Tassel-Haired Wanderer

Ning Family.

Council Hall.

The spirit lamps cast bright light.

The Ning Family Patriarch, the Young Clan Leader, and a group of elders had all gathered here.

Several jade slips passed from hand to hand, each recording the entire course of this Ning Family Grand Examination.

The Clan Head stroked the jade slip in his hand, his eyes half-closed. The scenes within the jade slip surfaced in his sea of consciousness and replayed over and over.

Unlike previous years, his focus this year was the examination in Mechanism Art.

This year, the Ning Family's Mechanism Art examination had changed. It had become an assessment of controlling Suspended Silk Puppets.

The young cultivators poured in mana, sending it through suspended threads and into the puppet constructs.

Through the combined effects of divine sense and mana, the puppet constructs gained the power to move and perform various actions.

Yet even the best-performing young cultivators in this Grand Examination could only smoothly make the puppets walk, flip through the air, and roll across the ground.

The overall state of affairs was too ghastly to behold.

The Clan Head slowly opened his eyes, withdrew his divine sense from the jade slip, and gently set it on the table beside him.

"Among the younger generation in this Lineage Grand Examination, there are no seeds with the potential to become mechanism masters." The Ning Family Patriarch sighed.

Feeling the pressure, the School Elder hurriedly spoke. "Clan Head, esteemed elders, our Ning Family specializes in talismans. Among the hundred arts of cultivation, Mechanism Art has always been a fringe discipline. Our Lineage has very little foundation in Mechanism Art, and the teachers in the school who teach it are all half-baked. How could they possibly nurture seeds of Mechanism Art?"

The Ning Family Patriarch soothed him. "Be at ease. I do not mean to blame you. It is merely that the Magma Immortal Palace is a mechanism immortal city. Back then, the Three Sects Forefathers buried it within Fire Persimmon Mountain to suppress its eruptions. If we wish to obtain the immortal treasures and Mechanism Art inheritance of the Magma Immortal Palace, the best method is to start with mechanism masters."

"Our Ning Family only discovered the Magma Immortal Palace this year. The other two great families and the City Lord's side have had a head start for quite some time."

"They have had the time to secretly cultivate mechanism seeds, but we do not."

"We are latecomers, far too late. Only by spending heavily to recruit outsiders as guest elders of our Lineage will we have any chance to contend with them."

The Ning Family Patriarch took out a jade slip. "This contains the notable mechanism masters in Fire Persimmon Immortal City and its surroundings. Pass it around and have a look."

After the elders had examined it, the Ning Family Patriarch said, "We must contact every mechanism master and do our utmost to win them over. Especially the Tassel-Haired Wanderer! He is a mechanism master within Fire Persimmon City, and his abilities are quite formidable. He should be our foremost target."

The Young Clan Leader said, "The Tassel-Haired Wanderer's identity is mysterious. He has never revealed himself publicly. The mechanisms he makes sell very well, but he only sells them through the monthly Black Market."

"The Black Market is controlled by Sun Lingtong. She is an outer disciple of the Unempty Gate, and it will be very difficult for us to truly make contact with the Tassel-Haired Wanderer."

The Ning Family Patriarch frowned. "Xiaoren, I did not ask you to describe the difficulties. What I need is for you to solve this problem."

The Young Clan Leader, Ning Xiaoren, broke into a sweat and hurriedly promised, "Yes, Father. I have already sent people to find a way to contact him personally. There will surely be results before long!"

Only then did the Ning Family Patriarch stroke his beard. "Good. Then I shall await the results."

After the meeting, the Ning Family Young Patriarch immediately summoned his subordinate, Ning Ze.

"Ning Ze, I was the one who raised you to your position as a Ning Family procurement steward. I told you to contact the Tassel-Haired Wanderer, yet you have made no progress. What exactly have you been doing?!" The Young Clan Leader's brows were tightly furrowed.

