Chapter 313: Heaven-Attuned Master

Chapter 313: Heaven-Attuned Master



Jiang Ning Manor.

Front Hall.

"Seems he's arrived!" Bai Luoyu opened his fan and smiled as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, the few people in the hall immediately looked towards the entrance.

A moment later.

Xiao Emei couldn't help but look at Bai Luoyu.

Only then did she hear the sounds coming from afar.

It was the sound of two footsteps.

At this moment, she realized that Bai Luoyu's senses were superior to hers.

This undoubtedly meant that Bai Luoyu was stronger than her.

Generally speaking, the more advanced one was in martial dao, the stronger their senses would be.

Powerful martial artists could even rely solely on their senses to achieve a state of being as clear-eyed as daylight with their eyes closed. They could instantly visualize all the changes in their surroundings in their minds based on smells, air currents, and sound transmission.

After a moment.

Jiang Ning appeared at the entrance, with Lu Yi following closely behind.

Hong Minghu and Bai Luoyu immediately stood up.

When Xiao Emei saw their actions, she hesitated for a moment before standing up as well.

"Greetings, Lord Zhao," Jiang Ning stepped over the threshold, sweeping his gaze across the entire hall before bowing to Hong Minghu.

His gaze then moved to Bai Luoyu and Xiao Emei, lingering for a moment on Bai Luoyu.

"Lord Zhao, these two are!" Jiang Ning spoke again.

Hong Minghu had already stood up. He raised his hand, introducing Bai Luoyu to Jiang Ning, "Jiang Commander, this is Bai Luoyu, Inspector Bai from the Inspection Office of Dongling City."

Then he turned to Xiao Emei and said, "This is the eldest disciple of the Water Moon Sword Palace, Xiao Emei of the Hidden Dragon Gang."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning's gaze towards Xiao Emei changed slightly.

Water Moon Sword Palace.

These four words immediately caught his attention.

Because He Jinyun had confessed to him before leaving.

He Jinyun's mother was extraordinary, being the Palace Master of the Water Moon Sword Palace and the younger sister of Xiao Qiushui.

In other words, the He Jinyun he had killed was the nephew of the Water Moon Sword Palace's Palace Master.

And the Palace Master of the Water Moon Sword Palace was one of the top experts in all of Dongling Prefecture, often referred to as the first person below the Grandmaster.

Her strength was evident.

Not to mention her position as the Palace Master of the Water Moon Sword Palace.

Women were already difficult to provoke, let alone a middle-aged woman like this.

It was clear that the Palace Master of the Water Moon Sword Palace was an existence that no one dared to provoke in all of Dongling Prefecture.

"This girl must be targeting me!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.

Then he bowed to Bai Luoyu, "Greetings, Inspector!"

"You don't need to call me sir!" Bai Luoyu smiled and waved his fan, "We are colleagues, so you can call me Brother Bai. I've always liked to call people by their brotherhood, making friends widely!"

"Greetings, Brother Bai!" Jiang Ning said.

Upon hearing this, Bai Luoyu couldn't help but smile, lightly waving his fan.

"I've heard of Brother Jiang many times in the manor, and today I see that his reputation is well-deserved! He has achieved much at a young age, truly a martial dao prodigy!"

"Brother Bai, you're flattering me!" Jiang Ning smiled.

Xiao Emei, who saw this scene, was slightly surprised.

She knew Bai Luoyu's reputation in Dongling City, and saying he was haughty would not be an exaggeration.

In all of Dongling City, there weren't many people Bai Luoyu would acknowledge, and even fewer he would call brothers.

"Why does he think he can?" Xiao Emei secretly observed Jiang Ning, pondering in her heart.

Noticing Xiao Emei's secret gaze, Jiang Ning couldn't help but tense up.

It was clearly that he was being watched.

Why not take the initiative?

A thought flashed through his mind, then he suppressed it.

