Chapter 294: Fifth Rank True Explanation, One Million Silver Taels!

Chapter 294: Fifth Rank True Explanation, One Million Silver Taels!



Internal Affairs Office.

In the courtyard.

Jiang Ning examined the token in his hand and noticed that it wasn't vastly different from the previous one.

The only difference was that the front of the token now displayed two characters instead of the original three, changing from 'Eighth Rank' to 'Proper Eighth Rank'.

Eighth Rank.

This also indicated that his official position had been promoted from the eighth rank to the proper eighth rank.

After putting away the token, Jiang Ning cupped his hands and spoke again.

"Senior, I'd like to exchange for detailed information about the Fifth Rank Inner Fortification Realm and martial arts related to inner breath."

"I knew it!" The old woman's expression was clear.

She held a small booklet in her hand, and under the sunlight, Jiang Ning could clearly see the words on it.

"Comprehensive Guide to Fifth Rank Inner Fortification Realm"

"This is a rubbing of the Martial Sage's compilation regarding the Fifth Rank Inner Fortification Realm, sufficient to resolve your confusion about the Fifth Rank."

"Originally, it required a thousand contribution points, but today I'll give it to you for free!"

As her words fell, the small booklet landed in Jiang Ning's hand.

Then, the old woman looked at Jiang Ning and continued, "As for the martial arts related to inner breath you mentioned, there isn't such a martial art. Inner breath is simply a transcendent power, similar to the true qi of ancient times when cultivators walked the path of immortality. The two have some similarities."

"Some martial artists may have unique methods of circulation."

"This falls under the category of techniques, not martial arts."

"In this aspect, the three pages of detailed explanation in your hand contain records of a related technique."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning could no longer suppress the desire to explore the unknown within his heart. He quickly flipped through the small booklet in his hand.

[Character Recognition and Writing Experience +3]



[Character Recognition and Writing Experience +5]



[Character Recognition and Writing Experience +2]



[.]



As he flipped through the pages, his experience in the art of Character Recognition and Writing continued to rise.

In just a short moment, Jiang Ning carefully read through the entire three-page booklet.

Reaching the end, he slowly retracted his gaze from the booklet.

[This reading session has increased your Character Recognition and Writing experience by a total of 369 points.]



[Technique]: Character Recognition and Writing (Five Times Limit Break 8/6000) (Characteristics: Photographic Memory, Extraordinary Senses, Quick Mind, Exceptional Comprehension, Divine Eye)



Glancing at his panel, after accumulating experience over this period, the experience in the Character Recognition and Writing technique had already reached 838 points.

The experience gained in this short moment was the most significant.

He closed the panel and began to recall the records in the three-page booklet.

According to the Comprehensive Guide to Fifth Rank Inner Fortification Realm:

At the Fifth Rank level, the initial stage involves cultivating the inner fortitude technique, enhancing the functions of the five viscera and six entrails.

During this stage, the martial artist's endurance in prolonged battles begins to increase, as well as their underwater breath-holding ability. Their physical functions also become more vigorous.

Until the five viscera are strengthened to a certain level, achieving an initial grasp of the body, unlocking the body's restrictions, and unleashing the latent potential within.

Only then can one be considered to have entered the Fifth Rank.

There are also distinct differences compared to the Sixth Rank.

The next step is to refine the inner breath.

When the inner breath reaches the stage of condensing into reality and can erupt outside the body, it is then the second stage."

At this stage, the separation of the inner breath from the body will rapidly weaken with increasing distance.

The third stage is when the inner breath undergoes a transformation, refining into firm qi.

Upon reaching this step, the inner breath will condense without dispersing, and even when separated from the body by several zhang, it can still cut through gold and jade, with its power diminishing at a significantly slower rate.

Moving further, the inner breath has reached its limit in terms of quality.

The only option is to continue accumulating quantity.

The accumulation of quantity is also the key to the Inner Fortitude Realm's strength increasing with age.

