Chapter 169: Astonishing Everyone, Testing Magical Treasures Again

Chapter 169: Astonishing Everyone, Testing Magical Treasures Again

On Swallow Peak, Chu Ning was observing Xiao Bai, the spirit beast, and its condition.

Xiao Bai's injuries had fully healed a few days ago.

However, the little guy had been at a breakthrough threshold before.

Taking advantage of his recovered state and the recent cultivation of the Mysterious Life Technique, Xiao Bai was in prime condition to advance to a second-tier demon beast.

Chu Ning gave him the remaining three Flame-Twin Fruits from the previous pill concoction, as well as some other spirit fruits.

For the past few days, the little guy had been in the Spirit Beast Room, working towards his advancement.

Sensing the increasingly powerful aura emanating from Xiao Bai, a smile appeared on Chu Ning's face.

It seemed that the little guy would complete his breakthrough any day now.

At this moment, Chu Ning's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He walked out of the Spirit Beast Room and entered the outermost semi-open stone chamber, using the array to observe the area outside.

Although he had put away the array-forming objects given by Cen Zikin, Chu Ning had not made any modifications to the existing cave mansion's array.

As it stood, the array was already sufficiently strong.

Moreover, this array was extraordinarily profound; from the outside, one couldn't detect anything unusual, but now Chu Ning could easily observe the movements of those outside.

When he saw that Jiang Hongguang had brought so many people, Chu Ning was quite surprised.

It hadn't even been half a year since the last harvest, and under normal circumstances, Jiang Hongguang wouldn't bring so many people over.

As Chu Ning thought about this, Jiang Hongguang's voice rang out from outside the array.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, are you there? May I come in for a chat? The Thousand Islands Alliance just sent a messenger.

They want to reclaim the islands without a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Second Hidden Spirit Vein."

Hearing Jiang Hongguang's words, Chu Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Recall the islands? What is the Thousand Islands Alliance up to now?"

Chu Ning didn't respond immediately. Standing next to Jiang Hongguang, Xiao Lebo grew impatient and said:

"Is this Chu Ning's cave mansion? A mere late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, yet the array formation is quite powerful.

Come out now, we're waiting to go elsewhere."

Although Chu Ning had defeated a Qi Refining perfect-stage cultivator more than three years ago in the Thousand Islands Great War, Xiao Lebo didn't take it too seriously.

They were representing the Thousand Islands Alliance, and among them were two Qi Refining perfect-stage cultivators.

He didn't think that Chu Ning would dare to be impolite or cause any trouble.

Moreover, during the previous contest, his team had been responsible for the outer perimeter.

They hadn't witnessed the actual fight, and although they had heard some rumors afterward, they hadn't paid much attention to it.

In fact, afterward, Xiao Lebo had ridiculed Gongsun Lang, the master of Stele Forest Island, more than once for his incompetence.

How could a Qi Refining perfect-stage cultivator lose to someone at the eighth layer of Qi Refining?

When there was still no response from within the array, Xiao Lebo's eyebrows knitted slightly, and he shouted again:

"Chu Ning, are you there or not? Hurry up and get out here..."

Just as he shouted, a white mist passage appeared on the peak in front of them, and a figure clad in a green robe—Chu Ning—emerged, his expression calm and indifferent.

Seeing someone appear, Xiao Lebo snorted coldly.

Obviously displeased with Chu Ning's lack of haste, he opened his mouth to say something rude.

But the next moment, he was startled to see Chu Ning flying towards him.

Out of instinct, Xiao Lebo's first reaction was to activate his protective barrier.

But at the same time, he felt a "buzz" in his brain.

He couldn't even mobilize the spiritual power in his body.

Immediately, he was sent flying by a tremendous force and landed heavily on the ground behind him.

The other Qi Refining perfect-stage cultivator, who was slightly older, exclaimed in surprise:

"Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes fell on Chu Ning, examining him intently.

Although the spiritual power fluctuations around Chu Ning were restrained, the aura unique to a Foundation Establishment cultivator was unmistakable.

