I, Ning Zhuo, Am Utterly Ordinary

Chen Cha, harboring suspicion, subtly asked Ning Zhuo several questions.

The questions touched upon various aspects, and someone who wasn't the true creator wouldn't be able to answer them.

Of course, this didn't stump Ning Zhuo.

After some conversation, Chen Cha dispelled her suspicion and couldn't help but feel shaken. Could this really have been designed and made by him?

Isn't he a disciple of the Ning family? The Ning family is skilled in talismans, but since when were they so proficient in mechanical arts, even cultivating such an excellent young cultivator?

If he continues to develop like this, this child is bound to achieve great things in the future!

Chen Cha completely changed her view of Ning Zhuo, becoming extremely interested and couldn't help but ask a few more questions.

Ning Zhuo said, "This year's major exam, this junior has already left his school life behind. Senior has sharp eyes; I do indeed like mechanical arts very much and have always been interested. On a daily basis, I try my best to collect some books and study privately. It has nothing to do with the Ning family school."

Chen Cha stroked her beard for a moment and deliberately asked, "Among the hundred arts of cultivation, the top four are alchemy, artifact refining, talisman making, and array formations. Mechanical arts are at the bottom of the hundred arts, a niche within a niche. Why do you particularly favor this path?"

Ning Zhuo's heart instantly stirred, realizing that this conversation had reached the most crucial moment!

His contact with Chen Cha this time was premeditated. Bringing out the Mechanical Monkey was part of his plan.

The young man pondered for a moment, his expression turning serious as he solemnly said, "This junior believes that so-called cultivation is the practice of the truths between heaven and earth. The hundred arts of cultivation are merely the application of these truths, essentially just tools."

"Pills are tools, magical artifacts and flying swords are also tools, talismans and array formations are equally tools."

"Using these tools can make our cultivation more convenient and increase the success rate of various actions."

"And the ultimate form of tools is none other than mechanical arts!"

"A new material on a mechanism is refined using alchemy methods. The structure of a mechanism is shaped using artifact refining techniques. The array formations and talismans on a mechanism all involve the skills of setting up arrays and making talismans."

"An excellent mechanical creation is a clever combination of cultivation techniques."

Speaking of this, Ning Zhuo paused, "As for why mechanical arts have fallen to the bottom of the hundred arts and are considered a niche, it's because they are difficult to learn and master, with the highest threshold!"

"On one hand, constructing mechanical objects requires cultivators to master multiple cultivation techniques. Alchemy, artifact refining, talisman making, and array setting are all basics. After mastering them, one must also select and combine from countless diverse materials and techniques."

"On the other hand, designing mechanical objects is even more difficult. It tests a cultivator's thinking, talent, inspiration, and imagination. A good design plan might take a cultivator over a decade to complete. During this process, they often get stuck on one point, making no progress for years."

"Only with excellent design can there be excellent mechanical creations."

Upon hearing Ning Zhuo's argument, Chen Cha leaned back slightly, her eyes shining, and she looked the young man up and down, unable to resist clapping her hands. "Well said, well said!"

Her attitude towards Ning Zhuo changed once again.

From the appreciation and interest she had just shown, it turned into the closeness of a fellow enthusiast!

Human interaction is wonderful. Some people spend every day together but are the most familiar strangers. Some people are meeting for the first time, but can resonate with each other's hearts and agree on concepts.

Chen Cha and Ning Zhuo talked more and more congenially, and naturally changed how they addressed each other.

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

Regarding Ning Zhuo's question, Chen Cha pondered for a moment and directly provided three solutions.

Normally, she would at most offer one to resolve confusion. But facing Ning Zhuo, she held nothing back.

Ning Zhuo listened to these three solutions and immediately had countless questions, asking them one by one.

Chen Cha answered everything, and her attitude was quite enthusiastic, having long forgotten about charging fees.

Ning Zhuo continued to offer suggestions, modifying the three sets of plans.

Chen Cha couldn't help but become immersed in the process of discussing with a fellow practitioner, feeling extremely pleased.

During their discussion, the plans were quickly improved and optimized, finally settling on adding blood to the Fire Ape and arranging Dynamic Array foundations within the blood to stabilize the body. At the same time, the evaporation of the blood would dissipate heat, greatly alleviating the heat the Fire Ape endured.

Chen Cha judged, "Based on my many years of experience, once the Fire Ape is released onto the market, it will definitely be very popular."

"Little Zhuo, why don't you let my Flying Disc Workshop make the Fire Apes?"

"As for you, how can you personally produce a large number of Mechanical Fire Apes? You must entrust a workshop for mass production."

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

"At the same time, I have been operating in Fire Persimmon Immortal City for decades, and I have sufficient sales channels, as well as some background with the City Lord's Mansion."

