In the courtyard of the residence.
Feng Jiuge had left, and Jiang Ning stood still in place.
"The Sumeru Ring isn't this what they call a spatial ring?"
"If I can use it, it would be incredibly convenient for me!"
Jiang Ning muttered to himself.
Immediately, he slipped the dark, mysterious ring onto his finger.
He felt a peculiar sensation from the ring, reminiscent of the strange feeling he had when he first encountered the spirit weapon.
Jiang Ning was now certain that Huang Dazheng hadn't been mistaken. This object was most likely a relic from ancient times a remnant known as the Sumeru Ring.
"The 'immortal root' Feng Jiuge mentioned should be the same as the 'spiritual wisdom' Shen Congyun spoke of."
"It's precisely because I possess this spiritual wisdom that I was able to bond with that spirit weapon."
"That must be it!" The more Jiang Ning thought about it, the more convinced he became.
He then gently stroked his chin.
"If that's the case, then the only thing standing between me and using the Sumeru Ring is one requirement: my mental energy must become tangible, capable of briefly leaving my body!"
[Skill]: Literacy (Second Breakthrough: 1903/3000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses)
Jiang Ning's gaze fell on the status panel.
He was still 1,100 experience points away from achieving another breakthrough in Literacy skills. Each breakthrough in this skill had strengthened his mental energy.
The last breakthrough had allowed his mental energy to reach a level where he could perform internal visualization, significantly improving the efficiency of refining his muscles. The next breakthrough would undoubtedly bring another transformation to his mental energy.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning recalled the imperial examinations.
From what he had learned, in the Great Xia Dynasty, passing the imperial exams and earning a scholarly title would grant one the right to worship at the Sacred Temple and have their name inscribed on the Merit Stele, which would then enhance their mental energy.
Now that he thought about it, this seemed like a viable path.
With his photographic memory and current knowledge, becoming the top scholar (Zhuangyuan) was out of the question, but passing the exams to become a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar) wouldn't be too difficult.
A Xiucai title would grant him merit and status, much like the magistrate of Luoshui County, who was said to be a dual scholar in both civil and martial arts.
However, this path was only a fleeting thought in his mind.
The imperial exams in this world were different from what he had known in his previous life.
The exams for the Tongsheng (entry-level scholar) would only be held in Luoshui County next spring, which was still several months away.
As for the Xiucai title, he would need to pass the county-level exams and earn an "A" grade to have his name inscribed on the Merit Stele at the county's Confucian Temple, thereby receiving the bestowed mental energy.
But thinking about this, Jiang Ning felt it was unreliable.
True power must come from within oneself to be dependable.
The idea of relying on the Confucian Temple's blessings reminded him of his encounter with Shi Xiaoyuan.
Shi Xiaoyuan had relied on divine blessings to greatly enhance his strength, gaining the ability to transform into a monstrous creature with incredible survivability and regenerative powers, healing any injury almost instantly.
This was no different from being a monster.
But it was problematic.
"I need to be careful," Jiang Ning thought to himself. "The Confucian Temple might also be tied to some kind of deity, albeit one controlled by the Great Xia Dynasty."
As Jiang Ning pondered this, the sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts.
"Sir!" Xie Xiaojiu appeared before him, cupping her hands in respect. "I've escorted Huang Dazheng out of the Inspector's Office."
"Do you want to be a team leader?" Jiang Ning suddenly asked.
"What?" Xie Xiaojiu's eyes widened as she stared at Jiang Ning, her mouth slightly agape.
Jiang Ning smiled. "Do you want to be a team leader?"
"Yes!!" Xie Xiaojiu nodded vigorously.
"Good! Then this is yours!" Jiang Ning pulled out a silver token and handed it to Xie Xiaojiu.
Seeing her stunned expression, Jiang Ning couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you waiting for? Take it!"
"Sir... I..." Xie Xiaojiu stammered.
Then, she suddenly threw herself into Jiang Ning's arms, hugging him briefly before quickly pulling away.
"Thank you, sir! I won't let you down." Xie Xiaojiu took the silver token and dashed off like a startled rabbit.
"My, my, it seems our sir is getting cozy with his subordinate!" Feng Jiuge leaned against the courtyard gate, a teasing smile on her lips.
"Why are you back?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Oh, I shouldn't have come, should I? I've interrupted your romantic moment!" Feng Jiuge said with a hint of jealousy.