Especially as Chu Ning approached them, the faint but distinct pressure he exuded made it clear to everyone that he had indeed reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

In an instant, the expressions on the faces of the crowd became incredibly fascinating.

The first to cry out in surprise was Jiang Lan.

"Senior Brother Chu, you... you're a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

Her words were filled with shock.

As for the couple, Jiang Hongguang and his wife, their faces also showed extreme astonishment.

However, Jiang Hongguang's astonishment quickly turned into elation.

"Fellow Daoist Chu..."

He had originally intended to address Chu Ning as "Fellow Daoist," but before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly realized his mistake.

"Senior Chu has already achieved Foundation Establishment. Congratulations!"

Only then did Chu Ning nod slightly to Jiang Hongguang.

Then, frowning, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, what's going on here?"

As Chu Ning spoke, his gaze fell casually on the other Qi Refining perfect-stage cultivator standing beside Xiao Lebo.

After experiencing the initial shock, this person had regained some composure.

However, facing Chu Ning's gaze, his expression became somewhat stiff.

Because as Chu Ning spoke, the oppressive pressure unique to a Foundation Establishment cultivator unconsciously emanated from him.

And this person was at the forefront of it.

Despite having reached the perfect stage of Qi Refining, there was still a clear distinction between him and a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Not everyone was like Chu Ning, with so many backup plans during the Qi Refining stage.

Even the Thousand Islands Alliance's decision this time only applied to islands without Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In the world of a thousand lakes and islands, Foundation Establishment cultivators represented high combat power and high status.

Even with the support of the Thousand Islands Alliance, facing Chu Ning's questioning, he couldn't help but immediately bow and salute, saying, "Junior Meng Jiangsheng of the Thousand Islands Alliance pays respect to Senior Chu. I didn't know that Senior had already achieved Foundation Establishment, and I apologize for any offense earlier.

Chu Ning gave the two Qi Refining perfect-stage cultivators an indifferent glance. Due to Cen Zikin, he had no favorable impression of the Thousand Islands Alliance.

However, the main reason he had acted earlier was because of Xiao Lebo's impudent remarks.

In the hierarchical world of cultivation, he was, after all, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he had to endure being reprimanded by a Qi Refining cultivator, then anyone would be able to trample on him in the future.

After his previous encounter, he had truly understood the importance of strength. If he had not restrained himself and used the Illusion God Spike to suppress Xiao Lebo, the man would have been dead or crippled.

Ignoring Xiao Lebo, Chu Ning turned to Meng Jiangsheng and asked, "What was that about reclaiming the islands?"

Meng Jiangsheng quickly replied, "Reporting to Senior, recently, many islands in the Thousand Lakes and Islands that originally had only first-tier spirit veins have revealed second-tier hidden spirit veins. To allow Senior cultivators like yourself to benefit from these resources, the Alliance leaders have decided to reclaim these islands with hidden spirit veins and redistribute them."

Meng Jiangsheng quickly added, "However, since Senior has already achieved Foundation Establishment, we will immediately report this to the Alliance. Naturally, there is no need to reclaim this island. If Senior is dissatisfied with Rainbow Island, we can also convey your wishes to the Alliance, and you can participate in the selection process when the other islands are allocated."

Chu Ning now had a rough understanding of the situation. Apparently, the second-tier hidden spirit veins had made the Foundation Establishment cultivators greedy. Previously, they might have only been deputy island masters on other second-tier islands, but now they wanted to possess their own islands.

As for the underlying reason, it was unclear whether the various island's Foundation Establishment cultivators were pushing for this or if the six great families of the Thousand Islands Alliance had their own intentions.

After these islands were reclaimed, wouldn't these major families pick and choose first? Chu Ning coldly smiled in his heart and waved his hand, "I live quite comfortably on Rainbow Island and hope to avoid any disturbances."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jiangsheng quickly replied, "Yes, Senior. We will report this to the Alliance immediately."

Chu Ning casually waved his hand, and Meng Jiangsheng took the hint, bowing respectfully. "I will take my leave, Senior."

With Meng Jiangsheng taking the lead, the rest, including Xiao Lebo, bowed and left.

