Internal Affairs Office.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!" Jiang Ning clasped his hands in gratitude.
The elderly woman said, "You may go back for now. The reward of one million contribution points cannot be issued here immediately. It will take some time. Wait until the envoy from the prefecture arrives. At that time, the one million contribution points, along with the credit for quelling the Black Mountain Army rebellion on New Year's Eve, will be awarded together."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning felt reassured. "Understood, Senior!"
"One more thing," the elderly woman spoke again. "During this time, you should carefully consider your plans. A small place like this cannot nurture a true dragon. With your current strength, staying here will not benefit your future growth. On the contrary, it may hinder your progress."
"Understood!" Jiang Ning replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
He had long known what he wanted.
He understood his aspirations.
After leaving the Inspection Office, he boarded his carriage once more, which carried him back home.
[Literacy Experience +1]
[Literacy Experience +1]
[Literacy Experience +1]
[...]
Previously, he had lacked books to increase his literacy experience.
But since Lü Yi joined him, she had scoured various places to gather enough books for him to read, boosting the progress of his literacy skill.
However, because of this, even with the enhancement of his blood, Lü Yi had still not officially reached the ninth rank of martial arts.
The main reason was that all the trivial matters were handled by Lü Yi alone.
Watching Lü Yi kneeling quietly in the carriage, also reading a book, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile slightly.
Having Lü Yi by his side had indeed been a great help.
With her taking care of his daily life and handling all the miscellaneous tasks, he could focus entirely on martial training. The feeling was incredibly comfortable.
Now, under his influence, Lü Yi would also read books whenever she had time.
This made him even more pleased.
Jiang Ning's gaze caused Lü Yi to look up.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Young Master?" Lü Yi asked.
Jiang Ning smiled. "When did you start reading?"
Hearing this, Lü Yi's eyes curved into a smile. "Young Master is a knowledgeable person. Since I am by your side, I cannot afford to be too ignorant. If I'm too ignorant, one day you might abandon me."
Looking at Lü Yi's shining eyes, Jiang Ning couldn't help but voice his confusion.
"Xiao Lü, I'm curious."
"Please speak, Young Master!" Lü Yi said.
"Why are you willing to follow me? There's no benefit in staying by my side," Jiang Ning asked.
Lü Yi pursed her lips before answering, "Because Young Master treats me well."
"Treats you well?" Hearing this, Jiang Ning looked surprised.
Then he asked, "How have I treated you well?"
"Young Master, such an important person, was willing to escort me, a mere servant, back that night and even worried about me walking alone in the dark," Lü Yi said softly, lost in memory.
"How is that considered treating you well???" Jiang Ning was utterly baffled.
Seeing his expression, Lü Yi smiled gently and said nothing more.
Several days later.
Even though nearly a month had passed since the new year, the temperature still hadn't warmed up, and the sky remained overcast.
Every day was either shrouded in dark clouds or occasionally sprinkled with snowflakes.
But during these days, the desolation of Luoshui County lessened somewhat, replaced by a livelier atmosphere.
Because, following Commander Jiang's orders, the Xie family opened their granaries to distribute porridge, ensuring the entire city's populace could survive this harsh winter safely.
Though there were still complaints since the free rice porridge often contained a lot of sand, drawing curses from many it also brought hope and smiles to many faces.
Some even proposed erecting a statue of Commander Jiang for the citizens to worship.
When this proposal was brought to Jiang Ning by Master Li, a respected elder representing the outer city's commoners, Jiang Ning pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
He knew this was a small scheme by Xie Zhengtian of the Xie family.
The spreading of his good reputation in the city was also secretly promoted by members of the Xie family.
Originally, he had no interest in such fame-seeking tactics.
But when he heard the word "worship," he began to entertain some ideas.
He knew the Flesh and blood God of the God-Worshipping Cult thrived on worship, just as the Black Lotus Matron of the Black Lotus Cult did.
This indicated that the worship of the masses was beneficial to such deities.
And now, he too held divine authority.
[Authority]: Flesh and Blood Regeneration (Partially Missing 13.46%) Divine's Scion (Fragment, Extremely Incomplete.)
After glancing at his panel's display, he immediately agreed to the elder's request.
Let the people erect a statue of him and offer their worship.
He wanted to test whether the people's worship would also benefit him.
If it did, this could very well become another path for him.
Early in the morning, he woke up.
Jiang Ning pushed open the tightly shut door and was greeted by the sight of a sky covered in dark clouds.
Though no snowflakes were falling, the temperature remained bitterly cold, with the wind chill easily dropping below minus ten degrees Celsius.
In his previous life, even during the coldest days in the south, he had never experienced such extreme cold. Only in the north had he encountered temperatures as low as minus ten degrees. Back then, even bundled up in a thick down jacket, the piercing chill had seeped deep into his bones the moment he stepped outside.
