing was a son from a noble family.Cleaning up the battlefield was essentially a task of collecting.This was indeed difficult for him; he usually didn't do such things.

"Liu Er is only responsible for attracting firepower.Although his cultivation is the strongest, he is not important.""The key role is played by those three mechanical creations.""They cooperate with each other, and the power of each is very specifically targeted at the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.In actual combat, they showed a strong restraining effect.""Among the three mechanical creations, the best quality is that golden snake.Even that is only at the Core Formation level.""As for the ball cage and the hammer, they are merely at the Foundation Establishment level."

Shuang Jing calculated this way and immediately figured out the cost of Liu Er and Zhang Hei's consumption, which was pitifully small.After this battle, they only lost six or seven Foundation Establishment level mechanisms."Oh, the scales on the golden snake need to be replaced; they are severely worn.""Liu Er also consumed a lot of magic power.The precious sword he held in his hand also has wear and tear."

"This is too little!""Zhang Hei didn't even attack, just released mechanisms."

Shuang Jing was a little envious.He compared the current battle to his own.

He had to constantly stay focused, controlling the sword light to a precise degree,in order not to excessively damage the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.After several battles, he didn't consume much magic power, but his spirit couldn't endure.He could only drink tea and eat pastries to replenish his spiritual sense and invigorate his spirit.

These spirit foods were all money.

Crucially, the 蔘 Dragon Whisker cut by his sword energy was not as excellent in appearance as the one harvested by Liu Er.In this kind of matter, the weaker the attack used to take down the 蔘 Dragon Whisker, the better.The attacks of Liu Er and Zhang Hei were exactly like this, weak but perfectly executed, simply just right!Even Liu Er didn't attack; he just took hits.

"Third Brother, it's your turn for the next one." Liu Er was grimacing in pain, covered in bruises.While saying this, he cast a healing spell on himself.

Zhang Hei acknowledged, his mood low.Compared to staying in the military camp to train soldiers, he originally preferred to go out and battle.But this method of fighting made him completely lose interest – just taking hits.

However, following the battle process designed by Ning Zhuo, their gains were maximized!The top position on the Battle Merit Ranking was the best response.

Shuang Jing overheard the conversation between Liu and Zhang, and ripples formed in his heart again:"So, the collaboration between Liu and Zhang is merely taking turns acting as living targets.""Liu, Guan, and Zhang are three rough men. How would they understand mechanisms?""It must be that Ning Zhuo who devised this!""Goodness, I underestimated you.Although I knew before that you were good at using mechanical puppets,I truly didn't expect you to have such ingenuity with mechanisms.""Could it be that your main cultivation is the art of mechanisms?"

It was strange that Ning Zhuo's performance in Five Elements magic was truly too dazzling.Even now, Shuang Jing guessed the truth, and immediately fell into self-doubt:"Impossible – if Ning Zhuo's main cultivation is the art of mechanisms, then how can his Five Elements magic be explained?""With such attainments in the Five Elements, why would he still cultivate the art of mechanisms?"

Shuang Jing shook his head and quietly left.He quickly returned to the front-line great camp and personally reported to Shuang Ling.

Shuang Ling held the jade slip. After reading the images within, she slowly opened her eyes.Shuang Jing observed her expression and noticed his aunt rarely showed a hint of surprise.He couldn't help but say respectfully:"Aunt, now, the secret behind Liu Er's dominance of the top spot has been investigated by me.Then it will be easier.""According to Aunt's attainments in mechanisms, you can completely improve upon Ning Zhuo's foundation by a large margin,to help me reach the top position."

Unexpectedly, Shuang Ling shook her head, her expression calm: "I cannot do it."

Shuang Jing was stunned, looking at his aunt in disbelief.He knew very well that his aunt was one of the prominent figures of the Liang Zhuo Kingdom at the Nascent Soul level,proficient in the art of mechanisms. She herself was arrogant and rarely admitted inadequacy.

Shuang Jing reacted, taking a deep breath:"Could it be that Ning Zhuo is an unparalleled genius?At such a young age, his attainment in mechanisms is far beyond yours, Aunt?"

"How is that possible?" Shuang Ling snorted coldly."The structure of these three mechanical creations is simple; I can tell with a glance.""The real difficulty lies not in the mechanisms themselves, but in the formations and talismans on them.""These formations and talismans work in synergy, creating three types of magic: metal, fire, and earth.""The reason these three mechanisms can target the 蔘 Dragon Whisker is essentially because these three types of magic are outstanding and specifically target the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.""You didn't see the key because Ning Zhuo integrated these three types of magic into mechanical creations, forming the art of mechanisms."

Shuang Ling was Princess Jiqiao, many years older than Ning Zhuo.The accumulation of her attainment in mechanisms over such a long period of cultivation was something Ning Zhuo at this moment could absolutely not compare with.She saw through the essence at a glance.

Ning Zhuo's attainment in mechanisms, at most, made Shuang Ling feel that for a cultivator of this age to have reached this level was quite good.But compared to the excellent disciples of those mechanism sects, there was still a considerable gap.However, the formations and talismans arranged by Ning Zhuo within the mechanisms made Shuang Ling secretly astonished.

"It seems this child is extremely proficient in Five Elements magic and has learned a wide variety of Five Elements magic techniques.Therefore, at this moment, he precisely selected the magic techniques that could target the 蔘 Dragon Whisker.""He also has some ingenuity, able to use the art of mechanisms to cleverly combine the selected magic techniques.""For someone his age to have such attainment in Five Elements magic is very unusual.I suspect he likely possesses some excellent innate talent that helps him rapidly master Five Elements magic."

Shuang Jing frowned: "But the Ning family is skilled in Frost Talismans."By this time, the scouts sent out by Shuang Jing had also gathered much intelligence about Ning Zhuo and the Ning family.

Shuang Ling shook her head: "That is not the重點.""I cannot replicate these three types of mechanisms, nor do I have the mind to replicate them.""I have more important military tasks to complete.""So, do you know what to do now?"

Shuang Jing was stunned, then said:"I will go find Ning Zhuo and request to purchase his mechanical creations."

"Difficult." Shuang Ling shook her head."Ning Zhuo is quite spirited for his age.You also said that before, when designing the trap for Mu Lan, he publicly refuted you in the restaurant.I also made things difficult for him at the auction.""The possibility of him agreeing is very small."

A glint of light flashed in Shuang Jing's eyes: "Heh heh, Aunt, I understand.""Ning Zhuo and the three generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang are outsiders.""Whereas we have the Shuang surname.""I will go to the quartermaster immediately and tell him that someone has created these three types of mechanisms.If popularized, they can help our army clear the battlefield faster, which is more beneficial to the overall situation.Let the quartermaster apply pressure. Ning Zhuo will inevitably have to hand them over."

Only then did Shuang Ling nod in satisfaction and waved her hand: "Go do as you please."