In the courtyard.
Crunch
Crunch
Jiang Ning took bite after bite of the jade bamboo shoot.
"It's quite refreshing!" he nodded in satisfaction.
Soon.
The entire bamboo shoot was in his stomach.
The Water-Fire True Force within him surged.
In an instant.
The jade-like bamboo shoot was crushed into powder.
As his energy circulated, the green powder released a torrent of medicinal power.
Under the guidance of his vitality, the medicinal power slowly integrated into the 206 bones in his body.
In that moment.
Jiang Ning felt an itching sensation deep within his bones as if ants were crawling inside.
Several hours later.
Huff
Jiang Ning opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.
"With the Water-Fire True Force crushing it, the refining efficiency has indeed skyrocketed!"
Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.
According to Han Hongmei, an ordinary martial artist would need one or two days to refine this jade bamboo shoot.
But he had done it in less than three hours.
Such efficiency was partly due to his immense vitality.
The other reason was the powerful Water-Fire True Force he had mastered.
Compared to the Wind and Thunder Force, which had undergone one breakthrough, the Water-Fire True Force was far superior.
In terms of destructive power, the Water-Fire True Force, combining two extreme and incompatible forces, far surpassed the Wind and Thunder Force.
Thus, with a gentle application of the Water-Fire True Force.
The jade-like bamboo shoot was turned into powder.
This was why his refining efficiency was so high.
In the next moment.
Jiang Ning closed his eyes and focused inward.
Instantly.
The 206 bones in his body came into view.
He saw that the originally pale bones were now dotted with a faint green glow.
The green glow was slowly fading over time.
"From this, it's clear that the Green Wave Bamboo Shoot is indeed beneficial to the bones."
"This item will help me on my path to the sixth grade. For now, its main effect is to provide me with Source Energy points."
"I wonder how many Source Energy points a three-thousand-tael Green Wave Bamboo Shoot will ultimately give me?"
Jiang Ning pondered this question but quickly dismissed it.
He couldn't afford to test this hypothesis by consuming a natural treasure every day.
Then.
Jiang Ning clenched his fist.
Crackle
The bones in his fingers made a series of crisp sounds.
He immediately felt that his bones had become much harder than before.
Harder bones meant his resistance to damage would be significantly improved.
In martial arts combat.
It's not just about who strikes harder, but also about who can withstand more damage and has greater physical resilience.
A strong body with high defense turns serious injuries into minor ones, minor injuries into superficial wounds, and superficial wounds into nothing.
This was equally important.
After briefly experiencing the changes brought by the decades-old Green Wave Bamboo Shoot.
Jiang Ning got up to eat.
It was already past noon, and his stomach was growling with hunger.
After lunch, Jiang Ning returned to his courtyard.
There were still many resources in his Spatial Ring to digest. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could break through more skills.
With Liu Linmen, a hidden enemy, lurking in Luoshui County.
Yesterday, the Earth King of the Yellow Heaven Sect had used soul travel to find him and mark him.
In this situation, as soon as Liu Linmen found him and opened his heavenly eye, he would know that Jiang Ning was behind last night's events.
Although, with his current status as a deputy commander of the Inspection Bureau, Liu Linmen wouldn't dare to openly attack him.
But as the saying goes, "It's easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to avoid a hidden arrow."
On a dark and windy night, someone could break in, kill him, and dispose of the body. Who would know who did it?
In such a situation, Jiang Ning naturally couldn't afford to slack off.
Strength was his greatest confidence.
Then.
He took out another item from his Spatial Ring.
A palm-sized shell.
This item had also cost a fortune.
Four thousand taels.
Inside the shell were four drops of Earth Core Marrow.
This treasure could only be found deep underground in extremely cold environments.
Consuming and refining it could enhance spiritual power.
Such items were highly sought after by true martial arts experts.
Thus, they were extremely valuable, with each drop costing a thousand taels.
Jiang Ning bought this because he realized that the divine abilities he had mastered were all related to spiritual power.
