Chapter 6: I Prefer Mediocrity

Having harbored doubts, Chen Cha subtly probed Ning Zhuo with a series of questions.

These questions touched upon various aspects, impossible to answer unless one were the true creator.

Of course, this posed no difficulty for Ning Zhuo.

After a round of exchanges, Chen Cha dispelled his suspicions, a tremor passing through his heart: "He truly designed and crafted this himself?"

"Isn't he a scion of the Ning Clan? The Ning Clan excels in talismanry, but when did they become so adept at automatons, to nurture such an outstanding young cultivator?"

"If he continues to develop in this manner, this child is destined for greatness!"

Chen Cha regarded Ning Zhuo in a completely new light, his interest piqued, and he couldn't help but ask a few more questions.

Ning Zhuo then replied: "This year's Grand Examination marked the end of my academy life. Senior possesses discerning eyes; this junior indeed has a deep fondness for automatons and has always been interested in them. On ordinary days, I try my best to collect books and study privately. This has nothing to do with the Ning Clan Academy."

Chen Cha stroked his beard and deliberately asked: "Among the hundred arts of cultivation, the four supreme arts are alchemy, artifact forging, talisman creation, and formations. Automaton arts are relegated to the bottom of the hundred arts, a niche within a niche. Why are you so fond of this path?"

Ning Zhuo's heart stirred instantly; he realized that this exchange had reached its most crucial moment!

He had premeditated this encounter with Chen Cha long ago. Bringing out the automaton monkey was part of his plan.

The youth pondered for a moment, his expression turning solemn, and said earnestly: "This junior believes that cultivation, in essence, is the practice of the universe's truths. The hundred arts of cultivation are merely applications of these truths, tools in their essence."

"Elixirs are tools, magical artifacts and flying swords are tools, talismans and formations are tools as well."

"Employing these tools makes our cultivation more convenient and increases the success rate of various actions."

"And the ultimate of tools is none other than the automaton art!"

"A new material on an automaton is refined using alchemic methods. The structure of an automaton is shaped with artifact forging techniques. The magical arrays and talismans on an automaton involve the skills of formation deployment and talisman creation."

"An excellent automaton creation is a clever combination of cultivation arts."

At this point, Ning Zhuo paused: "As for why automaton arts are relegated to the bottom of the hundred arts, belonging to a niche, it is because they are difficult to learn and even more difficult to master, with the highest threshold!"

"On one hand, constructing automatons requires cultivators to master a variety of cultivation arts. Alchemy, artifact forging, talisman creation, and formation setting are all fundamental. After mastering them, one must select and combine from countless materials and techniques."

"On the other hand, designing automatons is even more difficult. It tests the cultivator's thinking, talent, inspiration, and imagination. A good design scheme may take a cultivator more than a decade to complete. In this process, one often gets stuck at a certain point, unable to make any progress for many years."

"Only with excellent designs can there be excellent automaton creations."

Hearing Ning Zhuo's argument, Chen Cha leaned back slightly, his eyes shining, and clapped his hands involuntarily: "Well said, well said!"

His attitude towards Ning Zhuo changed once again.

From the admiration and interest just now, it had transformed into the cordiality of a fellow devotee!

Human interactions are wondrous. Some people spend every day together but remain strangers. Others, however, can resonate with each other, and identify with each other's ideals upon their first meeting.

The more Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo talked, the more compatible they became. Naturally, they changed their way of addressing each other.

Chen Cha affectionately called Ning Zhuo "Little Zhuo," while Ning Zhuo changed his address to "Old Chen."

To Ning Zhuo's questions, Chen Cha pondered for a moment and directly offered three solutions.

Normally, he would at most offer one solution as guidance. But facing Ning Zhuo, he held nothing back.

Upon hearing these three solutions, Ning Zhuo immediately generated countless questions, asking them one by one.

Chen Cha answered them all, and his attitude in answering was quite enthusiastic, having long forgotten about charging a consultation fee.

Ning Zhuo continued to offer suggestions, modifying these three solutions.

Chen Cha couldn't help but immerse himself in the process of discussing with a fellow devotee, feeling immensely pleased.

In their discussion, the solutions were rapidly improved and optimized, ultimately deciding to add blood to the Fireblast Monkey and arrange a kinetic array matrix within the blood to stabilize the body. At the same time, the blood would evaporate and dissipate heat, greatly alleviating the thermal load the Fireblast Monkey could withstand.

Chen Cha judged: "Based on my many years of experience, the Fireblast Monkey is bound to be very popular once it hits the market."

"Little Zhuo, why don't you let my Flying Disc Workshop handle the Fireblast Monkey?"

"For you, how can you personally produce a large number of automaton Fireblast Monkeys? You must entrust a workshop to mass-produce them."

"My Flying Disc Workshop has enough cultivators and equipment to meet your manufacturing needs."

"At the same time, I've been running a business in Fire Persimmon City for decades, with adequate sales channels and some background with the City Lord's Manor."

"On one hand, I can rely on connections to achieve a certain degree of tax reduction, allowing you to earn more."

"On the other hand, this is also a form of protection. Once the automaton Fireblast Monkey is released, it will seriously infringe upon the interests of the Monkey Head Gang."

"This gang raises spirit pet monkeys, and their biggest business is ordering monkeys to pick explosive fire persimmons."

"This needs to be prevented in advance."

Ning Zhuo blinked, feigning hesitation: "This..."

