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The slash rushed towards Official Tian ruthlessly and with an evil pressure!

Official Tian acted in a flurry as he quickly summoned some protective Mystical Fortification, which formed into a giant Qi force field around him

"Bang!"

The Sword Qi shattered.

Official Tian breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to dismiss the protective Mystical Fortification.

"Apocalypse Devil Sword!"

A red greatsword flew out once again from Ning Xiaochuan's body before it launched towards Official Tian's protective Mystical Fortification.

Official Tian finally understood the situation. 'I think this boy is using me as a living target to practice his Divine Martial Art.'

Official Tian was just about to get angry when Ning Xiaochuan suddenly stopped and no longer continued to send out more sword shockwaves.

Ning Xiaochuan stood in his place and pondered for a moment before he spoke with a smile, "Thank you Official Tian for protecting this junior of yours."

Official Tian was already nursing rage within him but as soon as he heard Ning Xiaochuan say this, he suppressed his rage and almost caused himself internal injuries.

He dismissed his protective Mystical Fortification and said, "The first Divine Technique that your body birthed were these sword shockwaves? That can't be right! I clearly saw the thunder and lightning releasing from your body, you should be an Astronomical Divine Body."

Ning Xiaochuan calmly asked, "Official Tian, what is an Astronomical Divine Body?"

Official Tian noticed how humble Ning Xiaochuan was acting and his rage calmed even more. He said, "After a martial artist opens up three Hidden Vessels, they'll be able to use their Combat Atrium to communicate with their Divine Body, thus allowing their physical body to turn into a Divine Martial Body. This realm is known as the Divine Body Realm.

"As everyone has different innate talents, the Divine Martial Body they gain from cultivation differs as well.

"Divine Martial Bodies can be roughly divided into three types and nine grades. These three types are the Five Elements1 Divine Body, Diamond Divine Body, and Astronomical Divine Body.

"The Five Elements Divine Body and Diamond Divine Body are the more common Divine Body types while the Astronomical Divine Body is relatively rarer."

Ning Xiaochuan was still confused so he asked, "What are the differences between these three Divine Bodies then and why differentiate them?"

"The differences are mainly distinguished from the Divine Techniques born from the martial artist's body. For example, once a martial artist that has cultivated an Astronomical Divine Body uses Divine Martial Art, they would be able to summon astronomical phenomena such as blizzards, thunder and lightning, storms, gales, and even turn day into night or vice versa. Only martial artists that have cultivated an Astronomical Divine Body can alter the weather," said Official Tian.

Ning Xiaochuan was finally starting to understand a little. He pieced together that Yu Ningsheng had probably cultivated an Astronomical Divine Body since she was able to summon snow like a snow fairy.

Official Tian continued, "Martial artists that have cultivated an Astronomical Divine Body don't just simply control astronomical phenomena. To be precise, the Divine Martial Art they're able to cultivate will usually be related to astronomical phenomena.

"However, the Divine Technique you cast just now was clearly a sword shockwave condensed from your own Blood Qi. That is a Divine Technique that can only be born from a Diamond Divine Body. How peculiar!"

Ning Xiaochuan naturally would not tell Official Tian that he had not cast a Divine Martial Art just now. Instead, it was actually the sword cognizance the Devil Sword has transferred to him.

When Ning Xiaochuan first began his cultivation, he was still fumbling about with the sword cognizance. However, the power that the sword cognizance displayed was completely comparable to a Divine Technique. It was even stronger than common Divine Martial Arts.

Ning Xiaochuan used his divine insight to stare into the eye of the Devil Sword that was in his heart. Although this Devil Sword was merely a condensation of Sword Qi, it still had substance and possessed a lot of power. It contained more power than a Martial Supreme.

It could be completely regarded as an independent Devil Sword!

Once Ning Xiaochuan fully seized control of this Devil Sword, he felt that he would be able to kill a Martial Supreme with a single strike.

Just now, when he had sent a sword shockwave from the Apocalypse Devil Sword towards Official Tian, he had only used the sword cognizance he had cultivated to do so and not the Devil Sword itself.

If he had truly transferred the Devil Sword in his heart out of his body, the sword cognizance would only make it much stronger and he might not be able to control it completely then.

Ning Xiaochuan decided that he would never reveal the existence of the Devil Sword unless the circumstances made it absolutely necessary for him to do so. This Devil Sword was actually condensed out of the Apocalypse Sword's Sword Qi, which meant it was essentially the Apocalypse Sword's offspring. Revealing its existence would only bring death upon Ning Xiaochuan.

Ning Xiaochuan asked, "Why are the Divine Bodies divided into nine levels then?"

Official Tian replied, "The Divine Body Realm is divided into nine smaller realms. However, not everyone is able to birth nine types of Divine Martial Arts from their bodies. On the contrary, most people are only able to produce one to two Divine Martial Arts."

Ning Xiaochuan continued, "Why is that?"

Official Tian answered, "The human body is a giant treasury but nobody has the same amount of things in their treasury. Most people have ordinary qualifications so they're only able to produce one Divine Martial Art. Some people with extraordinary qualifications, on the other hand, are able to produce nine types of Divine Martial Arts. The physical difference is why Divine Bodies have nine levels."

Ning Xiaochuan knew that he would only be able to break through one realm and into the next one if he cultivated one Divine Technique to its Greater Achievement, which made him confused again.

"Since most people are only able to birth one Divine Martial Art from their body, how do they achieve Stage Two of the Divine Body Realm?"

Official Tian smiled as he replied, "A Divine Technique makes up for a lacking Divine Technique, acquired skills make up for innate weaknesses."

"A Divine Technique makes up for a lacking Divine Technique, acquired skills make up for innate weaknesses!" Ning Xiaochuan echoed.

Official Tian nodded his head and said, "Divine Techniques birthed from a martial artist's own body are called Innate Divine Techniques. However, people who aren't able to acquire Divine Techniques inherently can cultivate Acquired Divine Techniques to make up for the lacking in their bodies so that they can achieve greater realms. Although Acquired Divine Techniques don't have as high compatibility as Innate Divine Techniques, that doesn't mean you should underestimate Acquired Divine Techniques. Some Acquired Divine Techniques can be scarily powerful."

Ning Xiaochuan had truly broadened his horizons. The road of martial arts was actually so mysterious and unpredictable. He would have never imagined achieving Divine Body Realm would truly open a fantastic door to the world of martial arts.

Ning Xiaochuan returned to his room and shut the door. Wisps of Qi dispelled from within his body before they condensed into a balloon that completely enveloped him.

This ball of Qi could completely isolate him from contact with the outside world.

Ning Xiaochuan extended his right hand and streaks of electricity appeared from his fingertips.

He lightly pushed a finger outwards and a ray of electricity came flying out of the tip before it penetrated right through a teapot on the table.

A small hole was punctured into the side of the teapot and out came a stream of tea that spread all across the table.

"Lightning Divine Beast!"

This was the first Divine Technique birthed from within Ning Xiaochuan's body.

Of course, Ning Xiaochuan had just birthed this Divine Technique so all he could do with it was release a small ray of electricity.

Once he cultivated Lightning Divine Beast to Greater Achievement, he would be able to condense a Divine Beast out of lightning and turn electricity into a beast. That was the true power of Lightning Divine Beast.

'Lightning Divine Beast and the sword cognizance of the Devil Sword belonging to the Apocalypse Order. I have two lethal techniques now which means I have one more card than the other people in the same realm as me.'

The cultivation of Innate Divine Techniques relied on one's self to comprehend it. Even if a person had a master with the strongest Cultivation, the master would only be able to tell them how to cultivate better so they would be able to bring their Innate Divine Technique to Greater Achievement quicker.

Ning Xiaochuan knew his biggest shortcoming right now was that he had nobody to guide him. From the very beginning of his cultivation, he had progressed by fumbling about.

One would only be able to grow in the cultivation of martial arts through battle with others because only through battle would one realize one's own shortcomings and discover the true meaning of martial arts at the same time.

However, Ning Xiaochuan severely lacked combat experience and the opportunities to learn from other powerhouses in the same realm, so it was difficult for him to see his own shortcomings.

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'Maybe I can go to the Heavenly Emperor Academy too so that I can make up for the shortcomings in my body. By meeting other powerhouses, geniuses, and outstanding talents of the same age group there, I'll be able to expand my worldview and knowledge too. Only through striving with them will I be able to improve myself. After all, being overly subjective with no regard to the outside world isn't the best long-term plan.'

Ning Xiaochuan was determined to take part in the entrance examinations for the Heavenly Emperor Academy. At the same time, the promise he made to Yu Ningsheng appeared in his mind.

Three hundred million copper coins!

Ning Xiaochuan had already achieved the Divine Body Realm so he should be able to refine mid-grade Pills now!

For the next two months, Ning Xiaochuan would focus entirely on refining these mid-grade Pills so that he would earn enough money to redeem Yu Ningsheng.

Refining a mid-grade Pill was not easy since it was not as simple as refining Heart-nourishing Liquid. It was absolutely required to mix all the materials together so that the Pill Principle would first converge, then the Pill Qi would form, followed by the condensation of the Pill Pattern, and finally, a Mystical Pill is produced.

"Pill Principle" referred to the principle behind the forming of a Mystical Pill. No principle, no pill.

Pill Principle was similar to the folk prescriptions used by people around the world. The attributes and quantity of the medicine were a part of Pill Principle.

If the materials were recklessly paired up, the materials would go to waste and the Pill Principle would not form. In the end, there would only be pill remnants.

The most important medicine Ning Xiaochuan had control over was Blood-toad Wood but Ning Xiaochuan could not solve the two problems he currently faced—how to pair it with complementary medicine and how to form them into a Pill Principle.

The next day, Ning Xiaochuan entered the Imperial City once more and headed to Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall to attend a lecture.

Although Ning Xiaochuan was extremely gifted in the Heart-nourishing Technique, he did not have the experience and knowledge to support his gift. Therefore, he was worse than most Junior Heart-nourishing Masters and needed a desperate cram session.

Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall had lectures given by Mid-level Heart-nourishing Masters every ten days and, every half a year, there would be a lecture by a Senior Heart-nourishing Master.

Commonfolk naturally could not attend these classes since only Heart-nourishing Masters from Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall could attend these lectures.

