https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-464-Forging-the-Seven-Star-Nails-Adding-Another-Prized-Magical-Treasure/12550400/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-466-Turbulent-Times-Ahead-the-Lingcang-Alliance-s-Everlasting-Light/12550405/
Chapter 465: The Wonders of the Xuan Yin Pearl
Chapter 465: The Wonders of the Xuan Yin Pearl
As he spoke, Chu Ning took quick strides forward and pulled Cen Zikin with him into the house.
Cen Zikin smiled and replied, "I've been here for several days now. As soon as I arrived, I heard that you had gone to craft artifacts, so I waited here for you."
"Mhm, I had just returned from an outing and acquired some ingredients, so I decided to forge a few magical artifacts," Chu Ning replied, his curiosity getting the better of him as he asked, "By the way, you still haven't told me why you came to Yunxiao City."
"It's time for the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the sect to take their turn here, and they need to be escorted. I thought that I shouldn't just rely on the sect's resources and not contribute, so I volunteered to come with Sister Cheng to escort them here," Cen Zikin explained, offering a smile and a glance at Chu Ning.
"It was also a good opportunity to come and see you," she added.
Chu Ning finally understood, and a look of realization dawned on him.
The Golden Core cultivators and Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Nine Lotus Sect took turns coming to Yunxiao City. Due to their shallow cultivation, the Foundation Establishment cultivators relied more on the sect's resources, so their rotations were more frequent.
Given the distance between the Nine Lotus Sect and Yunxiao City, the sect naturally couldn't let these junior cultivators travel alone.
Chu Ning reached out and squeezed Cen Zikin's hand affectionately, saying, "I suspect that last reason might have been the most important one."
Hearing this, Cen Zikin burst into a fit of giggles. "Well, maybe not. You've only been gone for a few months, after all."
Even though Chu Ning knew she was teasing him, he couldn't help but reach out and pull her into an embrace, which she didn't resist.
After a moment of intimacy, Chu Ning looked at Cen Zikin with a hint of surprise. "Hmm? In the three months that we've been apart, your cultivation seems to have improved quite a bit."
Cen Zikin smiled triumphantly when she heard Chu Ning's astonished exclamation. "I thought you hadn't noticed. It was quite a coincidence, actually. Before I left the sect, I accidentally obtained a Yin Heart Fruit, and when I consumed it, I found that the Xuan Yin power within it greatly aided my cultivation of the Xuan Water Divine Art."
"Oh?" Chu Ning's interest was piqued, and he asked eagerly, "Is this due to the Xuan Water Divine Art or your unique physical constitution?"
Cen Zikin pondered for a moment before answering, "I think it's mostly due to my physical constitution. When I was at the Foundation Establishment stage, there was another instance where I accidentally harnessed Xuan Yin power and experienced a significant boost in my cultivation. But at the time, I didn't fully understand what had happened, so I didn't pay it much mind. This time, with another significant improvement in my cultivation, I made the connection. Unfortunately, objects containing pure Xuan Yin power are extremely rare. I asked a few sect elders to investigate, but we haven't found any more."
"A physical constitution that benefits from harnessing Xuan Yin power," Chu Ning mused, his eyes appraising Cen Zikin as his mind raced.
"Could Zikin have a special talent similar to a spirit body, but because she doesn't have a proficiency panel, she's unaware of it herself?" he wondered aloud.
Chu Ning's eyes sparkled with contemplation as he thought of another person—Xi Menxia from the Northern Cold Territory. She had been able to use the power of gengjin, even though she herself didn't know that it was gengjin power.
Noticing Chu Ning's intense gaze fixed on her, his expression deep in thought, Cen Zikin asked, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
"Nothing!" Chu Ning smiled reassuringly. "It looks like your trip here was quite fruitful."
As he spoke, he reached into his storage bag and pulled out a round pearl.
"Such pure Xuan Yin power!" Cen Zikin exclaimed, her sensitivity to Xuan Yin power evident as she reacted to the item still in Chu Ning's hand.
Chu Ning smiled and handed the Xuan Yin Pearl to her. "This is called the Xuan Yin Pearl. It contains thousands of years, perhaps even nearly ten thousand years' worth of Xuan Yin power. It should be enough for you to cultivate for a very long time."
Chu Ning went on to explain how he had obtained the Xuan Yin Pearl—by slaying the ten-thousand-year-old corpse in the Ghost Fog Forest.
"The Xuan Yin Pearl!" Cen Zikin exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight as she held the pearl in her hand. "I want to try cultivating with this right now."
"Sure, let's go," Chu Ning said, leading Cen Zikin into his cultivation room.
"The spiritual energy in Yunxiao City isn't quite sufficient for me, but it should be just right for you. However, there's a formation inside that amplifies the spiritual energy, so you'll have an even better cultivation environment," he explained.
"Mhm," Cen Zikin acknowledged, already holding the Xuan Yin Pearl and beginning her cultivation.
Seeing this, Chu Ning casually activated a restriction on the formation, separating the two of them to avoid any interference, before beginning his own cultivation.
Over the past three to four months, Chu Ning had either been studying the Xuan Ice Flame and Yin Sha Ghost Fire or researching artifact crafting. As a result, he had somewhat neglected his cultivation practice.
With this opportunity, he decided to dedicate himself to cultivation once again.
Practicing the Five Elements Chaos Technique and the Nine Derivations Body Refining Technique simultaneously, Chu Ning immersed himself in cultivation, and before he knew it, a day had passed.
