Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1289: Chapter 501: First Place (Part 2)

Outside the arena.

In the crowd, Su Lingkou clenched his fists nervously.

The later it gets, the more anxious she becomes.

"Cousin hasn’t come out yet! And the vast majority have been eliminated."

"The longer he holds on, the deeper he must be."

"Cousin, you can do it!"

Su Lingkou’s thoughts were with Shen Xi, praying silently.

The light of teleportation suddenly appeared, then vanished swiftly.

Shen Xi appeared before the crowd.

His face was pale, his steps unsteady, and as soon as he appeared, he was immediately met with the eyes of admiration, jealousy, and curiosity from the crowd.

Su Lingkou hurriedly stepped forward, supporting him as they walked down. She lowered her voice excitedly, saying: "Cousin, this time you’re one of the last few standing. Surely you’ve broken through the Sixth Song?"

"Hmm. This progress is not bad. I’ve glimpsed the mysteries of the Eighth Song, but unfortunately my strength was insufficient, and time ran out. Next try holds promise." Shen Xi nodded mildly.

Su Lingkou was both surprised and delighted: "The Eighth Song? Isn’t that..."

Shen Xi gently held her arm and said calmly, "Yet to secure first place, there’s no cause for joy. Hmm, how many others came after me?"

Su Lingkou shook her head: "I just arrived moments ago..."

The next moment, the light of teleportation flared up again.

Ning Zhuo appeared before the crowd.

"It’s him!?"

"It’s indeed Ning Zhuo!"

"He’s one of the last standing this time, could his performance have been outstanding?"

"Then how do we explain his previous results? Maybe he deliberately lingered on the First Song, only releasing himself now?"

"No way! Ning Zhuo might have low Array Dao skill, but he’d never do such a thing. There exists within him the presence of Vast Energy, his pride speaks for itself!"

"That means he was trapped in the previous songs, constantly studying, unable to pass, until all time was used up..."

Su Lingkou displayed an expression of surprise.

Shen Xi turned toward Ning Zhuo, clasped his hands and started to say, "Daoist Fellow Ning..."

Just at that moment, the chime sounded, and a Golden Core Cultivator gradually appeared, publicly announcing: "This time, first place in the Nine Curves Corridor Array Trial—Ning Zhuo!"

The whole crowd was dumbfounded, then burst into chaos.

"Ning Zhuo?!"

"Why him! How could it be him?"

"Did I just mishear?"

Many found it hard to believe. Especially those cultivators who had previously belittled Ning Zhuo, feeling as if they had just been slapped across the face.

"If Ning Zhuo has such capability, how did he not break through the Third Song previously?"

"How exactly did he do it?"

"Could it be that he underperformed the first time?"

"Was it an underperformance, or intentional?"

"Unclear! It’s truly difficult to fathom the thoughts of such talented individuals for us ordinary cultivators."

Su Lingkou’s eyes widened, staring at Ning Zhuo, her face full of astonishment. She transmitted her thoughts to her cousin Shen Xi: "Cousin! How could Ning Zhuo possibly surpass you and win first place this time?!"

"His Array Dao skill is well-known to us; he must have cheated!"

Shen Xi immediately transmitted his thoughts, interrupting Su Lingkou: "Cousin, watch your words!"

His gaze flickered unpredictably, unable to comprehend this situation, yet ultimately representing the Foundation Establishment front of the Shen Family in Nine Palace Immortal City.

He first consoled Su Lingkou: "Considering the capabilities previously demonstrated by Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo, he indeed falls short of me. Maybe... he unexpectedly acquired some miraculous treasure, breaking through the Nine Curves Corridor Array in one go."

Su Lingkou shook her head: "Cousin, stop deceiving yourself! Tell me, what kind of treasure can help Ning Zhuo achieve this?"

"The Commerce Hall indeed offers a vast array of Breaking Array Treasures, dazzling in variety. However, breaking arrays and fighting are two different matters, relying solely on powerful Breaking Array Treasures is absolutely not enough. There’s a major prerequisite: cultivators who can aptly use these treasures."

"And such a cultivator must be proficient in Array formation; otherwise, any small difference can lead to worlds apart."

"Cousin, do you think Ning Zhuo is such a person?"

Shen Xi remained silent.

Su Lingkou gritted her teeth. All along, her cousin had been her idol, the one she believed most deserved to win, the one who should shine the brightest.

Just moments ago, Shen Xi expressed that he had reached the Eighth Song. To Su Lingkou, her cousin had become the strongest contender for the trial’s first place!

First place was within reach, suddenly, it was seized by someone else.

If it had been another renowned Array artist, Su Lingkou might have accepted it. But it was Ning Zhuo, and earlier she had witnessed her cousin instructing Ning Zhuo firsthand.

