Chapter 222: Breakthrough in Strength, Achieving Dragon Sinew!

Chapter 222: Breakthrough in Strength, Achieving Dragon Sinew!

Inspection Office.

Internal Affairs Office.

"Senior!" Jiang Ning looked at the old woman before him with a respectful expression.

The old woman glanced at Jiang Ning and said, "You're quite early today!"

Then, a flash of white light appeared in her hand, and she threw it towards Jiang Ning.

"Here's the Dragon Ascension Pill. Take it!"

Jiang Ning quickly reached out and caught it.

The next moment, he opened the box in his hand, and a golden pill, as large as a pigeon egg, appeared before his eyes.

The golden pill was perfectly round, and its surface had a five-clawed dragon pattern.

"Is there any problem with the Dragon Ascension Pill?" the old woman asked.

"No problem!" Jiang Ning closed the lid of the silk box and nodded with satisfaction.

"If there's nothing else, please don't disturb me again!" she added, "By the way, if one Dragon Ascension Pill is not enough to help you reach the Dragon Sinew level, you can come back to me, but remember that you'll need to gather 50,000 contribution points."

"Understood, Senior!" Jiang Ning bowed respectfully.

"I'll take my leave now!" Jiang Ning said.

After leaving the Internal Affairs Office, Jiang Ning opened his palm again, took out the Dragon Ascension Pill, and examined it. A hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

With the long-awaited Dragon Ascension Pill in hand, he could take another step forward on his martial path, and how could he not be delighted?

Reaching the Dragon Sinew level, he could begin forging his bones.

Once the bone forging reached a minor achievement, he would attain the Sixth Rank.

As long as he completed the Sixth Rank bone forging process, achieving the Fifth Rank Inner Fortitude Realm would be effortless for him.

Jiang Ning quickly put away the silk box and hurried towards his residence.

A moment later, he arrived at his courtyard and sat down. The silk box containing the Dragon Ascension Pill reappeared in his hand.

Opening the box, the golden Dragon Ascension Pill came into view.

"According to my understanding, consuming this pill and harnessing its medicinal power will aid in the transformation of my major sinews, greatly enhancing their resilience!" Jiang Ning murmured.

The next moment, he held the pill in the air.

As saliva secreted, the pill's outer coating quickly dissolved, releasing a potent medicinal fragrance into his mouth.

"Indeed, the Dragon Ascension Pill lives up to its reputation; the fragrance is so rich!" Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed, and he marveled inwardly.

In an instant, he swallowed the pill, and it dropped into his abdomen, as large as a pigeon egg.

The pill's effects were not intense upon entering his stomach.

Jiang Ning closed his eyes slightly and sensed a subtle warmth emanating from his abdomen.

Then, he used his psychic energy to examine his body.

Instantly, he saw the golden Dragon Ascension Pill floating within his abdomen like a tiny sun.

The floating 'sun' continuously emitted strands of golden fluid, merging into his body and dissolving within his major sinews.

After observing for a moment, he opened his eyes.

As expected, just as he had understood, even without actively refining the pill's power and mobilizing his blood and energy to temper his major sinews, the resilience of his sinews would still increase on its own under the influence of the pill's medicinal power!

However!

As expected, actively refining the pill's power and mobilizing blood and energy to temper his major sinews would significantly enhance efficiency and the utilization of the medicinal power.

"Let's give it a try!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.

He quickly found a spot and sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes.

The next moment, he began to visualize a furnace.

The Furnace Transformation Technique was a secret art of Medicine King Valley.

By visualizing a furnace, one's body became the furnace, and their internal energy the firewood.

This secret art could assist in refining all kinds of pills, purifying medicinal power, removing impurities, and reducing the accumulation of pill toxins.

As he employed this secret art, the power of his internal energy blazed fiercely.

His body temperature soared, and the heat waves caused the surrounding snow to melt rapidly.

At the same time—

A dragon's roar reverberated within him, followed by the Dragon Ascension Pill going berserk and violently shaking his body.

It seemed to be gathering some kind of power.

The next moment, countless strands of medicinal power, like golden light, shot into his body.

With this change, Jiang Ning abruptly stopped visualizing the Furnace Transformation Technique.

He quickly mobilized his blood and energy to capture the rampaging medicinal power.

Half a tea break later, Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes.

He clenched his fist, feeling the pull of power within him, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

"The resilience of my major sinews has indeed improved, and my explosive power has increased."

He clenched his fist again and summoned his major sinews, murmuring, "But I need to rest for a while! Such intense tempering of the major sinews has pushed them to the brink; even a slight exertion of force causes them to throb painfully."

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

A week had gone by.

During this week.

Jiang Ning spent his time refining the Dragon Ascension Pill to enhance the resilience of his major sinews, reading to gain experience in Literary Proficiency, and soaking in hot baths.