"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 Mechanical Fire Ape is introduced, it will severely infringe upon the interests of the Monkey Head Gang."

"This gang raises spirit pet monkey groups, and their biggest business is ordering monkeys to pick the explosive Fire Persimmons."

"This needs to be guarded against in advance."

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

Chen Cha smiled, and said sincerely and earnestly again, "Little Zhuo, I'll be honest with you."

"This is also extremely beneficial to me."

"My Flying Disc Workshop hasn't produced any outstanding products for many years. Your Fire Ape just happens to meet my urgent needs."

"The better the Fire Ape sells in the future, the more famous my Flying Disc Workshop will become, and doing business will be more convenient."

"Therefore, for the profits of the Fire Ape, my workshop will only take thirty percent from you. All production 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 alright, such a major matter needs careful consideration. Perhaps, Little Zhuo, you should ask your family. However, although the Ning family is a large cultivation clan, they don't have much strength in the mechanical industry. Relying on the family to do this business is not good. In fact, they are also very likely to entrust a mechanical workshop to do it."

"This old man is speaking 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 with my uncle and aunt. Now that I have graduated from the academy, I have completely moved out and live alone."

"I can make my own decisions about these things. I never thought of handing over this Mechanical Fire Ape to the Ning family to control."

"I just have a small request."

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

Ning Zhuo, "I want to join your workshop and participate in various tasks in the mechanical workshop to help me gain experience. I also want to ask for more guidance from Old Chen. I have too many questions accumulated. As for the consultation fee, how about deducting it from the income of my Fire Ape?"

Chen Cha laughed heartily, "Little Zhuo, it is the Flying Disc Workshop's good fortune that you can come here. I welcome you very much!"

"With your talent, you can directly be the deputy workshop master."

Ning Zhuo quickly waved his hand, "That won't do! I am shallow in knowledge and need to learn and seek guidance. I am just an ordinary young man from the Ning family. With my ability, how can I be a deputy workshop master?"

"Ordinary? You are really too humble!" Chen Cha shook his head, sighing repeatedly, mistakenly thinking it was the family style of the large Ning clan.

Ning Zhuo's true thoughts were exactly like this!

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

Old Chen appreciates me so much and treats me with courtesy, probably because of the consulting business and the mechanical income.

I have only achieved a little in mechanical techniques. In the secret mechanical records left by my mother, there are many mechanisms that I cannot fully understand.

Take the design of the Mechanical Monkey, for example. I spent several years on it, with many setbacks along the way. This time's difficulty was only solved after asking Old Chen for guidance.

I still need more and greater progress in mechanical techniques.

Little did he know, Chen Cha's evaluation was never exaggerated in the slightest, completely based on reality and rich life experience.

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

On one hand, Ning Zhuo had been hiding his abilities severely, never having had such a peer exchange as today, and was not clear about his accurate positioning.

On the other hand, Ning Zhuo followed his mother's dying entrustment and had always been cautious. In order to hide his abilities, he had always been doing psychological construction.

Even if he achieved some success, he would find ways to criticize himself from various aspects, find various shortcomings, and make sure he didn't fall into complacency.

For fourteen years, he constantly told himself: I am ordinary, nothing special. Even if I have achieved these things, others can also do them. I still need to work hard, and I must not be lazy...

Over time, countless persuasions had formed his very humble character. He couldn't see his own excellence and genuinely believed that there was nothing remarkable about himself, and there were still many, many areas where he needed to work hard.

Chen Cha had been in a slump for many years and longed for a mechanical creation like the Fire Ape, which he had been thinking about day and night!

After reaching a cooperation agreement with Ning Zhuo, he immediately used all the workshop's strength that day to manufacture more than twenty Mechanical Monkeys and put them into the market, starting sales.

That night, Ning Zhuo put the Fire Ape, which had the Dynamic Array arranged, into the furnace and conducted another baking test.

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

His eyes were deep, "Chen Cha..."

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

Just as Chen Cha had a high evaluation of Ning Zhuo, Ning Zhuo also had a not-low evaluation of Chen Cha.

"If there is no problem with the key part of the Fire Ape, the next step is how to get in touch with the Magma Immortal Palace."

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

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

There was a path for this. First, reach the summit of Fire Persimmon Mountain, start from the crater, and drill into the Crimson Flame Demon Lava Cave. Choose a correct path from the thousands of passages, and then continue to go deeper to reach a place where the Magma Immortal Palace could be seen.

"But if something goes wrong with the Magma Immortal Palace the first time I drill into the cave, it would be too conspicuous."

"After all, I have never entered the Crimson Flame Demon Lava Cave for so many years before. The sudden act of entering the cave is abrupt."

"I should find a cover."

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

In an instant, a plan came to mind.