Ning Ze was a middle-aged man, his face full of bitterness. If possible, he did not want to touch this sort of task at all.

"Young Clan Leader, I have failed your trust and handled matters poorly. I truly deserve death."

"But this Tassel-Haired Wanderer is genuinely difficult to communicate with. I have traded with him repeatedly in the Black Market, pleading earnestly whenever I purchased As-You-Wish Ropes, yet he has never budged. He refuses to discuss any topic beyond the transaction."

"The Tassel-Haired Wanderer is too mysterious. I tried every possible means to investigate him, but I ended up angering the Black Market's mistress, Sun Lingtong. Not only did I lose men, I was framed as well and had to pay a huge sum of spirit stones. Even now, I am still covering that money myself..."

"Enough!" The Young Clan Leader interrupted unhappily. "Being played by someone is already humiliating enough. Do you still want the Lineage to bear the price of your mistakes?"

"This time, our Lineage wishes to purchase eighty As-You-Wish Ropes. Go handle it."

Ning Ze was astonished. "Eighty? So many?!"

The Young Clan Leader said, "Use this large transaction and give it everything you have. You have already dealt with the Tassel-Haired Wanderer many times, yet you have never found a way to befriend him."

"Such performance truly makes me doubt your capability, Ning Ze."

Ning Ze felt tremendous pressure and repeatedly promised that he would spare no effort.

Ning Ze arrived in the southeastern district of Fire Persimmon City.

Within Fire Persimmon Immortal City, this was the most chaotic area, where dragons and snakes mingled, theft ran rampant, and public security was at its worst.

At the same time, this was also where the Black Market was located.

At one of the Black Market entrances, Ning Ze displayed a token.

A sinister-looking cultivator glanced at Ning Ze, carefully inspected the token, then tossed it back to him. "Follow me."

He led Ning Ze into the small house behind him, then lifted the floorboards inside, revealing an opening.

He brought Ning Ze through the opening, twisting and turning through underground passages until they finally reached an underground trading space.

It resembled a small marketplace.

Ning Ze swept his gaze over the area and immediately spotted his target.

"Lord Tassel-Haired Wanderer, we meet again." Ning Ze walked before the Tassel-Haired Wanderer, his face brimming with an enthusiastic smile.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer was a decrepit old man, his back bent severely as he leaned upon a cane. His entire body was curved like a lobster. His complexion was weathered, the bags beneath his eyes dark purple, and his wrinkles so deep they could pinch mosquitoes. His long hair was black and disheveled, spilling from the crown of his head over his shoulders and down to his feet like an enormous black cloak.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer stood behind a Mechanism Vehicle. He merely gave Ning Ze a faint glance and said nothing.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer was always like this. While Ning Ze felt helpless, fury was also steadily building within his heart.

He was a cultivator of the Ning Family, yet the Tassel-Haired Wanderer did not give him the slightest face!

Still, the Ning Family Young Patriarch had always wished to win over the Tassel-Haired Wanderer. Ning Ze swallowed his grievance and forced a smile. "Lord Tassel-Haired Wanderer, I have brought you a major deal this time."

"A full eighty As-You-Wish Ropes!"

"Since this is such a large transaction, could you perhaps offer a bit of a discount?"

"I am an old customer of yours. I have taken such good care of your business, and there will be even more deals like this in the future. Every time, it has been two hundred spirit stones per rope. For that price to remain unchanged forever is somewhat lacking in human feeling, is it not?"

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer nodded slightly, his voice hoarse and weathered. "You are right."

"Then it shall be two hundred and fifty spirit stones per rope."

Ning Ze froze for a moment, then laughed awkwardly. "Lord Tassel-Haired Wanderer, please do not toy with me. That is not how one lowers a price."

To his surprise, the Tassel-Haired Wanderer snorted coldly. "For every extra word of nonsense, the price rises by fifty spirit stones."

Ning Ze's eyes widened, and he stood rooted to the spot.

