https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-97-A-Fierce-Battle-with-Hidden-Dangers/12549221/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-99-Perfection-of-the-Undying-Bones-the-Startling-Thunder-Step/12549223/
Chapter 98: Tempering the Body with Spring Water
Chapter 98: Tempering the Body with Spring Water
Chu Ning's brows furrowed slightly as he wondered if the back-to-back battles had exhausted him too much, or if these few people were truly that poor.
He didn't find much on either Laoda Liu or the effeminate young man. A few low-level talismans that weren't even as good as those he could draw casually were of no interest to him.
The only somewhat useful items he found were two dozen low-grade spirit stones and Laoda Liu's iron hammer, which appeared to be a mid-grade artifact. The effeminate youth's thorny weapon was merely a low-grade artifact.
With such meager pickings, Chu Ning's interest in searching the yellow-faced man diminished.
He moved on to Sun Laotou's corpse.
The old man had single-handedly held off three attackers at the start, and he must have used some decent items to do so. Aside from the expected talismans, there was a black shield and a golden dagger by Sun Laotou's side.
Chu Ning had seen him use both of these items earlier, and they were likely fine artifacts. Unfortunately, under the onslaught of the three attackers, they had been damaged.
Chu Ning shook his head and then began to search Sun Laotou's storage bag, having erased the imprint on it.
Ignoring the other items, he first looked for the Blood Haze Grass, which he suspected was in the old man's possession.
After retrieving the storage bag and opening it, the first things that caught his eyes were several jade boxes.
Without hesitation, he opened them, and his eyes lit up with delight.
Indeed, the boxes contained Blood Haze Grass.
Chu Ning quickly counted them—there were eighteen mature stalks, each over a foot long, with broad leaves of a deep crimson hue.
Satisfied, he stored the grass away and began inspecting the other items.
To his surprise, Sun Laotou's storage bag didn't contain much else.
Based on the earlier fight, Chu Ning had expected the old man, despite his lower cultivation, to have lasted so long due to some good items.
He had assumed Sun Laotou would have some valuable possessions in his storage bag.
But to his puzzlement, there were only two mid-grade escape talismans, and not a single offensive or defensive talisman remained.
There were no other artifacts or items, and even the spirit stones amounted to barely a dozen.
Chu Ning blinked, slightly taken aback.
Logically, Sun Laotou, who owned a shop in Qinghefang, shouldn't have had such meager possessions.
Then, Chu Ning considered another possibility.
Perhaps this Sun Laotou was merely a representative of a cultivator family in the area, and the shop's contents weren't entirely his.
"According to what Du Han told me before, there's a Sun family affiliated with Qingxi Sect nearby, and they own quite a few spirit fields.
Could this Sun Laotou be the manager of their Qinghefang shop?"
That explanation seemed reasonable.
"But that's not right either. Even if he sold those Seven-Star Spirit Fruits, he shouldn't have made only this much.
Could it be that in this past year or so, he's spent all the spirit stones he earned?"
With no one to answer his musings, Chu Ning decided not to dwell on it further.
After storing away the spirit stones, Chu Ning's attention turned to the last item—a fine-looking jade pendant.
He picked it up and noticed that it seemed to be inscribed with a type of restriction that felt vaguely familiar. On it were carved two large characters: 'Yun Hai'.
"A Yun Hai Pavilion jade pendant. What's this for?"
Chu Ning fiddled with the pendant, his expression uncertain.
Could it be that Sun Laotou had also joined Yun Hai Pavilion? If so, that could spell trouble.
But then, he shook his head. It was unlikely.
Even if Sun Laotou had sold those Seven-Star Spirit Fruits to Yun Hai Pavilion, it wouldn't be enough for him to join their ranks.
The pendant likely had another purpose.
With that thought, Chu Ning tucked the pendant into his own storage bag.
He rose to his feet and approached the yellow-faced man. As expected, he found a storage bag on him, but it contained nothing of value, just as Chu Ning had anticipated.
However, the short spear the man had dropped earlier was still intact. Chu Ning picked it up and confirmed that it was indeed a mid-grade artifact.
After searching all the bodies, Chu Ning cast several fireballs to burn the corpses to ashes.
Just as he was about to head towards the Earth Spirit Spring, his gaze flickered towards the spot behind the yellow-faced man. There, a small pitch-black dagger was embedded in the ground.
Chu Ning recalled clearly that just before Sun Laotou died, he had released a beam of darkness that pierced through the yellow-faced man's body.