Then she sighed. "Never mind, I won't tease you anymore. Here are the 100 contribution points the office has allocated to you."
With that, Feng Jiuge tossed a small bronze coin toward Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning caught it and examined it closely.
The coin-sized object was a dull bronze-green color, with intricate patterns resembling formation runes carved into it.
"Is this worth 100 contribution points?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Yes," Feng Jiuge nodded. "This is worth 100 contribution points. You can use it to exchange for items you need at the internal affairs office."
"Alright, I've delivered the goods. I'll take my leave now," Feng Jiuge said, waving as she turned to leave.
Watching Feng Jiuge's retreating figure, her high ponytail swaying slightly, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile.
"Having Feng Jiuge around is quite nice. She saves me a lot of trouble."
Holding the bronze coin, Jiang Ning thought for a moment and then headed toward the internal affairs office.
There were some things he wanted to exchange for, and he had originally planned to bring silver notes tomorrow to convert into contribution points. But now that he had these 100 points, he didn't need to wait.
One hundred contribution points were no small amount.
For an inspector, it would take ten months of salary to earn that much.
This was a benefit reserved for ninth-grade martial artists.
If converted to silver, it would cost a whopping 200 taels.
For an ordinary family of four, 200 taels could last them half a lifetime.
A short while later.
Internal Affairs Office.
Jiang Ning arrived once again.
"Sir!" Xie Xiaojiu greeted him with a calm demeanor, as if the earlier incident had never happened.
Jiang Ning nodded slightly. "Have you registered everything?"
"It's all done!" Xie Xiaojiu looked at Jiang Ning with gratitude.
The events of the afternoon had made her acutely aware of the difference in status between a team leader and an ordinary inspector.
In the Inspector's Office, rank was everything.
If she had been a team leader with strength surpassing Xiao Tianhe's, she wouldn't have felt so powerless earlier.
Now, she was deeply grateful.
With this new status, she had truly secured her place in the Inspector's Office.
On the other side.
The elderly woman behind the counter glanced at Jiang Ning.
"What brings you here, Inspector Jiang?"
Jiang Ning cupped his hands respectfully. "Elder, I'd like to exchange for a detailed guide on seventh-grade tendon refinement and sixth-grade bone refinement."
"The seventh-grade tendon refinement guide costs 50 contribution points, and the sixth-grade bone refinement guide costs 100. That's a total of 150 contribution points," the old woman said indifferently, extending her hand. "Hand them over."
Jiang Ning took out the bronze coin from his pocket.
"Elder, here are 100 contribution points."
Then he pulled out a 100-tael silver note.
"Elder, I'd like to exchange this silver note for 50 contribution points, making a total of 150."
"No problem," the old woman said, taking the two items Jiang Ning placed on the counter.
She then retrieved two thin booklets from a cabinet behind her. "Here's what you asked for. These are copies of the martial insights personally written by the Martial Sage. They contain the core principles of reaching the sixth and seventh grades of martial arts."
Jiang Ning took the booklets, feeling a surge of excitement.
With these, he could smoothly break through to the seventh grade. And with the detailed guide on the sixth grade, reaching that level would only be a matter of time.
As for the fifth grade, he had already been on that path for a long time.
Once he reached the peak of the sixth grade, given his current efficiency, he could instantly achieve the strength of a fifth-grade peak martial artist, with the fourth grade within reach.
Now, before reaching the fourth grade, the path of martial arts held few secrets for him.
Jiang Ning carefully stored the two booklets and said, "Elder, I'll take my leave now."
The old woman waved her hand dismissively, then closed her eyes, sitting as still as a statue.
"Let's go," Jiang Ning said softly to Xie Xiaojiu.
Xie Xiaojiu nodded obediently and followed behind him.
[Literacy Experience +1]
[Literacy Experience +2]
[Literacy Experience +2]
[...]
As Jiang Ning slowly flipped through the booklets, notifications appeared before his eyes from time to time.
The rate at which he gained experience was much faster than when he read ordinary books.
Not only did he frequently gain +2 experience points, but the notifications also appeared more frequently.
After a while.
[Skill]: Literacy (Second Breakthrough: 2337/3000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses)
After finishing the booklets, Jiang Ning opened his status panel and was slightly surprised.
"In less than two hours, reading these copies of the Martial Sage's insights on the sixth and seventh grades has given me several hundred experience points!"
