Chapter 212: Practicing Arrow Techniques, Xie Xiaojiu's Shocking Discovery

Chapter 212: Practicing Arrow Techniques, Xie Xiaojiu's Shocking Discovery

The next day.

At the Inspection Bureau.

"Sir, Liu Lintang is here to see you!" a voice announced.

Jiang Ning had just returned from his meeting with Hong Minghu when he heard Xie Xiaojiu's report.

Liu Lintang was here to see him? He was taken aback by this unexpected news.

"I won't see him!" Jiang Ning replied without hesitation.

"Yes, sir!" Xie Xiaojiu bowed and retreated, then headed out of the courtyard.

As he watched Xie Xiaojiu's departing figure, a contemplative look appeared in Jiang Ning's eyes.

Liu Lintang had already visited three commanders in the past few days, and there was only one commander left whom he had not met.

But today, he suddenly showed up unannounced, clearly intending to meet Jiang Ning and use his Open Heavenly Eye to uncover the truth.

"It seems that Liu Lintang has strong suspicions about me!" Jiang Ning remarked.

Then, he chuckled and gazed out of the manor, "However, I won't make it easy for him. With my enhanced hearing, I can already hear Liu Lintang at the entrance of the Inspection Bureau, and I know that he is accompanied by a middle-aged woman."

Jiang Ning decided to stay indoors for the day.

He had already achieved the second level of the Thunderbolt Arrow Technique, and there was no need to rush.

After all, he had more than one way to enhance his strength.

If he went out and Liu Lintang discovered the mark on his body, confirming that he was the one who had acted that night, it would be less than ideal.

At the entrance of the Inspection Bureau.

"My master is currently in seclusion, cultivating his martial arts, and will not be seeing anyone!" Xie Xiaojiu announced.

"I understand, sir!" Liu Lintang's expression remained unchanged, and he slightly showed respect.

A moment later.

As Xie Xiaojiu re-entered the Inspection Bureau and disappeared from Liu Lintang and his companion's sight, the middle-aged woman beside Liu Lintang finally spoke.

"This young man, Jiang Ning, is so arrogant that he won't even meet with Liu Tian Shi!"

Hearing the woman's words, a calm smile appeared on Liu Lintang's face.

"It's normal for one who becomes famous at a young age to have a sense of pride!"

"Based on this young man's previous performance, it's not impossible for him to surpass me in the future. Ignoring me is understandable!" the middle-aged woman added.

"What does Liu Tian Shi plan to do next?" she asked.

"I'll pay a visit to the other commanders first. If I don't find any clues, I'll come back to see him in two days! Among the four deputy commanders, Jiang Ning is the most likely candidate!" Liu Lintang said calmly.

"What if he still refuses to see you?" the middle-aged woman inquired.

"Then I'll break the rules! I might pay him a visit in the middle of the night!" Liu Lintang's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Jiang Ning had completely immersed himself in the water, absorbing the Serpent Sinew Powder and infusing his Vital Energy to temper the strength of his major sinews.

He was now just one step away from achieving the Serpent Sinew.

Soaking in the cold pool, Jiang Ning felt as if he were bathing in a hot spring, experiencing only comfort and relaxation, without a hint of discomfort.

As he infused his Vital Energy, Jiang Ning couldn't help but recall the task that Hong Minghu had assigned to him and the other deputy commanders.

A wandering unit of the Black Mountain Army had entered Luoshui County.

Hong Minghu instructed them to closely monitor the Black Mountain Army's movements and lead a team to eliminate them once discovered.

The Black Mountain Army used to be the Black Lotus Sect's Guardian Army.

The Black Lotus Sect had once instigated a rebellion in the neighboring Great Ming Province, sweeping across three regions and causing the deaths of over a million people.

The rebellion lasted for half a year before it was finally crushed by a large army.

However, the scattered Black Mountain Army continued to cause headaches for the Xia Dynasty.

As the former Guardian Army of the Black Lotus Sect, the Black Mountain Army was composed of the sect's most elite members, all of whom were martial artists, moving freely and swiftly.

