Early the next morning.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
[Source Energy]: 28.9
[Skills]:
Literacy (Third Breakthrough 321/4000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking)
Five Animals Fist (First Breakthrough 447/2000) (Trait: Essence Stored in the Five Organs)
Woodchopping Blade Technique (Fourth Breakthrough 5000/5000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as the Wind, Mastery of the Blade, Unity of Man and Blade)
Internal Alchemy Cultivation Technique (Proficiency 245/5000)
Indestructible Golden Body (Proficiency 453/5000)
Water Affinity (Fifth Breakthrough 6000/6000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation, Water Spirit Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
Wind and Thunder Archery Technique (Perfection 2000/2000)
Water-Fire True Force (Proficiency 31/500)
Jiang Ning woke up and glanced at his status panel.
The results of his hard training over the past few days were displayed.
The perfected Wind and Thunder Archery Technique had given him terrifying killing power.
Jiang Ning had already imagined a scenario:
When night fell, he would use his Cloud and Rain Control ability to summon a torrential downpour, shrouding the land in rain.
In this era, once the moon was obscured by dark clouds, the world would be plunged into darkness.
In such darkness, even a sixth-grade martial artist, or even stronger martial artist, could only see a few dozen feet at most.
But Jiang Ning was different.
After his senses were greatly enhanced, his vision far surpassed that of ordinary people.
Even in complete darkness, he could easily see up to a hundred feet away.
Not to mention, water had become an extension of his senses.
At the Cao residence, he had used the rain to monitor every movement within the compound.
Now, with another breakthrough in his Water Affinity, this ability had grown even stronger.
So, as long as it rained heavily, it would become his domain, his battlefield.
The perfected Wind and Thunder Archery Technique could be fully unleashed in such conditions.
Arrows that broke the sound barrier would become instruments of death in the darkness.
Moreover, the experience points for the Wind and Thunder Archery Technique had already maxed out.
With just 100 Source Energy points, this archery technique could undergo another breakthrough.
The effects of breaking through the lower-tier Five Animals Fist had filled Jiang Ning with even greater anticipation for the breakthrough of the intermediate-tier Wind and Thunder Archery Technique.
It was easy to imagine that once the Wind and Thunder Archery Technique broke through, its killing power would become even more terrifying.
Perhaps it could truly embody the concept of "arrows summoning wind and thunder."
Aside from the Wind and Thunder Archery Technique, what satisfied Jiang Ning the most was the Water-Fire True Force.
This was an advanced martial art.
And it was his only advanced martial art.
At this moment, feeling the destructive power of the Water-Fire True Force two opposing yet fused forces within him, Jiang Ning felt a sense of security.
He didn't know exactly how strong this force was.
But he knew it had to be incredibly powerful!
The only thing that worried him about the Water-Fire True Force was that, after its transformation, the rate at which he gained experience points had slowed significantly.
Last night, after several hours of focused training, he had only gained less than 20 experience points.
At this rate, reaching perfection would take more than a day or two.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
After briefly testing the explosive power of the Water-Fire True Force, he realized that even at the proficiency level, it placed a significant strain on his body.
With his current physique, even if the Water-Fire True Force continued to improve, he might not be able to unleash its full power.
Soon after.
Jiang Ning got up, washed up, had breakfast, and then continued his warm-up exercises.
Practicing the Five Animals Fist once strengthened his vitality a little more.
The stronger his vitality, the smoother his martial path would be.
Now that his skills had reached a high level, he began to shift his focus to improving the foundation of his martial arts.
The foundation of martial arts was the cornerstone of everything.
In the nine grades of martial arts, each breakthrough brought a significant increase in strength and a further transformation of the body.
The core of martial arts training always lay in this.
After practicing the fist technique for about half an hour, Jiang Ning completed his warm-up.
He then poured Tiger Tendon Powder into the courtyard pool. Once the powder had fully dissolved, Jiang Ning jumped into the pool.
Under his control, the dissolved medicinal powder entered his body through countless pores.
He then circulated his vitality to refine it.
Being in the water allowed all his internal consumption to recover quickly.
Jiang Ning's efficiency skyrocketed, and he could feel the essence of the medicinal powder integrating into his tendons, making them even more resilient.
Time passed slowly.
In the pool.
"Feng Jiuge is here?"
"Is something happening at the Inspection Bureau?"
