Chapter 333: Fourth Stage in Sight, Leaving the City!

Chapter 333: Fourth Stage in Sight, Leaving the City!

Wan Hua Tower.

The scorching midday sun shone directly overhead.

Even though it was still late January, several days of warming temperatures had already caused the common folk to shed a layer or two of clothing.

Jiang Ning looked at Lin Qingyi as she gracefully sat down before him, leaving him momentarily speechless.

"Sit down, why are you standing?" Lin Qingyi stretched out her legs on the wicker chair, and her smooth skirt slid down to her knees, revealing her shiny calves.

Jiang Ning sat down opposite Lin Qingyi, following her lead.

Just as he raised his head, he stood up, coughed, and walked towards the chair beside Lin Qingyi.

His perspective had been problematic a moment ago.

At this moment, Lin Qingyi seemed to sense something amiss.

Her legs instinctively came together, and then she placed them back on the stool.

After feigning composure, she cleared her throat and spoke.

"What's the matter? Why are you here?"

"Sister Lin, I just came to see you," Jiang Ning said with a smile.

"Do I know you?" Lin Qingyi rolled her eyes, curled her legs to her right side, and then pressed them against her body.

The floor-length skirt immediately covered her body completely.

"Sister Lin, I'm going to Dongling City," Jiang Ning said.

"Dongling City?" Lin Qingyi murmured, then looked at Jiang Ning, "You really should go to a big city and broaden your horizons. Staying cooped up here will greatly impact your future!"

"Sister Lin, why don't you leave Luoshui County too?" Jiang Ning asked.

"What, you don't want to part with me?" Lin Qingyi smiled.

"Luoshui County might not be safe for a period of time," Jiang Ning said.

"Why do you say that?" Lin Qingyi asked.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning informed Lin Qingyi about his discovery in Luoshui Lake.

He also wanted to hear Lin Qingyi's insights.

After all, his knowledge was limited to what he had read in books.

How could he compare to Lin Qingyi, a Grandmaster?

"A great demon, a white dragon?" Lin Qingyi murmured, deep in thought.

After a moment, she straightened her back on the wicker chair.

"According to this path, the demon has embarked on a different journey."

"In the demon race, there are two paths to enlightenment. One path is to swallow and expel, a way of cultivation that is slow but steady, each step firmly rooted, making it easier to succeed during tribulation."

"The other path disregards ethics and morality, cultivating by devouring countless beings to attain enlightenment."

"This cultivation method progresses rapidly but has a drawback."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but be curious and asked, "What drawback?"

Lin Qingyi looked at Jiang Ning, a smile playing on her lips, "The cause and effect are too great, the slaughter too heavy, the thunder tribulation will be ten deaths to one life."

"Ten deaths to one life?" Jiang Ning's face showed confusion.

"Yes, ten deaths to one life!" Lin Qingyi nodded slightly, revealing her clean-shaven chin.

Jiang Ning was suddenly astonished. He had thought Lin Qingyi would say a hundred deaths without life, but he never expected it to be just ten deaths to one life.

Lin Qingyi saw Jiang Ning's expression and shook her head slightly.

"Don't underestimate the terror of ten deaths to one life!"

"You should know that reaching the tribulation stage have endured countless calamities and faced innumerable dangers!"

"Each one is renowned and revered."

"Yet under the thunder tribulation, they face the great terror of ten deaths to one life."

Hearing these words, Jiang Ning nodded.

Based on his understanding from the books, any demon with three thousand years of cultivation would face the thunder tribulation.

Surviving the thunder tribulation, the inner elixir refined by the tribulation, allowing further cultivation.

At this stage, they are also known as Demon Kings among the demon race.

If they ascend, they are no different from immortals, listed in the immortal records.

If they descend, they are Demon Kings, howling over their domain.

However, with the passing of ancient times, everything was buried in the dust.

Only fragmented records of that era remain.

Jiang Ning suddenly understood that ten deaths to one life was indeed a great terror.

After all, demons who reached this stage were just a step away from immortality.

Along their journey, they had long surpassed the countless lives of the masses.

Each one was a proud talent, a renowned existence of their generation.

Yet at this juncture, nine out of ten would fall.

"What about the demons who cultivate by swallowing and expelling, collecting the essence of heaven and earth?" Jiang Ning asked again.

"Probably about half of them can overcome this calamity!" Lin Qingyi replied.

"Half is equivalent to a five-fold success rate!" Jiang Ning nodded.