Chen Cha smiled, sincerely and earnestly adding: "Little Zhuo, let me be honest with you."

"This is also extremely beneficial to me."

"My Flying Disc Workshop hasn't had a standout product to offer for many years. Your Fireblast Monkey perfectly meets my urgent needs."

"The better the Fireblast Monkey sells in the future, the more well-known my Flying Disc Workshop will become, and doing business will be more convenient."

"Therefore, my workshop will only take 30% of the Fireblast Monkey's profits. All manufacturing costs will be borne entirely by me!"

Ning Zhuo scratched his head: "Old Chen, I can feel your sincerity, but..."

Chen Cha stroked his beard: "It's fine; such a big matter should be carefully considered. Perhaps, Little Zhuo, you should ask your family. However, although the Ning Clan is a large cultivation clan, they don't have much strength in the automaton industry. Relying on the family to do this business isn't good. In fact, they are also very likely to entrust an automaton workshop to do it."

"I'm telling you the truth, Little Zhuo; you can go and inquire!"

Ning Zhuo waved his hand: "Old Chen, I lost my parents at a young age and lived in the home of my eldest uncle and aunt. Now that I've graduated from the academy, I've completely broken away and am living alone."

"I can make my own decisions about these things. I've never thought about handing over this automaton Fireblast Monkey to the Ning Clan."

"I just have a small request."

Chen Cha: "Oh? Feel free to speak."

Ning Zhuo: "I want to join your workshop, participate in all kinds of automaton workshop work, and help me gain experience. I also want to ask Old Chen for guidance. I have too many questions that have accumulated. As for the consultation fees, just deduct them from my Fireblast Monkey's profits, how about that?"

Chen Cha laughed heartily: "Little Zhuo, you coming here is the blessing of the Flying Disc Workshop. I am very welcome!"

"Based on your talents, just be the deputy workshop master."

Ning Zhuo quickly waved his hand: "That won't do! This junior is shallow and ignorant, what I need is to learn and seek guidance. I am but a plain and unremarkable youth of the Ning Clan, how can I be a deputy workshop master with my abilities?"

"Plain and unremarkable? You are really too modest!" Chen Cha shook his head, sighing repeatedly, mistaking it for the family style of the Ning Clan.

Ning Zhuo's true thoughts were just like this!

He didn't think that Chen Cha's previous criticism was wrong.

"The reason why Old Chen admires me so much and gives me preferential treatment should be for the sake of the consultation business and the profits from the automatons."

"I only have some small achievements in automaton arts. Many of the automatons in the secret manual left by my mother are beyond my comprehension."

"Take designing the automaton monkey, for example; I spent several years on it, stumbling along the way. I still had to ask Old Chen for help to solve this difficulty."

"I still need more and greater progress in automaton arts."

Little did he know, Chen Cha's evaluation never contained the slightest exaggeration, fully based on the foundation of reality and his rich life experience.

Ning Zhuo didn't know that these were all Chen Cha's sincere words.

On one hand, Ning Zhuo had been diligently concealing his abilities, never having had such an exchange with a fellow devotee as today, and was not clear on his accurate position.

On the other hand, Ning Zhuo followed his mother's dying囑託, always being cautious and careful, and always conducting psychological construction in order to conceal his abilities.

Even if he achieved some success, he would try to criticize himself in various aspects, find all kinds of shortcomings, and make sure that he did not fall into complacency.

For fourteen years, he had been constantly telling himself: I am plain and unremarkable, ordinary. Even if I have accomplished these things, others can do them too. I still need to work hard and never slack off...

Over time, countless persuasions had formed a very humble character in him. He couldn't see his own excellence and believed from the bottom of his heart that there was nothing remarkable about him, that there were still many, many places where he needed to work hard.

Chen Cha had been troubled for many years, craving an automaton creation like the Fireblast Monkey, which had long been his heart's desire!

After reaching an agreement with Ning Zhuo on the collaboration, he put all the workshop's efforts into manufacturing more than twenty automaton monkeys that same day and put them into the market, beginning sales.

That night, Ning Zhuo placed the Fireblast Monkey, which had been fitted with the kinetic array, into the furnace again for a baking test.

"This time, it's likely to succeed." Ning Zhuo was quite confident about this.

His gaze was deep: "Chen Cha..."

Ning Zhuo had investigated Chen Cha for many years and had a good understanding of the latter's temperament.

Just like Chen Cha's high evaluation of Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo's evaluation of Chen Cha was also not low.

"If there are no problems with the key aspect of the Fireblast Monkey, then the next step is how to get in touch with the Magma Immortal Palace."

The Magma Immortal Palace was hidden inside the Fire Persimmon Mountain, concealed within the thick magma.

Ning Zhuo first had to reach the inside of Fire Persimmon Mountain.

There was a path for this. First reach the top of Fire Persimmon Mountain, depart from the volcano's crater, and drill into the Crimson Flame Fiend Caverns. Choose a correct path from the thousands of passages, then continue to go deeper, and you can reach the place where the Magma Immortal Palace can be seen.

"But if the Magma Immortal Palace has problems after I drill into the cave for the first time, that would be too conspicuous."

"After all, I've never entered the Crimson Flame Fiend Caverns for so many years before. The sudden act of entering the cave is abrupt."

"I should look for a cover."

Thinking of this, the image of his eldest uncle, Ning Ze, appeared in Ning Zhuo's mind.

In an instant, an idea came to mind.