After they had walked a fair distance, Meng Jiangsheng heaved a sigh of relief. "I never expected that Rainbow Island would have a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

He turned to Xiao Lebo and said, "Fortunately, he didn't use his full strength just now, or you would have suffered a severe punishment."

Although they were from the Thousand Islands Alliance, in such a minor matter, and with Xiao Lebo not being entirely in the right, the Alliance wouldn't interfere as long as Xiao Lebo wasn't killed or severely injured.

Xiao Lebo's face still held a trace of fear. "When did he reach Foundation Establishment? His spiritual sense so easily suppressed me that I couldn't even move. He doesn't seem like someone who has just reached Foundation Establishment."

Meng Jiangsheng's face was filled with astonishment as well. "This Chu Ning has reached the Foundation Establishment stage in just over three years since we last met when he was only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. It's unbelievable. Either he was hiding his strength before, or he had some kind of fortuitous encounter in these past few years. We must report this matter to the Alliance immediately."

...

The two were astounded, and Jiang Hongguang and the others standing before Chu Ning were no exception.

After the people from the Thousand Islands Alliance left, Jiang Lan once again exclaimed in surprise.

"Senior Brother Chu, you... you've really reached Foundation Establishment!"

She had wanted to call him Senior Brother Chu, but after a glare from Jiang Hongguang, she changed her address.

Chu Ning smiled at her words, "Fellow Daoist Jiang can call me Senior Brother Chu; it sounds more intimate and youthful."

Jiang Hongguang quickly interjected, "That's not allowed! Now that Senior has achieved Foundation Establishment, we naturally cannot address you so casually anymore. That's the rule in the cultivation world."

Seeing Jiang Hongguang's serious expression, Chu Ning didn't insist on the matter. Instead, he directly answered Jiang Lan's question.

"I only broke through recently and didn't expect to encounter this today."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hongguang sighed, "More than three years ago, when we met, you were only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. In such a short time, you've reached Foundation Establishment. Your cultivation speed truly puts us to shame."

He paused for a moment and then glanced at Yu Yuanxiu and Jiang Lan before continuing, "Senior Chu, you have protected my family time and again, allowing us to continue cultivating on Rainbow Island. We are forever indebted to you for your great kindness."

With Jiang Hongguang taking the lead, the others also bowed respectfully.

Chu Ning wanted to stop them but thought better of it and let it go. Changing the subject, he asked, "How old is your son now?"

"He's already two years old and will soon be three. He also has spiritual roots." Jiang Hongguang replied, and as he did, Yu Yuanxiu gave him a subtle glance.

As a married couple, Yu Yuanxiu and Jiang Hongguang naturally understood each other's thoughts. However, after a moment's hesitation, Jiang Hongguang clenched his teeth and continued, "I've tested him, and he does have spiritual roots. I don't know if, in a few years, he could pay his respects and learn a thing or two from Senior."

Shaking his head gently, Chu Ning turned to Jiang Hongguang and said, "Apologies, but I, Chu, have no plans to take on disciples for the time being."

Hearing this, Jiang Hongguang's face fell slightly in disappointment, but he quickly recovered and said, "Indeed, I was being too forward."

Chu Ning had intended to turn around and return to his cave abode, but he paused and asked, "I've heard that the Thousand Islands haven't been very peaceful lately. Do you know anything about this, Fellow Daoist Jiang?"

Jiang Hongguang nodded. "Yes, that's true."

As he spoke, Jiang Hongguang briefed Chu Ning on the situation, which was more or less what Chu Ning had already heard outside.

However, Jiang Hongguang brought up a new piece of information. Apparently, within the Thousand Islands Alliance, the Cen family had joined forces with the Shi and Chen families, clearly dividing the alliance into two factions: the Liu, Song, and Huo families on one side, and the Shi, Chen, and Cen families on the other.

Recently, there had been occasional conflicts between the younger generations of the two sides. Furthermore, both sides were trying to pull in the support of various island forces, with their eyes set on the larger islands.