The anger in his belly surged like boiling waves. He dearly wished to slap the old man before him into the ground. Yet in the end, he forcefully suppressed his rage and said in a muffled voice, "Fine. We shall go with your price!"

"However, our Lineage would like to add some other functions to complement our cultivation methods. As for the specific modifications..."

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer cut him off harshly. "No modifications. Buy or do not buy. If you are not buying, get lost."

Ning Ze choked on his words.

After taking a deep breath, he finally nodded with a bitter smile and agreed to the transaction.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer made no movement, but several little Mechanism Puppets dropped from the roof of the Mechanism Vehicle before him.

All of these Mechanism Puppets were moved by suspended threads. Each seemed almost human as they giggled and babbled.

They rolled, leaped, and even frolicked and shoved one another, before finally opening the round hatch within the Mechanism Vehicle.

One by one, they crawled into the opening beneath the hatch, then dragged out As-You-Wish Ropes as though hauling forth giant pythons.

Every time Ning Ze saw this scene, he was amazed beyond measure.

This ability to control mechanism threads had been honed to the pinnacle. The little puppet figures seemed as though they had truly come alive.

If even one percent of the young cultivators in the Ning Family's Grand Examination possessed such control, their Mechanism Art results would absolutely have ranked among the best!

"Mechanism Art is at the bottom among the hundred arts of cultivation, and it has many weaknesses. Its most obvious weakness is its method of control!"

"Take these little puppet figures, for instance. Once their suspended threads are severed, they will be crippled in an instant."

Ning Ze paid the spirit stones and left the Black Market with the As-You-Wish Ropes. Only then did a trace of ruthlessness and fury surface on his face.

"Tassel-Haired Wanderer! I have spoken softly and politely to you every time. I truly gave you too much face."

"This time, I specifically hired the Yellow Family Three Ghosts for you! I even carefully prepared a 'gift' for you!"

"Since you refuse the wine of respect, then have a taste of the wine of punishment."

Ning Ze had truly been driven to the end of his rope and could only take a risk.

His plan was simple: first, have the Yellow Family Three Ghosts deal with the Tassel-Haired Wanderer, then step in himself to rescue him and thereby show goodwill. If the Tassel-Haired Wanderer was seriously injured, Ning Ze would not rule out forcing him into submission.

In any case, opening up the situation and completing his own task came first.

As for any other problems, those would be the concern of other Ning Family members!

After the Black Market closed, the Tassel-Haired Wanderer, laden with his spoils, walked through a dark alley.

Suddenly.

Soul Suppressing Talisman!

A talisman activated in an instant, sealing the space around him.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer stopped in place, utterly motionless.

"Hee hee hee..."

Accompanied by airy laughter, three little ghosts emerged from nearby and lunged at the Tassel-Haired Wanderer.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer remained as still as a stone. Only when the little ghosts had closed in before him did his body shudder.

Several little mechanism birds shook free from him and shot forth like lightning.

Mechanism - Thunder Silence Bird!

Several flashes of electricity suddenly lit up the darkness, bursting into blossoms of thunderlight, yet making not a single sound.

In an instant, the Thunder Silence Birds pierced and killed the three little ghosts.

"How is that possible?"

"We clearly used a Soul Suppressing Talisman. You should have been unable to use divine sense to control mechanisms!"

"Something is strange. They are clearly Sentient Immortal Puppets, yet we never saw him use suspended threads."

"Forget it, attack together!"

The Yellow Family Three Ghosts leaped out and attacked at once, each displaying his own methods as they surrounded and besieged the Tassel-Haired Wanderer.

For a time, more than a dozen ghosts surged forth. Evil ghosts filled every direction, baring fangs and brandishing claws, grim and savage.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer stood unmoving as a mountain. The tangled black hair hanging to his feet suddenly twisted together, forming long whips.

The black whips danced wildly like dragons and serpents, yet not a breath of wind stirred. Amid the deathly silence, they were filled with terrifying killing intent.

