Chapter 252: The Wonders of the Water and Fire Mantle, Skyrocketing Inner Essence Cultivation Skill!

Chapter 252: The Wonders of the Water and Fire Mantle, Skyrocketing Inner Essence Cultivation Skill!

In the courtyard.

"Master is practicing his fist techniques again!" Xie Xiaojiu exclaimed.

"Yes!" Feng Jiuge nodded.

"Master's muscular physique is so attractive!" Xie Xiaojiu praised.

"I want to pinch it!" She suddenly blurted out.

Feng Jiuge glanced at her: "When you slept with Master, didn't you pinch enough?"

Xie Xiaojiu immediately understood what Feng Jiuge was referring to and quickly shook her head: "Don't talk nonsense!"

"Master is a gentleman, he has never slept with me!"

"When Master stayed at my home, he slept on the floor."

Hearing these words, Feng Jiuge looked at Xie Xiaojiu in surprise: "Is that true?"

"Of course, it's true!" Xie Xiaojiu affirmed.

Upon hearing this, Feng Jiuge's expression brightened slightly.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Jiang Ning removed his upper garment and practiced his fist techniques in the courtyard, beads of sweat forming on his nose and his body emitting a faint steam.

[Five Animal Fist Experience +3]



[Five Animal Fist Experience +3]



[Five Animal Fist Experience +4]



[.]



With each repetition of the fist technique, a prompt appeared before him.

As time passed, experience points accumulated, and the second limit break drew closer.

At noon.

After lunch.

Jiang Ning soaked in a bathtub.

[Skill]: Five Animal Fist (Limit Break Progress: 1288/2000) (Attribute: Five Viscera Essence Storage)



Jiang Ning glanced at his status panel and then closed it.

His body slowly sank, submerging into the bathtub.

With the nourishment of the water, he felt his condition gradually recovering.

Half an hour later.

Jiang Ning stepped out of the room and stood in the courtyard, which had already been cleared of snow, and continued his fist practice.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Wanhua Tower.

"Elder Sister-in-law, when can I meet the Jiang Ning you mentioned?" A girl in a goose yellow skirt rested her head on the table in front of her, looking like a limp mud.

Lin Qingyi looked at the girl before her and smiled faintly.

"Little Seventeen, are you in such a hurry?"

"This place is so boring, it's too dull!" The girl swayed from side to side.

Just then, a handsome man beside her spoke up: "Little Seventeen, we didn't come out to play, but to travel the world and see what it's like."

"Didn't we already see it yesterday? Luoshui County seemed so peaceful and prosperous," the girl said.

Hearing this, Lin Qingyi spoke up: "Little Seventeen, yesterday you and the Eighth Prince saw the inner city, where the residents are either wealthy or noble, naturally giving the impression of a peaceful and prosperous nation."

"If you two really want to understand the lives of ordinary people, you should go to the outer city!"

"The outer city?" The man immediately stood up: "Since Elder Sister-in-law says so, Little Seventeen, let's go and see what the outer city of Luoshui County looks like!"

"Okay!" The girl stood up.

At the Yellow Heaven Sect's base.

Liu Linmen looked at the man in front of him, dressed in a white robe and exuding a gentle and elegant aura, with a heavy heart.

He recognized the man—he was He Jinseng from the River Clear Marquis Manor in Dongling Prefecture.

Although he was only the second son, according to Liu Linmen's understanding, he was the only one with the qualifications to inherit the Marquis position.

The firstborn son of the River Clear Marquis Manor was a martial arts failure, with a pitiful lack of talent. Despite being thirty-three years old, he was still at the peak of the Ninth Stage.

On the other hand, the second son possessed exceptional martial arts talent. Even before reaching thirty years of age, he had reached the peak of the Sixth Stage and had even obtained the title of Military Scholar.

After the start of spring, he would also be eligible to compete for the title of Military Champion.

In the Great Xia Dynasty, only the strong could protect their legacy. The River Clear Marquis position would inevitably fall to the second son, Liu Jinseng.

This was why Liu Linmen's heart grew heavy upon seeing He Jinseng's arrival.

"Second Young Master, please take a seat!" Liu Linmen spoke, gesturing for him to enter.

"No need!" He Jinseng shook his head: "Let's get straight to the point. The reason I'm here today is simple! I want to know who is most likely to be the murderer of my younger brother in Luoshui County. I believe you, the renowned Divine Providence, have a rough idea of the answer."

Just as expected!

Upon hearing He Jinseng's words, Liu Linmen sighed inwardly.