His cultivation proficiency had stabilized, and there weren't any major breakthroughs.
When he emerged from his meditative state and glanced at Cen Zikin, he saw that she was still cultivating, so he left her undisturbed and exited the cultivation room. He waited for her in the courtyard, taking the opportunity to further study his new artifact.
Half a day later, Cen Zikin finally emerged from the cultivation room, her face radiant with joy.
Seeing this, Chu Ning asked with a smile, "How was it?"
"The Xuan Yin Pearl's Xuan Yin qi is so dense and pure!" Cen Zikin exclaimed. "It's far superior to the Yin Heart Fruit I consumed before.
Cen Zikin smiled and explained, "When I cultivate with the Xuan Yin power, I don't directly refine it. Instead, I use it to draw in spiritual energy from the heavens and earth, so the amount of Xuan Yin power I need isn't actually that much."
Chu Ning nodded in understanding. This was quite similar to how he refined spirit plants. The pure spiritual energy within the spirit plants was only one aspect; the more crucial part was how they drew in spiritual energy from the heavens and earth, accelerating the absorption and refinement process.
"That's right!" Cen Zikin took out a jade bottle from her storage bag. "I'm not sure if it's because the Ten Thousand Year Snow Crystal Herb has reached a critical point, but over the past two months, several of its spirit leaves have condensed Snow Crystal Herb spirit liquid. I've accumulated quite a bit, so I brought it with me for you."
Chu Ning didn't stand on ceremony and took it directly. The spiritual energy in the Ten Thousand Year Snow Crystal Herb spirit liquid was still a bit strong for Cen Zikin, and it wouldn't be easy for her to refine it, but it was just right for him. In fact, even now, the Snow Crystal Herb spirit liquid was still the best auxiliary aid for Chu Ning's cultivation among all the items he had.
Chu Ning also took the opportunity to retrieve some items from his storage bag that he couldn't use but might be useful to Cen Zikin, and gave them to her. He also gave her some of the items he had obtained from killing several Nascent Soul cultivators, such as magical artifacts, artifact refining materials, and pill concocting ingredients, so that she could bring them back to the sect.
These items weren't of much use to Chu Ning at his current stage.
He didn't think much of them, but they would be invaluable treasures to many cultivators of the Nine Lotus Sect.
The two chatted some more, and Chu Ning even called out Bai Ling to keep Cen Zikin company for a while. After that, they left Chu Ning's courtyard to meet with the others.
Although Chu Ning didn't need to personally handle everything, as the one in charge of the Nine Lotus Sect's affairs in Yunxiao City, it was still appropriate for him to make an appearance.
Cheng Qinghui and the other cultivators had actually wanted to come and see Chu Ning earlier, but they didn't want to disturb him. Now that he had come out, they immediately approached with a few disciples in tow and greeted him respectfully.
"Greetings, Elder Chu!"
"Elder Cheng, there's no need to stand on ceremony!" Chu Ning smiled and waved his hand.
Previously, he had addressed Cheng Qinghui as "Sister Cheng," just like Cen Zikin, but now he was being more formal.
Cheng Qinghui smiled and said, "Of course we should show respect to your title, Elder Chu. Your reputation as the number one cultivator under the Nascent Soul stage throughout the Western Alliance is well-deserved. We feel honored to be in your presence here in Yunxiao City. In recent months, countless cultivators from various sects have come to the Nine Lotus Sect, most of them seeking to join our sect as disciples. If it weren't for the strict controls implemented by each peak, the number of disciples would have already more than doubled."
Chu Ning was slightly taken aback by this and turned to look at Cen Zikin.
Cen Zikin smiled and nodded. "The Sect Master is facing a happy dilemma. The number of disciples in Purple Mist Peak alone has increased by twenty percent. It's normal for the number to double in a few years. This time, the Sect Master asked us to seek your opinion on expanding the sect's territory."
"Tell the Sect Master that it's entirely up to him. I have no objections," Chu Ning said, shaking his head. He then turned to look at Gong Yuyuan, who was standing nearby. "Elder Gong, if I recall correctly, the Nine Lotus Sect's territory used to be much larger than this, right?"
Gong Yuyuan nodded, his eyes shining with excitement. "Indeed, Elder Chu. During its heyday, our sect's territory was about three times what it is now. However, as the sect declined, some of our predecessors decided to reduce the size of our mountain gate. Now that your reputation has elevated our sect's status, if we can truly restore the sect to its former glory, our predecessors who have passed on will surely be pleased."
Chu Ning thought for a moment before speaking to Gong Yuyuan, "Elder Gong, if the sect is going to expand its territory, there will be a lot of work to do. We don't need so many Golden Core cultivators here in Yunxiao City for now, so why don't you return to the sect to assist the Sect Master?"
Seeing Gong Yuyuan's hesitation, Chu Ning paused slightly before looking at him meaningfully and continuing, "In fact, if our sect is to truly regain its former glory, we can't rely on just me. At the very least, we need several more Nascent Soul cultivators!"
Gong Yuyuan's body trembled as he heard Chu Ning's words, which were clearly filled with deeper meaning. Meeting Chu Ning's gaze, he fell silent for a moment before his aura surged, and his eyes sparkled with determination. "Elder Chu is right. Our sect can't rely solely on you and the Sect Master. I, Gong Yuyuan, have been stuck at the late Nascent Soul stage for many years, but I still have some years left in my lifespan. It's time for me to make a final push. We can't let the restoration of our sect's glory remain just empty words!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