"This weather is truly deadly. If it's truly man-made, the karmic repercussions would be unimaginable!" Jiang Ning sighed softly as he gazed at the gloomy sky overhead.
Then he shook his head and chuckled wryly. "Or perhaps there is no such thing as karma just the futile spiritual comfort ordinary people cling to."
In his past life, he had never believed in the idea that good deeds were rewarded and evil deeds punished.
Nor had he ever trusted in the notion that justice would ultimately prevail.
After being reborn into this extraordinary world, he had briefly entertained the concept of karmic retribution.
But now, he no longer believed in it.
If karma truly existed
As Ji Minghao had said, the great drought that summer had been man-made. A drought that ravaged the entire Great Xia Empire if one were to speak of karma, what kind of karmic debt would that incur?
Who could bear such a terrifying burden of cause and effect?
And now, this abnormal climate in his view, there was at least a fifty percent chance it was another man-made disaster.
"If my suspicions are correct, chaos is likely coming soon!" Jiang Ning sighed again.
He then glanced at his status panel.
[Divinity]: 2
[Authority]: Flesh and Blood Regeneration (Incomplete, 13.47%) / Divine's Scion (Fragment, Severely Incomplete)
[Source Energy]: 1498.63
After reviewing his panel, he shook his head.
The statue the outer city residents had erected in his honor had long been completed.
Though somewhat crude, people still offered incense to it daily especially since the Xie family's relief porridge distribution took place right beneath it.
But after several days, he hadn't sensed the slightest change.
Nor had there been any updates on his panel.
"Never mind." He shook his head and closed the panel. "I should focus on martial arts instead."
Redirecting his attention inward, he performed a quick self-assessment.
A moment later, a smile spread across his face.
After a night of refinement, his bones had absorbed enough jade marrow through tempering, and their jade-like transformation had progressed further.
Now, only one crucial bone remained the one near his heart.
Once this bone was fully tempered, his Jade Bones would be complete.
The realization instantly renewed his motivation.
"One last step. I'll finish it by noon!"
Soon after, Jiang Ning finished his morning routine and drank a bowl of meat broth prepared earlier by Lü Yi. Warmth spread through his body.
He then began his bone-tempering exercises in the spacious courtyard.
Boom
Boom
Boom
Every strike of the internal Qi hammer sent a tremor through his body, but nothing more.
As his bone-tempering progressed, his skeleton had grown far sturdier. Gone were the early days when a single round of tempering left him feeling like his body had been shattered.
Time passed.
The sky gradually brightened.
The overcast gloom began to disperse.
When a golden ray of sunlight pierced the clouds like an arrow splitting the darkness
Jiang Ning swallowed a Jade Marrow Pill and settled into deep meditation like an old monk.
He focused intently as wisps of jade marrow, mist-like and ethereal, seeped through his organs, permeated his flesh, and merged into the final bone near his heart the one closest to his vital organ.
Soon, the marrow derived from the pill was fully absorbed by the bone, leaving no excess.
He watched as the last traces of dark veins on the bone slowly faded away.
Moments later
The final remnants of darkness vanished completely. The bone near his heart had fully transformed into jade, gleaming with a translucent, crystalline radiance.
"Finally… it's done!!!"
He exhaled softly and slowly opened his eyes.
Immediately, he saw the golden sunlight from the east spilling over him, bathing the entire courtyard in a warm, golden glow.
The sight lifted his spirits even further.
Today would be a fine day.
Clear weather, especially in winter, always improves one's mood.
For him, this was especially true.
Clear skies meant sunrise.
Sunrise meant his Internal Alchemy Nourishment Technique could progress further.
And now that he had fully tempered his Jade Bones
According to the rankings of the nine martial tiers, he had officially crossed the threshold of the sixth tier and stepped firmly into the fifth.
And not just any fifth-tier practitioner. Judging by the sheer volume of his internal Qi reserves based on what he had learned "Internal energy like a river" signified a veteran with over a decade of cultivation.
Beyond that, "Internal energy like a vast sea" represented thirty years of accumulated power.
Those who reached this level were either elder fifth-tier masters or prodigies who had consumed countless rare medicines and elixirs.
And one step further "Internal energy like an abyss" meant sixty years of cultivation.
Though this was merely a measure of quantity, achieving it was already beyond ordinary means.
Because sixty years represented the time a normal martial artist would spend just to reach the fifth tier.
And that was assuming sixty years of unwavering, daily dedication.
Realistically, such a span exceeded the lifespan of most martial artists. Only a grandmaster with a lifespan of two sixty-year cycles could ever hope to reach such heights.
As for the next step, "Internal energy like a Prison," there are no clear explanations or records.
He is now considered a fifth-rank master, a fifth-rank martial artist with over a decade of cultivated internal energy.
The next level is fifth-rank perfection, where internal energy condenses into like steel (a more refined, powerful form of energy), and the organs produce thunderous resonances.
