Chapter 216: Breakthrough and the Serpentine Sinews

Chapter 216: Breakthrough and the Serpentine Sinews

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

It was a morning in late autumn, and the sky was darker than usual.

Jiang Ning sat cross-legged in a wooden tub, steam rising from the water within, while the firewood beneath occasionally crackled with a 'pop' sound.

Sparks flew.

"You're really enduring, sir!" Xie Xiaojiu propped up her head, her eyelids fluttering, and her head occasionally drooping.

Just then, Jiang Ning suddenly opened his eyes, his expression filled with joy.

Xie Xiaojiu's beautiful eyes, which had been opening and closing, instantly became more alert, and the drowsiness in her mind dissipated.

"Sir!" she exclaimed.

Jiang Ning's joyful expression turned into a clenched fist, and his entire strength seemed to converge on that fist.

"I've finally reached the level of serpentine sinews!"

"Next, I need to figure out how to gather the remaining contribution points and quickly exchange them for the Dragon Ascension Pill to achieve the level of dragon sinews!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.

A moment later, he stood up.

The water flowed down from his body into the wooden tub with a splash.

"Sir, are we done for today?" Xie Xiaojiu asked.

"Yes, we're done!" Jiang Ning nodded.

"Why are we finishing so early today, sir?" Xie Xiaojiu wondered.

"I've broken through!" Jiang Ning explained, "So I should end today's sinew training."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xiaojiu's eyes widened in surprise.

"You've broken through, sir?"

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

Reaching the level of serpentine sinews meant his strength had increased significantly.

Now, as long as he could find a way to obtain 30,000 contribution points to exchange for the Dragon Ascension Pill, he might be able to smoothly break through to the level of dragon sinews.

Once he stepped into the level of dragon sinews, he could begin his journey towards the Sixth Rank.

"You've truly broken through, sir!" Xie Xiaojiu was amazed.

After seeing Jiang Ning's calm and confident expression, she had no more doubts.

A few days ago, she had witnessed Jiang Ning's strength firsthand.

With a single palm strike, he had killed the Black Mountain Cavalry leader, a Seventh Rank Mastery.

This indicated that Jiang Ning was at least a Seventh Rank himself.

And now, he had broken through again.

Xie Xiaojiu's eyes shone with disbelief.

What level would he reach with this new breakthrough, on top of his existing foundation?

Several hours later, Jiang Ning boarded Xie Xiaojiu's carriage in an alley.

"I've kept you waiting in the snow!" Xie Xiaojiu quickly took out a mink coat and draped it over Jiang Ning as he entered the carriage.

"It's fine!" Jiang Ning smiled, "I haven't seen snow in a long time, and standing in it today feels rather nice!"

As he spoke, Jiang Ning adjusted the coat, making it more comfortable on his body.

This was the first snowfall he had witnessed since arriving in this world.

He had just conducted a simple experiment to test if his water control ability worked on snow.

The results were disappointing—his water control had no effect on snow.

Moreover, the presence of snow did not extend his sensory perception.

While in water, regardless of the temperature, he only felt the comfort of a hot spring bath.

However, in the midst of a heavy snowfall, he could sense the cold.

Even though the cold had no impact on him, the continuous chill still made him feel less comfortable.

At the entrance of the Inspection Bureau.

"Master Liu, you said that Jiang Ning is likely the one who killed our sect leader that night?" A woman stood with Liu Lintang, braving the heavy snowfall.

"It's highly probable!" Liu Lintang confidently replied, "We just need to verify it!"

A moment later, Liu Lintang spoke again.

"He's here!" Liu Lintang said, looking towards the slowly approaching carriage.

At the same time, Jiang Ning's gaze intensified.

"Sir, what's wrong?" Xie Xiaojiu sensed the change in the atmosphere inside the carriage and asked.

"An uninvited guest has arrived!" Jiang Ning said.

"Is it the person you've been avoiding these days, sir?" Xie Xiaojiu suddenly asked.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded slightly.