"Since you've broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Fellow Daoist Chu, the two major families will surely send people to woo you. You should consider how to respond, and you should do so soon. The major families have decided to hold the Thousand Islands Competition two months earlier than scheduled, and it's likely that the islands' power structures will be reshuffled at that time."

As he spoke, Jiang Hongguang quickly added, "We, the Flying Rainbow Island, will definitely follow your lead, Senior."

Hearing these words, Chu Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he nodded. After exchanging a few more polite words with the group, he turned and swiftly flew back to his cave abode.

"Hey..."

Behind him, Jiang Lan opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the blink of an eye, Chu Ning's figure had disappeared into the array.

Jiang Lan's expression turned dejected.

Yu Yuanxiu, standing beside her, noticed her expression and gently nudged Jiang Hongguang.

He turned to look at Jiang Lan, sighed softly, and then spoke up. "Let's go. We shouldn't disturb Senior Chu's seclusion."

Led by Jiang Hongguang, the group quickly departed.

Soon, Swallow Peak returned to its previous tranquil state.

Inside his cave abode, Chu Ning watched as everyone left, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Senior? It does sound a bit odd. No wonder Cen Zikin didn't seem to like being addressed that way."

Chu Ning found it amusing that, at the age of twenty-four, he was being addressed as "Senior" by a group of people much older than him.

However, his smile soon faded as he thought of the other news Jiang Hongguang had brought.

His eyebrows furrowed as he considered the division within the Thousand Islands Alliance. Naturally, he had no intention of joining either side.

Whether it was the Song family or the Cen, Chen, and Shi families, Chu Ning felt no affinity towards any of them.

Nevertheless, he knew that Jiang Hongguang's reminder was well-intended.

Now that they knew he had reached Foundation Establishment, both sides would surely send people to try to win him over.

"This is indeed troublesome," Chu Ning sighed inwardly. "It seems that the peace in the Thousand Islands and Lakes won't last much longer. My days of peaceful cultivation may be coming to an end."

Chu Ning sighed softly.

"Looks like I'll have to accelerate some of my plans," he thought to himself.

He intended to go near Water Cloud Island to investigate whether there were any clues related to Shen Meng Shangren.

Chu Ning had been contemplating this trip for a long time but had always felt that his strength at the Qi Refining stage was too low.

Initially, he had considered asking Cen Zikin to join him after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, but now that she had left for Yaochi Palace, he would have to undertake this journey alone.

However, there was still Little Spirit White. If the little guy could advance to become a second-tier demon beast, his strength would be comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage, making him a valuable asset.

In fact, Little Spirit White had always been a key factor in Chu Ning's plan to explore that area.

With the little guy's ability to ignore ordinary restrictions, treasure hunting would be much easier.

As for dealing with truly powerful opponents, Chu Ning would have to rely on himself.

At the moment, one of Chu Ning's concerns was that he hadn't truly tested his strength against an opponent of the same stage since reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

As a result, he wasn't sure how his strength measured up.

Another source of insecurity for Chu Ning was the lack of an ultimate killer move.

While he felt confident that his strength had increased significantly after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, and that his Fire Phoenix Feather Spear, combined with the Blazing Flame Technique, made him a force to be reckoned with among his peers, he missed having the Black Blade as a trump card, which diminished his confidence somewhat.

"It would be great if I had another magical treasure," he mused to himself.

As he reflected on this, Chu Ning recalled the few items he had obtained from the ancient sect ruins.

An idea suddenly occurred to him.

Previously, he had been unable to activate those items when he was at the Qi Refining stage, but now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, perhaps things would be different. With that in mind, Chu Ning took out two jade boxes from his storage bag—the ones containing the ring and the sphere.

He first took out the ring and carefully sensed its power, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, his perception of power and spiritual energy had become more acute.

Just by sensing the power emanating from the ring, he could tell that it was far more advanced than the Black Blade.

"This thing is definitely more advanced than the Black Blade!" he thought to himself.

Without hesitation, Chu Ning began to channel his spiritual power, cultivated from the Blazing Fire Divine Wood Technique, into the ring.

The next moment, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end