As for fifth-rank peak, it refers to those who have not only condensed their internal energy into like steel but also possess six decades (one jiazi) of internal energy, reaching a level that ordinary fifth-rank martial artists cannot achieve without special opportunities hence the term "fifth-rank peak."
Any warrior who reaches a fifth-rank peak at this stage is no ordinary figure.
They either carry great fortune, are blessed by fate and rare encounters, or possess extraordinary comprehension and talent, accumulating internal energy in a single day that would take others several days to achieve.
Such powerful individuals, once they comprehend "force" (shi), can fully harness the power of heaven and earth with their immense internal energy, begin refining their marrow, and initiate the transformation of their life essence.
Thus, they step into the realm of fourth-rank martial arts.
By mid-morning.
The sun hung high in the sky.
Jiang Ning had already assumed the Daoist cultivation posture of "five centers facing heaven."
Facing the blazing sun above, he opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing in the essence of the great sun to temper his internal organs.
[Internal Alchemy Nourishment Skill experience +1]
[Internal Alchemy Nourishment Skill experience +1]
[Internal Alchemy Nourishment Skill experience +1]
[...]
As the solar essence entered his body, he quickly settled into the familiar rhythm.
Internal energy continuously flowed into his dantian.
Under the tempering of the solar essence, his internal organs grew increasingly robust.
In the blink of an eye.
Three more days passed.
During these days, the weather had only cleared for two before reverting to heavy snowfall an unusual state.
Jiang Ning had not engaged in intense cultivation over the past two days, merely practicing the Five Animals Fist while reading books and sipping tea, enjoying moments of quiet.
The higher-ups from the Inspection Bureau had yet to arrive.
There was still no word from Hong Minghu regarding their prior agreement.
But Jiang Ning was in no hurry.
As time passed, his strength steadily improved.
He relished this feeling of gradual growth.
As the saying goes, "respond to change by remaining unchanged" This was precisely the state he was in now.
Over these few days, he could sense that the complete forging of his Jade Bones had significantly enhanced his physique.
Whether it was defensive capabilities, raw strength, or vitality, the improvements were striking. He could distinctly feel himself ascending to a new level.
If he were to encounter the two fifth-rank martial artists from the God-Worshipping Cult again, he felt that his current physical strength alone would be enough to crush them to death.
There would be no need for the drawn-out struggle of before, where he had to exhaust all his means.
In the face of overwhelming power, so-called "immortality" was nothing more than a fleeting delay.
"My strength has risen to a level beyond comparison!" Standing in the courtyard, sensing the state of his body, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile.
Compared to his last battle, though he had only just completed the forging of his Jade Bones, his combat power had improved by leaps and bounds far beyond what rank alone could measure.
From that battle to today:
His blade technique had broken limits, and his blade force (shi) had advanced further.
His spiritual power had transformed, and the diameter of his spiritual force field had doubled.
His fist technique had broken limits, granting him the Bear-Tiger Body trait to enhance his physique, and his fist force had also achieved a breakthrough.
A few days ago, he had completed the forging of his Jade Bones, using skeletal transformation to drive the evolution of his entire body.
After all these upgrades, his strength had multiplied.
If he were to relive that battle, Jiang Ning believed that with his current physique, his bare fists alone could pummel those two fifth-rank God-Worshipping Cultists to death.
There would be no need to retreat into the water to exploit the terrain, nor would he have to unleash his blade force or rely on the sharpness of his spirit weapon to secure the kill.
Feeling these changes, his confidence grew even stronger.
With power rooted in himself, strength was the greatest source of confidence.
He then turned his senses inward, examining his condition.
A moment later, he opened his eyes.
"In another two days, the physical growth brought by the Jade Bones should stabilize!"
"At that point, according to the Great Xia's nine-rank martial classification, I can truly be considered a fifth-rank master!"
At this thought, his expression grew even more relaxed.
Fifth-rank master internal energy like a river, over a decade of cultivation.
Coupled with the authority of flesh regeneration, various trait enhancements, and the empowerment of blade force...
He felt he was fully qualified to compete with fifth-rank peak experts.
The only aspect of the fifth-rank peak that gave him pause was their terrifying internal energy reserves.
In terms of physical body strength, he was confident he surpassed fifth-rank peak experts.
But in terms of the quantity and quality of internal energy, he was not on the same level.
At the fifth-rank peak, internal energy had undergone a qualitative transformation, condensing into like steel a world apart from his looser, unrefined internal energy.
In terms of quantity:
He currently had less than three decades of cultivation, far from achieving the phenomenon of "internal energy like a sea" in his dantian.
Meanwhile, fifth-rank peak experts possessed six decades (one jiazi) of cultivation, their internal energy vast as an abyss.
Six decades of cultivation in terms of quantity, was six times the accumulation of a mere decade.
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