In the days that followed
The weather took a sudden turn, bringing continuous heavy snowfall.
With mountains sealed under thick layers of snow and roads blocked, ordinary people had no way to travel long distances.
Even martial artists dared not venture out recklessly.
The harsh natural environment was enough to freeze or starve an ordinary martial artist to death in the wild.
As a result, the entire Luoshui County remained eerily quiet.
The only source of movement came from the Xie Clan.
During this time, Jiang Ning continued his daily training and cultivation.
As the days passed, his Five Animal Fist progressed steadily, and the bones within his body gradually underwent complete jade transformation, turning into Jade Bones.
In the blink of an eye
Half a month had passed.
Under the bright moonlight
Jiang Ning slowly withdrew his fists after completing a full cycle of bone refinement.
[Five Animal Fist Experience +2]
Seeing the prompt before him
"Huff"
He let out a deep breath of turbid air and opened his status panel.
[Source Energy]: 173.66
[Techniques]: Five Animal Fist (Three-Time Limit Break 4000/4000)
(Traits: Essence Stored in the Five Organs, Five Elements Spirit, Grandmaster of Fist Techniques)
After a glance, he shook his head and closed the panel.
A few days ago, he had already accumulated enough experience points to attempt a fourth limit break for his Five Animal Fist.
But now, no matter how much more experience he gained, his panel remained unchanged.
To push it to the fourth limit break, he needed 500 points of source energy, yet he currently had just over one hundred, leaving a massive gap.
Closing the panel, his gaze drifted toward Luoshui Lake, just beyond the courtyard walls.
"Should I venture into Luoshui Lake now to search for heavenly treasures and accumulate source energy? Or should I wait until my efficiency improves?"
He pondered for only a moment before shaking his head.
Luoshui Lake was far too vast.
With his current strength, his efficiency underwater was still too low.
If he could achieve another mental breakthrough, his perception range in the water would increase exponentially.
Combined with an improved Swimming technique, then and only then would it be truly worthwhile to search for heavenly treasures in the lake.
Otherwise, even if he spent days searching and managed to find ten or more treasures
Would that even matter?
Those ten treasures combined might not even be worth ten thousand taels of silver.
The source energy gained from that? Minimal.
Instead, it was better to keep training, refining his bones, and enhancing his martial arts prowess.
After all, the heavenly treasures in Luoshui Lake weren't going anywhere.
But with stronger techniques and sharper perception, he could greatly increase his efficiency when the time finally came.
"Sharpening the blade does not delay the cutting of firewood."
Next, Jiang Ning turned his focus inward, examining the state of his own body.
In an instant
He saw that his Jade Bone Transformation was already 90% complete.
"Just a few more days, and I'll have fully forged my Jade Bones!"
His eyes lit up with joy.
Then, he looked up at the night sky.
The moon hung high above the treetops, and the night was already deep.
Seeing this, he dismissed the idea of continuing his training for the night.
"It's time to sleep. Tomorrow is my first day reporting to work I need to visit the Inspectorate and check if Granny Bai has arrived yet."
A flicker of anticipation rose in his heart.
If the elderly woman from the Internal Affairs Division was present, then he could claim his rewards for eliminating the two The Worshipers Sect martial artists.
Those two were both Fifth-Rank Inner Strength Realm experts from the Worshipers Sect.
According to the Inspectorate's bounty regulations, killing a Sixth-Rank Worshipers Sect martial artist would earn 50,000 contribution points.
And he had taken down two at Fifth Rank. His rewards would be even higher.
Additionally
Tomorrow, he would receive a promotion, increasing his authority within the Inspectorate.
This meant gaining access to higher-tier martial knowledge potentially even Fifth-Rank techniques or beyond.
Such knowledge was crucial in shaping his future martial path.
Whether it was He Jinyun's death, the Worshipers Sect, or the looming threat of the Black Lotus Matriarch, Jiang Ning felt a faint sense of crisis.
Each of these three matters, alone, was something beyond his current power to handle.
He Jinyun's Death
Given He Jinsheng's temperament, his recent return to report would undoubtedly lead to Jiang Ning being named.
Once that happened, He Jinyun's mother would almost certainly set her sights on him.
And that woman?
She was none other than the younger sister of the Moonwater Sword Palace's Palace Lord one of the most likely candidates to become a Grandmaster in Dongling Prefecture.
Dealing with women was already troublesome.
Dealing with an older woman with power and influence? Even worse.
The Worshipers Sect Conflict
The Worshipers Sect worshipped the God of Flesh and Blood.
