Chapter 465: Spoils of War, Source Energy Points Boost!

Chapter 465: Spoils of War, Source Energy Points Boost!

April 5th, 2025, Author: Jiang Shangjing

At the WaterMoon Sword Palace.

A dark cloud silently blocked the moonlight.

Then, a fierce gale howled.

The entire WaterMoon Sword Palace, deprived of the moon's illumination, plunged into darkness.

Under the cover of divine perception, Jiang Ning was aware of the disciples of the WaterMoon Sword Palace approaching from various directions.

He effortlessly avoided encountering them and quickly departed.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Xiao Emei tightly gripped her long sword and hurried towards Xiao Qiushui's palace, her mind filled with chaotic and cluttered thoughts.

She couldn't stop thinking about the letter she had just read.

The letter Xiao Qiushui had left in the sword sheath.

As she pondered, she had already entered the hall where Xiao Qiushui resided and climbed the steps.

"Senior Sister!"

"Senior Sister!"

A few disciples of the Sword Palace, who had arrived ahead of her, spoke up upon seeing Xiao Emei.

"What's going on? Where's the Palace Master?" Xiao Emei glanced at them and asked.

"Senior Sister, please come in and see for yourself!" one of the female disciples said.

Hearing this, Xiao Qiushui entered the hall.

Her pupils constricted, and her gaze was immediately drawn to the flickering firelight in the corner.

The dancing flames revealed a burning corpse.

At that moment, two figures stood before the burning corpse—a man and a woman.

Both were elders of the WaterMoon Sword Palace, second only to Xiao Qiushui in strength.

"Emei, you're here!" The female elder with a blended face showed a hint of reluctance in her eyes upon seeing Xiao Emei.

"Greetings, Elder Huang, Elder Qian!"

Xiao Qiushui bowed to the two elders.

The male elder glanced at Xiao Emei, and his gaze momentarily rested on the sword she held in her hand.

It was the sword passed down by the successive Palace Masters of the WaterMoon Sword Palace!

"Elder Huang, where's my master?" Xiao Emei asked.

"You should prepare yourself mentally!" The female elder's eyes flashed with a hint of reluctance.

She was well aware of the relationship between Xiao Emei and Xiao Qiushui.

Although they had no blood relation, Xiao Emei was an infant girl Xiao Qiushui had brought back from outside, and thus she was given the surname Xiao.

While they lacked the bond of mother and daughter, their emotional connection was extraordinary.

Upon hearing Elder Huang's words, Xiao Emei's sense of unease intensified.

Upon entering the hall, she noticed the changes around her.

It was evident that a battle had just taken place here.

And who were the protagonists of this battle?

Needless to say, Xiao Qiushui was undoubtedly involved.

Her gaze fell on the burning corpse, and a thought that drove her insane flashed through her mind.

"This... is Palace Master Xiao!" Elder Huang pointed at the burning corpse on the ground and sighed softly.

"How is this possible?" Xiao Emei's eyes showed a hint of confusion.

"Elder Huang is right. This is indeed Palace Master Xiao! A female skeleton, turning into jade-like bones with a jade-colored glow after being burned, and with a similar height, there's no other possibility besides Palace Master Xiao!" The male elder beside her spoke up.

"Then who is the murderer? Who did this?" Xiao Emei asked.

"I don't know!" Elder Huang shook his head and continued, "I was the first to arrive, but I didn't see any other figures. I only found traces of a fierce battle and the Palace Master consumed by flames."

Xiao Emei looked at the flame-engulfed corpse and bit her lip.

With her years of familiarity with Xiao Qiushui, a single glance through the flames was enough for her to recognize that the corpse on the ground perfectly matched Xiao Qiushui's height and build.

Moreover, this flame-engulfed corpse was found in Xiao Qiushui's residence.

"Could it be him?" Xiao Qiushui's mind flashed with the image of Jiang Ning.

She recalled the words Jiang Ning had said earlier.

Instantly, her mind became chaotic.

Just then, sounds of movement came from behind her, one after another.

The earlier commotion from this place had emitted had already shattered the silence of the WaterMoon Sword Palace.

Beside her, Elder Huang looked at Xiao Emei, who was at a loss, and sighed softly.

"I'll go out and calm them down!"

She stepped out of the hall and glanced up at the sky above.

The night sky had regained its brightness, and the clouds that had obscured the moon had apparently been blown away by the gale.

At the lakeside.

Splash—

A figure emerged from the lake and stepped onto the shore.

Jiang Ning stood on the shore of Mirror Moon Lake, turned to look at the WaterMoon Sword Palace in the lake, and then revealed a relieved expression.

Xiao Qiushui's death had instantly lightened his burden.