The reason for the hot baths was that his major sinews, due to excessive refinement and the impact of violent medicinal power, had reached a state of overburden.

In this situation, with his innate affinity for water, he could rapidly restore his body while submerged in it.

This greatly accelerated the recovery of his inner sinews.

At this moment, Jiang Ning stood in the snow, clenching his fists, his expression filled with excitement.

The next moment—

Roar—

He unleashed a punch, the force coursing through his entire body, causing his inner sinews to tighten intensely from a relaxed state. Suddenly, a sound akin to a dragon's roar reverberated within his body.

With this punch, the air in front of him instantly solidified, briefly appearing as white mist, and the white fog flowed like water along his fist.

Boom—

The air exploded.

In an instant, a gust of energy rippled outward.

The snow on the branches in front of him was shaken by the gust, fluttering down like snowflakes.

"Dragon Sinews, it's done!!!" Jiang Ning exclaimed with great joy.

The Dragon Sinews level granted him five times the explosive power he had before.

This was the effect of the Dragon Sinews level.

Furthermore, he could faintly hear a dragon's roar resonating within his body, which was also a sign of reaching the Dragon Sinews level.

With both conditions met, there was no doubt that he had officially reached the Dragon Sinews level.

Sensing the changes within his body, Jiang Ning's face immediately showed a delighted expression.

"Just one Dragon Ascension Pill has allowed me to reach the Dragon Sinews level. Truly worthy of its name!"

"Moreover, the Furnace Transformation Technique from Medicine King Valley is indeed useful!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but marvel as he recalled the events of the past few days.

If not for the Furnace Transformation Technique, reaching this stage would have been far less efficient, requiring at least a month or more.

Additionally, he might have needed more than one Dragon Ascension Pill; even two might not be enough.

Just as the old woman from before had said, one pill might not be sufficient.

"I can always find her for another one!"

This meant that typically, one Dragon Ascension Pill might not be enough for a martial artist to reach the Dragon Sinews level.

"So comfortable!"

Jiang Ning soaked in the hot water, his face filled with enjoyment.

Even though he was no longer susceptible to the cold, he could still feel the winter's chill.

Taking a bath in the dead of winter was an immense pleasure, and being able to restore his body while bathing made the experience even more enjoyable.

As Jiang Ning soaked, he also opened his system panel.

【Name】: Jiang Ning

【Essence Energy】: 337.43

【Skills】:

Literary Proficiency (Three Limit Breaks at 3874/4000) (Characteristics: Photographic Memory, Extraordinary Senses, Keen Mind)



His Essence Energy points had reached over three hundred after these days, with most of the contribution coming from the Dragon Ascension Pill.

At the same time, these days had also brought his Literary Proficiency experience to a high value of 3874 points.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

With only a little over a hundred points left to reach 4000 experience points, he was close to completing the fourth Limit Break.

"To satisfy the requirements for the fourth Limit Break of Literary Proficiency, I only need a hundred Essence Energy points."

"In other words, as long as I reach the maximum experience, I can immediately complete the fourth Limit Break of this skill."

With this thought, Jiang Ning immediately picked up the book that had been placed nearby and began to flip through it.

【Literary Proficiency Experience +1】

【Literary Proficiency Experience +1】

【Literary Proficiency Experience +1】

【.】

As time slowly passed, the experience points for Literary Proficiency continued to grow.

Suddenly—

Dong dong dong—

Jiang Ning heard a series of knocks on the door.

"Is the Lord inside?" a voice asked.

Hearing this voice, Jiang Ning recognized it as Feng Jiuge, who had been missing for several days.

Thinking of Feng Jiuge, Jiang Ning focused his mind.

A few days ago, Feng Jiuge had told him that the other captains and several commanders were colluding, and that ordinary people who had once been followers of the Flesh God and carried his aura were tools for them to gain merit.

"What's she doing here now?" Jiang Ning wondered with a hint of curiosity.

He immediately responded, "I'm here!"

"Lord, I have important news to report from the military camp in Dongling City." Feng Jiuge's voice carried through the door to Jiang Ning's ears.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning's eyes flashed, and he said, "Wait for me at the door for a moment."

"Yes, Lord!" Feng Jiuge replied.

Jiang Ning immediately stood up, shaking off the water from his body.

Feng Jiuge's mention of news from the military camp in Dongling City reminded Jiang Ning of something.

It was about Cao Rong.

Calculating the time, he realized it was almost time for the Cao Family Manor to be executed.

After a short while, Jiang Ning appeared before Feng Jiuge, fully dressed.

Feng Jiuge glanced at Jiang Ning's figure, secretly taking a peek inside.

"Lord, is it just you here alone?"

"Who else would be here besides me?

(End of Chapter)

"Jiang Ning."

He then walked to the table beside the hall and poured a cup of tea for Feng Jiuge.