Wang Shisong sat at the highest position. He looked to be in his forties and he was dressed in a white Heart-nourishing Master's robe. A golden Dapeng1 was embroidered into the collar of the robe with Heavenly Mystical Silk and a green Heart-nourishing Cauldron was embroidered into the chest area of the robe.

This represented his status as a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master, which meant that he received the respect and admiration of others no matter where he went!

Thirty or so Junior Heart-nourishing Masters sat quietly on praying mats directly below him. They all listened intently to his lecture and some were even scribbling notes onto papers they had brought with them.

Wang Shisong spoke with confidence and composure, "A Junior Heart-nourishing Master should take one step at a time. They should focus on Cultivation and continuously accumulate experience. They mustn't seek instant return nor should they be greedy for too much since thinking that way would bring no advantage whatsoever to all you Junior Heart-nourishing Masters."

Ning Xiaochuan stood up and asked, "I have a question for you, senior. I hope you'll enlighten this junior of yours."

Ning Xiaochuan had spoken humbly, which made Wang Shisong feel slightly conceited. With a light tone, Wang Shisong said, "Asking a senior a question is an excellent habit. Young people should always dare to clarify the questions they're facing. It's good to be keen for knowledge and to take the initiative in things. Everyone here should learn from him!"

The surrounding Junior Heart-nourishing Masters stared at Ning Xiaochuan and contempt towards him grew inside them. They all felt that this young man really knew how to act and was doing so on purpose. They all felt that Ning Xiaochuan was trying to win this Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master's attention so that the Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master would look favorably upon him and maybe even consider him as a disciple.

All the present Junior Heart-nourishing Masters wanted to be noticed by the Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. They all wished to be Wang Shisong's disciple since that meant they would get even more guidance from him.

Ning Xiaochuan paid no attention to the looks he was getting since he was already a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master To-be. What good would currying favor with a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master do to Ning Xiaochuan? After all, he was the one that asked the Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master a question, so being humble and polite while he did so was what he was supposed to do.

"If I wanted to use Blood-toad Wood to refine a cauldron of mid-grade Pills, what Mystical Medicine should I be using as complementary medicine to ensure that the Mystical Medicine will undergo qualitative change, form the Pill Principle, and become Pill Qi?"

Wang Shisong's expression immediately darkened and he replied coldly, "I hate students who seek instant returns like you. You're obviously just a Junior Heart-nourishing Master yet you're already thinking about refining mid-grade Pills. Everyone wants to take a shortcut to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master but how many Junior Heart-nourishing Masters have actually been promoted to Mid-level Heart-nourishing Masters? Mid-level Heart-nourishing Masters are incredibly noble and not everyone's noble, isn't that clear to you?"

Once the words "Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master" escaped Wang Shisong's mouth, he was immediately filled with a sense of superiority. Being a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master was a very high honor and all the Junior Heart-nourishing Masters present could only look up to him.

The Junior Heart-nourishing Masters present started laughing at him. "That fellow's out of his mind. He probably just became a Junior Heart-nourishing Master so this is his first time attending Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master Wang Shisong's lectures. He definitely didn't know Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master Wang Shisong despises students who think they're all that!"

"He just became a Junior Heart-nourishing Master yet he's thinking about refining mid-grade Pills. What an idiot!"

"He was definitely trying to win Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master Wang Shisong's attention so that he'll become a disciple. I think he's completely blown his chance now. Haha!"

…

Ning Xiaochuan calmly said, "I only wanted to consult you on the matter, I don't mean anything else by it."

Wang Shisong snorted and replied, "In your current realm, I think it's best that you concentrate on exploring how to refine two drops of Heart-nourishing Liquid from a stalk of Heart-nourishing Herb."

Wang Shisong realized that Ning Xiaochuan was a new face and thought that he was a newcomer that had just been promoted to Junior Heart-nourishing Master, which was why he advised Ning Xiaochuan in this way.

Ning Xiaochuan never expected that even asking a question would be met with verbal assaults. He said, "If I were a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master, would I be qualified to ask that question then?"

"Mid-level Heart-nourishing Masters are people with great wisdom. Therefore, communicating and discussing with each other is common." Wang Shisong continued casually, "You're still too young so you'll understand once you become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. Everything I told you today is for your own good."

"I'm already a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master To-be," replied Ning Xiaochuan.

Wang Shisong said, "Of course, a Junior Heart-nourishing Master will need at least ten years of accumulated experience and cultivation to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. It must be done one step at a time… Uh… What did you just say? You said you're already a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master?"

Wang Shisong had finally processed what Ning Xiaochuan had said and almost choked on his own saliva, staring openly at Ning Xiaochuan as he did so.

All the present Junior Heart-nourishing Masters were shocked beyond words so they could only stare at Ning Xiaochuan.

Being a Heart-nourishing Master meant not lying at all costs since that would mean losing one's credibility. Once a Heart-nourishing Master lost credibility, their reputation would suffer terribly.

Therefore, none of the people present doubted Ning Xiaochuan since nobody would dare to joke around with their reputation on the line.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "I'm already a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master To-be and all I need to do now is refine a cauldron of mid-grade Pills to officially become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master."

Wang Shisong swallowed audibly and replied, "The refining of mid-grade Pills is something you need to explore yourself. You need to pair medicine up according to your main medicine. Nobody will be able to guide you on this issue."

Wang Shisong had only been a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master for half a year.

So far, he had only been able to refine a cauldron of mid-grade Pills and he had succeeded on that entirely due to luck.

Wang Shisong only had a smattering of knowledge about the refining of mid-grade Pills so Ning Xiaochuan naturally would not be able to obtain any results from asking Wang Shisong for guidance.

Ning Xiaochuan sighed internally; it seemed that he indeed could only explore things himself. After all, it depended on the continuous accumulation of experience, which could not be achieved overnight.

As soon as Ning Xiaochuan left, the entire hall exploded into chaos.

"Who was that? He's so young but he's about to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master!"

The young lady who sat next to Ning Xiaochuan recovered from her shock to answer tentatively, "I think he mentioned his name is Ning Xiaochuan."

"Ning Xiaochuan. My god! That's the best Junior Heart-nourishing Master of Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall. Princess Qianqian called him a peerless genius since he's receiving the monthly salary of a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master despite being a Junior Heart-nourishing Master!

Everyone was flared up; a sixteen-year-old Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master was definitely going to be hailed a prodigy amongst Heart-nourishing Masters.

Even Wang Shisong could not calm down at the moment. He severely regretted how he was too proud of himself just now. If he had offended the peerless genius, he might not be able to do anything as a Heart-nourishing Master anymore.

…

At the top of a high tower within Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall.

This tower had thirty-one floors and standing at the top of the tower allowed one to see the entire Tianwei District. Only Heart-nourishing Masters could enter this tower to practice Heart-nourishing Technique or to study information.

The topmost floor was where Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall's Hallmaster and Great Heart-nourishing Master, Skilled Master Guo, practiced cultivation.

Skilled Master Guo was already a hundred and sixty-four years old. He was dressed in a white Heart-nourishing Master robe and his pure white hair was more than three meters long, which meant it swept across the floor. His face was pulled taut with wrinkles and his eyebrows and beard were as white as snow.

He sat cross-legged on a round platform made of white jade and carried himself as an immortal would. He held a scroll in his hand and was explaining the ancient Heart-nourishing Technique to Yu Qianqian.

Yu Qianqian was Skilled Master Guo's seventh disciple and also the disciple he favored the most. Although she was only sixteen, she was already a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master To-be.

Anyone with a disciple like her would be proud of her too.

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"Hallmaster, Wang Shisong requests to see you. He says it's regarding something very important." An Elder walked in from the outside and announced respectfully as he bowed at Skilled Master Guo.

Skilled Master Guo replied, "Let him in!"

Yu Qianqian sat cross-legged on the praying mat and smiled. "That Wang Shisong has always liked showing off his superiority in front of the Junior Heart-nourishing Masters. What could be so important to him?"

"Qianqian." Skilled Master Guo's reprimanded her, "Although Wang Shisong doesn't have the best attitude, he's still a hardworking Heart-nourishing Master. You should never make fun of a hardworking person!"

"It is right for Master to reprimand me," replied Yu Qianqian.

Wang Shisong hastily walked in. When he noticed Skilled Master Guo, he immediately kneeled down, seemingly moved to tears. "I, Shisong, am humbled to be able to meet the Hallmaster."

Being able to meet the Hallmaster was not an easy feat. The only time Wang Shisong managed to meet the Hallmaster was when he first became a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. This was only his second time meeting the Hallmaster, of course, he would be moved to tears.

Skilled Master Fuo asked, "You said you have something important to report?"

Wang Shisong replied, "I am reporting to the Hallmaster that I, Shisong, have just seen a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master To-be."

Skilled Master Guo smiled as he said, "Another one managed to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master? That's great news!"

Yu Qianqian also grinned. Every Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master was a valuable asset to them, naturally, this was a piece of news to be celebrated.

Wang Shisong continued, "This Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master is only sixteen years old."

Skilled Master Guo and Yu Qianqian facial expressions started to change as they heard that.

As if realizing the misunderstanding, Wang Shisong hurriedly added, "I'm not talking about Princess Qianqian, but rather, another youth that became a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master!"

"Another one!" Yu Qianqian was so shocked that she stood up. Could there someone out there that could compare with her in terms of natural-born Heart-nourishment potential?

Wang Shisong continued, "His name is Ning Xiaochuan."

"Ning Xiaochuan!"

Yu Qianqian showed a complicated expression, as if it was something she had expected, but also something she had not.

Before Ning Xiaochuan appeared, Yu Qianqian had always seen herself as the most outstanding Heart-nourishing genius out there. However, once Ning Xiaochuan entered the picture, she finally realized that there were other geniuses out there.

If she remembered correctly, Ning Xiaochuan had just become a Junior Heart-nourishing Master merely a month ago. To be able to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master within just a month… That had far exceeded what the term "genius" could describe. His feat literally defied common sensibilities.

After hearing the name, Skilled Master Guo seemingly fell into deep thought. As his aged eyes opened slightly, he uttered, "Ning… Xiaochuan…"

"Hallmaster, do you know him?" Yu Qianqian asked.

Skilled Master Guo replied, "Maybe! Qianqian, you know this young man, right? Go bring him here right now, I want to have a private meeting with this person."