"If I can maintain this efficiency, I could achieve another breakthrough in Literacy within a day or two!"
Then, Jiang Ning pondered.
"This suggests that these two booklets contain extraordinary information, which is why my Literacy skill is gaining experience so quickly."
"If I could read the original texts written by the Martial Sage in the ninth grade, I would undoubtedly gain a massive amount of experience!"
"If I get the chance in the future, I must find a way to read them!"
Having made up his mind, Jiang Ning turned his attention back to the two booklets in his hands.
According to these detailed guides on the sixth and seventh grades, also known as "explanatory texts," he now had a deep understanding of these two levels of martial arts.
The texts explained that the seventh grade involved the extreme refinement of the body's tendons, allowing one to channel their full strength at will, capable of unleashing their full power from any part of the body.
For ordinary people, the strength of their legs was always greater than that of their arms, and the wider the swing of their arms, the greater the force they could generate.
But once the tendons were fully refined, this changed.
Even in the smallest movements, like flicking a finger, one could unleash force comparable to a full-arm swing.
Casual movements could easily release the full power of the body.
This was the terrifying advantage of a seventh-grade martial artist with fully refined tendons.
Moreover, even if a seventh-grade martial artist and an eighth-grade martial artist both possessed 4,000 jin of strength, the explosive power of the seventh-grade martial artist would be several times greater.
As for the sixth grade, refining the bones was the final step in physical cultivation.
Reaching this stage represented a complete transformation of the body.
The refinement of bones, tendons, skin, and flesh brought about an all-around enhancement in strength, speed, and defense.
If a seventh-grade martial artist could take on five eighth-grade martial artists, a sixth-grade martial artist could take on ten seventh-grade martial artists.
The two booklets provided an extremely thorough explanation of everything one needed to know about these two levels.
They also clarified how Jiang Ning should proceed with refining his tendons in the seventh grade.
The principle was simple: you are what you eat.
Human tendons were not naturally strong.
In nature, the tendons of oxen, tigers, flood dragons, and even dragons were far tougher than those of humans.
For example, bows were often strung with ox tendons or tiger tendons, but who had ever heard of a bow strung with human tendons?
This was because human tendons were far too fragile compared to those of oxen, tigers, or flood dragons.
Thus, the process involved consuming the tendons of these powerful creatures, circulating one's blood and energy to refine and strengthen one's tendons, gradually transforming them to match the toughness of oxen, tigers, flood dragons, and even dragons.
Step by step, the power one could unleash would grow increasingly terrifying.
The seventh-grade martial guide also detailed specific methods for refining the tendons.
Recalling what he had just read, Jiang Ning couldn't help but sigh.
"These 150 contribution points were well spent. This is an incredible bargain!"
"Joining the Inspector's Office was the right decision!"
Time flew by.
Since its establishment, the Inspector's Office had remained relatively quiet, not making any major moves.
This allowed the various factions that had been closely watching the office to breathe a sigh of relief.
In the courtyard.
Jiang Ning is soaked in a pool of water.
"Ah, this feels amazing," he murmured, closing his eyes.
As soon as he entered the water, he felt an indescribable sense of comfort.
It was as if a fish had returned to the ocean, instantly revitalizing him.
This pool hadn't been here a few days ago.
However, due to his unique ability to recover his condition in water, Jiang Ning asked Xie Xiaojiu to dig a pool in the backyard of his residence.
When Xie Xiaojiu heard this, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
By the time Jiang Ning saw her, she was covered in dust, and he quickly called a halt.
He then summoned Ruan Hongmei, realizing that Xie Xiaojiu wasn't cut out for this kind of work.
Ruan Hongmei promptly hired a construction team, and in less than three days, the pool was ready.
Today was the first time Jiang Ning had soaked in it.
Immediately, he felt his body's condition rapidly recovering, his blood and energy surging, filling him with vitality.
"Nothing beats a good soak!" Jiang Ning sighed contentedly, enjoying the sensation of his body returning to peak condition.
After a while, his energy, spirit, and blood were fully replenished, leaving him brimming with vigor.
"I'm fully recovered!" Jiang Ning clenched his fist, feeling the changes in his body, and couldn't help but smile.
Then, with a wave of his hand, the water in the pool gathered into the shape of a dragon, swirling and dancing.
"This is my true trump card!"
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