When martial artists reach this step, the peak age of their physical functions can greatly increase, maintaining a longer golden age.

However, with the increase in age, they will still gradually enter a period of decline in qi and blood, as well as physical functions.

But the inner breath will not diminish; it will only grow more formidable with age, accumulating in quantity.

From the initial stage of inner breath resembling mist, it gathers into a stream.

Then, the inner breath becomes like a river.

The inner breath becomes like an ocean.

The inner breath becomes like a sea.

The inner breath becomes like an abyss.

The inner breath becomes like a prison.

Each level of change is a transformation in quantity.

Judging the level of accumulation is also simple, as the external anomalies manifested in the dantian differ.

Just like the anomalies in his dantian at this moment.

Sometimes, the inner breath transforms into a surging river, exuding a mighty aura.

This is the level of inner breath resembling a river.

From this booklet, Jiang Ning also understood what the Fifth Rank peak meant.

It is when the inner breath, in terms of quality, has been refined into firm qi, and the five viscera can emit a booming thunderous sound.

In terms of quantity, it has also reached the astonishing level of an ocean of inner breath.

As for the rumored ability to slay a thousand soldiers with a single strike,

Such a person at the Fifth Rank peak is also considered a legendary figure.

It is when the accumulation of quantity reaches the level of an abyss of inner breath.

An abyss of inner breath is boundless and fathomless, a terrifying level of quantity.

With just the eruption of inner breath, one can suppress an ordinary Fifth Rank martial artist.

As for the inner breath becoming like a prison, that is not something a Fifth Rank martial artist can possess.

Only grandmasters, or even those above the grandmaster level, can achieve this.

Because ordinary Fifth Rank martial artists are limited by age, and even with a lifetime of accumulation, they cannot reach the level of inner breath becoming like a prison.

Inner Breath is like a prison, and it is also a symbol of the Grandmaster's aura.

At this moment, Jiang Ning's confusion was completely dispelled.

Then, he recalled a technique recorded in a small booklet.

It was a technique for manipulating Inner Breath.

In an instant—

The Inner Breath within his Dantian erupted, transforming into countless fine threads that instantly enveloped his entire body.

A seamless garment of Inner Breath now covered his body, providing all-around, blindspot-free defense.

At this moment—

The previously carefree old woman was momentarily startled, her face showing a hint of surprise.

"Such strong Psychic Energy?"

"Did you just weave the Heavenly Garment in a single thought?"

The old woman was secretly amazed in her heart.

Jiang Ning stood in place, feeling the garment enveloping his body, and he instantly understood the old woman's words from earlier.

This was a demonstration of skill.

Maintaining this garment required extremely high control.

The effect of this Inner Breath garment was simple: it could avoid water and fire, and block the transmission of toxic and hot gases.

It also provided defense against blade slashes and falling arrows.

After trying it briefly, he let it dissipate.

For him now, this technique wasn't very significant.

After experiencing this, he temporarily abandoned his exploration of Inner Breath techniques.

"For me, it's still more cost-effective to focus on quantity and quality!" He shook his head secretly.

He also understood that the Wind God Messenger of the Worshipping God Sect, "Cloud Parting" and "Astonishing Waves," were all manifestations of skill, not martial arts achievements.

Inner Breath is just Inner Breath.

Aside from some differences in the Inner Cultivation methods, the rest are largely the same.

His Inner Alchemy Nourishment Method, this Internal Cultivation technique, focused more on health and longevity, and the Inner Breath it cultivated was more balanced and moderate, with the effect of healing and prolonging life.

Practitioners of the Inner Essence Nourishing Art had several more years of prime training time compared to ordinary martial artists.

This was the advantage of the Inner Essence Nourishing Art, an Internal Cultivation method.

However, the disadvantage was also quite evident: the Inner Breath cultivated through the Inner Essence Nourishing Art was different from other Internal Cultivation methods, and it was less adept in combat.

Some Internal Cultivation methods had Inner Breath as fierce as fire, with astonishing lethality.

