Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master - Chapter 1225 - 471: Snow Bud, Frost Blade (2)
Chapter 1225: Chapter 471: Snow Bud, Frost Blade (2)
Ning Zhuo couldn’t help feeling a sense of loss.
This seemed like a wonderful idea.
Ning Zhuo slightly shook his head and temporarily set aside this part. He carefully put away the Proud Snow Map.
After Ning Zhuo successfully comprehended it, the Understanding Law Map became noticeably dimmer, and the lines of the plum blossom tree on the drawing also became a bit blurred.
The Understanding Law Map is essentially a consumable item.
Once the maximum number of times it can pass on insights is reached, it will become an ordinary object.
Ning Zhuo naturally thought of something: “If I can easily comprehend the Proud Snow Map, then what about the Frost Conquest Diagram?”
His interest piqued, he pulled out the Frost Conquest Diagram and opened it to examine in detail.
As the scroll unfurled, it revealed a white world filled with murderous intent!
Goose feather-like snow fell from the sky, each snowflake with sharply defined edges like blades, whistling and swirling in the wild wind, slicing through everything in the world.
The dense snow screen flashed with cold light at the edges, seemingly capable of cutting through space itself.
Flurries of snow, countless miniature blades, wildly danced across the heavens and earth!
Unlike before, after just a few breaths of focused observation, Ning Zhuo felt as though he was amidst a storm of millions of snow blades, his entire body subjected to a thousand cuts, even every breath expelled shattered into countless fragments.
Ice Element—Frost Blade Technique!
The essence of this spell flowed through Ning Zhuo’s mind.
Clearly, this is an attack magic. Cold Qi as the edge, ice gathering as the blade.
Once unleashed, countless frost blades as thin as cicada wings, nearly transparent, would whirl and dance like living killing spirits, howling as they swept the target.
Such an offensive would inevitably continue to slice, unendingly!
“Slash! Slash! Slash!
Where the frost blade storm passes, it’s a grand and terrifying execution by a thousand cuts, in the coldest, most brutal way, progressively slicing and peeling away the target inch by inch!
Ning Zhuo’s breath quickened, leading him to slowly close his eyes and perform breathing control for a moment before opening them again.
Comprehending two entirely new spells in succession left him mentally exhausted.
Looking again at the Frost Conquest Diagram, it was as blurred as the Proud Snow Map.
“This is a family legacy, finally comprehended in my hands.”
“The Proud Snow Map contains a sense of pride, while the Frost Conquest Diagram exudes an overwhelming arrogance.” Ning Zhuo reflected, grasping the two maps even more deeply.
Although they are Understanding Law Maps, they do not contain true intent, but rather emotional intent.
If it were true intent, it would be much more convenient, with no threshold needed, one could directly absorb and comprehend it.
But true intent is very difficult to store for the long term, and a cultivator would use true intent to create a cultivation technique manual, reducing and even degrading their own corresponding realm.
These two major reasons make cultivation technique manuals storing true intent extremely rare in the world.
Ning Zhuo had received true intent infusions twice: once from the Five Elements God Master, and once from the Mysterious Armor Spirit, both taught and infused in person.
Expressing through emotional intent allows for greater immersion. There’s a threshold, but once a cultivator crosses it, entering is equivalent to mastering it fully.
After comprehending it, Ning Zhuo grasped the two spells quite thoroughly.
Ning Zhuo looked down in contemplation and quickly confirmed one point.
“My Ice Realm has elevated to the artisan level.”
“Precisely because of this realm enhancement, these two Understanding Law Maps posed no difficulty and were easily comprehended by me.”
Ning Zhuo reflected for a moment.
The most crucial contributor to the elevation of the Ice Realm was Ling Mo. More precisely, his lifetime experiences and memories became resources for Ning Zhuo.
Ling Mo was extraordinary, capable of creating the Eternal Silence Profound Ice Body Casting Demon Technique and freely surviving in Frost Roar Valley. His lifelong accumulation was the primary factor in Ning Zhuo’s Ice Realm elevation.
Secondly, Ning Zhuo successively refined artifacts and crafted a new mechanical body. Whether it was Snow-colored Girl·Hui or Snow Core Control·Xie, both were related to the Ice Element.
In the process of artifact refining, Ning Zhuo validated his learning. The battle with Zhu Guizhi was similar.
Finally, the profound Water Realm, along with past accumulations like the Eternal Silence Profound Ice Body Casting Demon Technique, Cold Hardship Skill, and Ice Sculpture Secret Manual, provided a solid foundation for his Ice Realm elevation.
“These two Ice Magic spells came at just the right time.”
“The Snow Bud Technique greatly aligns with Snow-colored Girl·Hui. As for Frost Blade Technique, its applications are vast, suitable for both of the mechanical puppets.”
Next, Ning Zhuo began to work on the new mechanical body.
Ten hours later, Ning Zhuo, sporting a pair of dark circles around his eyes, rushed out of the Bluestone Cave Mansion.
Immersed in the modification of the mechanical puppet, he nearly forgot the time; fortunately, Chef notified him promptly.
He rode the clouds into the air, pat his Storage Waist Belt, took out the Green Forest Python Chariot, mounted it, and sped away.