Moreover, the battle with Xiao Qiushui had yielded significant gains.

It had given him a clear understanding of his own strength.

Even a Divine Human Master like Xiao Qiushui, when faced with his close-quarters combat, suddenly lost the ability to retaliate.

This ultimately led to her humiliating death.

Apart from that, there were his spoils of war.

Xiao Qiushui's small sword and the treasures he had looted from her treasury.

Thinking of these, he felt incredibly satisfied.

He was currently in dire need of resources, and plundering the WaterMoon Sword Palace's treasury had undoubtedly alleviated his urgent need.

"That will greatly enhance his strength."

Jiang Ning then turned away from the WaterMoon Sword Palace, his gaze no longer lingering on the place.

After a moment, Jiang Ning appeared on a large tree in the wilderness, its girth requiring several people to encircle it with their arms. He was now quite far from the WaterMoon Sword Palace.

In no hurry to return, Jiang Ning knew that if he rushed back at full speed, he would arrive before Zhao Yu Long and Ye Zhengqi. Such a feat would be too exaggerated.

Sitting on a branch, Jiang Ning took out the silver needle sword for the first time. The sword, measuring over six or seven centimeters, exuded an otherworldly aura in his hand, reminiscent of when it was in Xiao Qiushui's grasp.

However, the sword now appeared dull and lusterless, resembling an ordinary toy sword. Despite its appearance, Jiang Ning was aware of its extraordinary nature, for it had pierced through his two layers of golden body and left a bloody wound on his palm.

The image of Xiao Qiushui swallowing the sword, transformed into a sword pill, flashed through his mind again. He couldn't help but gather some clear water to carefully clean the toy-like sword in his hand. After examining it closely, he still gained no new insights.

"Let's try blood recognition!" Jiang Ning muttered to himself, an idea forming in his mind. He gripped the hilt with his left hand and drew the blade across his right index finger, slicing open the skin and causing blood to ooze out.

"So sharp!" Jiang Ning exclaimed in awe as he looked at the wound on his finger. He was well aware of his defensive capabilities after the second breakthrough of his Coreless Unbreakable Body. He could now crush a thousand-forged blade with his bare hands.

However, when faced with this silver needle sword, despite summoning all his strength and being protected by two layers of golden light, he had still been injured by Xiao Qiushui's hasty counterattack.

A drop of blood, thick and congealed, fell onto the silver needle sword. It rolled like a pearl but was not absorbed by the sword in the slightest. After observing it for a moment, there was still no change.

"Looks like blood recognition won't work!" Jiang Ning shook his head. He then focused his gaze and expanded his divine perception, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

The divine perception touched the silver needle sword, and it silently absorbed it without a sound. He saw intricate silver patterns within the sword, which he slowly filled and illuminated with his divine consciousness.

"This seems to be the way to refine this silver needle sword!" Jiang Ning's eyes lit up, feeling delighted. He closed his eyes and began to use all his strength to fill the patterns within the sword with his divine consciousness, refining it.

Time passed slowly. Sweat gradually formed on his forehead as he exerted himself. After refining it, he realized how complex the patterns were and how much divine consciousness was required to fill them. As soon as he completed one set of patterns, another set appeared.

After a long while, Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. "Go!" he commanded, and the silver needle sword instantly transformed into a silver light, piercing through the air and appearing a hundred zhang away.

He raised his hand and summoned the sword back to his side, where it hovered, emitting a faint silver glow. "What an amazing item!" he exclaimed, marveling at the silver needle sword.

By refining the sword, he had also absorbed the information it contained. This object had no special name; it was a sword pill with five layers of restrictions. He had just refined these five restrictions and completely mastered the sword pill.

It was not a product of the current era but a relic from ancient times. The most precious thing within it was the sword intent contained in the sword pill. By comprehending and mastering that sword intent, one could unleash the true power of the sword pill.

"If I have time, I should give it a try!" Jiang Ning muttered to himself as he gazed at the silver needle sword emitting a faint silver glow.

With a thought, the silver needle sword in front of him shrank into a silver iron pill, which he then swallowed. Next, he wanted to examine the other spoils of war.

Jiang Ning felt a surge of excitement. He had swept through the WaterMoon Sword Palace's treasury, claiming numerous treasures. However, there was not much wealth to be found.

In the next moment, three brocade boxes appeared in his hands. They contained the Seven Aperture Enlightenment Pills, as indicated by the labels on the boxes. Instantly, information about the pills flooded his mind.

According to his knowledge from books, these pills were extremely rare and had the innate effect of enlightenment and enhancing wisdom. They were often used by major powers or strong cultivators to nurture their descendants. The medicinal ingredients used were also extremely rare, totaling seven types of pills that enhanced wisdom.

