First Layer of the Spiritual Realm!
The Fifth-Grade Element Mine had allowed Ning Xuan to soar through four cultivation layers once again! The great barrier between the Dark Realm and the Spiritual Realm seemed virtually non-existent to him.
After the initial joy, Ning Xuan calmed down. His Realm had improved too quickly following the fortuitous encounter. In just a few days, he had traversed a path that took countless martial artists ten, or even dozens, of years to complete. He began to worry about the stability of his Realm.
But he soon set his mind at ease. With the blessing of the twelve Divine Veins and the Chaos Ancestral Dragon Scripture, his Cultivation Realm was incredibly solid. As for his mental state, two betrayals and one journey into a mythical scene had made it even more indestructible than his Martial Realm.
"Ning Yang," Ning Xuan muttered to himself, "it seems the time to collect my interest from you can be greatly advanced!"
How would he collect this interest? Naturally, by descending upon The Capital and paying a visit to the Ning Family there. Originally, Ning Xuan thought it would take at least three years before he could set foot in The Capital, but now it seemed one year at most would be all he needed.
The pressing matter at hand is to first deal with the major families in Wuling City and avenge the massacre! Ning Xuan was not overly ambitious and kept a clear head; he needed to resolve the immediate crisis first. The other three families that had slaughtered his branch of the family were much stronger than the Chen Family. The battle tomorrow would be a tough one.
With the Element Mine depleted, improving his cultivation had become difficult. Ning Xuan decided to take a different approach.
Elixirs!
The Instant Element Pill, which could restore injuries and Element Force in a very short time, had to be refined. He also had a bold idea for the other two Pill Recipes.
Right, when I was racking my brains over the Impermanence Swordsmanship, Number One seemed to have come outside to ask me to check the spoils of war from the Chen Family!
With this thought, Ning Xuan went straight out the door.
A short while later, Number One pointed at a tightly closed room ahead and said, "Young Master, everything seized from the Chen Family is in here."
"Let's go. We'll take a look inside together," Ning Xuan said, beckoning to him and two other Death Warriors patrolling the entrance.
"Young Master, over here are the Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills found in the Chen Family, and over there are the Element Stones mined by the Chen Family..."
As Number One was listing the treasures, Ning Xuan had already strode quickly to another area.
"Young Master, those herbs are very fresh. It seems they were prepared for the Blackwind Brothers. I heard they go to the major families to help with alchemy every so often," Number One immediately explained, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. With the Blackwind Brothers dead, there was no one left in the vast Wuling City capable of refining Instant Element Pills. The herbs would be wasted!
"There's even a Medicinal Cauldron! Quickly, move the Medicinal Cauldron and the herbs to the workshop!"
Zhang Mo might not have received an Element Mine, but the mines operated by the four major families all had to offer him tribute, all because he was Ning Yang's man. Element Crystals served as the currency on the continent and could not be minted privately, but any family with a bit of a foundation had a workshop for purifying Element Stones.
The three men didn't dare to delay and moved the Medicinal Cauldron and herbs to the workshop as fast as they could.
"Young Master, are you going to refine elixirs?" Number One couldn't help but ask while working the bellows, the fire blazing fiercely.
"The Pill Recipe for the Instant Element Pill was on them, and I've obtained the detailed refining method," Ning Xuan said, already moving into action.
During his six years with the Wan Family, Ning Xuan had read no less than a thousand medical classics for the sake of his Divine Body's regeneration. He was thoroughly familiar with the properties of all kinds of herbs. Therefore, refining the Instant Element Pill was an incredibly smooth process for him.
「One hour later.」
The Death Warriors stared at the pill in Ning Xuan's hand, their eyes as wide as copper bells.
The Instant Element Pill, venerated by countless martial artists and regarded as a Holy Medicine, was refined so easily?!
With the experience from his first attempt, Ning Xuan fired up the cauldron again. After consuming more than half of the herbs, he had produced twenty-seven pills.
"Number One, distribute the Instant Element Pills. After that, you are all dismissed. Do not disturb me."
Under his indisputable authority, Number One complied. Soon, only Ning Xuan remained.
He set his sights on the remaining herbs. There weren't many, but every single one was countless times more precious than the last. They were the necessary materials for the second Pill Recipe recorded on the parchment scroll: "Element Spirit Jade Marrow"!
Although the materials were incomplete, ambition was blooming in Ning Xuan's heart.