After his spiritual power broke through once, reaching a level where it could briefly leave his body, his various divine abilities significantly improved.
This was why Jiang Ning had chosen to purchase the Earth Core Marrow.
Enhancing his spiritual power would make his divine abilities stronger.
This would not only boost his strength but also increase his Source Energy points.
With a forceful twist, he opened the shell.
Instantly, a cold mist emerged, and in the center of the mist lay four pearl-like droplets.
These droplets were dense like mercury, not merging even when the shell shook and they collided.
"Truly miraculous!"
Jiang Ning marveled.
He gently blew on the shell, causing the cold mist to surge like a tide, spilling over the edges of the shell and falling to the ground like clouds from the heavens.
The cold mist passed through his palm, sending a bone-chilling cold through him.
"No wonder Han Hongmei told me it's best to dissolve this in water before consuming it. Although it slightly reduces the Earth Core Marrow's effectiveness, it greatly reduces the accumulation of cold toxins, preventing damage to the internal organs."
Thinking this, Jiang Ning pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"My internal organs are tempered daily by solar essence. I believe they can withstand the cold toxins in the Earth Core Marrow."
In the next moment.
A drop of Earth Core Marrow floated into the air.
Jiang Ning opened his mouth slightly.
Whoosh
The drop of Earth Core Marrow shot into his mouth.
With his spiritual power able to leave his body, controlling a drop of Earth Core Marrow was no challenge for Jiang Ning.
But this was its only use; it had no other practical effects.
Unless he could break through again and further strengthen his spiritual power.
At that moment.
Jiang Ning's brow furrowed.
As the Earth Core Marrow entered his body, he suddenly felt an intense cold spread through him.
This was a cold below freezing!
In the face of this cold, he felt his blood beginning to freeze.
The moisture in his body started to crystallize.
Huff
Jiang Ning exhaled, and a cloud of white mist escaped his mouth.
"Such terrifying cold toxins!" Jiang Ning murmured.
His complexion, which had turned pale, gradually returned to a healthy hue.
As the cold erupted, his heart suddenly burst into action like a volcano.
His vitality boiled, and his body temperature soared.
The rapidly heating blood surged through his veins like a fiery dragon.
Wherever it passed, the cold dissipated, and the ice crystals melted.
In less than ten breaths, the blood in his body completed full circulation.
The cold throughout his body vanished, and the drop of Earth Core Marrow now lay quietly in his stomach, its coldness contained.
"This thing should be quite effective!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
He then began refining the Earth's Core Marrow in his body.
Time passed.
By the time the sun set and night fell.
Huff
Jiang Ning opened his eyes again and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.
As the air left his body and met the outside atmosphere, it instantly condensed into tiny ice crystals, forming a white mist.
"All four drops of Earth Core Marrow have been fully refined!" Jiang Ning murmured.
He raised his hand.
A fallen leaf a meter away from him suddenly floated in mid-air.
"My spiritual power can now extend about a meter from my body."
Then, Jiang Ning waved his hand.
The leaf lost its support and fluttered back to the ground.
Jiang Ning closed his eyes again.
In an instant.
An invisible spiritual net spread out around him, covering a radius of one meter in all directions, appearing clearly in his mind.
"My spiritual power has indeed grown significantly!" Jiang Ning felt a surge of joy at this realization.
This improvement not only meant his divine abilities would become stronger.
But it also gave him a greater advantage in combat.
With the spiritual net spread out, nothing within a meter could escape his notice.
This meant he could anticipate his opponent's moves, always staying one step ahead.
"Just this improvement alone makes the four thousand taels well worth it."
Jiang Ning nodded in satisfaction.
He maintained this state for several dozen breaths until he felt a slight headache and mental fatigue. Then, he opened his eyes and withdrew the spiritual net.
The importance of Earth Core Marrow in his eyes had risen.
Compared to the improvements brought by the Green Wave Bamboo Shoot, the effects of Earth Core Marrow were far more noticeable.
Next, Jiang Ning sat quietly in the pool, closing his eyes to rest.