"Then sir, let me handle him this time!" Xie Xiaojiu said.

"There's no need!" Jiang Ning calmly replied, "He's a smart person, and at this point, continuing to hide serves no purpose. It's just self-deception!"

On the other side, Liu Lintang approached Xie Xiaojiu and Jiang Ning's carriage.

The middle-aged woman followed closely behind him, silent.

A moment later, Liu Lintang stopped in front of Jiang Ning's carriage and bowed respectfully towards the carriage.

"Greetings, Commander Jiang. May I have a word with you?"

Action: The snow fell silently, and a moment of silence ensued.

"Yes!" A voice emerged from within the carriage.

The next instant, the curtain of the carriage was swept aside, and Liu Lintang saw Jiang Ning, dressed in a white robe with intricate embroidery, stepping out and bowing.

This white robe with intricate embroidery was the same one that Xie Xiaojiu had personally tailored for Jiang Ning a few days ago.

She had said that Jiang Ning looked good in the white robe!

So, Jiang Ning decided to follow her lead.

At the same time, Xie Xiaojiu, dressed in a black skirt, also emerged from the carriage, following Jiang Ning and standing by his side.

"Wait for me here!" Jiang Ning spoke to Xie Xiaojiu, handing over the sable fur coat draped over his shoulders to her.

Hearing this, Xie Xiaojiu glanced deeply at Liu Lintang, then nodded obediently towards Jiang Ning, accepting the sable fur coat from him.

Jiang Ning jumped down from the carriage, stepping onto the soft snow-covered ground, landing silently.

At this moment, Liu Lintang's right index and middle fingers were pinched together, lightly gliding across his own eyebrows.

The next instant, he suddenly understood.

"As expected!"

"Speak up!" Jiang Ning said calmly.

"Yes!" Liu Lintang bowed slightly, displaying a respectful demeanor.

Seeing Jiang Ning's calm and composed demeanor, Liu Lintang's heart filled with even more confidence.

Then, he nodded slightly, "You said that your Earth King used his Yin Soul to find me, and after marking me, I naturally couldn't just retreat unscathed!"

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Liu Lintang's heart suddenly understood.

No wonder after that day, when he burned incense to contact the Earth King, he couldn't get any response.

Turns out the Earth King had already suffered Yin Soul damage that very night.

Yin Soul injuries are notoriously difficult and troublesome.

If the injury worsens, it could lead to soul loss or even a vegetative state.

At this moment, Liu Lintang fully understood. The Earth King's lack of response afterwards was because he was recuperating, healing his Yin Soul injury.

Hence, he had no time to respond to Liu Lintang's request.

Meanwhile, Liu Lintang realized another key point from Jiang Ning's words.

The Earth King used his Yin Soul to find Jiang Ning and then had his Yin Soul marked, but was injured by Jiang Ning's counterattack.

"Injuring the Yin Soul! Such a method, how could it be something a Heaven-born Talent from a small place like this could achieve?" Liu Lintang thought to himself.

Then, he became even more respectful.

He was certain of his previous speculation—this was either a reincarnated powerful figure or a body-snatching old demon.

Action: Regardless of any possibility, it is not normal for a Heaven-born Talent to behave in such a manner.

As Liu Lintang's eyes shifted, Jiang Ning spoke again.

"Sect Leader Liu, did you come here today to seek revenge for your sect's disciple?"

"How dare I! How dare I!" Liu Lintang immediately regained his composure, a smile on his face.

Then he said, "Commander Jiang is an official appointed by the court. I, a mere commoner, beseech Commander Jiang to spare our lives!"

"If Commander Jiang is willing to spare us, and if he has any orders in the future, even if I face the Mountain of Blades and Sea of Fire, I will not frown."

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Liu Lintang suddenly laughed.

The next moment, he turned and left.

Seeing Jiang Ning's meaningful smile, Liu Lintang was momentarily perplexed.