At this point, Ning Xiaochuan was originally planning to leave Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall. However, before he could even set foot outside of the gates, he was halted by Yu Qianqian. Then, she brought him over to the top of this tall tower, seeing a mysterious elder.

He had no idea how long this elder had lived, but the old man's body reeked of old age as if he was an ancient tree that had stood for many centuries.

After glancing at Ning Xiaochuan for a long time, Skilled Master Guo seemed to be moved by something as he stood up from the jade platform. Giving off an intense Qi from his body, he spoke, "Who was the one who cured your fetal disease?"

Ning Xiaochuan asked in confusion, "Old senior, how did you know that I used to have a fetal disease?"

Skilled Master Guo nodded as he continued, "In the past, Marquis Jiange once invited this old man over to the Marquis' Residence to treat your fetal disease. You were still young at the time, I think you were only a one-and-a-half-year-old baby when I visited. However, your fetal disease originated from a problem with your Heart Meridian. Your Heart Meridian was so severely clogged up, it was not something that could be cleared with just medicine and Qi. Even the slightest mistake could've cost you your life. Back in the day, this old man did not dare to act carelessly, so I gave up on treating you. Now that you're fully recovered from your fetal disease, I can't help but ask if you've met some sort of miracle worker who managed to clear up your Heart Meridian so well."

Ning Xiaochuan explained, "A month ago, this young one was knocked out with a single palm strike. After being in a state of unconsciousness for half a day, when I woke up, my Heart Meridian had been fully cleared. I would say that it was the force of that person's palm strike that managed to shatter whatever that blocked off my Heart Meridian."

Ning Xiaochuan might be lying to Skilled Master Guo1, but when it came to clearing his Heart Meridian, this method was definitely valid, though it would come with an extremely high risk.

"So it was that simple! However, this method is quite a risky one, even the slightest slip up would've caused you to truly die." Skilled Master Guo smiled bitterly as he shook his head. "Looks like that was a blessing in disguise for you. Your body is the vessel of the Seven-orifices Devil Heart, after surviving that predicament, you'll surely one day reach the stars. Even this old man won't be able to gauge how many future achievements and accolades you will earn for yourself."

Skilled Master Guo tried to treat Ning Xiaochuan in the past, so naturally, he knew about the Seven-orifices Devil Heart lying within the kid's body. With an Atrium of that quality, it was logical that he would be able to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master within just a month.

Skilled Master Guo stroked his beard as he chuckled. "Looks like in the near future, the Marquis Jiange's Residence will once again give birth to another unparalleled practitioner! I can't wait to see how amazing you'll be when you get a Greater Achievement on your Seven-orifice Devil Heart! I really can't wait! From now on, on the first, tenth, and twentieth day of the month, come along with Qianqian to this place for a lesson! I believe that your journey as a Heart-nourishing Master will be far more successful than mine."

Ning Xiaochuan continued on to ask about the process of refining mid-grade Pills. Skilled Master Guo did not directly tell him the recipe for it, but he did explain the theory of mixing herbs to Ning Xiaochuan, asking him to figure it out himself.

In the words of Skilled Master Guo, "Only through trial, error and repeated failure will a person grow. This way, your journey as a Heart-nourishing Master will be even more long-lived."

Ning Xiaochuan made a mental note on Skilled Master Guo's advice. He felt like the Hallmaster of Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall was a wise sage, teaching him about all sorts of things he did not understand, but at the same time, allowing him to think on his own.

Ning Xiaochuan did not leave the Heart Nourishing Master Tower immediately. He stayed in the tower to peruse some of the books there.

Maybe it was because his Hidden Vessels were connected to his cerebral cortex, but whenever he circulated Qi into his cerebral cortex, his memory improved exponentially. It was almost as if he had a perfect photographic memory.

"Grade One Mystical Medicine – Nine thousand two hundred and seventy-five types", "Grade Two Mystical Medicine – Four thousand seven hundred and sixty-one types1", "Grade Three Mystical Medicine – Six thousand four hundred and thirty-eight types".

There were thirty-eight books recording Grade One Mystical Medicine, twenty-nine books recording Grade Two Mystical Medicine, and thirty books recording Grade Three Mystical Medicine.

These books had detailed records on every type of Mystical Medicine listed. From explanations of the concept and medicinal properties of the medicine to an illustration of the medicine itself. The books even had details on where and in what environments these herbs might grow.

For the average Junior Heart-nourishing Master, if they wanted to memorize the over twenty thousand types of Mystical Medicine listed here, they would have to at least spend three years to just vaguely remember the most commonly used Mystical Medicine.

However, Ning Xiaochuan managed to use a single day to perfectly memorize all the content of these ninety-seven books to the point where he could recite all of them word-for-word. He had carved the details of every single Mystical Medicine here into his memory.

"Having Hidden Vessels connected to the surface layer of my cerebral cortex really did make me smarter. I'll just finish reading the first three grades of Mystical Medicine today, then I'll finish reading the Grade Four Mystical Medicine, Grade Five Mystical Medicine… Grade Nine Mystical Medicine books over the next two days. That way, my knowledge of Mystical Medicine should be on a whole different level. Then, when I go off on my own in the future, I won't miss out on any precious Mystical Medicine in my travels."

By the time Ning Xiaochuan left Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall, the sky was already dark.

When he was about to head off in his Green Deerhorse carriage, he suddenly sensed something. Turning around, he was greeted by an armor-clad girl with long blue hair.

Her body was emitting an icy cold aura as she coldly stared at Ning Xiaochuan.

Ning Xiaochuan patted his chest a bit as he let out a sigh of relief. "You again? Do you not make any sound when you walk? I almost got scared to death."

Ji Hanxing stood still at the side of the main street, as stoic as an icy cold mountain. She looked stunningly beautiful, causing her to catch the eye of most martial artists. However, with a single glare of hers, it was enough to scare any of the martial artists back. Hence, no one dared to approach her.

"I thought you couldn't train Combat Qi, what the hell are you doing in the Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall?" Ji Hanxing asked coldly.

Ning Xiaochuan stated, " Can't I go there to use the toilet?"

Ji Hanxing spat coldly, "You need an entire day to use a toilet?"

"Are you stalking me? Did you actually camp outside the Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall this entire day?" Ning Xiaochuan suddenly put his guard up against this girl. He thought to himself, 'To think she's been stalking me all this time and I didn't notice her at all. Her cultivation is more than meets the eye.'

Ji Hanxing coldly stated, "Answer my question first, what were you doing in the Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall?"

Ning Xiaochuan did not want to waste more time with her. He just turned around and hopped back on the carriage, preparing to ride off back to Begonia Manor.

However, just as he got on, Ji Hanxing made her move from behind him, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him off the ground.

"ANSWER MY QUESTION!" Ji Hanxing lifted Ning Xiaochuan with a single arm as she coldly asked.

"Rude!" Ning Xiaochuan did not bother resisting or even struggling.

The martial artists that walked past Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall started to gather around as they saw this scene. They could not believe their eyes.

Ji Hanxing could not stand being at the center of attention of so many gazes. She quickly let go of Ning Xiaochuan and walked away.

The surrounding martial artists only saw her body move slightly before she disappeared from her spot. This left a lot of them stunned. They knew that this person was a top-tier practitioner. With that in mind, they all did not dare to continue watching as they started to scurry off.

"What a barbaric and unreasonable woman!"

Ning Xiaochuan straightened his clothes before starting to make his way back to Begonia Manor.

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Throughout this journey, Ning Xiaochuan kept looking back and could always see Ji Hanxing following behind him.

She looked as if she was casually walking, but her speed still kept up with the Green Deerhorse carriage. If an average person saw this, they might even think that there was a blue ghoul following behind the carriage and faint from fear.

In the beginning, Ning Xiaochuan was quite alert about this, but as he saw that she did not have any intention of making a move, Ning Xiaochuan started to disregard her presence.

For an entire month, Ning Xiaochuan would head over to Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall to read every single morning, only coming back at night. When night fell, he started to train his first Innate Divine Technique, Lightning Divine Beast, and try to understand the foundations behind the Apocalypse Devil Sword.

Within this month, Ning Xiaochuan had perused over three thousand books relating to Heart-nourishing Masters, learning about more than fifty thousand types of different Mystical Medicine of different grades, the various types of Mystical Medicine, the medicinal properties of the Mystical Medicine, the refining technique of the Mystical Medicine, the recipes of the Mystical Medicine, the refining process of mid-grade Pills, etc. He read all sorts of books and then slowly started to analyze and internalize the information.

Of course, within this month, he also followed Yu Qianqian to get lessons from Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall's Hallmaster, asking the elder for knowledge about how to refine mid-grade Pills.

Sometimes, he would even discuss Heart-nourishing Techniques and Pill Principles with Yu Qianqian.

Yu Qianqian was also preparing to refine mid-grad Pills, preparing to become a true Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. Hence, the two shared similar topics of interest.

As the two interacted, Yu Qianqian realized that Ning Xiaochuan's knowledge had exceeded hers on a more comprehensive level. This hurt her confidence even more, as her identity as a genius had been utterly overshadowed by Ning Xiaochuan's brilliance.

This entire month, Ji Hanxing was seemingly still stalking Ning Xiaochuan's every move. Wherever Ning Xiaochuan went, she would follow. Sometimes, she would lift Ning Xiaochuan off the ground as usual, but he looked like he did not have a care in the world. He freely allowed her to lift him up, almost as if declaring that he did not care, no matter how often she lifted him up!

Ji Hanxing was out of ideas on what to do with him. In the end, she just gave up on using brute strength and just silently followed behind him. It was almost like he was haunted by a beautiful ghost that he could never shake.

With this entire month of training in Heart-nourishing Techniques, Ning Xiaochuan improved significantly. As he continued to research Pill Principles, he vaguely grasped the concepts behind refining a mid-grade Pill. He was ready to refine his first batch of mid-grade Pills at this point.

Since Ning Xiaochuan's Cultivation was already at the Divine Body Realm, he could easily control the Devil Sword within his blood orifices. In turn, he also did not have to worry about the Blood-toad Wood being forcefully absorbed by the Devil Sword after it was refined. Hence, he could finally use Blood-toad Wood as the main ingredient to refine a mid-grade Pill.

"I'm gonna go with Blood-toad Wood as my main ingredient. It has a slight Yang Attribute along with a pinch of the water attribute.