After half a cup of tea's time, he opened his eyes, full of energy.
At this moment, his body was once again in peak condition.
He was filled with motivation.
"Let's continue!!"
Under the moonlight.
Jiang Ning waved his hand, and a fiery fruit appeared in his palm.
The fruit was about the size of a cherry tomato from his previous life, bright red, as if flames were burning within it.
According to Han Hongmei.
This was a Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit.
In ancient times, this fruit was one of the spiritual fruits required by immortals, capable of enhancing cultivation.
But for martial artists, it had little effect, only claiming to cleanse the meridians, eliminate hidden ailments, and prolong life.
In reality, these claims were mostly exaggerated.
Perhaps there was some effect, but it was extremely minimal.
This was what Han Hongmei had personally told him.
She advised Jiang Ning not to expect much from it.
But even with its exaggerated effects, the Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit was extremely valuable.
Just this single fruit had cost him eight thousand taels of silver.
And this was with the 20% discount from the token Shen Congyun had given him.
In other words, at the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion's original price, a single Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit was worth ten thousand taels.
Ten taels of gold, ten gold leaves.
After examining the Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit in his hand.
Jiang Ning popped it into his mouth.
With a gentle bite, the juice burst forth.
As the juice flowed down his throat and into his body, Jiang Ning felt a warm, comforting sensation spread through him.
It was like soaking in a warm pool.
After consuming the Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit, Jiang Ning quietly observed the changes in his body.
The warm current filled his limbs and every part of his body.
But that was all.
He felt no significant transformation or improvement.
It was as if his body had been cleansed by some force, making him feel lighter and more agile.
This state lasted for half an hour before completely disappearing.
Jiang Ning then closed his eyes and focused inward.
After a few breaths.
He opened his eyes helplessly.
Through internal observation, he confirmed what Han Hongmei had said: the Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit had brought him no noticeable changes.
"Eight thousand taels of silver down the drain!" Jiang Ning shook his head with a bitter smile.
But if he were to go back to yesterday, he would still choose to buy the Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit.
According to Han Hongmei, spiritual plants like the Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit from ancient times were now extremely rare.
The Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion only had one in stock.
And it had been obtained by sheer luck.
The changing times had made such items incredibly scarce.
For such a rare treasure, if he had the chance, he would acquire it.
Moreover, he wanted to see how many Source Energy points such a rare item could provide.
After all, this was a treasure required by immortals.
In theory, treasures required by immortals should contain far more energy than those needed by martial artists.
This was why he had chosen to spend eight thousand taels to buy it.
Source Energy points were now his top priority.
They were crucial for breaking through his skills.
Compared to the improvements brought by skill breakthroughs, the enhancements from natural treasures were insignificant.
For example, the Earth Core Marrow had extended his spiritual power to one meter around him, a significant improvement.
But the breakthrough of the Wind and Thunder Archery Technique had truly boosted his combat power.
It wasn't a doubling of strength, but it had increased his combat effectiveness by at least fifty percent.
The next day.
As the sky began to lighten, Jiang Ning was already up.
The first thing he did upon waking was to check his status panel.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
[Source Energy]: 687.33
[Skills]:
Literacy (Third Breakthrough 358/4000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking)
Five Animals Fist (First Breakthrough 501/2000) (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 319/5000)
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 (First Breakthrough 1/2000) (Trait: Wind and Thunder Breath)
Water-Fire True Force (Proficiency 31/500)
Seeing the panel, Jiang Ning's breathing became heavy.
Six hundred and eighty-seven Source Energy points this far exceeded his expectations.
It was the first time he had so many Source Energy points, and it filled him with the excitement of striking it rich overnight.
Huff
Huff
After two deep breaths, Jiang Ning's racing heart calmed down.
"Nearly seven hundred points overnight!"
"It seems I gambled correctly! The natural treasures required by immortals contain far more energy than ordinary ones, which is why my Source Energy points have reached six hundred and eighty-seven."
Jiang Ning thought to himself.
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