Whether due to his authority or his past conflicts, Jiang Ning had now become an irreconcilable enemy of both the cult and their god.
From what he had read about ancient times
When two beings share the same divine authority, only one can remain.
This was a battle for dominion.
Either he perished, or the God of Flesh and Blood did.
The only advantage he held was that he remained in the shadows, while the god was out in the open.
According to the Black Lotus Matriarch, divine beings still could not descend into the world due to current environmental conditions.
The Most Troublesome Issue: Black Lotus Matriarch
On New Year's Eve, he had managed to fool Black Lotus Matriarch.
But because of that, she would undoubtedly come for him the moment she fully descended to "atone for her sins."
At that time, if he was exposed, the Black Lotus Matriarch would surely become furious out of shame.
From what he understood, although the Flesh and Blood God and the Black Lotus Matriarch were both deities, there was likely a significant difference between them. The Black Lotus Matriarch was far superior to the Flesh and Blood God in both power and divine status.
If nothing else, the mere fact that she had a title spoke volumes.
The Black Lotus Matriarch was a deity with a recognized name.
On the other hand, the Flesh and Blood God worshiped by The Worshipers Sect only had a domain of authority but no official title.
From this alone, he could see that the Black Lotus Matriarch, should she come looking for him and uncover the truth, would undoubtedly be enraged.
For him, that would be a catastrophe.
Thinking about all these things, Jiang Ning couldn't help but murmur to himself,
"I hope that old woman from the Internal Affairs Office, the one Hong Minghu calls Granny Bai, arrives soon and isn't stuck on the road like the others!"
With this thought in mind, Jiang Ning vaulted over the tall courtyard wall, stepped onto the frozen lake, broke through the ice, and submerged himself in the water to wash away the fatigue and sweat from his martial practice.
The next day.
"The weather is indeed excellent today!"
Looking at the cloudless sky outside his window and the lingering moon in the eastern sky, Jiang Ning's face lit up with a faint smile.
A clear day meant that his Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique would once again make progress.
This brought him one step closer to refining his inner energy to the level of condensed qi, like true steel.
With this thought, he glanced at his status panel.
[Skill]: Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique (Minor Accomplishment 2013/5000)
Now, his experience points in this technique had exceeded two thousand. He was less than three thousand points away from reaching full mastery, where his inner energy would condense like steel.
At his current rate of progress, he would need less than a month to close this gap.
Then, he threw off his blanket and walked outside wearing only shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.
As he pushed open the door, a wave of freezing air rushed toward him.
But Jiang Ning remained unfazed.
At this stage, he had truly achieved immunity to heat and cold.
He raised his head to glance at the sky.
Winter nights always lasted longer.
Now, as dawn barely began to break, the sky remained a dim shade of gray.
Yet, from the bright moon still hanging in the eastern sky, it was clear that today would be a cloudless and sunny day.
Since he was used to waking up early, the sky was always slightly dim when he got up.
Under such clear skies, he would always see the bright moon in the morning.
So, he was not surprised by its presence.
Then, he began his daily washing routine in the courtyard.
During this time, he heard the sound of strong gusts of wind coming from the neighboring courtyard.
That was Lü Yi practicing her punches.
A short while later
"Young Master!"
Hearing Jiang Ning's brushing sounds, Lü Yi appeared before him, her face slightly flushed and sweat beading on her forehead.
Jiang Ning glanced at her.
"How long have you been up?"
"Not even two hours yet!" Lü Yi answered, lowering her head.
"You're pushing yourself too hard," Jiang Ning said, shaking his head.
"Young Master allowed me to practice martial arts. I must seize it!" Lü Yi replied, then turned around and left.
In just a moment, she returned, bringing him a basin of water and a towel.
After washing up
Jiang Ning looked at her and asked, "How's your progress?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Yi's face lit up with excitement.
"Young Master, I've already reached the peak of Vital Energy!"
Jiang Ning nodded, unsurprised.
Lü Yi had started with four hundred pounds of strength, and with his support, she had made rapid progress.
Moreover, her comprehension was decent, and she was willing to endure hardship.
Reaching the peak of Vital Energy within half a month was not unexpected.
"In that case, you can start tempering your skin."
"Later, go to Wanhua Pavilion yourself and buy the necessary resources for skin refinement."
"Just use my money," Jiang Ning added as a reminder.
"Young Master, I still have money!" Lü Yi replied stubbornly.
"That little bit of money is barely enough for anything." Jiang Ning shook his head and continued, "If you don't increase your martial strength quickly, you won't even qualify to stay by my side in the future."