This left Su Lingkou feeling stifled: "Cheating! Ning Zhuo must have cheated!"

"It’s disgraceful!"

"To let such a cheat surpass cousin, win first place, what fairness remains in Myriad Images Sect’s Feiyun Conference!"

Su Lingkou felt a strong impulse to expose the deception on the spot.

Yet she was cultivated from a young age, with the background of a grand clan, she forced herself to endure and suggested to Shen Xi: "Cousin, I honestly can’t understand! How about we ask Ning Zhuo how he cleared the obstacles?"

Shen Xi actually shared the same suspicion.

Yet he wore a smile, while clasping his hands congratulating Ning Zhuo, he transmitted his thoughts to his cousin: "Myriad Images Sect hosts countless Xingyun Trials, why bother with this small segment against Ning Zhuo?"

"Cousin, you must understand, he’s our friend, not our foe."

"Dwelling too deeply on this matter, making a friend into a foe, would be our loss!"

Su Lingkou’s eyes turned red, feeling Shen Xi was undeserving: "Cousin, you’re always such a good-hearted person, always considering others, thinking of the bigger picture, haven’t you suffered enough like this?"

Shen Xi planned to play it dumb, yet Ning Zhuo instead said: "Daoist Fellow Shen, being able to clear the obstacles swiftly this time, winning first place, owes much to your guidance!"

"The Shen Family in Nine Palace Immortal City truly lives up to its reputation!"

"I wish to invite Brother Shen to dinner tonight, also inviting Daoist Fellow Su Lingkou as a guest. Throughout the banquet, there are many Array Dao issues I wish to seek guidance on from Brother Shen."

Ning Zhuo deliberately spoke loudly, ensuring surrounding cultivators could hear.

The crowd immediately began discussing.

"What? Ning Zhuo’s first place was actually thanks to Shen Xi’s input?"

"Shen Xi and Ning Zhuo, both competitors, and yet being so magnanimous, imparting his insights and experiences completely?"

"Even so, Ning Zhuo’s performances are too far apart, aren’t they?"

Various discussions surrounded them, Shen Xi gazed upon Ning Zhuo before him, a thought flashed through his mind: "Ning Zhuo feigning goodwill, publicly elevating my reputation, is it that he wants me to cooperate with his performance and be his endorsement?"

"The key question is, did he cheat or not?"

Shen Xi pondered for three breaths, then nodded to accept the invitation, emphasizing: "We’re peers, why speak of ’guidance,’ sparring and exchange suffice."

Ning Zhuo’s heart stirred slightly, displaying a look of delight, immediately accompanying Shen Xi and Su Lingkou in leaving Nine Curves Peak.

As for the first place reward for this Xingyun Trial, the cultivator in charge of the Array had already informed Ning Zhuo to collect it tomorrow morning.

Private suite in the restaurant.

Ning Zhuo invited the two to take their seats and personally poured tea: "Simple fare, no formal courtesy. Brother Shen, please don’t be offended."

Su Lingkou looked at the table full of delicacies, her heart mocking, increasingly sensing Ning Zhuo was trying to bribe them. Simply because they knew Ning Zhuo’s true competence in Array Dao.

Shen Xi transmitted his thoughts, secretly advising: "Cousin, from now on, do not proactively mention Array formation topics, nor bring up the Nine Curves Corridor Array."

He still wished to maintain a good relationship with Ning Zhuo, not wanting to expose him directly.

But as a result, Ning Zhuo then said: "I wonder how Brother Shen managed to break the array in the Sixth Song?"

Su Lingkou was stunned, then laughed out of anger.

Shen Xi chose his words carefully, explaining to Ning Zhuo as simply as possible.

Ning Zhuo nodded frequently, then suddenly interjected: "So Brother Shen’s idea is like this..."

He summarized Shen Xi’s method in two sentences.

Shen Xi was dumbfounded, and then he slammed his hand, showing an excited expression: "Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo’s words are brilliant, capturing the essence directly!"

Even he felt incapable of achieving such a level of understanding.

Ning Zhuo smiled, voluntarily shared his solution, while fingers moved frequently, sketching a miniature Array model in the air to assist his explanation.

After the explanations, the suite plunged into silence.

Shen Xi and Su Lingkou gazed upon Ning Zhuo’s temporary Array model, drawn with Mana, and they were left speechless for a long time.

Finally, Su Lingkou blurted out: "Ning Zhuo, with such skill, why did you deceive me and cousin earlier?"

Shen Xi too clasped his hands and gave a bitter smile: "Daoist Brother Ning, you’ve fooled us thoroughly."