"Have some tea first, and then tell me what's the matter!"

"Thank you, Lord Jiang!" Feng Jiuge said.

She took the cup of tea that Jiang Ning handed her and drank it in one gulp, then said, "Lord Jiang, Cao Rong has already left the military camp, leading a hundred riders towards Luoshui County."

"A hundred riders?" Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed.

"Yes!" Feng Jiuge nodded. "Cao Rong's mission this time is to wipe out the Black Mountain Army! And it's said that Cao Rong has gained the favor of a Captain, who bestowed him a treasure, helping him break into the Sixth Rank of the Martial Dao. Lord Jiang, you must be careful!"

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Ning's expression changed in surprise.

"The Black Mountain Army? Weren't they all killed by me when they were roaming around Beilian Mountain?"

As for the latter half of Feng Jiuge's statement, Jiang Ning ignored it.

Not long ago, he had killed a Sixth Rank Martial Dao master, one who possessed an immortal body.

In Jiang Ning's eyes, the current Cao Rong was at most a newly-entered Sixth Rank, posing no threat.

Moreover, with his recent breakthrough, his strength had advanced even further beyond his original foundation.

Hearing the doubt in Jiang Ning's words, Feng Jiuge explained, "It's because you killed that group of the Black Mountain Army that another group has now come to Luoshui County, reportedly seeking revenge for their fallen brothers!"

"I see!" Jiang Ning nodded.

"What do you plan to do?" Feng Jiuge asked, voicing her inner confusion.

She was well aware that Cao Rong's arrival in Luoshui County was to confront her direct superior, Jiang Ning's trouble.

Her direct superior had personally led a raid on the Cao Family Manor, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries on the spot, while the rest were all thrown into prison.

Although this action was ordered by Hong Minghu, Cao Rong would never dare to cause trouble for Hong Minghu.

So, he could only target Jiang Ning's direct superior, causing him trouble.

Moreover, as far as she knew, there had been a rift between her direct superior and the Cao Family.

Meanwhile.

Feng Jiuge's question received no response from Jiang Ning.

Instead, he asked, "Do you have an approximate route of Cao Rong's march?"

"Yes!" Feng Jiuge nodded. "There's only one imperial highway from Dongling City to Luoshui County, the smoothest path. Cao Rong's group is all cavalry, so they'll undoubtedly ride straight to Luoshui County along the highway."

"The imperial highway?" Jiang Ning murmured, then nodded slightly. "I understand!"

Several hours later.

Jiang Ning had already left Luoshui County.

Elsewhere.

Yunlai Tower.

On the third-floor terrace overlooking the lake.

A middle-aged man in a green robe, with slightly graying temples but skin as smooth as a baby's, slowly spoke.

"Is the information reliable?"

"Yes, Valley Lord! The news is certain! Cao Rong has entered the Sixth Rank and is now leading a hundred riders. They've been on the move for three days, and by my calculations, they're only a day away from Luoshui County!"

"What about Jiang Ning?" asked the man in the green robe.

"According to the latest information, that Commander Jiang has already left the city!" Gongsun Yu, standing beside the man in the green robe, replied respectfully.

"Then we're in for a show!" The man in the green robe smiled and continued, "Cao Rong is a rising star in Dongling County, and although he's not on the Dragon Ascension List, his future potential should not be underestimated!"

"As for that young man named Jiang Ning, he's even more extraordinary. At a young age, he holds the position of Deputy Commander in the Inspection Office, an eighth-rank official, and is also on the Dragon Ascension List."

Hearing the praise from his Valley Lord, Gongsun Yu spoke again, "Valley Lord, do you think Commander Jiang's initiative to attack indicates that he has the confidence to kill Cao Rong?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no!" The man in the green robe replied indifferently.

He continued, "But if he can indeed kill Cao Rong among the hundred riders, I'll truly be impressed and offer him a grand gift!"

Yellow Heaven Sect Headquarters.

"Incense Master, according to the information, Commander Jiang has already left the city."

"He's left the city?" Liu Linmen said indifferently. "Tonight or tomorrow will likely be Cao Rong's death."

Thinking of Jiang Ning, he suddenly felt a headache.

After days of investigation, he was almost certain that Sun Tanzhu had been killed by Jiang Ning.

Sun Tanzhu's death had dashed the higher-ups' plans to bring the Yellow Heaven Sect under their command.

The members of the Idolatry Sect who had been hiding in the city were also killed in the Inspection Office's thorough search.

Even if they were to be gathered, they would be of little use and might even attract the attention of the Inspection Office.

This led Liu Linmen to abandon his previous plans.

"Commander Jiang is targeting the members of the Idolatry Sect. Could there be some grudge between him and the sect?" Recalling past events, this thought popped into Liu Linmen's mind.

(End)

Chapter end