"Using Grade Five Snow Lotus Mystical Medicine, I should be able to neutralize the Blood-toad Wood's Yang Attribute, whereas using Grade Five Hard Cinnabar Mystical Medicine, I will be able to hide the water attribute of the Blood-toad Wood. Grade Five… Would its medicinal properties be too overwhelming? Maybe Grade Four Hard Cinnabar might be a better choice."

After careful deliberation, Ning Xiaochuan finally decided to use Grade Five Snow Lotus, Grade Four Hard Cinnabar, and Grade Three Heart-nourishing Grass as the sub-ingredients of the Blood-toad Wood.

Just in case of failure, Ning Xiaochuan had bought a total of ten portions of Mystical Medicine and fifty portions of Grade Tree Heart-nourishing Grass.

Heart-nourishing Grass and Magnetite were the foundation of refining mid-level Pills. They were essential.

"Bam!"

His first attempt ended in failure. As soon as the Grade Five Snow Lotus was infused into the Heart-nourishing Cauldron, it instantly caused the Yin and Yang of the Qi within the cauldron to go off-balance. It had failed to form Pill Qi, ultimately resulting in the dispersal of the medicinal Q and turning the concoction into medicinal goop.

On his second attempt, Ning Xiaochuan first refined the Heart-nourishing Grass into Heart-nourishing Liquid, using it as the base for the creation of the pill. Then, he tried infusing the Grade Four Hard Cinnabar into the Heart-nourishing Cauldron. This time, the balance was not broken and Pill Qi started to form.

However, when it came time to infuse the Grade Five Snow Lotus into the Heart-nourishing Cauldron, the medicinal Qi went off-balance once more, causing the Pill Qi to disperse again. It was another failure.

"This time, it's probably an issue with the timing. When I put in the Grade Five Snow Lotus, I need to be a bit faster."

Learning from his two failures, Ning Xiaochuan was even more cautious this time. After adding the Grade Four Hard Cinnabar, he immediately added in the Grade Five Snow Lotus.

This time, it was a success! The medicinal Qi did not disperse!

As he continued refining, the medicinal Qi slowly transitioned into Pill Qi.

'That's a good sign!

'Let's continue!'

"Bam!"

In the end, it was still a failure. The Blood-toad Wood's medicinal Qi was too intense, and the Pill Qi could not be formed. In turn, it was not able to turn into a Medicinal Pill, ultimately leading to the remnants in the Heart-nourishing Cauldron to be wasted.

Failure! Failure! Failure!

For his first seven tries, Ning Xiaochuan had failed all of them. He just could not manage to get it to form a Pill.

By his seventh failure, all of his Mystical Medicine was wasted. Tallying it all up, the Mystical Medicine cost him over two million copper coins. Understandably, Ning Xiaochuan's mood turned sour by that point.

"Calm down! Calm down! Don't panic! Don't overreact! There must be something wrong with what I did. If the Blood-toad Wood's Yang attribute is so strong, then I'll just add in two Grade Five Snow Lotuses and double the amount of Magnetite.

With that, Ning Xiaochuan carried out his eighth attempt.

By now, he had already become quite proficient at the refining process and seemed like a complete natural. When all the Mystical Medicine and Magnetite was added into the Heart-nourishing Cauldron, the medicinal Qi started to boil, turning into a crimson red Pill Qi. At the bottom of the Heart-nourishing Cauldron, the Heart-nourishing Liquid kept being absorbed into the Pill Qi, ultimately, turning the Pill Qi into a liquid.

Pill Liquid!

Ning Xiaochuan started to get excited.

When Pill Qi transitions into Pill Liquid, it signified a ton of progress.

Ning Xiaochuan did not rush it, but rather, started to use a gentle method to enrich the blood-red liquid in the Heart-nourishing Cauldron. He kept on pouring the Qi in his body into the Heart-nourishing Cauldron, infusing it into the liquid.

At this point, the process was nearing its final steps. Once the condensation of the Pill Pattern occurs, it will become a physical Pill.

Ning Xiaochuan sat cross-legged under the Blood-toad Wood tree as his body started to emit layers upon layers of herbal scents. This attracted many passing birds, surrounding the area of Begonia Manor.

Yu Yan stood a short distance away, looking on worriedly. She said, "Master has been sitting there for a total of four whole days. If he continues to not eat or drink, he will definitely harm his body."

Official Tian had been standing by the lakeside almost like a ghost. He had been standing there for the past four days. Chuckling with a hoarse voice, he said, "What does a little girl like you know? He's in the middle of refining mid-grade Pills. Just the Pill Qi that the mid-grade Pills release can provide him sustenance. What an amazing sight! He's only sixteen years old and he's already a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master! His innate potential might even be higher than Skilled Master Guo.

Ning Xiaochuan, who originally had his eyes shut, suddenly opened his eyes and shouted out a single word, "CONDENSE!"

A small cauldron suddenly flew out from his body, enveloping the Qi as it floated in front of him. This thing was emitting a strong herbal fragrance as it turned into the form of a Blood-toad, still floating in the air.

"The pill is almost formed!" Official Tian yelled.

When a person's Cultivation reached the Divine Body Realm, the Heart-nourishing Cauldron would have been reinforced enough from all the refining, allowing it to fly out from the heart and present itself in the air.

If and when Ning Xiaochuan's Cultivation progresses even more, even if he leaves his Heart-nourishing Cauldron outside of his body, he would still be able to refine Pills.

Ning Xiaochuan repeatedly waved his hands in the air, trying to use his Qi to carve out the Pill Pattern he needed to transform it into the symbol of a Blood-toad and infuse it into the Heart-nourishing Cauldron.

A moment later, the Pill Pattern creation was complete.

Ning Xiaochuan's heart was beating rapidly as he wondered if his mid-grade Pill refining was a success.

If he had succeeded, that would mean that he would officially earn the right to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. From then on, his identity and position would become unbelievably higher.

"Boom!"

As the Heart-nourishing Cauldron was opened, six rays of blood-red light shine out from within the cauldron. Enshrined within these rays of light were six separate pea-sized pills. Shining glaringly bright, they emitted an intense fragrance.

It turned into Pills!

Ning Xiaochuan kept the six Blood-toad Pills as Yu Yan immediately brought over a Mystical Frost Jade Box.

"Congratulations on your success in refining a mid-grade Pill, master. You have become an amazing Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master."

"Whether these are mid-grade Pills or not… Will still depend on the appraisal results. I'll bring this over to the Heart-nourishing Hall to have them be appraised by the Hallmaster."

Ning Xiaochuan placed these six Blood-toad Pill into the Mystical Frost Jade Box and immediately set out to Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall.

Skilled Master Guo had not expected Ning Xiaochuan to have succeeded in refining a mid-grade Pill so quickly. When he opened up the jade box, a dazzling light poured out from the box.

"You managed to refine six Pills on your first attempt? Amazing!"

As he picked up one of the Blood-toad Pills, it floated on his palm.

On the pill itself, the symbol of a Blood-toad twisted around, looking as mystical as ever.

That was the Pill Pattern.

As Skilled Master Guo observed the Pill momentarily, he let out a small sigh. "How unlucky, these Pills can only be considered a partial success."

Ning Xiaochuan questioned, "How could that be? I was sure I felt that the medicinal Qi in the Pills was no weaker than other mid-grade Pills."

Skilled Master Guo nodded. "That's because your Seven-orifice Devil Heart is simply too special. It caused the Pills you partially succeeded in refining to have medicinal properties comparable to the average mid-grade Pill that others would refine. If you sell these six Pills, you could definitely sell it for the value of an average mid-grade Pill, but, at the end of the day, it will ONLY be the value of an average mid-grade Pill."

Naturally, even mid-grade Pills had different qualities. For an average mid-grade Pill, the price could go from around one to three million copper coins.

On the other hand, for top grade Pills, they could even go up to about fifty million copper coins.

If Ning Xiaochuan sold three of these Pills that he partially succeeded in refining, he would at most get around one to three million copper coins1. There was no hope of earning any more than that.

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Ning Xiaochuan asked, "Then, why would such a situation occur? I'm sure I managed to control the timing and manipulation to the tiniest degree, the pills shouldn't have been just a partial success."

Skilled Master Guo replied, "You've probably spent a lot of effort trying to refine these Blood-toad Pills, even using top-grade herbs, especially the main ingredient – Blood-toad Wood. It has a high level of liveliness, it was obvious that they were taken fresh from a Blood-toad Wood tree. However, the sub-ingredients you used were dead herbs that were picked a long time ago. Live herbs and dead herbs are polar opposites, there was no way for them to form Pills. However, you've somehow brute-forced your way into a partial success in refining it into a Pill. That was already quite an amazing feat in and of itself."

NIg Xiaochuan finally understood. No wonder he had failed seven times in a row. The biggest reason behind all that failure was that he did not pay attention to the difference between live herbs and dead herbs.

After learning the reason, Ning Xiaochuan immediately went to buy live Grade Five Snow Lotuses and Grade Three Heart-nourishing Grass.

These live Mystical Medicine might be more expensive than dead Mystical Medicine, but if it could allow him to successfully refine a mid-grade Pill, Ning Xiaochuan paid no attention to this measly pocket change!

It took another four days for Ning Xiaochuan to refine a second batch of Blood-toad Pills. This time, he did not fail a single time.

This time, he had refined a total of twelve pills.

When checking the medicinal properties of the mid-grade Pills, they were ten times stronger than the batch that was only a partial success.

Ning Xiaochuan, along with this new batch of Blood-toad Pills, headed to Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall once more.

At the entrance of the Hall, he bumped into Yu Qianqian.

She was also carrying a frost jade box in her hands!

Ning Xiaochuan took the initiative and caught up to her, calling out, "Greetings, Princess Yu Qianqian!"

At this point, Yu Qianqian and Ning Xiaochuan were already quite familiar with each other. The two had been going to Skilled Master Guo's lessons together and even paired up to discuss the refining techniques of mid-grade Pills. It could be said that they had quite a close relationship.

Yu Qianqian jokingly commented, "Ning Xiaochuan, if you continue to act so carelessly in front of me, as your senior sister, I might just make it so that you don't get your monthly allowance next month!"