Lin Qingyi said, "However, in this era, I haven't heard of any powerful demons attempting to cross the tribulation. The demon you speak of wouldn't dare to set foot on land."

"Why?" Jiang Ning asked.

Lin Qingyi explained, "Times have changed. This era belongs to humanity! Martial arts have flourished to the extreme! Even immortals and gods are no longer present in this world!"

"If that demon dares to come ashore, a grandmaster will descend into the lake to slaughter it."

"In this era, not only would a powerful demon be dealt with, but even if a demon king on par with immortals and gods were to descend, it would still be slain!"

"So there's no need to worry too much!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning nodded immediately.

"I understand!"

"How about a meal?" Lin Qingyi suddenly spoke up.

Looking at Jiang Ning, she continued, "Before we set off, let's have a drink!"

"Alright!" Jiang Ning nodded.

One hour later.

Lin Qingyi's face was flushed, and she was leaning softly on the table.

"Lin Sister, don't drink anymore?"

"I can still drink!" Lin Qingyi opened her slightly squinted eyes and refilled her cup.

Seeing Lin Qingyi's eyes wandering and her face flushed with redness, Jiang Ning immediately stood up.

"You really shouldn't drink anymore!"

He grabbed the cup in Lin Qingyi's hand and pressed it down on the table.

Lin Qingyi lifted her head and instantly met Jiang Ning's serious gaze.

"Alright, I won't drink anymore!" Lin Qingyi muttered, then stood up.

The next moment.

Her body went soft, and she leaned towards the side, falling.

Jiang Ning quickly reached out to catch her, looking at Lin Qingyi who was tipsy, he shook his head, "Forget it, I'll help you back to rest!"

"Hehe, thanks!"

Lin Qingyi leaned softly against Jiang Ning's body.

Jiang Ning put his arm around Lin Qingyi's shoulder and immediately felt it wasn't quite right.

Because Lin Qingyi was still wearing the same ruqun, exposing her shoulders and lotus arms.

He moved his hand down to support Lin Qingyi's waist, and it felt even more inappropriate!

His hand immediately left Lin Qingyi's body.

"Rub my waist, help me back to lie down, I feel a little dizzy!"

As Lin Qingyi spoke, Jiang Ning instantly felt her cool palm on the back of his hand, grabbing his hand and pressing it against her waist.

At this moment, Lin Qingyi's body was soft and leaning against Jiang Ning, her face flushed.

Seeing this.

Jiang Ning no longer minded.

He supported Lin Qingyi to her room and laid her on the bed.

Plop—

With a sound, Lin Qingyi suddenly opened her eyes.

Even lying flat on the bed, she could see the rise and fall of her body.

Jiang Ning shook his head, lifted Lin Qingyi's legs onto the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then turned to leave.

Creak—

As the door closed, Lin Qingyi, who was asleep on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes.

She looked in the direction of the door, her expression speechless.

She had given him the opportunity, but Jiang Ning hadn't even touched her!

This made her suddenly doubt her own charm.

Lin Qingyi lowered her head and untied the sash of her skirt.

"No problem!" she muttered to herself.

From their usual interactions, she knew that her figure was very attractive to Jiang Ning.

On the other side.

Jiang Ning came down from the upper floor and walked out of the entrance of Wan Hua Tower.

He understood the opportunity Lin Qingyi had given him.

But he dared not.

After these days of interaction, he knew that Lin Qingyi had a big secret and big troubles.

With his mere fifth-stage strength, how could he dare to get involved in Lin Qingyi's big troubles?

It was known that Lin Qingyi had now entered the grandmaster realm.

Even the weakest among grandmasters, the human grandmaster, was a genuine grandmaster.

At the gate of Luoshui County.

A woman wearing a white veil cloak over her face and dressed in a long blue gown stood at the gate of Luoshui City.

Looking at the three large characters of 'Luoshui City' on the city wall.

The woman's face, hidden under the cloak, suddenly revealed a smile.

"Luoshui City, it's here!"

If Xiao Emei were here, she would recognize this woman as Yu Manyun.

She was the most promising candidate to succeed Xiao Qiushui as the next palace master of the Water Moon Sword Palace.

Her mission had not gone as planned, and she had failed to complete the task assigned to her by Xiao Qiushui, inviting Jiang Ning to the Water Moon Sword Palace as a guest.

The reason for this was self-evident.

Yu Manyun had appeared at the gate of Luoshui City with the same purpose—to seek out Jiang Ning.

Yu Manyun then lifted her leg and walked towards the gate of Luoshui County.