"Little brother, you take care of them, I'll go prepare lunch first?" Jiang Li spoke from the side.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded immediately, "Alright!"

Then he looked at Bai Luoyu, "Brother Bai, how about my courtyard?"

"Do you have alcohol?" Bai Luoyu asked.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded.

"Excellent!!" Bai Luoyu clapped and laughed, "Then let's drink and talk."

East Courtyard.

Cooling Pavilion.

On the white jade table, there were several dishes of nuts.

Jiang Ning and the other three sat facing each other.

"Good wine!" Bai Luoyu took a sip of the wine and felt the chill of the alcohol enter his stomach, then transform into a raging fire, the alcohol's effect rising to his face.

After praising it, he continued, "The wine contains special substances! It has transformed the taste of the fine wine qualitatively."

"Brother Bai, you have great insight!" Jiang Ning praised.

Bai Luoyu smiled, "We are fellow practitioners, so such changes can be felt."

"Fellow practitioners?

Jiang Ning wore a puzzled expression.

Bai Luoyu smiled, "Brother Jiang and I both possess the Immortal Root, a natural wisdom that allows us to sense energies that others cannot perceive."

"If we were in the ancient times, both of us would have been immortal founders, beings of eternal life."

"Unfortunately!"

Bai Luoyu couldn't help but shake his head slightly at this point.

Xiao Emei and Hong Minghu, who were seated nearby, didn’t take it to heart.

The two of them had already heard Bai Luoyu’s words at the door and understood Jiang Ning’s uniqueness.

"No wonder Commander Jiang has advanced so rapidly in Martial arts, reaching this stage so swiftly!" Hong Minghu added, following Bai Luoyu’s words.

"That's not the way to put it!" Bai Luoyu shook his head, "We are not in the ancient era; the environment has changed. The so-called Immortal root doesn’t have much significance now. It merely provides an advantage in some aspects. Brother Jiang's progress to this stage is due to his own efforts."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yi, who was standing behind, couldn't help but think of Jiang Ning’s hard work and nodded in deep agreement.

Seeing this, Bai Luoyu couldn’t help but smile.

Jiang Ning also smiled.

Family knows family’s affairs.

His own efforts were undeniable, but effort alone couldn’t have led him to this point.

Then he spoke, "Brother Bai’s words are indeed enlightening!"

"Brother Jiang is straightforward!" Bai Luoyu picked up the folding fan on the table, opened it with a swish, and began to gently fan himself.

"Come, let’s drink!" Bai Luoyu lifted the wine cup in front of him, gesturing to Jiang Ning, Hong Minghu, and Xiao Emei.

Xiao Emei smiled apologetically, waved her hands, and indicated that she wouldn’t drink.

Hong Minghu, on the other hand, picked up his wine cup and lowered it slightly when clinking.

Jiang Ning also raised his cup in agreement.

Then the three of them drank to the bottom of their cups.

"Brother Jiang, do you know why I came here today?" Bai Luoyu asked.

Jiang Ning nodded slightly, "I have a rough idea."

"My intentions indeed aren’t hard to guess," Bai Luoyu said, slowly fanning the folding fan in his hand and putting down the wine cup.

At this moment, Lu Yi again held the wine pot with both hands and refilled their cups.

"Three extraordinary feats indeed left me deeply impressed!" Bai Luoyu’s face showed a look of admiration.

Jiang Ning smiled, not wanting to say much more.

He could only say, "By chance!"

"This isn’t by chance!" Bai Luoyu shook his head and continued, "At your age, to be able to absorb the Great Sun Essence so efficiently, your internal cultivation must be quite remarkable."

"Balancing internal and external cultivation, your archery is extraordinary."

"The Black Mountain Army daring to choose Luo Water County is courting death!"

Hong Minghu nodded in agreement upon hearing these words.

From his battle with Li Hong, he had personally witnessed Jiang Ning’s archery.