Yu Qianqian assumed that Skilled Master Guo had already taken Ning Xiaochuan in as his eighth disciple. Hence, in Ning Xiaochuan's position, she was undoubtedly a senior sister.

However, what she did not know was that Skilled Master Guo had never mentioned anything about taking Ning Xiaochuan as a disciple. Furthermore, Ning Xiaochuan had also never indicated any intention of wanting to become Skilled Master Guo's disciple.

Of course, although Ning Xiaochuan and Skilled Master Guo were not master and disciple in name, their relationship could technically be classified as one. Hence, Ning Xiaochuan still looked at Skilled Master Guo with the utmost respect.

Ning Xiaochuan had also become less serious. He teased back, "You're still three days younger than me, how can you be my senior sister? Unless you use your identity as Your Highness the Princess to order me, the words "senior sister" will definitely not come out of my mouth."

Yu Qianqian was clad in fancy clothes that looked luxurious beyond belief, her body constantly exuding an aura of elegance and poise. Puffing out her chest, she ordered, "Alright then. As the princess, I hereby order you to call me 'senior sister'!"

"Greetings, Your Highness, Princess Yu Qianqian." Ning Xiaochuan lazily bowed to Yu Qianqian.

This caused Yu Qianqian to grit her teeth in frustration as she repeatedly stomped the ground.

'Is it really that difficult of a task to have this guy call me senior sister?

'Dammit… Damn it all!'

As the two walked side by side, they headed over to the Heart-nourishing Tower.

On the way, as the servants saw them, they instantly kneeled down on the ground.

Yu Qianqian and Ning Xiaochuan walking together in Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall was not really a secret. Seeing them together had become a common occurrence to everyone, it could even be considered a scene that was unique to Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall.

Due to this, quite a few rumors and scandals had started spreading from Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall.

"I don't know where this Ning Xiaochuan kid came from, but he's somehow managed to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master To-be and even earned the right to attend the Hallmaster's class alongside Princess Qianqian."

"Ning Xiaochuan and Princess Qianqian are both top-level geniuses, becoming a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master was just a matter of time. They might even be able to become Senior Heart-nourishing Masters in the future."

"Do you guys think that Her Highness fell in love with the kid? Back then, Her Highness would always have a prideful and cold look on her face. No one could get close to her. Ning Xiaochuan was the only one who has managed to walk by her side. They even get into heated debates with each other about various topics regarding pill refining!"

Wang Shisong walked over as he glared at the group of gossiping maidservants. "You guys better watch what you're saying. Master Ning and Her Highness are both equally charming individuals. They are also both great prodigies. Even if the two are actually in that sort of relationship, it would only be normal. Aren't they the golden pair of Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall?"

Wang Shisong had originally intended to tell these maidservants off, but never could he have expected that his words would spur even more gossip from these chatty maidservants. It had come to the point where there were rumors that Yu Qianqian and Ning Xiaochuan had exchanged eternal vows1!

"It can't be! Did Princess Qianqian and Ning Xiaochuan actually exchange eternal vows? This can be a huge deal, you guys better not simply talk about such things." Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall's sixth Attendant felt chills when he heard that statement. This was obviously very serious.

The maidservant kneeling in front of him timidly squeaked, "There's no way it's wrong. I heard it from Lord Wang Shisong himself."

"Wang Shisong is a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master, he can freely enter the Heart-nourishing Tower. Did he really discover some great secret?" The sixth Attendant revealed a complicated expression as he thought to himself, that old bastard, Wang Shisong, really doesn't understand the severity of what he's done. How could he carelessly spout these sorts of things? If these rumors spread out, it may actually harm Her Highness' good name.

'Looks like I've got to go to the king and consort.'

As Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Qianqian walked into the Heart-nourishing Tower, the sixth Attendant immediately left for Great King Jinpeng's Residence.

As Yu Qianqian noticed the Mystical Frost Jade Box in Ning Xiaochuan's hands, she blinked a couple of times as her glossy red lips opened once more. "Did you also finish refining your mid-grade Pills?"

Now that he succeeded in refining his mid-grade Pills, naturally, Ning Xiaochuan was still a little smug. As his gaze fell upon the Mystical Frost Jade Box in Yu Qianqian's hands, he chuckled. "Didn't you also finish refining your mid-grade Pils?" How did you solve the problem of your Frost Silkworms absorbing the Pill Qi?"

The mid-grade Pills Yu Qianqian refined was called the Frost Silkworm Pill. She had failed a multitude of times.

She had also discussed the reasons behind her failure with Ning Xiaochuan before. The main reason was that the Frost Silkworms would absorb the Pill Qi, so every time she managed to refine the Pill, the Pill Qi would be swallowed up by all the Frost Silkworms, causing her efforts to be wasted.

Yu Qianqian gave a mysterious grin before saying, "If you call me 'senior sister', I'll tell you my secret!"

"Then, screw it!" Ning Xiaochuan did not pursue any further.

Seeing that Ning Xaochuan actually stopped asking, Yu Qianqian actually felt an itch in her heart. After throwing a few more glances at Ning Xiaochuan she finally relented and smiled.

"Since you don't want to hear it, I'll tell you. The Frost Silkworms want to absorb the Pill Qi, but once they are full they stop. So, I added a Firecloud Mystical Mulberry leaf to my Mystical Medicine. With that, I succeeded."

"That's simpler than expected!" Ning Xiaochuan commented.

Yu Qianqian's face turned sour at that comment. She asked, "Do you dare to have another bet?"

"What bet?"

"We'll bet on who's mid-grade Pill is better."

"We don't need to bet on that, the mid-grade Pills I refined will definitely be better."

"If you don't take this bet, I'll deduct all your monthly allowance for next month."

In the end, Ning Xiaochuan gave in. "What's the bet?"

Yu Qianqian smirked. "If my Pill is better than yours, you will call me 'senior sister' from now on."

"Then what if my Pill is better?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.

"Impossible."

"But what if?"

Yu Qianqian replied, "If you somehow win through sheer luck, then I'll give this Frost Silkworm Pill to you."

"Alright! You have a deal. We'll let the Hallmaster be the judge of this bet!"

As Ning Xiaochuan pushed open the door to the top floor of the tower, he carried his Mystical Frost Jade Box and entered.

"Hallmaster, I've finished refining a batch of real mid-grade Pills."

Yu Qianqian also walked in,glaring at Ning Xiaochuan.

"Master, Qianqian has also succeeded in refining her mid-grade Pills."

Skilled Master Guo was rearranging the ancient texts at his bookshelf when the two walked in. With a big smile on his face, he said, "What day is it? How did the two of you manage to finish refining your mid-grade Pills at the same time? Are both of you coordinating to become Mid-level Heart-nourishing Masters at the same time? Oh happy days! Happy days!"

Yu Qianqian urged a bit impatiently, "Master, stop working on your books for now, quickly come and help us judge to see which of our mid-grade Pills are better!"

This was the first time Skilled Master Guo had seen Yu Qianqian so serious. Hence, he immediately opened up the Mystical Frost Jade Box she brought.

The box was emitting suffocating cold air. It glowed with white light as drops of light started shining out from within the box. A calming herbal fragrance was being released.

This was definitely a mid-grade Pill with extremely high purity. It had a Pill Pattern in the form of a silkworm.

Ning Xiaochuan was mildly shocked by that. He never would have expected that for Yu Qianqian's first mid-grade Pill refinement, she would manage to create such a high-grade Pill. No wonder she was so confident in herself.

Skilled Master Guo nodded satisfiedly. "A Frost Silkworm Pill with extremely high purity. This Pill will have a huge effect on any martial artist below the seventh stage of the Divine Body Realm, enough for them to improve by a minor realm. Of course, there is the prerequisite that the martial artist has a body suited for the Yin Attribute. Not bad! If you were to sell this, you will definitely get quite a good price for it."

Yu Qianqian's face was beaming with smugness, an appropriate look for her world-class looks. It almost gave off the feeling of flowers blooming on a warm spring day.

As she held her head high, revealing her snow-white well-defined neck, she threw a glance at Ning Xiaochuan, as if declaring her victory. She was as proud as a peacock.

As Skilled Master Guo moved over to open the other frost jade box, twelve rays of blood-red light shot out of the box as twelve Blood-toads were presented in the air. The light was so glaring that they had to squint.

"Whoosh——"

Twelve Blood-toad Pills flew out of the jade box and floated in the air, almost like twelve red will-o'-the-wisps.

Yu Qianqian was so stunned that she could not find the words to speak. "Y-y-you… Did you refine twelve mid-grade Pills all at once?"

Ning Xiaochuan slightly nodded as he said, "That's probably not my limit. If my Cultivation was even higher, I should be able to refine even more Pills."

Yu Qianqian lightly pat her own chest, feeling utterly defeated.

'This isn't a Heart-nourishing Master! This is literally a Pill mass-production machine!

'No! Yu Qianqian, you've got to buck up! Buck up! You cannot surrender! You can't surrender!'

Yu Qianqian took a deep breath before saying, "What's so amazing about that? Quantity doesn't mean that your Pills are better in quality. The Frost Silkworm Pill that I refined should be valued at ten times the average mid-grade Pill."

Skilled Master Guo was also stunned as he thought to himself. The Seven-office Devil Heart was truly amazing. To think that it could refine twelve mid-grade Pills in one batch. In addition, that was not even this kid's limit.

'Endless potential!'

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"Top grade." Skilled Master Guo stated.

Unhappy with that verdict, Yu Qianqian asked, "Master, are you saying that all twelve of his Blood-toad Pills are all top-grade?"

Skilled Master Guo nodded as he elaborated, "The Blood-toad Pills have the best effects on martial artists below the seventh stage of the Divine Body Realm. If used on a martial artist practicing Diamond Divine Body, it could allow the martial artist's Cultivation to go up a minor realm without any side effects. Furthermore, if a martial artist takes a second Blood-toad Pill, the effects would be quite major. It would exponentially increase the martial artist's Blood Qi. Of course, there is also the possibility of going up another minor realm on the second dosage as well.

"Hence, when it comes to the quality of the Pills, the Frost Silkworm Pill and the Blood-toad Pill should be tied neck and neck. However, when it comes to medicinal properties, the Blood-toad Pills are on a whole different level."