An image of Jiang Ning flashed through his mind, and he replied with a troubled expression: "Second Young Master, I'm sorry! As far as I know, the Fifth Young Master's death was mysterious, and I truly don't know who could have done it."

"Do you really not know, or are you pretending?" He Jinseng stared at Liu Linmen, his eyebrows furrowing, and a mark appeared between his brows.

"I truly don't know!" Liu Linmen looked at the confrontational He Jinseng, his face showing helplessness.

The moment these words were spoken, the room fell silent, not a sound to be heard.

After a few breaths, Liu Tianzheng said, "If you think of any clues in the future, come and tell me. I'll remember this favor."

"Absolutely!" Liu Linmen readily agreed.

Soon after, as he watched He Jinseng's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Liu Linmen shook his head with a smile and then turned back.

At the entrance of Luoshui County.

A man was leading a horse and standing a hundred meters away from the city gate, gazing up at the three characters of 'Luoshui County' above the gate.

The road was blocked by heavy snow, making the journey extremely arduous.

Now, facing such a difficult task, how could it not be bitter?

He was well aware that Jiang Ning was from the Inspection Office and was not an ordinary person. He was an eighth-rank official appointed by the court, and one of the powerful figures in the Inspection Office.

Even though everyone knew that Cao Rong was killed by Jiang Ning, how could they possibly move against Jiang Ning, who held the position of deputy commander in Luoshui County?

Thinking of this, he glanced at the man beside him and then cautiously said, "Sir, why don't we just fool around like Feng Jiaowei did with Yan Duwei?"

"What? Do you think I'm not Jiang Ning's match?" the man asked.

"But Luoshui County is Jiang Ning's territory, and he has the backing of the Inspection Office."

"If we were to clash with him, it would be like trying to fight four hands with two fists!"

Hearing this, the man laughed heartily.

His words trailed off.

He strode forward.

"Let's go! Into the city!"

"Investigate what?" the man asked. "Let's go drink some flower wine, and after a few days, we'll deal with the injuries and return!"

The next day.

The weather was clear, the sun was bright, and the sky was cloudless.

The warm sun hung high in the sky, radiating endless light and heat.

This was a rare good day.

Jiang Ning had been practicing his punches in his courtyard.

[Five Animal Fist Experience +4]



[Five Animal Fist Experience +3]



[Five Animal Fist Experience +4]



[.]



After practicing the punches countless times, their meaning would naturally be understood.

After a while, Jiang Ning gathered his fist stance and exhaled a breath of turbid air from his abdomen.

At this moment, his whole body was drenched in sweat, and he was emitting a lot of heat. A wisp of smoke rose from his head.

[Skill]: Five Animal Fist (Once Broken Limit 1723/2000) (Characteristic: Five Viscera Essence Storage)



Jiang Ning glanced at his panel and then closed it.

"Almost there!"

"With my current efficiency, by midnight tonight, the Five Animal Fist will be almost ready for the second limit break."

At this time, the hour was approaching the hour of the snake.

Jiang Ning's body leaped over the tall courtyard wall and landed on the rocky beach.

Then, he stepped on the ice layer of the lake, creating a huge opening.

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With the rare clear weather, Jiang Ning naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to absorb the sun's essence and increase his experience in Inner Essence Cultivation Skill.

After a moment, Jiang Ning sat cross-legged on the water's surface, with his upper body above the water and his lower body submerged.

The lake water began to freeze again.

At this moment, Jiang Ning, like a Taoist master, faced the sun and began to absorb its essence.

As the sun's essence entered his body, waves of heat radiated from him.

The lake water, which had just started to freeze, suddenly began to melt, and the surrounding ice layer also slowly thawed.

Suddenly, Jiang Ning abruptly opened his eyes, and his eyes showed joy.

Something's wrong!!

He looked up at the sky. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and there were no clouds in sight. Even though half of his body was submerged in the water, he could still feel the warmth of the sun.

His body suddenly leaped out of the water and landed on the nearby ice layer.

Then, he faced the sun above and inhaled, and a scorching sun's essence was instantly sucked into his abdomen through his nose.

He slowly closed his eyes.

After a few breaths, he opened his eyes, and joy filled them.

At this moment, he was certain that the sun's essence had entered his body, and he no longer felt the burning sensation in his five viscera and six entrails.

[Skill]: Waterfire Essence Technique (Secondary Limit Break 48/3000) (Characteristic: Water and Fire Mantle, Control of Water and Fire)



[Water and Fire Mantle]: Possesses the Water and Fire Mantle, immune to water and fire.

"Could it be because of this, due to the characteristic of the Water and Fire Mantle?"

Jiang Ning muttered to himself.

He had already made an attempt before.

