Chapter 289: Half a Month Later, Improving Skills!

Chapter 289: Half a Month Later, Improving Skills!



In the following days, the weather took a sudden turn, and heavy snow blanketed the land once more.

The snow-covered mountains and blocked roads made it impossible for ordinary people to venture far from home.

Even common martial artists dared not venture out on their own.

The harsh natural conditions were enough to freeze or starve ordinary martial artists to death in the wilderness.

This led to an unusual sense of calm throughout Luoshui County.

The only place with some activity was the Xie Family.

During this time, Jiang Ning dedicated himself to daily cultivation and practice.

As time passed, his progress in the Five Beasts Fist Technique steadily increased, and the bones within his body gradually transformed into Jade Bones, reaching a completion of 90%.

Before he knew it, half a month had passed.

The bright moon hung high in the night sky.

After completing a full cycle of the Bone Forging Technique, Jiang Ning slowly retracted his fist.

[Five Beasts Fist Technique Experience: +2]



He saw the prompt before him and exhaled softly. Then, he opened his panel to take a look.

[Essence Energy: 173.66]



[Skills: Five Beasts Fist Technique (3rd Limit Break 4000/4000) (Attributes: Five Viscera Storing Essence, Five Elements Spirit, Fist Technique Master)]



After seeing his panel, he shook his head and closed it.

Several days ago, he had already accumulated enough experience for his fourth Limit Break in the Five Beasts Fist Technique.

So, in these past days, no matter how much his experience in the Five Beasts Fist Technique increased, there was no change on the panel.

To achieve the fourth Limit Break, he needed 500 Essence Energy points, but he only had over a hundred points, leaving a significant gap.

After closing the panel, his gaze naturally turned towards the Luoshui Lake outside the wall.

"Should I go to Luoshui Lake now to search for heavenly treasures and increase my Essence Energy points, or wait until later when my efficiency is higher?"

He pondered this question for a moment before shaking his head.

Luoshui Lake was vast and immense.

With his current strength, the efficiency of entering the lake was still low.

If his spiritual power could undergo another transformation, the area of perception within the water would increase exponentially. Combined with an enhanced Water Proficiency skill, that would be the time when entering Luoshui Lake to search for heavenly treasures would be truly cost-effective.

Even if he spent several days with his current efficiency and found more than ten heavenly treasures, what good would it do?

The combined value of over ten heavenly treasures might not even exceed ten thousand taels of silver.

The growth in Essence Energy points from this would be limited.

It would be better to use this time to continue practicing the fist technique and Bone Forging, improving his martial prowess.

After all, the heavenly treasures in Luoshui Lake wouldn't run away, but as his skills improved and his spiritual power underwent a transformation, his efficiency in searching for heavenly treasures within the water would greatly increase.

This way, he could sharpen his skills while also preparing for the future.

He then took a moment to examine his internal state.

In an instant, he saw that his Jade Bone transformation had reached 90% completion.

"Give me a few more days, and I'll be able to complete the casting of Jade Bones!"

Jiang Ning opened his eyes, his face filled with joy.

Then, he looked up at the top of the tree, where the bright moon hung high, indicating that the night had deepened.

Seeing this, he immediately dismissed the idea of continuing his cultivation.

"It's time to sleep. Tomorrow is the first day of work, and I need to go to the Inspection Office to see if that White-haired Granny has arrived."

At this thought, his heart was filled with anticipation.

As long as the elderly woman from the Internal Affairs Department was there, he could exchange the contributions for the two martial artists he had killed from the Divine Worship Sect.

It was known that they were two Fifth Rank Inner Fortitude Realm powerhouses from the Divine Worship Sect.

According to the rules previously announced by the Inspection Office, killing a Sixth Rank martial artist from the Divine Worship Sect would earn him five hundred contribution points.

Not to mention that killing a Fifth Rank Inner Fortitude Realm martial artist would earn him even more.

Additionally, tomorrow he could also get a promotion, increasing his authority within the Inspection Office and gaining access to martial arts knowledge and news of the Fifth Rank and above.

Gaining more knowledge about martial arts was extremely important for planning his future martial path.

Whether it was the matter of He Jinsheng's death, the Divine Worship Sect, or the impending arrival of the Black Lotus Mother in the mortal world, all these things made him feel a faint sense of crisis.

None of these three matters were something he could face with his current strength.

Regarding He Jinsheng's death, with He Jinsheng's attitude, it was certain that when he reported it in the past few days, his name would be brought up. At that time, He Jinsheng's biological mother would most likely target him.

And He Jinsheng's biological mother was the younger sister of the Palace Master of the Water Moon Sword Palace in Dongling Prefecture.

This blood relationship was as if he would soon face the Palace Master of the Water Moon Sword Palace, known as the most likely candidate to achieve the Mastery Realm in Dongling Prefecture.