Some had Inner Breath as cold as ice and venomous, entering the body like maggots in the bones, extremely difficult to deal with.

Some had Inner Breath as light and agile, greatly enhancing movement techniques.

The differences in Internal Cultivation methods led to variations in the cultivated Inner Breath.

After fully understanding the Fifth Rank Inner Fortification Realm, Jiang Ning became keenly interested in the Fourth Rank and higher levels of martial arts.

Then, he asked the old woman a few questions.

The old woman told him that she didn't have any books related to martial arts knowledge, and if he wanted to learn more, he would have to go to the Inspection Office in the Prefecture City.

She also briefly explained the realms beyond the Fifth Rank.

The Fourth Rank, Bone Refining, required mastering momentum, the ability to harness the power of heaven and earth.

Drawing upon the power of heaven and earth to refine the bones, the physical body would undergo another all-around transformation and enhancement.

The Third Rank, Blood Refining, was the realm of the Bone Refining Grandmaster.

Above that was the Second Rank, Great Grandmaster, and the First Rank, the pinnacle of martial arts.

Before the emergence of the Martial Sage, the First Rank was the limit of martial arts.

On Luoshui Lake—

"You really didn't lie to me, young man?" The old woman still found it hard to believe as she looked at Jiang Ning.

Because Jiang Ning had just informed her of another crucial piece of information.

Two Fifth Rank Inner Fortification Realm martial artists from the Worshipping God Sect had been killed on a desolate island in Luoshui Lake.

When she heard this news, her instincts told her it was hard to believe.

After dissecting the Worshipping God Sect's martial artists, she was well aware of how troublesome the Divine Descendant Favor of the Flesh-and-Blood Deity was.

The Fifth Rank martial artists of the Worshipping God Sect were nearly immortal.

Jiang Ning's Inner Breath was only at the stage of condensing the void into reality, merely capable of detaching from the body.

It hadn't reached the stage of condensing into reality, and its combat power wasn't as formidable as it would be after the transformation and condensing into reality.

Therefore, her instincts told her to doubt that Jiang Ning could have killed two Fifth Rank Inner Fortification Realm experts from the Worshipping God Sect alone.

At this moment—

Jiang Ning heard the old woman's doubt.

"How dare I deceive you, senior?"

"You'll know once you see it!"

Hearing this, the old woman secretly nodded in agreement.

Indeed!

She didn't say more.

Truth or lie?

She would know the truth once she saw it.

At the same time—

Jiang Ning felt helpless.

If given a choice, he wouldn't want to reveal too much about his strength.

Just like the two Fifth Rank martial artists from the Worshipping God Sect he had killed.

Revealing this news would also expose much of his strength.

It was no wonder that exposing such rapid progress would arouse others' suspicions, potentially causing unnecessary troubles.

However, the fact that he had killed two 5th Rank Martial Artists from the Divine Worship Sect was a significant achievement, and the merit he gained from it was extremely important to him at this moment.

This was all thanks to He Jinyun, the matter at hand, and the three incidents involving the Divine Worship Sect and the Black Lotus Old Mother.

Improving his strength had become an urgent matter for him.

Regardless of his current identity and status, without sufficient strength, he would always be entrusting his safety to others, leaving it to their judgment of the pros and cons.

This feeling left him with little sense of security.

Moments later, the two of them arrived at the desolate island that Jiang Ning was familiar with.

The island was still covered in snow, and although some of the snow had melted due to the sun above, there was still no sign of any greenery.

The lake's surface remained covered in a thick layer of ice.

After stepping onto the island, the old woman's gaze swept across the remnants of the battle that Jiang Ning and the Wind God Messenger had fought earlier.

"This kid didn't lie to me!"

"There are obvious traces of a major battle on this island, and the area affected by the battle was quite extensive, which matches what he said about the 5th Rank Martial Artists."

Soon after, Jiang Ning led the old woman to the place where he had hidden the bodies.

With a wave of his palm, rocks crumbled, the ice shattered, and two ice-sealed corpses appeared before them.