Among the seven medicinal ingredients, the most precious was the Bodhi Fruit.

There was once a Buddhist record.

The Buddha attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree and later founded Mahayana Buddhism.

Bodhi Fruit is a special heavenly material that can enhance human wisdom.

Jiang Ning, without hesitation, quickly swallowed the three Seven Orifice Brightening Pills.

He didn't have any descendants to nurture at the moment.

As for the effects of the pills, he didn't care.

What he cared about was the increase in source energy points they could bring him.

Currently, his source energy deficit was enormous.

He urgently needed to replenish it.

After a short break.

The three precious Seven Orifice Brightening Pills were completely refined by Jiang Ning.

At this moment, he only felt a slight increase in mental clarity, and there were no other noticeable changes.

He shook his head and stopped paying attention.

For him, the effects of the pills weren't very useful.

All he wanted was to absorb the energy within and increase his source energy points.

Subsequently.

He took out another object from the Shruti Ring.

It was a soft armor suit.

The soft armor, woven like ice silk, felt slightly warm to the touch, as if constantly radiating heat.

Looking at the soft armor, Jiang Ning tried to pull it with force.

Then, he tried again with a bit more strength.

After a few breaths.

"It's a good thing!" he praised, then slowly shook his head: "But it's obviously useless to me!"

The reason for this statement was that the soft armor was too small, like a rag, obviously designed for women.

"This can be given as a gift!" Jiang Ning muttered.

Wang Qingtan's proud little face immediately appeared in his mind, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"She helped me a lot before, so it's time to repay her."

"Moreover, she's a wealthy lady, and if given the chance, she might even sponsor me again!"

Thinking of Wang Qingtan, Jiang Ning unconsciously touched the back of his head.

Under the cover of his hair, he found the Phoenix Velvet Feather that Wang Qingtan had left on his head.

With this Phoenix Velvet Feather, even severe injuries could allow him to rise from the ashes.

"I should send her something!"

Jiang Ning whispered to himself.

He put away the soft armor.

Then, he took out another item from the Shruti Ring.

Thousand Spirit Blood!

Looking at the label on the small jade bottle, a glint of light appeared in his eyes.

Thousand Spirit Blood is a necessary item for ordinary masters to complete their second blood exchange.

Finding this item in the WaterMoon Sword Palace's treasury wasn't surprising.

After all, Xiao Qiushui was just a step away from becoming a master, and such items were bound to be in the WaterMoon Sword Palace's treasury.

Subsequently.

He opened the bottle and drank the contents.

The Thousand Spirit Blood in the bottle was sucked into his mouth.

Immediately, he closed his eyes and began to refine it by circulating his life force.

After an incense stick's worth of time.

He opened his eyes, his face slightly red.

"No more, the remaining Hundred Spirit Blood and Thousand Spirit Blood can't be consumed!"

Jiang Ning could feel that after refining the Thousand Spirit Blood, his body was struggling to handle it.

If he continued, his life force would be excessive, and he'd start bleeding from his nose.

So, he decided to jump down from the tree.

He began practicing his martial arts in an open space.

The next day.

The sky brightened, and a fiery red sun rose over the ridge.

Jiang Ning slowly clenched his fist and exhaled the turbid air from his stomach.

At this moment, his face returned to normal.

His eyes shone with a divine light.

After a night of practicing his martial arts, he successfully digested the effects of refining the Thousand Spirit Blood.

He clenched his fist, and a crystal-clear drop of sweat hung from his nose, slowly falling under the fiery red sun.

【Source Energy】: 7863

【Techniques】: Wu Qin Quan (Six Breakthroughs 7000/7000) (Characteristics: Five Organs Store Essence, Five Elements Spirit, Martial Arts Master (First Breakthrough), Bear and Tiger Physique, Five Elements Body)



The previous night's spoils increased his source energy points from over four thousand to over seven thousand, a surge of three thousand points.

And this wasn't all he gained.

He had more valuable items to slowly digest.

He also needed to gradually absorb the experience.

As for Wu Qin Quan, after a night of practice.

The experience points accumulated and reached seven thousand.

Now, with sufficient source energy points, he could choose to break through at any time.

But, it wasn't enough!

He closed the panel.

The next breakthrough for Wu Qin Quan required ten thousand source energy points.

Currently, he had only over seven thousand.

It was still far from enough.

This was just the deficit for Wu Qin Quan.

Other cultivation methods also had similar source energy point deficits.

"No rush! Xiao Qiushui is dead, and in the short term, no one can threaten me, so I have plenty of time to slowly digest the resources I acquired last night!"

Jiang Ning clenched his fist, filled with determination.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end