Skilled Master Guo was one of the Yulan Empire's few Great Heart-nourishing Masters, standing at the very epitome of the field. Naturally, his words come with extreme credibility. Since he already gave this kind of judgment, it was proof enough that the Frost Silkworm Pill was definitely much weaker than the Blood-toad Pill.

Yu Qianqian and Ning Xiaochuan walked out of the Heart-nourishing Tower with their frost jade boxes.

Ning Xiaochuan comforted, "In terms of value, the Frost Silkworm Pill is definitely superior to the Blood-toad Pill, which means it'll definitely be sold for a higher price than the Blood-toad Pill at the auction house."

Yu Qianqian's mood lifted slightly and she asked, "Why?"

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Because I'm going to be refining a large amount of Blood-toad Pills so once the amount of the pills increases, the price will definitely fall. Since there aren't going to be as many Frost Silkworm Pills, they'll sell for a higher price."

Yu Qianqian exclaimed in surprise, "Are you going to be refining a large amount of Blood-toad Pills because you're in desperate need of money?"

"Yes! It's really, really urgent." Ning Xiaochuan thought back to the promise he made to Yu Ningsheng; he was only ten days away from his imminent deadline of three months.

Yu Qianqian could picture the situation in the auction house once the large amount of Blood-toad Pills went up for auction. There would definitely be an uproar, especially since the Heavenly Emperor Academy was about to start recruiting new students. All the geniuses and intellectuals that were vying to enter the Heavenly Emperor Academy would definitely rush to buy the Blood-toad Pills.

Perhaps the price of the Blood-toad Pills might not be as low as Ning Xiaochuan predicted. In fact, it might even be sold at a higher price because of the special situation currently.

Besides, only Ning Xiaochuan could produce a large amount of Blood-toad Pills so he would definitely disrupt the market of mid-grade Pills.

Yu Qianqian sighed and said, "Even if the Frost Silkworm Pills sell at a higher price than the Blood-toad Pills, these Frost Silkworm Pills are still at a lower grade than the Blood-toad Pills. This time…I've lost, so this Frost Silkworm Pill is yours."

Ning Xiaochuan did not bother acting humble and accepted the frost jade box. With a smile, he said, "Thank you for giving me the pill, Your Highness."

With two frost jade boxes in his hands, Ning Xiaochuan walked out of the Heart-nourishing Tower with a broad smile on his face.

Yu Qianqian angrily clenched her fists and stomped her foot as she said, "Remember to inform me when you're about to sell the Blood-toad Pills and I'll go to Jinpeng Auction House in advance to give you some publicity."

Ning Xiaochuan only had the thought of refining more Blood-toad Pills on his mind so without turning his head, he replied, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness. I'll definitely inform Your Highness before then."

"That man is too rude!" Yu Qianqian had no choice but to sigh and grumble indistinctly.

Although she lost a single Frost Silkworm Pill to Ning Xiaochuan, she was not angry about that matter at all. After all, a single Frost Silkworm Pill was not a valuable treasure to her. Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of delight in her heart.

Yes, delight.

An inexplicable delight.

…

At the same time.

The sixth Attendant was meeting Consort Xi Mu in Great King Jinpeng's Residence.

Consort Xi Mu was one of Great King Jinpeng's most beloved consorts and also Yu Qianqian's birth mother. She looked like a young, beautiful woman and her disposition was even more noble and elegant than Yu Qianqian.

She was sitting by the pond and listening to the sixth Attendant's report. Her expression shifted between joy and anger as she pondered something.

The sixth Attendant knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head out of respect for Consort Xi Mu.

Not only was this consort of extremely high status, but her Martial Art Cultivation was also above the sixth Attendant, which made her one of the powerhouses in Great King Jinpeng's Residence.

Consort Xi Mu stretched out two slender and jade-like fingers to scatter fish bait upon the pond. With a slightly cold gaze, she said, "Hua Sheng, you've managed Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall for more than thirty years now! It's impossible that you don't know what you should and shouldn't say, right?"

The sixth Attendant was drenched in cold sweat as he replied, "Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master Wang Shisong was the one that talked about it. This subordinate of yours realized the gravity of the situation so I immediately came to report to Empress Consort."

Consort Xi Mu lightly furrowed her eyebrows. "Qianqian has always been very clever. Why is she so confused this time that she actually decided on getting married without her parents' approval? Does she not care about her own reputation?"

The sixth Attendant knelt on the ground, sweat beading constantly on his forehead, and did not dare to answer.

Consort Xi Mu's rage dissipated slightly and she said, "Who is this young man? Qianqian has always been proud and arrogant so how could she fall for him?"

The sixth Attendant said, "The young man's name is Ning Xiaochuan. He's a genius Heart-nourishing Master who is the same age as Princess Qianqian. He just became Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall's Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. Since he always attends the Hallmaster's classes with Princess Qianqian and they're both geniuses, they must've grown feelings for each other!"

Consort Xi Mu's expression lightened up slightly and she nodded her head before saying, "He's truly an outstanding individual since he became a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master at sixteen. If he's able to attend Great Master Guo's class with Qianqian, he's most probably Great Master Guo's disciple."

A thought suddenly occurred to the sixth Attendant and he quickly said, "I investigated Ning Xiaochuan. He's Marquis Jiange's grandson."

Consort Xi Mu's expression lit up even more. She suddenly stood up, her expression bright. "Marquis Jiange's grandson, you say. That isn't a bad family status, I could even say both our families are well-matched in social status. You may rise!"

The sixth Attendant stood up but his head remained bowed. He was slightly taken aback at the Empress Consort's temperamental moods, which made it hard for him to fathom.

However, the sixth Attendant did not understand that marriage between the descendants of Nobles was no simple occasion. Factors like a well-matched social status and the integration of interests needed to be considered.

Consort Xi Mu was indeed angry after first hearing the sixth Attendant's report because she had already picked a few outstanding marriage candidates for Yu Qianqian, who had reached the age of marriage. These candidates were either successors from Noble families, martial arts geniuses of extreme talent, or young masters of martial arts sects.

However, Yu Qianqian had actually sworn herself to some unknown young man without her parents' approval, throwing Consort Xi Mu's plans in disarray, which naturally upset Consort Xi Mu.

However, after Consort Xi Mu listened to what the sixth Attendant had said, she suddenly felt that Ning Xiaochuan was not too bad himself. He was talented and from a good family, and most importantly, her daughter liked him.

This naturally made Consort Xi Mu extremely happy!

It seemed that her daughter's taste in men was not inferior to herself!

Consort Xi Mu furrowed her eyebrows slightly and said, "Since this Ning Xiaochuan is so outstanding, why haven't I heard about him before? Even if such an outstanding Noble's descendant isn't part of the most prominent talents in the Imperial City, he should at least be a little famous in the city. This can't be!"

The sixth Attendant replied, "Although Ning Xiaochuan is extremely talented, he's actually been hiding his talent and strength all this while. Everyone thought he was a useless person who couldn't cultivate Combat Qi so nobody knew he actually possessed such shocking talent.

"Her Highness the Princess and I analyzed this and we think Marquis Jiange hid him away to protect him. He probably planned to reveal Ning Xiaochuan in the most critical moment so that he would intimidate everyone."

Consort Xi Mu laughed. "That Marquis Jiange is such an old fox. He actually hid such a talented person away. It seems I have to meet this Ning Xiaochuan and see for myself if he deserves to become Qianqian's husband. Oh! I have to discuss this with the king. Marquis Jiange's Residence has quite some influence in the military so being connected to Marquis Jiange's Residence by marriage will benefit Great King Jinpeng's Residence greatly."

Consort Xi Mu only had one daughter, Yu Qianqian, so she was naturally quite invested in her marriage. In order to further clarify the situation of Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Qianqian, she hastily rushed over to Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall to visit its Hallmaster, Skilled Master Guo.

Skilled Master Guo was one of the few Great Heart-nourishing Masters in the Yulan Empire. He was on equal ground with the Nobles and even the Great King Jinpeng had to greet him as "Master Guo" when they meet.

Great Heart-nourishing Masters possessed certain skills that were even scarier than those wielded by Martial Supremes, which meant Martial Supremes respected them greatly.

Although Consort Xi Mu had Cultivation equal to that of a Martial Supreme, she still needed to personally visit Skilled Master Guo.

Consort Xi Mu removed the golden hood above her head, revealing a young and beautiful face. She bowed to Skilled Master Guo before explaining the reason behind her visit.

Skilled Master Guo sat atop a jade platform, his body unmoving and emitting white light. He had the air of an immortal and seemed like a thousand-year-old tree.

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His thoughts came out from within his body and he said, "Qianqian and Xiaochuan are the most talented individuals I have ever seen. They'll definitely achieve more than me in the future, especially in the way of being a Heart-nourishing Master."

Consort Xi Mu's heart was even more at ease once she heard these words, and she prepared to leave.

Skilled Master Guo spoke again, "Ning Xiaochuan possesses the Seven-orifices Devil Heart. He might achieve more as a martial artist than a Heart-nourishing Master in the future."

"The legendary Seven-orifices Devil Heart!" Consort Xi Mu was even more elated, further sealing her decision in place.

She quickly returned to Great King Jinpeng's Residence. She wanted to discuss this matter with Great King Jinpeng so that she could work everything out as soon as possible, before such a talented person was snatched away by somebody else.

The Seven-orifices Devil Heart was one of the best atriums in the world. A talent like this would only appear once every millennium so she could not afford to miss this.

However, the two people involved in this matter, Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Qianqian, were completely unaware of what was going on.

That night, the awe-inspiring Great King Jinpeng and Consort Xi Mu began discussing the matter of Yu Qianqian and Ning Xiaochuan's marriage!

Great King Jinpeng was known as "the Yulan Empire's First King". He was above everyone in his empire and had the highest status among all the Nobles.

In fact, even the first general directly below Great King Jinpeng was on an equal level with the general Nobles. Even the current ruler of the present dynasty was slightly inferior to Great King Jinpeng in terms of power.

Great King Jinpeng had his hands folded behind his back as he stood in the large hall, an awe-inspiring air about him with a celestial ring of flames suspended behind him. It seemed like the entire world beneath him shook as he spoke, "His Majesty has been more and more on guard towards us, Great King Jinpeng's Residence. Recently, there's been news from the palace that after the Emperor heard about Taichu Wenhua's 'Vassal Elimination Plan', he wants to strip some privileges the Greater Nobles hold, the main one being their military power."