Especially the Black Mountain Cavalry, their elite unit, whose mounts could traverse mountains and valleys with ease.

This was why, even after the Black Lotus Sect was eradicated, the Black Mountain Army remained a persistent threat.

Now, according to Hong Minghu, a wandering unit of the Black Mountain Army had entered Luoshui County.

Eliminating these rebels was also within the scope of the Inspection Bureau's responsibilities.

Contribution points could be earned based on the number of rebels eliminated.

Jiang Ning was thinking about this task because of the contribution points.

The human body's major sinews, when enhanced to the level of Dragon Sinew, could increase explosive strength by five times.

This step was extremely challenging, and most martial artists would start tempering their bones and enter the Seventh Rank after achieving the Serpent Sinew.

The sinew refinement process required external substances, and to enhance the human body's major sinews to the level of Dragon Sinew, one needed to absorb the Dragon Sinew from descendants of the Dragon Bloodline.

Only creatures with Dragon Blood had major sinews that could be called Dragon Sinew.

The Dragon Sinew, when ground into powder or refined into precious medicine, could assist Seventh Rank martial artists in achieving the level of Dragon Sinew.

However, descendants of the Dragon Bloodline were almost extinct in this era.

Therefore, finding Dragon Sinew was challenging, and such external substances were priceless treasures.

Even with wealth, it was difficult to purchase them.

But Jiang Ning had seen in the Inspection Bureau's records that contribution points could be exchanged for a pill called the Dragon Ascension Pill, which could help him reach the Dragon Sinew level.

However, the price was steep, and it could only be obtained through contribution points.

One pill cost a staggering amount of contribution points.

If one were to exchange silver taels for 50,000 contribution points, it would require 100,000 taels of silver.

Just thinking about this number made Jiang Ning inwardly gasp in shock.

Such a vast amount of wealth was beyond his imagination, and he had no idea where he could possibly obtain it.

However, he was not satisfied with merely achieving the level of Sinew Refinement Like Dragon.

Since there was a method to reach Sinew Refinement Like Dragon, he was determined to give it his all.

"If I have the chance to find the Black Mountain Army, I'll exterminate them all. It'll be a perfect opportunity to test my current arrow technique and earn a substantial amount of contribution points," Jiang Ning thought to himself.

According to his previous understanding, exterminating the Black Mountain Army would earn a ninth-rank warrior 50 contribution points.

An eighth-rank warrior would be worth 500 points.

A seventh-rank warrior would be worth 5,000 points.

A sixth-rank warrior would be worth 50,000 points.

As for a fifth-rank warrior, there were very few in the world, and they were not as common as cabbages.

Even during the Black Lotus Sect's most prosperous period, there were only a handful of fifth-rank Inner Fortitude Realm warriors.

Not to mention the present situation.

A few days later, on the desolate island.

Boom!

The arrow shot out like a rainbow, piercing through the air.

[Thunderbolt Arrow Experience +1]



[Technique]: Thunderbolt Arrow Art (Second Break Limit 1501/3000) (Trait: Wind and Thunder Breath, Mind Arrow Technique)



"The experience is more than halfway there!"

Seeing the changes on the panel, Jiang Ning felt greatly encouraged.

Over the past few days, except for the first day when he spent the entire time at the Inspection Department refining his body's major sinews, he had been practicing his arrows on this desolate island.

The third break limit of the Thunderbolt Arrow Art was still the most important thing in Jiang Ning's eyes.

After that, Jiang Ning continued to draw his bow and shoot arrows.

In these days, he didn't know how many longbows he had broken, but each arrow was still drawn to the full draw.

These ordinary longbows, costing only a few dozen taels of silver each, were mere consumables to him.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The arrows left the bowstring, piercing through the air and creating rolling waves of energy.

[Thunderbolt Arrow Experience +1]



[Thunderbolt Arrow Experience +1]



[Thunderbolt Arrow Experience +1]



Each arrow imbued with the Wind and Thunder Breath increased his Thunderbolt Arrow Art experience by one point.