Mechanism - Bangs Haired Death Fishing Whip!

The whips struck with unparalleled ferocity, as though they could devour all things. Wherever they passed, souls scattered and spirits vanished.

Savage light surged in the Yellow Family Three Ghosts' eyes as they prepared to receive the attack.

Within the Tassel-Haired Wanderer's sea of consciousness, a magical treasure seal as immense as a treasure mountain, half Buddha and half demon, suddenly bloomed with strange light.

Magical Treasure - My Buddha Heart Demon Seal!

The three ghosts all froze at once, exposing fatal openings. In utter terror, they hurriedly retreated, but it was already too late.

Two screams rang out, and two ghosts died.

The eldest brother's eyes cracked with rage, his hatred soaring into the heavens. He desperately squeezed his Foundation Establishment dantian dry and launched a suicidal counterattack against the Tassel-Haired Wanderer.

The artifact dagger carrying his hopes of revenge flashed like lightning and instantly struck the center of the Tassel-Haired Wanderer's forehead.

Clang.

A crisp metallic ring sounded.

The eldest Yellow brother instantly went rigid, unable to believe it.

Puff, puff, puff.

In the next instant, more than a dozen Topknot Hanging Death Whips converged, piercing through him from above, below, front, back, left, and right.

The eldest Yellow brother's eyes were wide. His body had been pierced through by the Hanging Death Whips and hung in midair, blood spraying from his wounds like rain, splattering the ground and walls, only to be concealed by the heavy night.

By the time nearby cultivators heard something suspicious and came to investigate the alley.

"What happened?" The cultivators were puzzled.

Within the alley lay a corpse, but not a single drop of blood could be found.

As Ning Ze waited and waited without receiving news, his body and heart gradually grew cold. "Why is there still no news? It has been so long. They should have succeeded by now."

"The Tassel-Haired Wanderer is in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the Yellow Family Three Ghosts are also in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Even if their combat power was suppressed within Fire Persimmon Immortal City, three against one should not have failed without reason." He was still trying to comfort himself.

"I gave them a Soul Suppressing Talisman, and I also gave them the Spirit Pet Green Blade Mantis, which can sever suspended threads. With such preparations, a mechanism master should have been severely restrained!"

"Wait a little longer."

This wait was destined to bear no results.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer walked through an underground passage.

Three Topknot Hanging Death Whips rose behind him, each suspending a cultivator's corpse. As he walked, they cast monstrous, terrifying shadows upon the walls of the passage.

A red glow gradually appeared ahead, and the temperature became scorching.

After turning a corner, the Tassel-Haired Wanderer found a large pill furnace before him.

The furnace door opened, and the Tassel-Haired Wanderer tossed the three corpses inside with extreme familiarity.

After closing the furnace door, he went to the storage chamber beside it.

He placed the several jin of fire essence he had purchased from the Black Market into the storage chamber.

After years of accumulation, the fire essence in the storage chamber had already piled into a small mountain.

"Only the last ten jin of fire essence remain."

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer arrived at the teleportation chamber and activated the teleportation array.

In the next moment, he returned to his Underground Workshop.

The Tassel-Haired Wanderer's body began to change.

The strange black hair hanging to the ground rapidly contracted, his hunched posture gradually straightened, and the old man's body beneath the black robe flickered with light and shadow, slowly reverting to its original appearance—

It was a silver-gray mechanism battle armor.

A faint Treasure Light flowed across the armor's surface. Talismans and array patterns covered every part of it. A new scar had appeared on the helmet, the result of the eldest Yellow brother's desperate final counterattack.

The armor's chestplate, abdominal plate, and leg plates opened symmetrically to either side.

A young man stepped out from within.

The youth had a fair complexion, eyes as clear as water, and a calm, peaceful bearing.

The armor was named: Azure Iron Han Armor.

The youth: surname Ning, given name Zhuo.