Consort Xi Mu replied, "The Greater Nobles have been developing their influential power for hundreds of years and they're now powerful enough to affect even the monarchy. It's old news now that the Emperor wants to suppress the Greater Nobles' power. However, the influence the Greater Nobles have is deep-rooted and if the Emperor wants to strip that influence from them, I'm afraid the Greater Nobles might resist and strike back instead."

"Boom!"

Outside the large hall, the rain came down hard as the wind blew strongly, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling as they did.

Great King Jinpeng said, "Since the Greater Nobles always follow the example of Great King Jinpeng's Residence, they'll definitely compromise if we compromise."

"And if we strike back?" asked Consort Xi Mu.

"We can't possibly challenge the Emperor as that's treason, a major crime." Although Great King Jinpeng had said 'treason' out loud, there was not a single shred of fear in his expression. Instead, one could say that his expression was slightly pensive. With a hint of a smile, he said, "I'll need to find an opportunity!"

"Isn't the opportunity already here!" Consort Xi Mu continued, "Great King Jinpeng's Residence possesses the most influence in the military and second to us is Marquis Jiange's Residence. If both our families were to unite… As long as we are able to display such a signal, I believe the Emperor will definitely understand the consequences of implementing the 'Vassal Elimination Plan'."

Great King Jinpeng's lips pulled into a smile. "I believe that's the result Marquis Jiange's Residence wants to see as well." His expression became serious before he continued, "Does that Ning Xiaochuan really have the Seven-orifices Devil Heart?"

"Great Master Guo told me that himself, so it's definitely true," replied Consort Xi Mu.

"He's a genius!"

Consort Xi Mu said, "Then this matter…"

"Isn't urgent!"

Great King Jinpeng sighed, his gaze locked on the downpour outside, and said, "Ning Qiancheng of Marquis Jiange's Residence broke through the Tianji Dynasty and achieved the meritorious deed of conquering a country on behalf of the Yulan Empire. He'll be returning in triumph in a few days in order to accept a reward from the Emperor. When that happens, the Emperor will definitely use that opportunity to propose the 'Vassal Elimination Plan'. I'll use that time to mention Qianqian and Xiaochuan's marriage as well, and I'll contest against that great mountain myself."

Consort Xi Mu furrowed her eyebrows slightly; she felt that involving her daughter's wedding in national affairs was very unfair to her daughter.

Great King Jinpeng naturally saw the unhappy look in Consort Xi Mu's eyes so, with a laugh, he said, "Since Qianqian and Xiaochuan both return the other's feelings, we should naturally try our best to play matchmaker to them. With Xiaochuan's talent and the help of both our Great King Jinpeng's Residence and Marquis Jiange's Residence, he'll definitely become a marquis, or even a king, in the future. That would make him a good person for Qianqian to return home to in the future."

Consort Xi Mu lightly nodded her head and said, "Then should we discuss this matter with Marquis Jiange first?"

"No need!"

Great King Jinpeng had a knowing smile on his face as he said, "I believe that old fellow already knows about the Emperor's plan to strip their rights. The Emperor will definitely go after Marquis Jiange's Residence first so he's probably thinking hard for a countermeasure. Once we meet before the Emperor in a few days, only then will I present him with this great gift!"

…

Ning Xiaochuan, who had been frantically refining Blood-toad Pills in Begonia Manor, obviously did not know that he was being discussed at Great King Jinpeng's Residence and that a marriage that would shock the entire Yulan Empire would descend on him soon.

For the past twelve days, Ning Xiaochuan had been refining Blood-toad Pills.

He had just refined three furnaces of pills. Each furnace had twelve pills, so he had a total of thirty-six pills now.

Add that to the twelve pills he had refined in the very beginning, Ning Xiaochuan currently had a total of forty-eight Blood-toad Pills with six more on the way.

Producing so many mid-grade Pills in the span of half a month was something that the other Mid-level Heart-nourishing Masters could never imagine.

Ning Xiaochuan was obviously very happy about this. Once he sold all these mid-grade Pills. he would be rolling in wealth, which would be more than enough for him to redeem Yu Ningsheng in return for what she had done for him.

There were four days left until the Heavenly Emperor's Academy would be recruiting new students.

However, Ning Xiaochuan was in no hurry to auction these pills. The nearer it was to the enrollment day for the Heavenly Emperor Academy, the higher the price he could sell these Blood-toad Pills.

Since he had some time to spare now, Ning Xiaochuan planned to go meet Murong Wushuang so he could treat his grandfather's illness.

Ning Xiaochuan had made the promise to Murong Wushuang earlier but had set the matter aside because of the tight schedule he was on, which did not allow him to be distracted before he had produced the mid-grade Pills.

Murong Wushuang's house was not far from Begonia Manor; there was a three-mile distance between both places, which put Murong Wushuang's house under Begonia Manor's jurisdiction.

Ning Xiaochuan had just left Begonia Manor when he met Ji Hanxing. It had been more than ten days but she still remained on watch outside Begonia Manor; she was practically Begonia Manor's door god now.

Ning Xiaochuan heaved a sigh and asked, "Why are you still here?"

Ji Hanxing ignored Ning Xiaochuan's question and only sat cross-legged on the high stone platform to practice her cultivation. Once she saw Ning Xiaochuan leave Begonia Manor, she immediately picked up her Dragon Elephant Halberd Pike and rushed after him.

Ning Xiaochuan ignored her and allowed her to tail him.

Ning Xiaochuan heard two people arguing in a narrow alley a distance away.

Three-finger Lin had a kitchen knife in one hand and he said, "Gousheng, return my chicken to me. I've been taking care of it for three years and I'm just waiting for it to lay eggs for me to eat. Don't make me slaughter your pig."

Murong Wushuang sat on his doorstep, a bowl of water gruel in his hand, and he replied, "What does your lost chicken have to do with my pig? For every debt, there is a debtor so you should go after the thief that took your chicken. It's been two months since you started causing trouble at my door and even if you don't find it annoying, I do."

Three-finger Lin retaliated, "D*mn you, you definitely stole my chicken."

"Which eye of yours saw me do it?" asked Murong Wushuang.

Three-finger Lin replied, "Both of them."

"Aren't you blind in both eyes?" asked Murong Wushuang.

"…"

Ning Xiaochuan slowly neared them before he said with a smile, "The both of you are practicing your voices so early in the morning, which means you're both in good spirits."

Once Murong Wushuang saw Ning Xiaochuan had arrived, he was immediately overjoyed. He no longer had the mood to argue with Three-finger Lin as he quickly invited Ning Xiaochuan into his home.

Three-finger Lin frowned slightly and followed them into Murong Wushuang's home as well as he calmly said, "Gousheng, why have you invited this stranger into your house?"

"I invited this Heart-nourishing Master to treat my grandfather's illness and it's none of your business. Hey, hey, why did you come in? We're not close enough for you to do that!" Murong Wushuang was going to squabble with Three-finger Lin again.

Although Three-finger Lin was blind, it was like he could still clearly see Ning Xiaochuan. His face showed no surprise but rather a bit of vigilance as he said, "You're a Heart-nourishing Master?"

Ning Xiaochuan nodded his head.

Murong Wushuang was slightly annoyed as he said, "Don't waste your time with that old fart. Come on, Brother Chuan, I'll bring you to my grandfather."

After achieving the Divine Body Realm, Ning Xiaochuan's Mind Perception had strengthened significantly and he could faintly sense that the old man was not simple; the old man had a mysterious power flowing in his body.

However, as compared to older powerhouses that had been cultivating for several decades or even centuries, Ning Xiaochuan's Cultivation was still too low, so he could not read the old man completely.

Ning Xiaochuan followed Murong Wushuang, slightly more on alert now than when he first arrived.

In the dark, small house, a thin old man lay atop a small, short bed. The hair on his head had almost all fallen out, which made his hair look sparse.

Murong Wushuang quickly set up a stool by the side of the bed before inviting Ning Xiaochuan to take it. He then softly called, "Grandfather, I've invited a Heart-nourishing Master to treat you."

Three-finger Lin had also walked in from the outside. It was as if he could feel the pain of the old man lying on the bed. A pained expression had appeared on his face, though due to the dim lighting, Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang could not see it.

Ning Xiaochuan pressed two fingers onto the inside of the old man's wrist. Just before his Combat Qi could flow out of his body and into the old man's blood vessels, his Combat Qi rebounded off a strong force, almost breaking Ning Xiaochuan's fingers in the process.

It was as if Ning Xiaochuan had punched an iron wall with full force. Not only had he not punctured the iron wall, but the iron wall had injured his hand as well.

If Ning Xiaochuan's Cultivation had not been Stage One of the Divine Body Realm, the force of the rebound might have actually injured him seriously!

This…

Ning Xiaochuan's expression shifted slightly as he stared at the old man on the bed in shock. His heart was filled with turbulent emotions; this was no sick old man, this was a powerhouse with extremely deep Combat Qi!

Murong Wushuang asked, "Brother Chuan, how is it going?"

Ning Xiaochuan calmly replied, "I would like you both to leave the room please, I want to communicate alone with him."

Murong Wushuang and Three-finger Lin both left the room, closing the door as they did.

Nine pillars of Qi rushed out of Ning Xiaochuan's body before they gathered to form a giant Qi sphere. He enveloped himself and the old man on the bed in the sphere before he respectfully said, "I'm afraid you're not sick. Somebody's cut off all the blood vessels in your body so all your Qi is locked out of your Combat Atrium. Since you can no longer control your body's Qi, your health started failing and you became paralyzed, which means you can't even walk now."

This was quite a cruel method. Cutting off all the blood vessels in this old man's meant locking all of his Combat Qi in the vessels, which not only completely crippled his Cultivation but also made him go through the torture of his Qi hitting against his body repeatedly.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have long passed away.

However, this old man used to have an unbelievably high Cultivation so his physical body had already transcended the material world. Although all his blood vessels have been cut off and sealed, he could still continue living.

However, being alive was complete torture for him.

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Once Murong Hua1 heard Ning Xiaochuan's words, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze laced entirely with shock. With a hoarse voice, he said, "You actually found out what was happening inside my body just from counting my pulse? What kind of person are you?"