Soon after, he landed on a mountaintop and found the classroom at the summit crowded with people, forcing him to choose a seat at the fringe.
This was Zhao Hansheng’s second public lecture. Compared to the first session, the scale of the second was much larger, with attendance nearly tripling.
Although Ning Zhuo was among the last to arrive, his presence still sparked widespread attention.
“Look quickly, it’s Ning Zhuo!”
“Is he Ning Zhuo? One of the top talents that emerged from this year’s Feiyun Conference? It’s my first time seeing him in person. Truly a remarkable individual.”
“He previously embarrassed Gu Qing, yet he dares to attend Gu Qing’s lecture this time.”
“Why wouldn’t he dare? Ning Zhuo topped the Confucian Cultivator group twice consecutively in small trials, receiving widespread acclaim. Gu Qing is the outsider here, okay?”
“I just like this about him! Gu Qing’s sparring is so sluggish, but Ning Zhuo livens it up tremendously.”
“Hahaha, yes, indeed. I personally went to watch the battle between Gu Qing and Zhu Fenxiang. Good grief, bringing out trump cards right from the start—it was intensively fierce and absolutely thrilling!”
“Really? I want to watch too. Who is Gu Qing up against next?”
“He previously disseminated invitations for sparring; now finding himself cornered, he should face off against all the top talents this year in sequence.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, quite a predicament…”
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Gu Qing sat upright in the very front row. Though the discussions reached his ears, he exerted every effort to manage his expression, striving to maintain a nonchalant demeanor.
Zhao Hansheng also noticed the commotion, his gaze sweeping the area discreetly, landing on Ning Zhuo’s seat.
Only to see Ning Zhuo had already taken out a hemp rope to suspend his hair, and a wooden cone, tightly grasped in his hand, ready at any moment to pierce into his thigh.
“This kid…” Zhao Hansheng’s emotions stirred slightly.
The hour arrived, and the bell tolled.
Silence enveloped the entire hall.
Zhao Hansheng coughed a few times, his voice deep and unhurried, clearly resonating throughout: “Ladies and gentlemen, as discussed in last class, today let us delve into the unity of knowledge and action in Heart Learning.”
“Here it comes.” Ning Zhuo’s eyes lit up.
In the first lecture, he astutely recognized that this Confucian Skill would be immensely beneficial to him.
“People today often split knowledge and action into two separate parts, a profound mistake. The ’Chuanxi Lu’ records: ’Knowledge is the intent of action, and action the practice of knowledge.’ They are inherently one entity, akin to the moon reflecting in a thousand rivers, one moon body yet myriad reflections.”
“’Not the difficulty of knowing, but the difficulty of acting.’ Though this statement seems reasonable, it fails to capture the whole truth. If one truly knows the hardships of hunger and cold, they would consider giving porridge and clothing; if one truly understands the essentials of cultivation, they must diligently practice. This is the essence of knowledge and action.”
“What is ’true knowledge’? It’s like the love for beauty, or the aversion to foul odors. Observing beauty pertains to knowledge, loving beauty pertains to action; perceiving a stench connects to knowledge, detesting the stench connects to action. This represents the essence of knowledge and action.”
…
In Zhao Hansheng’s imparting, some cultivators in the hall appeared entranced, while others frowned deeply. Some found each syllable precious and were overjoyed, while others felt clouded and struggled to grasp the subtleties.
Ning Zhuo, employing Awl-Thorn Vigilance Art, still grappled with breaking through inner barriers.
In the final questioning phase of the class, he stood and bowed: “Sir, regarding your discourse on ’Sincerity and Righteous Heart,’ may I ask how to adhere to the essence of knowledge and action amidst arising delusions?”
Zhao Hansheng fixed his gaze for some time before replying softly, “In years past, Mr. Xinyue once discussed this with disciples, demonstrating with gold powder: ’Gold’s value is seen only when amidst sand.’ If gold is mixed with sand, how is it different from gravel?”
He paused briefly, Literary Energy flowing from his fingertips, “Consider, if you all practice swordsmanship, a mere stir in the heart, and the blade already finds its mark. In this aspect, there’s neither precedence nor succession, akin to a bright pearl in murky waters, clarity demands inner resolve.”
Zhao Hansheng suddenly veered into abstruseness, “Now questioning the ’Sincerity and Righteous Heart’ path is akin to polishing a mirror. The ’Chuanxi Lu’ states: ’Like polishing a mirror, once clear, it requires no effort.’”
“Yet this ’effortless’ state is precisely where utmost effort lies. ’Dao De Jing’ says: ’The movement of Dao is reversal.’ Can you discern the subtlety here?”
The hall was steeped in silence.
Everyone was utterly dumbfounded.
Ning Zhuo furrowed his brow, preparing to inquire further.
Clang clang clang…
The bell rang.
Zhao Hansheng waved his sleeve gently, rising slowly: “Ladies and gentlemen, disperse for now, return for the third lesson.”
Bai Jiyun, Liu Fushu, and others were thoroughly convinced, rising in unison to respectfully bid farewell: “Farewell, sir.”
Zhao Hansheng saluted in all directions, then departed seamlessly.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