Women were difficult to deal with, and they rarely made sense, especially older women like her.

As for the second matter, it was even more troublesome.

The Divine Worship Sect worships a deity known as the Flesh and Blood God.

Recently, due to issues of authority and previous conflicts, Jiang Ning has found himself in a significant dispute with the Divine Worship Sect, especially with the Flesh and Blood God, leading to a power struggle between them.

Based on his knowledge of ancient times from books, in such a situation, only one of the two deities can exist.

Therefore, in this matter, Jiang Ning and the Flesh and Blood God are natural arch-enemies.

As it is a battle for authority, only one can prevail.

The only silver lining for Jiang Ning is that he operates in the shadows, while the Flesh and Blood God is out in the open.

Moreover, according to Black Lotus Mother's words, he learns that due to environmental reasons, deities cannot descend upon the mortal realm yet.

The third issue is what troubles him the most.

On New Year's Eve, he deceived Black Lotus Mother.

However, this also means that when Black Lotus Mother can descend, she will come knocking on his door to demand an explanation.

If he is exposed, Black Lotus Mother will undoubtedly be furious, feeling both embarrassed and angry.

From what he understands, although both the Flesh and Blood God and Black Lotus Mother are deities, they are likely very different. Black Lotus Mother's strength and divine status far surpass that of the Flesh and Blood God.

Not to mention anything else, just the titles they hold are enough to tell the difference.

Black Lotus Mother is a deity with a renowned title.

The Flesh and Blood God, worshipped by the Divine Worship Sect, only has the title of authority and no other name.

So, in Jiang Ning's opinion, if Black Lotus Mother comes knocking, once she sees through his deception, she will undoubtedly be enraged.

This, for him, is a calamity.

Thinking of all this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"I hope the old woman from the Internal Affairs Bureau, the one Hong Minghu calls White Granny, arrives early and doesn't get stuck on the road like the others!"

With this thought, Jiang Ning climbed over the tall courtyard wall, walked onto the icy lake, breaking the ice, and entered the water to wash away the fatigue and sweat from his fist training.

The next day—

"Today's weather is indeed great!"

Looking out the window at the cloudless sky, with the bright moon still hanging in the east, Jiang Ning's face revealed a faint smile.

A clear day meant that his Inner Essence Cultivation had progressed once again.

With this, he was one step closer to achieving the level of Inner Breath as Solid as Primal Energy.

Thinking of this, he glanced at his status panel.

Skills: Inner Essence Cultivation (Minor Achievement 2013/5000)



The experience points for Inner Essence Cultivation had already exceeded two thousand, and he was less than three thousand points away from completing this cultivation method and achieving the level of Inner Breath as Solid as Primal Energy.

At his current rate, it would take less than a month to accumulate those three thousand points.

After that, he threw off his blanket and, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts, he walked out of the house.

Opening the door, a blast of cold air hit his face.

However, Jiang Ning's expression remained unchanged.

He had already reached the point where he was truly unaffected by the cold or heat.

He looked up at the sky once more.

Winter nights always seemed to last a little longer.

The sky was slightly brighter, taking on a dark gray hue.

But the bright moon hanging in the east clearly indicated that it was a clear day with not a cloud in sight.

Since he had gotten used to waking up early, the sky was always slightly brighter when he woke up.

On clear days like this, the bright moon was always visible in the morning.

So, he wasn't surprised to see the moon in the morning.

After that, he began his daily routine of washing up in the courtyard.

During his washing, he also heard the sounds of powerful punches and kicks coming from the neighboring courtyard.

It was the noise of Green Ripple practicing her fists.

A moment later—

"Young Master!"

Green Ripple appeared before Jiang Ning, her face slightly red and beads of sweat on her forehead, as she heard the sounds of him brushing his teeth.

Jiang Ning looked up at her.

"How long have you been up?"

"Not even two hours!" Green Ripple replied, looking down.

---

"You're pushing yourself too hard!" Jiang Ning shook his head.

"You gave me the opportunity to practice martial arts, so I must seize it!" Green Ripple said and then turned to leave.

In less than a moment, she returned with a basin of water for washing up.

After finishing her washing up—

Jiang Ning looked at her and asked, "How's your progress?"

Hearing this, Green Ripple's eyes lit up with excitement.

"I've achieved Qi and Blood Fullness!"

Jiang Ning nodded, not particularly surprised.

Green Ripple initially had four hundred pounds of strength, and later she received his support.

Additionally, from her progress in fist training, it was evident that she had a decent level of comprehension and could endure hardships. So, it wasn't strange that she had achieved Qi and Blood Fullness in just over half a month.

"Since it's like that, you can start Skin Polishing!"

"Later, go to Wan Hua Tower yourself and buy the resources you need for Skin Polishing."