Many Junior Heart-nourishing Masters had come to treat his illness throughout these recent years and although these Heart-nourishing Masters had also used their Qi to examine his body, they were never able to find anything. Only Ning Xiaochuan's Combat Qi had been able to go against the power sealing him, which allowed Ning Xiaochuan to discover the "source" of his illness.

Ning Xiaochuan was truly in a place with a hidden dragon and a crouching tiger; he had just found two elderly people with extremely high Cultivations.

What was this place? Who were these people?

Ning Xiaochuan felt that he had come to a place that he should not have come to and this might even lead to a shocking secret.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "I also wanted to ask, just what kind of person are you? What kind of person did you offend? Why are you going through such inhuman torture?"

Murong Hua's eyes were full of hatred but also laced with a boundless fear as he stammered, "Young man, there are some things you can't know. If I were to tell you, you'll be dead."

Ning Xiaochuan was a very curious person so the more something was not meant to be revealed, the more he wanted to know about it. He said, "Then if I tell you I'll be able to break the seals in your body and connect your broken blood vessels, will you be willing to tell me the truth?"

Murong Hua's eyes went wide and it seemed like his eyeballs were going to fall out of his head. His entire body trembled but shortly after, the light in his gaze was gone and he said, "That's impossible, impossible I say. That person's Cultivation was too strong, you'll never be able to break his seals. It's entirely impossible."

"No matter how strong a seal is, it'll definitely be weakened. No matter how unbreakable some defense is, it'll still be broken through in the end," said Ning Xiaochuan confidently.

Murong Hua continued shaking his head and said, "Even if you can break the seals, once you break them, the Qi in my vessels will be dispelled immediately and my body will explode. These seals are death seals and nobody on this earth can save me. Nobody can do it, not even the person that made these seals."

Ning Xiaochuan said, "That's not necessarily true. I know of a Mystical Medicine called Millenium Slumber that allows the Qi in a martial artist's body to be dormant for a short period of time so that its activity is lowered. As long as I can find this Mystical Medicine, I am certain I'll be able to reconnect your blood vessels."

Murong Hua originally stopped believing that his seals could be broken and that he would become a peerless powerhouse once more, but Ning Xiaochuan's confidence was infectious and Ning Xiaochuan was also the only person that discovered the "source" of his illness, which lit the fire of hope in him once more.

"Boom!"

"Bang bang!"

From the outside, the sound of fighting could be heard.

Ji Hanxing's voice exclaiming in shock could be heard before the sound of a heavy object falling onto the ground resounded, and then the fight had ended.

Three-finger Lin forcibly opened the wooden door before he rushed inside with a cold, murderous aura, sending a punch flying towards Ning Xiaochuan.

Ning Xiaochuan had not completely understood what was going on because all he could feel was the threat of death rushing towards him, pinning him completely in place.

Who would have thought that the three-fingered diviner was actually such a scary martial art expert?

"Lin Xiao, no!" shouted Murong Hua.

Once he heard Murong Hua's voice, Three-finger Lin retracted his hand and said, "This young man led a martial art expert here so they've likely come to kill us. He didn't try to kill you, did he?"

Murong Hua, who was still lying in bed, glanced at Ning Xiaochuan before shaking his head to say, "He shouldn't be! Gousheng told me before that he's a descendant from Marquis Jiange's Residence and the son of our benefactor."

Three-finger Lin was instantly stunned.

Outside the house.

Ji Hanxing had been knocked to the ground by Three-finger Lin and was passed out. A hole of blood penetrated into her lungs and completely through her body, so the ground was covered in blood.

Ning Xiaochuan stared at Ji Hanxing, who was at her last gasps on the ground, in shock. Good grief! Ji Hanxing was one of the top powerhouses of the Dragon Elephant Divine Camp yet she had been defeated by a blind man.

Moreover, there were no traces of a fight having taken place in the yard, which meant Three-finger Lin had defeated her with a single move.

A single move!

A single move had defeated a Dragon Elephant Divine Soldier.

This blind man's Cultivation was too high. If Murong Hua had not stopped him just now, Ning Xiaochuan would be dead by now.

Another person who was equally in shock was Murong Wushuang.

He was still stuck in his spot because he never expected that the liar who had been arguing with him about a chicken for the past two months actually had such formidable Martial Art Cultivation.

After finding out Ning Xiaochuan's identity, Three-finger Lin was much more humble. "Who is she exactly? Why did she follow Master Ning here?"

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "She's from the Dragon Elephant Divine Camp and also Cloud Marquis Yue Wuyang's disciple… Explaining this will be extremely complicated so I won't be able to clarify things succinctly. Basically, she and I walk two different paths."

"She… She is Yue Wuyang's disciple, so I can't let her live." Three-finger Lin's voice was cold and filled with murderous intent.

"Boom!"

Ji Hanxing, who had originally been dying on the ground, had woken up without their knowledge and promptly swallowed a white Mystical Pill. She then immediately soared upwards as a pair of dragon wings grew out of her back before she flew off into the distance.

Three-finger Lin's expression shifted drastically and he lifted a shriveled finger and pointed into the sky.

"Boom!"

A one-meter thick sword shockwave flew out of his fingertips before it turned into a white beam of light that shot into the sky.

This was Divine Technique White Rainbow Piercing The Sun!

"Sh*t! She escaped. If Yue Wuyang finds out we're hiding here, we'll be in deep trouble." Three-finger Lin's expression was troubled as he said, "It seems ten years of a peaceful life are coming to an end now."

Although Ning Xiaochuan did not know why Three-finger Lin and Murong Hua had been living in hiding for ten years, he could tell from Three-finger Lin's expression that it definitely had something to do with Yue Wuyang.

"If you trust me, you and Murong Hua can temporarily hide in Begonia Manor," suggested Ning Xiaochuan.

Three-finger Lin shook his head and replied, "It doesn't matter where we hide. Yue Wuyang is Great Emperor Yulan's current favorite. Anybody he wants to kill, even if that person is hiding all the way underground, he'll still be able to get them."

"That may not be true. Yue Wuyang may not find out that the person who hit Ji Hanxing was you. Besides, Yue Wuyang may not necessarily be able to kill the person he wants to kill."

Ning Xiaochuan then told him about Official Tian so that he would be convinced that Yue Wuyang would never break into Begonia Manor.

Three-finger Lin and Murong Hua knew they could no longer stay here. Since they had no other place to go, they could only temporarily seek refuge in Begonia Manor.

Inside Begonia Manor, Three-finger Lin sat on a Chinese cedar chair and began recalling a past event, "Actually, Murong Hua and I used to be Divine Dragon Warriors."

His very first sentence stunned Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang. These two old men used to be Divine Dragon Warriors, it was no wonder they had such formidable Cultivations!

Three-finger Lin continued, "To be honest, the more you know about our past, the less good it'll do for you. Back then, Murong Hua, Xiaochuan's father Ning Qianyi, the current Cloud Marquis Yue Wuyang, and I led seven hundred thousand troops to besiege the Bloodthirsty Devil Sect's main altar, Nine-death Cliff.

"Xiaochuan, do you know who was the commander-in-chief for the troops?"

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "My father?"

Three-finger Lin nodded his head and said, "Then do you know why the Emperor appointed him as the commander-in-chief?"

Ning Xiaochuan asked, "Did it…have something to do with my mother?"

Three-finger Lin nodded his head and said, "Your mother was the Saintess of the Bloodthirsty Devil Sect and also the daughter of the devil sect's Devil Emperor, "Duanmu Han1″. The Emperor appointed your father as the commander-in-chief because he wanted to see if your father had the determination to completely sever ties with the Bloodthirsty Devil Sect. He also wanted to see if your father would betray the dynasty for the devil sect."

Although Ning Xiaochuan was inhabited by the consciousness of another person, which meant he had no affection to the late Ning Qianyi or the Saintess of the Bloodthirsty Devil Sect, he was still using Ning Xiaochuan's body and the blood of those two people still flowed through his body, which meant he still felt moved and was curious to know what happened all those years ago.

"What happened in the end?" asked Ning Xiaochuan.

Three-finger Lin's expression became grieved as he spoke, "Somebody leaked the whereabouts of our troops to the Bloodthirsty Devil Sect so we were ambushed by them. All seven hundred thousand of our troops died in Nine-death Cliff and only your father, Murong Hua, and I survived. I lost my eyesight in that battle as well. Your father used the last of his Earthly Martial Qi to save my life, otherwise, it wouldn't have been as simple as just me going blind."

Murong Wushuang was moved and he asked, "Who could've leaked your whereabouts? Could it…could it have been the Cloud Marquis, Yue Wuyang?"

Murong Hua, who was lying on the bed, could only force a distressed smile. "Back then, Yue Wuyang severed all my blood vessels and sealed my Cultivation before burying me alive. If Xiaochuan's father hadn't dug me out of the ground, I would've died ten years ago."

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Three-finger Lin continued, "Yue Wuyang had returned to the Imperial City ahead of us and claimed your father was the one who leaked our whereabouts to the Bloodthirsty Devil Sect, which caused the death of all our troops. The Emperor was furious; he wanted to execute everyone in Marquis Jiange's Residence before seizing the property, it was a big scandal. I realized it was going to be a situation beyond control so I advised your father not to return to the Imperial City and to flee with us. However, your father could not abandon your mother, you, and your younger sister in Marquis Jiange's Residence nor could he leave everyone else behind. He insisted on returning to the Imperial City and took all the blame.

"The next day, I heard that your parents had both died in the Ancestral Hall of Marquis Jiange's Residence while Yue Wuyang was bestowed the title of Cloud Marquis. The storm had subsided but Murong Hua and I were still worried that Yue Wuyang would kill us if we returned to the Imperial City, so we hid in anonymity in the Southern Mountain Cluster. Ten years! Ten years have gone by in the blink of an eye!"

Although Ning Xiaochuan had no relation to his late parents, hearing this story still filled him with rage and fury. His hatred for Yue Wuyang had never been stronger.

Murong Wushuang scratched his head and asked, "Why didn't you and my grandfather go meet the Emperor directly to tell him the truth about what happened back then?"

Three-finger Lin smiled and replied. "Gousheng, you're still such a young man. Yue Wuyang only played a small role in this, the truly terrible person was… I think it's better if you both don't find out, finding out won't do you both any good."

.