If not for that, dealing with the three of them later on would have been more troublesome.
Chu Ning walked over to the dagger, pulled it out of the ground, and examined it closely.
"Based on the power it displayed earlier, this artifact's grade is clearly very high. It might even surpass my Silver Crystal Frost Bamboo Shield. Is this a high-grade or top-grade artifact?"
Chu Ning held the black dagger, his face filled with surprise and doubt.
However, when he tried infusing it with his spiritual power, he found that nothing happened.
He tried infusing the dagger with spiritual power, but to no avail. His attempts failed repeatedly, and he eventually gave up.
Perplexed, Chu Ning decided to put the black dagger into his storage bag, hoping to figure out its mystery another day.
After dealing with everything, Chu Ning finally made his way to the Earth Spirit Spring.
"According to the jade slip, this Earth Spirit Spring, when paired with the Blood Haze Grass, is one of the best tools for tempering the body. It improves one's physique comprehensively, and while the effects may not be dramatic, the process is gentle and gradual. Ideally, one should soak in it for extended periods."
Chu Ning recalled the information he had read about the Earth Spirit Spring.
If he followed the instructions on the jade slip, he would need to use one stalk of Blood Haze Grass every day for continuous tempering.
"That means I'll have to come here for over ten days in a row?" Chu Ning muttered to himself.
After all, the Earth Spirit Spring couldn't be moved; it would lose its efficacy if taken away from its source.
However, he soon shrugged off his hesitation.
Based on the conversation he had overheard earlier, only two people knew about this place—Sun Laotou and Liu Laosan, who was now dead. The three men who had been with Liu Laosan were likely fellow wandering cultivators, and they had mentioned that they had been tracking Sun Laotou for almost a year. It seemed unlikely that they had other companions.
Having analyzed the situation, Chu Ning concluded that staying in this cave probably posed little risk.
He took out a stalk of Blood Haze Grass from the jade box.
After some thought, Chu Ning instructed Ling Xiaobai, "Little White, go guard the entrance of the cave. If anyone comes, let me know immediately."
Ling Xiaobai, who had been curiously watching Chu Ning destroy the corpses, didn't move right away upon hearing his request. Instead, she let out a chirp.
"Meow!"
"You want to eat?" Chu Ning asked, smiling.
"You're such a little glutton," he teased, but he didn't hesitate to toss the stalk of Blood Haze Grass to her.
"Meow!" Ling Xiaobai let out a happy meow and quickly devoured the grass. Then, she scampered off toward the cave entrance.
Chu Ning took another stalk of Blood Haze Grass from the jade box and threw it into the Earth Spirit Spring.
Magically, the calm water in the spring began to stir, emitting wisps of steam. Within a few breaths, the grass had completely dissolved, turning the clear spring water into a crimson red liquid.
Chu Ning reached out and touched the surface of the spring water. It was warm, but not scalding.
Without further hesitation, he took off his clothes and jumped into the reddish Earth Spirit Spring.
As his body soaked in the blood-red spring water, Chu Ning felt a delightful sense of warmth envelop him. It was as if the warm spring water was seeping into his very being.
"Comfortable!" Chu Ning couldn't help but exclaim.
Aside from its potential for body tempering, the spring water offered a unique and enjoyable bathing experience.
After a moment of appreciation, Chu Ning began to focus his attention, carefully observing the process.
With his keen perception, he noticed strands of spiritual energy penetrating his skin and entering his body. The process was slow, but it was definitely happening.
As this occurred, the blood-red color of the Earth Spirit Spring gradually faded, and the temperature of the spring water cooled down, while Chu Ning's body temperature rose.
An hour passed.
The color of the Earth Spirit Spring returned to normal, devoid of any redness. Chu Ning felt a scorching sensation throughout his body, so he leaped out of the spring and immediately began cultivating the Nine Transformations Body Refining Technique.
After cultivating for a while, when the scorching sensation in his body disappeared, Chu Ning stopped.
He then checked the proficiency levels of his cultivation techniques.
【Greenwood Eternal Spring Art (Low-grade Yellow), Third Layer (2/2100)】
【Nine Derivations Body Refining Technique, First Volume, Unwithering Bones 254/600】
【Refine God Technique, First Layer 331/1000】
There were no changes in the Greenwood Eternal Spring Art or the Refine God Technique, but the proficiency of Unwithering Bones had increased by three points.
(End of Chapter)
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