When I activated the Supreme Scripture, the Chaos Divine Vein among my twelve Divine Veins stirred, which allowed me to cultivate the Impermanence Swordsmanship. Now, refining the Element Spirit Jade Marrow requires the Heaven and Earth Different Fire... Vermilion Bird Divine Vein, activate!
The Vermilion Bird Divine Beast's Innate True Fire was the South Ming Li Fire. When this fire burned at its peak, it was pure white. In the vast sky, there was nothing it could not incinerate.
Following the experience with the Chaos Divine Vein, the Vermilion Bird Divine Vein stirred instantly. Ning Xuan spread his hand, revealing a flickering crimson flame in his palm.
Isn't it supposed to be white?
Dubious, Ning Xuan brought the flame close to the Medicinal Cauldron. The cauldron, as if it were a thin membrane, instantly developed a large hole, and its surroundings began to rapidly melt.
Ning Xuan was stunned. The seemingly unimpressive flame possessed tremendous power.
This Strange Fire is sufficient to refine the Element Spirit Jade Marrow. The immediate priority is to find a treasured cauldron!
Ning Xuan grew excited. He blissfully stored the herbs in his Storage Ring. As he withdrew his consciousness, he casually explored its depths and discovered Element Crystals, herbs, and an ancient-looking cauldron deep inside.
With a thought, the Medicinal Cauldron appeared in his hand. The crimson flame reappeared. This cauldron actually withstood the flame!
Ning Xuan felt the urge to throw his head back and laugh wildly. With both the Strange Fire and a treasured cauldron, the remaining herbs were the easiest problem to solve.
I only need five more types of Spirit Grass to refine the Element Spirit Jade Marrow. It seems I'll have to make a trip out after all. Ning Xuan's eyes blazed with determination as he formed a plan.
「Thirty minutes later.」
Inside the Wang Family workshop, the members of the Wang Family dared not show the slightest disrespect. They had just witnessed the black-robed man at their gate incinerate a high-level Spiritual Realm expert with a mere flick of his finger. They had immediately brought out their entire long-held collection of various Spiritual Medicines and Strange Herbs.
The man was a genuine Spirit Pill Master. Based on his control over that Strange Fire alone, his methods were several notches above those of the Blackwind Brothers.
Less than half an hour later, the Wang Family members present felt even more grateful for their wise decision. This person refined Instant Element Pills even faster than the Blackwind Brothers, and the quality was higher.
"Did the master come from The Capital under the orders of Young Master Ning Yang?!" an elder exclaimed, not even waiting for a response before pledging his loyalty. "Our Wang Family can never repay Young Master Ning Yang's grand favor! We are willing to slave away for him!"
Under the black robe, Ning Xuan's expression darkened. He snorted coldly in a deep voice, "That whelp Ning Yang? Who does he think he is? How could he possibly summon me!"
The elder's face stiffened, and he forced a series of apologetic chuckles. He couldn't afford to offend Ning Yang, but he certainly couldn't afford to offend a Spirit Pill Master who controlled a Strange Fire either.
"I am not pleased right now!" Ning Xuan declared, placing the remaining Spirit Grasses into his Storage Ring right in front of them, even though only one of them was a material for refining Element Spirit Jade Marrow.
"Please calm your anger, Master!" the elder cried, pale with fright, quickly signaling for someone to prepare a gift. "Wuling is an impoverished place; a master such as yourself surely wouldn't value our Cultivation Techniques or Martial Skills. The only thing we can prepare is Element Crystals. Here are one thousand Element Crystals. The family head isn't here, so this is the most I have the authority to offer."
The elder was terrified. His heart was bleeding. Element Crystals were indeed the common currency on the continent, but an ordinary family might not earn a single one after a year of hard work. That was why Fragmented Yuan existed as a smaller denomination. Giving away a thousand Element Crystals now was a loss they couldn't recoup even from mining their Fifth-Grade Element Mine for over half a year.
Yet, despite getting what he wanted, Ning Xuan feigned displeasure. "Only a thousand? Wuling City really is poor. I wouldn't have come if I had known."
Ning Xuan waved his hand disinterestedly and swaggered away.
As he was respectfully escorted to the door, the elder looked at the Instant Element Pills he had received, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
After leaving, Ning Xuan replicated the same process, visiting the Zhou and Zhao Families next. In total, he obtained 4,500 Element Crystals. His greatest gain, however, was finally gathering all the materials needed to refine the Element Spirit Jade Marrow.
By the time Ning Xuan confirmed he was safe and returned to the Ning Family estate, the sky was beginning to lighten with the approach of dawn.
In another six hours, it would be time for Chen Tai's execution.