Two more days passed.

On the other side, at the Yellow Heaven Sect headquarters.

"Liu Tianshi, have you found out who the murderer was that night?" The middle-aged woman, upon seeing Liu Lintang who had just appeared, immediately asked.

Liu Lintang shook his head, "I've used Open Heavenly Eye to investigate all four commanders and the two vice commanders, but I haven't found any clues."

"Could it be that person you mentioned, the Earth King with the Yin Soul?" the woman asked.

"Impossible!" Liu Lintang shook his head and continued, "That Earth King can travel thousands of miles with his Yin Soul, and it only takes him half an hour to reach Luoshui County. Since he promised to do this, he would never go back on his word."

Then, Liu Lintang added, "There are two more people I haven't investigated. One of them is most likely the culprit from that night."

"Who are they?" the woman asked.

"Jiang Ning and Tang Miaomiao."

"Jiang Ning, Liu Tianshi didn't see him last night?" The woman's expression was one of surprise.

She also knew that Liu Lintang had gone to secretly observe Jiang Ning the night before, checking if Jiang Ning had been marked by the Earth King's Yin Soul.

Liu Lintang shook his head, "I didn't see him. Jiang Ning wasn't at home last night."

"Then I suspect it's Jiang Ning!" The woman's gaze intensified.

"It's hard to say!" Liu Lintang shook his head. "Tang Miaomiao took leave a few days ago; she might have been avoiding me."

The woman said, "But as far as I know, Tang Miaomiao isn't skilled in archery; she's proficient in swordsmanship."

"I haven't seen Jiang Ning being skilled in archery either," Liu Lintang slowly replied.

Instinctively, he didn't want the culprit to be Jiang Ning, as that would mean confronting him.

The more he learned about Jiang Ning's past, the more he became apprehensive.

In just a few months, Jiang Ning had transformed from an ordinary person with no strength to bind a chicken into a top-tier heaven-born talent on the Qianlong Ranking.

This fact was terrifying to even think about.

With his knowledge and experience, he suspected that Jiang Ning was either a reincarnated person or someone whose body had been taken over.

Jiang Ning's transformation was beyond his comprehension.

Precisely because of this, he instinctively didn't want to confront Jiang Ning or become his enemy.

If they became enemies, he hadn't figured out how to handle the situation.

How would they deal with it if they became enemies?

Even if he took action and resolved it cleanly, it would be impossible to deceive heaven and earth.

The Inspection Department had many means to find the real culprit.

At that time, he would have nowhere to hide, neither in heaven nor on earth.

As the leader of the Yellow Heaven Sect, he had met many important figures and witnessed many incredible abilities.

Like the Earth King he communicated with that night, who could travel thousands of miles with his Yin Soul and ask ghosts and gods, and ask heaven and earth to know everything that happened in a particular place.

No matter how secretive the means were, heaven and earth would know.

That Earth King possessed the abilities of an ancient immortal.

Perhaps one of the sect's Heaven Kings had similar abilities.

A thousand miles apart, he directly unleashed the Curse Killing Technique.

Therefore, he was extremely resistant to the idea of becoming an enemy of the Inspection Department.

Not to mention, in his opinion, Jiang Ning was far more complex than he appeared on the surface.

If he was indeed the reincarnation of certain figures from the rumors, a person who awakened their innate wisdom, it would be even more difficult to kill him with his current strength.

Just like the rumors about the Buddha Son and the Daoist Son, one claimed to be the reincarnation of the Buddha, and the other claimed to be the reincarnation of the Dao Ancestor.

Among these two, the Buddha Son, at the brink of death, had a Buddha appear on his forehead.

The Great Sun Buddha.

The Buddha statue stood a hundred zhang tall.

With a single palm strike, he flattened a mountain peak and killed a renowned demonic martial arts master in the world.

Some said that this was the method left behind by the Buddha for his reincarnation to protect his life.