Jiang Ning's ears twitched slightly, and he frowned.
Then, with a leap, he landed on the shore.
With a shake of his body, the water on him scattered into countless droplets.
By the time Feng Jiuge arrived in his courtyard, Jiang Ning had already dressed and was waiting.
"Sir!" Feng Jiuge greeted Jiang Ning with a slight bow.
"Is something the matter?"
"Sir, Commander Hong is looking for you!" Feng Jiuge said.
"Understood." Jiang Ning nodded.
The two then headed to the Inspection Bureau.
Inspection Bureau.
"Commander!"
When Jiang Ning arrived in the main hall, he saw that the four commanders had gathered, along with two deputy commanders, Tang Miaomiao and Yuan Hua, both seventh-grade martial artists.
Apart from himself, only Deputy Commander He Jinyun had yet to arrive.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning realized that something significant must have happened.
Otherwise, why would everyone be gathered?
Especially the other three commanders, whom Jiang Ning had rarely seen before.
Today was the first time he had seen all four commanders gathered together.
"Take a seat." Hong Minghu pointed to an empty seat and motioned for Jiang Ning to sit.
Jiang Ning sat down.
"Commander, what is the reason for summoning me today?" Jiang Ning asked directly.
Hong Minghu said, "Commander Ye, you explain."
"Alright." Ye Qiu nodded.
He was already used to handling such tedious tasks.
At that moment.
Wah-wah
He Jinyun, who had just arrived at the door, patted his mouth and made a sound.
Then he let out a long yawn.
"Commander, why did you call me here so early in the morning? What's the matter?"
Everyone present couldn't help but feel a bit speechless at this scene.
Hong Minghu then said, "Deputy Commander He, take a seat first. Commander Ye will explain later."
"Commander, I don't like hearing the word 'deputy' before my title." As He Jinyun spoke, he plopped down on a chair.
Hong Minghu smiled but didn't respond.
At that moment, He Jinyun suddenly looked at Jiang Ning.
"Deputy Commander Jiang, I heard you obtained a Spatial Ring?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to Jiang Ning.
Ye Qiu and Hong Minghu also showed expressions of surprise.
Spatial Rings were something they had heard of and understood, given their status.
These were rare artifacts from ancient times.
They had the effect of storing vast spaces within a small object.
Unfortunately, such items were not usable by just anyone.
Even grandmasters of the current era could rarely use such artifacts.
But that didn't mean these artifacts were worthless.
Such relics are extremely rare in the world today.
And the methods to create them had been lost.
So, each one lost was a permanent loss.
Many people collected and hoarded them.
In the main hall.
Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Jiang Ning's heart tightened.
He immediately realized that Xiao Tianhe must have confessed this matter to He Jinyun.
And He Jinyun had likely gone to Huang Dazheng, who faced with He Jinyun, had probably confessed everything.
He had told He Jinyun that the last Spatial Ring of his family heirloom had been given to Jiang Ning.
Originally, Jiang Ning had planned to visit the prison to see if Xiao Tianhe would be sensible and hand over the Spatial Ring in his possession.
But now, it seemed there was no need to go to the prison.
The Spatial Ring was no longer in Xiao Tianhe's hands but in the possession of He Jinyun, the Young Lord.
At the same time.
He Jinyun took out a ring from his person, a dark black ring.
He flipped it in his hand, tossing it up and catching it repeatedly.
"Deputy Commander Jiang, I'm very interested in the Spatial Ring you have. How about selling it to me?"
Then he shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, Huang Dazheng's family only had two heirlooms. No matter how much I interrogated him, he couldn't produce a third one."
Jiang Ning's heart turned cold at this moment.
Huang Dazheng.
He was likely in grave danger.
"What? Deputy Commander Jiang doesn't want to talk to me?" He Jinyun continued to toss the Spatial Ring in his hand. "Don't worry, I'll give you a fair price. Ten thousand taels of silver for one ring. How about it?"
As he spoke, He Jinyun's gaze locked onto the Spatial Ring on Jiang Ning's finger.
On the other side.
"Spatial Ring."
Yuan Hua murmured, his eyes flickering.
Tang Miaomiao, sitting beside him, seemed to hear his muttering and glanced at him.
"I don't need money," Jiang Ning said indifferently.
"You don't need money?" He Jinyun chuckled. "Deputy Commander Jiang, your words make me feel ashamed! To this day, as a Young Lord, I've always been short on money!"