With the Water and Fire Mantle, even flames reaching over a thousand degrees couldn't cause any burns to his body.

"It should be!" Looking at the description of the Water and Fire Mantle on the panel, Jiang Ning instantly confirmed his guess.

If flames couldn't affect him, then bathing in magma would be possible.

In such a situation, what would the temperature of the Great Solar Essence be? Naturally, it wouldn't cause any burning sensation to his five viscera.

At this thought, his heart filled with joy.

Unafraid of the burning of the Great Solar Essence, this meant that his efficiency in absorbing the Great Solar Essence would also increase.

With increased efficiency, his experience points would also grow faster.

Moreover, the growth rate of his inner breath would also improve.

The next moment,

He sat cross-legged like a Taoist master on the ice layer, looking up and absorbing the Great Solar Essence from above.

[Inner Essence Cultivation Skill Experience +1]



[Inner Essence Cultivation Skill Experience +1]



[Inner Essence Cultivation Skill Experience +1]



[.]



The frequency of the prompts appeared more than twice as fast as before.

Time passed slowly, and the experience points of the Inner Essence Cultivation Skill continued to rise.

At the eighth hour of the morning, the hour of noon.

Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes.

Hoo—

He exhaled the astonishing heat from his abdomen, and the thin layer of ice in front of him instantly melted, revealing water stains.

Then, amidst the cold air emanating from the ice layer, it quickly froze again.

[This absorption of the Great Solar Essence has earned a total of 98 experience points for the Inner Essence Cultivation Skill.]



A thought moved in his mind, and a summary prompt appeared before him.

Looking at the prompt, a hint of delight flashed in Jiang Ning's eyes.

With this efficiency, the speed had more than doubled compared to before!

[Skill]: Inner Essence Cultivation Skill (Minor Accomplishment 991/5000)



"With my current efficiency, in just over forty days of sunrise time, my Inner Essence Cultivation Skill will reach Major Accomplishment, and my inner breath will be as powerful as a gale!"

"I never expected that the Water and Fire Mantle would have such an amazing effect!"

Jiang Ning's heart was filled with countless emotions.

Since obtaining the Water and Fire Mantle with this characteristic, today was the only clear day.

Also because of this clear day, he learned that the Water and Fire Mantle had such an effect, increasing his efficiency of absorbing the Great Solar Essence by more than double his original rate.

Originally, it would take eighty to ninety days of clear weather to achieve this, but now it only required about forty days.

At this thought, Jiang Ning looked up at the sky and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, there's too little time with good weather this winter. It's either snowing or cloudy!"

"If there were more sunny days, my Inner Essence Cultivation Skill would break through to the next level faster, and I'd have means that could rival a Fifth Rank peak. Even if the River God Manor causes trouble for me, I wouldn't be the slightest bit afraid!"

Returning to the courtyard, Jiang Ning continued his fist training.

Under the warm sun, he sweated profusely.

Suddenly,

Clop, clop, clop—

Footsteps approached from outside the courtyard.

Jiang Ning looked up and saw Jiang Li slowly appearing in his line of sight.

"Big brother?"

"Ah Ning!" Jiang Li's face lit up with a hint of simplicity.

"Big brother, is there something you need?"

Jiang Li said, "Ah Ning, have you forgotten? At the third hour of noon, it's time for the Cao family to be executed in the vegetable market. We should go and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning suddenly realized.

"So it's time for the Cao family's execution!"

"Ah Ning, shall we go?" Jiang Li asked.

"Let's go!" Jiang Ning nodded affirmatively.

Then he said, "Big brother, wait here for a moment. I'll go take a quick shower and change my clothes."

After saying this, Jiang Ning climbed over the wall of the courtyard and headed towards the lake.

After breaking through the ice layer, he dove into the icy lake to wash away the sweat stains on his body.

Then, he changed into dry clothes in the water.

When he emerged from the lake, the damp clothes on his body instantly dried, leaving no trace of water stains.

"This skill is so convenient!" Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.

With his mastery of Water Manipulation, any wet clothes in his hands could dry instantly.

Then, he thought of something else.

Shaking his head, he said, "Unfortunately, Water Manipulation can't separate blood."

He had tried this method before.

Initially, when he activated Water Manipulation, it seemed like a natural field enveloped the human body, and he couldn't separate even the blood of an ordinary person.

Even now, he couldn't achieve this, unable to separate the water from the human body.

After a moment,

He reappeared in front of Jiang Li.

"Big brother, let's go!"

Jiang Li looked at Jiang Ning's attire and was slightly surprised.

Then, without saying anything, he nodded slightly.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end