He stared blankly at Jiang Ning's departing figure until Jiang Ning re-entered the carriage, disappearing from his sight as he boarded the carriage. His eyes continued to shift.

"What could he mean by that?" Liu Lintang pondered, recalling Jiang Ning's smile.

"Master Liu!" A middle-aged woman appeared beside Liu Lintang and spoke.

Hearing this voice, Liu Lintang slowly regained his composure.

"Master Liu, was that person from the other night Commander Jiang?" The middle-aged woman, seeing Liu Lintang's regained composure, asked again.

"It was him!" Liu Lintang nodded.

"It was indeed him!" The middle-aged woman's eyes suddenly intensified, her gaze filled with fierceness.

Then, she said, "Master Liu, can you let me take this revenge?"

"You want to take action against Commander Jiang and seek revenge for the Sect Leader from your sect?" Liu Lintang looked at the middle-aged woman with surprise.

"Yes!" The middle-aged woman nodded heavily, then continued, "That person is closely related to me. I must take revenge for him!"

"So..." The middle-aged woman looked at Liu Lintang, "Please, Master Liu, let me have this opportunity to take revenge for the Blood Blade Enemy!"

Seeing the middle-aged woman's determined gaze, Liu Lintang pondered for about two breaths.

Then, he slowly nodded, "Since you say so, then I'll do as you wish!"

"Thank you, Master Liu!" The middle-aged woman's eyes immediately filled with a thick shade of joy.

Seizing this opportunity, I will surely rise to great heights!

A thought flashed through her mind.

At this moment, Liu Lintang's mind was also filled with playful thoughts.

The Sun Sect Leader from the Cult of Malevolent Gods wanted to take action against Jiang Ning. Liu Lintang naturally welcomed this.

"This way, I can test Commander Jiang's depth using this Sun Sect Leader. If he can handle the crisis posed by the Sun Sect Leader, then my previous guess about the possibilities becomes more likely. So, what if I retreat and bow down?"

"If I guessed wrong, then I'll die at the hands of the Sun Sect Leader. In the future, if the Inspection Bureau investigates, it won't have anything to do with me!"

As Liu Lintang's thoughts flowed, he figured everything out.

On the other side, Jiang Ning had just returned to the carriage and fell into deep thought.

"It seems that Liu Lintang has imagined a lot about me!"

"As the saying goes, the most lethal imagination is the one without form!"

"After today's events, using the damaged Earth King Yin Soul to bluff, in a short time, Liu Lintang will surely not dare to take action against me!"

"This way, I can consider myself safe for a while!"

"That's not bad!"

After figuring it out, Jiang Ning felt relieved.

To be honest, a Fifth Rank Inner Fortitude Realm expert like Hong Minghu, who had just given him pressure, was not to be underestimated.

Whether he had the qualifications to engage in a battle with such a figure, Jiang Ning had no certainty.

A true Fifth Rank Inner Fortitude Realm expert would certainly not be someone who had only initially mastered Inner Breath.

After all, his accumulation was not deep, and the total amount of Inner Breath he possessed was far from comparable to a figure like Liu Lintang.

Not to mention the two of them were separated by the Martial Dao Sixth Rank boundary.

Therefore, if they couldn't match up for now, it would be the best option.

As Jiang Ning pondered, the carriage also arrived at the entrance of the Inspection Bureau.

"Sir, we've arrived!" Xie Xiaojiu spoke.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning regained his composure, lifted the curtain of the carriage door, and stepped out.

After the two of them landed, treading on the soft snow, Xie Xiaojiu suddenly asked, "Sir, has that matter been resolved?"

Jiang Ning understood the meaning behind Xie Xiaojiu's words.

He nodded, "Temporarily resolved!"

"Then..." Xie Xiaojiu opened his mouth, "Will you be returning with me tonight, sir?"

"I need to go home first, so my brother and sister-in-law won't continue to worry!"

Hearing Jiang Ning's response, Xie Xiaojiu's eyes dimmed.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end