A moment later.

She arrived at the gate and stood behind a sparse team, lining up to enter.

Just then.

Clop clop clop—

The sound of horse hooves.

As the sound of the wheels rolling echoed in her ears, only a moment had passed.

Two carriages slowly emerged from the main gate of the city walls.

Yu Manyun couldn't help but glance at them twice.

The leading carriage was pulled by two white flame horses, a rare breed, even in Dongling County.

Moreover, these horses gave her a sense of strength and power, far surpassing ordinary white flame horses.

It was like the difference between an ordinary wolf and the wolf king in a wolf pack.

Yu Manyun took a second look before turning her gaze away.

The queue to enter the city had reached her, so she hurried inside.

Inside the carriage, Lu Yi knelt barefoot, slowly lighting incense.

On the table was a water vessel containing a golden and crimson dragon carp, floating peacefully and fast asleep.

Jiang Ning sat quietly in the carriage, reading a book.

He needed to continue improving his calligraphy and reading skills.

He also had to consider breaking through the Fifth Stage and entering the Fourth Stage.

At the Fifth Stage, he had unknowingly come a long way.

With nearly two cycles of heavenly stems of cultivation, not only at the Fifth Stage but even among Grandmasters, he was not at all inferior.

After all, even Grandmasters only lived for two cycles of heavenly stems.

Normally, one would only cultivate for two cycles of heavenly stems from the womb.

However, those who achieve the Grandmaster level are not ordinary; their natural talent and artistic ability are at the peak of their generation.

It was normal for one year's time to accumulate several years' worth of cultivation.

Even so, even if one were to enter the Fifth Stage at the age of twenty-five, a genius among geniuses, it would still take several decades to accumulate two cycles of heavenly stems of cultivation, by which time they would already be in their twilight years.

It was only upon entering the Grandmaster level that one could maintain their peak state.

Therefore, Jiang Ning realized that he had reached an unimaginable level in the accumulation of Inner Breath Capacity.

Every time he thought of this, he felt that he had underestimated the power of the Thunderfruit, a rare treasure of heaven and earth.

This treasure was far beyond the comparison of ordinary heavenly resources.

A single hundred-year-old Thunderfruit had increased his cultivation by more than one cycle of heavenly stems.

Even now, he still found it unbelievable.

It was those Thunderfruits that allowed him to complete the accumulation of Inner Breath Capacity.

As for the transformation of quality, it was not far off.

As long as everything went smoothly and the weather remained clear, in just ten days, his Inner Core Nourishing Art would reach completion.

By then, his Inner Breath would successfully transform, reaching the Five Viscera Thunder Sound, and the level of Inner Breath Like Gale.

With Inner Breath Like Gale and two cycles of heavenly stems of cultivation, at the Fifth Stage, one could be called a peak powerhouse.

The renowned Medicine King Valley's Valley Master Lu Qingshan was also at this level, the peak of the Fifth Stage."

Strictly speaking, after thirty years of cultivation, with Inner Breath Like Sea, once the transformation of Inner Breath is completed and refined into Gale, one can be called the peak of the Fifth Stage.

As for those who progress further, with a cultivation of one cycle of heavenly stems of Inner Breath Like Abyss, they become legendary figures.

One Breath Slay Thousand Armies was the legendary achievement of such martial artists.

Not to mention those like him, who possessed two cycles of heavenly stems of cultivation.

So Jiang Ning understood that at the Fifth Stage, he was only one step away from the peak.

Once his Inner Breath transformed, there would be little need to linger at the Fifth Stage.

Breaking through to the Fourth Stage and then entering the Grandmaster level was what he sought.

Only by reaching this level could one truly see the entire world.

Otherwise, like him now, although his strength was still considerable, he remained in a state of being neither high nor low.

As for the mysterious power within him, he dared not use it freely.

That power was too unbelievable; once exposed, who knew what calamity it might bring.

The blessing of the River Master was too profound; unless it was a matter of life and death, he would never reveal it.

For now, it could only be his trump card, kept hidden away.

Sitting in the carriage, Jiang Ning inhaled the refreshing incense, continuing to flip through the books in his hands.

From now on, his world would be dedicated to improving his calligraphy and reading skills.

The journey to Dongling City would take several days, and this process couldn't be rushed.

When a family travels far, they need to bring many things.

Without the carriage, his two hands alone would not be enough.

He also planned to use this time to read books and gain experience in calligraphy and reading.

The further one goes in the Martial Dao, the more important spiritual power becomes!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end