This explanation was also the most widely accepted by the people.

Therefore, no matter what, Liu Lintang's innate instinct was not to become an enemy of Jiang Ning.

After several months of traveling, he had gained extensive knowledge, far surpassing many in understanding the information hidden within.

Relying solely on talent, it was impossible to reach this stage.

Two days later.

It was afternoon.

The sky was overcast.

Since the last weather change, there hadn't been many clear days.

Most days, the sky remained gloomy, occasionally accompanied by a few autumn showers.

At this time, the autumn rain couldn't alleviate the dryness of the crops.

However, thanks to Luoshui Lake, the crops in Luoshui County, and this year, the dryness wasn't severe.

According to the season, it was already early winter.

The crops in the fields had long been harvested, and the autumn rain no longer mattered.

Boom—

Standing on the cliff, Jiang Ning released an arrow, which shot through the air, stirring up gusts of wind.

[Thunderbolt Arrow Technique Experience Points +1]



Suddenly, Jiang Ning's gaze intensified.

On the distant lake surface, he spotted a light boat heading towards him.

The next moment.

His expression relaxed.

He recognized the person on the boat as Xie Xiaojiu.

These past few nights, he had been staying at Xie Xiaojiu's home, sharing a room with her.

His trust in Xie Xiaojiu had grown stronger.

Looking at Xie Xiaojiu, Jiang Ning smiled and glanced at the target board before drawing his bow and shooting another arrow.

[Technique]: Thunderbolt Arrow Technique (Second Break Limit 2993/3000) (Trait: Wind and Thunder Breath, Mind Arrow Technique)



He was now only a hair's breadth away from reaching 3,000 experience points in Thunderbolt Arrow Technique.

With just seventeen more arrows, his Thunderbolt Arrow Technique would reach 3,000 experience points, and he could perform the third break limit of the technique.

Boom—

Jiang Ning released the arrow, and in an instant, it broke the sound barrier, creating a powerful gust of wind.

The mighty wind swept across the lake surface, causing waves to surge and spread to both sides of the gust.

In the distance.

Xie Xiaojiu watched in shock.

"Supersonic arrow!" she muttered.

She clearly saw the arrow approaching her at an angle.

The sound of the arrow only reached her ears after it had passed.

This indicated that Jiang Ning's arrow had broken the sound barrier.

"The adult's arrow technique is so terrifying!" Xie Xiaojiu muttered, her eyes filled with disbelief.

As a native of Luoshui County, she had long known everything about Jiang Ning.

But the more she knew, the more surreal this scene felt.

An arrow that could break the sound barrier had only been achieved by one person in the entire Luoshui County, and that was Cao Rong.

And what kind of strength did Cao Rong possess?

He was at the peak of the seventh stage of the Martial Dao, renowned for his sinew refinement, reaching the level of dragon sinews, an unattainable level.

Only at the seventh stage of the Martial Dao could one shoot an arrow that broke the sound barrier for less than a breath.

With just a glance, Xie Xiaojiu knew that Jiang Ning's arrow maintained the sound barrier break for more than a breath.

The power between the two was incomparable.

Jiang Ning's arrow was clearly far superior to Cao Rong's technique.

"The adult's talent is too terrifying!" Xie Xiaojiu muttered, feeling extremely incredulous.

In just a few months, Jiang Ning had reached the seventh stage of the Martial Dao, which was already unbelievable in her eyes.

And now, his displayed arrow technique far surpassed Cao Rong's.

She couldn't understand how Jiang Ning had achieved this in such a short time.

His arrow technique had reached such a terrifying level.

In Xie Xiaojiu's opinion, this technique posed a deadly threat even to a sixth-stage Martial Dao practitioner.

Such strength had already made him the top martial artist in Luoshui County.

Xie Xiaojiu's eyes couldn't help but reveal her awe.

After a long while.

Huff—

She exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"His Martial Dao is so advanced that I may never catch up in this lifetime."

Thinking of this, a hint of gloom flashed in Xie Xiaojiu's eyes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end