Two arrows killed Li Hong, who was a divine descendant with an indestructible body.

Such terrifying archery made the Black Mountain Army’s attack on the city akin to marching towards the king of the underworld.

In his opinion, Jiang Ning was likely a Sixth Rank Warrior.

But even in his prime, he didn’t have the confidence to say he could retreat unscathed when facing Jiang Ning’s archery.

Not to mention, he was a Fifth Rank Warrior, with inner breath like the sea and all the meridians in his body unblocked.

Even so, he didn’t dare to say he could retreat unscathed facing Jiang Ning’s archery, let alone that remnant of the Black Mountain Army.

At this moment, Bai Luoyu looked at Jiang Ning.

"Brother Jiang, the inner fortitude technique you practice should be the Inner Core Nourishment Art, a legitimate technique from the Dan yang Sect, right?"

"Indeed!" Jiang Ning nodded, then praised, "Brother Bai truly stands out, to be able to discern the technique I practice at a glance."

Bai Luoyu smiled, "It’s not difficult! We both have the Immortal Root, which allows us to sense certain special energies in the world."

"I saw the Great Sun Essence descending in the direction where Brother Jiang was when I was at the door."

"Back then, there weren’t many techniques that could absorb the Great Sun Essence. The Inner Core Nourishment Art is one of them."

"This technique originates from the Dan yang Sect, derived from the ancient Immortal Dao techniques. Currently, the Inner Core Nourishment Art is a complete technique within the Dan yang Sect."

"Of course, the Martial Sage Mansion also has the complete Inner Core Nourishment Art."

Speaking of this, Bai Luoyu seemed quite proud, with a look of shared glory.

He continued, "If Brother Jiang can cultivate this inner fortitude technique to the perfect level in the future, swallowing a golden core, your fate will be in your hands, not determined by the heavens. You will surely shake the world."

Jiang Ning said, "Brother Bai, are there any predecessors in this era who have cultivated this inner fortitude technique to the perfect level?"

"There are!" Bai Luoyu continued to gently fan the folding fan and introduced to Jiang Ning, "In the Dan yang Sect, there is a Grandmaster who has successfully cultivated the Inner Core Nourishment Art to the Grandmaster level."

"A single step to becoming a Grandmaster?" Jiang Ning was a little surprised at the words.

Bai Luoyu glanced at Jiang Ning, instantly understanding his lack of knowledge in this area, and continued, "Grandmasters are also known as Blood Grandmasters, and they are divided into levels of strength and weakness."

"Some use Hundred Spirit Blood and other external substances to absorb spiritual essences, completing the first tempering and bringing about a metamorphic transformation, becoming the weakest first-level Mortal Grandmaster."

"Others use profound methods, cultivating Heaven-Earth Sensation, to absorb spiritual essences from Heaven and Earth, completing the first tempering and bringing about a metamorphic transformation. These Grandmasters are extremely powerful and are called Heaven-Attuned Grandmasters."

"The Grandmaster from Dan Yang Sect is a second-level Heaven-Attuned Grandmaster. That senior Grandmaster faced a third-level Human Grandmaster, who had completed three temperings using Hundred Spirit Blood, Thousand Spirit Blood, and Ten Thousand Spirit Blood. Even so, the senior Grandmaster could fight and win."

Jiang Ning muttered to himself, then turned to Bai Luoyu, "Brother Bai, are there other ways to become a Grandmaster?"

"Yes!" Bai Luoyu nodded, "In ancient times, during the era of divine beings, the powerful could master Heaven-Earth Sensation, creating Blessed Grounds. Some special mystic realms from that era still remain."

"The Heaven-bestowed treasures in those mystic realms contain spiritual essences from ancient times. By absorbing these spiritual essences, one completes the blood tempering and becomes an Earth-Bound Grandmaster."