"I understand!" Lü Yi immediately nodded upon hearing this.
After that, Jiang Ning began practicing his punches and strengthening his bones in the courtyard.
[Five Animal Fist Experience +1]
[Five Animal Fist Experience +3]
[Five Animal Fist Experience +1]
[...]
As he repeated his punches and bone refinement over and over, the notifications continued to appear.
However, at this stage, Jiang Ning could no longer see the accumulated progress of the Five Animal Fists on his status panel.
Yet, he could feel that with each repetition of the technique and every increase in experience points, the power of his blood and qi was growing more and more vigorous.
In recent days, the energy within his body would sometimes surge like a tsunami, raging inside him.
Compared to when he first reached the "Qi and Blood Like an Ocean" stage, his reserves had nearly doubled.
But he could still sense that he was far from taking the next step forward.
More than an hour later.
By now, it was already the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).
After eating the meat soup and a few white steamed buns that Lü Yi had prepared, he continued his martial cultivation.
Before he knew it, time had reached the hour of Si (9-11 AM).
Since the weather was particularly pleasant today, with the warm sunlight lazily shining down, he was in no rush to head to the Inspection Office for work.
Given his current status, it was entirely optional for him to report to the Inspection Office on regular days. Unlike the ordinary personnel, who were required to be there on time every day, he had no such restrictions.
Even when they had no tasks to carry out, the others could only train in martial arts within the Inspection Office, lacking the freedom he enjoyed.
Seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the courtyard, Jiang Ning assumed the Five Hearts Facing the Heavens posture and began absorbing the essence of the great sun.
Meanwhile.
Xie Zhengtian appeared once again at the entrance of the residence.
"Second Brother, is everything ready?" Xie Zhengtian turned to glance at the dark-faced man behind him.
The dark-faced man immediately nodded repeatedly and said in a deep, muffled voice, "Rest assured, Big Brother, I've got all sixty-six taels of gold right here!"
As he spoke, he lifted the redwood box in his hands and slightly opened a small gap.
Sunlight filtered through the opening, sending a dazzling golden glow shining out.
Seeing this gleam of gold, Xie Zhengtian felt a bit more at ease.
He knew that the moment that would determine the future fate of the Xie family was fast approaching.
Eighty-six taels of gold considering that one tael of gold was equivalent to one thousand taels of silver meant that they had a total of sixty-six thousand taels of silver.
In the Great Xia Kingdom, gold was a scarce resource and a consumable, so its actual value in private transactions was even higher than its official worth.
If calculated based on its black-market price,
These sixty-six taels of gold could easily be worth seventy thousand taels of silver.
Ten thousand taels of silver was already enough to make someone a wealthy merchant.
Sixty-six taels of gold
Even for the Xie family, gathering this amount had been a grueling task. They had to sell off many family assets over more than ten days, severely straining their resources.
After making some final adjustments to his appearance,
Xie Zhengtian finally knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock
Moments later.
Xie Zhengtian stood quietly outside the eastern courtyard, waiting for Jiang Ning to finish his martial training.
The sun was now high in the sky, and as he stood under its full glare, fine beads of sweat began forming on his forehead.
Part of it was due to the heat, but even more so, it was from nervousness.
Yet at this crucial moment, he had no mind to wipe away the sweat.
The closer he got to this decisive moment, the more anxious he became.
Because Jiang Ning had made it clear he would only give him one chance.
Today's visit would determine whether the Xie family could continue to exist or not.
Inside the eastern courtyard.
Jiang Ning continued absorbing the essence of the great sun, steadily progressing in his Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique.
[Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1]
[Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1]
[Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1]
[...]
With each breath cycle, streams of inner energy condensed and merged into his dantian, making the phenomenon within it even grander and more imposing.
At times, it manifested as a soaring dragon, twisting and turning through misty clouds.
At other times, it transformed into a mighty, rushing river, surging powerfully into the distance.
In the blink of an eye,
Two hours had passed.
[Through this session of absorbing the essence of the great sun, Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique experience points increased by 115.]
Exhale
Jiang Ning let out the final breath of turbid air that had accumulated in his abdomen and slowly opened his eyes.
[Skill]: Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique (Minor Accomplishment 2128/5000)
"I'm one step closer to the qualitative transformation of my inner energy!"
A smile appeared on his face as he turned his gaze toward the courtyard entrance.
From the moment he had started absorbing the great sun's essence, he had already sensed the arrival of Xie Zhengtian, the head of the Xie family.
"It seems he has made his choice!"
Jiang Ning chuckled lightly.
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