After a pause.
He Jinyun sighed. "Well, since Deputy Commander Jiang doesn't need money, how about we make a bet?"
He Jinyun then raised the dark black ring in his hand.
"Deputy Commander Jiang, see this Spatial Ring? It's the same as the one you have!"
"Let's use our Spatial Rings as stakes and make a bet!"
Jiang Ning's heart stirred slightly.
"What kind of bet?"
He Jinyun said, "You and I have never fought before. I've wanted to have a good match with you for a while now. Why not today? Let's use our Spatial Rings as stakes!"
"Fight a match!"
"If you win, this Spatial Ring is yours!"
"If you lose, then your Spatial Ring is mine!"
"How about it?"
He Jinyun's eyes burned as he stared at Jiang Ning.
"What are you two doing? We're all family here. No need to ruin the harmony," Hong Minghu interjected, trying to mediate.
At that moment.
"Alright," Jiang Ning nodded.
"Commander, will you be our witness?" Jiang Ning turned to Hong Minghu and asked.
"Sigh!" Hong Minghu sighed, then said, "Fine! Since you two want to spar, I won't stop you!"
"Jiang Ning, I'm starting to admire you!" He Jinyun grinned.
His sallow, thin face made his cheekbones stand out even more as he smiled.
Outside.
"Let's keep it simple. How about we settle this with fists and feet?" He Jinyun looked at Jiang Ning.
"Sure," Jiang Ning replied calmly.
A moment later.
"Aren't you going to make the first move?" He Jinyun asked Jiang Ning.
"Me first?"
"You first."
"Alright." Jiang Ning suddenly smiled.
In the next moment.
Jiang Ning moved.
Boom
The stone tiles beneath his feet shattered, sending debris flying.
Seeing this, everyone present widened their eyes in shock.
"Seventh-grade martial artist!!!" Ye Qiu exclaimed in surprise.
"Seventh-grade martial artist!!" Hong Minghu's expression turned serious.
At this moment, the explosive power Jiang Ning displayed far surpassed his previous capabilities, instantly revealing his true strength.
He Jinyun's face paled.
Faced with Jiang Ning's incredible speed and explosive power, he had no time to react before Jiang Ning closed the distance of several feet in an instant.
Bang
One punch.
He Jinyun was sent flying.
Crash
His body slammed into a rockery in the courtyard, causing it to collapse into a cloud of dust.
A few breaths later.
He Jinyun struggled to his feet.
His face was flushed, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly defeated.
"Still want to fight?" Jiang Ning asked indifferently.
He Jinyun looked at Jiang Ning deeply.
"You win!!!" he said through gritted teeth.
"The ring," Jiang Ning said.
Without another word, He Jinyun took out the Spatial Ring and tossed it to Jiang Ning.
The ring whistled through the air like a projectile.
Jiang Ning caught it effortlessly.
"Commander, I'll take my leave now. If there are any tasks, just notify me," He Jinyun said before turning and walking away.
After He Jinyun had left.
"Brother Jiang, impressive!! You quietly reached the seventh grade of martial arts. What a pleasant surprise!" Ye Qiu smiled at Jiang Ning. "That Young Lord suffered a well-deserved defeat today! He met his match in you."
Jiang Ning smiled faintly. "Just luck. I broke through a few days ago. I didn't expect the Young Lord to run into me today."
On the other side.
Yuan Hua broke out in a cold sweat, feeling a bit shaken.
Earlier, when he saw the Spatial Ring, he had entertained some thoughts.
But now, those thoughts had completely vanished.
He knew how strong He Jinyun was.
Although only an eighth-grade martial artist, He Jinyun could easily defeat ordinary seventh-grade martial artists.
After all, He Jinyun was the son of a lord, having enjoyed countless resources since childhood. His foundation was solid, and he was born with immense strength.
Such a person couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
Even Yuan Hua, as a seventh-grade martial artist, might not have won so decisively against He Jinyun.
Not to mention, Jiang Ning was much younger than him.
Youth was the greatest asset and advantage on the martial path.
Yuan Hua suddenly realized.
It wouldn't be long before he and Jiang Ning were no longer in the same world.
In the future, Jiang Ning has the potential to become a grandmaster.
For Yuan Hua, reaching the fourth grade in this lifetime was already a distant dream, let alone becoming a grandmaster!
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