"Among the three types of Grandmasters, the Heaven-Attuned Grandmaster is the most challenging, requiring one to cultivate Heaven-Earth Sensation and absorb spiritual essences from Heaven and Earth to complete the blood tempering. But it is also the strongest with the greatest potential."

"Five out of ten Grandmasters in this world are based on the foundation of Heaven-Attuned Grandmasters."

Hearing these words, Jiang Ning raised his wine cup.

"Thank you, Brother Bai, for clearing my doubts. I toast you."

Bai Luoyu smiled, raised his cup, and gently clinked it with Jiang Ning's, the two cups meeting at the same level.

Then he turned to Jiang Ning, "Brother Jiang, the Inner Fortitude Method you're practicing now, once you reach the perfect stage of ingesting a Golden Core into your abdomen, and attain the state of 'My life is in my hands, not the heavens', you will have forged the foundation to become a Grandmaster."

"In the future, you can take a single step to become a Grandmaster, a Heaven-Attuned Grandmaster."

Xiao Emei and Hong Minghu, sitting beside them, overheard this conversation.

Their hearts were filled with complex emotions.

Grandmaster.

Even in their eyes, it was an existence beyond reach.

But Bai Luoyu and Jiang Ning were discussing Grandmasters with ease.

Clearly, in Bai Luoyu's eyes, he had an eight or nine out of ten chance of becoming a Grandmaster in the future.

Moreover, Bai Luoyu held high hopes for Jiang Ning's future, especially in becoming a Heaven-Attuned Grandmaster, the highest level of Grandmaster.

At this moment, Xiao Emei couldn't help but think of her master, the Palace Master of Water Moon Sword Palace.

The reason her master hadn't yet become a Grandmaster was that she was striving for the highest level, the Heaven-Attuned Grandmaster.

Only as a Heaven-Attuned Grandmaster could the Water Moon Sword Palace become the true overlord of Dongling County, reigning over the various sects in Dongling County.

Then, Bai Luoyu said, "Brother Jiang, if you have time after reaching the Fifth Rank, you can spend Contribution Points to go to the Dao Palace or the Academy for further studies."

"The accumulated foundation of the Dao Palace and the Academy over the years will greatly benefit you."

"Moreover, the complete cultivation method of the Inner Core Nourishing Art, aside from Dan Yang Sect, can be found in the libraries of Martial Sage Mansion and Dao Palace, with authentic scrolls."

"I believe Brother Jiang will be very interested in the complete cultivation method of the Inner Core Nourishing Art."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded.

"Indeed, I am very interested."

From Bai Luoyu's words, he understood the importance of the Inner Core Nourishing Art.

Not only was it a profound Inner Fortitude Method, but it was also the path to becoming a Heaven-Attuned Grandmaster.

By reaching the perfect stage and ingesting a Golden Core into the abdomen, achieving the state of 'My life is in my hands, not the heavens', one could cultivate Heaven-Earth Sensation and absorb spiritual essences from Heaven and Earth to complete the blood tempering. In a single day, one could become a Grandmaster, achieving the status of a Heaven-Attuned Grandmaster."

Then, Bai Luoyu looked at Hong Minghu and Xiao Emei.

"Can the two of you please excuse us for a moment?"

"No problem!" Hong Minghu stood up and continued, "Inspector Bai, I'll wait for you outside."

"Mhm!" Bai Luoyu nodded slightly.

He then turned to Xiao Emei.

Xiao Emei glanced at Bai Luoyu and then met Jiang Ning's gaze, a gentle smile appearing on her face as she slowly stood up.

"Commander Jiang, Inspector Bai, I'll take my leave first!"

With these words, she left ahead of them.

Seeing this, Hong Minghu followed her out.

Lu Yi also trailed behind the two.

Soon, only Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu remained in the courtyard.

"Brother Jiang, I came to Luo Water County on orders from above, mainly to bring you the rewards for your achievements."

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Ning knew the main event had arrived.

This was the thing he had been most looking forward to today.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end