"Use my money!" Jiang Ning added.

"Young Master, I still have money!" Lu Yi's expression was somewhat stubborn.

"What use is this amount of money?" Jiang Ning shook his head and said, "If you don't quickly improve your martial arts strength, you won't even have the qualifications to stay by my side in the future."

"I understand!" Lu Yi nodded immediately upon hearing these words.

Afterward, Jiang Ning began to practice his fist techniques and refine his sinews in the courtyard.

【Five Beasts Fist Experience +1】

【Five Beasts Fist Experience +3】

【Five Beasts Fist Experience +1】

【.】

As he practiced his fist techniques and sinew refinement over and over, various prompts flashed across his mind.

At this point, he couldn't see the progress of Five Beasts Fist on his panel anymore.

But he could feel that with each repetition of the fist techniques and sinew refinement, his experience points were increasing.

The Qi and blood power within his body grew increasingly vast.

These days, the Qi and blood power within his body would occasionally surge like a tsunami, rippling through his body.

In terms of quantity, compared to the initial state of having Qi and blood like an ocean, it had already nearly doubled.

However, he could sense that the next step was still far away.

After more than an hour...

It was already the morning hour.

He ate the meat porridge and a few white steamed buns prepared by Lu Yi, then continued his cultivation.

Soon, time arrived at the late morning hour.

Because the weather today was just right, with the warm sun lazily shining on his body, he wasn't in a hurry to go to the Inspection Office for work.

For his current identity, whether he went to the Inspection Office or not, it didn't matter; unlike ordinary personnel, he didn't need to arrive at a specific time.

Even without a task, when it came to work, they could only cultivate their martial arts within the Inspection Office, not having the freedom he possessed.

Sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion in the courtyard, Jiang Ning assumed the Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture and started to absorb the Grand Sun Essence Qi.

On the other side...

Xie Zhengtian appeared at the entrance of the mansion.

"Second Brother, are you all prepared?" Xie Zhengtian glanced back at the black-faced man behind him.

The black-faced man nodded repeatedly, his voice deep and resonant, "Big Brother, rest assured, I have the sixty-six taels of gold with me!"

After saying this, he lifted the redwood box in his hand, slightly opening a slit.

Sunlight passed through the gap, and a strand of golden light immediately shone from within.

Seeing this strand of golden light, Xie Zhengtian's heart calmed a little.

He knew that this moment would determine the future fate of the Xie Family.

Sixty-six taels of gold, with each tael worth a thousand taels of silver, totaled sixty-six thousand taels of silver.

But in Great Xia, as gold was a scarce and consumable item, its actual value in the black market was even higher than its official value.

If calculated based on the black market value...

These sixty-six taels of gold were worth at least seventy thousand taels of silver.

Ten thousand taels of silver was already the wealth of a rich merchant.

Sixty-six taels of gold, even for the Xie Family, was a significant amount.

It took more than ten days and the sale of many of the family's assets to gather this amount.

Afterward...

Xie Zhengtian straightened his appearance and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock...

A moment later...

Xie Zhengtian stood outside the eastern courtyard, quietly waiting for Jiang Ning to finish his cultivation.

The sun was at its peak, and standing under it, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

It was due to the weather, but more so because of the critical moment.

But at this moment, he didn't bother to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.

As the crucial moment approached, his heart grew more and more anxious.

Because Jiang Ning had said he would only give him one chance.

Today's visit was the Xie Family's last chance to continue their legacy.

In the eastern courtyard...

Jiang Ning repeatedly absorbed the Grand Sun Essence Qi, and his progress in Inner Essence Cultivation steadily advanced.

【Inner Essence Cultivation Experience +1】

【Inner Essence Cultivation Experience +1】

【Inner Essence Cultivation Experience +1】

【.】

With each absorption, strands of inner Qi were refined and merged into his dantian, making the inner Qi in his dantian display an even more majestic aura.

Sometimes it was like a soaring dragon ascending to the heavens, winding through the mist.

Sometimes it was like a surging river flowing toward the distant horizon.

In the blink of an eye...

Two hours had passed.

【This session of absorbing and expelling the Grand Sun Essence Qi, Inner Essence Cultivation experience increased by a total of 115 points.】

Haa...

Jiang Ning exhaled the turbid Qi that had accumulated in his abdomen and slowly opened his eyes.

【Skill】: Inner Essence Cultivation (Minor Accomplishment 2128/5000)



"Again, my inner Qi quality has improved further!"

A smile appeared on his face, and his gaze then turned toward the courtyard.

When he had just started to absorb the Grand Sun Essence Qi, he had already sensed the arrival of the head of the Xie Family, Xie Zhengtian.

"Looks like he's made his choice!"

Jiang Ning smiled.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end