Due to the bodies being sealed in ice and the cold weather, even after a long time, the corpses showed no signs of decay or foul odor.

Moreover, as far as Jiang Ning knew, the bodies of Martial Arts experts decayed at an extremely slow rate.

Even after a Grandmaster-level expert passed away, their body would remain lifelike for a hundred days.

This phenomenon had been mentioned in many miscellaneous books.

These books also mentioned that after a Golden Body Bodhisattva passed away, their body would remain intact for a hundred years, which had greatly shocked Jiang Ning at the time.

The old woman approached the two corpses, briefly examined them, and then nodded slightly.

"The Jade Skeleton has formed; it seems what you said is true! These two corpses should both be 5th Rank Martial Artists from the Divine Worship Sect."

"Senior, what about my merit for this?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Of course, it counts!" The old woman nodded and then said, "However, the previous orders and rewards from above didn't mention the 5th Rank. They didn't expect that a small county like this could produce a Heaven's Pride like you, who could slay 5th Rank Martial Artists from the Divine Worship Sect."

Speaking of this, the old woman looked at Jiang Ning with a sigh.

Even with the facts laid out before her, she still felt it was exaggerated.

It was precisely because she knew so much, having lived countless years and witnessed the rise and fall of countless Heaven's Pride, that she felt it was even more exaggerated.

In such a remote and impoverished place, even a Heaven's Pride with Grandmaster potential would be a once-in-a-century occurrence.

And Jiang Ning's current performance was far beyond that of a Grandmaster.

In her eyes, the Grandmaster level was just a stepping stone for Jiang Ning.

She had no idea what his future limit would be.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look up at the sky above.

The revival of the Heavenly Earth Spirit, the unrest in the Great Xia Dynasty, and the restlessness of various Demons and Wraiths.

It was clear that this era was a special turning point.

"Could this be the great contention, where there must be someone who rises to the occasion?"

At this moment, the old woman felt that Jiang Ning's potential was limitless.

It was a mist that even she couldn't see through!

At the same time, Jiang Ning felt a chill down his spine as he sensed the old woman's gaze upon him.

However, his expression remained unchanged.

"In this situation, if we were to calculate the merit based on exterminating a 6th Rank Martial Artist from the Divine Worship Sect, it would definitely be inappropriate."

"Fifty thousand Contribution Points are too little!"

"But I can also tell you the truth; it's unlikely to be ten times more than the previous reward!"

"Originally, according to the higher-ups' intentions, the reward for exterminating a 6th Rank Martial Artist from the Divine Worship Sect was fifty thousand Contribution Points. This was the big promise they made to you."

"No one would have thought that the Inspection Office personnel in a county could kill a 6th Rank Martial Artist from the Divine Worship Sect."

"Even less expected was that someone could kill a 5th Rank Inner Fortification Realm Martial Artist from the Divine Worship Sect."

Hearing these words, Jiang Ning wasn't surprised.

If the reward were truly increased tenfold from the original amount.

The two 5th Rank Martial Artists from the Divine Worship Sect would result in a one-time reward of one million Contribution Points for him.

With just these Contribution Points, he could exchange them for one million silver taels.

This wealth could instantly make anyone the richest person in Luoshui County.

If he had this wealth, it would greatly aid his pursuit of the Martial Path.

But such a good thing could only remain a fantasy.

Although a 5th Rank Inner Fortification Realm Martial Artist was normally worth more than five hundred thousand silver taels, value was one thing, and reward was another.

For such an exaggerated reward, he didn't hold high expectations.

He only hoped that the higher-ups would at least give him the reward for exterminating a 6th Rank Martial Artist, which was fifty thousand Contribution Points.

With these two rewards combined, he would have a total of one hundred thousand Contribution Points.

Adding to the Contribution Points he already had, he would once again have a total of approximately one hundred and forty thousand.

It was as if today's promotion was free.

If he could get a little extra reward on top of the 6th Rank reward, it would be an unexpected bonus.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end